Vision of the future

meantime, may I ask what you're going over to discuss with General Bel Iblis?' Pellaeon's eyes narrowed slightly. But then he shrugged. 'It's still highly confidential, of course,' he said. 'But knowing you, you'll probably know about it soon enough, anyway. I'm proposing a peace treaty between the Empire and the New Republic. It's time for this long war to finally end.' Karrde shook his head. 'The things that happen when I'm out of touch at the edges of known space,' he said philosophically. 'For whatever it's worth, Admiral, I agree wholeheartedly with your goal. And I wish you luck.'

'Thank you,' Pellaeon said. 'Feel free to leave whenever you wish, or allow your crew to take advantage of any of the Relentless's facilities if they'd like. And again, thank you.' He headed off toward the turbolift. Karrde watched him go, then looked back at Shada. The medical team had finished their preliminary work and were helping the injured woman onto a stretcher. Shada was watching them from a few paces away, an expression of private pain on her face. Like someone watching the last member of her family leaving home.

And then, unbidden, an idea drifted into Karrde's mind. Something larger than herself, she'd told Car'das. Something she could hold on to and serve and believe in. Something more honorable and noble than the life of a fringe smuggler.

Something that would make a difference...

'Admiral Pellaeon?' he called, hurrying back to the aft bridge. 'Admiral?' Pellaeon had paused at the open door of the turbolift. 'Yes?'

'Let me ride over with you to the Errant Venture, if I may,' Karrde said, stepping to his side. 'I have a modest proposal I'd like to make to you.'

* * *

Luke's final fear was that the Hand of Thrawn's weapons towers would spot them as they lifted their borrowed ship out of its hiding place, forcing their departure from the Nirauan surface to be yet another mad race against death. But the Chiss were apparently still dealing with the aftermath of the hangar destruction, with no attention left to turn outward.

And so they lifted out into space without challenge; and with Mara's touch on the hyperdrive lever the stars became starlines and faded into the mottling of hyperspace.

And at long last, they were on their way home.

'Next stop, Coruscant,' Luke said with a sigh, leaning back tiredly in the copilot's seat.

'Next stop, the nearest New Republic base or one of Karrde's outposts,' Mara corrected. 'I don't know about you, but I want a shower, some clean clothes, and something besides ration bars to eat.'

'Point taken,' Luke said. 'You always were the practical one, weren't you?'

'And you always were the idealistic one,' she said. 'Must be why we work so well together. Speaking of practical, remember back in the cloning chamber when Artoo went all squeaky?'

'You mean just before the sentinel droids showed up?'

'Right. We never did find out what was tying him in knots that way.'

'Well, let's find out now,' Luke said, levering himself out of his seat and making his way back to the droid alcove where they'd plugged Artoo into the ship's computer. 'Okay, Artoo, you heard the lady. What was it about the Unknown Regions data that got you all excited?' Artoo warbled, his words appearing on the computer display. 'He says it didn't have anything to do with the Unknown Regions,' Luke reported. 'Which he says he didn't get more than a general overview of, by the way.'

'I didn't think he'd gotten very much,' Mara said regretfully. 'He wasn't connected to the computer nearly long enough to download everything.'

'Well, we're sure not going to go back and get the rest now,' Luke said, skimming down the scrolling words. 'But there was something he stumbled across in one of the other records...' Mara must have picked up his sudden shock. 'What is it?' she asked sharply.

'I don't believe it,' he murmured, still reading. 'Mara, he found it. He found it.'

'Wonderful. Found what?'

'What else?' Luke looked up at her. 'Thrawn's copy of the Caamas Document.'

CHAPTER

43

Fifteen days later, in the secondary command room of the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera, the peace accords between the Empire and New Republic were signed.