Rishi

Neither Shada nor Rianna were particularly pleased with their new base. "Talon, of all of our passed bases, this one is the worst;" said the former.

Karrde chuckled and said, "It is a little public perhaps but it has its compensations. Besides, what do you expect when a large percentage of the population is crammed into a few valleys and canyons? Anyhow, the locals know how to respect one another's privacy. We have nothing to worry about."

"Heard that before;" muttered Rianna.

"Rianna;" Karrde said with amused patience, "the Empire doesn't have any idea where we are, nor does Darth Diabolis."

Both the women looked quite skeptical. Rianna snorted. "Darth Diabolis has complete control over the Zann Consortium, Karrde. He's as deep into the fringe as you can get. Do you really think he wouldn't be able to find us if he was looking?"

"It is a big galaxy, Rianna. There are a hundred thousand places we could go. Besides, the Zann Consortium is so small now, without even half the reach it once had."

"You know that the size doesn't equal the reach when it comes to fringe organizations like that, Talon;" said Shada, her voice just slightly reproachful.

Talon sighed and said, "Ladies, where do you think we could hide - other than the New Republic, Rianna?"

"The New Republic;" said Shada, earning herself a mild glare from Karrde and a chuckle from the orange skinned Twi'lek.

"We've discussed this;" he said, just a bare hint of impatience in his voice. "We cannot go to the New Republic and risk losing either the Empire or our clientele in Imperial systems."

"They're already after us, Karrde;" sighed Shada.

The smuggler chief was about to respond when the comms unit chimed. "Chief, it's Lachton - we're out of flash netting."

"I'll grab him some. Work on him, will you, Shada?" said Rianna, walking out the door before her boss could retort.

Karrde shook his head and sighed. "You promoted her;" said Shada in amusement. "And you did so because she is exactly like that."

"And more and more, I am beginning to question the wisdom."

That actually made Shada laugh and she stood from her seat. "No you aren't. Now, I have a question for you, something you said you'd tell me about later."

"Oh? This isn't about the puzzle, because I solved that long ago;" said Karrde dryly.

"Yes you did;" said Shada with a coy smile. "But I am referring to the warships you were very careful not to tell Thrawn and Diabolis about."

Karrde nodded slowly and said, "Alright. Have a seat."

Karrde poured them both fresh cups of caf and sat down across the comms station from her, carefully setting the drinks on the console. "Have you ever heard of the Katana fleet?"

Shada gave a slow nod. "The Dark Force was its alternate name due to the dark gray hauls of two hundred Rendili Stardrives Dreadnought-class Heavy Cruisers. All of them were top of the time - at least for the time frame. They were completely slave rigged so that the entire fleet could be controlled from the flagship."

"Exactly;" said Karrde and sipped his caf. "They were to be the Galactic Republic's great military triumph. In fact, many believe that their loss was what opened the way for the Separatist movement since most of the senate decided to vote against another attempt at a military movement from the government."

"They disappeared because of some kind of hive virus, right? A virus that caused them to go insane and jumped to parts unknown before they died;" said Shada quietly and slowly, perceiving where the conversation was going.

"That is correct;" said Karrde quietly. "And ever since then, all around the galaxy, searchers and treasure hunters have sought the fleet, whether for the power of its ships or for the money they could get from the salvage. From that, many a con artist has sold a fake map for quick and easy cash. Yet, no one has ever actually found the fleet - until just over fifteen years ago."

"You found them;" stated Shada, amazement just barely perceptible in her voice.

"Purely by accident, I assure you, not by any skill or cleverness of my own. In fact back then, I was only a lowly navigator in a small but very effective smuggling group. After a botched job, we were on the run from a pair of carrack-class cruisers and made and emergency jump without making proper calculations. We dropped out only half a lightyear away to recalculate - smack in between two dreadnought heavy cruisers. They had running and interior lights on and appeared to be fully functional and we all assumed that they were an interception group sent after us somehow. We made another emergency jump and got caught in the mass shadow of a large commit and shorted out our hyperdrive. Five died in the initial interaction and three more died of injuries before we could limp back to civilization."

Shada considered this silently. "You know, Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Diabolis will get the information out of you if they capture you. The Imperial interrogation methods are infamous and are we even sure of what a Sith Lord will do for the information?"

"There were some tales about Darth Vader and his methods;" murmured Karrde, resisting the urge to shudder at the idea.

