Ba’kif nodded. He’d expected Thrawn to volunteer, of course. If there was one thing the man enjoyed, it was chasing down enigmas and working through puzzles. Add in his unique ability to see connections others couldn’t—and the fact that a large percentage of the Aristocra would be happy to have him out of their sight for a while—and he was the perfect person for the job.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy.

“I’ll need something reasonably well equipped for a mission of this sort,” Thrawn continued, looking around at the wreckage. “The Springhawk would do quite well.”

“I thought that would be next,” Ba’kif said sourly. “You do know it was taken away from you for a reason, right?”

“Of course,” Thrawn said. “Supreme Admiral Ja’fosk and the Council were displeased by my actions against the Vagaari pirates. But surely that anger has dissipated by now.”

“Perhaps,” Ba’kif said evasively. “However…well. Let’s just say that your reputation among the other Council members continues to be tenuous.” Certainly the Defense Hierarchy Council’s annoyance at Thrawn’s actions had been the official reason for him being removed as the Springhawk’s commander. Not just his unauthorized action against the pirates, but also the subsequent death of Syndic Mitth’ras’safis and the loss of valuable alien technology.

But behind the scenes, there’d been other factors in play. Thrawn’s successful campaign, whether the Aristocra approved of it or not, had elevated the Springhawk’s name and prestige, and the Ufsa family had decided they wanted the ship to be commanded by one of their own. A quiet petition to the Council, probably an even quieter exchange of favors or future owings, and Thrawn was out.

All strictly against protocol, of course. The Aristocra weren’t supposed to have any influence over military assignments. But that didn’t mean it never happened.

The point was that, as usual, Thrawn had seen only the surface situation and completely missed the political subtleties.

Still, this might be a good opportunity to remind the Ascendancy’s civilian leaders that the Council, not the Syndicure, was in charge of the military. The syndics had taken away the Springhawk; it was time for the Council to take it back. “Let me see what I can do,” he said. “The Springhawk’s scheduled to join Admiral Ar’alani’s punitive attack on the Paataasus in a few days, but we should be able to get you back in command after that.”

“Do you really think the Paataasus are responsible for the Csilla attack?”

“I don’t, no,” Ba’kif admitted. “Nor does most of the Council. But one of the syndics trotted out that theory, and the rest are warming to it. Regardless, the Paataasus have been poking at the edge of the Ascendancy again, so a quick punitive slap was in order anyway.”