Grand Admiral

Nine years, six months, and twelve days after the Battle of Yavin...

Or forty-fourth year, six months, and twelve days after the Great Resynchronization.

Leia Organa-Solo glanced at the dark-skinned man, who was majestically pacing the bridge, going up to various consoles every now and then, talking in a low voice to the beings at the control panels.

— And Lando has literally embodied the role of the fleet commander, — she remarked. General Cracken, standing next to her, smiled condescendingly.

— I would say that he rather returned to where he started, — he noted. — Like your spouse, princess. They are talented commanders, they just don't want to get involved in our bureaucratic mess. Free birds who lack freedom.

— That's for sure, — the princess frowned. — Fey'lya is definitely overdoing it with the total control over the armed forces.

— He has no military experience, — the chief intelligence officer of the New Republic reminded her. — He tries to solve everything with typical botanic methods. He pours huge amounts of money into the purchase of weapons to put back into service the warships that are under long-term repairs... But, to his credit, he is negotiating with the Hapesians about the transfer to us of several Imperial Star Destroyers that they have lying around. I hope everything goes without a scandal — the Hapes Consortium is a powerful ally for the New Republic. But Borsk... I'm afraid that in pursuit of power he can break so much wood that the entire government will be clearing up the consequences for years. He has the approach of an administrator, but not a commander. It's only a matter of time before his unprofessional approach leads to adverse consequences.

— Let's hope that we will be able to gently remove him from the post of Commander-in-Chief sooner, — Leia said, shuddering. The twins inside her kicked.

— They got a bit excited, — she said, smoothing her belly. The girl, to the best of her abilities, turned to the Force, sending calming waves to the unborn children... The couple of troublemakers responded favorably to their mother's attempts. But it didn't last long – the kids continued to kick her in the stomach.

— Perhaps General Solo was right, — Cracken said. — And you should have stayed on Coruscant.

— And are you sure that in that case it would have been possible to bargain with Karrde? — the girl asked with a smile.

— After he and Booster Terrik took me to Thyferra, and we almost went bankrupt buying Imperial military equipment from him on credit? — Cracken frowned. — No, I'm not sure. Unfortunately, this information broker is much better at bargaining than I am.

— That's why I'm with you, — the girl smiled. But at the same moment, she abruptly opened her mouth, as if trying to take a deep breath.

— Princess, — Lando was nearby, gallantly and without hints of hostility, grabbing the girl by the shoulders. — Are you alright?

— Y-yes, — she let out. Leia licked her parched lips. — It's just that... the rebels inside me, for some reason, decided that stretching my ribs with their little legs is quite a good idea. But, thanks to the Force, everything passed...

— They're kind of restless, — a puzzled expression appeared on Calrissian's face. Cracken tried to pretend that what was happening was not his concern, but he looked at the pale princess with understanding and anxiety. After all, he is a father himself – and his son, Pash Cracken, is one of the most famous ace pilots of the New Republic.

— I don't understand what's going on, — Leia admitted. — I tried to calm them down, but they wouldn't...

— Nasty, like their daddy, — Calrissian smiled charmingly. — He also doesn't like it when people try to calm him down.

— Who are you telling this? — Leia smiled weakly. The twins decided to use her internal organs as a punching bag this time. — He's still my husband...

— We'll be there very soon, — Lando assured her. — And in the meantime, maybe you should go to the medical bay? I don't want to spend the rest of my days listening to Han's grievances for not keeping an eye on you. It's not for me to tell you how stubborn he is when it comes to something personal.

— You know, I have a rather biased attitude towards medical bays within the Imperial military shipbuilding program, — Leia tried to joke.

— If I had known, I wouldn't have chosen a former Imperial Star Destroyer as my flagship, — Lando lamented, frowning. — It's just that I had a good opportunity to take it from the Allanteen VI shipyards... There's something symbolic about fighting against the Imperials on their own brainchild.

— The Rebel Dream is a beautiful ship, — Cracken noted. — It is in perfect condition...

— That's why the Millennium Falcon is right in its hangar, — Lando smiled. — Chewbacca finally has time to put it in order with the help of fleet technicians. And, it seems to me, Han will never fix his little one...

— I'm afraid that when he finds out about it, he'll redo everything, — Leia sighed. — He believes that he is simply obliged to do everything himself...

— Well, that's Han, — Lando shrugged.

— General! — the ship's commander called out to Calrissian. — Two minutes to exiting into the Milagro system!

— Understood, — Lando waved his hand. Looking at the Alderaanian princess, he smiled encouragingly. — Karrde promised to be there already, didn't he?

— That's right, — Leia nodded. — He is punctual and courteous in such things. I hope the negotiations will go quickly and we won't have to...

— Standard jump completion! — the navigator reported.

The blue-and-white tunnel of light crumbled into its components, first turning into light lines, and then shrinking to tiny dots. The planet Milagro became visible through the transparisteel. Its surface was covered with slag and scarlet streaks of volcanic matter...

It became incredibly sad... What is it?!

