by Star Wars
“The prescribed treatment is sensory deprivation and a mental regimen called somnia,” Thrawn added. He reached the console, glanced over it, and turned one of the controls. In response the room’s lights faded to a barely visible glow. “The effect is to lower the metabolism in such a way as to diminish the physical symptoms, while the sensory suppression speeds the mental recovery.”
Eli nodded, looking at the girl with new eyes as Ar’alani removed the cloth covering her face and torso. The hands pressed under the girl’s legs would muffle touch stimulus from the fingers, while the cloth would partially block sight, hearing, and smell.
Aboard a Chiss ship, there were presumably facilities specifically dedicated to the process, probably hidden back in the navigators’ section out of sight of the rest of the crew. Here, the girl had had to improvise. “So the Grysks didn’t realize she was still alive?”
“An interesting question,” Thrawn said. “The answer will carry some equally profound implications. But we’ll get to that shortly. Ar’alani?”
“She’s alive,” Ar’alani said, and there was no mistaking the relief in her voice. “Lieutenant Vanto?”
“Here,” Eli said, hurrying over and handing her the wet towel. “What do you want me to do?”
“Stand back,” Ar’alani said as she folded the towel and laid it on the girl’s forehead. “I don’t want the first face she sees to be human.”
Eli grimaced. But the admiral was right. After what the girl had undoubtedly been through here, she needed to wake up to some unambiguously friendly faces. “How long will it take?” he asked as he backed away.
Without warning, the girl’s body twitched violently, her back arching for a moment before she collapsed back onto the table. She cried out, a wordless half scream, half whimper—
“Come back!” Ar’alani said sharply. “Navigator of the Chiss Ascendancy, come back!”
The girl’s eyes snapped open. For a moment she just stared at the woman leaning over her. Then, abruptly, she lunged up from the table and wrapped her arms tightly around Ar’alani’s neck, squeezing as if her grip were all that kept her from sliding off to her death.
And as if a dam had shattered, she burst into tears.
Out of the corner of his eye, Eli saw Thrawn motion him back toward the door. Watching with a sense of strangeness as the hard, cold, stiff Chiss admiral he’d come to know murmured soothing words to the terrified girl, Eli backed silently away.
Thrawn was waiting when he reached the door. “Analysis, Lieutenant?” Thrawn asked quietly.
“I think the dead aliens were in charge of the mission,” Eli said. “They seem to have been the ones interrogating the human when he was killed. I assume he and the other humans were from the Allanar N3 freighter we saw being attacked a few hours ago?”
“Most likely,” Thrawn said. “Further analysis should give us that answer. Continue.”
“The aliens were running the show, but they had a pair of Grysk overseers,” Eli said. The girl seemed to be calming down some, he noted, though she still had Ar’alani in a death grip. “But the overseers weren’t part of the day-to-day operations.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because they didn’t realize the girl was still alive,” Eli said. “I’m assuming this had happened before, and that the aliens knew all about it. The fact that she was in here instead of her quarters suggests they wanted to keep an eye on her.”
“Very good,” Thrawn said. “What happened then?”
Eli pursed his lips, savoring the warm glow from Thrawn’s compliment. “There must have been some falling-out,” he said. “When you attacked, maybe when you disabled the post, the aliens revolted and the Grysks killed them in reprisal.”
“No,” Thrawn said.
The warm glow disappeared. “It wasn’t a revolt?”
“Observe the locations of the bodies,” Thrawn said. “Observe also the equipment cabinet on the wall near the treatment tables.”
“I see it,” Eli said. The cabinet was as much display case as actual cabinet, with an array of medical tools visible through the transparent doors.
“Note the presence of several large scalpels and other cutting tools,” Thrawn said. “None is missing. If the aliens were in revolt, these three would surely have armed themselves with whatever weapons they could find.”
“Yes, I see,” Eli said, grimacing. He should have spotted that.
