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‘Under my command rather than Director Krennic’s,’ Thrawn said levelly, ‘I will see to it that the flaws of Project Star Dust are corrected.’
Grand Moff Tarkin’s aide had brought in the schematics of the Death Star online. He set the datapad on the ebony table where the blue-green hologram rotated in a colossal three dimensional projection.
‘Here and here,’ Thrawn said, pointing to the vents. ‘It’s hard to imagine the scale of the Director’s sheer incompetence in mismanaging his engineers and noticing the flaws so late in the experiments design.’
‘You are ambitious, Grand Admiral, for a person who was not long ago a Captain carrying out glorified mapping tasks.’ Tarkin said, interrupting him. The projection and the surrounding stars snapped out of existence. ‘If not for Nuvo Esva, Lord Vader’s recommendation for your promotion and your skilled but lucky handling of the Poln Minor crises you would still be in near exile.'
‘Court politics were never my strong suit,’ Thrawn replied in a chilling tone. ‘But if you have an issue with my appointment you may bring the matter up with the Emperor, I respect every decision and every say he makes on my behalf. If he requires it that I return to the Unknown Region, I will do so immediately.’
‘I merely play the devil’s advocate,’ Tarkin’s tone was silky. ‘You are a military man to the core, Grand Admiral and perhaps ill suited for overseeing research and development.’
Thrawn inclined his head. ‘Project Star Dust is a trillion credit drain. Several years of wasted research on Kyber utility which will all come to naught if the flaw is not corrected.’ He paused. ‘One might almost wonder if it Krennic was a knowing collaborator.’
‘You tread on dangerous ground, Grand Admiral.’
Thrawn gazed with glowing red eyes at Tarkin. ‘The two attended the same alma mater. It’s impossible that Krennic’s judgement is uncompromised and unbiased with regards to Erso. Doesn’t it strike you as rather convenient that he should attempt to massacre all the engineers the instant that an obvious flaw was uncovered?’
‘A massacre that I recall your ship stopped. It’s all on ISB record, due for referral.’ Tarkin replied, tapping a manicured nail against his datapad. ‘Captain Pellaeon is on the list of among the list of names of your personnel involved in stopping Director Krennic’s actions. From an outsider’s perspective – and I am not making any particular judgements here – it rather does seem to be the case of the commanding officer running to the aid of a junior in hot water.’
‘Captain Pellaeon acted on my orders only. He is loyal and thoroughly reliable to the Empire as his solid combat records indicate.’ Thrawn replied coldly. ‘If my actions are amiss let the consequences fall upon my shoulders. I argue again that I am not as talented as Krennic in destroying useful tools. If they created the mess, it stands to irrefutable reason that they are able to address the issues given enough persuasion. Have Pellaeon returned to me and I will see the plans come to fruition. And as for Erso, a dead man can tell us nothing.’
An interminable pause. ‘Done and done,’ Tarkin said and leaned forward. ‘Oh, and Grand Admiral,’ he said in a voice of subtle menace to match Thrawn’s own. ‘No one is immune from ISB checks. Not even you.’
‘Your fears are misplaced, Your Excellency. The future that the Republic proposes is no future at all. My only goal is to eradicate them.’
Tarkin nodded once, satisfied.
The holding cells on Eadu were not the most comfortable places in the galaxy and other than being imposing monolithic slabs of a building they were stocked with truth serums among other interrogation and torture devices.
Pellaeon appeared mostly intact when he emerged from one, however. He briefly rubbed his wrists where the manacles had been.
‘Are you unharmed?’ Thrawn asked when they walked out of the warden’s earshot. His posture was more rigid than usual.
‘I’m absolutely fine.’ Pellaeon replied, but his hands trembled some which Thrawn pretended not to see. ‘And the rest of the crew?’
‘Released,’ Thrawn replied, ‘Something I’m grateful for.’ He said in a lower murmur, straight into Pellaeon’s ear. ‘And Captain?’
Pellaeon nods minutely
‘Don’t take an action so risky again without my express orders. We don’t have the liberty of independent action.’
‘Understood,’ The other man replied in a voice, equally quiet but the skin around his eyes tightened slightly.
Thrawn’s voice returned immediately to his normal volume, when he crossed the threshold into his inner sanctum. Without its usual confabulated art, it was a cold affair threatening affair of dark grey durasteel and alloy floors and one replica command chair. He lingered just in front of the doorway.
