The Unseen Queen (38 page)

The guard acknowledged the order with a salute, then disappeared through the sliding door.

“Thank you, Gavin,” Luke said. “Juun and Tarfang risked their lives trying to warn the fleet about what was in those statues. I owe it to them to make certain Admiral Bwua’tu understands that.”

“Han has already made a report,” Darklighter said. “But hearing your account will certainly add weight to it.”

Luke nodded, then went to the viewport and looked out at the string of nest ships. “How bad is it?”

“Not as bad as it could have been,” Darklighter said. “The Killiks got out with four nest ships and the
Ackbar
, but the Dark Nest’s ship is still here—along with ten others. I’ll do what I can to make sure that the Jedi receive the credit they deserve in the official report to Chief Omas.”

“Thank you,” Luke said. “That will go a long way toward rebuilding the trust between us. We’re going to need that, if we’re going to prevent this from erupting into a full-scale war.”

Darklighter looked uncomfortable. “I’m afraid we’re running out of time for that, Master Skywalker.”

“Chief Omas has already decided to go to war?” Leia asked.

“Not Omas,” Darklighter said. “A courier arrived for Admiral Bwua’tu a short while ago. The Chiss are claiming that a group of Jedi launched a preemptive strike against one of their supply depots.”

“That’s impossible,” Luke said quickly. “Jedi don’t launch preemptive strikes!”

“Then a handful of Jedi loaned their StealthXs to some Killiks,” Darklighter said. “The Chiss sent along a security holo from one of the ammunition dumps that was taken out. It shows a pair of StealthXs pretty clearly. And Jagged Fel seems convinced that one of the pilots was Jaina. He claims he recognizes her flying style.”

“Jaina?” Han slapped his forehead. “Why would she do something like that?”

“That’s what the Chiss would like to know,” Darklighter replied. “Nobody was killed—and that convinces
me
that it was Jedi—so the Chiss aren’t treating the attack as an act of war. But they
are
taking it as proof that they need to handle the Killiks themselves. They’ve declared the Qoribu Truce violated and are preparing to launch an assault to push the Colony back.”

Han shook his head. “Jaina knows the Chiss better than anyone,” he said. “She’d
know
how they would respond to a preemptive strike. Something stinks about that report.”

“Actually, the preemptive strike can be a very sound tactic,” a gravelly Bothan voice said. “Especially if you are trying to
provoke
a response.”

Han looked over to see Bwua’tu stepping out of the briefing room. Juun and Tarfang followed a pace behind, their chests puffed out and smug grins on their faces.

“That’s what I mean,” Han said. “Jaina and Zekk are practically bugs themselves! She’d never do anything to make the Chiss launch a major attack against the Colony.”

“I’d like to take your word for it, Captain Solo,”
Bwua’tu said, going to the viewport. “After all, you know your daughter better than I.”

The admiral stared out at the nest ships in contemplative silence, then spoke without looking away from the viewport.

“Commodore Darklighter, have the task force launch all fighter squadrons and deploy in attack formation.”

Darklighter’s jaw dropped even farther than Han’s. “
Attack
formation, sir?”

“You may choose which one, Commodore,” Bwua’tu said. “I don’t believe it will matter.”

Darklighter made no move to obey. “May I remind the admiral that we barely have a ten-ship advantage over the Killiks, and that most of our vessels are significantly outclassed?”

“You just did.” Bwua’tu turned to glare at Darklighter. “After the
Ackbar
’s capture, I may not be in command of the Fifth Fleet much longer. But until I am relieved, you
will
obey my orders. Is that clear, Commodore?”

Darklighter jerked to attention. “Sir!”

“Carry on,” Bwua’tu said. “Report back when you are finished.”

Darklighter pulled a comlink and stepped away to carry out the admiral’s orders. Han, Luke, and the rest of their group exchanged nervous glances, clearly wondering what the Bothan could be thinking. Only Leia did not seem convinced that he had lost his mind; her expression was one more of curiosity than apprehension.

Either oblivious to their expressions or pretending not to notice, Bwua’tu turned to Luke.

“Captain Solo gave a glowing account of Juun’s and Tarfang’s actions once they learned the true nature of the statuary they delivered to my fleet. Would you concur?”

