Star Wars - Cloak Of Deception by James Luceno

Author:James Luceno
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-05-16T11:01:39+00:00

up to you, Rella. But I can try with everything I've got left to avenge

you." Supported on the crutch the Rodian had fashioned from a length of pipe

and a cloth-padded brace of plasteel, Cohl followed Boiny out into the

corridor. The bound and blindfolded customs agents were scarcely aware of them

as they moved stealthily toward the warehouse's spaceport entrance. The female

agent whose uniform Rella had taken remained unconscious from the shot Boiny

had given her aboard the ship.

The front room was loud with the noise of launches and landings, despite

the roll-away doors being closed. The repulsorsleds were still hovering a

meter off the sawdust-strewn floor, and everything else was much as Cohl

remembered it.

Boiny studied the room for a moment, then walked to the center of the

floor, two meters from the lead sled.

"There was a cargo crate here." Cohl eyed the telltale marks in the

sawdust.

"Too large for a weapon's crate." Looking around, the two of them spotted

the portable holoprojector at the same time. It was resting on the retracted

landing strut of one of the sleds. Boiny reached it first. Setting it atop the

sled, he activated it. Cohl limped over as the device was beginning to cycle

through its stored images.

"The summit hall," he said, in response to the 3-D image of the majestic

dome-roofed building, and the mount it crowned.

Boiny allowed the images to cycle again, pausing the device when it

displayed a remote view of the wooded mount, and the four broad avenues that

terminated at the hall.

"The vantage from the cluster of rooftops we saw earlier," Boiny said,

already initiating a reverse scan through the images. "Havac could be planning

to attack Valorum before he arrives at the summit." Cohl tugged at what was

left of his beard while he considered it. He gestured to the holoprojector.

"He didn't forget to take this.

He wanted it to be found--just the way he wanted us to be found."

Abruptly, Boiny ducked down beneath one of the repulsorsleds. "Here's

something he probably doesn't expect to be found," he said as he was standing

up.

Cohl narrowed his eyes at the stubby metallic cylinder Boiny showed him.

"A restraining bolt?" "But an uncommon variety." Boiny brought the bolt to eye

level. "Similar to the ones we fired into the security droids aboard the

Revenue, but altered to suit a more advanced droid. Maybe a combat model."

"Havac has a droid," Cohl said, mostly to himself. His eyes searched the

floor. "Could that be what was in the crate? Or is this one restraining bolt

of a bunch?" Boiny adopted a skeptical look. "The Nebula Front employing

droids? That can't be right." He regarded the bolt again. "One thing is

certain, Captain. This bolt has already been in a droid. I can see the

impressions left by whatever tool pried it out." Cohl took the bolt and

clenched his hand around it.

"I warned Havac that someone in the Nebula Front had informed the

Judicial Department about our plans to attack the Revenue.

Suppose he decided to take extra precautions when planning this

operation." Cohl looked at Boiny. "Havac said that the Front had lured the

Jedi to Asmeru. That could mean that the attempt on Valorum's life on

Coruscant was a ruse, designed to divert attention from Eriadu.

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