Timothy Zahn - Outbound Flight

“My true Master is a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious.”

“A Sith Lord is… ?”

“A being who stands against the Jedi and their control over the Republic,” Doriana explained.

“Ah,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo said, a faint smile touching the corners of his mouth. “A power struggle.”

“In a way,” Doriana conceded. “But on a plane far different from the one where beings like you and I exist. What’s important right now is that Lord Sidious has access to information sources that the Jedi don’t have.”

“And what do these sources tell him?”

Doriana braced himself. “There’s an invasion coming,”

he said. “A massive assault force of dark ships, shadowy figures, and weapons of great power, based on organic technology of a sort we’ve never seen before. We believe these Far Outsiders, as we call them, already have a foothold at the far edge of the galaxy, and even now have scouting parties seeking information on worlds and peoples to conquer.”

“Stories of mysterious invaders are both convenient and difficult to disprove,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo pointed out. “Why do you only now tell me this?”

Doriana nodded toward the door. “Because Vicelord Kav and his associates don’t know,” he said. “Neither does anyone else in the Republic. Not yet.”

“When will Darth Sidious tell them?”

“When he’s turned the Republic’s chaos into order,”

Doriana said. “When we’ve built an army and a fleet capable of dealing with the threat. To announce it before then would do nothing but create panic and leave us open to disaster.”

“How does Outbound Flight fit into all this?”

“As I said, we believe the Far Outsiders are currently still gathering information,” Doriana said. “So far, there’s no indication that they even know about the Republic.” He felt his throat tighten. “Actually, that’s not entirely true,” he corrected himself reluctantly. “One of the Jedi, a being named Vergere, disappeared in that region some time ago. That’s one of Outbound Flight’s private agendas, in fact: to try to learn what happened to her.”

“I see,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo said, nodding slowly. “And while a single prisoner can give only hints of his or her origin, an entire shipful of them can provide all that would be needed for a successful invasion.”

“Exactly,” Doriana said. “Not to mention all the data files and technology they would be able to examine. If Outbound Flight blunders into their bridgehead, we could find ourselves facing an attack long before we’re ready.”

“And the Jedi do not understand this?”

“The Jedi think of themselves as the masters of the galaxy,” Doriana said bitterly. “Especially the chief Jedi Master aboard Outbound Flight, Jorus C’baoth. Even if he knew about the Far Outsiders, I doubt it would make any difference to him.”

Above the holoprojector, the familiar hooded figure shimmered into view. The hologram was a bit more ragged than usual, Doriana noted, but the connection itself seemed more solid than he’d feared it would be. Sidious was evidently somewhere much closer than his usual haunts on Coruscant.

“Report,” the Sith Lord ordered. His unseen eyes seemed to catch sight of Mitth’raw’nuruodo, and the drooping corners of his mouth drooped a little farther. “Who is this?” he demanded.

“This is Commander Mitth’raw’nuruodo of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, Lord Sidious,” Doriana said, stepping behind Mitth’raw’nuruodo where he would be in view.

“I’m afraid we’ve had a slight setback in our mission.”

“I don’t wish to hear about setbacks, Master Doriana,”

the Sith Lord said, his gravelly voice taking on a menacing edge.

“Yes, my lord,” Doriana said, trying to stay calm. Even hundreds of light-years away, lie could practically feel Sidious’s Force grip resting against his throat. “Let me explain.”

He gave Sidious a summary of the one-sided battle with the Chiss. Somewhere during the explanation, Sidious’s face turned from staring at him to staring at Mitth’raw’nuruodo.

“Impressive,” he said when Doriana finished. “And only one of your ships survives?”

Doriana nodded. “And only because Commander Mitth’raw’nuruodo chose to leave it intact.”

“Most impressive,” Sidious said. “Tell me, Commander Mitth’raw’nuruodo, are you typical of your species?”

“I have no way of answering that question, Lord Sidious,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo said calmly. “I can only point out that I’m the youngest of my people to ever hold the position of Force Commander.”

“I can see why,” Sidious said, a slight smile finally lightening some of his brooding darkness. “I take it from your presence here that Doriana has explained the need to stop Outbound Flight before it passes beyond ‘our territory?”

“He has,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo confirmed. “Have you proof of this impending alien threat?”

“I have reports,” Sidious said. If he was insulted that Mitth’raw’nuruodo would dare to question his word, he didn’t show it. “Doriana will detail them for you if you wish. Assuming you’re convinced, what will be your response?”

Mitth’raw’nuruodo’s eyes flicked to Doriana.

“Assuming I’m convinced, I’ll agree to Doriana’s request to intercept and stop Outbound Flight.”

“Excellent,” Sidious said. “But be warned. The Jedi will not accept defeat lightly, and they have the power to reach across great distances to touch and manipulate the minds of others.

You cannot allow them knowledge of your attack before it islaunched.”

“I understand,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo said. “Tell me: does this ability to touch others’ minds also work the opposite direction? If I, for example, am impressed enough with the need for them to return home, would my urgency influence their thoughts and decisions?”

“They will indeed sense your urgency,” Sidious said, the corners of his mouth drooping again. “But don’t expect them to act on it. Master C’baoth will not under any circumstances return to the Republic. To even offer him that possibility would rob you of your only chance for a surprise attack.”

“Perhaps,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo said. “Though to those who can touch others’ minds the concept of surprise may be limited at best.”

“Which is why Doriana proposed to use droid starfighters as the main thrust of his attack,” Sidious pointed out. “Still, with all power comes a corresponding weakness. Amid the clutter of the thousands of minds aboard Outbound Flight, even Jedi sensitivity will be blunted. And once those same thousands of people begin to die in battle—” His lip twitched.

“—that handicap will increase all the more.”

“I understand,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo said again. “Thank you for your time, Lord Sidious.”

“I look forward to hearing the report of your victory,”

Sidious said, inclining his head. He sent a final look at Doriana, and with a flicker the image was gone.

For a long moment Mitth’raw’nuruodo sat without speaking, his glowing eyes glittering with thought. “I’ll need a full technical readout on Outbound Flight and its component Dreadnaughts,” he said at last. “I trust you have current information?”

“Up to and including even the final passenger listings,”

Doriana assured him. “Now that you know about Jedi power against living gunners, shall I cancel your order to remove ourdroid starfighters?”

“Of course not,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo said, sounding mildly surprised. “And I’ll expect the off-loading to he completed by the end of the day. I’ll also need two of your droidekas and four of your battle droids to be packed and loaded aboard my long-range shuttle for transport to my base. I presume that six droids can be controlled by something more portable than this vessel’s computer?”