‘Hello Director Krennic.’ Thrawn said, tilting his head in a gentle incline in the direction of one of two prisoners who were both manacled on the floor. ‘It seems that your operation has suffered severe setbacks lately, making you useless to anyone other than myself.’
‘I don’t know what this is Thrawn, but I will have you and your traitorous saboteur Captain dragged before a military tribunal for interrupting a project so vital to Imperial security.’ Krennic spat out.
Thrawn listened to the tirade in glacial silence. ‘I think that attempting to kill all the engineers involved in the project would consist of self sabotage, wouldn’t it? Or perhaps, you can be replaced as easily as your subordinates considering your qualifications in the area.’ His finger caressed a page that held background data on Krennic’s work on solid state lasers.
‘You dare,’ The former Director snarled.
A flicker behind Thrawn’s red irises. ‘Yes I dare. And I would hate to inflict pain, from one civilised being to another.’
Krennic drew in breath, leaning forward slightly only to find his knees kicked out from behind from the guard at a subtle nod from Thrawn. His knees buckled and his arms only just caught the floor, right taking a little too much force because of the cuffs.
Everyone heard the crack as a bone fractured. Erso, the other prisoner, flinched a little, from where he had been kneeling. Pellaeon winced.
‘Radial bone, I think,’ Thrawn carried on in the same mild tone. ‘It is slightly unfortunate that your pride cost you the use of your right arm.’
Nothing except the sound of Krennic’s harsh breathing as he tried unsuccessfully to relieve the pain. His eyes sloped up to gaze at a fixed point, but for the first time he was completely silent.
‘I think it would be fine if we were to continue this conversation alone,’ Thrawn said to the guards. When they hesitated, he added, ‘Both Pellaeon and I are armed.’
And Pellaeon looked as if he wished he was anywhere but there.
‘Doctor Erso,’ Thrawn spoke gently, turning to the other man who hadn’t made a single comment so far. ‘Would you like to speak? There is no wrong answer.’
The scientist was still, eyes haunted. Someone, probably the guards had exchanged his bloodstained uniform for a plain prison shift but it only made him seem smaller. ‘But there is only one answer you want, isn’t there Grand Admiral?’
‘I am no Director Krennic.’
Krennic was instead at Thrawn’s feet.
‘Perhaps so,’ Erso replied, ‘But I will not repair the Death Star’s design flaws. There is nothing more that you can take from me Grand Admiral. The Empire has already taken my daughter and everyone I valued away from me. You can hurt me all you like but I can’t give you any more.’
‘Pellaeon,’ Thrawn said, turning to his silent Captain. ‘Give me your blaster.’
Pellaeon passed it to him without a word. Four pairs of eyes followed its trajectory as Thrawn slid it across the floor where it came to rest at the scientist’s knees.
Thrawn continued, ‘Not everyone shares Director Krennic’s views within the Empire. It was his actions that ordered your wife and daughter killed. If you shoot Krennic in the head with that blaster it won’t bring your loved ones back but it will bring you some small peace in your suffering.’
All the blood drained out of Krennic’s face, as his eyes darted from the cold serene eyes of the Grand Admiral who had his arms folded to Pellaeon who was avoiding his gaze and finally to the broken Erso.
‘He’s a liar, Galen! Don’t listen to him! He’s behind their deaths.’
‘The Grand Admiral would never lie about something as serious as that.’ Pellaeon said, but he was clearly unhappy and torn. ‘I understand that you have suffered a lot at the hands of Imperials but we had our hands full preventing a warlord from orchestrating the destruction of Poln Major and protecting the Governor and his family from being assassinated.’
‘Thankyou,’ Thrawn’s tone was genuine and Pellaeon, just briefly, smiled wanly at him.
‘I can’t kill Krennic.’ The scientist said numbly, staring at the weapon.
Pellaeon took a deep breath, clearly intending to offer reassurance, but the Grand Admiral cut across smoothly, ‘But it could be your inaction that murders people in this case,’ Thrawn said equitably. ‘Would it change matters if I told you that Pellaeon is currently holding Miss Jyn Erso on board the Chimaera without my knowledge and was intending to let her go?’
Behind the Grand Admiral, Pellaeon had gone rigid, eyes overflowing with disappointment at Thrawn’s words.
‘You’re a monster, Grand Admiral, just like the people you claim not to be.’ Galen Erso said in a voice tinged with sadness.