“Furthermore, none of their bodies were inside or near the command center,” Thrawn said. “Nor were there any blood marks to indicate that there might have once been bodies that had been subsequently removed. The only blood on the command center floor were traces tracked in by the Grysks as they returned to await our arrival.”
“Understood,” Eli said. Okay, so he’d missed one. Learn, let the embarrassment or chagrin go, and move on. “So once the post was disabled they knew we’d capture it and didn’t want us interrogating anyone. Since you’d fried their electronics, they couldn’t initiate their self-destruct, so they had to go through the ship and kill everyone manually.”
“What makes you think they had a self-destruct?”
“Because the warship had one.”
“Excellent,” Thrawn said, nodding. “Death before capture, particularly in a clandestine operation such as this one.”
“And yet, the two Grysks are still alive,” Eli pointed out. “Did the stormtroopers get to them before they could suicide?”
“I’ll confirm with Major Carvia, but I don’t believe that was the case,” Thrawn said. “More likely they chose to wait in order to learn what we know about them and this operation. Did you notice anything else about them?”
Eli searched his memory. “There was something odd when you were talking about their backup ship. I think they were surprised to hear that you’d destroyed it.”
“Not entirely correct,” Thrawn said. “I believe they were unaware the ship was here at all.” He cocked his head. “Which brings us to you, Ar’alani, and the Steadfast. What exactly brought you to this system?”
Eli looked over at the other two Chiss. The girl had stopped crying but was still holding tightly to Ar’alani. The older woman was now holding her with one hand and gently stroking her hair with the other. “I think the admiral should be the one to tell you that,” he said.
“The admiral is otherwise engaged, and time may be critical,” Thrawn said sternly. “I’m therefore asking you.”
“Yes, sir.” A deserter and a traitor to the Empire…and yet here he was, about to tell Chiss secrets to his former Imperial commander. Did that offer a degree of redemption? Or did it simply make him twice a traitor? “The Steadfast was sent out to investigate reports that Grysk or Grysk clients might have infiltrated this part of the Empire. We tracked a ship to this system, but we were pretty far behind it and it vanished somewhere out here in this asteroid cluster.”
“Cloaked,” Thrawn murmured.
“Yes,” Eli confirmed. “But Grysk cloaking devices are notorious for limiting sensor readings outward almost as much as they do inward, and she thought there was a good chance we could sneak up on them. She gave the Steadfast a controlled thruster burn, then went dark and let us coast in. We were nearly in range for some serious work when we saw them take the freighter.”
“Yes,” Thrawn said thoughtfully. “And then the Chimaera arrived and interfered with her plan.”
Eli hesitated. But there was no way around it. “I believe that’s how she sees it, yes.”
“No doubt,” Thrawn said. “This ship you were following. What information were you able to glean about it?”
“Hardly anything, really,” Eli admitted. “The drive emissions were definitely Grysk, but we’ve seen some of their client species use the same thrusters, so that didn’t tell us anything one way or the other about its origin.”
&
nbsp; “I’m more interested in size,” Thrawn said. “Specifically, was it the size of this observation post or the warship, or was it possibly something else.”
Eli caught his breath as it suddenly clicked. “You’re saying that neither this ship nor the ship we destroyed is the one we were following? That there’s a third cloaked Grysk ship out there?”
“So I conclude,” Thrawn said. “I presume it was a supply ship, here to restock the observation post.”
“But it arrived over a day ago,” Eli pointed out. “Are they that slow at transferring supplies?”
“Possibly,” Thrawn said. “It’s also possible that its continued presence may indicate that it was being prepared to take the captives from the Allanar N3 for relocation to another Grysk ship or base.”
“We have to warn the Steadfast,” Eli said, pulling out his comlink. “And the Chimaera—”
“No,” Thrawn said, putting a restraining hand on his arm. “Pause and consider. If the hidden ship is monitoring our communications, we don’t want them to know we’re aware of their presence.”
“They won’t know what we’re saying,” Eli said. “Our encryption is secure.”
