Thrawn Ascendancy Book 3: Lesser Evil
- Автор: Зан Тимоти
- Год: 2021
- Язык: английский
- Год: Random House
- ISBN: 9781473596580
- Жанр: Боевая фантастика
Электронная книга - «Thrawn Ascendancy Book 3: Lesser Evil». Краткое содержание книги:
For a long moment no one spoke. Ba’kif glared at Samakro, standing stiffly beside his commander, feeling a small pang of guilt at his outburst. From Samakro’s expression it was clear that he didn’t approve of Thrawn’s actions in keeping the alien aboard any more than Ba’kif did. And given Thrawn’s past record on such things, Ba’kif was pretty sure Samakro hadn’t been consulted about this decision before it was made.
None of which altered the fact that he, Supreme General Ba’kif, was now sitting beside the two of them on the hot seat. Just the fact that the alien was here—in a close-orbit space dock, with workers roaming the compartments and passageways—was enough to trigger alarm bells in the back of Ba’kif’s brain. An accidental glimpse, a thoughtless word, and the cascade of repercussions would be felt all the way to the top of the Syndicure.
What in blazes was Ba’kif supposed to do?
He took a careful breath, forcing away the simmering anger and dismay. The problem was obvious. Time to find a solution. “First things first,” he said. “Who else knows about this?”
“Caregiver Thalias, of course,” Thrawn said. If he was concerned about the political ramifications they were all facing, he wasn’t showing it. “And Senior Captain Lakinda of the Grayshrike. No one else.”
“You mean Senior Captain Ziinda,” Ba’kif growled. “She’s been rematched to the Irizi.”
“Really,” Thrawn said, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. “I hadn’t heard.”
Ba’kif looked at Samakro. He’d heard, Ba’kif saw, and from the other’s expression it was clear Thrawn’s first officer had been working through the possible implications of Ziinda now belonging to the Mitth family’s most implacable rival.
He was worried, and rightfully so. With a secret like this hovering over them like an unstable breacher missile, they could only hope Ziinda’s loyalty to the Expansionary Defense Fleet surpassed whatever loyalty she felt for her new family.
But there was nothing any of them could do about it. Again, time to find a solution. “All right,” he said. “So you think the Magys’s planet, this Sunrise, is the key to all that’s happened to the Ascendancy over the past year or so?”
“Perhaps not everything that’s happened,” Thrawn hedged. “But certainly Sunrise and its resources were involved in the Agbui attempt to precipitate a civil war within the Ascendancy.”
“Yes,” Ba’kif murmured, suppressing a wince. Civil war. He still had only pieces of the Hoxim story, but the fact that three members of the Forty had simultaneously invoked family emergency protocols carried ominous overtones. It might be that Thrawn was overstating the case; it might equally well be that the Ascendancy had narrowly escaped the kind of heightened internecine rivalry that in the past had sometimes led to armed conflict.
Unfortunately, serious though that was, it wasn’t as serious as Ba’kif might have hoped. He needed a case strong enough to stand against the Syndicure, which meant being able to tie Sunrise and the sleeping Magys to not only the Agbui but also General Yiv, the Paataatus, and maybe even the Vagaari pirates.
Because once the Syndicure was on board, the rest would be easy. A set of connections that strong would give the Council sufficient justification to authorize a mission to Sunrise. Not just a quiet intelligence-gathering probe like the one he’d sent Admiral Ar’alani and the Vigilant on, but a full-fledged military strike on whoever was parking Battle Dreadnoughts over the planet and taking potshots at every Ascendancy warship that happened by.
But it didn’t sound like Thrawn could make that case. And without it, there was little chance the Council would risk leaning over their legal limits any farther than they had already. In fact, if the Syndicure hadn’t been distracted by this whole Hoxim fiasco, they might well have already come down hard on Ba’kif and Supreme Admiral Ja’fosk for Ar’alani’s quiet mission.
And that grace period wouldn’t last forever. For now, the Nine Ruling Families were exerting quiet pressure on their wayward allies in the Forty Great Families, working to resolve the conflicts and bury the messes that Hoxim had created. Whatever Ba’kif decided to do, he had a limited window of opportunity before someone noticed and started screaming about it.
“All right,” he said. “We all agree you need to get her back to her people. That much is unarguable. The question is whether you take the Springhawk to Rapacc or whether I dig up a scout ship that’s not being used and put you and the Magys aboard.”
“Either would work,” Thrawn said. “In the latter case, would I also be allowed to take Sky-walker Che’ri?”
“Absolutely not,” Ba’kif growled. Thrawn had gotten away once with taking the girl off on an adventure, but both the Council and the Syndicure had been furious about that and neither body was likely to let him skate on it a second time. “You’d have to go jump-by-jump. Granted it would take longer, but I think I could get the Council to allow you a leave of absence.”
Beside Thrawn, Samakro stirred. “With all respect, sir, I don’t think a scout ship would be a good idea,” he said. “The enemy we faced over Sunrise could have traced the Magys’s refugees back to Rapacc by now. I don’t think the Paccosh are ready to deal with them, and a scout ship certainly won’t be.”
“You’re recommending he take the Springhawk, then?”
“I don’t think it works any other way, sir,” Samakro said.
“No matter what the repercussions?” Ba’kif pressed. “And not just those that rain down on Senior Captain Thrawn?”
Samakro’s lip twitched, but his nod was firm. “Whatever the repercussions, sir, I’m prepared to accept my share of them.”
On one level, Ba’kif knew, a casual acceptance of as-yet-undefined penalties was dangerously brash. On another level, it was exactly what he’d expected from an officer like Samakro. “Unfortunately, I have to agree with your assessment,” he said. “Very well. Senior Captain Thrawn, you and the Springhawk are hereby authorized to return the Magys to her people on Rapacc. But.” He let the word hang in the air a moment. “You will then immediately return to Naporar for further consultation and orders. Immediately.”
“I had promised to return her and her people to Sunrise,” Thrawn pointed out.
“That’s a promise you’ll have to break,” Ba’kif said bluntly. “I need you back as quickly as possible, before the Syndicure notices the Springhawk is gone and starts wondering loudly about it. That means no additional side trips.”
“Sir—”
“You did the Paccosh a favor by taking her to check out the condition of her world,” Ba’kif interrupted. “It’s their turn to do one for us.”
Thrawn and Samakro exchanged looks, and it wasn’t hard to read their thoughts. The alien Battle Dreadnought the Springhawk had encountered had pushed even a pair of Chiss warships to the limit. Unless the Paccosh were a far more aggressive species than had yet been demonstrated, they wouldn’t have a chance against an enemy like that.
But they knew an order when they heard it, and both were familiar enough with Ba’kif to recognize that the time for discussion and bargaining was past. “Yes, sir,” Thrawn said. “The Springhawk’s resupply is nearly complete, and the last of the on-leave officers and warriors are due back in three hours. We’ll leave as soon as they’re aboard.”
“Good,” Ba’kif said. “Just get there and back as quickly as you can.”