Vision of the future

made up for it. 'I only bring it up to remind you that we would need more than just your word as guarantee.'

'Are you questioning the word of Grand Admiral Thrawn?' Disra asked, letting just a hint of an edge into his voice.

The gambit worked; D'asima was instantly on the defensive. 'Not at all,' she assured him, too quickly. 'It's merely that—'

She was saved by a signal from the conference room intercom. 'Admiral Thrawn, this is Captain Dorja,' the familiar voice said.

Seated at Thrawn's side, Tierce touched the switch. 'This is Major Tierce, Captain,' he said. 'The Admiral is listening.'

'Forgive the interruption, sir,' Dorja said. 'But you asked to be informed immediately if any unscheduled ships approached the base. They've just received a transmission from the Imperial Star Destroyer Tyrannic, requesting emergency assistance.'

Disra threw a startled look at Tierce. The Tyrannic was one of the three ships lurking behind their cloaking shields off Bothawui. Or at least it was supposed to be there. 'Did they specify the nature of their emergency?' Thrawn asked.

'Coming through now, sir... they say they've come under attack by a sizable New Republic assault force and have been severely damaged. They say the force is right behind them and that they need shelter. General Hestiv is requesting instructions.'

Disra felt a tight smile crease his lips. No—of course it wasn't the real Tyrannic out there. Tierce's hunch had been right: Coruscant had indeed launched a mad attempt to steal a copy of the Caamas Document.

And not only was the trap ready and waiting, they even had one of the Mistryl's Eleven here to watch that pitiful attempt turned into a humiliating defeat. The real Thrawn couldn't have arranged things better.

'Instruct General Hestiv to let the incoming Star Destroyer pass the outer perimeter,' Thrawn told Dorja. 'He's then to put all defenses on full battle readiness and prepare for enemy attack.'

'Yes, sir.'

'And then, Captain,' Thrawn added, 'you will similarly prepare the Relentless for combat. Track the incoming Star Destroyer as it approaches and plot its course, then bring us to stand directly between it and the base. At that point, you will order General Hestiv to bring full inner defenses to bear on it.'

'Yes, sir,' Dorja said, sounding slightly puzzled but nevertheless unquestioning. 'Will you be coming to the bridge?'

'Of course, Captain.' Thrawn stood up, favoring D'asima with a slight smile as he gestured her toward the conference room door. 'In fact, I believe we all will.'

* * *

The sudden noise snapped Ghent out of his doze and sent him jerking upright in his chair. He looked around the work area wildly, saw he was still alone. Only then did his sleep-fogged mind realize the sound was some kind of alarm.

He looked around the room again, searching for the source of the trouble. There was nothing he could see. Obviously, it must be elsewhere in the station. A moment's search in the climate-control section of the board, and he found the cutoff switch.

The sound faded away into an unpleasant ringing in his ears. For another moment he looked at the board, wondering if it would be worth trying to tap into the main comm system and find out what was going on. Probably not; whatever it was, it probably didn't have anything to do with him. He frowned suddenly. The board in front of him seemed to be flickering. Flickering?

The frown vanished into relieved understanding. Of course—he was getting reflections of light coming in through the viewport in the living area behind him. Getting to his feet, wincing as his knees informed him he'd been sitting in one place too long again, he hobbled in through the open door and peered out the viewport.

The source of the flickering light was instantly apparent: an awesome display of multiple turbolaser and proton torpedo blasts coming from the distance near the base's outer defense perimeter. And framed in the center of all that flashing firepower, bearing inexorably straight down on him, was the huge bulk of an Imperial Star Destroyer.

Ghent caught his breath, staring at the incoming ship. Suddenly all of Pellaeon's and Hestiv's talk about danger and threats, tucked snugly away in the back of his mind for the past few days, came rushing to the forefront again. That Star Destroyer was coming for him—he was sure of it. Run! the thought flashed into his mind. Run out of here, down the long tunnel into the main base. Find General Hestiv, or that TIE pilot who'd brought him here from the Chimaera, or just find somewhere to hide.