Thrawn Ascendancy Book 3: Lesser Evil

“The answers will arrive momentarily,” Jixtus said. “In fact they should be arriving … now.”

From behind Nakirre came a soft gasp and the sound of skin rippling against clothing. “Generalirius!” Vassal Two called in a strangled voice.

Nakirre turned. Floating in front of the Whetstone, drifting into view from around the war cruiser’s starboard side, was another warship.

But not just any warship. This craft was huge: three, possibly even four times bigger than the Whetstone. The bow bristled with clusters of spectrum lasers, with more lasers and missile tubes pointed toward the Kiljis from the massive weapons shoulders. Lines of running lights marked the flanks and dorsal spine, accenting the warship’s length and sheer presence.

“Do you see that warship?” Jixtus asked quietly from behind him, the words seeming to float in front of Nakirre’s stunned disbelief in much the same way that the warship facing him floated in front of the stars. “That is the FateSpinner, a Grysk Shatter-class WarMaster. It could destroy the Whetstone in ten minutes. It could turn your entire Kilhorde battle fleet to scrap in two hours. Do you hear and understand, Generalirius Nakirre?”

Nakirre felt his skin rippling, his eyes and thoughts still frozen. That ship …

“Do you hear me, Generalirius?”

Nakirre found his voice. “Yes,” he said.

“Then hear and understand,” Jixtus said. His voice was still quiet, but now there was an edge of dark threat beneath it. “You serve the Grysks. The Illumine serves the Grysks. You and your people live or die at the pleasure of the Grysks. I do not travel aboard the Whetstone at your pleasure; rather, you and the Whetstone survive at mine. I will travel aboard this ship wherever I wish, for as long as I wish, and you will obey every command I choose to give. Do you understand?”

Nakirre forced himself back to a semblance of calm. The enlightened are never to show fear. “And what of our agreement?” he asked.

“It still stands,” Jixtus assured him. “We’ll assist you in bringing enlightenment to the peoples of this region. But it will be the peoples of our choice, and on our schedule.”

Nakirre’s mind was still struggling. If Jixtus had access to such ships, why did he need the Kilji Illumine? Certainly the Grysks could conquer the peoples of the Chaos all by themselves. Was their talk of enlightenment and conquest merely a way to keep the Kiljis busy and out of their way while they strode unseen along their own path? Why had Jixtus even requested transport aboard the Whetstone?

He felt a stretching of shame. That last question, at least, he could now answer. No Chiss would stop to listen to Jixtus’s message of warning if he arrived in a warship like that. They would open fire, and the war would be on.

Nakirre couldn’t imagine what kind of warships the Chiss must have if Jixtus wanted them weakened before that happened. But those warships must be awesome indeed if the Grysks hesitated to launch a direct assault with ships like the FateSpinner.

In the end, though, those details didn’t matter. What mattered was that Jixtus still needed Nakirre’s assistance, and in return would help the Kiljis spread enlightenment. Whatever was about to happen between the Grysks and the Chiss was none of the Illumine’s concern.

“Understood,” he said. Tearing his gaze from the warship, he turned back to Jixtus. “What now?”

“I’ll go aboard the FateSpinner for consultation and any updates the captain has for me,” Jixtus said. “Then you and I will continue on.” He paused, the hooded head inclining slightly to the side. “And have no fears about my abilities or plans. Approaching the Mitth first wasn’t a mistake. I knew their Patriarch would turn us down.”

Nakirre drew himself up. Just because the Grysks had overwhelming force didn’t mean he should humble himself before this alien. The Illumine had enlightenment, and with enlightenment came wisdom. The Grysks had neither the one nor the other. “Then why waste our time with him?”

“My time is never wasted,” Jixtus said. “Do you give up hopes of enlightening someone merely because your first attempt was rebuffed? Of course not. That’s why the Kiljis need to add conquest to their tools, so as to have more time to enlighten those other beings.”

“Then you expect the Mitth to eventually listen to you?” Nakirre asked, thoroughly confused now.

“Not at all,” Jixtus said. “My time with the Mitth was to provide a baseline, a plumb against which all our future interactions with the Chiss will be measured.”

“I see,” Nakirre said. He didn’t, but he had no intention of admitting that to this alien.

“Good.” Jixtus stood up. “The shuttle from the FateSpinner will be here shortly to take me aboard. While I’m gone, you will prepare a course for the Chiss planet Rhigar.” He paused, and Nakirre had the eerie sense that the unseen face behind the veil was smiling. “There we will find the Patriarch of the Clarr family, and our first true target.”