Tales From the New Republic Read online

  STAR WARS

  TALES FROM THE NEW REPUBLIC

  edited by Peter Schweighofer and Craig Carey

  BANTAM BOOKS Newallyork Toronto London Sydney Auckland This anthology

  contains stories previously published in The Star Wars* Adventure

  Journal from West End Games.

  TALES FROM THE NEW REPUBLIC

  A Bantam Spectra Book still December 1999

  SPECTRA and the portrayal of a boxed s are trademarks of Bantam

  Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

  Contents

  Interlude at Darkknell Part One by Timothy Zahn1

  Parts Two and Three by Michael A. Stackpole 20, 38

  Part Four by Timothy Zahn 52

  Jade Solitaire Timothy Zahn 85

  Gathering Shadows Kathy Burdette 129

  Hutt and Seek Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl 170

  The Longest Fall Patricia A. Jackson

  Conflict of Interest Laurie Burns 219

  No Disintegrations, Please Paul Danner 250

  Day of the Sepulchral Night Jean Rabe

  Uhl Eharl Khoehng Patricia A.Jackson 299

  The Last Hand Paul Danner 337

  Simple Tricks Chris Cassidy and Tish Pahl 359

  Foreword and Acknowledgments

  In recent months, the scope of the Star Wars universe has expanded beyond

  our wildest dreams. Episode I: The Phantom Menace has given us a detailed view

  of the Star Wars galaxy decades before the adventures of Han, Luke, and Leia.

  But the era in which those heroes fought and lived remains as popular as ever,

  and the adventures in this collection chronicle other heroes of that same era-

  whichenough the Empire still cast an ominous shadow upon the galaxy and the

  New Republic struggled to maintain order and justice. The exciting stories

  contained in this anthology feature some of those heroes from the era of the

  fledgling New Republic; some of the adventures make their debut in this book.

  For six months in 1998 I served as the editor of the now-defunct Official Star

  Wars Adventure Journal, a position previously held by Peter Schweighofer,

  editor of Star Wars: Tales from the Empire and co-editor of this volume.

  During my short tenure at the Journal's helm, I was fortunate enough to review

  work from several of the most popular Star Wars authors.

  In fact, the very first draft I received my first morning in the office

  was Timothy Zahn's "Jade Solitaire," a new story featuring Mara Jade that

  introduced characters later seen in Vision of the Future. For this book, our

  assignment was the relatively simple-but excruciating-task of deciding which

  stories we would choose from the scores under consideration: some previously

  published under Peter's direction and some from my turn as the Journal's

  editor. Those appearing in this anthology represent the finest Star Wars short

  fiction; they are a diverse group, set in a variety of locales and starring a

  wide range of characters. More people than I could list deserve thanks for

  assistance along the way.

  Chief among them are the authors-who naturally did all of the hard work

  and deserve the credit-and Pete, my predecessor. Pete welcomed me aboard the

  West End staff and not only provided me with a strong example, but also became

  a good friend. His diligent attention to detail and solid work ethic gave me

  the steady platform from which an even stronger Star Wars Adventure Journal

  would have been launched. Though those issues never came to be, I thank him

  for his faith in me and for the opportunity to join him in editing this

  anthology. Thanks also go to Pat LoBrutto for leading the way, and our former

  West End associates for their input, advice, and encouragement. My wife Karrie

  has supported me in every endeavor and has been a constant source of strength

  and inspiration. My parents, my brothers Billy and Doug, and the infamous

  Gotham Highlanders have always been there for me and have supported my

  pursuits throughout the years. And thanks finally to all the Star Wars fans

  whose support of the Journal and subsequent anthologies has meant a great deal

  to us both.

  - Craig Carey, March 1999

  Inspiration and support comes from many sources.

  Numerous talented authors, a fine co-editor, and many

  supportive friends deserve commendations for their work in Star Wars:

  Tales from the New Republic. As an editor, I helped channel others"

  inspiration and ideas, honing their storytelling skills so they could share

  these Star Wars tales with you. Craig and I enjoyed working with all the

  authors; each earned their place within these pages.

  When West End Games hired Craig Carey to run the Official Star Wars

  Adventure Journal in January 1998, he brought his professional attitude,

  boundless enthusiasm, and a positive spirit, all of which I admire. After

  editing the Journal for four years myself, I was pleasantly surprised how well

  Craig learned all aspects of the job. He provided a firm hand, guiding these

  stories to their final form. I consider Craig a far better Journal editor than

  I ever was. It has been a pleasure working with him. As circumstances

  dictated, West End Games never published any of his work. I'm proud to finally

  see it here.

  Many others deserve special thanks for Tales from the New Republic.

