Star Wars: Thrawn

by Timothy Zahn

The Unknown Alien protocols were a relic from the glory days of the Republic, when a new species was being discovered every other week and the Senate wanted every one of them contacted and studied.

“Mitth’raw’nuruodo,” he said, bringing his glowing eyes back to Parck. “But I believe it would be easier for you to call me Thrawn.”

The histories stated that the Jedi traitors’ last attempt to seize power had been an attack on then-Chancellor Palpatine. The histories hadn’t mentioned that his victory over the assassins had come at such a terrible cost. Perhaps that was also what had happened to his eyes. A shiver ran up Eli’s back. The eyes were bright and intelligent, all-knowing and utterly powerful. But they were…strange. Unique. Disturbing. Damaged, perhaps, by the same treachery that had ravaged his face?

Intelligence, knowledge, power. And even more than with Thrawn, a sense of complete mastery over everything around him.

“I am a warrior, Your Majesty,” Thrawn said. “A warrior may retreat. He does not flee. He may lie in ambush. He does not hide. He may experience victory or defeat. He does not cease to serve.”

“Sometimes walking into a trap is the best strategy,” Thrawn said. “There are few traps that cannot be turned against their designers.

And with all his strength Eli hurled two handfuls of gravel straight at their faces. He hadn’t really expected it to work. But it did. Both attackers howled in pain, belatedly throwing up their hands against the hail of stone.

There is satisfaction in defeating an enemy. But one must never allow oneself to become complacent. There are always more enemies to be identified, faced, and vanquished.

And when a mind is too deficient in understanding, the resulting gap is often filled with resentment.

One whose path has taken a new turn is often initially disoriented. But as time passes, and the path continues steadily in its new direction, there is a tendency to believe that it will remain so forever, with no further turns. Nothing is further from the truth. A path once bent is always susceptible to new changes.

“Trust?” Renking snorted. “Don’t be a fool. There’s no trust in politics. Never has been. Never will be.

Eli shrugged. “No surprise there. The price of doonium has gone through the roof since the navy started its latest shipbuilding surge.” “That is the tale,” Thrawn agreed. “But I wonder. Do you know how many ships are being constructed, and how much doonium they require?” “Not offhand, but I could probably find out,” Eli said, frowning. “Are you thinking the navy might be stockpiling the stuff?” “That is one possibility,” Thrawn said. “The other possibility is more…intriguing.” “That possibility being…?” “Some other project,” Thrawn said thoughtfully. “Something large, and unannounced.”

“As weaponry advances, the techniques used against obsolete ordnance may be neglected or lost.”

No one is immune from failure. All have tasted the bitterness of defeat and disappointment. A warrior must not dwell on that failure, but must learn from it and continue on.

There are things in the universe that are simply and purely evil. A warrior does not seek to understand them, or to compromise with them. He seeks only to obliterate them.

Vanto eyed him thoughtfully. “What about you, Commander? Why do you seek high rank?” It was a question many had asked over the years. Thrawn had asked it of himself. The answer never seemed to satisfy the questioner. “Because there are problems that must be solved. Some cannot be solved by anyone except me.”

“Some people will not respond to reason. Others refuse to consider alternatives to their normal pattern of behavior. In such cases, an unexpected breaking of one’s own patterns can be an effective tool.

“I’ve seen this syndrome before,” Thrawn continued. “Star Destroyer-sized capital ships and large numbers of supporting starfighters are the most efficient and flexible naval array for both deterrent and combat. Yet there are many who consider larger to be the equivalent of better. Even the Empire has limited resources, and I fear that those resources are not always allocated wisely.”

“Your spirit is admirable,” Thrawn said. “But your dramatics are quite unnecessary. Observe the power and the skill of the Imperial Navy.”

But ultimate safety does not exist. Those who trust in such will find that hope dashed upon the very rock behind which they seek to hide.

“It is never wrong to be curious. But it can sometimes be dangerous.

“Ah—Lord Vader,” the Emperor called a greeting. He beckons to the figure. His body stance holds a sense of mastery and domination. “Come; join us. I don’t believe you have met Darth Vader, Grand Admiral Thrawn.”