Thrawn Ascendancy Book I: Chaos Rising

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Thrawn had told Che’ri that there was an arc of systems a short distance into the Lesser Space regions outside the Chaos that should be promising. So far, though, the arc had turned out to be a bust.

One of the worlds had looked interesting, but aside from a local patrol force it didn’t seem to have any military presence at all. The next three worlds were only sparsely settled, though one of them was at least civilized enough to have a long-range triad transmitter.

But the fifth world…

“What are those?” Che’ri asked, staring at the small objects flitting back and forth across the long-range sensor display. They looked like shuttles or missiles or fighter craft, but they seemed hardly big enough for even a pilot, let alone a passenger or two.

“I believe those are robotic combat craft,” Thrawn said, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he gazed at the display. “Powered and operated by artificial intelligences called droids.”

“They run their warships with machines?”

“Some of them, yes,” Thrawn said. “Indeed, if the reports are true, one side of the massive war taking place in Lesser Space is largely being waged by such droids.”

Che’ri thought about that. “Seems kind of stupid,” she said. “What if someone gets into the controls and turns them off? Or gets into the factory and changes all the programming?”

“Or if their intended programming leaves errors and blind spots that can be exploited,” Thrawn said. “The desire to minimize warrior deaths is futile if the war is then lost. Increase the focus on Sensor Four, please.”

Che’ri nodded and keyed the correct control, a small part of her brain noting with satisfaction how comfortable she’d become in the cockpit over the past few days. Thrawn had turned out to be a much better teacher than she’d expected.

Or maybe she was just a really good learner.

“What do you see there?” Thrawn asked.

Che’ri frowned. There was something weird in the center of the display she’d just adjusted: perfectly round and giving off a strong but alien energy signature. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“I have,” Thrawn said thoughtfully. “But the energy shield I saw was aboard a ship. This one appears to be protecting a building.”

“It’s a shield?” Che’ri asked. Now that he mentioned it, it was shaped like the shields of the old-time warriors she’d seen pictures of. “Is that like our electrostatic barriers?”

“Same protective function, but much stronger and more versatile,” Thrawn said. “The Ascendancy would benefit greatly from that technology.”

Che’ri looked sideways at him. He wasn’t thinking of trying to go down there, was he? Not with all those robot things buzzing around.

He seemed to sense her look and her sudden fears. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to charge in on our own,” he assured her. “Though with a full complement of decoys aboard, getting through their sentry screen would be trivial. Still, an aerial force implies a similar ground force, and you and I are hardly equipped to deal with that degree of opposition.”

“Okay,” Che’ri said cautiously. He still had that intense look in his eyes. “So…what are we doing?”

“Our mission has always been to find allies,” Thrawn said, reaching forward and manipulating one of the sensor controls. “But perhaps we don’t need an entire army of them.”

“How many people do we need?”

He pointed at one of the other displays. “Let’s start with one.”

Che’ri blinked in surprise. Centered in the display was another ship, about the same size as theirs. It was floating all dark and silent and low-power, and was clearly watching the same buzzing robot ships she and Thrawn were. “Who’s that?”

“No idea,” Thrawn said. “But the appearance and energy profile don’t match any of the other ships we’ve seen since leaving the Chaos.”

“Doesn’t look like the robot ships, either,” Che’ri offered.

“Excellent observation,” Thrawn said, and Che’ri felt her face warm with satisfaction at the compliment. “It’s possible the pilot is scouting for the opposite side of the war. If so, we may have found an ally—there!”

Che’ri stiffened. The other ship’s energy profile had suddenly changed. Even as she opened her mouth to ask what was going on, the ship rotated a few degrees, and with a flicker it disappeared into hyperspace.

“Quickly, now,” Thrawn said, and Che’ri’s board went dark as he took control. “Get ready for Third Sight.”

“We’re going after it?”

“Actually, I’m hoping to get ahead of it,” Thrawn said, running power to the thrusters and hyperdrive. “The first world we visited was the most populous and therefore the most likely place from which to send a message or to rendezvous with allies.”

