Could Che’ri navigate with an overload spell coming on? She’d never tried before. But she had a job to do, and there was no one else aboard who could do it. If Thrawn said they should go on—
“I think not,” Thrawn said. “The ship and warriors could use a few hours’ rest.”
Che’ri felt tears blurring her eyes. Tears of relief that she could rest. Tears of shame that she was too tired to go on.
Thrawn knew. She could hear it in his voice. He could say everyone else needed rest, but he knew. It was all on her. All on Che’ri. She was the reason they had to stop.
“Helm, bring us into high orbit over the planet,” the captain ordered.
“Yes, sir,” the man at the console next to Che’ri’s said.
She watched his fingers moving on the controls, fascinated despite her aches and blurry vision. She’d played some flying games on her questis, but watching someone doing it for real was a lot more interesting.
“Sensors, extend your search outward during the inbound,” Thrawn continued. “Once we’re in orbit, refine the search toward the planet.”
“Yes, sir,” the woman said.
“What are you expecting to find?” Samakro asked.
“Not expecting, Mid Captain,” Thrawn corrected. “Merely speculating.”
Che’ri frowned. Speculating? About what? She kept listening, hoping Samakro would ask.
But he didn’t. “Yes, sir,” was all he said. Che’ri heard his footsteps as he walked away.
“Thank you,” Thalias said quietly.
Che’ri squeezed her eyes tightly shut against the pain and shame, spilling the tears down her cheeks. Thalias knew, too. Did Samakro know?
Did everyone on the ship know?
There was a breath on Che’ri’s cheek, warming the tears. “Are you all right?” Thalias asked softly into her ear. “Shall I help you back to the suite?”
“Can I stay here a little longer?” Che’ri asked. “I can’t…I don’t want to be carried.”
“Is she all right, Caregiver?” Thrawn asked.
“She will be,” Thalias said, pressing her hand against Che’ri’s forehead. The cool and the pressure felt good. “Sometimes sky-walkers come out of Third Sight with sensory overload that presents with aches and sparkle-vision. If it goes into a full-on spell, it can take some time to throw it off.”
“All the more reason to stop for now,” Thrawn said.
“Yes,” Thalias said. “At any rate, I’d like to give Che’ri a few minutes here to start her recovery before we walk back to the suite.”
A small bit of comfort whispered through the pain. None of Che’ri’s other momishes had ever really understood these overload spells. One of them had even gotten angry with her. It was nice to have someone who knew what they were, and what to do about them.
“Take all the time you need,” Thrawn said. “I’m not surprised she was affected so strongly, given this system’s parameters.”
Che’ri frowned, opening her eyes and peering at the planet the Springhawk was moving toward. It didn’t look any different from any other planet she’d seen on this trip. What was so special about it?
“Not the planet,” Thrawn said.
Che’ri jerked, the movement sending another wave of pain through her head and shoulders. The captain’s voice had come from right behind her.
Captains didn’t usually get close to their sky-walkers. She didn’t know if they weren’t supposed to, or if they just didn’t. But Thrawn was standing right beside Thalias. Almost close enough to touch.
“Look at the tactical display,” Thrawn continued, pointing at one of the big screens beside the viewport. “It gives you a wider view of the system as a whole.”
Che’ri squinted at the display, trying to sort out all the lines and curves and numbers.
And then she got it, and felt her eyes go wide.
There wasn’t just one star out there, like she’d thought. There were four of them.
“Quadruple star systems like this are quite rare,” Thrawn said. “I imagine navigating into the middle of one takes an extra toll on Third Sight.”
“Yes, I imagine it does,” Thalias said, shifting hands to bring her other, colder one onto Che’ri’s forehead. “Why are we here? I mean here?”
“Do you really want to know, Caregiver?” Thrawn asked.
Thalias’s hand against Che’ri’s forehead suddenly went stiff. “Yes, sir,” Thalias said. “I really do.”
Thrawn stepped around to Thalias’s other side. “A refugee ship was found drifting in one of the Ascendancy’s outlying systems,” he said, his voice low. Maybe Che’ri wasn’t supposed to hear this part? “We’re following the likely vector the ship came from in the hope of identifying the people. A question, Lieutenant Commander Azmordi?”
“No, sir,” the lieutenant commander said stiffly. “But may I remind the captain that there are certain areas that are to be kept”—squinting past Thalias’s hand, Che’ri saw him pointing at her—“within the senior officer corps?”
“Your concern is noted, Lieutenant Commander,” Thrawn said. “However, at some point Sky-walker Che’ri and Caregiver Thalias may be required to perform extraordinary tasks. It’s important that the team knows what’s at stake and is mentally prepared.”
Che’ri frowned. The team. No one had ever called her part of a team before. She’d never even thought of herself that way. She was the sky-walker, and her caregiver was her momish, and that was all. Che’ri guided the ship where it needed to go, and the caregiver made her meals and put her to bed at night. They weren’t a team.
Were they?
“Yes, sir,” Azmordi said. Che’ri had heard enough unhappy officers to know what one sounded like, and this one definitely wasn’t happy.
But he didn’t keep arguing.
“It occurred to me that the refugees wouldn’t want their enemy to know where they were going,” Thrawn continued. “I also read from the way the family units had been gathered together on the destroyed ship that the people had a close sense of comradeship. It seemed to me that such people would prefer to travel in groups. Or, if not a group, then at least with a companion ship.”
He paused, like he was expecting one of them to say something. Che’ri looked at the four stars again, trying to think through her headache.
And then, suddenly, she had it. “I know!” she said, raising her hand. “The four stars. It’s hard to get in here.”
“Yes,” Thrawn said. “Which means…?”
Che’ri felt her shoulders hunch. She didn’t have any idea what it meant.
“Which means it’s a perfect place for two ships to rendezvous,” Thalias said. “A place where any pursuers would hesitate to look. Do you think we’ll find the other ship here?”
“Possibly.” Thrawn paused again, and Che’ri had the feeling he was looking at her. “Sky-walker Che’ri, are you ready yet to return to your quarters?”
The moment of excitement disappeared. Che’ri wasn’t part of the team anymore, just someone there to move the ship around. “I think so,” she said with a sigh.
“Let me help you,” Thalias said. She took Che’ri’s arm with one hand, and undid the safety straps with the other. “Are you ready to stand up?”
“Yes,” Che’ri said. She stood up, stopped as her head spun suddenly with vertigo. The universe settled down, and she nodded. “Okay,” she said, and walked around the chair. With Thalias still holding her arm, she went to the bridge hatchway.
A moment later, they were walking down the corridor. “Are you hungry?” Thalias asked as they reached the door to their suite. “Or would you like a hot bath first?”