he imagined echoing through those towers. It struck him that
laughter and sobbing were really not that different, and de-
cided that he would do his best to see to it that others gained
first-hand knowledge of this insight.
Before they die of the virus for which I will destroy the
cure.
Admiral Ackbar sat back in his Council chair and tried to
pull serenity from the cool mist drifting down over him.
Grand Moff Tarkin, in one of his more expansive moods,
had once described politics to him as "soft warfare, the ele-
gant duel of lightsabers instead of the thunder of turbo-
lasers." Tarkin, with that description, had given no evidence
of finding political fights frustrating because of the posturing
and the treacherous riptide shifts of allegiances.
Or the inability to come to grips with problems in a
direct manner. Ackbar had endured more reports on
microeconomic fluctuations on planets he'd never heard of
than any sapient creature could be expected to stand i n one
lifetime. Slowly, in working through the reports, Borsk
Fey'lya and Sian Tevv were moving toward the matter that
had been bruited about on the Provisional Council's staff
level.
Glancing over at the Bothan councilor, Ackbar could see
a feral gleam in Fey'lya's violet eyes. The Botharis thrive on
this soft warfare. Ackbar had already recognized in Fey'lya a
drive to lead or, when he had been outmaneuvered, a desire
to vault out in front to where the leaders stood so he was
placed among them. Ackbar had seen similar tactics among
warriors who sought promotion, but true warfare tended to
deal with such ambition in a most lethal fashion.
Mon Mothma nodded toward the Elom councilor.
"Thank you, Verrinnefra, for bringing us up to date on the
economies of our newest worlds. Next on the agenda is the
matter of bacta. Borsk, you have a point to make?"
The cream-furred Bothan stood opposite Ackbar. "The
recent mission which has liberated a supply of bacta and
brought it here to Coruscant is, of course, a great victory for
us and a great boon to the people here. For that we owe
much thanks and praise to Admiral Ackbar and his staff.
Their success also brings with it some burdens, not the least
of which is the need to take precautions to prevent Warlord
Zsinj from exacting retribution from us."
Ackbar leaned forward. "Forgive me the interruption,
Councilor Fey'lya, but it strikes me that you are asking us to
deal with the undertow before the wave has crested."
"Excuse me?"
Princess Leia smiled. "I believe the Admiral is pointing
out that the supply of bacta brings with it far more pressing
problems than a possible attack by Warlord Zsinj."
"More correctly, Princess, I meant to say that because
an attack by Warlord Zsinj has always been possible, both
before and after our strike, there have long been plans in
place to deal with such. I am more than willing to review
those plans, but I think the core problem with bacta needs to
be addressed more quickly than the surface issue of Zsinj.
Trouble is a vast ocean, and for us, bacta distribution is the
issue lurking in the depths."
The Bothan's fur rippled. "There is indeed much to dis-
cuss on the matter of bacta distribution. With the supply we
now have, I think it should be possible to create centers for
preventative therapy to stop the spread of the virus. My peo-
ple tell me that an hour's mist therapy per week should be
sufficient to destroy the virus before it has a chance to incu-
bate. Creating centers that would allow that much treatment
would go a long way toward quelling the fear that has
gripped this world."
Leia frowned. "I've seen no such reports concerning mist
therapy. The review of the data we captured from General
Derricote's lab does not show evidence of any testing in that
regard. In fact, the only data the Imperials had on the Krytos
virus showed massive amounts of bacta would be required to
cure patients--having the effect of draining our supplies of
bacta. There is no reason to suppose creating the centers you
advocate would do anything but waste more bacta."
"Ah, Leia, I would have expected more compassion
froin you." Fey'lya glanced down at her. "If it were humans
who were dropping dead of this plague, you would be the
first to advocate creation of these centers."
Leia's dark eyes flashed coldly. "And you think I do not
support your plan because it would save non-humans?"
"I would like to think better of you, but I know you
have various constituencies to worry about. Like Admiral
Ackbar, you would like to see some of the bacta reserved for
use by our military. I understand this, for saving the lives of
our valiant warriors is certainly commendable. I fear, how-
ever, your hedge against the unseen means there are count-
less individuals who might sicken and die and never get a
chance to enter the military and fight for their freedom."
Doman Beruss raised a hand. "I think, Councilor
Fey'lya, you do Princess Leia and every other human member
of the Council a disservice by even hinting that opposition to
your plan is based on an anti-alien bias."