‘I will demonstrate to you that she is alive and unharmed. Please establish an audio only intercom channel with Jyn, Pellaeon.’ Thrawn said steadily passing his datapad back to the other man. ‘Remember, if you attempt to communicate with your daughter, Erso, the next door she will be walking out is the airlock.’ He said to beaten and defeated scientist.
The Captain’s finger, hovered half a span longer than necessary over the datapad. His authentication codes had already been entered.
‘Pellaeon,’ Thrawn said softly.
The finger plummeted.
A woman’s voice sounded. ‘Is something the matter?’
‘No,’ Pellaeon replied tiredly. ‘I was just wondering if you were fine.’ His eyes were locked on Thrawn’s red ones and the latter was the first to look away.
‘Oh.’ Jyn paused awkwardly. ‘I’m fine, thankyou for asking Pellaeon.’
The connection was cut and Pellaeon was left staring at a dead datapad.
‘Has your opinion, changed, Erso? If you shoot the Director now I will forgive your earlier indecision. You would enjoy the chance at revenge, wouldn’t you? He killed your wife after all.’
‘No.’ Galen whispered.
‘I would be willing to forgive you everything and let you depart with your daughter if you shot Krennic through the head and amended your oversight with the Death Star plans.’
Galen’s hands close around the trigger, of the blaster, he lifts it, working against the manacles and points it straight at Krennic.
‘I’m sorry Jyn,’ Galen said. Tears were dripping from his face. ‘I’m sorry Lyra.’
Krennic was faster, fitter and less severely wounded than Galen. One thin thread of blood spooled down his chin from underneath one eye. He lunged for the weapon, knocking it straight out of Galen’s hand. His good hand closed around the blaster and he brought it to bear on Galen.
‘Look at us, Galen. Fighting for, no grovelling for, a chance to live by the Grand Admiral’s hand.’ The Former Director said coldly, breathing hard. ‘Am I correct in assuming that only one of us leaves your ship alive?’
‘Yes.’ Thrawn’s replied, watching Pellaeon’s faith in him die. ‘Unfortunately, I cannot allow the knowledge of Pellaeon’s decision to shelter Jyn Erso to become more widely known. Therefore, if one of you kills the other I will allow one of you to escape from the Chimaera alive as the apparent subversive sheltering Jyn. However, if you refuse to kill the other I will be forced to silence both of you permanently.
Krennic looked at the helpless Galen. ‘You were dealt the hand of life and you lost it just as you wasted as you wasted your life sustenance farming, toting the hand of your brat child.’
‘Orson,’ Galen replied. ‘I want to remember you as a good man.’
‘Yes,’ Krennic said softly, looking into Galen’s eyes. ‘Say hello to Jyn for me.’
And, more swiftly than Galen could react he pressed the blaster against the base of his jaw.
‘Stop,’ Pellaeon shouted, running towards Krennic but he was far too late, the weapon’s trigger had already been pushed and the body slumped back. Frantically, he slapped a hand against the man’s neck only to find –
A strong pulse. Pellaeon stared, eyes burning.
‘I reduced the setting of the weapon to a mild stun. Krennic will wake up none the worse with a light headache. If he had actually shot himself on the full setting that his head would have been in considerably more pieces.’ The threat had evaporated from Thrawn’s cultured voice. In fact, he sounded utterly weary as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. ‘Pellaeon, please fetch Jyn for Erso.’
Pellaeon hadn’t moved.
‘I understand.’ Thrawn said with a trace of uncertainty. ‘I’ll find her.’
‘No. You don’t understand at all.’ And, leaving Thrawn to lower Krennic to the floor without causing a concussion, Pellaeon walked straight out of the Grand Admiral’s Inner Sanctum without once looking back.
Galen saw that the corners of Thrawn’s mouth had turned down.
The Grand Admiral was meditating, eyes closed. If he was upset by the intrusion, he didn’t show it. His rooms had returned to their default state. Vaulted white pillars rose on all sides, splitting into fine white traceries beyond which lay pure blue.
‘Please come in Doctor.’ Thrawn said without opening his eyes.
Galen had walked over to one of the paintings.
‘Xirwee, gauche interweave, circa 1000 pre ABY.’ Thrawn’s eyes were still closed. ‘The originals were destroyed.’
‘I saw the originals when penning a research paper on solid state crystallography.’
‘Did you now?’ The red eyes were open now. ‘It’s a shame you couldn’t have been an artist since you have the sensibility for it. Have you availed yourself of Yavin’s facilities yet?’