“Wouldn’t one of the more empty worlds be better for that?”

“In theory, yes,” Thrawn said. “But a scout would want to avoid drawing any more attention than necessary. The fewer the inhabitants, the more scrutiny is automatically attached to strangers.”

“Okay,” Che’ri said, making a face as she activated the navigator board. By the time they were ready, the other ship would have a good ten-minute lead on them. How did Thrawn think she could get ahead of it?

“It’ll be all right if we arrive second,” Thrawn said. “But even with their lead, I have no doubt we’ll arrive first. A ship that size is unlikely to have a hyperdrive and navigational system equal to a Chiss ship and a Chiss sky-walker.”

Che’ri hunched her shoulders once as she got a grip on the controls. Darn right. They were Chiss, and they were not going to lose a race. Not to anyone. “I’m ready,” she said. “Tell me when.”

Che’ri’s first thought when she came out of her Third Sight trance was that she’d lost. The other ship was nowhere to be seen: not approaching the planet, not in orbit around it. She sighed, pressing her hand to her throbbing head. She’d tried so hard, but—

“There,” Thrawn said.

Che’ri felt her eyes widen, her headache instantly forgotten. He was right. The ship they’d seen watching the robot craft had just emerged from hyperspace. “What do we do now?”

“Let’s see if they’re interested in talking.” He keyed the comm. “Unidentified ship, this is Senior Captain Mitth’raw’nuruodo of the Chiss Ascendancy,” he said in Minnisiat. “Can you understand me?”

Silence. Thrawn repeated the greeting in Taarja, then in Meese Caulf, then Sy Bisti. Che’ri was trying to remember if there were any more trade languages she’d ever heard of when there was an answering ping from the comm. “Hello, Senior Captain Mitth’raw’nuruodo,” a woman’s voice came in Meese Caulf. “What can I do for you?”

“It is considered courteous for one party of a conversation to offer his or her name to the other,” Thrawn said.

“You think we’re going to have a conversation?”

“We seem to be doing so,” Thrawn pointed out.

There was a short pause. The other ship, Che’ri noted, was heading toward the planet, without any hint that the pilot might be interested in a closer look at the Chiss visitor. “Call me Duja,” the woman said. “My turn. Does the Chiss Ascendancy favor the Republic or the Separatists?”

“Neither,” Thrawn said. “We take no side in this war of yours.”

“Then I see no reason to talk to you. No offense,” Duja said. “You haven’t seen a Nubian ship land lately, have you?”

“What does it look like?”

“Shiny silvery metal,” Duja said. “Smooth curves, no angles, twin engine pods.”

“We have not seen it.”

“Conversation over, then,” Duja said. “Nice talking to you.” There was another ping as she shut off the connection.

Che’ri looked at Thrawn, expecting him to call Duja back and try to persuade her, maybe offer to work together. But to her surprise, he merely closed down the comm. “You’re just letting her go?” she asked.

“She’s not a warrior,” Thrawn said, his voice thoughtful. “A scout, perhaps a spy, clearly someone with training. But not a warrior.”

“How do you know she’s had training?”

“Her ship is armed,” he said, “and as we spoke she rotated slightly so the weapons could be more quickly brought to bear if necessary.”

“Oh,” Che’ri said. She hadn’t seen any of that. “What do we do?”

“We wait,” he said. “As I said, she’s a scout or a spy. Sooner or later, a warrior will come.”

The warrior Che’ri and Thrawn were waiting for, it seemed, was in no great hurry.

Thrawn and Che’ri had been waiting three days when the silvery ship Duja had talked about appeared. It disappeared into the trees a fair distance from a settlement built in and around a group of black stone or wooden spires. A few hours later, Duja’s ship rose from the forest and headed away, pursued briefly and uselessly by a couple of the planet’s patrol ships. Che’ri waited for the Nubian to follow it, but the big silver ship remained hidden.

