Vision of the future

'Nothing,' Klif's voice came back. He sounded irritated, too. 'Sounds like they've given up.'

'Must have been a false alarm,' Navett said. 'Come on around and we'll get back to work.' A few minutes later they were back in the subbasement. Klif retrieved the drop cloth as Navett headed around the stacked vodokrene cases for the disintegrator.

And paused there. Lying on top of the disintegrator was a comlink. 'Klif?' he called softly. 'Come here.'

A moment later the other was at his side. 'I don't believe it,' he said, sounding stunned. 'How in blazes did she pull this one off?'

'Why don't we ask her,' Navett said, carefully picking up the comlink. It was a binary-linked type, he noted, the sort typically carried on small starships and connected only to another specific comlink. He gave it a quick once-over for booby traps, then flicked it on. 'You're very inventive,' he said. 'I'll give you that.'

'Why, thank you,' the old woman's voice came back promptly. 'That's very flattering. Particularly coming from an Imperial dirty tricks team.'

Navett glanced at Klif. 'You know, that's the second time you've accused us of being Imperials,' he reminded her. 'You are just guessing, of course.'

'Oh, hardly,' she said scornfully. 'Who else would be looking to take down the Bothans'

planetary shields?'

'You're still just guessing,' Navett said, straining his ears for some sign of telltale sounds in the background and wishing viciously he had the equipment that would let him trace the transmission. 'If you were sure, you'd have called Bothan Security instead of still skulking around yourself this way.'

'Who says I haven't called them?' she said. 'Or maybe I like skulking around. It could be I used to do this sort of thing all the time against Hutts and other slime. Maybe I'm looking for a new challenge.'

'Or maybe you're looking for an early and violent death,' Navett countered. 'How did you find us, anyway?'

'Oh, come on,' she chided. 'You don't really think your cover is that good, do you? My New Rep buddies and I had you pegged first time off the rack. So what was the deal with those metalmites at the shield generator, anyway?'

Navett smiled tightly. 'Fishing now, are we? Please.'

'You never can tell,' she said. 'Incidentally, whichever of you gimmicked that back door lock needs to do a better job next time—it was so obvious you might as well have hung a sign on it. It did come in handy, though.'

'I imagine it did,' Navett said. 'You're still in the building, aren't you?'

'Now who's fishing?' she countered. 'Actually, no, I left some time ago—there's a crawlspace beneath the ceiling that leads to a handy skylight. That was a free one.'

'Thank you,' Navett said between clenched teeth. Who did this little fringe slime think she was talking to, anyway? 'Here's some free advice in return. Go back to your ship and clear off Bothawui. If you don't, you are going to die on this dirtball. I will personally guarantee that.'

'With all due respect, Lieutenant—or is it Major? Colonel? Oh, well, with the Empire in shambles these days I guess rank doesn't really matter. With all due respect, Imperial, I've been threatened by far more impressive folks than you. Anytime you want to come out and do a face-to-face, I'm ready.'

'Oh, we'll do a face-to-face, all right,' Navett promised, forcing down his anger. Anger, and the muddled thinking that accompanied it, were exactly what she was angling for. 'Don't worry about that. But when we do, it'll be a time and place of my choosing, not yours.'

'Whatever you want,' she said. 'Nighttime would work best—that way you can use that Xerrol Nightstinger of yours to full advantage. You didn't just throw it away after that riot a few weeks back, did you? The one where you framed Solo for shooting into the crowd?' Navett glared at the comlink. Aside from being a general all-around pain in the neck, this woman was far too well informed. Who in space did she work for, anyway? 'You're fishing again,' he said.

'Not really,' she said offhandedly. 'Just putting two and two together.'

'Sometimes that kind of math doesn't work the way you think it does,' Navett warned her. 'And sometimes if the mathematician hangs around where she's not welcome, she doesn't live to finish her sums.'

She clucked. 'You're starting to repeat yourself, Imperial. If I were you, I'd try to work up some fresh threats. However, it's well past my bedtime and I know you have work to do, so I'll let you go. Unless you'd like to go fetch your Xerrol and come out and play, that is. I'll wait.'