Star Wars: Thrawn - Chapter 9

14 BBY - "The Thunder Wasp"

"It appears to be a land dispute, Ensign..." Thrawn began, as he continued staring at holographic images from the planet Cyphar, which his light cruiser, the Thunder Wasp, was currently orbiting. "On one side is the Afe Clan of the native Cyphari. And on the other side is a group of human colonists in an enclave pressing up against Afe territory." He continued. Eli Vanto turned his head to meet Thrawn's eyes, having previously been staring at the holographic projection of the Afe. "And we are here...      Why?" Vanto asked. "Here..    Tell me what you see." Thrawn replied, turning the holoprojector around to face Vanto. Vanto stared at what the holoprojector was showing for a moment, before looking back at Thrawn. "Shellfish." He said. "Exports in that seems to have doubled over the past four months...    Which would be right around the time the land dispute began." Vanto added on.

"But the recent escalation in cross-border incidents does date from that point." Thrawn added. "The humans have precious metals to smuggle. Likely because they discovered a new vein under Afe territory." Vanto said. "Someone calls in Nightswan, and he shows them how to smuggle out their contraband inside the shellfish. Although you'd think Nightswan, clever as he is, could have come up with a new technique instead of repeating himself." He continued. Thrawn soon shut off the hologram, rising from his seat. "Come now, Ensign..    Don't you recognize an opportunity when you see one?" He asked. "We really don't know how many confrontations Nightswan and I have had over the past few months. Only those operations that he signs, as it were, do we know to attribute to him." Thrawn continued. "Perhaps you haven't noticed, but there appears to be a growing number of these incidents around the Empire; incidents that have increased smuggling activity, which robs Coruscant of tariff money."

Vanto nodded, listening intently. "Thefts of metals like Doonium have also increased, at the very time the Empire is gathering these resources." Thrawn said. "Because of this, there have been disputes between individuals within the Empire, which distract attention and drain military resources. Even more disturbing is that there are a growing number of incidents of unrest or open revolt." He continued, walking around his desk and shutting off the hologram Vanto was staring at earlier. "I have no doubt that Nightswan has had a hand in some of these incidents." Thrawn declared, locking eyes with Vanto as he said this. "Let us see what he has arranged for us this time." Vanto said nothing back, only nodding in agreement as he followed Thrawn out of his office. Soon, the two of them reached the main hanger bay, only taking a private shuttle down to Cyphar's surface, while the Thunder Wasp continued to orbit the world from above.

14 BBY - "Cyphar, Mayor Benchel's office"

"I really don't understand the purpose of this meeting, Commander." Mayor Pord Benchel of the planet Cyphar said. "We already gave sworn statements to Coruscant!" He declared. "The purpose of this meeting is so that I may meet the dispute committee in person." Thrawn replied. "It's not a dispute committee. It's a committee for justice." Lenora Scath said. "We're the ones who have been attacked, Commander. Not the Cyphari." "The reports suggest that is a matter of dispute." Thrawn replied, meeting Lenora's gaze as he did so. "Hence the term I have assigned you." "Not our reports." Lenora shot back. "Not any report that anyone in their right mind could believe." She added on. "I assure you I am in my right mind." Thrawn said, switching his attention away from Lenora and towards Clay Tanoo. "Do you agree, mister Tanoo?" He asked. "Are the Cyphari statements untrustworthy?" 

Tanoo adjusted his posture in his seat, before he spoke. "Ah, yes. The clan thing...    All they seem to do is just repeat what their leader says." He replied. "May we ask what decision you have come to?" Mayor Benchel then asked. "I have hardly had time to make a decision, Mayor Benchel." Thrawn replied. "My next task is to view the disputed territory, to which, fortunately, I have received Afe Chief Joko's invitation." He continued. Without saying another word, Thrawn turned around, exiting the office with Vanto. "Mayor Benchel seems like an obvious choice." Vanto remarked. "He's loud and passionate and did most of the talking. But I'm thinking he may be a little too loud." He continued. "And the others?" Thrawn asked. "I'd say Scath and Polcery. Maybe Tanoo too." Vanto replied. "But even he seems a little too simpleminded. I just can't see Nightswan trusting him with big secrets." "You forget that the conspiracy was already in place prior to Nightswan." Thrawn said. "He may not have had any say in the participants..     Still, my congratulations, Ensign. Your skills have improved markedly." He continued.

