Destiny's Way

by Walter Jon Williams

  “Even Tarkin’s Fang is a dead end,” Admiral Sovv pointed out. “If we put forces there, they could be blockaded by any enemy who sealed the route to Treskov.”

  “I agree,” Ackbar said. “And I intend the enemy to agree as well.”

  Perspective shifted on the holo, the display zooming to display Treskov and its system. The fifth planet out, a gas giant striped in white and several shades of green, began to wink.

  “This is Ebaq, a gas giant with eleven moons. Of these, Ebaq Nine was once exploited by the Deep Core Mining Corporation for its deposits of bronzium. The moon was opened up shortly after the rise of Palpatine. During the war years the Empire maintained an observation post there, and used Ebaq Nine as an emergency resupply point, but the moon is now empty.”

  Ackbar ducked his head beneath the water, refreshing himself, then shook stray drops from his massive head. “I propose we reoccupy the moon and use it as bait in a trap. We must make it an irresistible target for the Yuuzhan Vong. And then, once the enemy begin their assault, we seal off the end and turn the Treskov system into a killing ground in which the enemy forces are hunted down and destroyed.”

  Ackbar turned to Sien Sovv. “Admiral, it is you who must commit the forces necessary to destroy the Yuuzhan Vong.”

  And then Ackbar turned to Luke, and Luke felt a chill run down his spine. “Master Skywalker,” the admiral said, “it is for you and the Jedi to provide the bait.”

  “I’m calling this meeting of the High Council for two reasons,” Cal Omas said. “First, we must discuss Admiral Ackbar’s plan for a renewed attack against the Yuuzhan Vong. Second, Intelligence Director Dif Scaur has an announcement of critical importance.”

  Cal looked abnormally grim. He was usually relaxed at meetings, joking as he slouched his lanky body into its seat. Today he was erect and businesslike. Clearly something important was at hand.

  The council members weren’t as crowded as they had been at their first meeting, even though they met in the same room, with the same overlarge table. The crowding had eased because fewer were present: Kyp Durron and Saba Sebatyne were at Kashyyyk, fighting with their squadrons, and had given their proxy votes to Cilghal and to Luke, respectively.

  “I have no intention of communicating the details of Admiral Ackbar’s plan to this council,” Cal said. “Its usefulness depends on secrecy, and in any case it’s irrelevant to the case I wish to put. Ackbar’s plan requires detaching large forces from their current deployments and using them against the Yuuzhan Vong. This will mean that many of our squadrons now engaged in the defense of our worlds won’t be available in case the Yuuzhan Vong choose to attack.”

  [If our fleets are on the offensive,] Triebakk proclaimed, [the Vong will have more urgent things to do than to attack our planets.]

  “Sir, our briefings have indicated that many more ships will be available in six standard months or so,” said the soft voice of Ta’laam Ranth. “Would it not be possible to delay our offensive until we can both defend our planets and attack the enemy?”

  “My Gotal colleague has a point,” Releqy A’Kla said. “It may be possible to delay any offensive until we have greater numbers.”

  “There’s a time limit on the admiral’s plan,” Luke said. “We currently have a technological advantage over the enemy. We don’t know how long this advantage will last, so the admiral wants to move now.”

  “Delaying six months,” Sien Sovv said, “means the war goes on six months longer than it would otherwise. Six more months of killing and uncertainty and expense.” He looked at Ta’laam Ranth. “Thousands of worlds are under threat. The fleet can’t defend them all, even with six months’ worth of reinforcements.”

  “My colleague’s arguments are logical,” the Gotal said. “I concede that an attack is logical.”

  “If I may interrupt,” Dif Scaur said, “I’d like to bring my own business before the council. It may have a direct bearing on whether the New Republic wishes to go on the offensive or not.”

  Luke looked at the thin man with care. When Ackbar had first presented his plan, Scaur had been meticulous about discovering Ackbar’s timing. This had made Luke suspicious, and Luke’s suspicions had been confirmed at Council meetings. Scaur clearly had an agenda of his own, and it was an agenda with a timetable.

