Alliances (Star Wars: Thrawn, #2)(112)
Faro frowned. “Wave One will be in range sooner, sir,” she pointed out quietly.
“Indeed,” Thrawn acknowledged. “I have a theory, Commodore, which I wish to test.”
The TIEs were still out of range when a pair of hatches opened on Bogey Two and two ships the size of light cruisers appeared. They formed into a staggered pair and headed for the TIEs.
“Interesting,” Thrawn murmured. “Notice, Commodore, how Bogeys Three and Four take up the same fore–back formation as the main ships themselves. Bogey Three presents itself as the main target, while Bogey Four remains slightly behind in reserve.”
“Yes, sir,” Faro said, frowning. It was an obvious formation to take, one she’d seen dozens of times. Hardly worth commenting on.
“TIEs: Target Bogey Three,” Thrawn said. “Repeat, target Bogey Three only. Second wave only, fire when ready.”
The TIEs and cruisers continued closing on each other. “What about the Defenders, sir?” Faro prompted.
“TIE Fighter Squadrons Four and Five, stand ready,” Thrawn called in answer. “Defenders, stand ready. Lord Vader?”
“I am here, Admiral,” Vader’s voice came. “I do not believe three waves of TIEs will be a match for the firepower of two light cruisers.”
“Nor do I, my lord,” Thrawn said. “TIEs: Hold your course.”
Faro took a deep breath. Thrawn was known for his efficiency, spending his troops with the care of a miser spending credits. But he was also known for his ruthlessness and his willingness to do whatever was necessary to achieve his objectives. Right now, Faro couldn’t tell which category this operation fell under. They were nearly at firing range…
The Grysks were ready. A split second before the TIEs reached range the lead cruiser opened fire, raking the front Imperial line with laserfire.
Three of the TIEs disintegrated in that opening salvo, another two staggering out of formation as each suffered the loss of a solar panel. An instant later the second line of TIEs opened up with their own laser cannons, blazing across Bogey Three as ordered, specifically targeting the cruiser’s weapons clusters. The cruiser responded with another salvo, taking out two more of the first-wave TIEs—
“Break off!” Thrawn snapped. “All TIEs: Break off and take evasive maneuvers back toward the Chimaera.”
He turned to Faro, a small but satisfied smile touching his lips. “Did you see it, Commodore?”
Faro gazed at the tactical, her stomach tightening. What was Thrawn going for? That the cruisers had superior firepower? That the TIEs had caused only minimal damage to the lead cruiser’s fighting capability? “I’m sorry, sir,” she admitted. “Apparently not.”
“All TIEs: Launch,” Thrawn ordered. “Three waves, Defenders in Wave Three. Form up with initial waves and await targeting orders.”
He got acknowledgments and turned back to Faro. “Two things, Commodore,” he said, lowering his voice. “First: The cruiser opened fire just before the TIEs reached their own range. What does that suggest?”
Faro looked again at the tactical, watching the TIEs and Defenders stream out into the battlefield. Thrawn had suggested earlier that the Grysks had been observing the Empire…“They’re familiar with TIE firing range,” she said slowly. “They therefore let the TIEs get close enough so their own weapons would have maximum impact, but made sure they got the first volley.”
“Which means?”
“Which means that they know a great deal about Imperial weaponry,” Faro said. As he’d already suggested.
“Indeed,” Thrawn said. “And the second fact?”
The two groups of standard TIEs and Defenders had come together and were sorting themselves out as per Thrawn’s orders. “I’m sorry, sir,” Faro confessed. “I didn’t see it.”
“You saw it, Commodore,” Thrawn assured her. “Which TIEs did the cruiser target?”
Faro frowned again.
And then suddenly she had it. “The Grysks targeted the first line,” she said. “But it was the second line that was firing at them.”
“Exactly,” Thrawn said, and there was no mistaking the satisfaction in his voice. “I had suspected that from our earlier encounters, but I needed confirmation. The Grysks’ cultural blind spot is that they consider the nearest enemy to be the most dangerous, and will adjust their combat strategy to accommodate that bias.”
“And we just fed into that bias by attacking only the nearest of the two cruisers,” Faro said, feeling a smile of her own touch her lips.
“Exactly,” Thrawn said again. “And so we now have two weapons to use against them.”
“Two weapons, sir?”
Thrawn looked out the forward viewport. “They think they know Imperial weaponry, Commodore,” he said with quiet satisfaction. “But they have never encountered a TIE Defender.”
* * *
—
According to the specs Sampa had shown him, Rukh’s vaunted personal invisibility cloak was supposed to last for three full minutes. In actuality—Kimmund made a point of timing it—the thing popped him back out after two minutes and twenty seconds.
And now the legion’s secret weapon was gone.