Mines-especially the latest self-dispersing Merr-Sonn Vigilante type-were quick and easy to lay, and Jacen didn’t need many ships to do it; two for the planet side, and perhaps three for the outer cordon, simply because so many mines were needed to create a double shell around a planet. Other than that, it was simply a case of telling their program what they needed to do and where, scattering them, and the clever little things made their own way into position and formed their own communications net. They would stand guard for as long as it took, killing anything that tried to pass. They could even be deactivated and rounded up later, like an obedient flock.
Would have been a great idea to do that with Corellia.
But mines were indiscriminate killers, designed to be so, to send out a clear message that nobody could pass. The whole Corellian blockade had been as much a psychological lever, conceived at a time when Cal Omas had really thought that the war could end with talks, and when Jacen could be curbed, and when casualties could still-so they had thought-bring everyone to their senses.
“The minelayers are an hour into hyperspace, “Kenb said. “Give them an hour to deploy on reaching the target and pull back outside the Fondorian limits.”
Niathal had to let Luke know the full picture. He would only target Jacen, but any commander needed wider context.
She’d struggled with that decision on the short journey to HQ, because it would be as good as warning Fondeor and the crews and troops dragged along for Jacen’s jaunt were her people. She might have been signing their death warrants.
But if I balk at this-is there any useful intelligence I can safely give the Jedi? GA personnel will almost always be involved.
No, she couldn’t be selective. She had to choose now. It was literally a sickening sensation.
If Fondor doesn’t roll over when faced with the prospect of having one or two of its cities turned into a transparisteel parking lot…. how is Jacen going to occupy the planet?
He’d embarked with 150,000 troops. Taking ten orbital yards would tie up most of them; and assuming they succeeded, it was labor-intensive to keep an eye on an industrial process where disgruntled workers would sabotage operations in a thousand small places. It wasn’t enough even in the short to medium term. Jacen’s battle awareness was extraordinary-a Sith skill, Luke said-and he might very well have known something that she didn’t; but it didn’t guarantee he wouldn’t run into problems, or that his crew would try quite as hard as they had before Tebut was killed. Morale was a subtle thing. It was often the difference between inspired actions and failure.
“What’s the latest estimate of the strength of the Remnant task force?” she asked.
“They’re standing by with twenty Star Destroyers and carriers with air group embarked. Assorted cruisers, auxiliaries, landing craft, and fast patrol vessels. No firm numbers on personnel overall, but a first wave of fifty thousand troops for the blockade, and they have small special forces units embarked to take strategic targets as required. They plan to join Colonel Solo just before the assault.”
“I’d better talk to Pellaeon. See if he thinks this is genius or madness.”
“I think I can guess what Gentleman Gil will say…”
It was rather touching; most personnel still had a soft spot for Pellaeon. Niathal didn’t, but now that she had to work with him again, she’d find one temporarily. “Very well, I’m finished for the day. If anything changes, comm me.”
Niathal valued the transit time from HQ to the Senate. Her official speeder had tinted screens and soundproofing, and so it was a haven, a few minutes each day when she could clear her mind.
Jacen isn’t stupid. Not stupid enough to try to take Fon-dor with a fraction of the troops he needs, anyway. I just hope the Imperials are as good as their word. I bet they think they’re going to get Fondor as a bonus for their trouble…
Jacen’s vagueness about operational orders, part of his ad hoc way of running things lately, frustrated her im-mensely. It was all intangible feeling, Force intuition, and too few hard numbers; it worked more often than not, but she still didn’t like what she couldn’t see and measure. Jacen couldn’t hold Fondor with those numbers unless the whole population capitulated, and even if governments did, citizens often had their own ideas about resistance. Either the Force was telling him Fondor was going to shrug and take it after a token exchange of fire, much as they skirmished on the limits of Fondor space and didn’t take it much farther, or he was overestimating his chances.
Maybe he had some Sith secret tactic that nobody had seen before.
She rubbed her face wearily. Either way, Luke Skywalker needed to know the attack was imminent. The chauffeur dropped her off at her club for the evening, and instead of savoring that brief respite when the biggest decision she had to make was what to order from the menu, she swept her room for eavesdropping devices and then composed an encrypted data sheet for Luke Skywalker with every detail he might need.