Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Read Online Free PDF

nothing bad said about the MC-Eighty. ” Viedas was pacing from one end of the conference room to the other, addressing the rest of the small gathering. Present via hologram were Mon Mothma and Garm Bel Iblis, presumably from their respective homeworlds. The Senators looked stressed and didn’t notice Juno’s entry. Princess Leia Organa attended in person. She returned Juno’s salute with a respectful nod.
    So far, thought Juno, so good.
    “The redundancy of its shield system is of prime advantage, ” Viedas was saying. “I cannot overemphasize how important this is in conflicts against the Empire. We will always be outweaponed, so defense should always be our first priority. “
    “I understand, Commodore, ” said Mon Mothma. “But the simple fact is that we can’t afford any more of them. Not at the moment. Our resources are stretched too far as it is. “
    “If the Mon Calamari won’t give them to us, ” said Bel Iblis, “then we must take them. “
    “We’re not pirates, ” said Leia. “My father would not agree to this. “
    “Your father isn’t here. Perhaps if we had greater access to his resources…”
    Juno cleared her throat, and the commodore turned to face her.
    “Ah, good. Captain Eclipse, would you care to report the outcome of your mission to Cato Neimoidia?”
    “Of course, sir. ” She came deeper into the room, trying to take the measure of the meeting. Clearly something had leaked. Someone on her bridge, or perhaps in the starfighter squadrons, had let slip what had happened, so the people before her already knew part of it. The question was: Would they give her a fair hearing, or had they already made up their minds?
    “My orders were explicit, ” she said, deciding to draw the picture in black and white herself and thereby disallow any enemies she might have the advantage. “Gather intelligence, shake up my crew. That’s all. When the opportunity came to assist General Kota in his mission to kill the Imperial administrator on Cato Neimoidia, I decided to do so. “
    “What kind of assistance did you provide?” Bel Iblis asked without any sign of prejudgment. She knew that he would be interested, first and foremost, in the military angle.
    “We acted as a distraction for the ground forces, primarily by launching starfighters, but also by making the frigate’s presence known. We jammed signals in and out, inasmuch as we could. The Salvation engaged directly with the enemy only when it became clear that General Kota required our active support. “
    “Did he know you were going to be there?” asked Mon Mothma, who no doubt cared less about the tactical derails than the circumstances under which the brief alliance had come about.
    “He did. Senator, ” Juno said.
    “And how did he come to be privy to this information?”
    “Because I told him two days in advance. “
    “I see. ” Mon Mothma’s lips tightened. “Would you care to explain why?”
    “I wasn’t aware that I was required to keep secrets from a general in the Rebel Alliance. “
    “But you are aware, no doubt, that the general’s actions are not always sanctioned by the Alliance. “
    “Yes, Senator. “
    “Do you consider yourself to be part of his renegade campaign?”
    “No, Senator. “
    “Yet you disobey orders in order to help him. How do you explain that?”
    Juno felt as though the deck were slipping out from beneath her. She wondered again who had sold her out, and if she would get the chance to find out why before she was decommissioned, maybe worse. “Permission to speak freely, Senator. “
    “Granted, ” said Garm Bel Iblis.
    Mon Mothma glanced at him in surprise and some annoyance, but didn’t countermand him.
    “I have helped General Kota before, ” Juno said, “on Drucken-well, Selonia, and Kuat. Each time, his missions were successful in helping the Alliance. Each time, my assistance cost the Alliance nothing. I took no orders from him, and he accepted the limitations of our