Jaina thought of Gotab, and why he’d found Mandalore as irresistible as this fighter was to her. She knew he wouldn’t welcome her poking around in his business. “Can’t do any harm. I’ll find one.”
“Thanks, Jaina.”
She realized she’d ceased to be just Jedi and even Solo, and was now Jaina. For some reason, that heartened her even more than not being shot on sight as a spy.
Chapter 13
Taun We-No, I’m not dead, and yes, I’ve still got your research material. I don’t plan to sell it off. Don’t make me change those plans.
Koa Ne-No, I didn’t forget. And you know I found what you were looking for. I just don’t need three million credits that badly. Which is still my price, by the way.
-Extract from queued text-comm messages awaiting transmission from Boba Fett, Mandalore, via Arkania and Kamino comm nodes
IMPERIAL STAR DESTROYER BLOODFIN, TASK FORCE ASSEMBLY AREA, OFF FONDOR
Caedus refused to let his recent brush with Luke rattle his composure as he stepped through the hatch of Bloodfin’s hangar, Tahiri at his heels.
He’d been duped with a brilliant Fallanassi illusion and had his StealthX almost ripped from under him. That had left him reeling, but not for long.
He realized that it wasn’t an indication of his own vulnerability. It was a benchmark revealed to him as part of his destiny.
Luke had come after him: that showed how desperately urgent it now was for the Jedi to stop him. Luke was pulling out all the stops.
The illusion, however masterful, was the best that Luke and his entourage could do. Or else they’d have used it to defeat him there and then.
The attack on his StealthX-that was the best Luke and his wingmate could do, too. They couldn’t stop him or grab him, even with chunks of his fighter missing. And they didn’t have what it took to kill him, militarily or emotionally.
Luke was the greatest Jedi Master, and he’d just exposed the absolute limits of his powers, a suicidal gamble in any war. No-no, the Force had laid out the evidence for Cae-dus, and all he had to do was look at it from the right perspective. Caedus truly knew his enemy now. And he knew that Luke’s best shot wasn’t good enough.
And neither is yours, Admiral.
Here she comes…
“You seem in a positive mood, Colonel, “said Niathal’s voice from some way behind him. “Good to see a spring in your step so soon after being scraped off your own deck.”
Caedus followed an Imperial aide through the maze of passageways into the citadel of the Destroyer, the most heavily protected sections that were the heart of the warship. It was a much smaller Destroyer than the Anakin Solo, an unfamiliar layout, with lower deckheads and narrower spaces. When he stopped outside the compartment designated for the meeting, he studied the ship’s badge on the bulkhead.
“Thank you for your concern, Admiral Niathal, “he said. The shield depicted a four-legged, fanged creature with cloven hooves like daggers, a blood-red frill raised like a mane along the length of its arched neck.
Niathal paused to look as well. “Think of all the extra work that would land on my desk if anything happened to you.”
“I heal fast.” The animal was caparisoned in ancient battle harness, trampling a figure-its own rider, judging by the matching leathers. “How ungrateful. A beast trying to destroy the master who guides it safely through the battlefield.”
“Or unseating him for using the spurs too much…” Niathal inhaled as if she were savoring the chemical smells of recent work onboard. “Lovely thing, a new ship.”
Pellaeon emerged from the compartment, creaseless and composed, and fixed a steady dark gaze on Caedus. It was their first encounter since Caedus had entered military ranks.
“Our eponymous animal, the bloodfin, “Pellaeon said. “Most apt.”
“I thought it was just a simple marine predator that was only a threat in its home waters…”
“A borrowed name, Colonel, because they both share this splendid red appendage.” Pellaeon ran his fingertip over the glowing red pigment. Caedus felt the old admiral’s curious blend of disciplined anger and enjoyment. “We once used these bloodfins as cavalry mounts, because they were ferocious fighters in their own right, with a much greater range than you might imagine. They remain a reminder to us that we should all be careful of the dangerous creatures we ride, because we have to dismount sooner or later. If we’re cruel or careless, the beast may even throw us. And once the rider falls under its hooves, it will devour him.”
The silence hung like a weight for three beats.
“I’m glad we have speeder bikes these days, “Tahiri said.