Part 6 (2/2)
”As long as you don't destroy the plant in the process,” Binalie warned
”We'll do e can,” Roshton promised ”But that's up to the Separatists now”
Tories felt his throat tighten, the fading light in the skyhe'd feared for so long had already happened
The war had come to Cartao
Hero of Cartao
Episode II
Hero's Rise
by Ti to a the Spaarti Creations e of theBinalie faneticgrapples Kinround beneath the his view-but he could guess thatthey were hovering over the last of the shattered war machines that had endedup there in the aftermath of the Separatists' assault on the plant two daysearlier
At least, Doriana thought unkindly, the Nei droid army had learned not to sirassland Glancing around toin wasn't under observation, he pulled out hisholoprojector and keyed in the contact code
The connecting light blinked on as the device linked first to the localco office, then to his personal shi+p and its specialHoloNet node, then across the vast expanse of the Republic to one of the dozenHoloNet nodes on Coruscant, and finally to the private desk of SupremeChancellor Palpatine hi if Palpatine would be there or out at yet another alaxy appeared in the air above the holoprojector ”Master Doriana,” Palpatine said, nodding to his advisor ”You have good news?”
”Just the opposite, I'm afraid,” Doriana ad Spaarti Creations, and they seeured out that vehicles or people on the plant's southern border upset the Cranscoctwillers inside They're clearing the last of the debris off the grasslandnow, and et the plant retooledfor whatever it is they want to build in there”
”Not a pleasant thought,” Palpatine said gravely ”Are you familiar with the D-90 project?”
”No,” Doriana said ”Is it one of ours?” Palpatine's lip twisted”Hardly It's an experih as theTrade Federation's D-60 assault droid, but more versatile”
”I see,” Doriana said The D-60 was a hulking, man-and-a-half-sizeversion of the super battle droids the Trade Federation had debuted at theBattle of Geonosis ”How much more versatile?”
”Considerably,” Palpatine said ”They'll be coordinated in small teamsinstead of entire army blocks so that they can be used as commando units aswell as siht, indeed,” Doriana said So, the Separatists finally had a neeapon on the plotting board About tiin production?”
”That's what our Intelligence people believe,” Palpatine said”Personally, I suspect there are still some system flaws and that they hope touse Spaarti to test and finalize the design What's the current militarysituation?” ”For the moment, basically stalemated,” Doriana told hiround, some of themhere on Lord Binalie's estate, the rest dispersed elsewhere They've beenharassing the droids wherever possible, but the Separatists have et at thee to the plant”
”Which neither we nor they want,” Palpatine said ”What about the techs?”
”Binalie has a secret safe room-basically a shi+elded sub-sub-basement- that connects with the tunnel to the plant,” Doriana said ”The techs are hidden down there” ”Co the local comm system and the HoloNet node,” Doriana told hiet around it They'll be able to et the chance”
”Then they shall have it,” Palpatine said ”A Republic light cruiser ison its ith the necessary firepower to destroy the control shi+p orbitingabove you Once the droid army is helpless, I trust Commander Roshton won'thave any trouble with the Neimoidian overseers and their techs”
”I'reed ”When can we expect this shi+p?”
”Possibly as early as tonight,” Palpatine said ”Possibly not for another three days It depends on howthe way”
”Understood,” Doriana assured him ”Thank you, Chancellor We'll look forward to their arrival”
Palpatine gave hi heavily on hie vanished Doriana broke the connection from his end and lookedback at the lifters They had the blackened hulk of the last ruined war it back toward the plant
Planning to durounds, no doubtWhy the alien Cranscoc insisted that this particular stretch of land-and onlythis particular stretch-be kept unsullied not even Lord Binalie knew Dorianawatched until the lifters and their burden had vanished behind the juttingroof of the Spaarti plant, then keyed a different code into his holoprojectorHe'd done his official job, reporting the situation to the man whose officepaid hiave hier for the holoprojector toidly at the sky as he wondered what theNei inside the plant Now that the south laas clear,they would certainly try tonight to get the Cranscoc twillers to retool theplant The only question hich direction would that retooling take? Tocreate the D-90 prototypes, as Palpatine thought? Or were they up to soelse? In the distance, he could hear the hum of repulsorlifts And suddenly,four small transports appeared over the hills between hi defensive screening around theency of pilots who knew there were snipers inthe area The whole crowd shot past nearly overhead, then angled doard, thetransports abruptly splitting for into position on the foursides of the Binalie mansion a kilometer away With the kind of precision onlyremote-controlled droids could achieve, all four dropped siround And froht lines of battle droids
”Report”
With a start, Doriana jerked his attention back to his holoprojector Thehooded ie of Darth Sidious hovered over the small projection platform, hisexpression unreadable ”Your pardon, Lord Sidious,” Doriana apologizedhastily ”My attention was distracted”
To his relief, Sidious merely smiled thinly ”The Neimoidians have finallyto split his attention between his on around the mansion below The battledroids had been joined on the la by a handful of the hulking D-60assault droids and a pair of droidekas Most of them settled into a defensivecordon around theinsteadjust outside the transport nearest the ed from the hatch into the protective square of theassault droids and scuttled across the laard the door
”It looks like they've decided to have a talk with Lord Binalie,” he told Sidious ”Will talking be of any use to theroup vanished inside