"All, but even you are prey to it, Councilor Beruss. You
refer to us as 'alien' and the Princess called us 'non-human.'
Why are we defined by you and in comparison to you? Hu-
manity certainly has contributed much to the Rebellion, but
it did so because the Empire had done all it could to suppress
and subjugate the species it saw as harmful and aberrant.
Humans--being those who learned their trade at the hands
of our Imperial masters--were the only people capable of
taking a leadership role in the actual Rebellion. The rest of us
contributed as we could, and made great contributions--
contributions that led to the successful conclusion of tile ma-
jor campaigns in the Rebellion.
"I do not accuse you of being wholly unfeeling, but I
think your perspective in this matter is colnpromised."
Fey'lya smoothed the fur on the top of his head. "I believe
the matter of bacta distribution is one that should be decided
by those of us whose people are prey to the virus."
Ackbar rose from his chair and slapped a hand against
the table top. "In that case, Councilor Fey'lya, you will also
be required to recuse yourself from any decisions in this mat-
ter."
"What?"
"There is no known case of any Bothan being afflicted
with the disease." I have no doubt Iceheart wanted you
Bothans to survive so you could help split the Alliance. "_ul-
lustans and Shistavanens have been infected, leaving open
the very real possibility that Wookiees could find themselves
susceptible to the virus. Quarren have died from it, leaving
the Mon Calamari population vulnerable. I have heard of no
Elom who have become ill, but Twi'lek, Gamorrean,
and
Trandoshan populations have, so the possibility of the dis-
ease jumping to the Elom is not out of the question."
The Bothan's fur rose on head and shoulders, but
Ackbar ignored the signs of Fey'lya's anger. "Moreover,
from a public health standpoint, your plan of therapy centers
is more of a risk than it is a help. The facilities you suggest
would call for vast numbers of people congregating ill an
environment where contact with infectious fluids is not diffi-
cult to imagine. And, even if there were studies to show bacta
mist did kill the virus, using it carelessly promotes the chance
of a bacta-resistant strain of the virus being passed among
people who believe they are being protected from it. If such a
strain does appear, we will be powerless to stop the plague
from destroying the galaxy."
The Bothan kept his voice low. "What, pray do tell,
would you suggest, then?"
"First and foremost, we secure the water supply. We
have evidence to suggest the virus was introduced into the
planetary water supply, and for all we know, there are pock-
ets of virus frozen in the glaciers just waiting to be melted
before they become virulent again. Second, we continue the
intensive therapy to control and cure those populations we
know are infected. It is important to note here, I think, that
human medtechs have been tireless in caring for victims of
the virus. Their immunity to the disease certainly means they
have less to fear than others, but that immunity in no way
makes it incumbent upon them to help out the way they
have."
Ackbar held a hand up. "Third and final, we need to
deal with the black market. The rumors of a supply of bacta
arriving on Coruscant have depressed the prices, but esti-
mates of how much we got from Zsinj are grossly high.
When the truth comes out, prices will begin to rise, and sell-
ing off portions of the supply will become very attractive. If
we don't have our supply depleted through profiteering, we
stand a good chance of buying enough time to obtain more
bacta from Thyferra and solving our problem once and for
all. If not, we will find ourselves bankrupt and dying of the
virus."
The Bothan opened his hands. "So you think we should
just continue to proceed in the manner in which we have
gone about things so far?"
"No, by no means." Ackbar looked around the room
and then up at the misting system. "We argue here whether
bacta-mist therapy has any value, yet we have a system in-
stalled here to protect us. All of us, including the humans,
know affluent members of our populations have purchased
bacta on the black market to use in their own preventative
therapy. And, I have no doubt, people have come to you
since the news of our victory has leaked out, asking you to
procure bacta for them. While I know none of us would
agree to such a thing, the perception that we might, and that
there is special treatment for some selected folks going on, is
one that will heighten the panic our people are feeling."
Sian Tevv sniffed. "This virus is more than panic,
Ackbar. It is real and deadly."
"Agreed, but our actions make it deadlier still. If one
person believes there is no hope for himself, that there will be
no cure when he needs it, he might not seek treatment. A
day's delay not only can cost him his life, but can infect his
family and friends. The fact is that if we project the image
that says the virus can and will be defeated, everyone will do
what they can to defeat it."
Leia smiled. "It's the same morale-building technique
that kept us going during the dark days after Derra IV and
Hoth."
