“Because you don’t understand politics,” Ar’alani said. “Politics, vying for position, feuds, grudges, ledger balancing—they’re all things you’ve never gotten a solid grip on.”

“But why not?” Thrawn asked. “I don’t disagree; but it’s all strategy and tactics. Just a different form of warfare. Why can’t I read it?”

“Because the techniques of warfare are relatively straightforward,” Ar’alani said. “You identify the objective, you gather allies and resources, you devise a strategy, and you defeat the enemy. But in politics, allies and goals are constantly shifting. Unless you can anticipate those changes, you can’t prepare for them.”

“Alliances can shift in warfare, too.”

“But it takes time to move ships and armies around and reconfigure battle lines,” Ar’alani said. “You have that time to adapt to the new landscape. In politics, it’s all done with words and bits of writing. Half an hour of conversation—less than that if there are bribes involved—and everything has changed.”

“I see.” Thrawn took a long breath. “Then I need to study this form of combat. Study it, and master it.”

“That would be helpful,” Ar’alani said.

Only he never would master it, she knew. Just as some were tone-deaf to music, Thrawn was tone-deaf to the nuances and intricate self-serving dances that made up the world of politics.

She could only hope that he and his overseers would be astute enough to keep him in the military arena. There, and only there, would he be of genuine and lasting value to the Ascendancy.

Thurfian had had to swallow a lot of bitter quaffs during his years of dealing with Ascendancy politics. But this quaff was absolutely the worst of all.

“A Trial-born,” he said to the man facing him from the comm display. “After the fiasco with the Lioaoi and Garwians, you’re making him a Trial-born?”

“We have no choice,” Speaker Thistrian said heavily. “The Irizi are making serious overtures to him.”

“They already tried that,” Thurfian said. “He turned them down.”

“Never officially,” the Speaker said. “And that offer was just to make him a Trial-born. Now I understand they’re preparing to offer him ranking distant.”

Thurfian felt his eyes widen. “A ranking distant? That’s absurd.”

“Maybe so. Maybe not. And even Thrawn isn’t blind enough to miss the political advantages that would give him. All we can do is hope that he’d prefer Trial-born of the Mitth to ranking distant of the Irizi.”

“They’re bluffing,” Thurfian insisted. “They’re trying to maneuver us into drawing him in and tying him closer to the family. The closer in he is, the bigger the political fallout when he makes his next big mistake.”

“Maybe he won’t.”