— We are registering two ships, — came from the "pit". — Identification completed. Wild Karrde and a Corellian frigate. Receiving call signs... Incoming call!

— Looks like they dream of chatting with you, — Lando chuckled.

The girl smiled modestly.

— General Calrissian, — a three-dimensional image of the information broker appeared above the holographic projector. — I understand you decided to give Princess Organa-Solo a ride to the rendezvous point?

— I was nearby, — Lando smiled. — Just don't say, "Claw," that the sight of a star destroyer unnerves you.

— If it belongs to the New Republic, not at all, — Karrde replied with a polite smile. — If you don't mind, I would like to come aboard and personally discuss all matters with Princess Leia...

— Without a doubt, we are waiting for you, — the girl joined the conversation. — Please forgive us for arriving on another ship...

— It's okay, — Karrde reacted calmly. — These are not peaceful times. Security won't hurt anyone.

— That's for sure, — Cracken chuckled quietly.

— A-a-a-a, general, — for the first time during the conversation, the face of the information broker expressed relief. — Did you come to haggle?

— As far as I remember from the previous experience of our negotiations, it's useless, — the head of the New Republic Intelligence snorted. — Maybe we should start and not make anyone wait?

— I'm ready, — the "Claw" shrugged. — There is a lot of information, and you will clearly like it...

A sudden pain seared Leia like boiling water poured on her knees. The girl gritted her teeth, feeling how the children began to stomp inside her in the most unscrupulous way. "What the hell is that?!" – flashed through her mind. Rudimentary skills in handling the Force suggested to her that both kids were worried, as if...

— General, sir, — the commander of the Loyalty addressed Lando. — We are registering strange signals. An Imperial repeater is working somewhere in the system...

— What other jokes are those, Karrde? — Cracken instantly bristled.

— I don't know more than you do, General, — the information merchant said quickly. — We've been here for several hours and haven't found anything. Perhaps something has remained from the Imperials since the battle and activated, recognizing a former Imperial starship...

Leia felt a deadly emptiness beginning to form inside her... How familiar this is... Imperial tricks...

Suddenly, new starships appeared behind Karrde's ships... And judging by the fact that in the next second they spewed out hordes of TIE fighters from their depths and opened a hurricane fire on the ships... on the Loyalty, completely ignoring the armed freighters of the information merchant.

And almost immediately after that, the "Claw's" hologram disappeared.

— What's going on?! — the muscles in Cracken's face clenched.

— Battle alert! — Lando shouted, for clarity poking his finger at the panoramic viewport.

But Leia had already noticed how green and scarlet rays of turbolasers flickered against the background of the black sphere of the once rich industrial planet Milagro, the surface of which had been turned into lifeless slag by the efforts of the Imperials... And the hulls of the ships engaged in battle seemed so familiar...

— Calm down, princess, — Calrissian hissed, following her gaze. — They are firing from a long distance, this won't hurt us. It's just a Striker-class medium cruiser, an Immobilizer 418-class cruiser, a Gozanti armored transport, some kind of overgrown fighter, and an ancient research ship... Hmm... they've deployed artificial gravity zone cones. All four... It seems that these guys really don't want anyone to leave from here – and we are the first in line. Captain, — the commander of the Loyalty looked at Calrissian. — We are closing in on the enemy. Until we destroy the trawler, we won't be able to get out of here. And yet, why is "Claw" silent?

— And all the Imperials are now somehow not tearing apart Talon Karrde's ships, — added General Cracken, looking at the holoprojector. Like before, it didn't display anything at all. — I don't like this!

— Not you alone, General, — Lando said, looking at the princess. — Prepare the guns, the fighters — as soon as we close with them to seventy units, raise the deflectors – now all the energy to the engines; we need to get to the trawler as soon as possible and disable it, before more Imperials fly in for a light. Leia, dear, — he looked at his friend's wife with concern in his eyes — you better take cover in your cabin. The bridge is not a place for you in this condition and...

The children inside her stirred anxiously. This wasn't even excitement... It was horror that chilled the blood in her veins.

— Lando... — she whispered. But no one heard her – the sound was cut through by the howling notes of the siren.

— An Imperial Star Destroyer behind us! — the hysterical falsetto of the scanning systems operator drowned out even the sound of the siren. — In close proximity to us and...

In the next moment, the Loyalty was shaken so much that Leia almost flew into the nearest "pit". And only thanks to Cracken, who managed to catch her by the hand, was she able to avoid injury. But Lando rolled across the deck...

— Deflectors! — roared the commander of the star destroyer.

— Report! — shouted the former businessman, getting up with a hiss. The Alderaanian princess felt how much pain he was in – it seemed that Calrissian had developed several fractures in his ribs.

— The ion cannons have disabled the right and left main engines, — the commander of the Loyalty reported. — Sublight speed has dropped by sixty percent. The maneuvering ones were damaged, so we are like an unwieldy bantha...

— So they just went into our stern and immobilized us? — Lando's eye twitched.

— Yes, sir, — the commander of the star destroyer said sadly. — Start maneuvering, we will rebuild our sides to the enemy, — he ordered. Looking at Calrissian, he added:

— If we can't run, then at least let's fight...

