“What do you want?” he asked.
“We’ll give you safe passage to a spaceport. All crew must depart. We’ll leave you with your lives if you leave us with the ship.”
The officer shared a glance with his crew. “I’m not dying for this ship. I agree.”
Oryon sprang to the controls. Roan held his blaster on the three Imperial officers as he settled into a chair and crossed his legs. “I’m going to enjoy this ride,” he said.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Keets and Curran sat in the Senate retaining room, where those who violated security were kept. They were relieved they hadn’t immediately been shipped off to an Imperial detention center.
Zackery sat at a table, watching a broadcast of a gladiator droid contest on his datascreen, ignoring the prisoners. Keets considered whether to overpower him, but he knew there was additional security behind the closed door. They were waiting for something, and he had a feeling he knew what it was.
The doors hissed open, and Sano Sauro appeared. Despite the fact that it was the middle of the night, he was dressed and groomed impeccably.
Zackery sprang to his feet. “Here they are, sir. We caught them red-handed in your office.” “Leave us.”
“But they could be dangerous …. “
“I hardly think so.” Sauro plucked a piece of lint off his black sleeve. “Go.”
Zackery left hurriedly, tucking his datapad under his arm.
Sauro seated himself at the table and folded his hands. “Who are you working for?” he asked.
“No one,” Curran said.
“Don’t waste my time. Either you tell me or I hand you over to Imperial interrogators. From what I understand, you,” Sauro said, turning to Keets, “were a third-rate journalist, and you,” he continued, turning to Curran, “were a low-level Senate aide until the Empire was established, after which it was determined that you both had violated the laws of the Empire, and warrants were issued for your arrests.”
“Third-rate?” Keets reared back. “You can torture me all you want, but there’s no need to call me third-rate.”
Sauro’s gaze was dark and neutral. “I have enemies,” he said. “I accept that as an inevitable part of power. It is necessary for me to know who they are. Now, you will either tell me or you will be forced to talk by an Imperial interrogator. Who hired you?”
“Bog Divinian,” Curran said. He didn’t think it was possible to surprise Sano Sauro, but he saw the flicker in his gaze.
“You’re lying,” the Senator challenged.
Curran didn’t answer. It was enough to have planted the suspicion in Sauro’s mind. Better to keep Bog and Sauro off balance and not trusting each other.
“I don’t have time for lies,” Sauro said, rising smoothly, “so I ”
The door hissed open behind him. Sauro didn’t turn, but they saw his anger at being interrupted. “I didn’t summon you.”
Zackery took a hesitant step into the room. “Urgent communication for you, sir. The True Justice has been hijacked.”
“You fool, tell me outside!” Sauro’s face was white.
Keets kept his face impassive, but he could have cheered at the look of fury on Sauro’s face. The guy was panicking, that was for sure.
And he had no doubt that Solace and Oryon and Trever had done the impossible: They had freed Roan and Dona.
“Do not tell anyone this news,” Sauro hissed at Zackery. “It must not reach the Emperor.” He turned back and looked at Keets and Curran with hatred. “I’ll deal with them later,” he said. Then he hurried out the door.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Darth Vader was used to being called to Palpatine’s office at any hour, so he was not surprised at the summons that called him there in the predawn hours. He didn’t need much sleep now. If not for the demands of what was left of his body, he wouldn’t sleep at all. Sleep brought dreams.
He found his Master standing at the window overlooking the lights of Coruscant. It was where he plotted his strategy. They had done so much, but power gained must still be consolidated. How thrilling it would be at last to hold the galaxy firm in a fist, to know that because of his efforts it would run smoothly, without the petty systemwide wars that had plagued it in the past, without the inefficiency of many voices clamoring for different things.
“Things are not going well on Samaria,” the Emperor said without preliminaries. “I haven’t troubled you about it because it seemed a minor problem. Yet Samaria is necessary for us, a strategic link to the rest of the Core.”
“I am not surprised, my Master,” Vader said. “I did not understand why Divinian was put in charge.”