Sure enough, even as the lasers dug into its hull, the enemy warship began a yaw turn, rotating ponderously toward the Springhawk, preparing to bring its bow and starboard weapons to bear on its attacker and put its damaged port side out of the lasers’ reach.
“Looks like they’re ready for another round,” Samakro commented.
“A decision they may regret,” Thrawn said. “Azmordi, secure from emergency acceleration. Afpriuh, I see barriers are at eighty-two percent?”
“Yes, sir,” the weapons officer confirmed. “Still recovering from the gunboat attacks. We’re working to get them to full power.”
“Understood,” Thrawn said. “Stand by lasers. I anticipate they’ll turn far enough to bring their starboard weapons to bear, but no farther.”
“We’re ready, sir,” Afpriuh said. “Weapons cluster locations on that flank already keyed into targeting systems.”
“Good,” Thrawn said, checking his chrono. “Just make certain your shots are very precise.”
“Yes, sir,” Afpriuh said. “Starboard systems almost in sight.”
“Prepare to fire on my mark,” Thrawn said. “Single laser volleys on my marks. First volley: Three, two, one.”
Once again, the sky outside the viewport lit up as the Springhawk’s spectrum lasers blazed toward the distant warship.
But the range was still on the long side, and the Battle Dreadnought was well armored, and without the softening-up that had been provided by the breachers on the port side the starboard hull and shoulder weapons clusters shrugged off the attack. The warship continued its turn, its own lasers now opening up toward the Springhawk.
“Second and third volleys: Three, two, one,” Thrawn called. Once again he checked his chrono as the lasers spat out two more attacks—
“Cease fire.”
Samakro swallowed hard, his eyes flicking between the viewport and the tactical display …
Then suddenly there it was, appearing in the near distance behind the Battle Dreadnought.
The Grayshrike had returned.
Not only returned, but in the precise tactical position Thrawn had specified: within close-combat range, and with a perfect view of the Battle Dreadnought’s damaged port side.
And as the Battle Dreadnought continued to pour laserfire at the Springhawk, Lakinda opened up her own attack.
“Afpriuh: Fire at will,” Thrawn ordered.
Samakro looked at the sensor display, shifted to the tactical, then back to the sensor. At this distance, it was hard to get a good read on how much damage the Chiss crossfire was doing to the Battle Dreadnought. Or for that matter, whether it was doing any at all.
But that was only the case on the Springhawk’s side of the battle. The telemetry from the Grayshrike showed their lasers digging deep into the mutilated part of the enemy’s hull. If the Grayshrike could keep that up, and if the Springhawk could at least hold its own—
“Afpriuh, stand by to cease fire,” Thrawn called.
Samakro frowned at the sensor display. What was Thrawn seeing that made him think the enemy was about to give up?
He was still trying to figure it out when the Battle Dreadnought abruptly lunged forward, driving hard out of the planetary gravity well. The Springhawk’s lasers shifted aim to follow, the Grayshrike’s doing likewise. The Battle Dreadnought blasted away one final laser volley that missed the Springhawk completely—
And then, with a flicker, it escaped to hyperspace.
“Cease fire,” Thrawn ordered. “Assess and report damage.”
Samakro took a deep breath, feeling the subtle sounds and stirrings across the bridge as the other officers also mentally disengaged from combat. “Well,” he said. “That was different.”
“Indeed,” Thrawn said, keying his comm. “Captain Lakinda, report.”
“We’re still assessing damage, Captain,” Lakinda’s voice came. “But so far it doesn’t look too bad. You?”
“The same,” Thrawn said. “My compliments to your pilot, by the way. I’ve never seen so precise a pair of in-system jumps. Please add my appreciation to your log entry.”
“I’ll do so,” Lakinda said. “Did you notice our playmate’s parting shot?”
“I did,” Thrawn said, his voice going grim. “A shame, too. I was looking forward to seeing what those gunboats and pilots could offer us.”
Samakro looked back at the tactical, scowling as he saw that all ten of the paralyzed gunboats had been turned into expanding clouds of dust. He’d assumed the Battle Dreadnought had simply missed its intended target—the Springhawk—with that final volley. Clearly, it hadn’t.
“Will Admiral Ar’alani be joining us?” Thrawn continued.
“No,” Lakinda said. “And I’m only here because the admiral sent me to deliver a message.”
“Interesting,” Thrawn said. “A moment while I set up a secure channel.”
“Actually, I’d prefer to deliver it to you directly,” Lakinda said. “Since we also ought to talk about what just happened here.”
“Very well,” Thrawn said. “I suggest we both continue our damage assessments. There are also one or two things I need to check into. Once those have been completed, we’ll arrange a meeting.”
“Agreed,” Lakinda said. “Grayshrike out.”
“Springhawk out.” Thrawn keyed off his mike.
“She’s a good commander,” Samakro commented. “If a little brash sometimes.”
“You mean taking on a major warship with a single heavy cruiser?” Thrawn asked.
“Yes, sir.” Samakro dared a small smile. “I thought you were the only one who could take on impossible odds and get away with it.”
“The odds are never impossible,” Thrawn said calmly. “Merely unfavorable.”
“I’ll remember that,” Samakro said. “What are these one or two things we need to check into?”
“Did you notice what happened just before the Battle Dreadnought escaped?”
“You mean aside from destroying the gunboats?” Samakro asked, eyeing him closely. “Not really. I assumed they just got tired of taking damage.”
“I’m sure that was part of it,” Thrawn said. “And make no mistake—they were being seriously hurt. But I believe the reason they stayed as long as they did was to occupy our attention so their companions could make their own escape.”
Samakro frowned. “Their companion? You mean the tender we saw on Lakinda’s telemetry?”
“We assumed it was a tender,” Thrawn said. “But I believe that when we examine the Grayshrike’s records more thoroughly, we’ll find it was either a passenger ship or a freighter.”
Samakro looked at the devastated planet below them. “Someone wanted someone or something from this place,” he said slowly. “Something worth wrecking the whole planet for.”
“And something worth sending a Battle Dreadnought to guard its transfer.”
“Yes,” Samakro murmured. “What now?”
“First, we bring the Magys and her companion back to the bridge,” Thrawn said. “The Battle Dreadnought and transport were in geosynchronous positions, presumably over a significant location. Perhaps she can tell us what occupies that area.”
“We could go down and take a look for ourselves,” Samakro pointed out.