— You urgently need to be taken out of here, — Lando said, meeting General Cracken's gaze. — The Falcon has disassembled engines, and Chewie won't be able to assemble them in the next hour. There is my personal Lambda-class shuttle in the cargo hangar – take Chewbacca and fly away immediately! I don't know who, but we were lured into a trap...

— Another trap? — Cracken growled, glancing at the Imperial ships engaged in a sluggish shootout with Karrde's starships. It was as if they were not even trying to destroy them, but only restrain them with ion cannon fire and their starfighters. — This crook handed us over to the Imperials!!!

— Not just the Imperials, — the commander of the Loyalty said in a dejected voice, tearing his gaze from the tactical terminal. Pain flashed in his eyes. — Generals, princess... This ISD-1 is none other than the Imperious.

The children inside Leia fell silent, obviously sensing the horror that had gripped their mother.

— Erik Shohashi, — she whispered the name of the Imperial officer, her compatriot...

— "The Butcher of Atoa"? — Cracken shook his head. He didn't show fear, but... The Force told Leia that the chief intelligence officer of the New Republic was by no means delighted with such a meeting. Which is not surprising, considering the circumstances and the reputation of this particular Imperial commander. — The same one who recaptured "Rebel Dream" from you?

The girl couldn't find anything to say. She just nodded her head, agreeing. The horror of every Alderaanian loyal to the Rebellion or the New Republic, in the form of their former kinsman, who exchanged his career as the head of the defense forces of his native world for the position of commander of a star destroyer, came for her again...

— Captain, — Dando shouted, addressing the commander of the Loyalty, who was in charge of the battle. — Where are our fighters?! Provide the princess with an escort to my ship and...

— We don't have any more fighters, — the commander of the Loyalty said in a sepulchral voice. — A Corellian corvette is under our bottom and shot our pilots when they were taking off... And, I'm afraid, the hangar is also a bad idea now...

— Why? — demanded General Cracken.

— There are Imperial landing boats there already, — the officer said in a completely defeated voice, which did not add a bit of optimism. — We are being boarded...

***

— Reconnaissance droid destroyed, — the communications systems operator reported.

Erik Shohashi raised his chronometer. With a slight click, the top cover opened, revealing the dial. The second hand was running relentlessly forward.

Two minutes. The "Viper" lasted exactly thirty seconds longer than planned.

Imperial reconnaissance and sabotage droid "Viper".

— Continue shelling with ion cannons, — he ordered.

Looking at the tiny portrait inserted on the inside of the lid of the antique chronometer, Erik tenderly ran his thumb over the image of Iren. "Forever in your heart" — this was the engraving around the last reminder of the "Red Star".

"Forever..." — Erik repeated as if in an echo.

With a soft click, the lid snapped into place, and the shiny chronometer disappeared into his tunic pocket. The very tunic he wore when he was in the service of the Alderaanian defense forces. The very tunic that became for him a symbol of the fight against the traitors of his native world.

— Boarding group "Aurek" has taken control of the main hangar, — the watch officer informed him. — A Wookiee alien and a Corellian YT-1300 freighter, the Millennium Falcon, have been captured.

— I'm not interested in these details, Lieutenant, — Erik said, leaning on his cane. — Is the enemy's air wing completely destroyed?

Despite the fact that intelligence data indicates a small number of squadrons carried on board the Imperial star destroyers captured by the rebels, the very fact of their presence is a very big problem for TIE fighters and interceptors, deprived of deflector protection. Shohashi, of course, did not order his own bombers to be taken out of the hangar – in the presence of anti-aircraft weapons on the enemy ship, such a step was nothing more than a sophisticated way of destroying his own starfighters.

YT-1300 light freighter "Millennium Falcon".

— Yes, sir! — the watch officer replied in a clear voice. — We are registering three rebel pilots who survived the barrage of the corvette.

— Send an evacuation transport and take them prisoner, — Erik ordered. — Notify the interrogators of the arrival of the rebels. By the end of the battle, I want to know everything that this trio knows.

— It will be done, captain, — the watch officer said in a matter-of-fact tone. But a year ago, when they captured the ISD Tyrant, renamed "Rebel Dream" by order of the daughter of Viceroy Bail Organa, this young man was sick at the thought that interrogation droids were tearing prisoners to pieces for every bit of information.

But not now. Now they are all — all thirty-seven thousand crew members of the Imperious — one whole. And they no longer pay attention to such trifles as ethics, compassion, and pity. It is pointless to treat the enemy with emotions.

An enemy is an enemy. He is either dead or provides the necessary information. If the latter does not work — then he is dead. Without exception.

Erik enjoyed watching the blue lightning of the ion cannons of his star destroyer lick away the protection of the future trophy. The ship disgraced by captivity will be returned to the bosom of its rightful owners.

