He snorted under his breath. “And to be perfectly honest, I’ll be just as happy to have him off Coruscant for a couple of weeks. It’ll give me a chance to consider how I’m going to persuade the Appropriations Committee to restore Outbound Flight’s funding.”
“As well as find a way to persuade the Council to give Master C’baoth all the Jedi he wants?”
“That one I can do nothing about,” Palpatine said. “If C’baoth wants more Jedi, he’s the one who’ll have to persuade Yoda and Windu.”
“Yes, sir,” Doriana murmured. “Well… maybe he’ll succeed so well at Barlok that they’ll have no choice but to give in.”
“Or else they’ll give in simply to get him off their backs,” Palpatine said drily. “He’s as persistent with them as he is with me. At any rate, that part is in C’baoth’s hands now.
Speaking of matters in hand, when are you leaving for your own trip?”
“Tonight,” Doriana said. “I have a ship reserved, and all the necessary files and documents are prepared and packed. I just need to stop by my apartment after work to pack my personal items and I’ll be ready to go.”
“Excellent,” Palpatine said. “Then you might as well go now. There’s nothing more I need from you for the rest of the day.”
“Thank you, sir,” Doriana said. “I’ll keep you informed on what happens at the various meetings.”
“Yes, do that.” Palpatine raised his eyebrows. “And be sure you deliver those data cards to Governor Caulfmar personally.”
“Yes, I read the reports,” Doriana said, nodding.
“Actually, if the timing works out I may take an extra day to poke around and see if I can identify‘ the traitor in his inner circle. With your permission, of course.”
“Granted,” Palpatine said. “But be careful. There are rumors of growing dissatisfaction in that sector.”
“There are rumors of that sort everywhere,” Doriana said. “I’ll be all right.”
“I trust so,” Palpatine said. “But still be careful. Andhurry back.”
It was a twenty-minute air taxi ride to Doriana’s home in the Third Ring Apartment Towers northeast of the Senate complex. He split the time between datapad and comlink, checking on his travel plans and smoothing out the inevitable last-minute details. The taxi let him out on the 248th-floor landing pad, and he rode the turbolift ten stories down to his apartment. Unlocking the door, he went in, locking and privacy-sealing it behind him.
He had told Palpatine that he still had to pack his bags. In actual fact, they were already packed and sitting in a neat row just inside the conversation room. Passing them by, he went to the desk in the corner and sat down. From behind the false back in the bottom right-hand drawer he took a holoprojector and plugged it into the computer. The access/security code was a simple matter of twelve letters and eighteen digits; punching them in, he picked up his datapad again and settled back to wait.
As usual, the wait wasn’t very long. Barely three minutes after he sent the call, the hooded face of Darth Sidious shimmered into view above the holoprojector. “Report,” the other ordered in a gravelly voice.
“Jedi Master C’baoth is on his way to Barlok, my lord,”
Doriana said. “Depending on what kind of transport he was able to get, he should be there in three to six days.”
“Excellent,” Sidious said. “You’ll have no trouble arriving ahead of him?”
“None, my lord,” Doriana assured him. “My courier is faster than anything the Jedi can provide. He’ll also have to stop off at the Temple and persuade the Council to give him official permission, while I’m ready to go right now. And all the groundwork has been laid.”
“Then he should arrive to a warm reception indeed,”
Sidious said, his lips curving in a satisfied smile. “What about Chancellor Palpatine? You’re certain he won’t notice this littleside trip?”
“I’ve built the necessary slack into my schedule,”
Doriana assured him. “I can spend up to three days on Barlok without filling behind. If it ends up taking longer, there are a couple of items on my agenda I should be able to resolve via HoloNet conference. I can do that from Barlok or anywhere else along the way, without having to actually travel to those systems.”
“Again, excellent,” Sidious said. “I have many servants, Doriana, but few as clever and as subtle as you.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Doriana said, a warm glow flowing through him. Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, was not a man who was generous with his compliments.
“It will be a distinct pleasure to get Jorus C’baoth out of our way,” Sidious went on. “All indeed goes according to my plan.”
“Yes, my lord,” Doriana said. “I’ll report as soon as we’ve achieved our victory.”
“Just make certain we have that victory,” Sidious said, the note of warning in his tone sending a chill through the lingering warmth of his earlier compliment. “Proceed with your work, my friend.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The image vanished. Shutting off the holoprojector, Doriana disconnected it from the computer and returned it to its hiding place. Then, pocketing his datapad, he retraced his steps to where his packed bags waited. Yes, the punishment for failing the Sith Lord would undoubtedly be severe. Nearly as severe, he had no doubt, as that which would descend upon him if Chancellor Palpatine ever learned that he had a traitor in his inner office.
But if the price of failure was great, so were the rewards of success. Doriana’s apartment, his position, and hisquiet but far-ranging authority were proof of that. It was, in his estimation, a gamble well worth taking.
Besides which, he did so enjoy the game.
Pulling out his comlink, he keyed for a taxi to take him to the spaceport. Then, gathering his bags together, he headed for the turbolift.
The door to the Jedi Council Chamber slid open.
“Come,” Jedi Master Mace Windu called.
Squaring his shoulders, wondering what this was all about, Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped inside.
And stopped, feeling his forehead wrinkling in surprise. A person summoned to the Jedi Council Chamber naturally expected to find the entire Council waiting for him. But aside from Windu, standing over by the windows gazing out at the city, the room was deserted. “No, you haven’t misunderstood where you were supposed to go,” Windu said, half turning to give Obi-Wan a faint smile. “I need to talk to you.”
“Certainly, Master Windu,” Obi-Wan said, still frowning as he crossed to where Windu stood. “Is this about Anakin again?”
“No,” Windu said, raising his eyebrows questioningly.
“Why, what’s young Skywalker done now?”
“Nothing,” Obi-Wan assured him hastily. “At least, nothing in particular. But you know what fourteen-year-old Padawan learners are like.”
“Strong, cocky, and amazing naive,” Windu said, smiling again. “I wish you luck with him.”
Obi-Wan shrugged. “If there is such a thing as luck.”
“You know what I mean.” Windu turned back to look out the window. “Tell me, have you ever heard of a project called Outbound Flight?”
Obi-Wan searched his memory. “I don’t think so.”
“It was proposed as a grand exploration and colonization mission,” Windu said. “Six Dreadnaught warships were to be linked to each other around a central equipment and supply storage core, the whole thing to be sent out into the Unknown Regions and from there to another galaxy”
Obi-Wan blinked. To another galaxy? “No, I haven’t heard anything at all about this. What’s the proposed time frame?”
“Actually, it’s mostly ready now,” Windu said. “Just the final assembly and some disagreements about the passenger list.”
“Who’s in charge of it? The Senate?”
“Nominally, it was the Council’s plan,” Windu said. “In practice, it’s been Master C’baoth who’s been the chief driving force behind it.”
“Jorus C’baoth, master of the designated interview?”
Obi-Wan asked drily. “And yet the project hasn’t made HoloNet newscasts? Incredible.”
“You shouldn’t talk about a Jedi Master that way,”
Windu reproved him mildly.