"I don't think so," Car'das said, trying to unfreeze his mind and think as theSpringhawk began moving backward. The sight of this many incoming Trade Federation starfighters was enough to rattle anyone. "No, I'm sure they don't. They're remotely controlled in groups from one of the battleships."

"Comm?" Thrawn called. "Have you located and identified their control frequencies?"

"Yes, Commander," the comm officer reported. "The control appears to be secured with a rolling encryption system. I estimate maximum range to be ten thousandvisvia."

"Pull us back to eleven thousand," Thrawn ordered, turning back to Car'das. "Ten thousandvisvia is approximately sixteen thousand of your kilometers. Does that sound like the correct operating range?"

Car'das spread his hands helplessly. "I'm sorry, but I don't know."

"No apologies needed," Thrawn assured him. "At any rate, we'll know soon enough."

"Enemy fighters still approaching," one of the crewers warned. "Main group is holding back."

"Interesting," Thrawn said thoughtfully. "The main body appears to be forming a defensive screen around the larger vessels. Considering his numerical advantage, this Commander Stratis seems unusually cautious."

"That's typical of the Neimoidians who build and run these things," Car'das told him, feeling a frown creasing his forehead. Now that he thought about it, though, Stratis's voice had sounded human, not Neimoidian. Could the Trade Federation have started selling or leasing their battleships?

"Attackers pulling back," the sensor officer called. "Reforming into an outer screen between us and the fleet."

"Apparently, we were correct about the ten-thousand-visviarange," Thrawn concluded. "Excellent."

"So what do we do now?" Car'das asked, eyeing the swarming starfighters uneasily.

For a moment Thrawn sat silently, his eyes narrowed as he gazed at the displays. "We try an experiment," he said at last. "Whirlwind: move to deployment position. Fighter Four: probe attack, course one-one-five by three-eight-one."

There were two acknowledgments, and Car'das watched as one of the other twoSpringhawk — size ships broke away from the group, heading to starboard, while one of the nine fighters headed off the opposite direction. "What kind of experiment?" he asked.

"With so many fighters to control, I suspect the system designers didn't have room to be overly clever," Thrawn said. "Let's see just how clever they were."

"Incoming!" one of the Neimoidians in the control pits called sharply. "Single fighter, vector zero-four-two by zero eight-eight."

"The fool," Kav said with a snort. "Does he think us inattentive? Outer group: intercept and destroy."

Doriana watched the displays as the three groups of droid starfighters re-formed from their outer picket screen and swung to intercept the lone alien fighter. But they had barely settled into their attack vector when the intruder broke off, swinging around in a tight curve and hurrying back to the safety of distance. "Return them to patrol," Kav ordered. "Does this Mitthrawdo not realize how badly he is outmatched?"

"Maybe all he wants is to sit back there out of range and watch us," Doriana pointed out. "I don't need to remind you that we can't afford to have witnesses around when Outbound Flight gets here."

"Do you suggest they are Senate spies?"

"Or they might be from the Jedi, or from Palpatine, or from someone else," Doriana said. "All I know is that no one this far from the Republic should be speaking Basic."

"He comes at us again, Vicelord," the Neimoidian at the sensors called. "Same fighter, same vector."

"Same response, then," Kav called back, leaning forward to study the displays. "Perhaps he is trying to judge exactly how far our control extends."

"Be careful," Doriana warned. "If they figure out how to jam the signal, those starfighters will go dormant."

"And will self-destruct a few minutes later," Kav said impatiently. "Thank you, Commander Stratis; I am familiar with my own weaponry. See-again he pulls back, no wiser than he was before."

"Unless he's a decoy," Doriana said, searching the other displays. "Don't forget the cruiser that detached itself from the group the same time the fighter did."

"I have not forgotten," Kav assured him. "But that one has merely traveled along our flank, and has made no attempt to attack or move closer."

Doriana shook his head. "He's up to something, Vicelord."

"Whatever it is, it will gain him nothing," Kav said. "Outbound Flight is not due for another nine days. That is more than enough time to choose how we will deal with this annoyance." On the display the retreating fighter suddenly flipped over and again charged in. "Vicelord-" a Neimoidian began.

"Same response," Kav cut in. But this time there was a note of satisfaction in his voice. "I see now his plan, Commander Stratis. He hopes to drain the starfighters of their fuel and then drive in unopposed. What he does not realize is that I still have all theDarkvenge 's starfighters in reserve, plus half of theSeeker 's."

"Maybe," Doriana murmured, his vague sense of uneasiness deepening as he watched the same scenario play itself out for a third time. Surely Mitth'raw'nuruodo could come up with something better than to just run the same simple-minded attack over and over.

And always on exactly the same vector. Was he trying to find a weakness in the droid starfighters' attack formation?

Once again the starfighters chased the intruder away. Once again, the alien ship flew out of range and flipped over for another run. The show repeated twice more, and Doriana was just checking the chrono to see how close the starfighters were to their twenty-five-minute fuel time limit when Kav abruptly slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. "I weary of this game," he said. "You-order theKeeper to move toward the aliens."

"Careful, Vicelord," Doriana cautioned as the comet operator turned to his board. "Let's not be too quick to split up the fleet."

"I have been more than patient," Kav countered. "It is time to end this. Signal theKeeper to advance, and to launch the rest of its starfighters into shield configuration-"

"Hold it," Doriana cut in. Suddenly the scenario had changed. The fighter was again retreating with starfighters in pursuit, but this time the rest of the alien force had leapt forward, driving hard toward the gap that had opened up between them and the main task force.

"And so they make their final mistake," Kav said with satisfaction. "Signal the starfighters to attack." The Neimoidian acknowledged and tapped at his board.