Captain Shohashi allowed himself a smile. It is very good that the trophy will not fall into the hands of the Imperial Space. Those who pretend that the Empire is still alive have no honor or pride. He understood this when the Emperor died and the infighting for power began. He had hoped that not all was lost when he met Iren Ryad and her pilots. His inner world, which had perished after the news of the participation of the rulers of his native world in the creation and active activities of the Rebel alliance, was revived when he and the "Red Star" together cut out the rebellious filth from the body of the galaxy. He once again found the strength in himself to serve the Imperial order...

And he lost everything again after Isanne Isard declared a hunt on Iren. The only thing he will never forgive himself for is the fact that at the time of her death, he was far away, destroying rebel ships. They never worked together to prevent the connection between them from being tracked... Their caution was the cause of her death.

At the hands of those who were considered the elite of the Imperial Pilot Corps. Baron Fel and his bastards. Future corpses that he will personally lay in the graves, looking each of them in the eye before taking his hands off their broken necks. He will do it personally. It will not even be necessary to involve his own pilots, trained personally by Iren, to destroy these pathetic executioners. He will take her spare TIE Defender, painted blood-red, which still stands in a separate launch cell, as if hoping for the return of its mistress. The machine does not know that the "Red Star" will never rise again. But this machine will still see enemy vehicles in the crosshairs of its sight. But it will not be the "Red Star" at the controls, but him, Erik Shohashi, "The Butcher of Atoa".

They will all die. Everyone who is involved in Iren's death. Thrawn promised him this.

Erik believed Thrawn. And followed him, fully sharing his point of view on the dead end of the Empire's development in its current state.

Greedy and short-sighted people were destroying with their own hands what was created to maintain peace in the galaxy. It took the Imperial Remnants a little less than ten years to lose millions of ships of the Imperial fleet in internecine battles.

Puny bastards. Outcasts and dirt under their fingernails.

Cowards who were afraid to even say a word to him when Erik faced the command with the fact – he was leaving the fleet of the Imperial Space to serve under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn. The only one of all who did not surrender, did not give up, and continues to fight.

It's quite funny... A non-human is fighting at the head of the cooling corpse of the Empire.

— The enemy has activated the port side turret artillery, — the senior gunner commented on the actions of the enemy starship.

— Strengthen the bow deflector, — Erik ordered. — Activate our turbolasers. Use them strictly against the enemy ship's deflectors.

The starship must come to them intact — as far as is possible.

There is too valuable a cargo on board.

The last princess of the planet Alderaan. A hero of the Rebellion. A member of the Provisional Council of the New Republic.

Leia Organa-Solo.

He did not reach her when he captured the "Rebel Dream" a little over a year ago. Then the intelligence of the Imperial Space let him down, not informing him that the princess was not on board the star destroyer, but on Coruscant. However, Erik was sure that this was done on purpose – the bastards on Orinda needed ships, and they used the Imperious to get another trophy.

They led him on like a snotty cadet. And now the "Rebel Dream", which has once again become the Tyrant, was part of the Orinda fleet. But it could have been under Thrawn's command – this being would certainly have found a much better use for the Imperial star destroyer than to serve as a guard ship.

— Landing groups "Dorn" and "Kresh" are fighting on the battery decks, — the watch officer commented on the reason for the decrease in the intensity of the enemy's fire from the side guns.

Erik, narrowing his eyes, watched as more and more landing ships emerged from the depths of the Imperious to reach the vulnerable hangar of the future trophy at breakneck speed.

Now the enemy is busy repelling the attack in several directions — the cargo and main hangar, the battery deck, the lock exits scattered throughout the wedge-shaped part of the ship. The intensity of the enemy's fire dropped by a third, which testified to the magnificent intensity and effectiveness of the boarding parties of the "frontal strike". Apparently, the rebel ship did not have its own legion of infantry – otherwise it was simply impossible to explain the reason for such rapid advancement of the stormtroopers.

It's not the time when yesterday's farmers and young men fought on rebel ships. They now have a professional army, hardened in battles against rebellious Imperial warlords and other rabble.

— Hangar deck, — he opened the communication channel using his own comlink. — Release the "Gammas".

Gamma-class assault (boarding) shuttle.

A few seconds later, he noted how half a dozen thirty-meter angular boarding shuttles rushed towards the superstructure of the enemy's star destroyer. In the depths of each such ship — forty Imperial stormtroopers, clad in heavy boarding suits. The elite of the elite, honed specifically for penetrating enemy ships in the minority. Thanks to their training and overwhelming firepower, these fighters will become the last nail in the coffin of the rebels.

— "Gammas" from the first to the sixth have docked to the superstructure, — the watch officer commented. — Penetration on all decks. They report average resistance...

— Increase the pressure, — Erik ordered.

In this operation, he did not intend to waste time – speed and ruthlessness, these are the two cosmic whales on which he built his attacks. If you allow the enemy to rest for even a moment, to collect his thoughts, there is a high probability that the boarding groups will face not disorganized and uncoordinated rebel units, but organized resistance.

Erik stroked the pommel of his cane. A massive artificial diamond that cuts pleasantly into the skin of the inner surface of the palm. A beautiful support and a memorable thing...

And it is also extremely convenient for crushing the skulls of enemies.

