But he said nothing as she and Mitth'raw'nuruodo approached, merely following them with brooding eyes as they passed him.

There was another shuttle parked near the Chiss vehicle, she noted, one of Outbound Flight's transports. Curious; that hadn't been there when the Chiss commander arrived. "We don't intend your people any harm," she told Mitth'raw'nuruodo as they stopped at his shuttle's hatchway.

"I believe you," he said. "But intent alone is meaningless. Your actions are what will determine your fate."

Lorana swallowed. "I understand."

"You have one hour." Inclining his head to her, Mitth'raw'nuruodo turned and disappeared into his vehicle.

Lorana moved back to allow the pilot room to maneuver.. and as she did so, she sensed a familiar presence. Turning, she saw Uliar walking toward her.

Striding along behind him, a cold fire in his eyes, was C'baoth.

"Jedi Jinzler," C'baoth said as Mitth'raw'nuruodo's shuttle slipped through the atmosphere shield and disappeared out into the blackness of space. "I have another job for you."

The talks had gone on longer than Uliar had expected, and he'd had enough time to get rid of his swoop and find a spot in the corridor outside D-1's forward hangar where he could wait.

He'd been waiting now for nearly twenty minutes. More than enough time for his internal tension to start to fade away and then start ramping up again.

Where in blazes were Pressor and the others?

He could call Pressor and ask, of course. But comlink conversations among different Dreadnaughts ran through a central switching node. If C'baoth had taken over the comm system like he'd taken over everything else, that would show that Uliar wasn't on D-4 like he was supposed to be and tip him off that something was up.

And then, even as he tried to come up with another way to find Pressor, he saw them coming down the corridor: Lorana Jinzler and a blue-skinned, glowing-eyed near human who had to be Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo.

So hewas an unknown alien, or at least one Uliar had never seen. More importantly, he didn't have the clothing or other trappings that would indicate he was some official from Coruscant. Uliar grimaced, a part of his hope dying within him.

But only a part. Whether he was a genuine military commander or just some pirate with an assumed title, Mitth'raw'nuruodo seemed determined to keep them from passing through his territory. If Uliar could persuade him to order them back to the Republic-or even if he and his gang were able to plunder enough of Outbound Flight's supplies that Pakmillu was forced to go back for replacements-they might still be able to get Palpatine to do something about C'baoth's growing stranglehold on the expedition.

At the very least, Uliar and the others would then have a chance to jump ship and find something else to do with their lives.

Jinzler and Mitth'raw'nuruodo were coming toward him.. and with the rest of the committee still absent, it was all up to him. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth to speak.

Or rather, he tried to open it. To his horror, his mouth and tongue refused to work.

He tried again, and again, watching as Jinzler and Mitth'raw'nuruodo closed the gap, his throat and checks straining with his effort. But nothing worked.

And then they were there, right beside him. He tried to step in front of them, to at least keep them here until he could find a way to unfreeze his mouth. But his legs wouldn't work, either. Silently, he watched them pass him by, oblivious to his urgency and agony and helplessness.

"So you think to betray me, Uliar?" a quiet voice came in his ear.

Uliar's neck still worked, but there was no need to turn around. He knew that voice only too well. "Did you really think you could ride a swoop all the way from Dreadnaught-Four without my people in ComOps noticing and alerting me?" C'baoth went on. "So will treason always betray itself."

With a jolt like that of a suddenly released clamp, Uliar felt his mouth being freed from C'baoth's restraint. "It's not treason," he croaked. "We just want our mission back."

"Mymission, Uliar," C'baoth said darkly. "Mymission. Who else is in this pathetic little conspiracy?"

Uliar didn't answer. "Well, let's go see," C'baoth said. "Discreetly, of course, if you please."

As if Uliar had a choice. With C'baoth's hand riding loosely on his shoulder, the two men headed down the corridor after Jinzler and the blue-skinned alien. They reached the hangar just as the others arrived at Mitth'raw'nuruodo's ship. A few meters away was one of Outbound Flight's shuttles. .

Uliar felt his breath catch in his throat as he suddenly realized why the rest of the committee hadn't appeared. Rather than bringing everyone in along the corridors and turbolifts like an impromptu parade, Pressor had instead loaded them aboard one of D-4's shuttles and had Mosh fly them across.

Which meant there was still a chance. All Pressor had to do was pop the hatch, and before C'baoth realized what was happening they would be in front of Mitth'raw'nuruodo, ready to plead their cause. Surely even a Jedi Master couldn't strangle the words out of all of them at the same time.

But the hatch didn't open. With his tongue frozen again, Uliar watched helplessly as Mitth'raw'nuruodo spoke briefly with Jinzler, then went inside his shuttle and closed the hatch.

And with that, their last chance was gone.

C'baoth's hand prodded at Uliar's back, nudging him forward. "And now," the Jedi said with cold satisfaction, "all that remains is for me to decide what to do with all of you."

Jinzler turned around as they approached, her expression flickering with surprise at their presence. "Jedi Jinzler," C'baoth greeted her. "I have another job for you." He waved a hand casually at the silent shuttle

The hatch abruptly flew open, spilling Pressor and Mosh out. From the way they sprawled onto the deck, it was obvious they'd been shoving at the hatch with all their weight when C'baoth released his grip on it. "So theywere trying to open it," Uliar murmured.

"Of course they were," C'baoth said contemptuously. "If a swoop couldn't escape my notice, how did you expect an entire shuttle to do so?" He raised his voice. "You-all of you-come out. I want to see your faces."

"What's going on?" Jinzler asked, staring at the people as they began filing silently out onto the deck.

"This, Jedi Jinzler, is a conspiracy," C'baoth said, his voice as dark as Lorana had ever heard it. "These people apparently don't appreciate all the work and effort we've put into making Outbound Flight as rewarding a place as possible to work and live."