  Scaur looked from one council member to the next. “I am now able to reveal the existence of a secret unit in New Republic Intelligence called ‘Alpha Red.’ It is headed by Joi Eicroth, a xenobiologist formerly belonging to Alpha Blue, another secret unit charged with Yuuzhan Vong affairs. Since the beginning of the war, Alpha Red has undertaken covert research on Yuuzhan Vong biology with the assistance of a team of scientists supplied by the Chiss.”

  Here it is, Luke thought. Something big, something very quiet that had gone on for at least two years without a breath of it getting out. In a government as porous as Borsk Fey’lya’s, that was a major accomplishment.

  Unless Fey’lya himself didn’t know, Luke thought.

  “Why Chiss?” Sien Sovv asked, bewildered.

  “The Chiss come from a hidden, remote section of the galaxy far from the Yuuzhan Vong invasion routes,” Scaur said. “It was highly unlikely that the enemy would have infiltrated them.”

  Which means, Luke thought, that Scaur’s had contact with the Chiss for some time. He knew in advance that he could count on them to deliver.

  “Our xenobiologists and geneticists have investigated Yuuzhan Vong genetics,” Scaur continued. He placed his pale, thin hands on the table before him. “They have located a unique genetic signature in Yuuzhan Vong DNA, something common to all Yuuzhan Vong species—the plants, the living buildings and ships, the animals, the Vong themselves. This genetic signature is unknown in any plant, animal, bacterial, or viral life within our own galaxy.”

  “You’ve developed a weapon,” Ta’laam Ranth said. Luke could feel surprise among the other council members, followed by apprehension and dread.

  “Yes.” Cal’s face was grim. “We have a weapon.”

  “A biological weapon,” Dif Scaur said. “An airborne weapon that will attack only those plants or animals that possess the genetic signature of the extragalactic Vong. If the weapon is dispersed efficiently on enemy worlds, we calculate that the menace of the Yuuzhan Vong will be ended within four weeks at the most—probably three.”

  “What do you mean, ended?” asked Cilghal.

  “I mean the Vong will be dead,” Scaur said. “And everything the Yuuzhan Vong brought with them—all the plants, all the buildings, all the ships.” He shrugged. “There may be some survivors in remote areas. But they’ll be infected if they travel to Vong worlds, and if they don’t, they can be hunted down.” He glanced briefly at each of the council members.

  “Biological weapons are notoriously capricious,” he continued. “Normally I would never recommend their use on a dispersed population like the Vong, but this weapon will be so effective that I consider it an exception to my usual rule. The Vong can’t escape it. It will attach to their genetics. There is a latency period of four or five days in which they will feel no effects, but will be infectious and contaminate everyone and everything they contact. After that they will begin to break down on the cellular level—their living tissue will dissolve into a fluid, and even that fluid will be infectious. They will be infected by their ships. Their weapons. Their armor. Their homes. Their food. Everything in their environment will carry the disease. Once the breakdown starts, the Vong will be dead within three or four days.”

  Luke let the horror sink in. The horror was followed by anger—anger is a useful emotion, he remembered Vergere telling him—and he turned to Cal Omas.

  “How long have you known about this?” he asked.

  “Since I was sworn in,” Cal said.

  “Almost three months.”

  Cal turned his own eyes to Luke. “Master Skywalker, I’m extremely sorry. But you understand that the secrecy of this project was paramount.”

>   “I understand your reasoning,” Luke said. And I disagree, he thought coldly. Because if I’d known in advance, I could have prepared arguments against this. As it is, I can only make the arguments that occur to me, and hope the Force will be with me.

  He looked at Dif Scaur. “You want to use the Great River to distribute this weapon, don’t you?” he said.

  Scaur nodded. “That would be convenient.”

  Luke shook his head. “Jedi won’t touch this. I ask you not to require it of us.”

  Scaur seemed unsurprised. “The Great River isn’t vital to the project. Our own intelligence networks now extend into Vong space. The fleet can deliver the weapon on missiles to enemy fleet targets, to space facilities, or to planets. And the Bothans made Alpha Red much more convenient when they declared ar’krai on the Vong—the Bothan spynet is famously efficient, and Alpha Red will settle all their goals for this war.” He shrugged his thin shoulders. “The Yuuzhan Vong themselves will do most of the distribution on our behalf, as their infected personnel and ships travel from world to world.”