— Request Commander Dobramu and Captain Tiberos regarding the progress of their part of the plan, — Erik ordered, watching intently as his gunners shattered the protection of the enemy ship.

Soon, very soon...

***

A flail, with a crunch and a squelch, pierced the crown of a smuggler's head, who, through his own stupidity and misunderstanding, had found himself too close.

With a powerful jerk, Tiberos pulled the body towards him, put his foot on the enemy's face, and with a push of his foot threw him away from himself, extracting the stuck weapon.

With a sweeping blow with the flat of the blade, he threw the enemy out of his way.

At the far end of the corridor, another smuggler appeared, whose face was immediately stricken with horror at the bloody massacre that Tiberos had staged on board the Wild Karrde.

A good third of a dozen members of the information broker's fleet flagship crew had been killed in the most brutal but effective way.

Tiberos did not hesitate. With a swing, he threw his flail at the enemy, resolving his dilemma – to stare or shoot.

The sharply sharpened weapon, thrown by a skilled hand, made several revolutions around its axis before entering the unprotected chest of the smuggler.

With a monstrous crunch, the breastbone was pierced and the ribs were broken. Tiberos knew perfectly well the consequences of such a throw – that's why he used it.

Now the enemy had a massive internal bleeding, the cause of which was the shattered bones of the skeleton, which had turned into shrapnel after the barbless flail had destroyed the integrity of the enemy's carcass, and now the fragments of bones were tearing apart the internal organs with their sharp and deformed edges.

— "Sly's" ship is under my control, — Eymond's voice came from the mask's earpiece.

— Is the bastard alive? — Tiberos asked, approaching the dead man and starting to break his weapon from his still living body with a crunch.

— Alive and kicking, — a message came from his old friend, and the corsair felt some understatement in his phrase. — He's sitting here, looking at me with an offended look.

— Did you cripple him or something? — Tiberos asked suspiciously.

— Optimized, — Eymond corrected him. — Well, why did he try to run away from me?

— He-he, — Tiberos chuckled, stopping in front of a fork.

The main part of the boarding party that landed on board Talon Karrde's flagship had already dispersed towards the bridge and the engine compartment to prevent this ship from escaping. Tiberos himself was engaged in clearing the interiors of the deeply modernized Action V-class freighter, which was the flagship of Talon Karrde's contraband fleet.

Talon Karrde's flagship, the Wild Karrde.

Not a bad ship, I must admit. It's well-armed, and if you use it to transport stolen goods... m-m-m, a sight for sore eyes. I'll have to talk to Thrawn. To give him "Sly's" ship without question, and in return take the Wild Karrde for himself.

But first, it is necessary to catch the owner of this vessel himself.

They still haven't found the "Claw" himself, which could be a bad sign. Despite the fact that the Imperial reconnaissance droid tracked any movement in this part of the system, while the caper and Imperial ships were in the far part of the system, hiding from sensors and mass detectors, the lone sabotage reconnaissance droid in passive mode collected information in order to transmit the exact coordinates for a micro-jump to the combined forces at the right time. It turned out great.

The droid, having sent the coordinates of the location of Karrde's and "Sly's" ships, as well as the arriving ship of the New Republic, following its program, destroyed the communication systems of the Wild Karrde in order to prevent the transfer of information packets with data to the New Republic. Captain Shohashi had foreseen almost any course of events.

And therefore, the information that the "Claw" intended to sell to the New Republic is still on board. And most likely — in Karrde's head himself.

It remained only to find this information broker and capture him.

And the longer Tiberos wandered through the corridors, combing one compartment after another, the more he began to worry. Karrde was nowhere to be found, which meant there was a possibility that the information trader might not even be on board his ship during this raid. And these were already problems.

Left at large, Karrde, no worse than Booster Terrik, could call on smugglers and mercenaries to help him, which would only complicate the already difficult situation.

Enough had already been done to make the New Republic suspect that the "Claw" himself was directly involved in the disclosure of the real deal on Milagro before the Empire. Smugglers are a superstitious and distrustful people. A decent amount of the wildest and sometimes even contradictory rumors about Karrde's connection with the Empire will be enough for his business reputation as a lover of "neutrality" to go down the drain.

Everyone will turn away from him.

Thanks to the mask's enhanced hearing receptors, he detected a source of some noise, similar to slow and extremely cautious footsteps...

And they were coming from behind.

That is, someone was moving behind Tiberos and clearly did not want to give himself away by the fact that he was hiding in the cargo hold of the Wild Karrde. Well, yeah, of course, there were many such smart guys in the glorious corsair's past.

Few could boast of the fact that they left on their own two feet after meeting Tiberos. And the very fact that they left was already a huge merit of tolerance and laziness on the part of one particular caper, a lover of paired flails.

— Karrde, Karrde, where are you, — Tiberos sang quietly, turning around a large transport container.

Listening to his inner feelings and straining the rudimentary abilities of the Force, the caper felt that there was someone alive next to him. Literally a couple of meters away. And if you estimate the side of the edge of this cubic metal box...

