of the tech station. Ghent was still facing the control board, but his back had suddenly gone rigid. 'Where would he need to go?' she asked Pellaeon, her eyes still on Ghent. 'To Bastion?'
'No, to the Ubiqtorate base at Yaga Minor,' Pellaeon said. 'The commander there is a personal friend, and there's a somewhat isolated computer access station he could use. Bastion itself would be far too dangerous.'
Leia looked back at him, her heart catching suddenly in her throat. 'How do you mean, dangerous?'
'Bastion is the home base and stronghold of one of the most vehemently antipeace officials in the entire Empire,' Pellaeon said grimly. 'Moff Disra. He also appears to be up to his neck in a private little war using mercenary pirate gangs and illegally obtained funds.'
'Yes, we've noticed all the pirate activity,' Leia said, fighting to keep her voice steady. Han and Lando on Bastion... 'You don't think Moff Disra would appreciate having a New Republic representative on his world?'
Pellaeon snorted. 'Digging into private Imperial files? Hardly. Your expert wouldn't be there six hours before Disra would know about it. It wouldn't be six hours more before some convenient accident would happen to him. But he'd be safe enough on Yaga Minor.'
'I'm glad to hear that,' Leia said, looking again at Sakhisakh. The Noghri's face was rigid with the same ache and fear she herself was feeling. Han on Bastion, in the middle of a vengeful Moff's stronghold...
'Would it be possible for you to supply such an expert?' Pellaeon asked. With a supreme effort, Leia pushed her fears away. 'I don't know,' she said. 'I don't think so.' Pellaeon seemed taken aback. 'You don't think so?'
'No,' Leia said, glancing over at the tech station again. Ghent was still facing the control board, but his head was turned just enough to let him surreptitiously watch the conversation around the game table. 'Perhaps later, after we have an official agreement. But not yet.'
'By the time there's an agreement it might be too late,' Pellaeon warned. 'Our scout ships are picking up only occasional news reports, but even from what I know the situation in the New Republic is clearly getting worse. Even with an expert slicer at work, the project is going to take some time.'
He grimaced. 'And there's one other factor, as well. We suspect that one of Moff Disra's agents may already have found his way into those Special Files once. We don't know what he was looking for, but the Caamas Document is definitely one possible target. If we delay too long and he's able to get in again to erase the file, we may never learn the truth. Only if we act immediately—'
'All right,' Ghent interrupted, swiveling abruptly around in his chair to face them. 'All right. I'll go.' Leia blinked. Once again, he had taken her completely by surprise. 'You don't mean that,' she said. 'This could be dangerous.'
'The danger would be extremely small,' Pellaeon insisted.
'Doesn't matter,' Ghent said. His voice was trembling, but his jaw was set firmly. 'On the way from Coruscant Elegos told me all about what happened to his world. It was terrible—everyone killed, all the animals, too. I hated the people who'd done it—I really hated them. And I hated the Bothans for making the whole thing happen in the first place.'
He looked over at Elegos. 'But he told me hatred was wrong, that it was one of those things that hurt the hater more than the people he hated. He told me there can be justice without hatred, and punishment without revenge. He said we were all responsible for what we do and what we don't do, and no one should have to pay for someone else's crimes.'
He locked eyes with Leia. 'I'm a slicer, Councilor Organa Solo. I'm a
'I understand perfectly,' Leia assured him. 'And I very much appreciate your offer. The question is whether I can allow you to put yourself at risk this way.'
'It would seem that should be a straightforward question for you to answer, Councilor,' Elegos said. 'As a Jedi, does Crypt Chief Ghent going to Yaga Minor seem the correct path?' Leia hid a grimace. Once again, the Caamasi's perception had come through, reminding her of the true source of her insight and guidance.
Except that for once that source had failed her. Or perhaps more correctly, she had failed it. No matter how hard she stretched out to the Force, all she could see was the turmoil of her own fears for Han's safety. Fears that she'd managed to suppress until now; guilt that she'd allowed him—even encouraged him—to step onto a hostile world in the first place; resentment and anger that after all their years of sacrifice she and Han were still the ones who always seemed to be called on to risk everything for others.
Blinking back tears, she tried to push back the sudden surge of emotion. But it remained a restless churning pool washing across her mind and spirit.
And as the Jedi calm eluded her, so did any hope of reading Ghent's path.
'I don't know,' she admitted at last. 'I can't seem to get any kind of reading.'
