Captain?'
'Yes, sir,' Pellaeon said cautiously. 'The target was already powering up before the Constrainer arrived.'
'Yes,' Thrawn nodded. 'And it implies one of three things. Either Karrde was about to leave anyway, or else he panicked for some reason-' The red eyes glittered. 'Or else he was somehow warned off.' Pellaeon felt his back stiffen. 'I hope you're not suggesting, sir, that one of our people tipped him.'
'No, of course not.' Thrawn's lip twitched slightly. 'Loyalties of your crewers aside, no one on the Chimaera knew the Constrainer was on its way; and no one on the Constrainer could have sent any messages here without our detecting them.' He stepped over to his command station and sat down, a thoughtful look on his face. 'An interesting puzzle, Captain. One I'll have to give some thought to. In the meantime, we have more pressing matters. The task of acquiring new warships, for one. Have there been any recent responses to our invitation?'
'Nothing particularly interesting, Admiral,' Pellaeon said, pulling up the comm log and giving it a quick scan to refresh his memory. 'Eight of the fifteen groups I contacted have expressed interest, though none were willing to commit themselves to anything specific. We're still waiting on the others.'
Thrawn nodded. 'We'll give them a few weeks. If there've been no results after that time, we'll make the invitation a bit more compulsory.'
'Yes, sir.' Pellaeon hesitated. 'There's also been another communication from Jomark.'
Thrawn turned his glowing eyes on Pellaeon. 'I would very much appreciate it, Captain,' he said, biting off each word, 'if you would try to make it clear to our exalted Jedi Master C'baoth that if he persists in these communications he's going to subvert the whole purpose of putting him on Jomark in the first place. If the Rebels get even a hint of any connection between us, he can forget about Skywalker ever showing up there.'
'I have explained it to him, sir,' Pellaeon grimaced. 'Numerous times. His reply is always that Skywalker is going to show up. And then he demands to know when you're going to get around to delivering Skywalker's sister to him.'
For a long moment Thrawn said nothing. 'I suppose there'll be no shutting him up until he gets what he wants,' he said at last. 'Nor of getting any uncomplaining work out of him, either.'
'Yes, he was grumbling about the attack coordination you've been having him do,' Pellaeon nodded. 'He's warned me several times that he can't predict exactly when Skywalker will arrive on Jomark.'
'And implied that a horrible retribution would fall upon us if he's not there when that happens,' Thrawn growled. 'Yes, I know the routine well. And I'm getting rather tired of it.' He took a deep breath, let it out slowly.
'Very well, Captain. The next time C'baoth calls, you may inform him that the Taanab operation will be his last for the immediate future. Skywalker isn't likely to make it to Jomark for at least two more weeks-the little pot of political confusion we've stirred up in the Rebellion high command should occupy him at least that long. As to Organa Solo and her unborn Jedi...you may also inform him that from now on I'll be taking a personal hand in that matter.'
Pellaeon threw a quick glance over his shoulder, to where the Grand Admiral's bodyguard, Rukh, stood silently near the aft bridge door. 'Does that mean you'll be taking the Noghri off the job, sir?' he asked quietly.
'Do you have a problem with that, Captain?'
'No, sir. May I respectfully remind the Grand Admiral, though, that the Noghri have never liked leaving a mission uncompleted.'
'The Noghri are servants of the Empire,' Thrawn countered coldly.
'More to the point, they're loyal to me personally. They will do as they're told.' He paused. 'However, I'll take your concerns under advisement. At any rate, our task here at Myrkr is completed. Order General Covell to bring his force back up.'
'Yes, sir,' Pellaeon said, signalling the communications officer to relay the message.
'I'll want the general's report on file in three hours,' Thrawn continued. 'Twelve hours after that I want his recommendations as to the three best infantry troopers and two best mechanized operators in the assault. Those five men will be transferred to the Mount Tantiss operation and given immediate transport to Wayland.'
'Understood,' Pellaeon nodded, dutifully logging the orders in Covell's file. Such recommendations had been part of standard Imperial procedure for several weeks now, ever since the Mount Tantiss operation had begun in earnest. But Thrawn nevertheless still periodically went out of his way to mention it to his officers. Perhaps as a not-so-subtle reminder of how vitally important those recommendations were to the Grand Admiral's sweeping plan to crush the Rebellion.
Thrawn looked out the viewport again at the planet beneath them.
'And while we await the general's return, you'll contact Surveillance regarding that long-term team for
