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:
“This recording was made in an unidentified star system seven days ago,” Jixtus said, pulling the multiscreen’s control toward him. “I believe you will recognize the ships, as well as the activity.” He keyed a switch, and the image unfroze into a vid.
Roscu leaned closer, studying the ships. There was some distortion and fuzziness in the images, indicating that the scene had been recorded from some distance, but the view was clear enough for her to easily make out the larger details. Two of the ships were system patrol craft of the sort that guarded Rhigal and every other inhabited world in the Ascendancy. Together with what appeared to be a light cruiser, they were circling one of the two larger ships—by its size and configuration probably a freighter—firing barely visible laser shots at it and receiving fire in return. “Is this vid enhanced?” she asked.
“An insightful question,” Jixtus said, a note of approval in his tone. “Yes, the laser intensities have been enhanced for clarity. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be visible to the unaided eye.”
Roscu nodded. So: a practice battle, all right.
Moreover, one that the participants wanted to keep secret. There were no planetary bodies visible, and from the lighting patterns on the ships she guessed that there weren’t any just off-vid, either. Official Defense Force training exercises were never held very far from a planet, since that was where most real-life combat took place.
But Jixtus might not know that. It might be interesting to see what his response would be to that suggestion. “Probably just a training exercise,” she said offhandedly. “The Chiss Defense Force does a lot of those.”
“I beg to disagree,” Jixtus said. “This record was taken at a great distance from any habitation, and only a single recording vessel is present. No, I believe it to be a war game. Or,” he added thoughtfully, “a rehearsal.”
“I don’t know why anyone would rehearse an attack on a freighter,” Roscu said. So her tentative conclusion had been right, and Jixtus had just handed off a valuable bit of information for free.
“Perhaps the target was the only ship they could find to use,” Jixtus offered.
“Perhaps,” Roscu said. So now he’d also confirmed that the target ship was a freighter. Two bits of information for free. This Jixtus really was terrible at negotiation.
“Have you yet examined the observers’ craft?” he asked.
Roscu focused on the other large ship. Now that she was looking more closely, she could see that it did indeed seem to be standing back and observing the exercise without taking part. It was larger than the three attackers, possibly a light cruiser or frigate, though with only its stern and part of its starboard flank visible it was hard to tell for sure. As she watched, the ship shifted position, pitching its bow upward slightly and yawing a few degrees to starboard.
And Roscu felt her breath catch in her throat. It was a frigate, all right, the fifth largest Chiss warship behind heavy cruiser and the three man-of-war classifications. The markings on the hull were still blurry … but for a Clarr family military officer there was no mistaking the crest that marked it as a Dasklo family frigate.
She looked back at the patrol craft and cruiser. They also had family markings, she could see now. But those ships were smaller and farther away, and the resolution of the vid wasn’t quite good enough for her to make them out. “Can you give me more magnification?” she asked.
“Sadly, no,” Jixtus said. “This is the full stretch of Kilji capabilities.”
Roscu pursed her lips. So tantalizingly close.
But just because the Kiljis couldn’t enhance the vid didn’t mean that was the end of the road. The equipment back at the homestead might be able to coax a little more out of the images. “I’d like to take this recording back to my people,” she said. “Maybe we can do more with it.”
“Of course,” Jixtus said. He keyed another switch and the displays went blank. Another tap on the panel, and a cover flipped up and a small rectangle popped out. “I trust you can read this?” he added, offering it to her.
“Of course,” Roscu said, taking the card and sliding it into a pocket. All the computers she was familiar with used data cylinders, but the Clarr family traded with several alien species and someone on Rhigar ought to have equipment that could translate Jixtus’s card into a more usable format. “I’ll return it as soon as we’ve made a copy.”
“And at that time you’ll also bring my payment?” Jixtus asked pointedly.
“As I told you before, we’ll pay what we decide the information is worth,” Roscu said, standing up. “But I think I can assure you the Patriarch will authorize a reasonable amount.” She turned and started toward the door. “And you said the star system where this took place is unknown?”
“Not unknown,” Jixtus said. “Merely unidentified.”
Roscu paused, frowning back over her shoulder at him. “What’s the difference?”
“The difference,” Jixtus said, “is that I simply haven’t identified it to you. Withholding that information is why I know you will return with my fee.”
Roscu’s first impulse was to be furious. How dare an alien play with her that way? Her second was to recognize that there wasn’t a single thing she could do about it. She had no choice but to give in to the extortion.
Her third was to realize that maybe Jixtus wasn’t as careless at negotiations as she’d thought.
“Very well,” she said. “When I return with your recording and your payment, I’ll bring enough extra to buy the location of the system.”
“Excellent,” Jixtus said. “I shall eagerly look forward to our next meeting.” He lifted a gloved finger. “One other thing.” He paused.
“Yes?” Roscu prompted, clamping down on a fresh ripple of annoyance. She’d never appreciated dramatics, visual or verbal, and she especially didn’t like them in combination.
“If it should turn out that your Patriarch and his family are indeed in danger,” Jixtus said, “Generalirius Nakirre and the Kiljis stand ready to assist in your defense.”
“Do they, now,” Roscu said, eyeing the taller alien. “What would this assistance consist of?”
“We have many mighty ships of war,” Nakirre said. “Some could be put at your disposal if you felt the need.”
“I appreciate the offer,” Roscu said. “But I think the Clarr family can handle this on our own.”
“Of course,” Jixtus said. “I simply wanted you aware of all the alternatives.”
“Trust me,” Roscu assured him darkly. “I’m aware of them.” She looked at Nakirre, visually running his Whetstone battle cruiser against the Clarr defense profile. Maybe these ships would be powerful against pirates or raiders. Not so much against a family of the Nine. “I’m aware of all of them.”
Roscu was right on two counts. The Clarr techs were indeed able to read and copy Jixtus’s unconventional data card. They were also able to dig more information out of the recording.
“The frigate is definitely Dasklo, Your Venerante,” Roscu confirmed, touching the distinctive family crest on the image frozen on Patriarch Clarr’ivl’exow’s desk display. “But here’s the interesting part. One of the patrol ships is Erighal; the other patrol ship and the cruiser are Xodlak.”
“Xodlak,” Rivlex echoed, stroking his lower lip thoughtfully as he peered at the display. “Not a family I’d expect to be working with the Dasklo.”
“I agree,” Roscu said. “Given the Xodlak closeness with the Irizi, my concern is that this may signal a new alliance between them and the Dasklo. That could pose a serious threat to us.”