Three routes to one single, isolated planet, unknown to the Ascendancy and apparently unconnected with any known species in the area. A somewhat larger selection of pathways to the outer asteroid belt, which consisted of several tightly packed clusters and a number of possibly abandoned mining space stations.

But while the mining stations might be abandoned, the rest of the system was active enough. Thrawn’s brief reconnaissance had picked up a fair amount of travel within the system, mostly between the planet and a handful of colony or manufacturing stations orbiting it. Unfortunately, the Springhawk had been too far out to tell whether or not those ships were similar to the destroyed refugee ships whose records Thrawn had now shared with her and Wutroow.

And just to add spice to the whole thing, all three of the entry routes were being patrolled by small warships of a completely different design.

“So you think this is the system the refugee ships came from,” she said, looking up at Thrawn again. “You further think they’re under blockade by these other ships.”

“Less a blockade than an interdiction,” Thrawn said. “You can see the patrol ships’ configuration is mainly designed to control access to the main planet. The asteroid stations aren’t as heavily guarded and are therefore more accessible.”

“But they are still guarded,” Wutroow pointed out. “And I’m only counting three good paths in and out of the system.”

“Only if you want the planet,” Thrawn said. “If you want the asteroid station I’ve indicated, there are several other workable vectors.”

“At least until the blockaders get a few more ships,” Ar’alani said.

“Indeed,” Thrawn agreed. “It therefore seems to me that if we want to do this, we have to do it soon.”

“How long did you sit out on the edge observing them?” Ar’alani asked.

“Only three days,” Samakro said.

“A full three days,” Thrawn corrected. “Long enough for me to analyze their patrol pattern and learn how to penetrate it.”

“Again, unless they’ve gotten more ships in the past fifteen hours,” Ar’alani said.

Thrawn’s lip twitched. “Yes.”

For a few moments, the conference room was quiet. Ar’alani gazed at her questis, pretending to study it, weighing the options. For anyone else, she knew, three days wouldn’t be nearly enough to analyze an alien patrol pattern, let alone figure out a way through it.

But for Thrawn, three days probably really was enough, Samakro’s doubts notwithstanding. Ar’alani couldn’t have come up with a plan herself this quickly, but she could see that Thrawn’s had a good chance of working.