by Timothy Zahn
“I am certain they will be,” Thrawn said. “But I first wish to examine the remnants of the Grysk cargo.”
Vader ran the whole thing over in his mind. So Thrawn wanted to go back to the Batuu hyperlane?
But not to the point where the Chimaera had first been dropped back into realspace, which should be an easier and quicker point to locate. Did he expect to find something at the exact point where he’d originally given up the effort?
Or was something else going on? Could he be making Faro go to all this effort because he was stalling for time?
And if so, why? What could he possibly be stalling for? “And you expect the Batuu hyperlane will now be open?” he asked.
“Not at all,” Thrawn said. “But I believe we now hold the key to its closure.”
“The Grysks and their hibernating Force-sensitives?”
“That, and more,” Thrawn said, his voice going darker. “We will know soon if I am correct.”
* * *
—
“Our first thought was that they were some kind of covert fighter escort,” Captain Skerris said, pulling up the images he and the other TIE Defender pilots had recorded from their encounters with the Grysk freighters. “But it turned out they didn’t have much in the way of armament, or at least nothing they were willing to show us. They weren’t very fast, either.” His eyes flicked briefly to Faro. “If we hadn’t been ordered to assist the Darkhawk I could have taken out one or more of them.”
Faro suppressed a grimace. And that one was squarely on her. She’d given Skerris and the others the order to put the First Legion’s mission at top priority.
And Vader was standing right there.
His helmet turned toward her.
There were rumors about what happened to people who displeased the Dark Lord. None of those stories were pleasant. None of them ended well. Kimmund was still here, so Vader had apparently decided the loss of the other ships wasn’t the First Legion’s fault. But Faro had no such guarantees for herself.
“The freighter was the more important target,” Thrawn said calmly. “Would you not agree, Lord Vader?”
“I would,” Vader rumbled. For another moment his blank faceplate remained pointed at Faro. Then, he turned to Skerris. “Flight characteristics?”
“Unimpressive, my lord,” Skerris said. “They looked like small, heavy-load transports, and that’s exactly the way they seemed to handle.” He touched a spot on one of the images. “For what it’s worth, all of them had just the single cargo hatch, and it was big enough to handle the cylinders Commander Kimmund saw in the freighter.”
He looked at Kimmund, and for a moment Faro thought he was going to add before the Grysks blew them up. Fortunately, Skerris, for all his arrogance and propensity for ignoring officers, wasn’t the type for cheap shots.
Neither, apparently, was Kimmund. “I concur with Captain Skerris’s assessment,” the First Legion commander said. “I also agree with his conclusion that none of these ships were particularly well armed. They seemed to be at Batuu for a pickup, nothing more, and weren’t expecting trouble.”
“Given the bartender’s comments about the fear the Darshi and Grysks engendered in Black Spire’s residents,” Thrawn said, “I am certain they did not anticipate resistance.”
“Maybe not,” Kimmund said, his voice going a little sour. “But they were sure ready in case it happened. By the time we got to the cockpit the entire computer system had been wiped clean, and every bit of electronics had been fried. In fact, there were places where it looked like they’d taken literal flame to the walls and equipment.”
“Yes, I saw,” Thrawn said, nodding. “They were no doubt attempting to destroy any evidence of their point of origin.”
“Including themselves,” Kimmund said. “They were throwing themselves at us during the incursion, and I don’t think it was just to slow us down. I think they all wanted to die fighting so that we wouldn’t have anyone to interrogate. The only reason we have any prisoners at all is that we caught three of them still working on the electronics wipe and were able to get into stun range before they could get to their weapons. Which were DL-18s and old DC-18s, by the way,” he added. “Probably locally bought.”
“So what exactly were they supposed to pick up on Batuu that was worth all that?” Skerris asked. “Do we know?”
“I believe we do,” Thrawn said. “To clarify, though, I believe they were at Batuu for both pickup and delivery. Consider that several of the small transports were already on the ground near Black Spire. I believe the plan was for the first freighter, the one Commander Kimmund captured, to remain in orbit and transfer one cylinder to each of the four smaller transports that had just arrived.”
“They did look like they were moving toward the freighter when they spotted us and started running,” Skerris said.
“Indeed,” Thrawn said. “They would have begun with the four already in space, then continued with those waiting on the ground, which would presumably join the freighter in orbit at their own schedule. The second freighter was to land and gather the”—his eyes flicked to Vader—“Grysks’ prisoners, bringing them to orbit and likewise transferring one to each transport.”
“All of it taking place off the ground, where the locals wouldn’t get a good look,” Faro said.
“So who exactly are these Grysks?” Kimmund asked.
“Very little is known for certain,” Thrawn said. “But some things can be deduced.” He touched a control, and the conference table’s holoprojector lit up with a series of images. “These are some of the artistic pieces that have been created in memorial by survivors of Grysk conquests. Compensating for the creators’ cultural biases and patterns, I believe that the tales of vast hordes of the enemy are inaccurate. More likely they utilize unfamiliar tactics and weaponry, not simple numbers, to overwhelm their opponents.”
