“Still, there must necessarily be a first command in every officer’s career,” Thrawn said into Eli’s thoughts.
“I suppose,” Eli conceded. “I just don’t see why her first command has to be on our ship.”
Ahead, the captain and the short line of officers trailing behind her had reached the Number Two storage bay. The captain hit the hatch release and stepped inside, First Officer Nels Deyland close behind her.
Eli winced. “Uh-oh,” he murmured.
The rest of the officers knew what it meant, too. They began drifting to both sides of the passageway, making room for Thrawn to pass when the expected call came.
The wait was barely ten seconds. “Thrawn!” the captain’s voice boomed from inside the storage bay. “Get in here. Now.”
—
Captain Rossi and Senior Lieutenant Deyland stood at one side of the storage bay. Rossi’s facial glow is increasing, her eyes narrowed in a frown. Deyland stands motionless, his face showing a partially masked expression of discomfort. “Senior Lieutenant Deyland tells me this is yours,” Rossi said, pointing at the equipment stacked along the bulkhead.
“It is, Captain.”
“You mind telling me what the hell it’s doing taking up space on my ship?”
“He found it in a scrap market we were investigating for smuggler activity,” Deyland put in. “As I mentioned earlier—”
“Your name Lieutenant Thrawn?” Rossi cut him off. Her facial glow increases. Her stance is stiff, her fingers moving slightly.
“No, ma’am.”
“Then shut it. I asked you a question, Lieutenant.”
“As Senior Lieutenant Deyland said, the parts were in a scrap market,” Thrawn said. “They are antiques, remnants of the Clone War.”
“I know what they are,” Rossi growled, looking at the piles again. “Droideka, buzz droid—two buzz droids—half a STAP—” Her eyes narrowed. “Is that part of a hyperdrive ring?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“These aren’t antiques, Lieutenant.” Rossi snorts, her lips curling down briefly. “These are junk.”
“Perhaps, ma’am,” Thrawn said. “However, as I am not fully familiar with the technology of that era, I hoped to gain insight by studying them.”
“And maybe get them working again?” Rossi asked. “Don’t deny it—I can see fill-ins on both buzz droids. Brand-new components.” She raises her eyebrows. Her finger movements intensify briefly. “They’d better not be components from the Blood Crow’s stores.”
“No, ma’am,” Thrawn said. “They were purchased elsewhere.”
“At his own expense,” Deyland murmured.
“Senior Lieutenant Deyland is correct,” Thrawn said. “The buzz droids in particular struck me as potentially useful. They are compact, with specialized drilling and cutting tools that allow them—”
“Spare me the lecture,” Rossi cut him off. Her hand makes an abbreviated slash through the air. The pitch of her voice lowers. “You may have read about the Clone Wars, but some of us lived it. And Virgilio just let you bring this stuff aboard?”
“Captain Virgilio permitted me to purchase them, yes, ma’am,” Thrawn said. “He also gave me permission to store them here when I was not working on them.”
“Very generous of him,” Rossi said. “It may have caught your attention that Virgilio isn’t captain anymore. I am, and I run a clean ship. I want this garbage dumped before your next watch. Clear?”
Beside her, Deyland stirred. His stance indicates disagreement. “Ma’am, if I might suggest—”
“I asked if that was clear, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, Captain,” Thrawn said. “May I offer an alternative?”
“If I didn’t want to hear from my first officer, what makes you think I want to hear from you?” Rossi countered. “Senior Lieutenant Deyland, you’ll see that he dumps it as ordered. We’re done here.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Deyland remains standing where he is, making no indication of preparing to leave the bay. “With your permission, ma’am, I’d like to hear Lieutenant Thrawn’s suggestion.”
Captain Rossi’s eyes narrow further as she stares at Deyland. Her arms are stiff beneath the uniform sleeves, her fingers now motionless, her stance leaning slightly forward. Senior Lieutenant Deyland’s expression is tense but his stance indicates firmness. Captain Rossi straightens slightly. “Apparently, no one aboard understands proper respect for their captain,” she said, her voice stiff. “We’ll have to deal with that.” She turned back to Thrawn. “Fine. Let’s hear this alternative.”
“It is my understanding, ma’am, that matériel aboard an Imperial war vessel is the property of that vessel, and thus under control of the commander,” Thrawn said. “When I bought these items for five hundred credits—”
“Five hundred credits?” Rossi interrupted. “Are you serious? Those things aren’t worth a tenth that.”
“That would be correct, Captain, were these standard buzz droids,” Thrawn said. “But they are of the Mark One version. Quite rare, and apparently quite valuable.”
“Really.” Rossi looks at the buzz droids, her lips pursing. “How valuable?”
“When I bought them, they were nonfunctional,” Thrawn said. “As you have noted, I have made some progress in repairing them. I would expect that once they are fully restored they will be quite valuable to collectors.”
“Collectors.” Rossi’s tone is flat. “People with more money than brains.”
“Some also merely have an interest in Clone War antiquities,” Thrawn said. “I am told there are members of the High Command with such interests.”
Rossi’s lips part slightly, her stance straightening. She gazes again at the buzz droids, the muscles in her cheeks tensing then relaxing then tensing again. Her fingers are in motion, the thumb and forefinger of her right hand rubbing gently together. “Mark Ones, you said?”
“I did.”
“Mark Ones,” she murmured. Her voice carries the mix of tension and interest that indicates sudden understanding. Her hand makes a small movement toward her datapad, then stops. “All right, I’ll meet you halfway. We’re due back at Ansion in three months. You can have until then to play with your toys. Once we reach Ansion, I’m taking them, working or not. Clear?”
“Clear, ma’am,” Thrawn said. “Thank you.”
Rossi looks at Deyland, then at the droids. The tension lines in her face smooth out. She brushes past Deyland to the bay’s exit. “At your convenience, Senior Lieutenant Deyland,” she called back over her shoulder.
“Yes, ma’am.” Deyland gives a small smile of satisfaction, then follows the captain back into the corridor. They continue aft, the rest of the officers again forming up behind them.
“Well?” Vanto asked quietly as he reached the bay. His expression holds both anticipation and dread. “Is she making you throw it all out?”
“Why do you assume that?”
“Because Virgilio let you have it, and Rossi’s going to try to wipe every trace of him off the Blood Crow,” Vanto said. His voice holds a low level of bitterness. “Trust me—I’ve seen her type a lot.”
“Interesting,” Thrawn said. “As it happens, she has agreed to allow me until the end of our current patrol to bring the items to full function.”
“Generous of her. I presume there’s a catch?”
“I reminded her that they would become her property.”
“Ah,” Vanto said. He nods in understanding. “And you remembered what I said back when you first got them about collectors and non-intrinsic value?”
“I did. I thank you for that insight.”
“You’re welcome,” Vanto said. “I don’t suppose you happened to mention that the buzz droids were already fully operational?”
“She did not ask. But I believe she also came to a belated realization that they have a value beyond even the non-intrinsic lure to collectors. Do you remember a metal called doonium from our technical classes?”
“Oh, I knew doonium long before I got to Royal Imperial,” Vanto said. “Dad always put on extra security whenever we were lucky enough to carry a crate or two of the stuff. But there’s no doonium in buzz droids.”