"Michael Stackpole "The Bacta War"" - читать интересную книгу автора

treat everyone like a potential assassin. The Thyferrans reacted badly to the
strict security Isard's Royal Guard imposed ini-tially, so she has orderd her
bodyguard to relax-something that will probably require gene therapy before they
feel at ease doing it.
As he entered Isard's office, he immediately felt a bit more comfortable. The
only greenery in sight was located outside the building and ensconced safely
behind large, amor-phous transparisteel viewports. The room itself had been
pan-eled with very blond wood, giving it a Tatooinish cast. As had
been the case with her office on Coruscant, it remained largely empty and free
of clutter. Furnishings would be of use only if one wanted to linger here, and
with her being present, this is not likely, even if she has gone native.
On Coruscant the black-haired woman with white tem-ple locks had been given to
wearing a uniform similar in cut to that of Imperial Grand Admirals, though hers
was colored blood red, not white. On Thyferra she had chosen to wear clothing
that was more loose and flowing. The fabric she chose was still blood red-in
keeping with the uniforms worn by the Imperial Royal Guard-but she eschewed the
nearly transparent cloth others wore happily. Pity, she is striking enough to
wear it well. Vorru had long since heard the rumor that Isard had been one of
Palpatine's lovers and could not deny she was attractive.
Her eyes, and all that lies behind them, is undoubtedly what drew the Emperor to
her. The Hothlike icy blue orb of her right eye contrasted sharply with the
fiery molten red of her left. They seemed windows into the duality of her
nature. She could be cold and calculating in the extreme, but also given over to
towering incendiary angers. Vorru had, to date, avoided being immolated in one
of them, but he had been scorched a time or two.
He bowed his white-maned head toward her. "You sent for me?"
"I have had information from Imperial Center that I thought you might find of
interest." She kept her voice light, but that did not mean it lacked force. "You
had been wonder-ing after Kirtan Loor."
Vorru nodded. The Intelligence agent and leader of the Palpatine
Counter-insurgency Front had disappeared just hours before Isard had fled from
Coruscant, bearing Vorru away with her. "My assumption was that he had been
taken and broken in interrogation. That was the only explanation for why so many
of your operatives still on Coruscant were swept up in the aftermath of your
departure."
"He was certainly the cause of the sweep, though it ap-pears he gave the
information up voluntarily." Isard's eyes narrowed. "He attempted to use an
operation of his own to
deal with the bacta convoy headed for Coruscant through the Alderaan system."
"The convoy that Warlord Zsinj hit." Vorru nodded slowly. "Loor had told me he
had a squadron of X-wings painted up to represent Rogue Squadron. He wanted to
use them to strafe the squadron's headquarters, but I stopped him. So the Rogues
that Zsinj destroyed there really belonged to Loor. Amazing."
"Indeed." Her eyes flashed pitilessly. "Loor realized, af-ter the disaster, that
I had leaked word of the convoy to Zsinj so he'd strike at it. I assumed his
need for revenge upon Rogue Squadron would make him hit it and destroy them. It
would have, too, had the real squadron not been delayed. Loor apparently assumed
I would realize he had attempted to deceive me, since his transmission of the
report about the convoy and his plans to deal with it came too late for me to
countermand them. He chose to run over to the Rebels and seek sanctuary with