“What do you think, Nuso Esva?”
“Very clever, Thrawn,” Nuso Esva said through the speaker. The mocking tone had vanished from his voice, replaced by a cold bitterness that sent an icy dagger digging into Pellaeon’s stomach. “Very clever indeed.”
“My quarters are being changed, Commander Pellaeon,” Odo said. “I wished Sorro’s assistance.”
“Of course, my lord,” Sorro said, again starting to get up.
“But since he’s in the middle of a meal,” Odo continued smoothly, “perhaps you would assist me, Commander.”
He lowered his hand back to his side, concealing the seeker again beneath his cloak. “If your curiosity is satisfied, may I now be permitted to continue?”
“His numbers are accurate, but his reasoning is flawed,” Thrawn said. “Nuso Esva could do an enormous amount of damage to the people of the Red City in those two years. That’s not a result I’m prepared to accept.”
Warlord Nuso Esva has become one of those threats. He possesses an unusually strong spacegoing navy, along with many slave and tributary worlds stretching into Wild Space and to the edge of the Empire. I believe he is even now planning to extend his influence into Imperial space.
“Merely following Nuso Esva’s own philosophy. He wanted the Rebels to be so invested in their newfound material wealth that they couldn’t easily extricate themselves. I wanted Nuso Esva to have the same incentive, to assure he would bring in his entire available force.”
“Up on Poln Minor, at this very moment, Colonel Cracken and his team are loading tons and tons of Imperial weapons, equipment, and supplies aboard our transports, all of it ordered there by Nuso Esva. If he was just using us, why not keep it all for himself?”
“Thank you.” Deliberately, Odo walked over to the captain, stopping bare centimeters away from him. “The next time I give an order, Captain,” he said, his voice low but curiously carrying, “I expect it to be carried out.”
“Thank you.” Deliberately, Odo walked over to the captain, stopping bare centimeters away from him. “The next time I give an order, Captain,” he said, his voice low but curiously carrying, “I expect it to be carried out.”
“Looks to me like the whole thing’s starting to unravel.”
“Hardly,” Axlon assured him. “Even if it was, Nuso Esva could put it back together. He’s a military genius.” He smiled tightly. “Who will soon be on our side.”
“Can you handle the rest of this?” he asked Mithel.
“Yes, sir,” the tractor operator said. “Unless Lord Odo—” He glanced up at Pellaeon. “—I mean unless Nuso Esva has left us more surprises, we should be all right.”
He lowered his hand back to his side, concealing the seeker again beneath his cloak. “If your curiosity is satisfied, may I now be permitted to continue?”
“I trust you have quarters prepared for us,” Odo continued. “The journey was long and fraught with danger.” The masked and hooded head inclined slightly. “Speaking of which, may I also thank you for your assistance against those raiders.”
Two of the storm-haired aliens stood at the south entryway, their strange weapons held across their shoulders as they watched the Queen and her entourage approach.