[Thrawn Trilogy] - 02(153)

“Anselm is looking into that,” Lando said. “Personally, I wouldn’t trust it that far.”

“Yeah. Well, we’re just here to look the thing over, not get it moving. We’ll see what kind of control systems we’ve got left up here and that’ll be it.”

Luke glanced up at the space over the blast doors. Paused for a second look at the elaborate name plaque fastened there. “It’s the Katana,” he murmured.

“What?” Han craned his neck for a look. “Huh.” He looked oddly at Luke. “Was that why you wanted this one?”

Luke shook his head. “I guess so. It was just intuition through the Force.”

“Han, Luke,” Wedge’s voice cut in suddenly. “We’ve got incoming.”

Luke felt his heart jump. “Where?”

“Vector two-ten mark twenty-one. Configuration : it’s an Escort Frigate.”

Luke let out a quiet breath. “Better give them a call,” he said. “Let them know where we are.

“Actually, they’re calling us,” Wedge said. “Hang on; I’ll patch it through.”

“-tain Solo, this is Captain Virgilio of the Escort Frigate Quenfis,” a new voice came over Han’s comlink. “Do you read?”

“Solo here,” Han said. “Calling from aboard the Old Republic ship Katana-“

“Captain Solo, I regret to inform you that you and your party are under arrest,” Virgilio cut him off. “You will return to your own vessel at once and prepare to surrender.”

Virgilio’s words, and the stunned silence that followed, echoed through the command observation deck above and behind the Quenfis’s bridge. Seated at the main board, Fey’lya threw a mocking smile at Leia, a slightly less insolent one at Karrde, then returned his attention to the distant X-wing drive trails. “They don’t seem to be taking you seriously, Captain,” he said toward the intercom. “Perhaps lauching your X-wing squadrons would convince them we’re serious.”

“Yes, Councilor,” Virgilio said briskly, and Leia strained her ears in vain for any signs of resentment in that voice. Most of the warship captains she’d known would be highly annoyed at the prospect of taking line orders from a civilian, particularly a civilian with negligible military experience of his own. But then, Fey’lya would hardly have picked the Quenfis for this mission if Virgilio hadn’t been one of his staunchest backers. Just one more indication, if she’d needed it, as to who was really in charge here. “X-wings: launch.”

There were a series of dull thuds as the two squadrons of starfighters left the ship. “Captain Solo, this is Captain Virgilio. Please respond.”

“Captain, this is Wing Commander Wedge Antilles of Rogue Squadron,” Wedge’s voice cut in. “May I ask your authorization to order our arrest?”

“Allow me, Captain,” Fey’lya said, touching the comm switch on the board behind him. “This is Councilor Borsk Fey’lya, Commander Antilles,” he said. “Though I doubt you’re aware of it, Captain Solo is operating illegally.”

“I’m sorry, Councilor,” Wedge said, “but I don’t understand how that can be. Our orders came from Councilor Leia Organa Solo.”

“And these new orders come directly from Mon Mothma,” Fey’lya told him. “Therefore, your authorization is-“

“Can you prove that?”

Fey’lya seemed taken aback. “I have the order sitting here in front of me, Commander,” he said. “You’re welcome to examine it once you’re aboard.”

“Commander, for the moment the origin of the arrest order is irrelevant,” Virgilio put in, annoyance starting to creep into his voice. “As a superior officer, I order you to surrender and bring your squadron aboard my ship.”

There was a long silence. Leia threw a look at Karrde, seated a quarter of the way around the observation deck from her. But his attention was turned outward through the transparisteel bubble, his face impassive. Perhaps he was remembering the last time he’d been to this spot. “What if I refuse?” Wedge asked at last.

“Forget it, Wedge,” Han’s voice cut in. “It’s not worth risking a court martial over. Go on, we don’t need you anymore. Nice hearing from you, Fey’lya.” There was the faint click of a disconnecting comlink-

“Solo!” Fey’lya barked, leaning over the comm as if that would do any good. “Solo!” He turned and glared at Leia. “Get over here,” he ordered her, jabbing a finger at the comm. “I want him back.”