The shock wave rang against the hull, sending a sound like a gong through
the
enclosed sub. A fury of bubbles and drifting debris surged around them.
Large
splintered seatree trunks sank to the ocean bottom.
"The probe self-destructed!" Cilghal said. "But we didn't stand a chance
against it."
Leia remembered Han's conjecture on Hoth. "The probe droids have
programming to destroy themselves rather than risk letting their data fall
into enemy hands."
Ackbar finally managed to stabilize the spinning submersible. Four of the
mechanical arms extending from the front of the sub had been snapped off,
leaving only frayed edges of broken metal and dead circuitry.
Ackbar blew one of the ballast tanks, and the sub rose toward the
surface. Leia noticed three hairline cracks in the transparisteel windowport
and realized how close they had come to being crushed by the shock wave.
"But the probot already sent its signal," Cilghal said. "We heard it
before the self-destruct."
Leia felt a cold fist of fear close around her stomach, but Ackbar tried
to dismiss the peril.
"This probe droid has been here for ten years or more, and that would
have been a very old code, almost certainly obsolete," he said. "Even if the
Imperials could still understand its message, who would be out there
listening?"
With her three Imperial Star destroyers safely hidden among the ionized
islands of the Cauldron Nebula, Admiral Daala retired to her private
quarters
to review tactics.
She sat stiffly in a slick lounge chair, refusing to relax into the warm
contours. Too much comfort made Daala distinctly uncomfortable.
The holographic image of Grand Moff Tarkin stood with her in the dim
room, unchanged after all these years. The gaunt, hard man presented his
recorded lectures, his communiqu@es. Daala had watched them dozens of times
before.
In the privacy of her chambers, she allowed herself to miss the one
person in the Imperial Military Academy who had seen her talent. Tarkin had
raised her rank to admiral - comz far as she knew, the highest rank held by
any female in the Imperial armed forces.
During her years of exile in Maw Installation, Daala had often replayed
Tarkin's messages, but now she studied them intently. Her eyebrows knitted
together, and her bright green eyes narrowed as she concentrated on every
word
he spoke, searching for some indispensable advice for her private war
against
the Rebellion.
"Liquidating a dozen small threats is easier than rooting out one well-
established center of defiance," his image said, in a speech given on Carida
explaining the "Tarkin Doctrine." "Rule through the fear of force rather
than
through force itself. If we use our strength wisely, we shall intimidate
thousands of worlds with the example of a select few."
Daala rewound the holotape to listen to his words again, thinking she had
been on the verge of capturing a crucial insight. But the door chime
interrupted her. She switched off the holoprojector. "Lights up."
Stocky Commander Kratas stood stiffly at her door, his uniform wrinkle
free, his hands clasped behind his back. He was trying to mask a smug grin
of
satisfaction, but the expression displayed itself in a small facial tick and
the slight upturn of his vanishingly thin lips.
"Yes, Commander, what is it?" she said.
"We have intercepted a signal," Kratas said. "It appears to be from an
Imperial probe droid transmitting covert data gathered on an important Rebel
planet called Calamari, the site of one of their prime starship-building
facilities. We can't tell how recent the information is."
Daala raised her eyebrows and let her colorless lips form a smile. With
both hands she swept her molten-metal hair behind her shoulders, feeling
static electricity crackle through her fingertips, as if generated from the
excitement building within her. "Are you certain this transmission is
genuine?
Where was it directed?"
"It was a broad-sp ectrum signal, Admiral. My assumption is that these
know
the location of any particular Star Destroyer when they transmitted a
report."
"Could it be a hoax sent by the Rebels? A trap?"
"I don't believe so. It was heavily encoded. We almost couldn't crack it
ourselves until we double-checked against one of the new codes Grand Moff
Tarkin delivered on his last visit to Maw Installation."
"Excellent, Commander," she said, brushing her palms down the smooth
olive-gray of her uniform slacks. "We've been looking for a new target to
strike, and if this is an important starship-construction facility, that
sounds like a good candidate. As good as anything, I suppose. I want you and
the captains of the other two ships to meet me in the war room. Prepare the
Star Destroyers for immediate departure. Recharge all turbolaser batteries.
Outfit all TIE fighters.
"This time we will follow Grand Moff Tarkin's strategy to the letter."
She punctuated the last phrase with an index finger jabbing the air. "Have
everyone review their tapes. I want no mistakes. A flawless attack."
She dimmed the lights as she stepped into the corridor. Her two
stormtrooper bodyguards fell into ranks behind her. Their boot heels clicked
on the floor in perfect echoing unison.
"We are through practicing," Daala said to Kratas. "After our strike the
planet Calamari will be nothing more than a rubble heap."
