Star Wars - Hero of Cartao - Part 1 - Hero's Call by Timothy Zahn

Author:Timothy Zahn [Zahn, Timothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2003-06-10T04:30:58+00:00

“It’s not fair,” Corf groused, throwing a small stone at a group of flutteries darting among a cluster of flowers at the crest of the hill. “How can they just come in and take over like this?”

“We’re in the middle of a war,” Tories reminded him. “Everyone has to make sacrifices.”

“I’ll bet you Palpatine isn’t making any sacrifices,” Corf said with a sniff, picking up another stone and heaving it after the first.

Tories reached out to the Force, and the stone stopped abruptly in midair. “I understand that you’re angry, Corf,” he reproved the boy, lowering the stone to the ground. “But that’s no reason to take it out on innocent flutteries.”

Corf hissed between his teeth. “I know,” he conceded reluctantly, looking up into the cloudless sky. “It’s just that - well, look; here comes another one. ”

Tories peered upward. In the distance a black speck had appeared, dropping from space toward them. “Look on the bright side,” he suggested. “Maybe it’s a transport coming to take them all away.”

“Yeah. Right,” Corf grunted, stooping and picking up another stone. Tories watched him warily, but the boy merely began fiddling with it. “Dad would have said something if they were about to clear out. Or at least he’d have started smiling again. Besides, it’s only been a week, and that fancy-pants Doriana said they’d be here for four.”

“Master Doriana,” Tories corrected him automatically. “And you shouldn’t always look on the negative side of things. Considering the progress they’re making, they could very well decide to cut their time short.”

“Why would they?” Corf countered. “If they’re getting so much done, why quit?”

That was a good question, Tories had to admit. And if he could come up with a good answer, he might actually be able to argue Doriana onto precisely that path.

Think, Jedi, he admonished himself. After all, mediation had been his primary job for the past thirty years. Surely, he could come up with a way to hammer a compromise out of this situation.

And then, suddenly, he had it. Maybe. “Where’s your father?” he asked.

“In the plant,” Corf said, frowning up at him. “What is it?”

“Maybe the right lever to use on Doriana,” Tories said, pulling out his comlink.

“Master Doriana.”

“I stand corrected,” Tories said dryly as he keyed in Lord Binalie’s frequency.

“So what’s the plan?” Corf asked. “Come on, tell me.”

“What’s the possibility that has to concern Master Doriana the most?” Tories asked rhetorically. “Answer: that the Separatists will find out about this and move in to stop it.”

“Okay,” Corf agreed, frowning. “So?”

“So all we have to do is convince him that four weeks will be pushing his luck,” Tories said, frowning in turn. The comlink seemed to be taking an unusually long time to connect. “Because if the Separatists do figure it out, Spaarti is lost to him forever. Dooku’s people will blockade Cartao, and that’ll be the end of it.”

Corf made a face. “Yuck.”

“Yuck, indeed,” Tories agreed. “If, on the other hand, Doriana takes this in small bites, sneaking

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