  Ta’laam Ranth turned his red eyes to Luke. “Master Skywalker obviously objects to this plan,” he said. “I wish he’d explain his protests.”

  Luke looked at the others. “The Jedi exist to preserve life. This slaughter of entire species runs contrary to our principles.” He took a breath and summoned the Force and hoped that it would make his arguments as brilliant as they needed to be.

  “Let me point out that the Yuuzhan Vong are not so completely unlike us,” he said. “They are intelligent and educable. If you took one of their young and raised it, the child wouldn’t be unlike one of ours—their evil isn’t innate to the species. It’s their government and their religion that have made them aggressive, and it should be our task to defeat that government and religion, not to wipe out the common people who have had no choice but to follow their leaders.”

  “The Yuuzhan Vong have done this to our worlds,” Ayddar Nylykerka pointed out. “They’ve sown our worlds with life-forms that have killed everyone on the planet.”

  “Which is simply another point against the use of this weapon.” Ta’laam Ranth’s declaration surprised everyone at the table. “If we unleash this weapon against them, they could retaliate against us. We could lose worlds to Vong biologicals.”

  “Alpha Red is a defense against such an attack,” Scaur said. “Alpha Red would destroy any biological assault the Vong could launch.”

  Triebakk gave a roar that brought silence to the table. [I know something of science,] he said finally through translation. [I know the word blowback.] He glanced at the others. [For those who don’t know this term, it describes a weapon’s unanticipated side effects turning on the user.] He looked at Dif Scaur. [You’re planning to distribute Alpha Red throughout Vong space. Billions upon billions upon billions of live bacteria—or viruses, or whatever Alpha Red is—cast loose on viable ecosystems.] He shook his shaggy head. [You can’t tell me that Alpha Red won’t mutate, not in all those replications. And you can’t assure me that one of those mutations won’t be harmful to us. Blowback could kill all of us.]

  “The Chiss assure me this is highly unlikely,” Scaur said.

  “Unlikely,” Luke said. “Not impossible.”

  Scaur shrugged. “If this is a worry, we could quarantine Vong worlds until we can assure they’re safe. Refugees will be upset at not being able to move home immediately, but once victory is achieved, we should be able to pacify them.”

  Scaur had anticipated every argument. He’d had months to prepare this. Luke had only this moment.

  “You haven’t spoken of Yuuzhan Vong biological capabilities,” Luke said.

  Scaur raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand, Master Skywalker.”

  “The Yuuzhan Vong have formidable biological knowledge,” Luke said. “They do everything through biotech. Can you tell me they haven’t anticipated this form of attack? How do you know they aren’t ready for it? How do you know that once they see we’re ready to commit genocide and ecocide both, they won’t retaliate in kind?”

  For the first time, Scaur seemed at a loss. “We see no sign of it.”

  [You don’t understand everything about the Vong,] Triebakk said. [My guess is that you have at best a cursory knowledge of their immune systems. What if they’re ready for you?]

  Scaur hesitated. A corner of his eye twitched. “We have no evidence to show anything of the sort.”

  “Have you looked?” Luke asked.

  Scaur seemed nettled. “Of course. We’ve captured and examined shaper facilities. We have a decent knowledge of the weapons they’ve used against us. We’ve captured their ships and examined them.”

  “Our knowledge of the enemy is deficient,” Ta’laam Ranth said. His double-horned head turned slowly left and right, scanning the table. “Clearly it would be illogical to proceed with this plan.”

  Dif Scaur’s face tautened, only increasing the death-mask effect. “The weapon is fully tested,” he said. “And that includes on live subjects.” He raised a hand to cut off Luke’s explosion of protest. “Warrior prisoners,” he said. “We have to keep the warriors unconscious after we capture them, because the second they wake they try to commit suicide. We infected a small number of these with the weapon. The weapon …” He took a breath. “The weapon works. I regretted extremely the necessity of having to do this, but a test was required, and their deaths were as painless and humane as we could make them.” He put his hands on the table before him. “I assure everyone here that Alpha Red will work, and will do everything that is promised.”

