[Hand Of Thrawn] - 01(74)

“Yes.” Disra snorted gently. “Especially considering that if the real Thrawn were in charge, he’d probably have had the whole operation timed down to the minute.”

“We’ll just have to do the best we can,” Tierce said. “And trust our enemies to fill in the gaps for us. Meanwhile, I’ll get over to Yaga Minor and see what I can dig up.”

“Let’s hope you find something useful,” Flim said, getting to his feet. “One thing that still bothers me. What was Skywalker doing nosing around a Cavrilhu Pirate base?”

“As I told Zothip, trying to connect us to them,” Disra said. “Don’t worry, he won’t be able to.”

“But-“

“Besides, it’s irrelevant,” Tierce cut him off. “Very soon now a few clones and a grubby little pirate gang will be the least of the Rebellion’s worries.”





CHAPTER


11


The door slid open, and Karrde stepped onto the Wild Karrde’s bridge. “Good afternoon, gentlemen,” he said. “How are we doing?”

“Fine, Chief,” Dankin said, half turning around in the helm seat to look at him. “We’re almost to the Nosken system-just a few more minutes.”

“Good.” Karrde took a step toward him, sending a quick look around at the other stations&mdash

And paused, frowning. What are you doing up here, H’sishi?” he asked the young Togorian female at the sensor station.

She turned to face him. [Dankin asked me to take the station,] she said, her mewling Togorian speech as purringly feline as her appearance. [He said it was time I took some bridge practice.]

Karrde looked at Dankin. The other was gazing studiously at his board against his face in profile, but even so Karrde could see the secret amusement bubbling there. “Yes, I suppose it is,” he said, taking a second look around the bridge at the other stations. Odonnl, in the copilot seat, was wearing the same expression as Dankin. So was Pormfil at the engine monitor, though on his Kerestian face it was a little harder to spot. Even Chin, who tended to be rather grandfatherly toward new recruits these days, was having to try hard not to smile. “Have you done a status check against the baseline recently?” he asked, looking back at H’sishi.

The Togorian’s yellow eyes seemed to cloud over a little. [No, Chieftain,] she said. [I will do one now if you request it.]

“Please,” Karrde nodded. “The baseline datacard is in the computer room.”

[I obey,] H’sishi said, uncoiling her lithe body from her seat. She padded across the bridge, her claws making little clicking sounds against the metal floor as she walked, and exited.

“All right, gentlemen,” Karrde said mildly as the door slid shut behind her. “Am I going to have to guess?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much, Chief,” Dankin said, radiating a thoroughly unconvincing innocence. “It’s just that she’s never been to Terrik’s place before. I thought she’d get the best view if she was up here when we came out of hyperspace.”

“Ah,” Karrde said. “And you were curious to see how high she’d jump?”

“Well … yeah, maybe a little,” Dankin admitted.

“We like to think of it as her full initiation into the crew,” Odonnl added helpfully.

“I see.” Karrde looked around at the others, all of them grinning openly now. “I suppose it hasn’t occurred to you that startling a Togorian this way might be just the slightest bit dangerous?”

“Oh, come on, Captain, it’s harmless fun,” Odonnl said. “Mara lets us do this when she’s on the bridge.”

“Anyway, Cap’t, these are a long tradition,” Chin said. “Billey’s folk surely cooked up something like it when you joined up with them, hee?”

“Billey’s people weren’t nearly so creative,” Karrde said dryly. “As for Mara, her excuse is that she wants to use the Force to examine how new crew members behave under stress.”

“Sounds like a good reason to me,” Dankin offered. “Better we check them out here than find out what they’re made of when we’re in the middle of a genuine crisis.”

“You’re rationalizing, of course,” Karrde pointed out.

“Probably,” Dankin agreed shamelessly. “Come on, Chief, give us a break. It’s been deadly quiet around here lately.”

“An enraged Togorian would certainly break up the monotony,” Karrde said, shaking his head. Still, horseplay aside, they did have a point. If H’sishi was going to become a permanent member of the Wild Karrde’s crew, they really did need to find out how she reacted when startled. “Be it upon your own heads. I’ll watch from over there.”