The silver speeder flew by, going at top speed. He had only a flash of an impression, a figure in a black flight suit with a shiny black helmet.

It had to be Flame.

Trever had to take the chance. He stepped out from behind the crystal formation and tried to signal the speeder with the glowlight from his utility belt.

He was too late. The speeder took a sharp turn around a gnarled crystal ten meters wide and disappeared.

Trever sprang back toward the rock, but the Imperial speeders had circled back and he was too late. He made a dash for cover, but one of the Imperial speeders peeled off - and came straight for him.

He'd been spotted.

Chapter Seven.

Ferus faced the alley wall. The blaster was held right at the tender part of his neck, and his companion wasn't shy about pressing the barrel hard into his flesh.

"Do you think we're stupid?" his a.s.sailant asked.

"Who's we?"

The barrel was pushed even deeper. Ferus tried not to wince. He was getting annoyed. He knew he could disarm whoever it was behind him in seconds, but he also knew that aggression at this point wouldn't get him what he wanted.

"Do you think we're stupid?" the a.s.sailant repeated.

"No. I don't think you're stupid. A little short on manners, maybe. But if I thought you were stupid, I wouldn't be here trying to find you."

"So you admit you're trying to fund us." The barrel angled toward Ferus's head. "You are an agent of the Empire."

"Well," Ferus said, "technically, that's true. I guess that sounds bad. But it doesn't mean I can't help you."

The a.s.sailant gave an incredulous laugh. "I should just shoot you now."

"But then you wouldn't find out what I came to say. Why don't you hear me out, and then shoot me if you want to?"

"Because I don't have time to waste."

Ferus could feel that despite his tough talk, his a.s.sailant didn't want to shoot him. He wasn't dealing with a hardened killer.

"Look, this might go easier if I introduced myself."

"I know who you are. Ferus Olin."

"I was one of the founding members of the Eleven on Bella.s.sa."

"I've heard of Ferus Olin. But I've never seen him."

"So you think I'm an impostor?"

"I think the Empire is capable of anything. I was warned about you."

"By Dahl. Larker's aide. I saw the drop."

He heard his a.s.sailant suck in air through his teeth. "Larker only helps us from time to time. He's not one of us. And he doesn't know Bella.s.sa like I do. The real Ferus Olin could be trusted. The real Ferus Olin wouldn't work for the Emperor."

"Things change. Listen, I'm just a contract employee. Think about it. What better way to find out how the Empire works than by working for them?"

"Are you saying you're a double agent?"

"Now you're catching on."

There was a pause. "What's the location of the safehouse of the Eleven?"

"Aw, c'mon. That's a stupid test."

The barrel pressed into his flesh again.

"Okay, okay, not stupid ... a, not helpful? You know I can't tell you that, even with a blaster at my head. Ask me something else."

"What was the first job the Eleven did together?"

Ferus thought about this. He knew the answer. The Eleven - back when there really were only eleven members - had broken into Imperial files and discovered the names of the Imperial spies who had infiltrated the capital city of Ussa. The raid was still a secret kept by the original group, because jobs were never discussed unless they had to be. If his a.s.sailant knew someone on the inside who had told him, Ferus could corroborate the information. It didn't matter, at this point - the Imperial spies had long ago been rotated to other a.s.signments.

"A raid on the Imperial files at the garrison headquarters to discover the names of Imperial spies."

"How many spies did you discover?"

"Four."

The pressure on his head lessened. "You can turn around."

Ferus turned. His a.s.sailant was younger than he'd thought, maybe a few years older than Trever. His deep, gritty voice rose from a thick, muscular chest. Thick brown hair brushed the collar of his tunic. He still held the blaster.

"How did you know that was the truth?" Ferus asked.

"I knew someone who was close to the group," he said. "When we started the resistance here, I went to Ussa and a few other planets to see if I could study a successful operation. I was able to get some strategy tips. Someone was kind enough to brief me on the first job."

"Dr. Arnie Antin," Ferus said. "That's who you know."

"How do you know?"

"Because you said your contact was close to the group, but not in the group. Arnie wasn't at that time. But she treated Wil after the raid - he had a small fracture in his wrist. So she knew about it."

"Good deduction. I'm d.i.n.ko, by the way. Code name. We all use them - it's better if we don't know anyone's real name." The young man grinned, transforming his features from forbidding to welcoming. "I guess I should say welcome to the Samarian resistance."

Ferus rubbed his neck. "You sure know how to make a guy feel welcome."

Suddenly the grin on d.i.n.ko's face faded. "I haven't heard from Arnie in several weeks. We were in close contact. Do you know anything?"

"They had to move the base of operations after Roan was arrested. There was a crackdown. I hear they had to disband for a time."

"We don't want what happened there to happen here, that's for sure," d.i.n.ko said. "Come on, meet the others."

Ferus followed him back into the cantina. d.i.n.ko walked directly to the table with the curly-haired young woman and the older man. "This is Nek and Firefolk," he said.

He turned to the ethereal young woman with the reddish curls. "I think I've met Firefolk before," he said.

She grinned. "Try again. I'm Nek."

"I'm Firefolk," the man with the silver hair said.