  Patrick LoBrutto and Evelyn Cainto at Bantam Spectra provided invaluable

  guidance and assistance through the logistics of producing this anthology.

  Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole, Jean Rabe, John Whitman, and Richard

  Hawran offered their constant encouragement and friendship. Numerous "dark

  side" and "light side" friends (and those in between) helped bolster my

  spirits when things seemed rough. Denise Clarkston's warmth, kindness, and

  late-night chats helped put everything in perspective. My family provided firm

  support and love, as they always have throughout my life, no matter what

  endeavors I undertook.

  Thanks to Lucy Autrey Wilson and Allan Kausch for their official guidance

  at Lucasfilm. And, of course, George Lucas deserves special thanks for

  creating movies which inspired us yesterday, excite us today, and will

  enthrall us in years to come.

  - Peter Schweighofer, March 1999

  Interlude at Darkknell

  PART I

  by Timothy Zahn

  Senator Bel Iblis?"

  Garm Bel Iblis looked up from his datapad, frowning with the subtle

  tension of prespeech jitters. The man standing in the doorway was the

  assistant director at the Treitamma Political Center, charged with the

  responsibility of smoothing any obstacles that might impede the firm step and

  stalwart tread of an exalted member of the Imperial Senate.

  Or so the gentleman had gravely explained upon Bel Iblis's arrival this

  afternoon. Clearly the Anchoron reputation for flowery speech and genteel

  decorum had found a focal point here at the Treitamma.

  Which was going to make the bluntness of his speech tonight all the more

  shock
ing. The dark truth about Emperor Palpatine and his secret agenda for his

  newly established Empire...

  He shook his head briefly in annoyance. Assistant Director Graskt was

  still waiting patiently, and here he was letting his mind drift. It showed

  just how seriously this speech-and the situation it represented-had taken over

  his every waking thought. "Yes, AsDir Graskt, what is it?" he asked.

  "A gentleman from your staff has just arrived from Coruscant," Graskt

  said, stepping forward and holding out a datacard. "He asked me to deliver

  this to you right away."

  "Thank you," Bel Iblis said, the hairs on the back of his neck tingling

  as he reached across the desk and took the datacard. Sena would never send a

  package to him without making sure the courier had his private comlink

  frequency. The fact that there had been no calls concerning any such arrivals.

  ..

  He slid the datacard into his datapad. There was nothing on it but a

  single line: "Meet me at the northeast exit. Urgent. Aach."

  "Will there be a return message, Senator?" Graskt asked.

  "No, that's all right," Bel Iblis said, long experience in the political

  arena enabling him to keep the sudden tension out of his voice and face.

  Aachwas the code name of a special messenger from Bail Organa, a messenger the

  Alderaanian viceroy used only for top-level Rebel Alliance business.

  "Would you like to speak with the gentleman?" Graskt persisted. "I asked

  him to wait at the main entrance."

  "That won't be necessary," Bel Iblis said. The last thing he could afford

  was for the two of them to be seen in public together. Besides, Aach had

  undoubtedly slipped away by now for their more private meeting. "I'll have

  plenty of time to see him after my speech."

  "Then the message does not in fact bespeak a crisis?" Graskt asked.

  Bel Iblis felt the skin around his eyes crinkle as his eyes narrowed

  slightly. For someone who had struck him as having taken a double helping of

  the traditional An-choroni politeness, Graskt was suddenly being

  uncharacteristically nosy.

  Unless Aach had overplayed his hand in order to make sure the datacard

  was delivered. But that didn't seem likely. Could Graskt be a spy for

  Palpatine, here to keep an eye on him?

  He felt a flash of annoyance. No-that was absurd. The man was probably

  just trying to be helpful. "To middle-level staffers, all news bulletins mean

  a crisis must be happening somewhere," he improvised, giving Graskt an easy

  smile. "It's important enough, but hardly a crisis. Certainly not worth

  delaying my speech for." He looked at his chrono. "Which reminds me, I'm due

  on stage in fifteen minutes, and I still have to change."

  "I'll leave you to your preparations, then," Graskt said. "Good evening,

  sir." He bowed deeply and backed out of the room.

  Bel Iblis gave him a fifty-count and then followed. The Treitamma's

  northeast exit was off the group of backstage rooms to the left of the main

  stage, about as far away from the bustling main entrance as it was possible to

  get. Bel Iblis eased noiselessly down the stairway, alert for the various

  staffers hurrying around making final preparations for the evening's round of

  speeches, and slipped outside.

  A landspeeder was parked in the service alleyway behind the Treitamma,

  gray and muted in the dim evening light. Standing on the far side of the

  vehicle, pressed into what little shadow there was trying to watch all

  directions at once, was Aach.

