“The meaning?” Ar’alani interrupted him. “The meaning, Ambassador, is that this was a trap. Someone wanted to capture a Chiss ship, and they invited you to Urch to make it happen.” She smiled, just slightly. “You were the bait.”

“I am not bait,” Ilparg insisted. “Not for anyone. Not for the Urchiv-ki, not for these—what did you call them?”

“Nikardun,” Thrawn supplied.

“And not for the Nikardun,” Ilparg bit out.

“And the Lioaoi?” Ar’alani asked.

Ilparg frowned at her. “What do the Lioaoi have to do with it?”

“One of their ships was here,” Ar’alani said. “And they certainly didn’t do or say anything to keep the Urchiv-ki back from us.”

“In fact, it looked to me like they were part of the net the Urchiv-ki were setting up behind us,” Wutroow added.

“Oh, they were, were they?” Ilparg said, glaring at the rolling hyperspace swirl outside the viewport.

“It certainly looked that way to me,” Wutroow said.

“Perhaps we should swing by the Lioaoin heartworld before we return to the Ascendancy,” Ar’alani suggested. “Talk to them, maybe ask for an explanation.”

Ilparg turned cold eyes to her. “You think we should do that, do you?”

Ar’alani lifted a hand. “I merely offer the suggestion.”

“And an excellent suggestion it is,” Ilparg said. “Except that I don’t intend to ask for an explanation. I intend to demand one.”

He pointed dramatically toward the hyperspace swirl. “The Lioaoin heartworld, Admiral Ar’alani. At your best possible speed.” He held the pose another moment, then gave an equally dramatic turn and stalked off the bridge.

“Interesting,” Thrawn murmured. “I assume that was on purpose?”

“You wanted to see the heartworld,” Ar’alani said. “Now we’re going to.”

“Make a note, Senior Captain,” Wutroow added. “You can ask and suggest and show why your ideas make sense. But when politicians are involved”—she waved toward the viewport in an imitation of Ilparg’s earlier posture—“that is how it’s done.”

Chapter Nine

Once again, the star-flares faded and the Vigilant was back in space-normal.

“Lioaoin heartworld bearing twenty degrees port, twelve nadir,” Octrimo announced from the helm. “Arrived precisely on target, as Chiss sky-walkers always do.”

“Acknowledged,” Ar’alani said, suppressing a smile at that last, definitely non-standard comment. The entire bridge crew had quietly seethed at Ilparg’s disparaging comments about Che’ri’s navigation back at Urch—fleet officers and warriors held their sky-walkers dear—but most of them had kept their feelings to themselves. Octrimo, who as helm officer had naturally worked the closest with the girl, had apparently decided to risk a reprimand in order to throw a small dig at the ambassador.

His protective attitude probably wasn’t hurt by the fact that his Droc family were strong rivals to Ilparg’s own Boadil family.