"Exactly;" said Shada, "I can appreciate wanting to stay free and I can appreciate not wanting to fully trust the New Republic, especially after the last time but it's getting to the point where we are running out of options. I for one think that we can trust the Skywalkers and the Solos. Don't forget the Han Solo was a smuggler at one point in time."

"True;" murmured Karrde.

"Besides, if the Empire wins, they'll come right after us. Diabolis will send his Dark Jedi Knights after us. Our best hope is to ensure that the New Republic wins."

Karrde couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, there was a time when you were stoutly against either the New Republic or the Empire."

"That's before Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Diabolis took a personal interest in us and drove us out of our Myrkr base;" said Shada.

Karrde was struck by how truly troubled she looked. Reaching across, he took Shada's hand. "We will definitely consider our options. In the mean time, we do have work to do."

Rianna had made her way down the street, only making it a block before noticing him. It was a man in a patterned jacket with a scarf wrapped around his head. He wasn't even trying to hide that fact that he was watching her and the door to the hide out. "Oh boy;" she muttered, "that didn't take long. Alright, buddy, let's play a game."

She made as if to cross the street but then slipped into the hurrying crowds of beings. Ahead of her, the scarfed man did the same, heading through the crowds and taking a right down towards the industrial section of the city. There, she assumed that whoever he was, he thought he'd be able to take care of her with a little more privacy. "Well aren't you in for a surprise?" she muttered with a predatory grin. She hadn't done this in years - not since she was an active part of the war actually.

She hurried through the alley ways, always peeking around and making sure that her pray was still heading in the same direction and that she was tailing him sufficiently. Not too far into the industrial sector of the city, she saw him huddled behind a pile of crates, facing the direction he had presumably come, also presumably to ambush her. "Game over;" she said, pulling a blade from the back of her belt and slipping forward.

As Rianna got closer, she frowned, immediately recognizing that the man was entirely too still. Edging just a little closer, she cursed and spun around. But she was too late. A man stood there with a blaster on her. "My, my - you're a quick one, aren't you? Why don't you go ahead and drop that knife there."

Rianna smiled coolly. "I'm impressed. It's been years since someone's been able to sneak up on me like that. I must be getting soft and slow."

"Or maybe I'm just that good;" sneered the bounty hunter. "Now nice and slow, unbuckle that belt and toss it over here."

"I can't do that, silly;" said Rianna as she scanned around, looking for anything that could help her. "My pants will fall down."

"Cute;" sneered the bounty hunter, whoever he was. "But even if that were the case, it's not exactly my problem now, isn't it? Now drop it!"

Shrugging almost casually, she reached for her buckle and unfastened it. The belt slid down to the ground and she rested her thumbs in the top of her pants. "So who's so hot for me that they need to have hired guns come and find me?"

"Oh I dunno, little Darlin';" he said sarcastically. "I'm sure someone out there's someone out there who wants you. Besides, no one's looking for you. It's your boss they want."

Rianna sighed and rubbed her prosthetic lekku. "Let me guess: the Empire and Diabolis?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" sneered the bounty hunter.

Rianna chuckled. "I do know. Anyhow, whatever it is they offered you, I'll see it tripled. All you need to do is put up the blaster and I can see to it."

"You're awfully generous with other people's money, aren't you?"

Rianna shrugged, resting her thumbs in the top of her pants again. "I know my employer. He has no desire to fall into Imperial or Sith hands so I'm sure triple the pay won't be a problem."

"A tempting offer but one thing I've learned is that it's better to stick with a sure thing than risk it on a slim chance."

"Even if you'd only be getting half or a third of what you could potentially get?" asked Rianna pointedly as she casual stepped away from her gun belt.

There were a few ways one could attempt to engage an armed opponent while they themselves were unarmed. However, this bounty hunter seemed quite alert and charging him when he already had the blaster trained on her would be suicidal. "Half or a third of something is better than any amount of nothing, little darlin'. Now come on. I have places to be and money to make."

"Alright, alright;" she said, her hands up as she started heading towards the mouth of the alley.