The black-furred Wookiee councilor's bark flowed into
a murmur, and Leia's gold protocol droid translated. "Am-
bassador Kerrithrarr suggests treating the virus as an enemy
against which everyone is enlisted. With discipline and direc-
tion the spread can be minirealized."
Ackbar nodded at the Wookiee. "An apt analogy."
Borsk Fey'lya's eyes narrowed. "A military model might
well be sufficient to deal with t he virus, but do you suggest
we use it to curtail black market trading? Having storm-
troopers breaking into private homes to deprive people of
bacta supplies will hardly endear us to our people."
Mon Mothma shook her head. "No such thing is advo-
cated. General Cracken is devoting a certain amount of his
energy to this problem, and is working to put the New Re-
public Security Force together. The NRSF will replace the old
Imperial Sector Ranger force, and is meant to be a law en-
forcement and counter-insurgency force. It will be some time
before the force will be ready to administer all that needs to
be dealt with here, but we have an offer for dealing with our
law enforcement needs in the interim."
Mon Mothma used her comlink. "Please send Vorru in."
Ackbar saw the hackles go up on Fey'lya and felt his
own flesh crawl. The doors to the chamber opened, and
through them walked a small human with a thick head of
white hair. From his size, which was not that big, even for a
human, he could have easily been dismissed as benign, yet a
sought to project.
He'd met the man once before, when Fliry Vorru, then
an Imperial Moff, had been a guest of Tarkin. The two men
were physical opposites, but so alike in temperament and
spirit that Ackbar had wished they would turn on each other
and destroy one another. That didn't happen, though cir-
cumstances soon conspired to get Vorru sentenced to Kessel,
where he had remained until he had been freed and returned
to Cornscant as part of the Rebel operation to take the
planet.
Vorru looked up and Ackbar read pure cunning in his
dark eyes. "I thank you for seeing me, esteemed Councilors. I
thank you for my freedom. I find myself in a position to
repay the debt I owe you."
Leia's head came up. "You don't consider your part in
the liberation of Cornscant to have canceled that debt?"
"If the truth be told, Princess Leia, I do not." Vorru
stiflened formally, then bowed his head. "The liberation of
the planet would have been accomplished more smoothly
and efficiently if not for the treacherous behavior of one of
my lieutenants. While I did not know Zekka Thyne was
working for Imperial Intelligence agents, I must accept re-
sponsibility for his actions. In effect, the liberation proceeded
without my help, so my debt to you remains."
A pained expression passed over his face. "You brought
me here in the hope that I could revive Black Sun and turn it
into a force that would aid the effort to take Cornscant from
the Empire. I did what I could, but the fact is that the Impe-
rial effort to expunge the remnants of Xizor's organization
were as ruthlessly effic
ient as only Darth Vader's vengeance
could be. What little of the leadership remained was de-
stroyed in internecine battling. When I arrived here there was
a paucity of leadership and an insufficient amount of time to
once again establish control over the various factions present
on Cornscant. Durga the Hutt and others resist unification,
so Black Sun is effectively dead."
Ackbar sat back in his chair. "I would have expected
more regret in your voice at that pronouncement."
Vorru shrugged. "Black Sun was Xizor's dream, not
mine."
Fey'lya folded his arms across his chest and remained
standing. "And your dream is . . . ?"
"Freedom, the same as your dream." Vorru smiled.
"The Empire treated criminals the same way it treated you
Rebels. With the Empire's grip broken, you Rebels have be-
come the New Republic and have gained legitimacy. The
criminals who have long been repressed by the Empire are
not all evil, but many have been trapped in a cycle of lawless-
ness precisely because they knew they could expect no mercy
from the Empire. While they were not Rebels, they were no
less victims of Imperial repression.
"To bring things to the point quickly, we no longer wish
to be treated as criminals. We want a chance to gain legiti-
macy and lead normal lives. For this we realize we need to
offer you something of value, and so we shall. We know the
ways of the black market. We know how to disrupt it and
break it. We know the ways of criminals and how to disrupt
their activities. We know the underworld of Cornscant and
we know how to bring to justice those you want to punish."
Doman Beruss stared at Vorru. "You want us to make
you the Commissioner of the Cornscant Constabulary?"
"I do not think you that foolish, Doman Beruss. I knew
your father and mother and I know you cannot be easily
deceived." A smile came readily to Vorru's face--a smile
Ackbar did not trust. "What I want is for my people to be
allowed to administer the law in the underworld here. Your
Security Force will have more than enough to do with the
areas of Cornscant where you can project power. We already
have various off-world populations forming their own mili-