‘I told you before that I’m not –‘
‘Your existence has put me in a remarkably difficult position to manoeuvre out of. When the good Captain decided to put a halt to the massacre, I was forced to rationalise his decision to interfere with Krennic. And the Grand Moff Tarkin has set me a punishing timeframe.’
‘The Empire,’ Galen heard himself saying, ‘Is flawed.’
‘Do not mistake Pellaeon’s compassion for your plight as evidence for his sympathy towards your Rebellion.’ Thrawn’s tone was glacial but curiously devoid of threat.
‘I was wondering if I could gain access to Jyn’s ISB files.’
‘Denied. Do you truly believe that I would share Imperial intelligence with a known rebel sympathiser?’ Thrawn’s voice was calm.
A man of lesser temperament would have fled. ‘You keep a close eye on Pellaeon’s files. You would have asked the same for Jyn if you were in my position.’
The Grand Admiral’s eyes clouded over. ‘You are quite insightful, Doctor. I wish there were more people like you in the galaxy.’
‘I am not an extinct animal to be kept alive in a zoo.’
‘And you would be wasted if you were,’ Thrawn nodded. ‘On this ship you would probably be able to live a relatively normal if not restricted life. Beyond the walls of the Chimaera I think that you will find that my influence is severely diminished. I have the Emperor’s ear but so does the Grand Moff and I am an outcast from Imperial Court with no authority over civilian matters.’
‘You threatened Jyn.’
‘I did.’ The Grand Admiral agreed. ‘I thought that I could provoke you into incapacitating myself and Pellaeon. Krennic’s death would have provided a believable pretext that you had gone rogue and that your escape with your daughter wasn’t my doing. The guards outside my rooms were also instructed to allow you to escape. The audio also provided enough cues for you to deduce Jyn’s exact location. Of course, Krennic’s actions rendered the plan useless.’
‘You said that the blaster had been set to stun.’
Thrawn’s eyes were inscrutable. ‘That would have required an engineering feat unavailable to me in the amount of time that I held the blaster. What I didn’t tell you was that there was a dampening device embedded in both your manacles and the uniform which I procured for Pellaeon shortly after he had been released from prison. You would not have been harmed by a shot. And as for myself, having just returned from an appointment with Tarkin there was no opportunity to fit myself with a device that he would not have been detected by him and I had to make do with your pacifistic tendencies.’
Something must have flitted across his face because Thrawn said, ‘Krennic isn’t dead. Your proximity probably saved his life.’
‘If I had run, Moff Tarkin would have tried to pin the blame on you.’
‘He would have tried. But I am more valuable than you are. A few lost skirmishes in my absence would have prompted the Emperor to reinstate me.’
‘But not Pellaeon.’
‘But not Pellaeon.’ Thrawn echoed quietly and for the first time Galen saw how lost and helpless he looked.
The crew of Thrawn’s flagship gave the silent and bitter Krennic in the mess hall a wide berth as he tried and failed to spear food with his non dominant hand.
And he could avoid Galen. It was surprisingly easy on such a large multileveled Star Destroyer to ensure that their timetables never crossed. Footsteps crossed the threshold. He ate his food.
‘Dad?’ Said a woman’s voice.
He makes the mistake of looking up.
‘Your father,’ Krennic said rolling the acidic words in his mouth, ‘Is currently fixing the Death Star for the Grand Admiral.’ He got up, prepares to flick his cloak back into place and his head and the back of his neck was slammed into the opposing wall while Jyn’s thumbs push into either side of his neck. She was smaller than him but she had a knee on his chest and more persistence.
‘You killed my mother.’ She hissed through her teeth. ‘Made my father work for you. And now you lie.’
He wheezed a laugh through a flattened windpipe but no one came into help him and his vision was peppered by stars.
‘Stardust,’ Galen said in a slightly strained tone while he tugged at his daughter's arms. And Krennic felt the pressure applied by the hands loosen on his windpipe. Jyn was crying.
Krennic gulped in a breath of air and then another breath. He turned his head to one side in order to unsuccessfully suck more air and escape the girl. He crawled another few metres and then another until he met a pair of polished black boots.
Thrawn studied him like he watched the photons of his holographic artworks trapped insect like in one slice of data.
Krennic repressed the urge to flinch, when The Grand Admiral knelt down to his level.
‘How is your arm, Director?’ He said and casually brushed the back his hand over Krennic’s broken bone, causing him exquisite pain.