  Bel Iblis crossed the alleyway toward him, trying to suppress a grimace

  and not entirely succeeding. This cloak-and-blade mentality was going to be

  the end of them yet. "Not being too obvious, are we?" he suggested tartly as

  he rounded the front of the landspeeder and stopped, facing the other.

  "Your preparation room seemed a bit too public for a meeting," Aach

  countered, his voice as calm as his face. "Would you rather I showed up at

  your hotel room after the speech? That could have proved a bit awkward."

  Bel Iblis felt his lip twitch. Awkward, unfortunately, was hardly the

  word for it. His wife Arrianya, a daughter of the old Core World families, had

  an unreserved and totally unwavering faith in Palpatine and his Empire, a

  faith that had first astonished, then baffled, then finally frustrated him.

  The clash of their differing political views had cast a chill over their

  marriage the past few months, and had dropped their two children into the

  middle of what was all too often a verbal war zone.

  The speech he was about to make out there on the Treitamma stage was

  going to upset Arrianya enough as it was. All he needed was for a shadowy

  messenger from Bail to show up in the middle of the inevitable argument

  afterward. "What's the message?" he growled.

  In the dim light he saw Aach's mouth twitch. "Sorry, Senator. I didn't

  mean-"

  "I know you didn't," Bel Iblis said. "What's the message?"

  Aach looked around the area again. "There's been a breakthrough," he

  said, lowering his voice to something barely above a whisper. "We've located

  Tarkin's project."

  Bel Iblis felt his throat go suddenly dry.

  "Where is it?"

  "I don't know," Aach said. "All I know is that a courier will be in the

  Continuum Void tapcafe in the city of Xakrea on Darkknell in three days with

  some inside information about it. Bail wants you to send your most trusted

  aide to rendezvous with him and pick up his datapack."

  Courier. Bel Iblis glanced around, a bad taste in his mouth. A three

  would get you the sabacc pot that this so - called "courier" was in fact the

  thief who'd stolen the datapack in the first place. A minor military figure,

  most likely, either a trooper or perhaps a clerk attached to the project.

  And two would get you the sabacc pot that his actions hadn't been

  motivated by anything as selfless as love of the Republic. "And how much am I

  supposed to pay him?"

  Aach hesitated, just noticeably. "Bail basically said to give him

  whatever he wants. Look, we need this information-was

  "Yes, yes, I understand," Bel Iblis cut him off. "If we can't get honest

  patriotism, we'll settle for honest greed."

  "That'll change," Aach promised, a quiet fire simmering in his voice. "As

  soon as Palpatine's agenda finally becomes clear, we'll have the whole

  Republic flocking to our side."

  "I'd settle for the top five percent of the Imperial Academy," Bel Iblis

  said sourly. Now was not the time for brooding about Palpatine's maddening

  talent for pulling the cloak over people's eyes. "Fine. I'll get one of my

  people on it as soon as I finish my-was

  Andwitha brilliant flash, the Treitamma Political Center blew up.

  Bel Iblis was lying on the ground when he fumbled his way back to

  consciousness, pressed up against the wall of the building across the alleyway

  on one side with what was left of the landspeeder looming over him on the

  other. Behind the landspeeder a ragged section of wall where the Treitamma had

  been was burning furiously, bathing the whole area with an unreal-looking

  blaze of yellow light and pouring black smoke into the sky.
r />   "Senator?"

  Bel Iblis blinked, shifting his eyes upward. Aach was kneeling over him,

  a gash in the side of his face streaming blood. "Come on, Senator, we've got

  to get you out of here," he said urgently, tugging on his arm. "Can you stand?

  "

  "I think so," Bel Iblis said, gathering his feet beneath him. He looked

  over at the burning building again as Aach helped him to his feet...

  And abruptly the haze blanketing his mind seemed to flash-burn away.

  "Arrianya!" he gasped. "Aach-my wife and children-was

  "They're gone. Senator," Aach said, his voice suddenly vicious. "And

  you're going to be next if we don't get you out of here right away."

  "Leave me alone!" Bel Iblis snarled, trying to push Aach's hand away and

  staggering as his trembling legs nearly collapsed again beneath him. "I've got

  to get to them. Let me alone."

  "No," Aach bit back, tightening his grip on Bel Iblis's arm. "Don't you

  see? You're the only one they were trying to kill in there. Y."

  Bel Iblis stared at the blazing building, a jolt of fresh pain and

  emptiness and anger twisting together and cutting into hm. No. No-it couldn't

  be. Destroy a whole building-kill dozens or even hundreds of people-just to

  get at him? It was insane.