Commander Tsaak Vootuh aimed his opalescent eyes at the trembling human, restraining the part of himself that wanted to put the pathetic creature out of its misery.
Which was most of him.
“You are Imsatad?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Straighten yourself,” Vootuh snarled. “The mewling of a Yuuzhan Vong infant in a crèche has more fierceness than your whine.” As he spoke, he cherished the thin hiss of breath through the deep chevrons that cut through his cheeks. He clasped his hands behind his back so that the cloak gripping into the flesh of his shoulders fell open to reveal the full glory of the tattoos and burn puckers that adorned his torso. He silently praised Yun-Yuuzhan for not condemning him to be one of these smooth, honorless infidels.
“Yes, sir,” Imsatad replied, his voice slightly firmer.
“You explained to my subordinates that you are an ally of ours? One of the—” He frowned, trying to remember the name of the group in Basic. “Peez Brigade?”
The tizowyrm in his ear translated the first word as “willing and appropriate submission from the submissive to the conqueror.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I wonder how you will confirm that,” Tsaak Vootuh said. “Our information was that this moon was home to many young Jeedai. And yet I find none at all. This is peculiar, and I suspect you are to blame.”
“No!” Imsatad said. “We came here in good faith, to keep the terms of the peace your warmaster Tsavong Lah proposed.”
“And failed miserably to do so. Where are the Jeedai?”
Imsatad hesitated. “We have one. The others are with Karrde.”
“The commander of the flotilla that fled our approach?”
“That’s him. He tricked us into—”
“I have no interest in the details of your failure. Two of this Karrde’s ships made the jump to hyperspace. I assume those ships contained the prize you let slip through your fingers.”
“With all respect, Commander, if it weren’t for me and my crew, you wouldn’t have even one Jedi. Karrde would have taken them all before you arrived.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. But tell me—why does he remain in this system?”
Imsatad frowned. “Does he?”
“Yes. He has withdrawn to the edge of the system, but remains there. I do not complain, for it will give me and my warriors combat when I feared we must sit idle. But I wish to know his reason. I do not imagine that he would stay for the sake of a single immature Jeedai.” He leaned close, dropping his voice to a whisper. “What have you failed to tell me?”
The human cleared its throat. “There—I think there are perhaps a few more Jedi here on the moon. I think one of them might be Anakin Solo.”
“Solo?”
“Brother to Jacen Solo, whom Tsavong Lah so desires.”
“Interesting, if true.”
“I would like to offer my ships and crew to help find him and any others who might still remain on Yavin Four.”
Tsaak Vootuh fixed a venomous stare on the creature. “You have helped us quite enough. As for your ships, they are abominations and will be destroyed.”
“But what—how will we return home?”
Tsaak Vootuh allowed himself a grim smile. “How indeed, Imsatad?” he said. “How indeed?”
“Now, wait a minute—” Imsatad began, but Tsaak Vootuh cut him off with a look.
“I wish to see the captured Jeedai,” he told the human. “You will take me, now.”
“I’ll do no such thing until you—”
Tsaak Vootuh nodded in a certain way, and Imsatad was suddenly staring in astonishment at the head of an amphistaff poking out of his belly. He looked questioningly at Tsaak Vootuh, coughed blood from his mouth, and died. Vo Lian, Tsaak Vootuh’s lieutenant, withdrew the amphistaff he had struck through the man’s back.
Tsaak Vootuh gestured at the human who had been standing behind Imsatad. “You. Take me to see the Jeedai.”
“O-of course,” the creature stammered. “Whatever you wish.”
Tsaak Vootuh nodded and stood. Before leaving the room, he turned to Vo Lian. “Supervise the landing and make secure the space around this moon. I want the damutek on the ground within the next cycle. I will give the shapers no cause for complaint.”
Vo Lian snapped his fists against his opposite shoulders. “Belek tiu,” he said. “It will be done, Commander.”