Without saying another word, Thrawn turned around, marching away from Joko and back to his shuttle, which had just touched down next to the flames. As he walked up the ramp of the craft, Thrawn saw Vanto, sitting in the cockpit. "Ensign Vanto. Has Coruscant responded to my report?" Thrawn asked. "Yes, sir. I'm afraid they're not happy with you..." Vanto began, right as Thrawn closed up the ramp and took his seat. "They're absolutely furious, which is insane." He added on. "You ended the conflict, exposed a criminal conspiracy, and kept spice off the market. What more do they want?" Vanto asked. "They want a Commander who follows procedures; a Commander who will ask for advice." Thrawn replied, watching the shuttle slowly take off from Cyphar's surface. "I have found that many Admirals aspire to that rank because of a wish to exercise control and authority. Such leaders are threatened if Officers of a lower rank solve difficult problems without them." He continued.
Vanto peered into Thrawn's eyes, a look of curiosity slowly coming across his face. "What about you, Commander?" He asked. "Why do you seek a high rank?" "Because there are problems that must be solved." Thrawn replied. "And some problems cannot be solved by anyone except me." Vanto nodded his head in agreement. "I suppose you speak the truth..." He began. "While not the most politically astute of actions, High Command can't really argue with the results of this endeavor." He continued. "Precisely." Thrawn added. "Any misconduct that occurred on Cyphar will be cleared, due to the simple fact that the conflict is over." He continued, looking out the cockpit window, as the shuttle flew back towards the Thunder Wasp.
12 BBY - "Coruscant, the Imperial Palace"
Two years have passed since the Cyphar incident. As Thrawn had anticipated, he was cleared of any and all misconduct that occurred on the planet, due to Imperial High Command being unable to argue with the results of his mission. Now, he and Vanto, still a Commander and an Ensign, found themselves marching down the hallway to the courtroom. "Do you know what this is about, sir?" Vanto asked, as they continued walking. "As far as I can remember, you were cleared of all charges in the Cyphar incident..." "Unfortunately, I cannot answer your question, Ensign." Thrawn replied. "But I find it interesting that you were also summoned." He added, as he and Vanto soon entered the courtroom, filled with hundreds of Imperial Officers from all over the galaxy. "Try to read their faces." Thrawn whispered softly, before he and Vanto stepped into the center of the room, accompanied by Governor Taelia Korr of the planet Roros. "Attention all personel..." Taelia began, gesturing for the crowd to keep quiet.
Almost as soon as Taelia spoke, a hush instantly fell over all the Officers who were previously conversing amongst themselves. Vanto's gaze briefly darted to Thrawn, then back at Taelia. A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head. What could this be? Vanto asked himself. A punishment? If not for what happened on Cyphar, then what for? "We are met this morning to pay special honor to two of our own..." Taelia declared, slowly turning her attention towards Thrawn. "Never has any Officer of the Imperial Navy achieved such success in such a short amount of time." She continued. "It is therefore with great pleasure that this board confers upon Commander Thrawn the rank of Commodore." Taelia announced, removing Thrawn's Commander plaque and replacing it with the plaque of a Commodore. "Congratulations, Commodore Thrawn." Taelia said, smiling warmly at Thrawn.
Upon this declaration, a series of applauses broke out from the other Officers. After a few moments, however, Taelia raised her hand, gesturing for silence once more. "It is also an honor and a privilege for this board to rectify a situation that has been allowed to stand for far too long." Taelia announced. Vanto's posture, already firm, stiffened even more. "It is therefore with equal pleasure that we confer upon Ensign Eli Vanto the rank of Lieutenant Commander." Vanto gasped with shock upon hearing this, almost falling over. Never in the history of the Empire, or even the Republic had there been tales of anyone jumping ahead of so many ranks at once, much less, an Ensign. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Vanto." Taelia said, soon fastening the plaque of a Lieutenant Commander onto Vanto's chest, while the Officers resumed their applauses. "T-Thank you.. M-M-Ma'am." Vanto said, barely getting the words out.