Faro nodded. Back when she first came aboard the Chimaera, she’d often been frustrated by the fact that she didn’t have a clue as to what Thrawn was seeing in all this artwork, let alone understand how he arrived at his conclusions. Now she simply admired the pretty pictures, and trusted him to know what he was talking about.
“Nor do I believe the myth that they are nomadic,” Thrawn continued. “Most beings began on planetary worlds, and do not easily give them up. Moreover, the images and designs of their ships in these pieces strongly indicate a preference for sun, sky, and soil to the blackness of space. Commander Kimmund, your report stated that you observed what you took to be surprise on the prisoners’ faces when they first saw the Chimaera.”
“Yes, sir, I believe that was their response,” Kimmund said. “We’ll hopefully know more when the medical droids finish analyzing the biosensors we connected to their restraints.”
Faro forced down a grimace. That had been her idea, which Kimmund had supposedly turned down on the grounds that the Darkhawk didn’t have the necessary equipment and that attaching sensors in the first place might warn the prisoners that something special was in the works. Apparently, somewhere on the return trip he’d found both the equipment and the daring to try it.
And since her suggestion had been oral and on a closed transmission, and his report was written and fully on the record, he would undoubtedly get the credit for it.
In Grand Admiral Thrawn’s fleet, such things didn’t matter that much. In the rest of the navy, and certainly on Coruscant, they mattered a great deal.
She was pretty sure they mattered to Vader, too.
“That would support your conclusion that they are not nomadic,” Vader said. “If they were, a ship the size of a Star Destroyer would not impress them.”
“Perhaps,” Thrawn said, inclining his head to the other. “But make no mistake,” he continued, sending his gaze around the rest of the table. “The Grysks are not to be underestimated. If they fled from combat today, i
t is because they chose to do so.”
“Just like we did?” Kimmund asked.
Thrawn’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Explain.”
“I meant, sir, that we too have the choice of combat or otherwise,” Kimmund said, his voice steady. “My question was whether you’re planning to involve the Empire with these Grysk. A warlike species that doesn’t seem to be bothering us.”
A dead silence filled the conference room. Thrawn and Kimmund sat unmoving, their gazes locked. Faro found her own eyes shifting between Kimmund and Vader, wondering if the Dark Lord was going to slap down his legion commander for such insubordination.
Only he didn’t. Did that mean Vader himself had ordered Kimmund to ask the question?
“When I was first brought before the Emperor,” Thrawn said at last, his voice calm, “I warned him there were many dangers waiting to strike from the Unknown Regions. He took me at my word. Ultimately, he granted me the rank of grand admiral. Are you questioning his judgment?”
Kimmund’s lip twitched, his eyes shifting once to Vader before returning to Thrawn. “No, sir.”
“Good,” Thrawn said. “Then be assured, Commander, that when we engage the Grysks—not if, but when,” he added, his gaze again sweeping the table—“it will be because they are indeed a threat to the Empire.” His eyes steadied again on Kimmund. “Have you further questions?”
Again, Kimmund glanced at Vader. “No, sir.”
Thrawn turned to Faro. “Commodore, how long until we reach the coordinates I set for you?”
“Twenty-three hours and fourteen minutes, sir,” Faro reported.
“Good,” Thrawn said. “That should allow the engineers sufficient time to finish their initial analysis, and permit the officers and crew to rest.”
He straightened to his full height. Even sitting down, the move was impressive. “In precisely twenty-one hours the Chimaera will begin a full systems test. Two hours after that, this ship will go to battle stations.”
He looked at Vader, and Faro thought she saw a small smile touch the admiral’s lips. “And shortly after that,” he added, “we will have the answers that we seek.”
* * *
—
“One minute,” the officer at the helm station called. Lieutenant Agral, if Vader was remembering his name correctly.
“All weapons ready,” Senior Lieutenant Pyrondi added from the weapons officer station.
“Orders, Admiral?” Commodore Faro asked.
Vader looked at Thrawn, noting the look of quiet determination there. “Stand ready for navigation mark.”
“Ready for navigation mark,” Faro called. She glanced at Vader, as if expecting him to make a comment or possibly give an order of his own.
But Vader remained silent. For the moment, at least, this was all Thrawn’s show.
A flash and fade of starlines, and the Chimaera returned to realspace.
“Navigation mark!” Faro snapped. “Sensors at full range.”
“Mark, aye.”
“No enemy ships on sensors,” Pyrondi called.
“Any other objects in range?” Faro asked.
“None,” Pyrondi said.
“Reverse to previous course,” Thrawn ordered. “New course as indicated.”
Faro looked at the nav display, a frown creasing her forehead. “Sir?” she asked.
“The course is correct, Commodore,” Thrawn said. “A microjump to this point, a second microjump to this, and normal hyperdrive to our current position.”
“Though from a different angle,” Faro said.
“Yes,” Thrawn said.
“Understood, sir,” Faro said, though it was clear from her voice that she didn’t.
But at least she and the rest of Thrawn’s officers had apparently learned how to follow orders. “Helm: Execute as ordered.”
The Chimaera made three more approaches into the blocked hyperlane. The sensors made three more scans. The helm added three more navigation marks.