And then, again, nothing. Thrawn spent the days studying all the information he could find on the planet—which Che’ri learned was named Batuu—and giving Che’ri more piloting exercises with the control board in simulator mode. Che’ri, for her part, ran the exercises over and over, and over and over again. Thrawn hadn’t actually said so, but she had a strong suspicion that when the expected warrior arrived Thrawn would be leaving the scout ship in her hands. When that happened, she was determined not to let him down.

And then, even as Che’ri was privately about to give up hope, he was there.

“Unidentified ship, this is General Anakin Skywalker of the Galactic Republic,” the pilot said over the scout ship’s speaker, the Meese Caulf words a little mangled but mostly correct. “You are intruding on Republic equipment and interfering with a Republic mission. I order you to pull back and identify yourself.”

“I greet you,” Thrawn said in turn. “Did you give your name as General Skywalker?”

“I did. Why, have you heard of me?”

Thrawn caught Che’ri’s eye as he touched the MUTE button. “Interesting coincidence,” he commented.

Che’ri nodded. The pilot had spoken the word as if it was his name, but probably he’d just messed up the language.

Thrawn unmuted the comm. “No, not at all,” he said. “I was merely surprised. Let me assure you I mean no harm to you or your equipment. I merely wished a closer look at this interesting device.”

“Glad to hear it,” the pilot said. “You’ve had your look. Pull back as ordered.”

Thrawn pursed his lips thoughtfully. Then, very deliberately, he eased the ship back from the ring they’d moved up to examine. “May I ask what brings a Republic envoy to this part of space?” he asked.

“May I ask what business it is of yours?” the pilot countered. “You can be on your way at any time.”

“On my way?”

“To continue your travels. To go wherever you were going before you stopped to look at my hyperdrive ring.”

Again, Thrawn touched MUTE. “Opinion?”

Che’ri blinked. He was asking her opinion on this? Her opinion? “I don’t know anything about things like this.”

“You’re a Chiss,” Thrawn reminded her. “As such, you have instincts and judgment, perhaps more than you know. Do you think he’ll make a good ally?”

Che’ri crinkled her nose. She’d never met this person. She’d barely even heard him speak.

Yet she could sense confidence in him, and strength, and commitment. “Yes,” she said. “I do.”

Thrawn nodded and unmuted the comm. “Yes, I could continue on my way,” he said. “But it might be more useful for me to assist you in your quest.”

“I already told you I was on a Republic mission. It’s not a quest.”

“Yes, I recall your words,” Thrawn said. “But I find it hard to believe that a Republic at war would send a lone man in a lone fighter craft on a mission. I find it more likely that you travel on a personal quest.”

“I’m on a mission,” the pilot insisted. “Directly ordered here by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine himself. And I don’t have time for this.”

“Agreed,” Thrawn said. “Perhaps it would be best if I were to simply show you the location of the ship you seek.”

There was a short pause. “Explain,” the pilot said quietly.

“I know where the Nubian ship landed,” Thrawn told him. “I know the pilot is missing.”

“So you intercepted a private transmission?”

“I have my own sources of information. Like you, I seek information, on that and other matters. Also like you I’m alone, without the resources to successfully investigate. Perhaps in alliance we may find the answers both of us seek.”

“Interesting offer. You say it’s just the two of us?”

“Yes,” Thrawn said. He glanced at Che’ri. “Plus my pilot and your droid, of course.”

“You didn’t mention your pilot.”

“Neither did you mention your droid. Since neither will be joining us in our investigation, I didn’t think they entered into the discussion.”

“Artoo usually comes with me on missions.”

“Indeed?” Thrawn said, cocking an eyebrow. “Interesting. I was unaware that navigational machines had other uses. Do we have an alliance?”

The pilot hesitated. Che’ri motioned, and Thrawn touched MUTE. “The pilot of the other ship is missing?”

“I don’t know for certain,” Thrawn said. “But the lack of activity suggests that may be the case.” He shrugged slightly. “Besides, General Skywalker clearly cares about him or her. Raising the level of urgency should help him make up his mind.”

“So what answers are you looking for?” Skywalker said.

