by Timothy Zahn
All strictly against protocol, of course. The Aristocra weren’t supposed to have any influence over military assignments. But that didn’t mean it never happened.
The point was that, as usual, Thrawn had seen only the surface situation and completely missed the political subtleties.
Still, this might be a good opportunity to remind the Ascendancy’s civilian leaders that the Council, not the Syndicure, was in charge of the military. The syndics had taken away the Springhawk; it was time for the Council to take it back. “Let me see what I can do,” he said. “The Springhawk’s scheduled to join Admiral Ar’alani’s punitive attack on the Paataasus in a few days, but we should be able to get you back in command after that.”
“Do you really think the Paataasus are responsible for the Csilla attack?”
“I don’t, no,” Ba’kif admitted. “Nor does most of the Council. But one of the syndics trotted out that theory, and the rest are warming to it. Regardless, the Paataasus have been poking at the edge of the Ascendancy again, so a quick punitive slap was in order anyway.”
“I suppose that’s reasonable,” Thrawn said. “Instead of waiting until after the operation, though, I’d like to join the ship before the attack. Not necessarily as commander, but to observe and evaluate the officers and warriors.”
“That might be possible,” Ba’kif said. “On the other hand, why not as commander? I’ll run it past Ar’alani and see if she approves.”
“I’m sure she will,” Thrawn said. “I assume I’ll also be assigned a sky-walker for my investigation?”
“Most likely,” Ba’kif said. The sky-walker corps was stretched thin these days, but without knowing how far Thrawn’s investigation would take him it would be inefficient to make him travel at the much slower jump-by-jump speed. “I’ll see who’s available when we get back to Naporar.”
“Thank you.” Thrawn gestured aft. “I presume the attackers here left little to find in the engine compartment or the supply rooms?”
“Little to nothing,” Ba’kif said grimly. “Mostly just a few more exploded bodies.”
“Regardless, I’d like to see those areas.”
“Of course,” Ba’kif said. “This way.”
* * *
—
For a long moment, Mid Captain Ufsa’mak’ro gazed at the fresh orders on the questis his first officer had handed him.
No. Not his officer. Senior Commander Plikh’ar’illmorf was now Senior Commander Mitth’raw’nuruodo’s officer. And no longer first, but second.
Samakro himself had become Thrawn’s first officer.
He looked up from the questis at the man standing stiffly in front of him. Kharill was seething, though he probably thought he was hiding it. “You have a question, Senior Commander?” Samakro asked mildly.
Kharill’s eyebrows twitched, just a bit. Apparently, he’d expected the Springhawk’s captain to be as angry at the unexpected orders as he was. “Not so much a question, sir, as a comment,” he said, his voice tight.
“Let me guess,” Samakro said, lifting the questis slightly. “You’re outraged that my ship’s been taken away from me and given to Senior Captain Thrawn. You’re wondering if we should lodge our complaints individually or jointly, and if jointly which of our families should be contacted first. You think we should also protest to Admiral Ar’alani, Supreme Admiral Ja’fosk, and the Defense Hierarchy Council, probably in that order, arguing that changing a ship’s command structure on the eve of battle is both foolish and dangerous. And you absolutely think we should show our displeasure by obeying Thrawn’s orders as unenthusiastically as possible. Does that about cover it?”
Kharill’s mouth had started dropping open somewhere around Samakro’s second sentence, and was now as far open as Samakro had ever seen it. “Ah…yes, sir, it does,” Kharill managed.
“Well, then,” Samakro said, handing him back the questis. “Since I’ve now said all of it, there’s no reason for you to do so. Return to your duties, and prepare for the change in command.”
Kharill’s throat worked, but he gave a brief nod. “Yes, sir,” he said, and turned to go.
“One more thing,” Samakro called after him.
“Sir?”
Samakro let his eyes narrow. “If I ever catch you disobeying an order—anyone’s order—or obeying a legal order slowly or improperly, I’ll personally have you brought up on charges. Clear?”