The bounty hunter kept his weapon on her, making sure there was plenty of room between the two of them - right up until he tripped over some debris. Like lightning, Rianna moved, narrowly avoiding a blaster bolt. She leaped upon the bounty hunter, twisted the blaster from his hand, punched him in the side of the throat and then blasted him with his own weapon. Sighing with relief, Rianna began to rifle through his pockets. He had some bits of money in both New Republic and Imperial currency and an identicard which identified the bounty hunter as one Dengar Roth, though it was most likely a forgery. The blaster was a descent model and, falling back on old habits, Rianna shoved it into the back of her belt once she had put it back on. The moneys, she pocketed too. Why not? 'Dengar Roth' sure didn't need it anymore.

Shada, Karrde and Dankin were waiting when she got back. Dankin was pacing back and forth and snapped at her as she entered, "There you are! Where the blazes-"

"Cool off, Dankin;" she cut him off. "We've got trouble. Here, take a look at this."

They gathered around to look at the ID card she was holding. Shada took it and plugged it in to a datapad. "Bounty hunters;" she murmured.

Karrde's face appeared on the datapad display beneath a large 20,000. "Woah, Karrde;" murmured Rianna, "even if I'm not sure what that's worth in New Rep currency, I'm willing to bet it's a lot."

"I'm flattered;" said Karrde dryly.

Shada rolled her eyes. "Wonderful; now can we please come up with a plan on what we're going to do about this?"

"Do we even have to discuss it?" snorted Rianna. "It's time to go."

"You're right, of course;" said Karrde. "Dankin, get on the secure line with Lachton and have him start pulling apart the drop. Then call Chin and his team and have them go over and repack the stuff in the equipment dumps."

"Got it;" said Dankin as he moved to comply.

Rianna looked between Shada and Karrde. "Okay so to another back up base. My question is, what happens when we run out of them?"

Shada looked at Karrde, waiting for his response. After a brief pause, he simply stated, "We'll make the jump when we get there. We have plenty of bases to choose from and plenty of places left to hide."

"Karrde-" said Shada, but he lifted his hand, cutting her off.

"Tell Rianna about what we discussed and then get to work. There is a lot to be done before we pull out of here."

Shada nodded, clearly not happy about it. "Come on. I'll explain while we work."

An hour after midnight, they were up and off planet, thanks to the organization's steady work and, of course, to general applications of funds to spaceport officials. Shortly after that, they were in hyperspace.

Aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera

Captain Pellaeon uneasily observed the bulk cruiser in the midst of the New Republic convoy. It seemed strange that so little defense had been provided for it but then Grand Admiral Thrawn had ordered TIE interceptors to be launched and, even as they streaked towards the convoy, the freighter's bays were a flurry of launched A-wing fighters. "An interesting tactic," Thrawn commented, "if not especially innovative. The idea of converting bulk crusier into fighter carriers was proposed over twenty years ago."

"I don't recall it ever being implemented," replied Pellaeon as he glanced at the tactical display. The A-wings were a staple of the New Republic military, though still slightly less popular than the blasted X-wings. Even using the faster TIE interceptor, he wasn't very sure how they would be able handle the A-wings.

"Excellent fighters, A-wings," Thrawn said. "Not without their limitations though. Particularly here - high-speed craft like that are far more suited to hit-and-fade or seek and destroy operations than in escort duty. Forcing them to remain near a convoy largely neutralizes their speed advantage. Perhaps we're seeing the result of Admiral Ackbar's removal as Supreme Commander."

"Perhaps;" acquiesced Pellaeon. It was true that the TIE's were holding their own against the A-wings. The Chimaera itself was having no trouble with the bulk cruiser. Beyond them, the rest of the convoy was huddled together. "Ackbar's people are still in charge, though. Obviously."

"We've been over this territory already, Captain. Planting a vacuum-tight collection of evidence against Ackbar would have ruined him too quickly. The more subtle attack will still neutralize him, but it will also send ripples of uncertainty and confusion through the Rebellion's entire political system. At the very least, it will distract and weaken them just at the moment when we'll be launching the Mount Tantis campaign. At its best, it could split the entire Alliance apart."

Thrawn smiled. "Ackbar himself is replaceable, Captain. The delicate political balance the Rebellion has created for itself is not."

"I understand all that, Admiral;" Pellaeon growled, "My concern is with your assumption that the Bothan on the Council can be relied upon to push things so close to your theoretical breakup point."

"Oh he'll puch, all right;" Thrawn said, his smile turning sardonic as he watched the carnage around the enemy convoy. "I've spent many hours studying Bothan art, Captain, and I understand their species quite well. There's no doubt at tall that Councilor Fey'lya will play his part beautifully as if we were pulling his strings directly."