"Well, this is not even serious," Tiberos snorted mentally. Having gripped the right flail more comfortably, he demonstratively tapped it against the metal. The Force suggested that the being next to him had moved in the opposite direction.

In one leap, Tiberos jumped out from behind the container, waving his weapon.

The blade of the axe-like blade, with a juicy crunch, entered the chest of a fair-haired man dressed in nondescript clothes – a vest and a loose-fitting shirt. His dark pants were almost immediately soaked in blood from a monstrous wound on his chest.

— Aves, — Tiberos smiled, looking at the "Claw's" assistant who was collapsing to the floor. — And where is your boss?

— You, — bloody foam appeared on the smuggler's lips. His right hand, clutching a blaster pistol, began to rise, but the caper quickly resolved this issue by cutting it off with a flail.

The cargo hold was shaken by a heart-rending scream of pain.

— Yes, Aves, yes, — Tiberos confirmed the obvious, sitting down next to the smuggler, doomed to a quick but agonizing death from blood loss. — Where is Karrde?

— You scum, — the "Claw's" assistant spat blood at him.

— I can kill you quickly and end your suffering, Aves, — Tiberos said, grabbing the man's hair. — Tell me where your boss is.

A smirk appeared on the smuggler's bloodied lips, which soon became a posthumous one.

— Behind you, — came the voice of the owner of the Wild Karrde.

— Well, that's good, — Tiberos said with satisfaction, cutting Aves' throat with one movement of the axe-like blade of the left flail. Rising to his feet, he turned to face the information trader who had emerged from the shadows.

— Well, we finally met, "Claw," — Tiberos looked around at the long-haired smuggler standing in front of him. Talon didn't exude any significant excitement. He didn't even have any weapons in his hands... Which only sharpened Tiberos' suspicions that not everything was as simple as it seemed.

— Believe me, you won't be happy with this meeting, — Karrde shook his head.

— Don't steal my lines, — Tiberos smirked, playing with his flails. — Will you come on your own or do I have to chop off your extra limbs and drag you by the hair?

— Excessive self-confidence destroyed your father, your mother; it will also be the cause of your end, — Karrde said. The smile disappeared from Tiberos' face.

— At least I'm not ashamed of my past, "Claw." — he said. — And I don't hide the place of my birth, fearing that "political labels" will be "stuck" on me. Everyone who has a little more than two brain twists has long understood where you are from, you vain, hypocritical bastard.

— When arguments run out, you turn to insults? — Karrde smirked.

— Immediately before the fight starts, — Tiberos confirmed. — Your ship is now mine.

— Is that so? — Talon was surprised. — And the one and a half billion credits in cash that the republicans brought to buy information from me are also yours?

Tiberos laughed.

— A cheap trick, Karrde, — he said. — Even if there was the entire treasury of the Empire on that destroyer, I'm not an idiot to cross Thrawn's path in the matter of money.

— Well, yes, you think that he will help you become a pirate king, — Karrde laughed softly. — That won't happen. First, he will lure you like a mongrel dog, force you to hunt on his orders, and then sic you on his former pack. Both you and Vane, and everyone who is not smart enough to run away from the Grand Admiral as far as possible.

— "Sly" talks too much, — Tiberos smirked.

— This information is from Tangrene, — Karrde shook his head. — You know that I have people everywhere...

— Oh, of course, I know, — the caper laughed quietly. — You are as cunning as an intestinal parasite, Karrde. When the Grand Admiral plays his toys, it's better not to stand in his way. And you have overplayed your "neutrality". I'm sure Thrawn has a couple of executioners who will cut you into shreds, but squeeze you dry. And all your stashes, warehouses, dens and other hiding places, bases, outposts, will be plundered. Maybe even by me. No, definitely by me, — Tiberos smirked. — I am sure that I will be able to negotiate with the Grand Admiral on favorable terms.

— You know, the ability to chatter is your vice, — Karrde suddenly stated. — After all, even a crumb of information about your family is enough to find an opponent for you according to your abilities...

— Did you find Darth Vader for me? — Tiberos asked.

— No, — Karrde simply replied, unexpectedly taking a step back. In Tiberos's field of vision, two ferocious-looking beasts appeared from the darkness, as if they were devils. Their yellow eyes seemed to burn through. And their mouths, full of fangs, evoked thoughts of unimaginable suffering, in the event that their jaws, containing them, close on one limb. — Drang, Sturm - take him.

"Vornskrs," Tiberos thought with a smile, gripping his flails more comfortably. Karrde's favorite pets. It's time to turn these creatures into minced meat.

Vornskr.

Both creatures rushed at him at the same time. Well, almost. The difference in jumps was only a negligible minute, but that was enough for Tiberos.

As soon as the first creature, releasing its monstrous claws, appeared in front of him, Tiberos nimbly squatted, holding out his blade so that it passed over the creature's belly, whose growl turned into a howl of pain and whining, as soon as the body reached the deck, and the insides scattered over it.

The second vornskr lunged right at him. Tiberos rolled to the side, hissing when a heavy paw with razor-sharp claws went across his back. The armor barely held, but the material no longer provided any protection.