“Very clear, sir,” Kharill said between stiff lips.
“Good,” Samakro said. “Carry on.”
He watched Kharill’s rigid back as the other strode down the corridor toward the Springhawk’s bridge. Hopefully, Samakro had convinced the younger man to at least pretend enthusiasm for the ship’s new commander, even if he didn’t actually feel any.
Which was a façade that Samakro himself had better make sure was nailed up in front of his own feelings.
Because he was furious. Furious, outraged, betrayed—all of it. How dare the Council and Supreme Admiral Ja’fosk do this to him and the Springhawk? Supreme General Ba’kif’s starry-eyed attitude toward everything Thrawn touched was well known, but surely Ja’fosk had more sense.
Still, the orders had been cut, and protesting the way Kharill wanted would do nothing except add fuel to an already simmering fire. So Samakro would do his job, and he would make sure the rest of the ship’s officers and warriors did the same.
And he would hope very hard that whatever political mess Thrawn made this time wouldn’t blow up in all of their faces.
The journey ended, and Al’iastov brought herself out of Third Sight into the muted light of the Chiss Defense Force Transport Tomra’s bridge. She lifted her hands away from the navigational controls, a hollow feeling in both stomach and heart. “Senior Commander?” she asked tentatively, looking at the helm officer seated beside her.
“We’ve arrived,” he confirmed. “Thank you. I’ll take it from here.”
“Okay,” Al’iastov murmured. Unstrapping, she stood up and walked across the quiet bridge to the hatch.
She walked through the opening and continued down the empty corridor toward the captain’s quarters, where she and her caregiver had been given space. The Tomra never went outside the Ascendancy, so it didn’t have a proper sky-walker suite. Mafole, Al’iastov’s caregiver, had complained about that, very loudly, which had made Junior Captain Vorlip mad right back at her.
On Al’iastov’s other ships, her caregiver usually met her outside the bridge and walked her back to the sky-walker suite. But after Mafole’s fight with Vorlip, she’d declared she wouldn’t leave their room until they reached Naporar, and had told Al’iastov she’d be walking back and forth alone.
And as Al’iastov walked the long corridor, her eyes blurred with tears.
There was no reason to have a sky-walker on this trip. She knew that. The routes within the Ascendancy weren’t like the ones out in the Chaos. Here, the pathways were clear, and the pilots knew how to get where they were going.
That was why the fleet had put Al’iastov’s test here. Trips like this were a safe way to see if a sky-walker could still do her job.
The pilot hadn’t said anything. Neither had Junior Captain Vorlip.
But Al’iastov knew.
She hadn’t been able to keep the Tomra on the right path. The pilot had had to correct the course as they traveled.
Her Third Sight was mostly gone. Her job was ended. The only life she’d ever known was over. A full year ahead of the usual schedule, her life was over.
At age thirteen.
“Are you all right?”
Al’iastov stopped short, rubbing away the tears that had kept her from seeing the other person’s approach. A young man in a black uniform stood facing her a few steps away. There weren’t any insignia pins on his collar, which marked him as a cadet, and his shoulder pat
ch had a sunrise on it. That was one of the Nine Families, she knew, but she couldn’t remember which one. “I’m fine,” she said. One of her other caregivers had told her once that she should never complain about how she was feeling. “Who are you?”
“Cadet Mitth’raw’nuru,” he said. “Journeying to the Taharim Academy. Who are you?”
“Al’iastov.” She winced, remembering too late that her identity was supposed to be kept a secret from everyone except the highest-ranking officers. “I’m the captain’s daughter,” she added, repeating the lie she was always supposed to give if anyone outside the bridge crew asked.
Thrawn’s eyebrow rose, just a bit, and Al’iastov’s sinking heart sank a little deeper. He didn’t believe her. Not only was her life over, but she was probably in trouble now, too. “I mean—”
“It’s all right,” Thrawn said. “What’s wrong, Al’iastov? Can I help?”