  “This is unconscionable,” Luke said. Never had he felt such cold rage. “This is something Palpatine might have done.”

  Dif Scaur gave him a furious glance. “No, this is not what Palpatine would have done,” he said. “Palpatine would have tested the weapon on the population of an entire world, and used it as a terror weapon to keep other worlds in subjugation. I ask Master Skywalker to avoid such odious comparisons.”

  There was a long moment of silence, broken by Cal.

  “Perhaps we should vote, then,” Cal said. “Those in favor?”

  Dif Scaur’s hand went up first. Then Nylykerka’s. Then, with hesitation, the hand of Sien Sovv.

  Luke kept his hands on the table. So did all the Jedi. “I cast Saba Sebatyne’s proxy against the motion,” he said.

  “And I cast Kyp Durron’s,” Cilghal echoed.

  “The motion fails,” Releqy A’Kla said.

  Then Cal Omas turned to Luke. There was regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Luke,” he said, “but in a war that we’re losing, we can’t afford to throw away any weapons. Particularly one that will end so much suffering and heartache for our people.” He turned to Dif Scaur. “This council is advisory, not legislative. As Chief of State, I order Dif Scaur to continue the Alpha Red project.”

  Luke sat stunned. Dif Scaur looked at his hands in order to hide the cold triumph in his eyes.

  Sorrow dug deep furrows into Cal’s brows. “This is a tragedy in every way,” he said. “But our only choice is between one tragedy and another, and I prefer to make the Vong’s story a tragedy and not ours.” He looked at Dif Scaur. “When can you have your weapon ready?”

  “There is only a small sample of the material at present,” Scaur said. “We’ll need to produce much more—tons at least. The secure Alpha Red facility is unsuited for producing such quantities.” He turned to Cal. “There’s an old Nebulon-B frigate in orbit above Mon Calamari, used as a hospital ship. If we could shift the patients to the surface, Alpha Red could take advantage of the ship’s isolation and sterile environment. Once we get there, I anticipate enough product can be made to begin distribution within two weeks.”

  Cal turned to the others. “In that case,” he said, “we’ll postpone implementation of Admiral Ackbar’s offensive plans. We may as well stay on the defensive until Alpha Red wins the war.” He looked at the others. “Of course, no one is to speak
of this matter until the end of the war. If then.”

  He brought the council meeting to a swift end. He cast one regretful glance at Luke, then stood and made his rapid way out, followed with equal rapidity by Dif Scaur.

  Feeling a hundred years old, Luke rose slowly from the table. Triebakk and the Jedi came to stand beside him.

  “What can we do?” Cilghal asked.

  Luke forced a casual shrug. “Try to change Cal’s mind. We have a couple of weeks at least.”

  [If there is more that you wish to do …] Triebakk left the thought unfinished.

  Luke shook his head. “Thank you for the offer, but no.”

  If Luke did anything, he would do it himself, and take the responsibility on himself alone.

  But he knew that if he did, he would throw away everything he’d worked for in the course of his long, exacting life.

  Luke returned home after the meeting of the High Council with dread and anger warring in his mind. Nothing could be done as long as he was in this state, so he sat on the floor and began to apply relaxing techniques to get his thoughts and emotions under control.

  He felt Mara in the Force before she entered the apartment. She paused for a moment in the doorway, her own Force-awareness gently enfolding him, and then she closed the door, put down the briefcase she was carrying, and joined him on the floor. She sat behind him, her hands on his shoulders, and began working at the taut shoulder and neck muscles. Luke surrendered to the touch, let her fingers turn his muscles to liquid. His breath fell into rhythm with hers. Mara worked herself closer until she was pressed against his back. Her arms went around him, and she rested her chin on his shoulder.

  “What’s the bad news?” she said.

  Luke hesitated, but he knew Mara could be trusted, and besides the horror was too vast to keep to himself. He told her about Alpha Red.

  Mara drew back slightly as she considered the problem. “What can we do?”