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

Thyferra being critical of the corpora-tions with which they were affiliated.
Despite the fact that Jace was attempting to paint Zaltin in a good light in
com-parison with Xucphra, the honesty was welcome and sparked in Corran a
willingness to trust Jace further than he ever had before. How much I trust him
depends on the rest of this story.
"The intention behind my joining the squadron was for me to become known and
trusted within the New Republic. Zaltin officials had come to the conclusion
that the Empire was doomed and wanted to make agreements with the New
Republic to provide bacta and the means to expand bacta production back along
the lines of the system that existed before the cartel was created. Altruism was
not their motivat-ing factor-prohibiting the production, sale, and distribution
of something is much more difficult than managing the same. The cartel only
worked because of the Empire-with its death, the back of the cartel would be
broken. The only way Zaltin could profit was to work out a deal with the New
Republic which allowed us to oversee the expansion of pro-duction throughout the
New Republic.
"Zaltin officials also realized that the Vratix, through their terrorist
organization, the Ashern, would make a case to the New Republic for
independence. They would ask for help throwing off the yoke of their human
masters. Since bacta production is all but impossible without the Vratix, Zaltin
began to court them. We supplied money and hiding places for them. We began an
alliance that would eventually make Zaltin the agents for the Vratix in
spreading bacta production throughout the galaxy, enriching us all."
Bror Jace stopped and closed his eyes for a moment. "The Vratix do not think the
way we humans do. Whereas we would incorporate reports and data produced by
someone into our plans, they incorporate such individuals into their planning
groups. It is as if they don't disassociate the report from the person making
it. Realistically, this is a societal way of ensuring the spread of information
and stimulating more creativity within groups, though its efficiency can be
ques-tioned.
"The Ashern, who were being given reports on my im-pressions of the New
Republic, required me to return to Thyferra to join their main planning group."
Corran nodded. "So you were sent a message telling you that your patriarch was
dying."
"You remember. My course home was set by Captain Celchu. Erisi asked about it,
and I told her my itinerary be-cause I wanted her people watching for my return.
In my trip I made one deviation-an unscheduled stop. I transferred from my
X-wing to a freighter that brought me back here. Into my X-wing we placed a bomb
meant to mimic the acci-
dental discharge of a proton torpedo. The X-wing was slaved to a shuttle and
dragged off toward Thyferra. We intended to enter the system from quite a
distance out, send the X-wing in, then have it blow up where everyone could see
it."
"But the Imps had an Interdictor Cruiser waiting for you, thanks to Erisi."
Corran scratched at his upper lip. "Reports we got said there was no Imp debris
where you died. I knew something was up then, but I didn't think you'd lived.
Did the shuttle survive the ambush?"
Jace shook his head. "No, so we had no idea what hap-pened until my family
received a hologram from Commander Antilles explaining the circumstances of my
death. At that point I'd already returned and had gone underground, so it didn't