Razor's Edge: Star Wars (Empire and Rebellion) Read Online Free PDF Page B

focused on Leia as she stepped into the cabin, and said, “Good to see you, Princess.” His voice sounded raspy and weak.
    â€œI’m glad you’re awake.” Leia smiled. She was sure he needed more sleep, but it was a relief to see him coherent and well enough to sit up.
    â€œHe isn’t to get up or agitate himself until I can get him to a medical facility with a full scanner setup,” Sarit told her.
    â€œI won’t let him get agitated,” Leia promised. Sarit sounded a little shaky himself, and she wondered if he had had a chance to sit down since the attack. “But I do need to talk to him in private. Why don’t you take a break and get some rest before we reach the station?”
    The medic blinked, as if the idea had never occurred to him. “Oh. Oh, yes, I suppose I could.”
    Sarit wandered out into the corridor, and Leia pushed the release to close the hatch behind him. She sat down on the stool next to the general’s bunk. “How do you really feel?”
    â€œTerrible,” he admitted. “Denlan and Esrai?”
    Leia squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.”
    Willard took a deep, shuddering breath, then winced and half lifted a hand to his head. “Blast it. I was afraid of that, when Sarit wouldn’t tell me how they were.” He looked up at Leia. “What’s our situation?”
    â€œIt’s not terrible, but it’s not good, either,” she said, and gave him a quick rundown on the condition of the crew and the ship, and of what they were doing to remedy it. She told him about her decision to head on to the station once they finished the emergency jump, and to send the message to Madine to ask for the
Millennium Falcon.
    â€œSorel thinks we have at least three to four standard days of repairs ahead of us, so I knew we needed a backup ship in case we have to leave the station in a hurry.” Then she leaned forward. “Vanden, someone knew where the
Gamble
would be, when we would be at our most vulnerable, while receiving that HoloNet transmission. That light corvette knew exactly when to come out of hyperspace to hit us.”
    Willard frowned, absorbing her words. “It’s more likely it’s someone in our communications, isn’t it? If Davit wanted to betray us, he could have done it at the meeting.”
    â€œThat was my thought,” Leia said. “Whoever betrayed us had to do so almost at the last moment, as if they didn’t find out what the coordinates were until right after we did. Otherwise, the Empire would have sent more than one ship. I think the corvette was sent after us because it was the closest available ship, the only one that could get there in time.” She grimaced. “I know I don’t have much to go on, except the timing.” And her instincts.
    Leia didn’t need the reassurance, but it was still gratifying when Willard said, “Yes, the intel more likely came from the fleet.” He tried to sit up straighter, and sank back with a groan. “We’re going to have to figure out how to isolate this leak, find out who it is.”
    â€œThat will have to come later. At the moment we’ve done all we can.” If a traitor had managed to infiltrate the Alliance’s chain of communication to and from the fleet, there was no telling what damage had already been done. But Leia didn’t see anything she could do about it, at least at the moment. For now she had to concentrate on making certain the
Gamble
didn’t come to harm or become yet another Alliance ship that vanished into space, its fate unknown. She glanced at the time again. “I should go and let you get some more rest. We’ll be at the station soon.”
    She started to stand, but the general caught her hand. His expression weary and rueful, he said, “I’m sorry I can’t be more help.”
    â€œYou
have
been helpful,” Leia told him, and meant it. When