'Don't worry, I have a few tricks of my own available,' Pellaeon said. 'Trooper?'
'Lieutenant Marshian reports the shuttle will be ready to fly when we arrive, sir,' the trooper reported. 'Captain Ardiff reports likewise for the
'Good,' Pellaeon said, motioning the troopers to open the doors. 'Then let's not keep them waiting.'
* * *
For a few seconds the room was utterly quiet. The silence of a cave, or a forest, or a tomb. Disra let the stillness linger, thoroughly enjoying the look of stunned disbelief on Zothip's face. It was high time the cocky, slime-eating pirate ran face-first into something his noise and bluster couldn't handle. He would have liked to see the consternation last a little longer. But for reasons known only to himself, the con man chose to break the spell. 'You seem surprised by my presence here,' he said, his smooth Thrawn voice as absolutely perfect as the silence had been. 'I can only conclude you haven't been paying attention to the news coming out of Coruscant.'
For a moment Zothip's mouth worked silently, the movement amplified grotesquely by the bushy beard, before he finally found his voice. 'No, I heard you were back,' he said at last, the words coming out with some difficulty. The sound of his voice seemed to embolden him. 'I just didn't believe it, that's all,' he added, straightening his shoulders.
'Why not?'
Zothip's eyes darted to one of his men, as if reassuring him that he was the one in control here.
'Because I figured anyone who'd gotten away from this slime-hole of an Empire wouldn't be stupid enough to come back,' he said, his voice suddenly aggressive again. On Thrawn's other side, Tierce stirred. But Thrawn merely smiled. 'Not bad,' he said. 'A bit slow, but otherwise not bad at all.'
Zothip's eyebrows pressed together. 'What are you talking about?'
'The Empire is poised to rise again,' Thrawn said, crossing in front of Disra as he gave each of the other three pirates a brief, measuring look. 'And while we certainly do not need allies, we are also not averse to having them.'
One of the pirates, standing behind Zothip and a little ways toward the right-hand wall, snorted in a refined sort of way. 'Is that how you think of us?' he demanded, folding his arms across his chest.
'As allies?'
'Control's right,' Zothip seconded, jerking a thumb back at the other. 'You give the orders and pull the profits while we do the dirty work. What kind of ally is that?'
'The kind of ally who stands to gain position beyond his wildest dreams,' Thrawn said, his voice cooling noticeably. 'Position, power, and the wealth to buy and sell whole systems.'
'And when is all this supposed to happen?' Control put in. He was, Disra noted with a touch of uneasiness, drifting slowly away from Zothip toward the wall. As if distancing himself from his boss in preparation for some kind of action...
Tierce saw it, too. Out of the corner of his eye Disra saw the Guardsman take a quiet step that same direction, maintaining his same distance from Control as he simultaneously moved closer to the other pirate leaning against the wall to Zothip's left.
Which left only the pirate standing at Zothip's right out of the Guardsman's quick reach. Disra glanced furtively that direction, hoping Tierce hadn't forgotten about him.
'Quite soon,' Thrawn assured him. 'Most of the pieces are already prepared and in position. Those which aren't will be soon.'
'Those pieces being your other allies?' Control suggested. 'Is that how you see us? As pieces in a game?'
'I don't like being called anyone's game piece,' Zothip growled before Thrawn could reply.
'We're the Cavrilhu Pirates. We don't play any games but our own.' He broke off at a twitter from the computer desk. 'You expecting a call?' he asked sarcastically. Disra ignored the comment, stepping forward and keying the comm as he swiveled the display around to face him. 'Yes?'
It was the lieutenant in the situation room... and from the look on his face Disra could tell it wasn't good news. 'Your Excellency, we have a problem,' the other said tautly. 'The spies appear to have slipped out of the net.'
Disra bit back a curse. 'How?'
'They used droids from a shop to blanket the Verpine biocomm frequencies,' the lieutenant said, sounding