“I would,” Luke said. “They aided our escape from the
Saras rehabilitation house, lost their own vessel while investigating the Killik plans, and fought valiantly on the Gorog nest ship. It’s unfortunate that my Artoo unit was damaged, or we would be able to provide documentation.”

“That’s quite unnecessary,” Bwua’tu said. “The word of a Jedi Master is documentation enough.”

An uncomfortable silence followed while the admiral continued to stare out the viewport—and while Han, Luke, and the others silently considered what they might be able to do to stop the attack on the nest ships and prevent the loss of yet more Alliance lives.

Finally, Darklighter returned and reported that the admiral’s orders had been issued.

“Very good,” Bwua’tu said. “I was very impressed with Captain Juun’s and Tarfang’s knowledge of our enemy. Sign them on as intelligence affiliates and see to it that they’re assigned a scout skiff. Make certain it’s stealth-equipped. I imagine they’ll be doing a lot of work behind the lines.”

Han and Luke exchanged surprised glances, then Luke asked, “Admiral, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Tarfang stepped over to Luke and let loose a long, angry string of jabbering—to which Bwua’tu replied in kind. After a short exchange, the admiral looked back to Luke with a scowl.

“Tarfang doesn’t understand why you’re trying to undermine him and Captain Juun,” Bwua’tu said. “And frankly, Master Skywalker, neither do I. You seemed quite impressed with them a few moments ago.”

“Captain Juun and Tarfang are very earnest,” Luke responded. “But that doesn’t mean they would make good intelligence agents. They can be, uh, rather naive. I worry about their chances of survival.”

Tarfang started to yap an objection, but Bwua’tu silenced him with a soft chitter, then turned back to Luke.

“So do I, Master Skywalker.” Bwua’tu looked back out the viewport, where the task force frigates were beginning to move out toward the flanks. “I worry about us all.”

Luke frowned, clearly at a loss as to what he could say to make Bwua’tu change his mind. Han caught Leia’s eye, then nodded toward the admiral and raised his brow, silently asking if he was crazy. She flashed a reassuring smile, then gave a slight shake of her head.

“Trust me, Captain Solo,” Bwua’tu said, speaking to Han’s reflection in the viewport. “Your friends are capable of more than you think. They usually are.”

“Uh, actually, I was worried about your attack orders,” Han said. “You don’t think that seems a little crazy?”

“I do,” Bwua’tu said. “But right now, these bugs are unsure of themselves. More importantly, they are unsure of
us
.”

“And we need to keep them that way,” Mara said, approvingly.

“Precisely,” Bwua’tu replied. “You Jedi tossed a hydro-spanner into the Killiks’ plan. They’ll be wondering what else you can do, and I intend to use that doubt to make them believe they
lost
this battle.”

Luke’s brow went up. “And force a negotiation!”

Bwua’tu shot Luke a impatient frown. “Not at all, Master Skywalker. I expect them to retreat.”

“And if they don’t?” Luke asked.

“Then I will have miscalculated … again.” Bwua’tu turned to Han. “I’ve been thinking about your daughter’s preemptive strike. By all accounts, she’s a sound tactician. What do you think she would do if she
knew
the Chiss were preparing a major attack?”

Han’s stomach sank. “How could she know something like that?”

Bwua’tu shrugged. “I have no idea. But if she
did
, a preemptive strike would be a stroke of genius. It would force the Chiss to attack before they were ready—or risk having their preparations disrupted completely. It might well be the Colony’s only hope of survival.”

“
Survival
?” Leia asked. “Didn’t the Chiss message say they were only going to push the Killiks away from the frontier?”

“Yes, and their previous message said that they were going to let the Jedi handle the problem,” Bwua’tu replied. “That’s the trouble with Chiss messages, isn’t it? You never know when they are telling the truth.”

“Wait a minute,” Han said. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing—didn’t want to, anyway. How many times would he face his children flying off to war? How many times
could
he? “You think this war is already
starting
?”