They were approaching the fourth when Vader finally decided he’d had enough.
He took a step closer to Thrawn. “What do you expect to find?” he asked.
“The source of the disturbance,” Thrawn said.
“There is nothing here.”
“Perhaps,” Thrawn said. “Did you see the engineers’ analysis of the freighter debris?”
“I did,” Vader said. Changing the subject, he’d observed, was one of the Chiss’s favorite tactics. Unfortunately for him, Vader had figured out how to counter that ploy. “The ratio of metals in the fragments was similar to the distribution in an Interdictor cruiser’s gravity-well projectors.”
“Indeed,” Thrawn said. “Then you know what we are hunting.”
“You hunt in vain.”
Vader looked to both sides, making sure no one else was within earshot. This conversation was for him and Thrawn alone. “You think the destroyed Grysk cylinders were gravity-well projectors.”
“It would explain the disruption of the hyperlane and how the Chimaera was pulled out of hyperspace.”
“Your conclusion is flawed,” Vader said flatly. “To remain undetected, the projector would need to be protected by a cloaking device. Yet as you yourself said, and as the engineers have confirmed, a gravity well and a cloaking device cannot be run from the same point at the same time.”
“Engineers and their conclusions are sometimes wrong.”
“Not this time,” Vader said firmly.
“I agree,” Thrawn said.
Vader frowned. “You agree that there is nothing to find? Then why are we here?”
“I have said already: to find the source of the hyperlane disruption.”
“Explain.”
“There are still uncertainties,” Thrawn said. “I would therefore prefer not to speak at this time.”
Vader’s left hand unhooked itself from his belt, shifting over a few centimeters and coming to rest on the hilt of his lightsaber. It was time to have this out. “I am the Emperor’s representative,” he said, putting all the dark threat of a Sith Lord into his voice. “You will speak if I so order.”
“The Emperor placed me in command of this vessel and this mission.”
“The Emperor does not permit his subordinates to play games.”
For perhaps five seconds Thrawn didn’t speak. Vader tightened his grip on his lightsaber…
“Over my years of service to the Empire, I have sometimes offered explanations without proof,” he said quietly. “That has never gone well.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most people don’t believe me,” Thrawn said. “That disbelief then biases them against the proof when it is revealed.”
“I am not most people,” Vader reminded him.
“I know that, my lord.” Thrawn said. “But I would still ask you to trust me.”
Vader eyed him, stretching out to the Force. The Jedi, too, had been distrusted and his opinions casually dismissed, often by the people he was closest to. He, too, had known how it felt to be powerful, yet somehow still an outsider. “Tell me of the prisoners taken from Batuu.”
“I cannot,” Thrawn said. “I can say only that it is vital we recover them.”
“If I demand an answer?”
“I cannot answer,” Thrawn repeated. “I can only ask that you trust me.”
Vader clenched his teeth. “One cannot simply ask for trust, Admiral,” he warned harshly. “Trust must be earned.”
“I agree,” Thrawn said. “I ask one more hour.”
Vader looked out at the flowing hyperspace sky. “One hour,” he agreed. “And then, Admiral, you will answer my questions.”
“All I’m asking,” Anakin said, “is that you trust me.”
Thrawn didn’t answer. He’d been talkative enough
at the beginning of the trip, mostly questioning Anakin about the Republic, the Separatists, and the Clone Wars. Anakin’s own questions about the Chiss tended to be answered briefly or not at all.
But once Anakin started talking about his plan for getting into the Mokivj facility, all that had changed. Now it was mostly Anakin talking and the Chiss not answering.
On one level, he really couldn’t blame his new partner. The plan was borderline crazy, and with anyone but a Jedi it would be doomed to failure from the outset.
But Anakin was a Jedi. More than that, he knew how Separatists thought and acted.
And he was very good against Separatist battle droids.
“I am a commander of the Expansionary Defense Fleet,” Thrawn said. “My uniform proclaims my authority.”
“Which you won’t have any of on Mokivj anyway,” Anakin said patiently. “Even if the locals have heard stories of the Chiss, the Separatists in charge of the base aren’t going to be impressed.” He waved at the blaster damage on Thrawn’s uniform. “And frankly, what that outfit mostly proclaims is that you were in a major battle, and that you probably lost.”
“I’m still alive,” Thrawn pointed out. “Life always tempers defeat.”
“I suppose,” Anakin said. “But really, we can do this.”
Thrawn looked over at R2-D2, sitting quietly in the corner. “You were making modifications to your droid earlier,” he said. “Were those modifications part of the plan?”
“Yes.”
“Are they detectable by the enemy?”
Anakin considered. Technically, if the enemy was very observant…but they almost certainly weren’t. “Not without taking him apart,” he said.
Thrawn pondered another few seconds. “The plan is rash. But the very boldness argues against the enemy being prepared for it. Very well, we’ll attempt it. At the very least, it will bring us past their outer defenses.”
“Good,” Anakin said with a sense of relief. This was theoretically a plan he and R2-D2 could pull off alone, but things like this always looked more believable if there was a team. “There are clothes lockers back in the crew quarters. Hopefully, something in there will fit you.”
