"Good." Doriana gestured toward the cockpit door. "Then if you'll return to your cabin, I have a ship to fly. You have the fleet's coordinates for me?"
"Yes." Kav's long fingers dipped into a recess of his robe and emerged with a data card. "It will take no more than two days to reach them."
"Good," Doriana said. "That should give us time to finalize our attack strategy."
"Iam the one trained in battle tactics," the other said stiffly. "The attack strategy will be mine."
"Of course," Doriana said, suppressing a sigh. "I meant only that I'd be available to assist you. Now if you'll return to your cabin, we'll be on our way."
The Neimoidian drew himself up and, with his pride at least momentarily appeased, strode from the room.
Shaking his head, Doriana crossed to the holo alcove. Neimoidians. If they didn't control one of the best collections of military hardware in the Republic, he would have recommended dumping the whole species down the refresher long ago. He just hoped Sidious was working on finding someone more competent to replace them.
Positioning himself in the alcove, he keyed for a HoloNet relay. The lights winked on, and he signaled for his Master.
The wait was longer than usual, and more than once he considered taking a quick trip forward to check again on the status boards. But each time he resisted the temptation. If Sidious came on and had to wait, he would not be happy.
At last the familiar hooded figure appeared. "Report."
"Outbound Flight is on its way, Lord Sidious," Doriana said. "I have Vicelord Kav aboard, and will be heading for the rendezvous within the hour."
"Excellent," Sidious said. "And you know precisely where in the Unknown Regions Outbound Flight will be stopping?"
"Yes, my lord," Doriana said. "Captain Pakmillu has two separate navigational checks planned for the first eight hundred light-years beyond Republic space. I have the coordinates of both."
"Be sure you take the first one," Sidious warned. "It may be that C'baoth in his impatience will order the second to be canceled."
"That is indeed my plan, my lord," Doriana confirmed. "One final matter. I have Pakmillu's final passenger listing, and three more Jedi have been added."
"One of them being Lorana Jinzler, no doubt," Sidious said. "C'baoth had earlier informed the Senate she would be accompanying him." The drooping corners of his mouth turned briefly upward in a sardonic smile. "Though I don't believe he had mentioned it to the woman herself."
"Yes, she's one of them," Doriana confirmed. "The others are Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker."
Sidious's smile vanished. "Skywalker?" he hissed. "Who authorized this?"
"I don't know, my lord," Doriana said, feeling his heart starting to thud in his chest. The last time he'd seen Sidious like this, someone had died. Violently. "It must have been C'baoth-"
"He cannot go on that ship," Sidious cut in sharply. "He must remain here. You will see to it."
"Understood, my lord," Doriana said quickly. "Don't worry, I'll get him off "
He reached for the cutoff switch, his mind whirling as he tried to sort through the options. Outbound Flight's first scheduled stop was at Lonnaw system. If he headed there immediately
But he couldn't, not with Vicelord Kav aboard. Too much risk that someone would see the Neimoidian and make a connection they couldn't afford. He would first have to drop Kav with the attack force, then go after Outbound Flight. That meant the Lonnaw connection wouldn't work, which meant he would have to try for their next stop, Argai, all the way over in Haldeen sector. If he missed them there
"Wait."
Doriana paused, his hand hovering over the control. Sidious's lips had tightened, and Doriana had the sense that the Sith Lord was running through the same logic chain he himself had just been working out.
And apparently had come to the same conclusion. "No, you continue with the plan," he said, his voice calm again. "Iwill remove Skywalker from Outbound Flight."
"Yes, my lord," Doriana said, wilting a little with relief. He didn't have the foggiest idea how Sidious was going to pull that one off, especially with C'baoth and five other Jedi Masters on hand to oppose him. But that was the Sith Lord's problem. Doriana was off the hook, and that was the important thing. "I'll contact you again when the mission has been accomplished."
"Do that, Doriana," Sidious said. His eyes, as always, were hidden by his hood; just the same, Doriana could almost see them burning a hole through the long light-years separating the two men before the image flickered and vanished.
For a few seconds Doriana remained where he was, taking deep breaths as he worked out the tension still quivering through his body. Once again, the game had nearly proved fatal. Once again, he had made it through unscathed.
One of these times, perhaps, he wouldn't.
But that future was a long way away. Right now he had a fleet to find, and an ambush to prepare.
And eighteen Jedi to kill.
Shutting down the holoprojector, he went back to the pilot's chair and plugged Kav's data card into the reader slot. Time to find out exactly where they were going.
Chapter 14
The pylon turbolift car door opened into yet another spacious lobby area. "Okay," Anakin said, leaning out for a look. "And this one is"-he threw a not quite surreptitious look at the marking on the side-"Dreadnaught-Four?"
"Correct," C'baoth said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder and pressing him forward out of the car. "We're now at the farthest side of Outbound Flight from the command ship, Dreadnaught- One."
"Rather like Tatooine in that respect," Obi-Wan added drily.
"Right," Anakin said. "Only cooler and less sandy."
"'Tatooine?" C'baoth asked.
"A small planet where Anakin grew up," Obi-Wan explained. "The locals like to say that it's the farthest point from the center of the universe, like Dreadnaught-Four's the farthest from Dreadnaught-One's command areas."
C'baoth nodded. "Ah."
Dreadnaught-Four's architecture and equipment, Obi-Wan noted, were identical to those of the other ships they'd visited on C'baoth's tour. Not really surprising, considering how the expedition had been put together. Also as in the other Dreadnaughts, the people passing through the corridors around them all seemed to be moving with a brisk, business-like step, their expressions cheerful, confident, and determined.