A swing of the left flail severed one of the creature's paws, the other pierced its head, entering with a pointed wedge-shaped end through the ear, piercing the skull, exactly into the brain. Without a single sound, the second vornskr collapsed to the deck.

Approaching the whimpering first creature, Tiberos, with undisguised pleasure, crushed its slimy intestines, smashing the head of the predator that had desperately tried to bite off a sirloin piece of his leg.

— Cute little animals, Karrde, — he said, listening to the Force again. Silence, as in the first time. — But neither vornskrs nor ysalamiri will help you. Thrawn gave me extremely clear intelligence information about what exactly you can oppose to me. And if you suddenly don't have a droideka lying around nearby...

The sound of a heavy metal object rolling across the deck made Tiberos interrupt his high-flown speech. In the dim light of the cargo hold, the bronzium armor of the fear and horror of the clones of the Great Army of the Republic gleamed...

— Are you kidding me, Hutt's root! — the caper roared, taking an ion grenade out of the pouch on his belt. Having rolled it along the deck, he watched with satisfaction as the droideka, barely deployed into a combat position, fell uselessly on the deck, pierced by dozens of electrical impulses.

Having growled something unintelligible, Tiberos broke down, running after Karrde, who was no longer trying to hide. He was running, and the caper guessed where - most likely there was a means of escape near the cargo hatch.

The pursuit lasted only a few minutes, as a result of which, cornered Karrde tried to open a secret bulkhead, but the flail that crashed into it spoiled any mood for the information trader.

Turning to face his opponent, the "Claw" immediately received a blow with the flat of a heavy flail in the face, after which Tiberos's hand grabbed him by his long hair, and the caper with undisguised pleasure imprinted the man's face into his knee. And then again. And again.

Only after Karrde's unconscious body fell to the deck, Tiberos turned on the comlink that was bursting with a ringtone.

— Captain Shohashi, — he smiled. — No, I'm fine, thank you for asking. Yes, he's lying in front of me. Don't worry, he's alive, this bastard, he's alive...

***

Luke Skywalker had taken only a few steps away from his X-wing, heading towards the customs inspector, when he felt the ground slip out from under his feet.

The Force, as if crying out, warned him of danger. So close, so tangible, undisguised and clear that his head began to spin and his temples buzzed.

The young Jedi Knight barely managed to land on the surface of the landing pad so as not to smash his face.

And although he understood that he was on the planet New Cov, a completely different picture was in front of his eyes.

An Imperial star destroyer, inside which a battle raged. Furious and fierce, in which stormtroopers, chained in the snow-white armor of space marines, were killing all living things in their path. Their weapons every second spewed out streams of scarlet plasma, striking republican sailors and officers in their heads, bodies, arms, and legs. No pity, no regret... The stormtroopers went straight ahead.

And to his fear, he knew where they were going.

To the bridge. To where his sister was hiding in fear, embracing her round belly. Luke felt the fear emanating from her. He felt how the twins inside her were worried and panicking.

And at that moment, even the realization that both children were sensitive to the Force did not please him.

He knew that the Force was inviting him to look beyond the edge of what was permitted. To see the past, present, or future. The Force, as always, left the choice to him.

— No, — Luke said, shaking his head. — I've fallen for this trick once before.

He looked at his prosthesis, which replaced his right hand. A very instructive, albeit painful lesson that he had learned. No matter what he tried to do now, it would only be worse. No one and nothing can change the future. And as for the present or the past, they are not subject to intervention at all.

This is the path to the Dark Side of the Force. A Jedi must not do this...

— Are you alright? — the customs inspector who ran up to him asked with perfunctory concern.

— Y-yes, — Luke felt a wave of coldness running through his body. The Force hinted to him one last time at an unpleasant outcome. The young Skywalker gritted his teeth and forced a smile. — Just a little dizzy...

— Y-yeah, — the customs inspector said cynically. — I thought the pilots in the New Republic would be stronger... If you fall on your feet after a flight, then how do you protect us from the Empire and criminals?

Not knowing what to say in response, Luke just forced a smile.

— I'm waiting for you at the customs post, — the local official said and headed away...

After sitting on the icy surface of the landing pad for a while, the young Jedi Knight resolutely got up and walked after him, taking off the comlink connected to the long-distance communication system of his X-wing on the way. Although he could not go to his sister, it did not mean that he could not at least hear her voice...

***

As soon as flashbang and smoke grenades flew onto the bridge, Leia, having taken cover behind the control terminal of some important part of the star destroyer, clearly understood – this is the end. And she accepted it with all her heart as soon as the stormtroopers, chained in heavy suits, began to kill the beings on the bridge. To kill, like animals driven into a corner. Erik Shohashi did not stand on ceremony with those who offered armed resistance.

The princess understood perfectly well who and what exactly the Imperials needed on board the Loyalty. And now she was faced with a difficult choice... to surrender or...

The twins reminded her of themselves, kicking her from the inside. The girl winced in pain. Even the blaster fire that hit her leg did not cause her as much suffering as this action...

