“I’m delighted to hear it,” Disra growled. “So why are you risking an open communication this way?”
“I knew you’d be worried,” Tierce said blandly. “I wanted to help set your mind at ease.”
Disra smiled sardonically, knowing the expression was probably wasted with a holo this size. “Thank you so much, Major-I do so appreciate your concern. So our puppet performed adequately?”
“I’d even go further and say he performed superbly,” Tierce said. “He had them in the palm of his hand from the moment they came in to the moment they left.”
“No surprises, then?”
“Not really. Calrissian tried to trap him with a question about the time Thrawn visited Talon Karrde on Myrkr. Fortunately for us, he’d actually read the detailed report I’d written up on my time with Thrawn and knew the answer.”
“Fortunately for him, you mean,” Disra said, putting an edge of threat into his voice. “How soon will you be back?”
“That’s! the other reason I called,” Tierce said. “Now that we’re here, I think we’re going to stay in Rebellion-occupied space for a while.”
Disra frowned, the cold blade-edge starting its grinding again. “What for?”
“I’d like to nose around a bit,” the other said with a casual wave of his band. “Send activation signals to some of the sleeper groups we haven’t contacted yet-there are still a few we weren’t able to send transmissions to because of distance or positioning. Mostly, I want to see what Coruscant’s reaction will be to! Thrawn’s reappearance.”
“Probably to send fifty Star Cruisers charging in at you,” Disra snapped. “This is crazy, Tierce. It’s also not part of the plan.”
“Military plans are always subject to change, Your Excellency,” Tierce said calmly.
“This is not what I had in mind for Flim,” Disra snarled. “You know that.”
“And you know that when I joined I said we could do better than what you had in mind,” Tierce countered.
Disra ground his teeth savagely. “You’re going to ruin everything. And get yourselves killed in the bargain.”
“On the contrary,” Tierce said, and even on the quarter-sized image Disra could see his self-satisfied smile. “I’m going to start the Empire back on its road to glory.”
“Tierce-“
“I have to go, Your Excellency,” Tierce said. “We shouldn’t stay on transmission too long, even with good encryption. Don’t worry, I’m not planning to take the Relentless to Coruscant or anything so foolish. I just want to spend a little more time here. Call it a hunch.”
“In my experience, relying on hunches is a fast trip to the short end of the odds,” Disra growled. But Tierce had him, and they both knew it. Short of sending what was left of the Braxant Sector Fleet to chase him down, there was precious little Disra could do at this point to countermand him. “How long are you planning to stay?”
Tierce shrugged. “A couple of weeks, Maybe more. It depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether I get the reaction I’m looking for. I’ll be sure to let you know if and when it happens.”
“Good,” Disra said sourly. “If and when the New Republic !fleet appears over Bastion, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
Tierce smiled. “Thank you, Your Excellency. I knew you’d understand. Good-bye.”
The image flickered and vanished. Disra leaned back in his chair, glaring at the hologram pod. This was getting out of hand. It was getting way out of hand. He’d let Tierce run off restrainer bolt long enough; it was time to reel the Guardsman in a little.
And remind him who was master and who was servant.
At the moment, Disra wasn’t exactly sure how to do that. But he would think of something.
CHAPTER
20
The Diamalan Senator finished his report and sat down again on the witness bench beside Lando … and for Leia, the Grand Convocation Chamber had suddenly become very cold.
The impossible had happened. Grand Admiral Thrawn had returned.
“I do not see the problem,” the Likashan Senator called out, her high-pitched voice making the chamber’s sound system squeal. We are many; the Empire are few. Let us gather together and move against it. And this time, let us not stop until we have utterly destroyed it.”
“If you think that’s even an option anymore, then you’re a fool,” the Sronk Senator countered. “I saw full-left-handed what this Grand Admiral Thrawn did to my world’s defenses ten standardcycles ago, and with nothing more than seven Katana-fleet Dreadnoughts as his weapons. He wouldn’t have announced his return if be weren’t already prepared to receive the full slamming brunt of our closed right hand.”