“Never assume any message is secure,” Thrawn said. “I suspect that our communications are already compromised. Who’s to say yours aren’t as well?”
“But—”
“Don’t worry about the Steadfast,” Thrawn said. “Admiral Ar’alani has likely already deduced the presence of the third ship and has left the Steadfast on full alert.”
Across the room, Ar’alani had extricated herself from the girl’s grip, though her arm remained protectively around the girl’s shoulders. The girl herself was staring at Thrawn and Eli, blinking through the darkness and the remnants of her tears. “Come,” Ar’alani called. “She’s ready to talk.”
Thrawn and Eli headed back across the room, Thrawn taking a moment to turn the lights back up as they passed the control console. “Good day, Navigator of the Chiss,” he said gravely as they reached the others. “I am Grand Admiral Mitth’raw’nuruodo, currently in service to the Galactic Empire. This is Lieutenant Eli Vanto, former officer of the Empire, now in service to the Chiss Ascendancy. What’s your name?”
“I’m Un’hee,” she said, her voice low. “I was…” Her throat worked. “I was taken from my home by the Grysks two years ago. I’ve served them ever since.”
“She was five when she was taken,” Ar’alani said. “And she may prove to be the Grysks’ greatest mistake.”
“How so?” Thrawn asked.
“She’s navigated Grysk ships through a large part of their hegemony,” Ar’alani said. “If she can reproduce or parallel the pathways she opened for them, we may be able to lift some of the veil of secrecy they’ve worked so hard to construct.”
“Interesting,” Thrawn said. “And so the rest becomes clear.”
“Which parts were unclear?” Ar’alani asked.
“Why the aliens didn’t tell the Grysks that Un’hee was still alive,” Thrawn said. “Presumably they were unwilling clients, as may have been much of their species, and they chose to protect Un’hee’s life as their last act of defiance against their overlords.”
“I thought the Grysks subverted entire populations,” Eli said.
“That’s their preferred method,” Ar’alani said. “But it’s sometimes easier and faster to bend just the government to their will and purpose.”
“Especially in cultures where the people follow their leaders blindly,” Thrawn said. “It appears in this case that this particular group were not as obedient to their government’s direction as the Grysks thought.”
“Or else the time they’d spent under Grysk command gave them new insights,” Ar’alani said, cocking her head. “And you deduced all this from afar?”
“Hardly,” Thrawn said. “I was merely investigating the disappearance of Imperial supply ships. I had no indication that the Grysks were involved in the thefts until we were attacked.” He inclined his head to Ar’alani. “My apologies for interfering with your operation.”
“Apology accepted but unnecessary,” Ar’alani said. “So we know now why Un’hee was kept alive. That also suggests a reason the two Grysks chose to remain alive to await us.”
“They wanted confirmation of Un’hee’s death before they died,” Thrawn said, nodding. “Perhaps they realized that they should have checked that for themselves instead of accepting their slaves’ word.”
“But realized it too late,” Ar’alani said. “You were indeed correct to hide my hope from them.” She wrapped her arm a little tighter around Un’hee’s shoulders. “And now that hope hangs by a thread.”
“The hidden supply ship,” Thrawn said, nodding. “Our two Grysk prisoners must have a way of communicating with it even while shackled. If they suspect Un’hee still lives, they will certainly call in a strike against this post.”
“A post that is still recovering from your ion attack,” Ar’alani said. “Whatever defenses it has cannot be assumed to be functional.”
“And the danger’s about to double,” Eli said. “Vah’nya’s on her way. If the Grysks decide to take out the post, they’ll get two navigators for the price of one.”
“One of whom also possesses Second Sight,” Ar’alani said grimly as she pulled out her own comlink.
“No,” Thrawn said. “If they see you wave her off, they may suspect something.”
“They won’t fire,” Ar’alani insisted. “Launching an attack will reveal their position, allowing them only a single shot before the Steadfast destroys them. That single shot can be toward the observation post or Vah’nya’s shuttle, and they don’t know which would be the better target.”
