Mitth'raw'nuruodo looked at Kav, and Doriana could sense the tension between them. But the Neimoidian remained silent, and after a moment Mitth'raw'nuruodo turned to Car'das. "Come."

They left the room, the Chiss guards falling into step behind them. Doriana watched until they had disappeared through the bridge blast doors, then turned to Kav. "With all due respect, Vicelord, what in the name of your grub mother do you think you're doing?"

"That ismy question foryou," Kav countered. "Do you simply turn your back downward and give over our lives and property to this primitive backworld alien?"

"Look around you, Vicelord," Doriana said grimly. "This primitive alien just wrecked our entire task force. And unless I missed it, he didn't lose a single ship of his own in the process."

"And you wish to make him even stronger by offering him access to Trade Federation secrets?"

Doriana took a deep breath. "Listen to me," he said, enunciating his words carefully. It was as if he were back on Barlok, trying to walk those idiot Brolfi through a simple assassination scheme. "We've failed our mission. Even if Mitth'raw'nuruodo turned tail right now and left us in peace, there's no way in the universe our single battleship could take on Outbound Flight's six Dreadnaughts. We would have no choice but to return to the Republic and face Darth Sidious's anger. . and I can assure you that you would wish you had died today, torn apart in agony by the Chiss fighters." He lifted a finger. "Unless."

He let the word hang in the air. "Unless?" Kav asked, his voice subdued.

"Unless," Doriana said, "we can persuade Mitth'raw'nuruodo to destroy Outbound Flight for us."

For a long minute the room was silent. "I see," Kav said at last. "Do you think you can do that? And if you can, do you thinkhe can achieve that victory?"

"I don't know," Doriana had to admit. "He's no fool, and he surely knows my description of Outbound Flight and the Jedi was horribly slanted. Odds are he cut off the talks so he could go off and get Car'das's take on the whole thing."

"But why would he listen to a human he believes to be a spy?" Kav objected.

"He doesn't," Doriana said, smiling tightly. "If he did, he certainly wouldn't have said so right in front of the man. I think he just wants us to believe that so that we won't think he'll listen to Car'das advice."

Kav shook his head. "This is too complicated for me."

"Yes, I know," Doriana said. "That's why you have to leave everything to me. Everything."

Kav rumbled something under his breath. "Very well," he growled. "For now. But Iwill be watching you."

"You do that," Doriana said. "Just keep in mind that your life is worth a lot more than your pride."

"Perhaps," Kav said. "But you say Mitthrawdo does not believe your warnings about the Jedi. How then will you convince him to destroy Outbound Flight?"

"I have more in my persuasive arsenal than just lies about the Jedi," Doriana said. "Trust me."

"Very well." Kav inclined his head. "For now'."

Car'das had been sitting alone at the computer desk in hisSpringhawk quarters for three hours, struggling through pages and pages of technical Cheunh text and scans, when Thrawn finally arrived.

"My apologies for my long absence," the commander said as the door slid shut behind him. "I trust you've kept yourself occupied?"

"I've been studying the tech teams' reports as you requested," Car'das said stiffly, turning back to the computer. It was rude, he knew, but he wasn't in a very hospitable mood right now.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Your assessment of the Trade Federation's capabilities?" Thrawn asked patiently.

Car'das sighed, feeling like a ship with a misfiring gyro. Right before the battle Thrawn had accused him of lying about widespread Republic slavery; and then, rightafter the battle, he'd accused him of being a spy for the Federation. Now he wanted a military assessment from him? "Those droid starfighters are top-line weapons," he growled. "I read a report a few months ago speculating that the only reason they didn't completely wipe out their attackers at Naboo was that having to control all those ground troops at the same time overloaded the computer systems and made the starfighter control more sluggish than it should have been. Here, they weren't running any ground troops. In my humble civilian's opinion, if you hadn't knocked out their communications the way you did, they'd have cut us to ribbons."

"Agreed," Thrawn said. "Fortunately, Expansionary Fleet vessels are equipped with more powerful transmitters than those of the regular Defense Fleet forces, since we seldom have a normal colony system's network of boosters and repeaters to draw on. What about Vicelord Kav and Commander Stratis personally?"

"Why are you even asking me this?" Car'das demanded, giving up and swiveling around to face him. "I thought you didn't trust me."

Thrawn shook his head. "Not at all," he said. "If you and your companions were spies, you'd have used your access to the base's computer to study our technology and learn the locations of our worlds. Instead, you've merely worked on improving your language skills. May I sit down?"

"Yes, of course," Car'das said, scrambling out of his chair and extending a hand. Preoccupied with his own uncertainty and bruised pride, he hadn't even noticed the utter weariness in Thrawn's face and posture. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Thrawn assured him, waving off the proffered hand as he stepped over to the bunk and sank down onto it. "It's simply been a very long day."

"You look more than just tired," Car'das commented, peering at him closely. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing serious," Thrawn said. "I just received word that Admiral Ar'alani is on her way back."

Car'das frowned. It had been barely five weeks since Ar'alani had taken the captured freighter away with her. "They're finished studying the Vagaari ship already?"

"I believe she's cut short her role in the examination," Thrawn said. "That was why I made a point of accusing you of espionage in front of my warriors. After today's events she will undoubtedly be questioning them, and I wished to have a plausible reason on record as to why you and the others were still in Chiss space. My apologies for any distress that may have caused you."

"Don't worry about it," Car'das said, frowning. "You think Ar'alani's suspicious of you?"

"I have no doubt," Thrawn said. "Particularly given the reports she's been receiving from Crustai."

"But who at your base would have-" Car'das broke off as a horrible thought struck him. "Thrass? Yourbrother? "