Vision of the future

'That's it,' Tierce said with grim satisfaction, waving at the display. 'They've come.'

'I'm not convinced,' Disra growled, peering at the computer-enhanced image on the display.

'Fine, so whoever they are seem to be using TIE fighter technology. That doesn't prove a thing.'

'They flew past Bastion,' Tierce pointed out. 'Clearly looking us over. And we've never seen anything like this anywhere else—'

'That doesn't even prove it was from the Unknown Regions,' Disra sniffed. 'Let alone that it was Parck or the Hand of Thrawn or whoever.'

'— and Bastion is where Thrawn was last reported being seen,' Tierce finished with a note of finality in his voice. 'Doubt all you like, Your Excellency, but I can tell you right now that the scheme has worked. Thrawn's old allies are finally nosing around the bait.'

'I hope you're right,' Disra said. 'With the Bothawui flash postponed, and with Pellaeon probably springing Vermel from Rimcee Station right at this moment—'

'I told you not to worry about that,' Tierce said with some asperity. 'There's no way he can hurt us.'

'Who can't hurt us?' Flim's voice asked from off to the left.

Disra turned to see Flim emerge from the secret door. The con man had been doing a lot of that lately, he'd noticed: skulking around quietly eavesdropping on his two partners. As if he didn't trust them. 'Admiral Pellaeon,' Tierce told him. 'We were just speculating that he and Colonel Vermel will probably be coming by at some point to demand an explanation for how we've been mistreating them.'

'And were you also speculating about that alien ship that buzzed past Bastion a couple of days ago?' Flim demanded. 'Or were you going to wait until the Hand of Thrawn knocked on the palace gate before you mentioned it?'

'I can assure you that the first thing they do will not be to show up here in person,' Tierce said.

'These are very cagey people, Admiral. Which, considering the card they're holding, they have every right to be. No, their first contact will be a cautious transmission from somewhere in deep space where they can make a fast escape if they decide it's necessary.'

'I fail to see how that helps us any,' Flim said icily. 'One way or the other, they're still going to want to talk to Thrawn.'

'Of course they are,' Tierce explained patiently. 'But calling in from off-planet allows me to take a message for you and to shake some useful information out of them along the way. Trust me, Admiral, I've been planning for this moment for a long time.'

Flim grimaced. 'That's going to be very comforting if Parck sees straight through it and blasts Bastion to rubble.'

Tierce shook his head. 'These people were extremely loyal to Thrawn, Admiral,' he said. 'No matter how cautious and skeptical they appear on the surface, they want Thrawn to have survived Bilbringi. You're a con man; surely you understand the effect wishful thinking has on a target.'

'Oh, it's very useful,' Flim grumbled. 'It also means they're twice as dangerous when you finally pull the rug out from under them. Speaking of dangerous, did either of you know that General Bel Iblis has disappeared?'

Tierce and Disra exchanged glances. 'What are you talking about?' Disra asked.

'We got a message from the strike team on Bothawui a couple of hours ago,' Flim said, strolling forward and tossing a datacard onto the desk. 'He said a couple of Rogue Squadron pilots who'd been sniffing around had suddenly pulled out and left the system. He suggested that might mean Bel Iblis was up to something.'

'Could be.' Tierce nodded, stepping to the desk and picking up the datacard. 'Let me check on it.'

'I already did,' Flim said, pulling over a chair and sitting down. 'The official story is that Bel Iblis is out at Kothlis putting together a New Republic force to protect Bothawui. But if you start poking through the data, you can't find any evidence that he's anywhere near Bothan space.'

'How did you learn about all this?' Disra interrupted.

Flim lifted his eyebrows in polite surprise. 'I'm Grand Admiral Thrawn, Your Excellency,' he reminded him. 'I called Intelligence and asked.'