“Agreed,” Thrawn said. “But they know Un’hee is here, alive or dead, and they don’t know whether the approaching ship has any value at all. If their attention is drawn by an abrupt change of the shuttle’s course, their wisest move would be to make sure the more likely threat is neutralized.”
Eli checked his chrono. “Besides, if the shuttle’s on schedule, it may be close enough for an attack against the post to take it out, too.”
Ar’alani glared at him. Eli tensed, but the glare instantly softened. “That may be true,” she conceded. “But right now, at least, there’s a chance. Once Vah’nya is aboard, it really will be two navigators for the price of one.”
“Or possibly more,” Thrawn said. “Un’hee, are there other Chiss aboard this group of Grysk ships?”
“No,” Un’hee said. “They use others as their navigators. Other peoples, some trained by the Attendants. I was the only Chiss. I was—” A wave of pain and fear swept across her face. “A gift.”
“I see,” Thrawn said, his voice grim. “Good. That means we may fire on the Grysks without concern for Chiss lives.”
“That still leaves both Un’hee and Vah’nya in danger,” Ar’alani said. “We need to find a way to carry both to safety.”
“We will,” Thrawn confirmed. “A properly tailored story to our captive Grysks should accomplish that. We need only—” He broke off at the sound of a soft chime and pulled out his comlink. “Yes?”
Eli couldn’t hear the answer. But suddenly Thrawn’s expression went rigid. “No,” he said flatly. “You will not…” A short pause…“Understood,” Thrawn said. “Very well. Send him in.”
“Send whom in?” Ar’alani asked suspiciously.
“A person of trouble,” Thrawn said. “Prepare yourself, Lieutenant Vanto. This is likely to be unpleasant.”
Ronan had asked Thrawn to let him accompany the grand admiral to the alien observation post. Thrawn had refused. Ronan had demanded Commodore Faro let him take a second shuttle and catch up with the party. Faro had also refused, and with a veiled satisfaction at that snub that bordered on insubordination.
But Director Krenni
c’s whole life was an example of not giving up, and Ronan had learned from the best. Eventually, he worked his way down the chain of command until he found a crack in Thrawn’s close-knit officer corps. She was the chief hangar master, a senior lieutenant named Xoxtin with no love for either Thrawn or Faro and a properly respectful attitude toward the Empire’s elite.
Ronan himself wasn’t part of that elite. But Director Krennic was, and in those circles Ronan’s connection to that name carried considerable weight. The flowing white cape probably didn’t hurt, either.
There were three main docking ports on the structure. Thrawn’s shuttle occupied one of them, while the second was blocked by an unfamiliar vessel maneuvering its way to a landing—a vessel, he noted, that had the same vaguely reptilian shape and carried the same multi-circle sigil as the still-unidentified ship now floating in the distance off the Chimaera’s portside flank.
So apparently even as Thrawn was denying a high-ranking Imperial official like Ronan access to the observation post and its technology, he had no problem bringing a group of aliens aboard. Glowering, he docked his shuttle at the third port, talked his way past the stormtrooper who wanted to ask Thrawn’s permission before letting him aboard, and headed in the direction the stormtrooper pointed him.
After all this effort, he thought grimly to himself, as he strode down the silent corridors, the trip had better be worth it.
It was.
The stormtrooper commander and the two death troopers standing guard were obvious indicators as to which room Thrawn and his party had holed up in. Unlike the earlier stormtrooper, though, these three weren’t so easily bullied by Ronan’s name and rank. One of them went silent as he called it in, and for a long moment Ronan could only stand there and glare while the grand admiral made a decision. Finally—reluctantly, Ronan thought—the three guards stepped aside and let him through.
The stormtrooper had called it a medical bay, though it seemed to Ronan less like a treatment room and more like an interrogation center. But that was all peripheral. His full attention was on the four people standing across the room beside a padded treatment table.