* * *
Leia piloted Ackbar's open-canopied wavespeeder as they rushed over the
oceans of Calamari. The sky was still a congealed soup of dark clouds, but
the
previous day's storm had run out of energy. The wind remained fresh and
cool,
tossing droplets of salty spray into theirthe faces--but Leia could not stop
smiling with relief just to know that Ackbar had agreed to come to Coruscant
with her, if only to speak with Mon Mothma.
She and Cilghal would take him back to Foamwander City, where he could
turn over his seismic data to other Calamarian scientists. Sitting in the
backseat of the wavespeeder, Ackbar seemed deeply troubled and unsure of
himself.
The lumpy hemisphere of the Calamarian city looked like a gunmetal-gray
island. Other small seaskimmers drifted in and out, gathering up nets and
dashing back to access openings.
Ackbar sat up stiffly. "Listen!"
Over the rushing noise of the wind and waves, Leia heard the sharp tones
of an all-hands alarm. She grabbed the comm unit, punching buttons for
Foamwander City control. "This is wavespeeder seventeen-oh-onestseven. What
is
the cause of the alarm?"
Before Leia could receive an answer, a curtain of brilliant light sliced
through the clouds, slashing the ocean surface near the floating city.
Geysers
of suddenly vaporized water plumed into the air with a whoop.
&nbs
p; "Those are turbolasers!" Leia said.
Ackbar gripped the side of his seat. "We're being fired on from orbit."
"Wave doors are closing," said a maddeningly calm Calamarian voice
through the speaker system. "All citizens take shelter immediately. Repeat,
wave doors are closing."
Most of the other sea vehicles had disappeared inside the various
openings around the hull of Foamwander City. Those who could not make it to
the doors abandoned their craft and dived overboard to swim down to
submerged
entryways.
Many wave doors had already clamped shut like diagonal mouths. Leia aimed
for one of the remaining openings and punched the wavespeeder's accelerator.
The lurch pressed all three of them back against their padded seats.
Overhead, like a flock of razor-winged carrion birds, came an entire
squadron of TIE fighters and TIE bombers. They swooped down in a steep
descent
with a roaring howl of their Twin Ion Engines.
The TIE bombers released glowing energy packets that exploded in the sea,
sending out shock waves and foam and spray. TIE fighters roared over
Foamwander City, strafing with their laser cannons. Lances of green light
etched smoldering damage into the city shell.
One of the shock waves tossed a wall of water at Leia's wavespeeder. She
fought for control but did not slow down, keeping her eyes fixed on the
closing wave doors. If they didn't make it through the gap, they would be
helpless out on the water, ready targets for the Imperial bombardment.
Ackbar said, "We left a squadron of B-wing fighters to defend the
orbiting shipyards. Where are they? I have to learn what's happening up
there.
"
Cilghal maintained a quiet, steady voice. "Perhaps they are otherwise
occupied."
"Hang on!" Leia said, and fired emergency thrusters.
The wavespeeder lifted another meter above the surface of the ocean as it
flew in a last-ditch effort to get through the closing gap. Leia ducked as
the
diagonal metal wave doors ground closer and closer....
The bottom layer of plasteel plating scraped off the wavespeeder as Leia
struck the sharp edge of the heavy door; then they shot into the protected
green-lit tunnel. With the vehicle traveling at such high speed, even that
minor impact was enough to send them spinning. Leia wrestled with the
controls, trying to slow the vehicle as it caromed off one wall and then the
opposite wall, sending out showers of sparks. Finally it ground to a halt.
Behind them, with a thunderous echo, the wave doors slammed shut.
Pausing only long enough to confirm that they were all unharmed, Leia
picked her way out of the wreckage. Through the thick armor of the floating
city she heard the repeated thuds of explosions from TIE bombers and the
screams from firing laser cannons.
Ackbar stepped away from the wreckage and turned to Cilghal. "Take me to
the control center immediately. I want to be linked with the orbital defense
forces." He already looked more alive, more alert. "If I can see what's
going
on, maybe I can figure out a way to help us all."
"Yes, Admiral," Cilghal said. Leia wondered if she had used his rank
intentionally.
Flashing lights and alarm sirens echoed as they hurried through the
serpentine corridors. Groups of Quarren rushed past, burbling exclamations
through their tentacled faces as they scrambled down access shafts to the
underwater levels. Leia had no doubt they were abandoning the city
structure,
swimming down to where they thought they were safe.
When Cilghal reached a turbolift door, other Calamarians flocked to it,
trying to get to the city's protected inner chambers. Cilghal raised her
voice, the first time Leia had heard her do so. "Make way for Admiral
Ackbar!
We must get to Central Command."
"Ackbar," several Calamarians echoed, stepping aside to allow him
passage. "Admiral Ackbar!"
