"I haven't yet received any direct orders from the Aristocra," Thrawn said evenly. "Car'das, find me the helm."
"Yes, sir," Car'das said, peering at the nearest consoles. And then Ar'alani's comlink twittered.
All eyes turned to her. "Clever" was all she said as she removed it from her belt and keyed it on. "Admiral Ar'alani."
"This is Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano," a voice boomed. "I've been unable to contact Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, and I suspect he's refusing to communicate with me. As an Aristocra of the Fifth Ruling Family, I order you to find and detain him pending a hearing on his recent military activities."
Ar'alani hesitated, and Car'das held his breath. Then, with clear reluctance, she nodded. "Acknowledged, Aristocra. I hear, and obey."
She shut off the comlink. "I'm sorry, Commander," she said to Thrawn. "I have no choice but to place you under detention."
"This will destroy the Chiss," Thrawn said quietly. "The Defense Fleet, and only the Defense Fleet, can safely take possession of this vessel."
"I understand, and I'll do what I can to stall the Aristocra," Ar'alani said. "But in the meantime, you are under detention. Order your people to assemble in the hangar to return to our vessels."
For a long moment Thrawn stood motionless. Then, slowly, he bowed his head and activated his comlink. "This is Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo," he said. "All Chiss warriors aboard Outbound Flight: return to the hangar bay."
"Thank you," Ar'alani said. "Now if you please?" she added, gesturing back toward the blast doors. "You, too, Car'das."
Car'das took a deep breath. "I'm not under Chiss command, Admiral," he said. "I'd like to stay aboard awhile longer."
Ar'alani's eves narrowed. "What are you planning? Surely you can't fly this vessel alone."
"I'm not under Chiss command," Car'das repeated. "And the Aristocra's order didn't mention me."
Ar'alani looked at Thrawn, then at the incoming Fifth Family ships, then finally back at Car'das. "Permission granted," she said. She started toward the blast doors
"I'll also stay," Thrass said.
Ar'alani stopped in midstep. "What?"
"I'm also not under Chiss military command," Thrass said. "And Aristocra Charorm'bintrano didn't mention me, either."
Ar'alani sent a hard look at Thrawn. "We'll both be destroyed by this," she warned.
"The role of a warrior is to protect the Chiss people," Thrawn reminded her. "The warrior's own survival is of only secondary importance."
For half a dozen heartbeats the two of them locked gazes. Then, with a hissing sigh, Ar'alani turned to Thrass. "Pesfavri is the nearest Defense Fleet base," she said. "You know the coordinates?"
Thrass nodded. "Yes."
"Then we leave you," she said, nodding to him. "May warriors' fortune smile on your efforts."
She continued toward the blast doors. Thrawn lingered for a last, long look at his brother, then followed.
And a minute later, Car'das and Thrass were alone. "You really think we can get this thing all the way to a military base?" Car'das asked.
"You miss the point, friend Car'das," Thrass said grimly. "Weren't you listening to my brother? It would be better for Outbound Flight to be destroyed than to let any single family claim it."
Car'das felt a sudden tightening in his throat. "Wait a second," he protested. "I was just going to try to lock Outbound Flight down so that the Aristocra's people couldn't get aboard without blasting their way in. I didn't sign up for a suicide mission."
"Courage, Car'das," Thrass assured him. "Neither did I. I assume we can set this vessel's course to intersect the local sun, then escape in the shuttle we arrived in?"
Car'das thought it over. It should be possible, he decided, provided at least one of the Dreadnaughts' drives was still operable and the control cables to it were intact. "I think so."
"Then let us do it," Thrass said. "Your people built this vessel. Tell me what to do."
The turbolift shaft was reasonably clear, and the car reached D-4 with only a few bumps and scrapes. The Dreadnaught itself didn't seem too badly damaged, either.
Except, of course, for all the bodies.
The medical droids had already started clearing them away, probably taking them all to one of the medical labs where, according to the droids' now outdated programming, living beings would be waiting to give orders on how to proceed.
But there was no one to receive the corpses. Lorana stretched out with the Force and worked with the ship's comm system, hoping against all her fears that someone might have miraculously survived the cataclysm that had overtaken Outbound Flight.
But no one answered either call. D-4, it seemed, was dead. Of defenders and attackers alike; and that Lorana found both curious and ominous. Surely the Chiss hadn't gone to all the effort to destroy Outbound Flight simply to abandon it. But then where were they?
She spent only a little time on D-4 before continuing on.
The turbolift to D-3 was inoperable, implying damage to the cars or the pylon or both, so she headed instead to D-5. There she picked her way through the same debris and bodies and received the same negative results to her efforts at communication. D-6, the next ship on her grisly tour, was much the same.
Still, all three ships seemed to be mostly airtight again, with adequate light and heat and gravitation. The service droids had used the past few hours well. If the Chiss truly had abandoned Outbound Flight, she and the others might be able to make it at least partially operational again.
She was in the turbolift heading for D-1 when her senses caught the faint whisper of nearby life.
She pressed her head against the wall of the car, stretching out with the Force as best her own injuries and lingering horror would allow. There were definitely living beings out there. Alien beings, and not very many of them. But at least there was someone.
And she and her turbolift car were headed straight toward them.
Stepping away from the wall, she got a grip on her lightsaber. Whether by design or simple blind luck, Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo had made good on his threat to destroy Outbound Flight. And he had, moreover, destroyed it out from under Jorus C'baoth and the rest of the Jedi.
It was time to see how well the Chiss would do in a face-to-face confrontation.
The turbolift car came up short at the D-1 end of the pylon, blocked by a maze of support girders that had broken loose during the battle. Using the Force to augment her efforts, she pried open the car door and climbed through the twisted metal to the entrance door.