Al’iastov sighed. She wasn’t supposed to complain. But for once she didn’t really care what she was supposed to do. “I don’t think so,” she said. “I’m…just worried. About…I don’t know. About what I’m going to do.”
“I understand,” Thrawn said.
Al’iastov caught her breath. Had he figured out what she was? Her brief moment of uncaring rebellion vanished, leaving her once again fully aware that she was going to be in trouble. “You do?” she asked carefully.
“Of course,” Thrawn said. “All of us feel uncertainty as we travel through life. I don’t know specifically what concerns you, but I assure you that all the cadets aboard this ship are also facing changes in their futures.”
She felt a bit of relief. So he didn’t know she was a sky-walker. “But you all know where you’re going,” she said. “You’re a cadet, and you’re going to be in the Defense Force. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“You’re a ship captain’s daughter,” Thrawn said. “That will surely open many opportunities. But just because I know I’m going to the academy doesn’t mean there aren’t a great many unknowns. And uncertainty can be the most frightening of mental states.”
And then, to Al’iastov’s surprise, Thrawn got down on one knee in front of her, putting his face a little lower than hers. Grown-ups almost never did that. Even most of Al’iastov’s other caregivers had usually stood straight up looking down at her. “But while all of us face a variety of paths, we all have the power to choose among them,” he continued. “You have that power as well, the power to choose which of those paths is the right one for you.”
“I don’t know,” Al’iastov said, feeling the tears start up again. What kind of choices did a thirteen-year-old failed sky-walker even have? No one had talked much to her about that. “But thank you for—”
“What’s going on here?” The harsh voice of Junior Captain Vorlip came from behind her. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
“Cadet Mitth’raw’nuru,” Thrawn said as he quickly stood up. “I was exploring the ship when I came upon your daughter. She seemed distressed, and I stopped to offer assistance.”
“You’re not supposed to be in this corridor,” Vorlip said sternly. She walked past Al’iastov and stopped in front of Thrawn. “Didn’t you see the AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY signs?”
“I assumed they were intended to stop nonmilitary personnel,” Thrawn said. “As a cadet, I thought I would be exempt.”
“Well, you aren’t,” Vorlip said. “You’re supposed to be back with the other cadets.”
“My apologies,” Thrawn said. “I merely wished to get the feel of the ship.” He bowed his head and started to turn away.
Vorlip put out her arm to block his path. “What do you mean, the feel of the ship?”
“I wanted to study its rhythms,” Thrawn said. “The deck has subtle vibrations that reflect the ebb and flow of the thrusters. Our movement through hyperspace was punctuated by slight hesitations and swells. The airflow indicates small variations as we change direction. The compensators occasionally lag slightly behind course changes, with effects that are again transmitted through the deck.”
“Really,” Vorlip said. She didn’t seem as angry now. “How many spaceflights have you had before this one?”
“None,” Thrawn said. “This is my first voyage away from my home.”
“Is it.” Vorlip stepped close to him. “Close your eyes. Keep them closed until I tell you otherwise.”
Thrawn closed his eyes. Vorlip took him by the upper arms, and without warning, began spinning him around.
Thrawn’s arms flailed outward with surprise. His feet stumbled, trying to keep up with his body’s movements. Vorlip kept him spinning, and also slowly moved around with him. When she was a third of the way from where she’d started, she caught his upper arms and brought him to a stop.
“Eyes still closed,” she said, holding him steady. “Which way is forward?”
Thrawn was silent a moment. Then, he raised a hand and pointed toward the Tomra’s bow. “There,” he said.
Vorlip kept holding him for a second. Then she let go and moved a step back. “You can open your eyes,” she said. “Return to your quarters. And don’t ever pass that kind of sign until you’re damn sure you’re allowed.”