Ackbar seemed taller now, without the haunted look he had worn since the
crash on Vortex. Leia knew that all Calamarians remembered the nightmare of
Imperial attacks - comb if anyone could mount a successful defense with what
little resources they had, it would be Ackbar.
After the turbolift spilled them out onto the proper level, Ambassador
Cilghal led the way. She used her diplomatic access codes to let them into
the
core of Foamwander City until they finally emerged into the chaotic Central
Command.
Seven Calamarian tactical experts sat at command stations, watching the
battle overhead. In the center of the room a holographic wireframe diagram
of
the planet and its moon hovered amid sparkling pinpoints of fighters flying
in
defensive formation.
Leia stared in awe at the two Imperial Star Destroyers that orbited the
planet side by side, firing turbolaser blasts into the oceans. Overhead, TIE
squadrons continued to harass Foamwander City. External viewers showed
smoldering holes where proton bombs had punctured the city's armored
plating.
Foamwander's defensive lasers fired upward, burning ship after ship out of
the
sky--but more attackers kept coming down.
Reeling with shock, the city commander turned from his post and noticed
them for the first time. "Admiral Ackbar! Please, sir, help us with our
defense. I cede my position."
"Give me a tactical update," Ackbar said, stepping to the holographic
projection.
"Cilghal," Leia said, raising her voice over the hubbub, "get me to the
comm system. I can use my priority codes to send for New Republic military
assistance. On a low frequency the codes can punch through any interference
from those Star Destroyers."
"Can their battleships get here in time?" Cilghal asked.
"Depends on how long we can maintain our defenses here," Leia said.
Though Leia could read no specific emotion on Cilghal's face, she sensed
some measure of pride. "The Mon Calamari broke the first Imperial occupation
using only common tools and scientific implements. This time we have real
weapons. We can hold them off as long as necessary." Cilghal motioned to a
nearby control panel. "You may use that communication station to send your
message."
Leia hurried to the comm station and punched in the override codes to
send a tight-beam encoded signal directly to Coruscant. "This is Minister
Leia
Organa Solo," she said. "The planet Calamari is currently under attack by
two
Imperial Star Destroyers. We request immediate assistance. Repeat, immediate
assistance! If you don't get here soon, don't bother to come."
The city commander thrust a webbed hand into the holographic display of
the battle. "We positioned the entire squadron of B-wing fighters to defend
the shipyards, because we thought that would be the most likely target. But
when the Star Destroyers came out of hyperspace, they went into orbit and
began an assault on the floating cities. Right now both Star Destroyers are
concentrating
their firepower on Reef Home City. They've left two squadrons
of
TIE fighters and TIE bombers to cover Foamwander City. Another three
squadrons
are currently pummeling Coral Depths."
"Commander," one of the Calamarian tacticians spoke up, touching an
implanted microphone at his ear hole. "We've lost all contact with Reef
Home.
Their last transmissions showed the outer hull breached in at least fifteen
separate places, water rushing in. The final image showed a large-scale
explosion. Static signature analysis implies that the entire city has been
destroyed."
A quiet moan of dismay rippled through Central Command. The city
commander said tentatively, "I was about to withdraw defenses from the
shipyards to attack the Star Destroyers."
Ackbar looked at the swarms of B-wings still harrying the Imperial
fighters. "Good decision, Commander," he said, but stared intently at the
map,
at the moon, at the two Star Destroyers on the far side of the planet. "Wait
a
moment," he said. "Something looks very familiar to me."
He paused, nodding slowly as if his great head were too heavy for his
shoulders. "Yes, Commander--withdraw the B-wing fighters, all of them. Send
them to fight the Star Destroyers. Leave the shipyards entirely undefended."
"Is that wise, Admiral?" Leia asked.
"No," he said, "it is a trap."
On the bridge of the Star Destroyer Gorgon, Admiral Daala watched the
battle unfold below her, exactly as planned.
In her heart she felt a warm glow of pride for the tactical genius of
Grand Moff Tarkin. Beside her ship the Basilisk mowed a swath of death
across
the watery surface. Like a swarm of angry insects, the TIE fighters swept
away
the pitiful resistance the Calamarians managed to mount.
The Rebel B-wing fighters and some of the midsized capital ships in orbit
proved only a minor nuisance. As the Gorgon and the Basilisk went through
their carefully choreographed misleading attack, the Calamarian defense
forces
had followed along as expected, like marionettes pulled by strings.
She turned to the communications officer at his station. "Contact Captain
Brusc on the Manticore," she said. "The Calamarian forces have finally left
their shipyards undefended. He may begin his attack at once."
Ackbar gestured with his hands and spoke with an undignified rapidity, as