"Thank you, sir. Any ones I missed?" Vanto asked. "None." Thrawn replied. "Scath, Polcery, and Tanoo are indeed involved in the conspiracy. Mayor Benchel, as you already surmised, is one of the duped." He added. "Now...    Have you any further thoughts or conclusions?" Thrawn asked, as he and Vanto soon exited the building, walking towards their shuttle. "Not yet, sir." Vanto replied. "There is yet time. Study further." Thrawn said, right when he and Vanto stepped aboard the shuttle. Upon their arrival to the territory of the Afe, Thrawn was the first to exit the shuttle and greet Chief Joko, with Vanto following suite. "I know not what to tell you, Commander Thrawn. The reports of my clansfolk are true and accurate." Joko said, as he soon led Thrawn and Vanto inside the meeting house of the clan. "The humans have crossed the border on many occasions; they have both stolen from and attacked us. Once, a home was also burned."

"Fortunately, it was not the clan meeting house." Thrawn said. "This structure is rich with the culture and history of the Afe Clan." Joko nodded his head in agreement. "It is. Few in the Empire would notice, and fewer still would appreciate." Joko said. "Perhaps." Thrawn replied. "Did you confront the attackers?" He asked. "On two occasions, our sentinels were attacked. Eight were injured, but none were killed." Joko replied. Thrawn looked around for a moment, staring at the carvings etched into the walls of the meeting house intently, before he spoke again. "I am told members of the Afe Clan have also crossed the border into the Hollenside Enclave." Thrawn said. "Yes, we have crossed the border." Joko replied. "And yes, we have inflicted impairment equal to our suffering, but never have we attacked the humans on their own soil." He continued. "I wish to see where the first of these incursions occurred." Thrawn announced. 

Joko pointed to an area in the crops just outside the main entrance. "There." He said. "That is where the humans first came onto Afe land, when the grain was yet ripe and harvested." Thrawn looked at the area where Joko had pointed to, staring at the crops, which were scarred by fire. "Did any of the Afes note anything unusual about the crops from this field?" Thrawn asked. "Was there any grain discarded due to disease or malformation?" He continued. "Some plants die in all fields. This field has a history of such damage." Joko replied. "The stunted stalks are a sign of improper development. For noticing this, I commemorate you for having a keen eye, Commander Thrawn." Thrawn soon switched his attention back to Joko. "I would like to offer two suggestions." He declared. "First: do not hold guards for pursuit. Deploy them solely for the protection of your villages." He added on. "Second: I know that many of your people live in this district. I request that they leave for tonight." Joko shot a look of surprise at Thrawn. "How long would you have us cower before an enemy?" He asked. "Accept disruption for our families and for our young?" Thrawn folded both arms behind his back. "It will end tonight." He declared.

Later that night, Thrawn and Vanto would be hiding inside the clan meeting house, with Vanto holding a pair of macrobinoculars in his hands. "What do you conclude from the stunted plants?" Thrawn asked, looking between Vanto and the crops outside. "Heavy-metal poisoning." Vanto replied. "Which implies the vein of the ore is near the surface, meaning that a group as small as our conspirators have easy credits on their hands." Off in the distance, Thrawn could hear something; something that sounded like the engines of a landspeeder. Not one, but three of them. Vanto put up the macrobinoculars to his eyes, having heard the noise too. "Here they come." Vanto said. "And there's Tanoo." He added. "Locate his full record." Thrawn ordered, putting a pair of macrobinoculars to his own eyes. "I want a list of his areas of knowledge and expertise." Vanto removed the macrobinoculars, activating his datapad. "His secondary schooling was in organic chemistry..." Vanto said after a few moments.

"Was he ever arrested or charged with a crime?" Thrawn asked, adjusting the view on his macrobinoculars. "No arrests for Tanoo himself, but..." Vanto began, holding the datapad closer to his face. "His older brother was arrested for possession of spice." He continued. "Specifically, a rare variety called Scarn that forms under grain fields." Thrawn then took the macrobinoculars away from his eyes, motioning for the datapad. "Show me the method." He said. Immediately, Vanto handed Thrawn the datapad for him to read Tanoo's file. After reading the file, Thrawn took his comlink off his belt, activating it. "This is Commander Thrawn. Send the shuttles and Stormtroopers I ordered to this location for prisoner retrieval." Thrawn ordered. "Also, add Lieutenant Gimm to the TIE escort. Launch when ready." He finished, deactivating the comlink. "All of this will be for nothing if our targets don't stick around to be prisoners." Vanto remarked. 

