“Well, you know how to beat them,” Ar’alani muttered. “Sometimes I’m not so sure about anyone else.”

“We can beat them,” Thrawn assured her. “But no, the crucial battle will be at Primea. If we can demonstrate Yiv’s weakness and his treachery in front of the Vaks, they may reconsider their choice of allies.”

“Sounds like a long shot,” Ar’alani said. “But barring any kind of direct intervention, I think it’s all we’ve got. So how do we do that?”

Thrawn seemed to brace himself. “We invite the Vaks to help us.”

And as he laid out his plan, Thalias discovered that he had one more surprise left to offer.

“You disapprove,” Thrawn said.

Ar’alani eyed him, her head still spinning from the idea he’d presented to her and the two younger women. “Of course I disapprove,” she said. “The whole thing is totally illegal in at least three directions. Not to mention insane.”

“Agreed,” Thrawn said. “The question is, are you willing to go through with it?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Of course,” Thrawn said. “If you don’t want to be part of this, say so now, and we’ll do it alone.”

“How?” Ar’alani retorted. “If Yiv behaves the way you expect, the three of you will end up alone against his entire Primea force.”

“The Vaks will come to our aid.”

“If the message gets to them and they don’t decide to ignore it.”

“There are clearly thought lines of distrust toward Yiv,” Thrawn said. “The message will offer another thought line, one I hope their culture will require them to at least consider. And if I’ve read Yiv correctly, he should soon find himself in deeper trouble than he expects.”

“If you’ve read him correctly,” Ar’alani said, leaning on the critical word. “Come on, Thrawn, this is crazy. Even for you.”

“Do you see an alternative?” Thrawn countered. “We can’t just sit back and let the Nikardun close in around us, gathering allies and biding their time until the Chaos closes around us and we stand alone against them. Yiv has to be stopped, and this is the best time and place to make our move.”

“Again, what if you’re wrong?” Ar’alani asked. “What if everything you’re reading in Yiv and the Vaks is wrong? You’ve been wrong before, you know.”

It wasn’t the most diplomatic thing she could have said, she realized, and instantly regretted it as a flicker of old pain crossed his face. “I’m sorry,” she apologized.

“No, you’re right,” he said. “My failure with the Garwians…but this is different. This is war, not politics.”

“Which are just two sides of the same coin,” Ar’alani said. “You’ve never understood that or been able to deal with it.”

“I know,” Thrawn said. “That’s why we need to flip this particular coin over to the war side.”