2 BBY - "Batonn, outside Creekpath"
Just outside Creekpath, Nevil Cygni, otherwise known as Nightswan, sat quietly in his landspeeder, staring off into the distance. Mere moments ago, Admiral Thrawn had contacted Cygni, wishing to speak with him in person on Batonn. Reluctantly, Cygni had agreed to the terms, though he was yet to know what exactly it was Thrawn wished to speak to him about. Then, all of a sudden, Cygni heard the sounds of a ship's engines roaring, and looked up to the sky, seeing an Imperial shuttle touching down on Batonn's dry, barren surface. Getting out of the landspeeder, Cygni watched the ramp of the shuttle open, before Admiral Thrawn stepped out, both hands folded behind his back. "I expected you would wait until my arrival, Nightswan." Thrawn said. "I got bored, Admiral Thrawn." Cygni replied. "Besides, I was curious to see if you had told me the truth about coming alone."
"You are no use to me dead or captured." Thrawn swiftly declared. "So you said." Cygni replied. "Though I would like to point out that I was the one who saved your life all those years ago during the Dromedar hijacking." He continued. "I persuaded Angel to take that Buzz Droid back aboard his ship. I suspected you had a plan for it." A smile soon came across Thrawn's face as soon as Cygni finished his sentence. "Thank you." Thrawn said. "Allow me to point out that, had you not, I had a second droid already moored to the hull." Cygni chuckled in response. "Of course you did." He remarked. "So much for playing the card of appealing to your sense of obligation." Cygni mumbled. "I find obligations are not a stable basis for a relationship." Thrawn said. "Perhaps it is different in the Mining Guild." Cygni then shot a confused look at Thrawn. "How do you know about the Guild?" He asked. "You noticed the disappearance of Doonium more quickly than one not familiar with the metal marketplace." Thrawn replied. "I presume you saw the confusion in the Empire's metal markets and broke from the Guild to manipulate it for your own gain."
"In part..." Cygni began. "I worked with citizens who had been hurt by the Empire, and before it, the Republic and couldn't afford the justice they deserved." He continued. "Smuggling metals like Doonium was the most efficient way to generate those credits for us all." Thrawn nodded his head in understanding as Cygni spoke. "For a while, I straddled the line. Mostly helping innocents, and working with occasional insurgents. But then.." Cygni paused, taking in a deep breath. "But then, after the Gentis Regime, I started hearing rumors of something nasty the Empire was up to out in the middle of nowhere." He continued after a moment of silence. "Some science project, known only as 'Stardust', which was sucking up all the Doonium, Iridium, and other metals being yanked out of the markets." Thrawn pursed his lips at Cygni's words, deep in thought. "Whole entire planets were being strip-mined for this project. And several private operations were being taken over by the Empire, which made me get curious... And sometimes, it's a very bad thing to be curious."
"It is never wrong to be curious." Thrawn finally replied. "But it sometimes can be very dangerous." He continued, thinking about Cygni's words carefully. Thrawn knew what project Cygni was referring to, even if Cygni himself didn't know; he had seen the skeletal frame of that massive sphere orbiting above Narkina Five years ago, when he, Vanto, and Yularen were all captured by Headmaster Saul Gentis. And not a day went by where Thrawn, too, couldn't help but wonder what was being built that day. "This project you seek... I, too, have become interested in what the Empire has planned." Thrawn admitted. "What I don't understand is why you still serve the Empire!" Cygni said angrily. "Can't you see the evil you're helping to perpetuate!?" He asked. "There are things in this galaxy far more evil than the Empire and far more dangerous to all living beings." Thrawn replied. "I sought out the Empire, then the Republic, to discover if those within it would serve better as allies, or as easier prey than my people." He added.
