“One of them is a woman,” Ja’fosk said, his voice under careful control. “Her name is Mitth’ali’astov. The other is indeed a girl, Che’ri.” A muscle in his cheek twitched. “One of our sky-walkers.”

A ripple of disbelief and outrage ran through the assembled Aristocra. Apparently, most of them hadn’t heard the whole story. “I assume Yiv is unaware of her status?” Thurfian asked.

“We believe so,” Ja’fosk said. “There’s certainly no indication that he even knows about the sky-walker program, let alone has any details.”

“I assume there’s also no indication that he doesn’t,” the Plikh Speaker put in harshly. “I would like to know exactly how Senior Captain Thrawn made such a blunder as to put one of our sky-walkers in enemy hands.”

“The Nikardun aren’t our enemies,” Ja’fosk reminded her. “As to Captain Thrawn’s reasoning in this matter…” He looked down at Thrawn.

“I certainly never intended either of them to be put at risk,” Thrawn said. “Their mission was to return the Vak fighter I had borrowed and to bring a warning to the Primea leadership of Yiv’s activities among other species in the region. Thalias was supposed to deliver the message, then take a passenger transport to Navigator Concourse Four Forty-Seven, where they would be brought back to the Ascendancy.”

“And why was a sky-walker even aboard?”

“Che’ri could pilot the fighter. Thalias could not.”

Thurfian felt his lip twist. Liar. Thrawn clearly knew or at least suspected what Yiv would do if Thalias and Che’ri came within reach. This whole thing smacked of a back-door approach to getting the Syndicure to order a retaliatory strike.

And if the mood in the chamber was any indication, he was going to get it. If there was one resource the Ascendancy guarded with insane jealousy, it was their sky-walkers.

“This conversation is not over,” the Irizi Speaker warned. “We’ll want the details of this situation—all the details—at some point in the future. If blunders or outright deception are found, the Syndicure will mete out the appropriate consequences.”

“Understood,” Ja’fosk said. “For now, though, speed is of the essence. We must use whatever means necessary to retrieve the two women.”

“I assume,” Zistalmu spoke up harshly, “that means a military strike.”

“Against those who, as Supreme Admiral Ja’fosk has already admitted, aren’t our enemies,” Thurfian added.

“They’ve taken a sky-walker,” Thrawn said. “I believe that act in and of itself constitutes an attack on the Ascendancy.”

“Even when they’re unaware of their crime?”

“They’ve taken a sky-walker,” Thrawn repeated.

Thurfian caught Zistalmu’s eye across the chamber, saw his same cynicism reflected in the Irizi’s expression. Yes, this had been prearranged, all right. Ja’fosk and Ba’kif might not have known the whole plan going in, but Thrawn and Ar’alani most certainly had.