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

but to move sufficient forces there to do such a thing would leave Thyferra
vulnerable."
Isard barked a small, triumphant laugh. "You've not seen it, neither of you. I
have found a way to pressure Antilles and make Thyferra more secure. I put
together an analysis of the bacta production here and determined that the bacta
industry needs only one point eight million Vratix to operate all the facilities
we have at one hundred percent efficiency. This means there are a million
surplus Vratix on the world. I have ordered the round-up and internment of a
thousand Vratix a day for the next thirty days. At the end of that time I will
have them all killed and begin collecting two thousand a day. I will continue in
this manner until we have downsized our worker population or Antilles tries to
stop me."
Isard's smile marked how proud she was of herself for coming up with the plan,
and Vorru found himself inclined to agree with her. Its simplicity and elegance
made it a plan that could be implemented immediately, and the deadline factor
meant Antilles would have to react. This could bring him out after us and, if it
does, expose his base to our ships.
Erisi raised a hand. "Madam Director, I am assuming you will present this policy
and plan as something for Thyfer-ran consumption only-making it appear as if it
were being
used as a means to suppress the Ashern. To challenge Antilles openly would be to
raise his suspicion. He is not a stupid man, so he will be careful, but there is
no need to make him think things through one more time."
Vorru immediately chimed in. "An excellent suggestion, Madam Director. If news
of the program comes from locals it might appear as if you were trying to keep
it a secret. Antilles will certainly feel the pressure to intervene. An added
benefit is that we will have increased chances to pick up on Antilles's local
covert communication network and disrupt it."
"Indeed, those are added benefits. While I would hate to have it thought I was
cravenly trying to hide information from Antilles, I could affect an air of
disdain, as if the whole thing were, like him, beneath my notice." Isard opened
her hands, then pressed them together, fingertip to fingertip. "I approve of
your amendments to my plan. We implement it tomorrow."
Vorru smiled. "I will alert my operatives to be especially attentive to any of
Antilles's activities."
Erisi mirrored his smile. "And my people will be ready to pit themselves against
the Rogues, either here or at their lair."
"Excellent." Both of Isard's hands curled down into fists. "A month. Antilles
has a month yet to live. Then, once he is eliminated, the Empire will rise again
and the natural order of things will again be established."
31
Fatigue made Corran's eyes feel as if Tatooine's twin suns had settled into his
skull. He knocked at the doorjamb of Booster's office, but refrained from
leaning heavily against it, lest he fall asleep on his feet. He and Ooryl had
made a run to Thyferra, hitting some interim systems along the way to make it
impossible to backtrack them to Yag'Dhul. A direct trip would have taken them
twelve standard hours-their course added another twelve to the total. While he
had managed to get a little sleep while in hyperspace, the trip left him feeling
like he'd spent the last two days in the belly of a Sarlacc.
Wedge, seated in front of Booster's desk, looked up. "You could have stopped to