Lando, sitting nearby, hissing in pain, was pressing a bandage with bacta to the burned upper part of his chest. His left arm, damaged by a stray shot, was hanging limply and the man was trying to reload his blaster pistol with only his right hand.

A little further away, with a hole in his head, was the body of the commander of the Loyalty. Leia thought with pain that she didn't even know what this being's name was.

General Cracken, trapped in crossfire behind a nearby terminal, suddenly stopped shooting back.

The cells were empty. Or cartridges.

Leia, understanding that she was not the best shooter right now, pushed her blaster across the deck right into the general's hands. The chief intelligence officer of the New Republic, having received the weapon in his hands, smiled tautly, meeting the Alderaanian princess's eyes.

— It was a good try, Leia, — he said, firing a couple of shots at the stormtrooper who appeared from the smoke. The latter, without much difficulty, absorbed the shot with his armor, and only a few charred scorches indicated that this Imperial had at least somehow participated in the battles.

— It's not over yet, General! — she shouted. — Lando sent a signal for help, they will be here in nine hours!

— Imperial interrogation droids, — the Alderaanian princess shuddered with her whole body, remembering her "experience" with such inventions on board the first Death Star — they will gut us in an hour, at best — two, — General Cracken said with bitterness. Leia's insides clenched when she noticed with what interest the chief intelligence officer of the New Republic was examining the barrel of the blaster pistol pointed at himself. The very one that she had given him not so long ago. — This is a betrayal, Leia! He lured Booster Terrik and Sair Yonka into an Imperial ambush, and he came out unscathed! He set up a meeting for us and brought the Imperials to it! Leia! — suddenly the girl realized what the scout was actually trying to convey to her. She felt the bitterness of defeat and grim determination emanating from him. — I can't surrender. Sooner or later they will get what they want...

— General! Don't you dare! — Leia and Lando shouted in unison. But the chief intelligence officer of the New Republic had already made his fateful decision. The princess stretched out her hand, calling on the Force to...

— I'm so sorry, — he said with a bitter smile, putting a blaster to his temple and pulling the trigger. A scarlet flash of deadly plasma tore apart the entire temporal lobe of Airen Cracken, whose lifeless body fell to the deck, at the same second struck by two blue shots from a paralizer.

His blaster, caught by Leia at the last moment, jumped into her hand. The girl looked at it as at something that determined the fate of beings, something that divided existence into before and after...

— Don't even think about it! — noticing how her hand with the blaster reached up to her head, adorned with a complex hairstyle, Calrissian snatched the blaster from her hands and threw it aside. — Cracken had no choice! What he knew could destroy the New Republic to its very foundation! Leia, don't you dare even think about anything like that!

— But I'm a member of the Provisional Council! — the girl sobbed. Completely confused.

— Screw the Council, Fey'lya, Mon Mothma, and the New Republic all together! — Calrissian roared in her face. — Children! Han! Luke! That's what matters! Captivity and torture are nothing compared to what you want to doom all those who love you to!

— Lando! — the girl screamed, seeing a stormtrooper figure in heavy armor appear behind the console. Calrissian, raising his head, hissed through his teeth with anger:

— We surrender, you dumb creature!

And only after these words did Leia realize that it was now eerily quiet on the bridge of the former New Republic star destroyer. The battle was over. She and Lando were the last to surrender...

The girl dropped her head on her knees and burst into tears. The understanding came only now.

Not the last ones, no.

The only ones who survived this massacre on the bridge.

And in this deathly silence, like a clap of thunder on a clear sky, the melody of the personal comlink of the Alderaanian Princess Leia Organa-Solo sounded.

***

— The task has been completed, Grand Admiral, — serenity reigned on Captain Shohashi's face. — The information trader Talon "Claw" Karrde, hijacker Niles "Sly" Ferrier, General Lando Calrissian, and Princess Leia Organa-Solo have been taken prisoner. The enemy's Imperial I-class Star Destroyer was taken on board. One and a half billion republican credits in cash were found and sealed. Karrde's and Ferrier's ships were also captured — two units. All prisoners are in the ship's brig under round-the-clock guard and surveillance.

— Crew members? — I clarified, looking at the blue-and-white hologram of the commander of the Imperious star destroyer.

— Destroyed during the assault, — Captain Erik Shohashi said impassively. — General Airen Cracken committed suicide, obviously in order to conceal important intelligence information.

— Are the captured ships capable of moving at hyper speed? — I asked.

— Yes, sir, Grand Admiral, — Shohashi reported. — Ferry crews have been formed. Additionally, I report that three enemy pilots have been taken prisoner — they are currently being interrogated.

— Excellent work, captain, — I said. — Express my gratitude to the crew members on my behalf.

— It will be done, Grand Admiral, — the "Butcher of Atoa" replied in the same calm tone.

— Return to Tangrene with the prizes, captain, — I ordered. — There will soon be new work for you.

The restrained smile of the commander of the Imperious star destroyer gave rise to an association with the grin of a predator ready to burst into the pen of domestic animals.