"I dug to get your Imperial Academy records." Cygni said. "The story I heard was that you were rescued from exile." The smile on Thrawn's face grew a touch wider. "It was intended to so appear." He replied. "But that was not the reality." Yet again, Cygni shot a confused look at Thrawn, choosing to listen intently. "The encampment was designed to appear as if I had been abandoned by my fellow Chiss for years. In truth, I was only there for a few months." Thrawn revealed. "The plan was to lure a Republic ship to the planet of Ajan Kloss, use my tactical skills to slip aboard, and be taken to Coruscant." He continued. "I had hoped merely to persuade the Emperor of the newly formed Empire to allow me to study the political and military structure of the government. Then his offer to make me an Officer in The Imperial Navy gave me the opportunity to learn much more." Cygni gritted his teeth. "I'm afraid that uniform has blinded you to reality." He declared. "Especially if you think I would abandon my people and my cause to join you in your fight for a better Empire."
"You are correct in that I asked to meet with you now because I wish to offer you a position." Thrawn said. "But after your activities, you would never be accepted by the Navy." He continued. "Then what position do you want for me!?!" Cygni demanded. "Another aide, in case Commander Vanto happened to perish? A Stormtrooper?" Thrawn took in a deep breath, maintaining his composure. "You misunderstand, Nightswan..." He began. "I am in no need of a secondary aide, nor do I believe I need anyone to serve as a foot soldier under my watchful eye." Thrawn continued. "The role I have in mind for you is not with the Empire... But with The Chiss Ascendancy." He finished. Cygni's eyes widened with shock upon hearing this. "You want.. Admiral, that's crazy!" Cygni protested. "Is a human among the Chiss more implausible than a Chiss among humans?" Thrawn asked. "It would offer you the chance to stand against forces far more evil than you face now." He then said.
"And what about all those that are fighting your lesser evil now?" Cygni asked. "What would happen to them?" "The people of Batonn are Imperial resources. A wise Commander never wastes resources without need." Thrawn replied. "If the insurgents disperse, leaving their weapons behind, this will be the end." He added on. "Even if Governor Restos honored your deal, it still wouldn't last." Cygni declared. "The injustices against the people are too great, just as the arrogance of those in power is too deep." He continued. "Sooner or later, they will rise up again. Only this time, there will be no one to lead them and they will be cut down like grain in a field; their voices silenced before they were ever heard." "So you will stay?" Thrawn asked. "Perhaps we ultimately seek the same end. But we seek vastly different roads to that end." Cygni replied. "I have no choice. We have the same sense of duty, Admiral Thrawn." He continued, turning back towards his landspeeder. "I do thank you for your time, Admiral. But my curiosity is now satisfied." Cygni finished, beginning to walk away from Thrawn. "Is it?" Thrawn asked in reply.
Immediately, Cygni stopped dead in his tracks. "There is still the matter of the Empire's project you and I spoke of earlier." Thrawn said. "If I were to aid you in your search for answers, would it persuade you to join me?" He then asked. "What exactly do you know?" Cygni asked in response, turning his head slightly. "I have no direct knowledge, aside from witnessing said project under construction during the Gentis Regime. But I, too, have gathered some of the pieces of the puzzle myself." Thrawn replied. "I may also know where the main worksite is located... If it is still there." He continued. "And if you find it, what then? What would you do?" Cygni asked. "You still serve the Empire, and this project. Whatever it is, it obviously represents a great deal of Imperial resources." He added on. "I do indeed serve the Empire. But I also serve the causes of The Chiss Ascendancy." Thrawn replied. "If I deem this project to be a threat against my people, I might find it necessary to reconsider my path." Cygni shook his head in disappointment. "On one hand, we have a fear of what the Empire is building. But on another hand, I have real flesh-and-blood people to protect here and now." Cygni said. "I'm sorry..."
For the second time, Cygni began walking towards his landspeeder, when Thrawn spoke again. "I have read about the Nightswan; how it sings only as the night is falling." He said. This time, Cygni did not stop to listen, entering the landspeeder and firing up it's engines. "If you do not expect your stand on this world to succeed, why not come with me now?" Thrawn asked over the sounds of the engines igniting. "A man must do what he is meant to, Admiral Thrawn..." Cygni replied, with Thrawn just barely being able to hear his voice over the engines. "...Even if his stand is against the fall of eternal night." Cygni finished, driving the landspeeder away from Thrawn and back towards Creekpath. "An honorable choice, Nightswan." Thrawn admitted to himself, turning back and re-entering his shuttle, sitting down as it left Batonn's surface and flew back towards the Chimaera, which loomed overhead in the sky.
