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:
“I don’t think there’s any real control involved,” Thalias said. “At least, that’s not what Che’ri says. The Magys is afraid for the Guardian’s safety, and sees Che’ri and the Grayshrike as his only protection.”
“She’s calling him the Guardian, now?” Samakro asked sourly. “What does that mean? She’s adopted him into her clan?”
“I don’t know how she sees him,” Thalias confessed. “I just know she thinks he’s in danger, and that—”
“And that we’re the only ones who can save him,” Samakro said. “Yes, you already said that.”
“Because if another Battle Dreadnought is waiting at Sunrise, Senior Captain Thrawn and the Paccosh will be in big trouble,” Thalias said.
“Their blockade frigate plus the Springhawk won’t do much better,” Samakro pointed out. “Not in a straight toe-to-toe fight. The last time we tangled with one of them, it took the combined power of the Vigilant and Grayshrike to take it down.”
“I know,” Thalias said, wincing. “Senior Captain Thrawn showed me their report.”
“So you realize going there would likely just mean death for all of us,” Samakro concluded. “Does the Magys know that? Or does she even care?”
“I don’t know,” Thalias confessed. “All I know is that Che’ri cares, and she’s convinced we need to be there.”
Samakro looked at Che’ri’s closed hatch. “What about you?” he asked. “What do you say about all this?”
“I don’t think my vote really counts,” Thalias said. “You’re the Springhawk’s current commander; Che’ri is your sky-walker. All that matters is what you two decide.”
“Except that if I don’t side with Che’ri, we’re a long time getting home,” Samakro pointed out. “Doesn’t sound like I get much of a vote, either.”
“Your commander’s in trouble.” Thalias hunched her shoulders. “At the very least, we should go watch him get himself killed. It would help the Syndicure keep its files tidy.”
“That it would,” Samakro agreed heavily. “And we all know how much they like keeping records.”
“I understand if you don’t want to go along with this, Mid Captain,” Thalias said. “All I can say is that Che’ri thinks it has to be done, and I trust her judgment.”
“I realize that,” Samakro said, eyeing her closely. “Let me make my position clear. Heading to Sunrise would be a violation of my commander’s explicit order. The fact that following his order might lead to his death doesn’t change my obligation to obey it.”
“I know,” Thalias said. “But I thought—”
“I’m not finished,” Samakro interrupted. “At the same time, the sky-walker is a critical part of every Expansionary Defense Fleet voyage. Over the months that Che’ri has been aboard, I’ve kept a close eye on her moods and needs. I’ve never known her to present any outrageous or frivolous demands, and her current defiance of her orders is so unlike her that I’m inclined to take her fears seriously.”
He looked again at the sky-walker’s sleeping room. “Luckily for her, I’m the commander on the scene. That means I’m authorized to change or ignore orders as I deem the situation requires.”
“Are you saying …?” Thalias seemed to wilt. “Thank you, Mid Captain.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Samakro warned. “If we’re going to make it in time, there are needs, and there are conditions.”
He lifted a hand, started ticking off fingers. “Point one: If we’re going to get to Sunrise and then back to Naporar before Supreme General Ba’kif starts worrying about us, the two of you are going to have to push yourselves right to the limit. Short breaks, short sleeps, meals on the run—basically, you’re going to be living on the bridge. If you don’t think you can handle that, say so now and I’ll order Senior Commander Kharill to turn us back toward the Ascendancy.”
“We can do it,” Thalias said firmly.
“I hope so,” Samakro said. “Point two: You don’t talk about this thing with the Magys to anyone. Not here, not at Sunrise, not back at Naporor. Whatever needs to be said to the Council or Syndicure, I’ll be the one to say it.”
“Understood.”
“And point three.” Samakro let his eyes narrow. “Before we do anything more—before I let Sky-walker Che’ri back on the bridge—you make it abundantly clear to her that if this whole thing goes facedown, it could mean the end of all our careers. Not just yours and mine, but hers as well. If she had hopes of joining any of the Ruling Families, she can forget them right now. In fact, even the Forty might not want her after this. If that’s something you don’t think she can handle, say so right now.”
“She can handle it,” Thalias said. She took another look at his expression—“But I’ll make sure,” she added.
“You do that,” Samakro said. “How long has she been asleep?”
Thalias looked at the chrono. “About twenty minutes.”
“How long does she usually sleep?”
“About eight hours at a time.”
“She’s got four,” Samakro said. “Four hours and fifteen minutes from now I expect to see you both on the bridge.”
Thalias winced, but her nod was firm enough. “We’ll be there.”
“So will I,” Samakro said. “Until then, I’ll get us traveling jump-by-jump. I assume Che’ri was taking us straight toward Sunrise?”
“From the point where she took over, yes.”
“Good,” Samakro said. “Now that I know we were looking at the wrong part of the charts, we’ll be able to calculate our position easily enough. Remember: four and a quarter hours. Don’t be late.”
“We won’t,” Thalias promised.
“And remember that the Paccosh have a Pathfinder with them,” Samakro warned. “If we’re going to get to Sunrise before them, or even before it’s all over, we need to push it.”
“Don’t worry, Mid Captain,” Thalias promised. “We’ll make it.”
“I hope so,” Samakro said. “For all our sakes.”
The suite hatch closed behind Samakro, and for a few seconds Thalias stood facing it. Then, with a tired sigh, she walked back to the couch and sat down. “You heard?” she called.
“Yes,” Che’ri’s voice came as the girl walked into the dayroom. Not from her own sleeping room, with its closed hatch, but from the open hatch into Thalias’s room, which Samakro had luckily not thought to check. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Thalias bit out. With the emotional turmoil of the confrontation draining away, the hard cold facts of what she’d just done, and what she’d just agreed to, were roaring back. “For letting you listen in? Or for agreeing to work with Mid Captain Samakro to destroy your future?”
“For letting me listen,” Che’ri said. Her voice and face were calm, though Thalias couldn’t tell if that was from some inner self-assurance or if the girl was simply too exhausted to feel anything. “No one’s future has been destroyed.”
“I know,” Thalias said, feeling a brief rush of shame. There was no reason to dump her own doubts and guilt on Che’ri. “So. You heard his conditions. What do you think?”
“We can do it,” Che’ri said. “We have to.”
“I know,” Thalias said. “Well. You’d better get to sleep now. Those four hours are going to go by really quickly.”
“Okay,” Che’ri said. She crossed to her sleeping room. “I have a question,” she said, pausing with her hand over the hatch release. “Why did you say that about the Magys calling him the Guardian?”