"Sorry." Ferus was amused at the idea of the sweet-faced young woman taking one of the more hideous species in the galaxy, the nek battle dog, as her code name. He would have guessed she would have chosen the more fanciful Firefolk - tiny, glowing beings native to the forest moon of Endor. He sat down.

"First let me tell you why I'm officially here," he said. "Emperor Palpatine has an offer on the table. He will grant you amnesty if you disband."

"This is good news," the silver-haired Firefolk said. "It means we're getting to them."

"The Emperor offered me amnesty, and I took it," Ferus said. "It was a way to get inside. It's something to consider."

"It's a way to get arrested," d.i.n.ko said. "I don't trust it."

"You shouldn't," Ferus said.

"All right, you pa.s.sed along the message," Firefolk said. "We refuse. Now, let's move on."

"Ferus wants to help us," d.i.n.ko said.

"So far the Empire hasn't taken over your government," Ferus said. "I think it's because the Emperor is still trying to consolidate power, and he doesn't want to give any other planets a reason to resent him. He's going to try to influence governments, not take them over. Willing governments will get governors. I've seen it happen on some of the Core Worlds. When the Empire tried to install a governor on Bella.s.sa, we revolted, and that's when they came in with a battalion and took over. You don't want that to happen."

"So that's why they sent Divinian here," d.i.n.ko said. "They call him an advisor, but he's trying to get elected."

Ferus nodded. "Samarians don't exclude outlanders from becoming prime minister, so he has a way in. Bog is gaining power. It will be a good thing for the Imperials if he's actually elected. They can use him to point out to other planets that they mean no harm."

"And meanwhile, the Sathans just let it happen," d.i.n.ko said darkly. "We're going to let our enemy walk right in. We'll even pull up a chair for him."

"The population is afraid," Firefolk said. "Afraid of losing what we have."

"As long as someone promises they'll keep their personal droids and their comfortable life, they'll believe anything," Nek added.

"I'm afraid Bog is winning this game," Ferus said. "He's mustered up the support to call for a vote of no-confidence for Larker."

"He's bribing the ministers," Nek said.

"If you had proof of that, it could be helpful," Ferus said. "The Emperor is still concerned with appearances. He might recall Bog back to Coruscant. But at the very least, it would expose what he's doing and he'd lose support here."

Nek, Firefolk, and d.i.n.ko exchanged glances.

"We could get the proof," d.i.n.ko said. "If all goes well."

"How?"

"Do you know that the ministers gave Bog a gift of a personal droid?"

"I was at the ceremony."

"An operative working for us programmed Bog's PD. He placed a chip in it that allows us to monitor his communications. We expect to have the proof, possibly within hours, maybe in a day . . . but we're sure we'll have it. That droid will record every communication, every transaction that Bog makes."

"Good. Bog isn't your only problem, but he's the biggest one at the moment. It will take the Empire awhile to replace him. In the meantime, Larker can consolidate his power and you can recruit more members."

"If we get rid of Bog, it will convince Sathans that we're worth joining," d.i.n.ko said.

"I'll report back to the Emperor that you're considering his offer," Ferus said. "In the meantime, it would be helpful if I could bring him something that will convince him I'm on his side. Do you have a drop you don't use anymore that I can tell him about?"

"How about the speeder place?" Nek suggested. "We've used it for a month now. It's time to find a new place for a drop."

"Good." Ferus stood. "How can I contact you again?"

"Do you know the Twilight Fountain on Talo Square?"

Ferus nodded. He had committed most of Sath to memory by now.

"If you go there at midday, we'll contact you. Otherwise in case of emergency we can use corn-links. We have to keep messages short in case the Empire is monitoring," d.i.n.ko said.

"Good policy." Ferus nodded a good-bye.

He walked out, feeling a strange reluctance to leave. It wasn't only that this group reminded him of his time with the Eleven. It was a feeling that they were in danger, becoming involved in something so big that they couldn't possibly win.

He'd heard the Emperor's words. Palpatine spoke of letting the planet govern itself - but if Bog failed to take over, would the Empire just call in troops for an invasion? He didn't know.

He just hoped that whatever the Empire was planning, the resistance could survive it.

Chapter Eight.

The situation on Samaria was not unmanageable, Darth Vader thought. It wasn't even terribly difficult. Even that fool, Bog Divinian, was managing to manipulate popular opinion. Taking over the planet would be as easy as slicing through durasteel with a lightsaber.

So if things were under control, why was he still here? He had a galaxy to manage. Even while he'd been here, reports continued to flow in from other planets. There were plenty of matters he had to keep a hand in. Some could be handled easily with a threat or a directive. Others merited a personal visit. But his Master wanted him here, for now.

In just a few days, he'd brought the military chief in line. The battalion was secretly orbiting the Lemurtoo system, ready to be called in on a moment's notice. The captain of the battalion had drawn up a plan to guard the s.p.a.ceport and station troops around the city. He was agitating to move in. Vader had quickly vetoed that ridiculous plan. It was just an attempt from a lesser military mind to thrust himself into importance. He'd ordered the battalion to stay hidden until they were needed. If they had to stage a coup, they would, but it would be done quickly. Stationing troops without needing to was foolish. It just fanned the flames of resistance.