Once the ceremony was over, Vanto swiftly followed Thrawn out of the chamber, with multiple beads of sweat rolling down his face. "A fine ceremony." A voice said, causing Vanto to nearly lose his balance. Turning his head, he saw an Imperial Officer with greying hair that wore the plaque of a Grand Moff; an Officer he recognized to be Grand Moff Tarkin. "I'm glad I stopped by. Governor Pryce sends her regards." Tarkin said. "I wondered if she might." Thrawn replied. "She is well, I trust?" He then asked. "Quite well. Eagerly preparing to take on her new post." Tarkin replied. "Consider this promotion a bonus." Thrawn bowed his head. "Thank you, your excellency." He said. "Please thank the Governor when you next see her." "I will." Tarkin said. "Now, I believe you have enemies of the Empire to deal with... So good hunting to the two of you." He finished, turning around and walking away from Vanto and Thrawn.
"Once again... Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Vanto." Thrawn said. "I trust the wait has been worth it?" Vanto nodded his head. "It has indeed, sir." He replied. "And now, we must get to our new ship." Thrawn declared, beginning to walk away from Vanto. "There will be a great deal to learn." He continued. "New ship?" Vanto asked, confused. Thrawn stopped dead in his tracks. "I see you were not paying attention at the end... I thought not." Thrawn replied. "We're being transferred, Commander." Vanto's eyes widened with shock yet again. "Transferred? To which Destroyer?" He asked. Thrawn fully turned around to meet Vanto's gaze, smiling. "I am now Captain of the Star Destroyer known as 'the Successor', previously commanded by the late Headmaster Saul Gentis." Thrawn declared. "And under my watchful eye, it will be renamed 'the Chimaera', after a beast from the Paccosh culture."
2 BBY - "The Dauntless"
Ten more years have passed since Vanto's long overdue promotion. By now, Thrawn had become a decorated Officer of the Empire, having lead many victories with Vanto by his side. Currently, Thrawn, having recently achieved the rank of Admiral, stood at the bridge of the Star Destroyer known as 'the Dauntless', surrounded by many other Imperials. "Admiral Thrawn, may I introduce Admiral Durril of the ISD Judicator and Admiral Kinshara of the ISD Stalwart." Admiral Jok Donassius said, soon gesturing towards Thrawn himself. "Admiral Thrawn of the ISD Chimaera, recently assigned the ninety-sixth." Donassius continued. "I am honored." Thrawn replied. "And these are the Governors of the relevant systems." Donassius began, gesturing to the Officers on his right. "Governor Restos of Batonn, Governor Wistran of Denash, and Governor Pryce of Lothal." Thrawn's attention shifted to Pryce, whom he hadn't seen in thirteen years. "It is good to see you again, Governor Pryce." He said.
"Likewise." Arihnda replied. "Although, I do wish it could have been under more pleasant circumstances." "Circumstances all of you have been called upon to deal with." Donassius added, his gaze shifting across the holotable towards Colonel Yularen, who activated a series of holograms almost immediately. "We've been noting a rise in insurgent activities in the Batonn Sector for the past several months." Yularen began. "We now have indications that some of these groups may be starting to work together. None of them are much above nuisance level, but we feel this is a trend we need to stamp out before it spreads." He continued. "A question, Colonel..." Governor Restos began, raising his hand slightly. Yularen nodded, motioning for Restos to speak. "There are four Governors here, yet I see the Commanders of only three task forces.. May I ask which of our systems you're planning to ignore?"
"The insurgents of Lothal are already being dealt with by Admiral Konstantine." Yularen replied. "Governor Pryce requested to observe, as her system is nearby and experiencing much of the same trouble." He added on. "I see..." Restos said. "As long as Batonn will be getting sufficient attention." Yularen nodded in agreement. "We're going to start with your world, Governor, since it seems to be the focal point for activity in the sector." Yularen said. "If we can push back these insurgents, the other groups will wither away." He continued, soon gesturing towards Thrawn. "Admiral Thrawn, this one's yours." Thrawn nodded his head, before Yularen spoke again. "Five days ago, insurgents took command of the Imperial garrison on Scrim Island, west of Batonn's main continent." Yularen began. "They have at least a hundred hostages, control of the island's energy shield, and three of it's ion cannons." He added.
