Cloak Of Deception

Like Qui-Gon, this is. Always forward, the Living Force. Adjust to Qui- Gon's actions, the future will." He shook his head again.

"The only real danger is if he does anything to further a rift between the Republic and the Senex sector," Oppo Rancisis said. "I fear that the events on Asmeru have already placed Supreme Chancellor Valorum in an awkward position." "At a critical time," Even Piell added.

"Vandron and the other Senex noble houses could point to Asmeru as an example of the Republic's disregard for self-governing sectors. Valorum's goal of fostering trust in the Republic among the outlying systems would be subverted." Mace Windu had his mouth open to reply when KiAdiMundi emerged from the turbolift.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Master Windu," the Cerean said. "But we have received an urgent communication from Qui-Gon Ji

"He and Obi-Wan are bound for Eriadu in the Hawk-Bat." Yoda made his eyes wide in theatrical surprise.

"Become Captain Cohl, Qui-Gon has!" As a trading port, Eriadu was accustomed to seeing its polluted skies filled with vessels. The trade summit, however, set a new record for traffic, both below and high in orbit.

Among the thousands of ships anchored above the planet's bright side was a run-down Corellian freighter, the current object of interest of a heavily armed picket ship bearing the emblem of Eriadu Customs and Immigration.

Between the picket and the freighter moved a small single-winged craft, twice the size of a standard starfighter.

Rella and Boiny watched the craft approach from one of the freighter's starboard viewports. Dressed alike in knee-high boots, bloused trousers, vests, and soft caps with short brims, they might have been veteran spacers.

"We'll play this by the numbers," Rella said.

"Customs officials aren't trained to be nasty, they're born that way."

She glanced at Boiny.

"Want to go over any of it again?" The Rodian shook his head. "I'll follow your lead." They went to the starboard airlock and waited for it to cycle. Shortly, three humans in flashy uniforms came aboard, accompanied by a mean-tempered saurian quadruped fitted with an electronic collar. The beast's tongue flicked from its slash of mouth, licking the air.

Nearly as tall as Rella, the chief inspector was a slender, light — complexioned woman. Her blond hair was pulled severely back and woven into a long braid behind her head.

"Take Chack aft and work your way forward," she ordered her two companions. "Let him take his time. Tag anything that gets his attention, and we'll deal with it separately." The two customs agents and their sniffer headed for the rear of the ship. The chief watched them go, then followed Rella and Boiny into the freighter's forward cabin.

"Your shipping manifest," she demanded, extending her right hand to Rella.

Rella prized a data card from the breast pocket of her vest and slapped it into the woman's palm. The chief inserted the card into a portable reader and studied the device's small display screen.

From aft came a sudden growling sound. The chief looked over her shoulder.

"Your sniffer must have gotten a whiff of our galley," Boiny said jocularly.

The woman's stern expression didn't waver. "I can't make sense of this,"

she said after a moment, motioning to the reader's display screen with the backs of her fingertips. She eyed Rella with suspicion.

"What, exactly, is your cargo, Captain?" Rella leveled a blaster at her.

"Trouble." The woman's eyes widened. Noises behind her prompted her to glance over her shoulder once more. Two robust humans and a Gotal answered her obvious surprise with pernicious grins.

"We're holding the other two aft," Lope said. "The animal's dead." "Good work," Rella said, deftly disarming the chief.

Pressing the blaster to the woman's ribs, she steered her toward the freighter's communication suite.

"I want you to raise your ship," Rella said while they walked. "Tell whoever's in charge that you've discovered a load of contraband, and that you need the entire inspection crew over here on the quick." The woman tried to turn out of Rella's grip, but Rella only tightened her hold and shoved her down into the chair at the control console.

"Do it," Rella warned.

The woman hesitated, then complied, resignedly.

"The entire crew?" someone on the picket ship asked in disbelief. "Is it that bad?" "It's that bad," the chief said toward the console pickup.

Rella switched off the feed and took a step back to appraise the chief.

"I'm going to need your uniform." The woman stared at her. "My uniform?" Rella patted her on the shoulder. "That's a good girl." She swung back to Boiny and the others.

"Position yourvs at the airlock and be ready to receive company." The mercenaries ena4 their blasters and hurried off.

Not fifteen minutes later, and now wearing the chief's uniform, Rella entered the bridge of the picket ship and swept her eyes over the instruments.

Boiny's charge, the chief, followed, her wrists sporting stun cuffs and the rest of her clothed in Rella's spacer garb.

Boiny motioned the woman into the copilot's chair, then pressed his sucker-tipped forefinger to a communications bead in his right ear.

"Lope wants to know what he should do with the inspection team," he said to Rella.

She answered while continuing to study the instruments.

"Tell him to secure them in the aft hold of the freighter." She eased into the pilot's chair and adjusted it to her liking. Drab Eriadu filled the forward viewport. Rella switched on the communications array and swiveled to face the chief.

"Send a message that you're bringing a load of confiscated cargo down the well. Say that you want the cargo transferred to the customs building for immediate inspection, and to have hoversleds standing by to meet you." The woman smirked. "That's against procedure. They won't do it." Rella smiled.

"Thanks for the warning. But they will do it this time, because the people in the customs building are on my team." She gave it a moment to register.

"Glare at me all you want, chief, but you're going to do it eventually."

The woman bent toward the audio pickup, clearly hoping that Rella would be proved wrong. But after listening to the transmission, the voice on the other end replied, "We'll have the hoversleds waiting." The chief continued to glower at Rella. "You think no one knows we boarded your ship?" "I'm aware of that," Rella said. "But we don't need all day to accomplish what we came here to do." She fastened the chief's seat harness in such a way that the woman could scarcely move. Then she accepted an adhesive strip from Boiny and plastered it over the chief's mouth.