Mazzic shot Shada a glance. “Really,” he said, his voice still nonchalant but with a definite note of interest beneath it. “You know their names?”
“Unfortunately not,” Lak Jit said. “That part of the document was too badly damaged for my humble datapad to read.” He leaned back again in his chair. “But I suggest it doesn’t matter. Either way, the Bothans are in for an exceedingly rough time. A clever businessman should be able to make a profit from knowledge of such imminent instability.” He gestured to the stack of coins in front of Mazzic. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I would indeed,” Mazzic said, looking at Shada and twitching an eyebrow. “Very well. Shada, would you assist our friend?”
“No need,” Lak Jit said. Leaning forward over the table again, he reached out for the coins&mdash
And rising half from her seat, Shads jabbed the knuckles of her right hand at the base of his leftmost horn.
He went down without a whimper, dropping face first onto the table, his leftmost horn almost but not quite knocking over Mazzic’s drink. A Barabel and a couple of Duros glanced over and then looked away; passed-out customers were apparently a common sight at the Dona Laza. Wheh!” Cromf wheezed, staring bulge-eyed at the limp form. “Is he not-?”
“Of course not,” Mazzic said, reaching over to tap the needle-shaped signaler in Shada’s hair three times. “No one’s paying us to kill anyone.”
Pushing his way through the crowd, Griv appeared at the table. “Ready?” he asked.
“Ready,” Mazzic nodded, scooping up the stack of coins. He handed Cromf four of them, dropped the rest into his inside pocket. “Get him out to the speeder.”
Griv hoisted the Devaronian to his shoulder and pushed his way back into the crowd. Well, that was a waste of time,” Mazzic commented, standing up and courteously offering Shada a hand. “Maybe we can bargain up Karrde’s bounty a little. Try to at least come out even.”
“We’re not going to do anything with this?” Shada asked.
“Don’t be silly,” he chided, taking her arm and guiding her into the crowd. “Who’s going to care about a planet destroyed almost half a century ago?”
Shada’s stomach tightened. Caamas … and Emberlene. “No one,” she agreed bitterly. “No one at all.”
***
It took a while-at least two complete read-throughs each, Disra estimated as he slowly paced the floor behind his ivrooy desk, trying to look impatient rather than apprehensive. But eventually the last of the four Imperial captains finished reading and lifted his eyes from his datapad. “With all due respect, Your Excellency, I find this proposal incredible,” Captain Trazzen of the Obliterator said, his soft voice belying his reputation for viciousness. “Surely you realize that you can’t simply pull four Imperial Star Destroyers out of a sector fleet and expect the remaining forces to adequately defend their territory.”
“I agree,” Captain Nalgol of the Tyrannic put in, fingering the Kuat family crest ring he always wore. “In addition-and also with due respectI would go so far as to question your authority to even order these two missions. All incursions into New Republic space are supposed to be under the direct command of Supreme Fleet Commander Pellaeon.”
“Perhaps,” Disra said. “Perhaps not. We’ll put that aside for a moment. Are there other questions?”
“I have one,” Captain Dorja of the Relentless spoke up. “This mission to Morishim that you want me to go on. What exactly is this courier ship I’m being asked to intercept?”
Disra lifted his eyebrows. “Being ‘asked,’ Captain? Being ‘asked’?”
“Yes, Your Excellency,” Dorja said stiffly. “Captain Nalgol is correct: you are supreme commander of the Braxant Sector Fleet only with regard to operations within Braxant sector. Missions to Morishim and Bothawui do not fall under this authority.”
“I see.” Disra looked at the fourth captain. “You’ve been rather quiet, Captain Argona.”
“The Ironhand is of course under your command, Your Excellency, and we’ll go wherever you send us,” Argona said quietly. “At the same time, I have to concur with Captain Trazzen’s assessment. Sending away four of the sector fleet’s thirteen Star Destroyers is not something to be done lightly.”
“Especially with three of them on this long-term mission to the Bothawui system,” Trazzen added. “The nature of which, I remind you, precludes any chance of a quick recall.”