"You are correct, Ensign. We must make certain none of them get past us." Thrawn replied, pulling his blaster pistol out from it's holster. "I'll deal with the landspeeders while you target the raiders. Set on stun." He ordered. "Understood." Vanto replied, pulling his own blaster out of it's holster. "I'll start. You'll know when to open fire." Thrawn said. Vanto opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Thrawn already exited the meeting house. Hiding behind the entrance, Vanto looked over his shoulder, seeing Thrawn marching towards Tanoo and the raiders, pistol in hand. Extending his dominant arm outward, Thrawn fired a single shot towards one of the landspeeders, watching the blaster bolts strike a container, which instantly blew up. "Take cover!" Tanoo shouted. Thrawn aimed his pistol at another container, shooting in it's direction and destroying it as well. Stepping out of the meeting house, Vanto aimed his pistol towards the raiders and fired, stunning them all in the midst of the flames. 

Acting quickly, Tanoo rushed towards the third landspeeder, but Thrawn stepped in front of him, aiming his pistol at Tanoo's chest. "Mister Tanoo...       I expect you're ready to talk?" He asked, letting his index finger rest gently on the trigger. Tanoo raised his arms high in the air, dropping his blaster as he did so. "It wasn't my idea! It was Polcery! She's the one who came up with it!" Tanoo protested. "They forced me! I..    I didn't want to...!" Thrawn tightened his grip on his pistol. "A man who is forced to work against his will could have easily sabotaged their efforts..    Yet you did not." Thrawn declared. "You're the one who refined the pre-spice for smuggling. The technique is quite interesting." Tanoo let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. You caught us..." He muttered under his breath. "So now what? Possession of pre-spice isn't illegal." Tanoo then said. "He's right, sir." Vanto added, walking up towards Tanoo from behind the burning landspeeders. "Pre-spice isn't an illegal substance. There are too many things it can be turned into that are perfectly safe and legal."

Thrawn looked at Vanto, then back at Tanoo. "But the product you have created is illegal." He declared. "You'll never prove it." Tanoo shot back. "The others are hiding all our product where no one will ever find it." Thrawn walked closer to Tanoo, keeping his pistol pointed at his chest. "Perhaps. Perhaps not." He replied. "Now...      Which one of your group brought Nightswan in to advise you?" He then asked. Tanoo's eyes widened with shock. "How do you..." He began, quickly stopping himself before he could fully ask the question. "It was Scath.." Tanoo admitted. "She knew someone who knew him and thought he could help." "And so he did. But not enough." Thrawn said. "His end will come. Yours, on the other hand, has arrived." He finished, shooting Tanoo in the chest. Thrawn watched, as Tanoo collapsed onto his back, lifeless. He and Vantoo then looked up to the sky, seeing the Thunder Wasp looming large over the area. From it's hanger bay, two TIE Fighters emerged, their engines screeching loudly as they fired upon the crops around the meeting house, causing a bright, blue explosion to erupt around Thrawn and Vanto.

Soon, Chief Joko and his guards exited the meeting house, having heard the explosions from outside. "What do you believe you can do!?" Joko asked angrily, as he approached Thrawn and Vanto. "Do you believe you can attack our sovereign land at will??" Thrawn's eyes darted to Joko. "No..." He replied. "I have simply destroyed the source of profit for the conspirators. Had the pre-spice remained, the attacks would have continued." Thrawn added. "And if they did, you would have lost more than just farmland." "What would I have lost!?" Joko shouted. "Orchards? Bridges?" "Lives." Thrawn replied calmly. "I understand your concern for my people, but their lives and lands should have been protected in a much less destructive way!" Joko protested. Thrawn put his pistol back in it's holster, folding both of his arms behind his back. "You may appeal my actions to Coruscant. Just know that they may repudiate them." He replied. "Yet the damage will remain." Joko said. "I will appeal your actions, and with the appeal, I pray that we may never meet again." Thrawn nodded his head in agreement. "If that is what you choose to do, then so be it."