2 BBY - "Batonn, the Pryce residence"
"You're kidding..." Arihnda whispered softly, seeing the small, metal box Elainye held in her hands. "All of them?" "All of them." Elainye replied. "And if I find that other box, there'll be ten more." She continued. "They're the records of your childhood, Arihnda. Your life. Everything up until you left for Coruscant." Arihnda nodded her head. "You've got fifteen minutes." She said. "And don't forget to grab some of your own..." Arihnda continued, only to be cut off by the sound of a blaster cocking. "There you are, Pryce." Agent Gudry said, pointing his pistol at Arihnda's chest. "And here I thought you'd be at the hospital... Your mother being deathly ill and all." He added. "W-We had her put her feet up and she started feeling better, Agent Gudry." Arihnda nervously replied. "I figured since we were here, I'd get them ready to evacuate." Gudry smirked in response. "Sorry, sweetheart. This isn't a rescue mission. It's a search and destroy." Gudry declared. "Luckily for the Empire, I didn't need you. I have an explosives cache and the shield generator, both set to my comms channel and ready to blow." He continued.
"We can still take my parents with us." Arihnda protested. "They won't slow us down." "And a party draws attention we can't afford." Gudry replied, tightening his grip on the blaster. "I'm a Governor." Arihnda declared. "And I've got the blaster." Gudry shot back. For a moment, Arihnda and Gudty both stared at each other. Then, Arihnda drew her pistol, shooting Gudry bin the heart before he could fire back. Elainye looked at Arihnda with surprise. "Arihnda, what.." "He was going to leave you and father behind." Arihnda said, taking a Detonator off of Gudry's belt. "Get your bags. We're leaving now!" Arihnda exclaimed. Without saying another word, Talmoor and Elainye followed Arihnda out of the house with their bags in hand, taking Gudry's landspeeder across Creekpath. Before they could exit Creekpath, however, a group of insurgent guard stood in front of the landspeeder, forcing Arihnda to stop. "Where do you think you three are going?" One of the guards asked. "My mother's not well." Arihnda replied. "I need to get her and my father out of here at once!"
"Let's see some identification." The guard said. Without warning, Arihnda took out her blaster again, shooting down all three of the guards and driving away. After a while of riding out in the wasteland of Batonn, Arihnda saw an Imperial transport up ahead. Getting out of the landspeeder, Arihnda threw off her wig, motioning for her parents to follow her. "I'm Arihnda Pryce." She said to the squadron of Stormtroopers outside the transport. "I'm here on a special assignment from Colonel Yularen." The Stormtrooper Commander nodded his head in agreement. "About time we heard from you, Governor. The Colonel's been worried." The Commander. "You better give him a call because the team's already gone in." Arihnda cocked her eyebrow at the Commander, confused. "What team?" She asked. "The rescue team heading to your parents's house." The Commander replied, his gaze shifting to Talmoor and Elainye. "These them?"
"Yes, these are my parents." Arihnda replied, motioning for Talmoor and Elainye to step aboard the transport. "Wasn't there supposed to be someone else with you?" The Commander asked. "We got separated." Arihnda said. "Where's your base? I need to get my parents some proper care..." The Commander nodded. "We will get you to our base right away, Governor. The rescue team can take the last transport out." He replied. Arihnda then stepped aboard the transport, looking out the window as it drove away from Creekpath. Off in the distance, she could still see her parent's house from afar, with another transport parked right next to it. Taking the detonator off her belt, Arihnda looked at the button, then at the house one last time, knowing the rescue team was already inside looking for her. Pressing the button, Arihnda watched, as the house instantly went up in flames, taking Gudry's body and the rescue team with it.