Thrawn touched the key. “I wish to more fully understand this conflict in which you’re embroiled. I wish answers of right and wrong, of order and chaos, of strength and weakness, of purpose and reaction.” Again, Thrawn looked at Che’ri; and then, suddenly, he straightened up a bit in his seat. “You asked my identity. I am now prepared to give it. I am Commander Mitth’raw’nuruodo, officer of the Expansionary Defense Fleet, servant of the Chiss Ascendancy. On behalf of my people, I ask your assistance in learning of this war before it sweeps its disaster over our own worlds.”

Che’ri frowned. Commander? She thought he was a senior captain. Had he been demoted?

Probably not. More likely he was just downplaying his rank for some reason, maybe so General Skywalker wouldn’t feel threatened by Thrawn’s more extensive military experience. Certainly Skywalker sounded a lot younger than Thrawn.

“I see,” Skywalker said. “Very well. On behalf of Chancellor Palpatine and the Galactic Republic, I accept your offer.”

“Excellent,” Thrawn said. “Perhaps you will begin by telling me the true story of your quest.”

“I thought you already knew. You know about Padmé’s ship.”

“The Nubian?” Thrawn shrugged. “The design and power system were unlike anything else I’ve seen in this region. Your craft displays similar characteristics. It was logical that one visiting stranger was seeking the other.”

“Ah. You’re right, the Nubian is one of ours. It carried a Republic ambassador who came here to collect information from an informant. When she failed to contact us, I was sent to look for her.”

Che’ri frowned. Was Duja the informant Skywalker was talking about? In that case, shouldn’t they tell him that she’d already left Batuu?

“I see,” Thrawn said. “Was this informant trustworthy?”

“Yes.”

“You are certain of that?”

“The ambassador was.”

“Then betrayal is unlikely. Has the informant contacted you?”

“No.”

“In that case, the most likely scenarios are accident or capture. We need to travel to the surface to determine which it was.”

“That’s where I was heading when you barged in,” Skywalker said. “You said you knew where her ship was?”

“I can send you the location,” Thrawn told him. “But it might be more convenient for you to first come aboard. I have a two-passenger shuttle in which we can travel together.”

“Thanks, but I’ll take my own ship in. Like I said, we might need Artoo down there.”

“Very well,” Thrawn said. “I’ll lead the way.”

“Fine. Whenever you’re ready.”

“I’ll make preparations at once,” Thrawn said. “One additional thought. Chiss names are difficult for many species to properly pronounce. I suggest you address me by my core name: Thrawn.”

“That’s all right, Mitth’raw’nuruodo. I think I can handle it.”

“Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

“That’s what I said: Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

“It’s pronounced Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

“Yes. Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

“Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

It was all Che’ri could do to not break out in giggles. She could hear the difference as well as Thrawn could. But Skywalker clearly didn’t get it.

But at least he wasn’t stubborn enough to keep kicking at the wall. “Fine,” he growled. “Thrawn.”

“Thank you. It will make things easier. My shuttle is prepared. Let us depart.”

He keyed off the comm and began to unstrap. “You’ll be all right here alone?” he asked, looking closely at Che’ri.

She swallowed hard. Did she have a choice?

Actually, yes, she realized suddenly, she did. Clearly, Thrawn was willing to back out of the agreement he’d just made if Che’ri asked him to stay with her.

But they’d come out here looking for allies against the Nikardun. Skywalker might be their best hope of that.

She squared her shoulders. “I’m fine,” she said. “Tell me what to do.”

“Go back to the system with the energy shield,” he said. “Stay well clear of the robot ships. When I signal, you’re to come down to the place with the energy shield, using decoys to keep the robots away from your course.”

“Okay,” Che’ri said. She’d only used the decoys in simulations, but it had looked pretty easy. “How many should I use?”

“As many as you need,” he said. “In fact, you might as well use them all. If this works as I hope it will, we’ll be heading straight back to the Ascendancy, without any need to face other potential threats.”

“All right.” She took a deep breath. “Are you going to be all right?”

“Of course,” he said, smiling confidently. “I’ll be armed, and I have every confidence that General Skywalker will be a powerful ally.” He looked out the canopy. “But I believe I’ll also put on my combat uniform. Just in case.”