“Yes, Captain,” Thrawn said. He blinked a couple of times as he finished getting his balance. He nodded to Vorlip, nodded and smiled at Al’iastov, then turned and left.
“I’m sorry,” Al’iastov said quietly.
“It’s all right,” Vorlip said. She was still looking at Thrawn.
“Are you mad at him?” Al’iastov asked. “He was only trying to help me.”
“I know.”
“Are you mad at me?”
Vorlip turned and gave her a small smile. “No, of course not,” she said. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“But…” Al’iastov stopped, feeling confused.
“I’m not mad at anyone,” Vorlip said. “It’s just…it took me fifteen voyages, in four different ships, before I developed that kind of awareness. This Mitth’raw’nuru did it in one.”
“Is that strange?”
“Very,” Vorlip assured her.
“He seems nice,” Al’iastov said. She paused, thinking about what he’d said about paths. “What happens to me when I leave here?”
“You’ll be adopted,” Vorlip said. “Probably into one of the Nine Ruling Families—they like to have former sky-walkers.”
“Why?”
“It’s a prestige thing,” Vorlip said. “I’m sure you realize that girls with your ability are very rare. It’s an honor for one of you to be made a merit adoptive.”
Al’iastov felt her throat tighten. “Even when we’re no use to anyone?”
“Don’t say things like that,” Vorlip said sternly. “Every person is valuable. My point is that you’ll be welcomed into whatever family adopts you. They’ll take care of you, send you on to further education, and eventually find a career that you’re best suited for.”
“Unless they throw me out.”
“I told you to stop talking like that,” Vorlip said. “They’re not going to throw you out. You’re prestige for the family, remember?”
“Yes,” Al’iastov said. She still didn’t completely believe it, but there was no use talking any more about it now.
But there was one more point. “Do I get to choose which family I want?”
Vorlip frowned. “I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t know any of the details about how these things are done. Why, are you looking at a specific family?”
“Yes,” Al’iastov said. “The Mitth.”
“Really.” Vorlip glanced over her shoulder. “Like Cadet Thrawn?”
“Yes.”
Vorlip huffed out a thoughtful breath. “As I say, I don’t know how it works. But there’s certainly no reason you can’t ask. Ac
tually, now that I think about it, a former sky-walker with your record should be able to ask for whatever you want.”
And there it was. Vorlip had said it. Former sky-walker.
Al’iastov’s navigational career was officially over.
But strangely, it suddenly didn’t seem to matter so much now. “That’s what he said,” she told Vorlip. “He said I’d be able to choose my path.”
“Well, cadets say all sorts of things,” Vorlip said, dismissing both Thrawn and the conversation with a wave of her hand. “Come—I need you and your caregiver in my office. There are forms we need to fill out.”
Mitth’raw’nuru, he’d named himself, Al’iastov reminded herself as she and the captain walked. Mitth’raw’nuru. She would remember that.
And when the time came, the Mitth family would definitely be getting a request.
The personnel officer shook his head. “Request denied,” he said briskly. “Good day.”
Mitth’ali’astov blinked. Had she just heard him right? “What do you mean, denied?” she asked. “I have all the datawork right there.”
“Yes, you do,” he said. “Unfortunately, it needed to be filed four days ago.”
Thalias clenched her teeth. She’d had to fight the Mitth family bureaucracy the whole way, tooth and tongue, to get them to agree to this. Now, too late, she understood why they’d suddenly backed off the fight and given in to her request. “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” she said, forcing back her anger at the family. The man sitting in front of her was the key to getting her aboard the Springhawk, and she needed him on her side. “I’m a member of the Mitth family, the Springhawk is being commanded by a member of the Mitth family, and I was told the fleet offers the right of observation.”
“Yes, it does,” the officer confirmed. “But there are limits to that right.” He tapped his questis. “Proper timing is one of them.”
“I understand that now,” Thalias said. “Unfortunately, the family didn’t make that clear to me. Typical. Isn’t there anything you can do?”