Vision of the future

Wedge shrugged. 'It looked okay to me.'

' 'Okay' isn't good enough,' Corran said darkly. 'I also notice that the only way to confirm that this letter of introduction is really from Karrde would be to run the ID codes through Coruscant.'

'So get your tails over to the New Republic liaison office and have them do that,' Moranda said, taking a long drink of the pale blue-green liqueur she'd ordered. 'We aren't exactly fat on time here, you know.'

'Yes,' Wedge murmured, trying to read that so totally unconcerned face. 'Unfortunately...'

'Unfortunately, you can't do that?' she suggested, peering at Wedge over her glass. 'Yes, I thought so. Awkward.'

'Why do you say that?' Corran demanded.

'Why do I say what?' Moranda countered. 'That you're on your own, or that that's awkward?'

'The first,' Corran said. 'You sound like you almost expected that.'

'Oh, come on,' she said scornfully. 'I did get a long look into your wallets, remember. What other conclusion is there when you've got your military IDs buried back behind the civilian ones?'

'Exactly,' Corran said, fixing her with the kind of glare that Wedge decided was probably standard Corellian Security issue. 'Which means you already knew we couldn't check up on this story before you spun it for us.'

'And what, created that on the fly?' she asked, pointing toward the datacard still in his datapad.

'Or had it sitting in with your collection of a dozen other forgeries,' Corran shot back. 'How are we supposed to know?'

Lifting her glass, Moranda drained it. 'Never mind,' she said, getting to her feet. 'I assumed we were on the same side here, and thought we might be able to help each other. Apparently we can't. Try to hold on to your wallets a little better next time.'

Wedge looked at Corran, caught the other's fractional nod. 'Please; sit down, Moranda,' he said, half rising from his own chair and catching her arm. It felt painfully thin beneath her sleeve. 'Please.' She paused, throwing a speculative look at each of them. Then, smiling tightly at Wedge, she resumed her seat. 'A test, I presume. Did I pass?'

'Well enough for us to at least listen some more,' Wedge told her. 'Let's start with exactly why you're here.'

'Presumably the same reason you are,' she said. 'Karrde sees an explosion coming, with the Bothans in the middle of it, and wants to see if there are outside forces planning to squeeze the detonators.'

'And you're all he could spare?' Corran suggested.

'Hardly,' Moranda said. 'He's got people all over the New Republic tracking personnel and equipment movements. Other people are sifting through every report and hint and speculation that crops up. I just happen to be the one on the ground here.'

'With what instructions?' Wedge asked.

Moranda nodded in the direction of the tapcafe door. 'There's a lot of firepower in orbit up there,' she said. 'They could start shooting at each other anytime. But if anyone wants to take a poke at Bothawui itself, they'll have to get rid of the planetary shields first. Karrde asked me to keep an eye on them.'

'Is that why you were hanging around the Drev'starn generator?' Wedge asked. 'Trying to see how someone might get inside?'

'I'd already done that,' she said. 'Actually, I was out there today seeing if I could spot anyone else casing the place.' She smiled maliciously. 'Which is why I latched on to you two. No offense, but you stand out in a crowd like a Wookiee at a Noghri family reunion.' Wedge nodded as understanding struck. 'Is that why you had our pockets picked? So you could find out who we were?'

Moranda's thin lips twitched. 'As a matter of fact, no, I didn't. I just happened to be watching when those Bothans lifted your stuff and made sure I'd be in position to lift it back from them.' Wedge looked at Corran. 'You thinking what I'm thinking?'

'That someone may have noticed us,' Corran said, running a careful glance around the tapcafe.

'Could be. I don't suppose you might have any idea where those two pickpockets might have gone to ground, do you?'