Bwua’tu nodded. “Of course. It started before their messenger left Ascendancy space.” His gaze remained fixed on the viewport, where the task force cruisers were moving out in front of the formation. “The irony of it is, I believe the Chiss are worried that we’ll side with the Killiks. Their message may be just a ruse to reassure us, to keep the Alliance from taking action until it’s too late to save the Colony.”

“This is just nuts!” Han said.

“Not nuts—scary,” Mara said, her face falling. “What are the Chiss going to think when the
Admiral Ackbar
shows up on the Colony’s side? It’ll only confirm their suspicions. They’ll think the Alliance
gave
it to the Killiks.”

“Exactly,” Bwua’tu said. “If I am right, this is going to be a very interesting war.”

Leia closed her eyes for a moment, then reached out and
squeezed Han’s hand. “I’m afraid you are right, Admiral,” she said. “Jaina and Jacen are in the middle of something bad. I can feel it.”

Han’s heart sank.
Not again, not so soon
.

Bwua’tu sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that, Princess.” He turned to Darklighter again, then said, “Commodore … have all batteries open fire.”

Many people contributed to this book in ways large and small. Thanks are especially due to: Andria Hayday for advice, encouragement, critiques, and much more; James Luceno for brainstorming and ideas; Enrique Guerrero for his many fine suggestions; Shelly Shapiro and all the people at Del Rey who make writing so much fun, particularly Keith Clayton, Colleen Lindsay, and Colette Russen; Sue Rostoni and the wonderful people at Lucasfilm, particularly Howard Roffman, Amy Gary, Leland Chee, and Pablo Hidalgo. And, of course, to George Lucas for Episodes I through III.

TROY DENNING is the
New York Times
bestselling author of
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Abyss; Star Wars: Tatooine Ghost; Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Star by Star;
the
Star Wars: Dark Nest
trilogy:
The Joiner King, The Unseen Queen
, and
The Swarm War;
and
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Tempest, Inferno
, and
Invincible
—as well as
Pages of Pain, Beyond the High Road, The Summoning
, and many other novels. A former game designer and editor, he lives in western Wisconsin with his wife, Andria.

By Troy Denning

Waterdeep
Dragonwall
The Parched Sea
The Verdant Passage
The Crimson Legion
The Amber Enchantress
The Obsidian Oracle
The Cerulean Storm
The Ogre’s Pact
The Giant Among Us
The Titan of Twilight
The Veiled Dragon
Pages of Pain
Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad
The Oath of Stonekeep
Faces of Deception
Beyond the High Road
Death of the Dragon (with Ed Greenwood)
The Summoning
The Siege
The Sorcerer

Star Wars
: The New Jedi Order: Star by Star
Star Wars
: Tatooine Ghost
Star Wars
: Dark Nest I: The Joiner King
Star Wars
: Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
Star Wars
: Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
Star Wars
: Legacy of the Force: Tempest
Star Wars
: Legacy of the Force: Inferno
Star Wars
: Legacy of the Force: Invincible
Star Wars
: Fate of the Jedi: Abyss

What is a legend? According to the Random House Dictionary, a legend is “a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.” Merriam-Webster defines it as “a story from the past that is believed by many people but cannot be proved to be true.” And Wikipedia says, “Legends are tales that, because of the tie to a historical event or location, are believable, though not necessarily believed.” Because of this inherent believability, legends tend to live on in a culture, told and retold even though they are generally regarded as fiction.

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a legend was born: The story of Luke Skywalker and his fellow heroes, Princess Leia and Han Solo. Three blockbuster movies introduced these characters and their stories to millions of people who embraced these tales and began to build upon them, as is done with myths everywhere. And thus novels, short stories, and comic books were published, expanding the
Star Wars
universe introduced in the original trilogy and later enhanced by the prequel movies and the animated TV series
The Clone Wars
. The enormous body of work that grew around the films and
The Clone Wars
came to be known as
The Expanded Universe
.

Now, as new movies, television shows, and books move into the realm of the official canon,
The Expanded Universe
must take its place firmly in the realm of legends. But, like all great legends, the fact that we can’t prove the veracity of every detail doesn’t make the stories any less entertaining or worthy of being read. These legends remain true to the spirit of
Star Wars
and in that way are another avenue through which we can get to know and understand our beloved heroes in that galaxy far, far away.