“I’m here, Admiral,” Lakinda’s voice came back.
“I assume you picked up Schesa’s transmission?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lakinda said, the sudden caution in her tone showing she’d already guessed where this was going. “Do I assume Senior Captain Thrawn is out of comm range?”
“He is,” Ar’alani confirmed. “And while there weren’t any specific imperatives in the message, I have the feeling that Csilla wants the Springhawk back as soon as possible.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Lakinda’s voice was steady, but Ar’alani could hear the unhappiness she’d expected floating beneath the surface. “May I offer the Grayshrike’s services to travel to his current location and deliver the message?”
“Yes, Senior Captain, thank you,” Ar’alani said. “That would be most helpful.”
“My one concern would be whether or not you and the Vigilant can carry out our assigned mission alone,” Lakinda continued. “Notwithstanding this latest example, our previous encounters with Nikardun remnants would suggest that a single-ship incursion may be ill advised. It might be better if the Grayshrike first accompanied you to the final target.”
“I appreciate the analysis and suggestion,” Ar’alani said. “But Yiv’s list indicates that the previous bases were far larger than these final two listening posts. I think the Vigilant can handle the last one alone.”
“Understood,” Lakinda said. Which didn’t necessarily mean she agreed, of course. “I’ll need the Springhawk’s current location.”
Wutroow already had her questis in hand. “Senior Captain Wutroow is sending the coordinates now,” Ar’alani said. “It’s the Rapacc system, which should already be in your nav package for confirmation.”
“Yes, ma’am.” There was a short pause. “Coordinates acknowledged and confirmed. I’ll get our sky-walker to the bridge, and we’ll be off.”
“Just make sure you’ve first pulled all the data you can on those derelict ships,” Ar’alani said. “I want us to take back as complete a picture as possible.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lakinda said again. “We already have most of it. I’ll make sure we get the rest.”
“Good,” Ar’alani said. “Let me know before you leave.”
“You realize,” Wutroow said softly as Ar’alani keyed off the comm, “that there is one other possibility for the carnage out there we haven’t considered. The rest of the Nikardun may have left all their unflyable ships here, riddled with lasers and missiles, in the hope that we would assume these last two posts had both been destroyed and wouldn’t bother checking out the other one.”
“While whatever forces they have left assemble there with the goal of making one last glorious assault somewhere?” Ar’alani suggested.
“Okay; so you did consider it,” Wutroow said drily. “Apologies for my impudence.”
“No apology needed,” Ar’alani said. “Part of your job is to watch for anything I might have missed.”
“I do my best, ma’am,” Wutroow said. “I assume you have a strategy in mind should that turn out to be the situation?”
“Of course,” Ar’alani said. “Inflict as much damage as we can, then run like a whisker cub and get help.”
“Sounds good to me,” Wutroow said. “And then, of course, not tell Lakinda that she was right about us going into the packbull’s field alone?”
“On the contrary,” Ar’alani said. “She and Thrawn will be the first ones I call in to help finish them off.”
“Of course,” Wutroow said, maintaining a straight face. “Ah. The confidence and absence of false pride that comes of already having achieved flag rank. Would that all officers saw things so clearly.”
“Would that they did,” Ar’alani agreed, giving Wutroow’s straight face right back at her.
Which would never happen, of course. Family pressures and ambitions would forever be an entanglement to the officers and warriors of the fleet, despite the Council’s best efforts to eliminate such influences.
Most of Ar’alani’s colleagues condemned the politics. Ar’alani had found it more effective to simply accept the fact and factor it into her assessments and plans.
“Admiral?” Larsiom called from the comm station. “Senior Captain Lakinda reports the Grayshrike is ready to leave.”
Ar’alani tapped the mike switch. “Safe travels, Captain Lakinda,” she said. “We’ll plan to rendezvous back here once we’ve returned from our individual tasks.”
“Understood,” Lakinda said. “Safe travels to you as well, Admiral, and successful combat.” The comm keyed off. Ar’alani turned to look out the bridge viewport just as the Grayshrike disappeared into hyperspace.
“Orders, Admiral?” Wutroow asked.
“Finish scanning the derelict ships,” Ar’alani said. “Then do a cursory sweep of the base itself.”
“Just a cursory one, ma’am?”
“We’ll save the full survey until after we’ve dealt with the final listening post,” Ar’alani explained. “Hopefully, Lakinda and Thrawn will be back in time to join in the fun.”
“Because cataloging is such fun,” Wutroow said. “And after our cursory sweep?”
Ar’alani straightened her shoulders. “We end the Nikardun threat. Forever.”
It was nearly the end of Samakro’s watch when the Springhawk’s bridge hatch opened and Thalias came in.
Though really, in Samakro’s critical opinion, it wasn’t so much came in as it was staggered in. The young woman’s eyes were half closed, her shoulders were sagging, and her general air was of someone who was dead on her feet.
“Good evening, Mid Captain Samakro,” Thalias said as she made her way toward him. “I’m here to pick up Che’ri.”
“I hope you don’t mean that literally,” Samakro said, looking her up and down. “You look barely able to pick up yourself.”
“I’m okay,” Thalias said, peering past his shoulder at the girl seated at the navigator’s station. “It’s been an hour since her last break?”
Samakro checked the log. “Just under,” he said. “I was going to have Lieutenant Commander Azmordi bring her out in about five minutes.”
“I’d like to wait a bit, if you don’t mind,” Thalias said, stopping beside him and consulting her chrono. “About fifteen more minutes.”
“Why fifteen?”
“Because that’s when she’ll be at a lighter stage of Third Sight,” Thalias said. “It’ll be easier to bring her out then. It’ll also leave her with less physical and mental stress.”
Samakro frowned. He’d never heard about Third Sight stages before. Or any of the rest of it, for that matter. “So you’re saying an hour and ten minutes is the optimal time?”
“Well, it is for Che’ri,” Thalias said, closing her eyes and rubbing at her temples. “Not necessarily for anyone else. Third Sight stages roughly mirror a sky-walker’s normal sleep cycle, and for Che’ri that’s an hour ten.”
“How do you know what her sleep cycle is?” Samakro asked. An unpleasant image flashed through his mind: Thalias sitting silently in the girl’s room, watching her eyelids and taking notes on her questis.
Thalias gave him a wan smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not staring at her while she sleeps. I had her wear a diagnostic patch for a few days, that’s all. Her cycles are actually pretty consistent, which makes them easy to work with. I remember mine being all over the map when I was her age. Still are, really.”