"Have you a schematic of the facility?" Thrawn asked. Yularen said nothing, pressing a button on the holotable, which soon revealed a schematic of the garrison. "Which of the fortified enplacements along the shoreline are the three controlled by the insurgents?" Thrawn asked. "That shouldn't matter. You aren't going to breach the facility from above anyway." Yularen replied. "The best approach is by low-altitude incursion." He continued. "The shoreline defenses are more than adequate to repel even a sizable attack." Thrawn said. "You haven't been with the navy long, have you?" Admiral Durril interjected. "With only three ion cannons, they can't defend the shoreline. A few assault boats' worth of Stormtroopers, and it'll all be over." He continued. "Perhaps.." Thrawn replied, staring at the hologram intently. "I will need more time to study the situation." "There is no time." Durril said angrily. "Every hour that garrison is held, the reputation of the Empire is tarnished even more. You are to proceed at Batoon and release the insurgents's hold on Scrim, even if you must destroy the island."
"Destroying the island would also mean killing the hostages." Thrawn said. "There are better ways; ways that will require more reconnaissance and planning." Durril let out a heavy sigh of annoyance. "If you can't handle it, then perhaps the ninety-sixth can go to Sammun." He said. "Will that assignment be more to your liking?" Durril asked. "I will go wherever the navy wishes." Thrawn replied, turning around and exiting the bridge with Vanto. As they entered the turbolift to head down to the main hanger bay, Thrawn couldn't help but notice a stern look on Vanto's face. "You disapprove of my decision." He remarked. "I think everyone disapproved of your decision, sir." Vanto replied. "And on top of that, I think you might've just burned whatever capital you had with High Command." He added on. "For the moment." Thrawn replied. "That will change. Admiral Durril has a tendency to value speed over precision, which often leads to miscalculation." He continued. "This failure will be costly, both to his task force and to him personally."
"Wonderful..." Vanto grumbled. "Should we say something?" He asked. "I did say something." Thrawn replied. "Admiral Durril has not taken our advice. Now we must stand aside and allow him to test his confidence." He continued. "I suppose." Vanto replied. Thrawn then took out a datapad, activating it and beginning to tinker with whatever was on the screen. "May I ask what you're doing, sir?" Vanto asked. "Studying Sammuni art." Thrawn replied. "I need to get a better sense of the culture." Suddenly, the doors to the hanger bay hissed open, and Thrawn stepped outside the turbolift. Almost as soon as Vanto saw the ship that lay dormant in the hanger, a disgusted look appeared on his face. The ship in question was not the Imperial shuttle he and Thrawn used to come aboard, but instead a YT-2400 light freighter. "You disapprove of my choice of transport as well." Thrawn said. "Do you have to do that?" Vanto asked.
"I find it tends to bypass unnecessary conversation." Thrawn replied, taking his comlink off his belt and activating it. "Admiral Thrawn for Commander Faro." He said. "Yes, Admiral. We have orders, sir?" Faro asked through the comlink. "We do, Commander." Thrawn replied. "You are to take the task force to Sammun. There is insurgent activity there that we are tasked with eliminating." He continued. "You say I'm to take the task force?" Faro asked in surprise. "You won't be with us, sir?" "That is correct." Thrawn replied. "Commander Vanto and I have an errand to run elsewhere." He finished, soon deactivating the comlink. "Uh... Are we treading on dangerous ice here, sir?" Vanto asked. "Admiral Durril ordered us to go to Sammun." He then said. "Not precisely. Admiral Durril said the ninety-sixth was to deal with the insurgency there." Thrawn replied. "No specific mention was made of you or me."
"Y-Yes sir." Vanto said. "May I ask where we're going?" He asked, as he and Thrawn walked closer towards the freighter. "To Batonn, of course." Thrawn replied, walking up the ramp of the ship and heading into the cockpit, with Vanto following suite. "Admiral Durril is convinced he will have no difficulty in capturing Scrim Island." Thrawn declared, taking his seat in the co-pilot's chair. "I am interested in seeing if he is correct." Vanto took his seat in the pilot's chair. "And if you are correct, it will mean more men and women will be hurt or killed, all because of the arrogance of their superiors." Vanto said, firing up the engines of the freighter. In a few moments, he and Thrawn left the hanger bay of the Dauntless, making the jump to Lightspeed and setting course for Batonn.
