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"Hiram has some information for you," Ackbar continued. "I would
listen to him carefully. I myself have found it valuable to do so in
the past--and to
have his counsel, as well." He nodded at Drayson.
"And now I will say good night."
"Wait--where are you going?" asked A'baht.
"This conversation is not meant for my ears," said Ackbar. "I am going
to the water column, to sleep. It is quite late, you know."
A'baht watched him leave the room, then turned to Drayson. "I have the
curious feeling that being favored with an introduction to you is less
an honor than a portent."
Drayson smiled. "It signifies that Ackbar trusts you implicitly, and
that's no mean compliment. But I won't deny it--introductions to me
seem to have a way of costing folks the blessings of a peaceful
sleep."
"Just so. Well--what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Your travel plans," said Drayson. "Come, let's sit."
"I've been trying for months to establish some assets in the Koornacht
Cluster," said Drayson. "It hasn't been easy, even for me." He smiled
self-deprecatingly.
"Traders will go to the fringes of the Cluster, but the deep Cluster
worlds belonging to the League are another story. Apparently the
Yevetha have a straightforward method of dealing with trespassersmthey
execute them on sight. And frankly, I find that to be reason for
concern in its own right."
"They like their privacy."
"Perhaps a little too much," said Drayson. "Which is consistent with
the behavior of the viceroy here. The Yevetha stay in their ship, and
the viceroy limits his outside contacts to a few hours every other day
with Leia.
I don't know if there are ten of them in there, or a thousand--" "You
don't trust them, either."
"No, I don't," said Drayson. "I'm certain that Nil Spaar has been
lying to Leia. The viceroy is a player. I haven't quite figured out
the game, and I can't tell how far beyond normal diplomatic posturing
the lies go.
But one thing I know for certain is that they've been learning about
us faster than we've been learning about them. That's another reason
for concern."
"You think they've been studying us."
"They'd be fools if they weren't, and I don't think they're fools,"
said Drayson. "That Yevethan spaceship has had access to the Republic
hypernet and the planetary NCI channels since the second day it was
here.
And the viceroy has had unimpeded access to the Chief of State of the
Republic. Meanwhile, I can't even confirm how many League worlds there
are, or their names and locations. I've been shut out completely, and
I'm not accustomed to that happening."
"Is that why you're having this conversation with me instead of with
the princess?"
"That's one reason," said Drayson. "The other is that you're going out
there with thirty warships, and she's not."
"Can you tell me anything about what I'm likely to find?"
"Some. There are several worlds on the fringe of the Cluster which are
inhabited by species other than the Yevetha," said Drayson. "Along the
border, there's a sizable colony of Kubaz, two small mining
installations owned by the Morath, and a commune of H'kig cultists who
apparently left Rishii over a doctrinal conflict.
A little farther in, there's a nest of Corasgh established by the
Empire and then abandoned, and a droid-run Imperial factory farm,
likewise abandoned, which represents a free lunch for any cargomaster
willing to risk the trip."
"The droids are still tending and harvesting crops?"
"Yes. Put a ship down at the loading docks, and the droids fill the
hold without even being asked!" said Drayson. "Now, all of those are
new since the last general survey of that sector, and there could be
more.
Based on that survey, there are also at least five indigenous sentient
species in the Cluster, none of which
have achieved hyperspace travel. Some haven't even gotten off the
ground."
"Not a very likely place for the Empire to put a key forward
shipyard."
"Not with the Yevethan worlds nearby."
"Do you think they have the ships?"
"It would have been unusually sloppy of the Empire to allow that to
happen," said Drayson. "But I don't rule it out."
"It would be nice to know."
"Wouldn't it? But I don't. Chances are you'll end up finding out and
telling me, instead of the other way around." Drayson rubbed his eyes,
then finger-combed his short black hair. "But here's something I keep
thinking about. The Yevetha had just achieved interplanetary
spaceflight at the time of the general survey.
Very bright, technically clever, rather proud of themselves, but no
threat to anyone."
"Then the Empire shows up."
"And puts the Yevetha to work for a few years in Imperial shipyards,
building and repairing vessels which represent a big leap beyond what
the Yevetha had been doing on their own. Whether or not the Yevetha
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