[Thrawn Trilogy] - 02(98)

He got an acknowledgment and keyed off the circuit. “Very well, Emperor’s Hand,” he said, looking up at Mara again. “We have an agreement. The Dark Force for the lifting of our death mark against Karrde. How long will it take you to return to Karrde’s current base?”

Mara hesitated; but that information wouldn’t do the Grand Admiral much good. “On the Etherway, about three days. Two and a half if I push it.”

“I suggest you do so,” Thrawn said. “Since you have exactly eight days to obtain the location and bring it back here to me.”

Mara stared at him. “Eight days? But that-“

“Eight days. Or I find him and get the location my way.

A dozen possible retorts rushed through Mar’a’s mind. Another look at those glowing red eyes silenced all of them. “I’ll do what I can,” she managed. Turning, she headed back across the room.

“I’m sure you will,” he said after her. “And afterward, we’ll sit down and have a long talk together. About your years away from Imperial service : and why you’ve been so long in returning.”

Pellaeon stared rigidly at his commander, heart thudding audibly in his chest. “The Katana fleet?” he repeated carefully.

“So our young Emperor’s Hand told me,” Thrawn said. His gaze was fixed solidly on one of the displays in front of him. “She may be lying, of course.”

Pellaeon nodded mechanically, the possibilities sweeping out like a spread cloak before him. “The Dark Force,” he murmured the old nickname, listening to the words echo through his mind. “You know, I once had hopes of finding the fleet myself.”

“Most everyone your age did,” Thrawn returned dryly. “Is the homing device properly installed aboard her ship?”

“Yes, sir.” Pellaeon let his gaze drift around the room, his eyes focusing without real interest on the sculptures and flats that Thrawn had on display today. The Dark Force. Lost for nearly fifty-five years. Now within their grasp :

He frowned suddenly at the sculptures. Many of them looked familiar, somehow.

“They’re the various pieces of art that graced the offices of Rendili StarDrive and the Fleet planning department at the time they were working on the basic design of the Katana,” Thrawn answered his unspoken question.

“I see,” Pellaeon said. He took a deep breath and, reluctantly, brought himself back to reality. “You realize, sir, how improbable this claim of Jade’s really is.”

“Certainly it’s improbable.” Thrawn raised glowing eyes to Pellaeon. “But it’s also true.” He tapped, a switch, and part of the art gallery vanished. “Observe.

Pellaeon turned to look. It was the same scene Thrawn had showed him a few days earlier: the three renegade Dreadnaughts providing cover fire off New Cov so that the Lady Luck and that unidentified freighter could escape—

He inhaled sharply, a sudden suspicion flooding into him. “Those ships?”

“Yes,” Thrawn said, his voice grimly satisfied. “The differences between regular and slave-rigged Dreadnaughts are subtle, but visible enough when you know to look for them.”

Pellaeon frowned at the holo, trying hard to fit all of it together. “Your permission, Admiral, but it doesn’t make sense for Karrde to be supplying this renegade Corellian with ships.”

“I agree,” Thrawn nodded. “Obviously, someone else from that illfated smuggling ship also realized what it was they’d stumbled across. We’re going to find that someone.”

“Do we have any leads?”

“A few. According to Jade, they escaped from an Imperial force on the way out of a botched job. All such incidents should be on file somewhere; we’ll correlate with what we know about Karrde’s checkered past and see what turns up. Jade also said that the ship was badly damaged in the process of doing its second jump. If they had to go to a major spaceport for repairs, that should be on file, as well.”

“I’ll put Intelligence on it immediately,” Pellaeon nodded.

“Good.” Thrawn’s eyes unfocused for a moment. “And I also want you to get in contact with Niles Ferrier.”

Pellaeon had to search his memory. “That ship thief you sent out to look for the Corellian’s home base?”

“That’s the one,” Thrawn said. “Tell him to forget the Corellian and concentrate instead on Solo and Calrissian.” He cocked an eyebrow. “After all, if the Corellian is indeed planning to join the Rebellion, what better dowry could he bring than the Katana fleet?”

The comm pinged. “Yes?” Thrawn asked.