The Senate was in turmoil – there was no doubt. Billions upon billions of
sentient species throughout the galaxy gazed at their Holo-Vids, watching
the spectacle in their homes, in their starships, in cantinas – wherever a
comm-unit could be found, you could find the Senate and other likewise news
on it. Some watched with their full attention, literally doing nothing
else. Others, fed up with the constant showing of the Senate and its
bickering merely shut it off – or those in cantinas obliterated the comm-
unit itself. In one way or the other, the news had affected every planet
of every system in the galaxy.
Talon Karrde watched with extreme interest. From his hiding point in an asteroid belt just outside of the Hoth system, he felt vaguely safe – but then again, a man like Talon Karrde did not come to be in his position by being lax in security. No, he had sensor scans going on all the meteors he could, making sure the floating hunks of rock were actually what they were portrayed to be and not hidden Yuuzhan Vong Ships. His sources had confirmed that there were no Yuuzhan Vong in the system but he felt better safe than sorry.
Absentmindedly he reached down to scratch Sturm, sitting faithfully at his side. He had had the vornskr since the beginning of his smuggling days and it continued to live now. It and Drang had proved useful to him countless times before, and had always been loyal and a constant presence which he could count on – not to mention of course the fact they were some of the best bodyguards around. Linda, one of his close assistants walked through the doors and stood, waiting patiently for Talon Karrde. Wondering if perhaps Talon Karrde had not seen or heard her enter, she took a risk and spoke. "I bring news of our station on the surface of Hoth –" Talon Karrde held up his finger. Linda stopped speaking immediately and followed his finger to the holo-vid. "Observe Linda – Jedi Master Luke Skywalker has just arrived. What do you think the impact of his arrival will have on the state of the Senate Linda?" he asked.
Linda shrugged, not knowing, and she frankly didn't care. "I suppose because of his status in the past some will calm down – but this is the Senate after all is made up of bickering politicians – it's in their nature to argue – what can the impact of one man have on the Senate, no matter what he is?" she finished. Talon Karrde was always asking observation questions of his crew and friends – she supposed it had to do with improving their skills but sometimes it seemed pointless to her. "Ah. Logically thought out my dear, but you fail to take in the fact that since Borsk Fey'lya's death, the Senate has been open to many replacements, and one of those has been Admiral Ackbar – at the very least the part of the Senate that does listen to Jedi Master Luke will convince some of the others to listen. It will be an interesting event to say the least." Linda nodded. Karrde turned around to her, giving Linda his full attention. "Now, what is it you wished to report?"
"That the sensors on the planet confirm there are no Yuuzhan Vong anywhere on the planet – the unique scanner you had devised would have ferreted them out by now. Also, news comes in from the outer edge of the system that no Yuuzhan Vong ships have either left or entered the system – no hyperspace trails have been left behind for samplers to discover yet." This time Talon Karrde nodded to the news he received. He thought it over for a moment. "Very well. Tell the droids to come back to the ship. Also, tell Chin and his group to keep a close-eye out. I don't trust the calm and quiet of this sector." It was a clear dismissal. "Of course," she said as she turned to leave. She exited the news and took one last fleeting glance of the Senate – still bickering. Could it be, perhaps, that for all his observational skills, he had been wrong? She would have to wait – wait and see.
Talon Karrde watched with extreme interest. From his hiding point in an asteroid belt just outside of the Hoth system, he felt vaguely safe – but then again, a man like Talon Karrde did not come to be in his position by being lax in security. No, he had sensor scans going on all the meteors he could, making sure the floating hunks of rock were actually what they were portrayed to be and not hidden Yuuzhan Vong Ships. His sources had confirmed that there were no Yuuzhan Vong in the system but he felt better safe than sorry.
Absentmindedly he reached down to scratch Sturm, sitting faithfully at his side. He had had the vornskr since the beginning of his smuggling days and it continued to live now. It and Drang had proved useful to him countless times before, and had always been loyal and a constant presence which he could count on – not to mention of course the fact they were some of the best bodyguards around. Linda, one of his close assistants walked through the doors and stood, waiting patiently for Talon Karrde. Wondering if perhaps Talon Karrde had not seen or heard her enter, she took a risk and spoke. "I bring news of our station on the surface of Hoth –" Talon Karrde held up his finger. Linda stopped speaking immediately and followed his finger to the holo-vid. "Observe Linda – Jedi Master Luke Skywalker has just arrived. What do you think the impact of his arrival will have on the state of the Senate Linda?" he asked.
Linda shrugged, not knowing, and she frankly didn't care. "I suppose because of his status in the past some will calm down – but this is the Senate after all is made up of bickering politicians – it's in their nature to argue – what can the impact of one man have on the Senate, no matter what he is?" she finished. Talon Karrde was always asking observation questions of his crew and friends – she supposed it had to do with improving their skills but sometimes it seemed pointless to her. "Ah. Logically thought out my dear, but you fail to take in the fact that since Borsk Fey'lya's death, the Senate has been open to many replacements, and one of those has been Admiral Ackbar – at the very least the part of the Senate that does listen to Jedi Master Luke will convince some of the others to listen. It will be an interesting event to say the least." Linda nodded. Karrde turned around to her, giving Linda his full attention. "Now, what is it you wished to report?"
"That the sensors on the planet confirm there are no Yuuzhan Vong anywhere on the planet – the unique scanner you had devised would have ferreted them out by now. Also, news comes in from the outer edge of the system that no Yuuzhan Vong ships have either left or entered the system – no hyperspace trails have been left behind for samplers to discover yet." This time Talon Karrde nodded to the news he received. He thought it over for a moment. "Very well. Tell the droids to come back to the ship. Also, tell Chin and his group to keep a close-eye out. I don't trust the calm and quiet of this sector." It was a clear dismissal. "Of course," she said as she turned to leave. She exited the news and took one last fleeting glance of the Senate – still bickering. Could it be, perhaps, that for all his observational skills, he had been wrong? She would have to wait – wait and see.