The soldier didn’t answer. Instead, he gave an open-hand salute, gestured to his companions, and the whole group of them marched off the landing platform and disappeared through one of the doors.

“Are we still on the plan?” Che’ri asked.

Thalias hesitated. They were, but there were certain parts that Thrawn and Ar’alani had elected to keep from the younger girl. “We’ll find out,” she said evasively.

“Ah—Thalias of the Chiss Ascendancy,” a cheerful voice said from behind them.

Thalias turned, feeling her stomach knot up as she saw the familiar creature walking toward them, a broad smile on his face. “You won’t remember me,” he said, “but we met—”

“You’re Qilori of Uandualon,” she interrupted. “You were with General Yiv at the reception.”

“Ah—you do remember,” Qilori said. “Excellent. Come with me—the shuttle to our transport is right down here.”

A few minutes later they were in the shuttle’s passenger compartment, heading through the thinning atmosphere toward the rows of ships in Primea orbit. “It’s a busy place, Primea,” Qilori commented, peering out the window. “I’m just as glad I never have to take control of a ship until we’re well out of the gravity well and ready for hyperspace. You must have had an interesting time getting through it all.”

“Che’ri did,” Thalias said, looking around the otherwise empty compartment. “She’s the pilot. Where are the other passengers?”

“Oh, they’re already aboard the transport,” Qilori said. “You were a late addition, courtesy of the Combine government. They must be pleased to have their fighter back.”

“It was never our intention to keep it,” Thalias said. “Which one’s our transport?”

“You’ll see it in a minute,” Qilori said. “It’s…there it is, just coming into view.”

“Thalias?” Che’ri asked, her voice uncertain. “That doesn’t look like a transport to me.”

“If by transport you mean something to get you from here to there, of course it’s a transport,” Qilori said. “If you mean civilian transport, though, I’m afraid that’s not what we’re doing today.”

He pointed out the viewport. “That, my noble Chiss hostages, is the Deathless, a Battle Dreadnought and the flagship of General Yiv the Benevolent of the Nikardun Destiny.”

Thalias looked at him, mentally measuring the distance between them. They were both strapped in, but if she got free quickly enough…

“Please don’t,” Qilori said. “The Benevolent would very much like you to be in undamaged condition when he hands you over to Thrawn.”

“He’s going to give us back to Thrawn?” Che’ri asked hopefully.

“Of course,” Qilori said. “He’ll message Thrawn, Thrawn will come, they’ll meet right on the bridge of that warship, and Yiv will hand you over to him.

“And then, of course, Yiv will kill him.”

Treason.