Survivor's Quest

"Strange approach," Mara commented.

Fel shrugged. "My guess is that they probably figured doing it any other way would mean attaching the co

"So Formbi and the others are where, exactly?" Luke asked.

"Dreadnaught-Five," Fel said. "D-Five for short. The one we came into from the Chaf Envoy was D-Four."

"So that wasn't the primary command ship?"

Fel shook his head. "I assumed it would be, too, but the labels on the turbolift controls clearly showed we came in on either D-Four or D-Five. Given the ships' orientations, the one on the surface is definitely D-Four."

"I presume you are getting this information from the Outbound Flight data cards you have in your possession?" Drask asked.

"The data cards that used to be in my possession, yes," Fel corrected. "Fortunately, we'd studied the layout before they were stolen."

"They were stolen?" Drask asked, his eyes narrowing. "When?"

"While we were helping put out that fire just after we left Crustai," Fel said. "Whoever set it apparently did so as a diversion to get aboard our transport."

Drask looked at Luke and Mara, then back at Fel. "Why was I not informed?"

Mara sensed Fel's hesitation, and wondered if he would have either the honesty or the audacity to tell Drask that he hadn't been told because he was one of the suspects. She rather hoped he would; Drask's reaction would probably be very interesting.

To her mild disappointment, Fel went with the diplomatic answer instead. "It didn't seem likely the thief could be found regardless," he explained. "I thought we might have an advantage if the culprit didn't know we'd noticed the loss."

"What advantage did you expect to have?"

"I don't know, exactly," Fel conceded. "I just thought there might be one."

"You just thought there might be one." In a being of lesser inherent dignity, Mara reflected, Drask's words and tone might have sounded small-minded or even childish. But from a command officer of the Chiss, it came across as bitingly and righteously angry. A neat trick, that. "In the future, Commander Fel, you will not think when aboard a vessel of the Chiss Ascendancy. You will instead bring any and all concerns of this sort to the commanding officer at once. He will decide what thinking is to be done. Is that understood?"

"Completely, General," Fel said, his voice under careful control.

"Good," Drask said, not sounding particularly mollified. "Now. You will lead us to these alternative turbolifts so that we may rejoin Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano."

"Just a moment," Luke said. "Would the command ship have been designated D-One?"

"Right," Fel said.

"So with six Dreadnaughts, D-Four would be all the way on the far side of the circle from it?" Luke persisted.

"Right again," Fel said, his forehead wrinkling.

"Is this important at this precise moment?" Drask put in impatiently.

"It might be, yes," Luke told him. "Because, logically, D-One is where they should have been flying Outbound Flight from. So why is that ship the one that ended up farthest underground when they crash-landed?"

"Interesting question," Fel agreed thoughtfully. "They must have been having some serious control problems there at the end."

"Maybe," Luke said. "Or maybe they had unwanted help on the command deck."

"Indeed," Drask said, the impatience in his voice temporarily subdued by a touch of interest. "The criminals, perhaps?"

"Criminals?" Fel asked, blinking.

"There seems to be a makeshift prison back there," Luke said, gesturing aft. "No human or alien remains, though."

"Hmm," Fel said. "And considering the shape the Dreadnaughts would have been in after the battle, they might well have been in the best position to get to the command deck and make trouble."

"Or we could have it completely backward," Mara warned. "Maybe the prisoners were the ones in command, and someone else managed to get Outbound Flight flipped over this way trying to stop them."

"Interesting speculation," Drask said. The moment of interest had passed, and he was getting impatient again. "But this is all ancient history."

"Perhaps," Luke said. "But then, ancient history is why we're here, isn't it?"

"We must rejoin Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano," Drask insisted.

"We will," Luke promised. "But first, I want to go have a look at D-One. Anyone going with me?"

Mara looked around the group. From Fel's expression she could tell that he wanted to go, and she could sense definite interest from the four stormtroopers, as well.

But Drask's agitation was practically bouncing off the stacks of crates, and once again Fel's sense of diplomacy won out. "Thanks, but we'll wait for the second tour," he said, turning to Drask. "Whenever you're ready, General, we'll escort you to D-Five."

For a moment Drask's eyes bored into Luke's face, as if estimating his chances of either talking him or ordering him out of going on what he clearly considered a time-wasting side trip. Apparently, he decided it wasn't worth trying. "Thank you, Commander," he said, turning back to face Fel. "You said there were three other turbolifts available?"

"Yes," Fel said. "Actually, the best approach would probably be to go a little farther around the core and escort Luke and Mara to the turbolift they'll need to get to D-One. We can use the same one to get to D-Six, from which we can then travel to D-Five."

"It sounds as if that will be a longer trip than going directly to D-Five," Drask pointed out.

"It will be, a little," Fel conceded. "But it's occurred to me that if Pressor's people are hiding any surprises we ought to know about, they'll most likely be on either D-One, D-Two, or D-Six."

"Why?"

"Because they're the three farthest underground, which means they have the best radiation shielding," Fel explained. "Luke and Mara will already be checking out D-One; if we at least take a look at D-Six on our way to D-Five, we'll have two of the three covered."

Drask hesitated, then nodded. "Very well," he said. "Provided you do not propose to search the entire Dreadnaught with only the six of us."

"We'll just take a quick look," Fel promised. "If they're using the other Dreadnaughts for anything at all, it should be obvious pretty quickly."

"Very well," Drask said again. "Lead on."

Fel nodded. "Stormtroopers: escort formation. This way, General."