“It is said there are those who can deduce the origin of a ship from its design and style of flight,” Thrawn said. “The unknown leader of these Nikardun may be one such.”
“Their leader is hardly unknown,” the Pacc said, a hint of disgust in his tone. “General Yiv the Benevolent has personally come to Rapacc to speak his demands to and share his gloatings with our leaders.”
“Such actions speak of supreme confidence,” Thrawn said. “Will he return soon?”
“I do not know,” the Pacc said. “But more Nikardun will surely come, and if we are not compliant with the orders of those currently here it will go badly for us.”
And if the Paccosh failed to capture the strangers who’d blown past the sentry ships and sneaked aboard their station, Thalias suspected, things would probably go even worse. “What are you going to do with us?” she asked.
The spokesman turned back to the others, and for a moment they all consulted together. “Well done,” Thrawn said quietly.
“What do you mean?” Thalias asked.
“That question was better coming from you than from me,” he said. “Their consideration for females may modify their answer and influence their decision in our favor.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then the charrics,” Thrawn said, his voice calm but determined. “You’ll deal with those in front of us. I’ll do likewise with the ones behind.”
Thalias’s mouth went suddenly dry. “You mean just shoot them down?”
“We are two,” Thrawn said. “They are four, plus however many are currently unseen and unnumbered behind us. If they decide to take us prisoner, our only chance will be immediate and lethal attack.”
A cold chill ran up Thalias’s back. Getting pulled into a firefight, shooting and being shot at, had been a terrifying prospect. But at least she could have gone into a heated battle with a mostly clear conscience.
What Thrawn was talking about was straight-up, coldhearted murder.
The Paccosh ended their discussion. “We have no orders regarding intruders,” the spokesman said. “We were sent only to examine the sensors.” The other alien said a few words. “But we presume the Nikardun would have required your capture if they had known you were here.”
“Perhaps,” Thrawn said. “The more important question is: What do the Paccosh require?”
The spokesman turned to the others. Thalias lifted her hand to her hair, pretending to adjust a few strands, hopefully drawing a bit of extra attention to herself.
“If you allow us to depart, I will make sure the Nikardun do not detect us,” Thrawn added into the silence.
“How can you be sure of that?”
“They did not detect our arrival at this place,” Thrawn said. “I doubt they will be more attentive now.”
“Surely they saw you turn on the station lights.”
“Surely you can remotely activate those systems,” Thrawn countered.
The spokesman considered, then inclined his head. “Yes. We can.” He hissed out a breath. “The commander has decided. You may leave in peace.”
Thalias let her own breath out in a silent sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she said.
“You have not yet answered my earlier question,” Thrawn said. “Are the station’s sensors still operating?”
The spokesman whinnied. “In weeks past, the Nikardun ordered us to shut down the station before abandoning it,” he said. “With the lives of each and every Pacc lying beneath their sword, we obeyed our orders to the letter. There are no functioning sensors.”
“That is well,” Thrawn said. “Farewell, then, and may you yet find freedom and peace.” Touching Thalias’s arm, he nodded back toward the hatchway that would return them to their shuttle.
“Wait.”
Thalias turned back. The Pacc who’d done all the non-Taarja speaking earlier, the one she’d tentatively identified as the group’s leader, was walking toward them. She started to take a step backward, stopped as Thrawn again touched her arm.
“This is Uingali,” the spokesman said as the Pacc stopped in front of Thrawn. “He has something he wishes to give you.”
For a moment Uingali stood motionless. Then, with clear reluctance, he lifted both hands in front of him, one hand tugging at the fingers of the other. A moment later he’d slid a double ring off two of the fingers, the twin circlets connected by a short, flexible mesh. Another moment of hesitation, and he held the double ring toward Thrawn. “Uingali foar Marocsaa,” he said.
“The double ring is a prized heirloom of the Marocsaa subclan,” the spokesman said quietly. “Uingali wishes you to take it and add it to your artwork, that the subclan and the Marocsaa people will not be forgotten.”
For the first time since Thalias had met him, Thrawn seemed genuinely surprised. He looked at Uingali, then at the rings, then at Uingali again. Then, he held out his hand, palm upward. “Thank you,” he said. “I will guard it in a place of honor.”
Uingali lowered his head in a bow as he placed the double ring in Thrawn’s hand. He straightened up, turned, and walked back toward the other Paccosh. They turned in unison as he passed them, and all four headed through the hatchway. There was a brush of air behind Thalias, and she jerked as three other Paccosh, apparently Uingali’s backup force, walked silently past the two Chiss and joined their comrades. They all disappeared from sight, the hatch closing behind them.
Thalias peered at the double ring in Thrawn’s palm. It was made of a silvery metal, with a series of curved arcs embossed on the base. A cluster of what looked like small snakes rose from the center of the arcs, flanked by two much larger snakes that curved up and around, crossing each other once and ending with their heads and open mouths pointed defiantly upward.
She was still studying the rings when the lights around them abruptly went out. “What—? Oh,” she added belatedly. “Remote controls.”
“Uingali reinforcing the illusion for any Nikardun observers,” Thrawn said as he flicked on his own light. “Come.”
He turned and strode toward the hatchway.
“We’re heading back already?” Thalias asked as she hurried to keep up with him.
“We have everything Supreme General Ba’kif sent us to find,” Thrawn said. “The murdered refugees were Paccosh from the Rapacc system, their oppressors are called the Nikardun, and the Nikardun leader is General Yiv the Benevolent.” He seemed to consider. “Plus perhaps a few additional facts that Ba’kif wasn’t expecting.”