Tapping his comm key, he said, "Starboard batteries: one of the frigates in the convoy is easing into attack position. Assume it's an armed backup and treat it accordingly. Squadrons A-2 and A-3, move to protect that flank until the frigate had been neutralized."

Pellaeon continued to cajole the issue but Thrawn's calm and quiet confidence would not be persuaded. "Trust me, Captain," he said, "I dare say the wasting of political effort has already begun, in fact. Ackbar's staunchest allies would hardly have left Coruscant at this critical point unless they were desperately searching for evidence to clear him."

That caused Pellaeon to frown, "Are you saying that Solo and Organa Solo are headed for the Palanhi System?"

"Solo only, I think;" mused Thawn. "Organa Solo and the Wookiee are most likely still trying to find a place to hide from our Noghri. But Solo will be going to Palanhim firmly convinced by Intelligence's electronic sleight-of-hand that the trail leads through that system. Which is why the Death's Head is on its way there right now."

"I see," murmured Pellaeon. "I hope it will be equal to the task. Solo and Skywalker have both proved hard to trap in the past."

Thrawn nodded slowly before stating, "I don't believe Skywalker is going to Palanhi. From what intelligence tells us, Skywalker rarely goes anywhere without Jade Skywalker these days. That trip to Bimmisaari was an anomaly. I suspect that, especially after the rough trek through the Myrkr forests, Mara Jade Skywalker will remain on Coruscant for the duration of her pregnancy. At any rate, Delta Source seems to back up that hypothesis."

Pellaeon scowled. The Chimaera's intelligence section had been nagging him for months to discover what this Delta Source was that seemed to feed such clear and precise information to Grand Admiral Thrawn from the very heart of the Imperial Palace. All the Grand Admiral ever said was that Delta Source was firmly established and utterly reliable.

"How was the Tanaab operation, Captain?" asked Thrawn, suddenly changing the subject.

"A complete success, Admiral;" said Pellaeon. "Those Dark Jedi are proving their worth quite well. Even so, they still make me nervous, Admiral."

Thrawn smiled wryly. "They should, Captain; the Sith and their servants are famous for their untrustworthiness. However, while our goals are the same and while Diabolis believes that he needs us, we have nothing to fear."

"Of course, Admiral;" said Pellaeon.

"I will be giving the Noghri one last opportunity to capture or kill Organa Solo. As soon as we are finished here, we will go and I will deliver the message to them personally."

Pellaeon's gut clenched.

Shortly after, the Chimaera jumped to the lightspeed, leaving the New Republic convoy utterly stripped of its defenses but otherwise intact.

Wayland - Mount Tantis

Lord Diabolis watched as a large group of his Dark Jedi trained. Beside him, his Sith Shadow Hand and lover Silri watched observed as well, he arms crossed over her chests. Diabolis turned to consider her for just a moment, taking in her pale skin and red tattoos before turning to the turbo lift. "Come, Lady Silri. We should check on the operations here."

Side by side, they checked on the technicians working on their secret droid project. Little progress had been made. The cloning facilities were at peak efficiency and the defenses were optimal.

Everything checked out. When they had finished, Diabolis said, "I think that I will leave and begin my hunt for Skywalker and Jade Skywalker fairly soon."

"Why? They will come to us soon enough;" she stated.

Diabolis contemplated before saying, "Perhaps you are correct, but it is not in my nature to simply wait for my enemy. It is far more preferable to hunt them."

"Would it not be wiser to choose a place to lure them to?" asked Silri. "We could fight them at a place of our choosing."

Diabolis nodded slowly. "A trap well laid would be prudent. Emperor Palpatine has many artifacts in here - holocrons, lightsabers, texts - we could use them."

Silri nodded. "Exactly, my lord."

"We will lure Skywalker to Dantooine or, perhaps, the north pole of the planet Telos IV."

"Telos also had a Jedi stronghold on it at one point, many millennia ago;" stated the Dathomir Witch.

Darth Diabolis rubbed his clean shaven chin, "Perhaps one of the Imperial stronghold worlds would be more appropriate. After all, the Emperor removed most of the Jedi knowledge he found during the purge and stashed it in his own vaults. How about Kuat or Fondor perhaps?"

Silri chewed a lip. "We should take care. If it is too far in Imperial space, Skywalker may not take the bait."

Diabolis nodded silently for some time before saying, "I will give it some thought."