Grace O'Connor was practically flying down the ship's corridor. The Zeltron woman was searchingfor the cabin where Li Noriega was staying.
In the time since they'd last seen each other, she'd missed talking to her friend terribly and was eager to catch up. Besides, Sumeragi clearly had something to tell her.
At last, she found the door she was looking for. Grace burst into her friend's cabin without knocking. The lights were off, and at first shecouldn't make out anything inside.
"Sumeragi, where are you? Come here—I need a hug."
Stepping fully into the cabin, she closed the doorbehind her. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Glancing around, the Zeltron found what she was looking for on the bunk. Li hadn't even taken off her uniform—she must have fallen asleep like that. Without a shred of remorse, Grace nudged her awake.
"Sumeragi Li Noriega! You failed your test!"
"What? How?!" Li jolted upright instantly.
"Relax, it's just me. Hutt, my friend, you look awful. Tell me everything—right now. I saw it all in flashes and have no idea what really happened. And you know I'll die of curiosity."
"Oh, Grace… I'm glad to see you too," Li Noriega murmured. "You know, more than once I thoughtwe'd never see each other again. But… we'realive."
"No, no, that won't do at all!" O'Connor protested.
"Grace… let me rest a little. I'm exhausted," Sumeragi whispered, burying her face in the pillow.
The Zeltron nodded silently. Sumeragi's tone made it clear she didn't want to talk. Carefully, Grace helped her remove her jacket. The dim light made details hard to see, but she noticed a smallscar on Li Noriega's head.
Looks like she really took a beating.
"Then good night for now, First Lieutenant," Gracewhispered, tucking the blanket around her friend before quietly slipping out of the cabin. The interrogation could wait.
***
In one of Coruscant's eateries—the PrancigBantha—everything was proceeding as usual. A couple of dozen patrons of every sort weredevouring their breakfasts as the sun rose over this part of the planet. On a megacity world, however, the distinction between day and night was largely symbolic—life here never stopped.
Suddenly, one of the patrons—a well-fed Twi'lek reading something on his datapad while shovelingpakora into his mouth—shouted for the whole diner to hear:
"My mother Rancor!"
"What is it, Ed?" asked Nob Zann, one of the establishment's three organic employees. "Win the lottery? Ha-ha!" He laughed at his own silly joke, and a few regulars joined in—Ed Fer-Tall wasfamously unlucky when it came to gambling.
"Nob, turn on the Free Channel!"
"Ed, that's the CIS channel, isn't it?" the bartender asked, surprised.
"Turn it on—quickly, before they jam the signal!"
Nob shrugged and, with a few keystrokes, activated the wall display.
A minute later, the eaterie fell deathly silent.
The screen showed images of an unfamiliar planet: shattered equipment, twisted wreckage, and mountains of bodies. Piles of clone troopersrose tens of meters high…
A monotonous voiceover recited casualty figures, repeatedly emphasizing the might of the droid army that had dealt the Republic this crushing defeat.
" …The barbaric attack on a peaceful planet has ended in the complete rout of the Republic army. The pathetic clones, led by incompetent Jedi commanders, were scattered and annihilated. The valiant defenders of free Jabiim destroyed three hundred and fifty thousand "meat droids." Once again, the Republic has demonstrated its utter incompetence in both military and politicalmatters. Driven by greed for resources, it sent a massive army to plunder yet another Outer Rim world. But the people of Jabiim, led by Alto Stratus, rose up to defend their rights and freedoms. The leadership of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, headed by the wise CountDooku, answered the call for help and dispatched its effective combat droids to aid the planet'smilitia. As a result, Jabiim has remained free from the oppression of the decaying Republic! Greedy senators will no longer line their pockets through plunder and lawlessness! Count Dooku assures us that soon more planets will be liberated from the yoke imposed on them by the Republic!.."
"Turn that off. Now," came a firm voice.
Everyone turned to see a clone patrol standing in the doorway.
"Yes—yes, right away!" Nob hastily switched the channel. A harmless talk show replaced the broadcast.
When the patrol left the diner, the patrons, forgetting their breakfasts, clustered together and began whispering.
"Nob, do you think it's true?"
"It sure looks that way. See how fast the authorities reacted—sending out patrols already. There's bound to be panic in the city. Rumors will spread, and the casualty numbers will only grow…"
"Let's just hope it doesn't turn into riots."
"Yeah. But just in case, be ready to shut the place down."
***
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