“For the moment,” she added quickly. “If I may beg the board’s indulgence, I would like to take the luncheon break to again consider the situation and the evidence.”

“Nonsense,” one of the other board members scoffed. “You’ve seen the evidence—”

“Given the lateness of the morning,” Wevary interrupted calmly, “I see no reason why we can’t postpone a decision until after midday. We’ll meet again in one and a half hours.”

He tapped the polished stone with his fingertips and stood up. The others followed suit, and they filed silently from the room. None of them, Ziara noted, gave either her or Thrawn a second look.

Except Colonel Wevary. The last one out, he paused beside Ziara’s chair—

“I don’t appreciate stalling tactics, Ziara,” he murmured, a hard look in his eyes. “You’d damn well better have something when we reconvene.”

“Understood, sir,” Ziara murmured back.

He gave her a microscopic nod and followed the others from the room.

Leaving Ziara and Thrawn alone.

“I appreciate your efforts,” Thrawn said quietly, his eyes still on the colonel’s empty place at the table. “But you can see they’ve already made up their minds. Your action does nothing but risk their displeasure, and possibly alienate you from your family.”

“If I were you, I’d worry more about your family than mine,” Ziara said tartly. “Speaking of whom, why isn’t your rep here?”

Thrawn gave a small shrug. “I don’t know. I suspect they don’t like one of their merit adoptives being attached to a scandal.”

“No family does,” Ziara said, frowning. He was right about that, of course.

But even merit adoptives counted as part of the family and, as such, were to be guarded and defended. If the Mitth were standing back from Thrawn at such a crucial moment, there had to be something else going on. “Meanwhile, Colonel Wevary called luncheon,” she reminded him as she stood up. “I’m going to get something to eat. You should do the same.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Eat something anyway.” Ziara hesitated, but it was too good a chance to pass up. “That way, if they kick you out, you’ll at least have had one more free meal.”

He looked at her, and for a moment she thought he was going to lash out at her insensitivity. Then, to her relief, he smiled. “Indeed,” he said. “You have an eminently tactical mind, Senior Cadet.”

“I try,” Ziara said. “Make it a good meal, and don’t be late getting back.” She gave him a nod and headed out.

But she didn’t go to the mess hall. Instead, she found an empty classroom a few doors down and slipped inside.

An eminently tactical mind, Thrawn had said. Others had told her the same thing, and Ziara had never found a reason to disagree with them.

Time to find out if all of them were right.