Which was suddenly a more challenging proposition than it had been thirty seconds ago. “Orders, Admiral?” he called.

“We split them up,” Ar’alani said. “Grayshrike, Whisperbird, Stingfly: Take the one to starboard. I’ll take the one to portside. Springhawk, you move on the middle one. Don’t fully engage, just keep it occupied. Everyone else, watch your backs and continue your attrition of the patrol craft.”

“Acknowledged,” Samakro said. So the Springhawk, all alone against a Battle Dreadnought? Terrific.

“At least she’s not expecting us to destroy it outright,” Kharill said drily. “I don’t suppose you have any idea how we keep something that size occupied?”

Samakro smiled. “As a matter of fact,” he said. “I do.”

Chapter Twenty-two

But before you leave this life, Yiv had said in a voice that had sent a fresh shiver through Che’ri’s skin, I’ll show you exactly what I have planned for your entire species.

He was taking about her, she knew. Her and Thalias. Thrawn had promised that no harm would come to either of them, and Che’ri had held on to that hope through this whole thing.

But now doubt was beginning to chew away at the edges of that hope. Thrawn still sounded confident…but he was out there, all alone, and Che’ri and Thalias were in here, surrounded by Nikardun.

And yet, somehow, it felt like Thrawn was still in control. Admiral Ar’alani and a fleet of Chiss warships were at the planet, and they’d done something that had made Yiv so angry or frightened that he’d sent his other three big ships over there to stop them. That had to be part of the plan, didn’t it?

She stole a sideways look up at Yiv, wincing. She’d been wrong. He wasn’t frightened, not at all. He was just angry. Angry, hate-filled, and confident.

The other Nikardun on the bridge were talking together in a language Che’ri didn’t understand. Carefully, trying not to attract Yiv’s attention, she leaned a little closer to Thalias. “Do you know what they’re saying?” she whispered.

Thalias shook her head. “It’s their own language,” she whispered back. “It’s only when they talk to us or Thrawn that they use Minnisiat or—”

Abruptly, someone gave a wordless scream.

Che’ri flinched back, her heart seizing up. The scream had come from behind her, from Yiv himself. He’d heard her talking to Thalias, and now he was going to hurt her. Another wordless scream, and out of the corner of her eye she saw his hand jab out over her head at one of the other Nikardun. The other gave a nervous-sounding answer and touched a switch on his control board—

“Nikardun Battle Dreadnought, this is the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet warship Springhawk,” a calm Chiss voice came over the speaker in Minnisiat.