‘Fine,’ Krennic said, gasping as tears spilled from his eyes.
Thrawn leaned in to the shell of Krennic’s ear and murmured, ‘It’s not easy is it? Living at the whim of someone else.’ He brushed an errant strand of hair out of Krennic’s eyes in a mockery of concern and straightened up. Pellaeon had brought in the med team.
‘I’d never have taken you for somebody interested in planetary weapons,’ Grand Moff Tarkin said.
‘I’m not,’ Thrawn said frankly. ‘You cannot conquer a planet that has been obliterated. And the use of the Death Star will only instil fear and resentment in the inhabitants of planets that we are attempting to form alliances with. One could almost argue that the Death Star is counterproductive from a military perspective and lacks manoeuvrability and stealth.’
‘And yet you procured the Death Star plans from Galen Erso and convinced him to return to the Empire.’
‘I think you are mistaken, Your Excellency. Erso never strayed from our side. He was simply interested in a different field of research and therefore I have had the Empire reassign him from weapons development to agricultural research in the Unknown Regions.’
‘More scientists for your mapping expedition,’ Tarkin said sourly. ‘More talented minds to be wasted alongside Parck and some of your most valuable officers. I’m presuming you located the traitor who was responsible for the design flaws in the Death Star in the first place.’
‘Yes,’ Thrawn said gravely. ‘Director Krennic. Why else do you think he was so surprised when you told him that there was a security breach on Eadu? Since he was the one who had plotted the breach, he had the most to lose from being uncovered and only he was in the position to institute a smokescreen. What chance could an academic like Erso stand against a Director? Recall the Ferrouz incident on Poln Major where the governor’s children were held against his will and he was induced into appearing like a traitor.’
‘You have made your point well enough, Grand Admiral. The ISB will be notified and I am sure that the Emperor will push his execution forward to the next day.’
‘It is true that he should be executed,’ Thrawn went on, ‘But I was not the one who procured the fixed Death Star plans from Erso. It was Krennic, desperate to redeem himself after some small persuasion on my part.’
‘What are you suggesting Grand Admiral?’
‘If the decision was up to me,’ Thrawn said in a carefully neutral voice, ‘I would demote him several ranks but I would not kill him as the plans for the Death Star were ultimately complete. Whilst Krennic is not as talented as Erso he has experience in architecture that I could use in my projects.’
‘Impossible,’ Tarkin scoffed. ‘The Empire cannot encourage treachery.’
‘Then,’ Thrawn said, injecting a little desperation into his voice, ‘Certainly you would not object if Krennic was transferred to the Unknown Regions. Like you said, you consider it a waste of talent and having Krennic would reduce my need for another architect. You cannot waste a dead man.’
Tarkin expelled air through his nose and mouth. ‘Take your scientists Grand Admiral. Although I wouldn’t place it past you to have already submitted the proposal to the Emperor and to already have had it a approved.
Thrawn’s little smile told the other man all he needed to know.
And little Stardust points outside the window saying, ‘Look, Papa.’ Outside great tufts of snow was falling from the sky, outside the window that revealed Vallt.
The science vessel Thrawn intended to ship them off in was needle shaped, combat inappropriate and had an interior to match his tastes. Gold ran down the spacious latticed walls and up the elegantly arched roof.
‘It really makes you wonder how many people the Grand Admiral shipped off and never returned.’ Krennic said with his trademark optimism. His face lit up when he saw the engine though, it was a tailored dark matter drive, one step off a compressed blackhole.
Galen had conservatively agreed with the assessment, although the tentative honeymoon period had evaporated when they sought out seats. Jyn, Galen and Krennic on one ship together would have never resulted in anything except an awkward trip, even if Jyn had volunteered to do the piloting.
‘I can’t forgive you, Orson.’ Galen had said softly his arms folded over his chest where Krennic had him shot. ‘But on the other hand I won’t forget what you were willing to sacrifice.’
‘Really,’ Krennic snorted. ‘If you really think that my reaction to one of the Grand Admiral’s staged scenarios is in any way applicable to reality you are in for a disappointment Galen.’
‘I know what I saw,’ Galen said quietly. Then, he laid a hand over Krennic’s.
The other man stared at it a while, heartbeat thumping in his ears. Krennic cleared his bruised throat and said, ‘Galen, I—‘
‘Buckle your seats up,’ Jynn said over commlink. ‘I’m a about to make the jump to hyperspace.’ And the stars converged into lines and the lines into vectors.
It had a week since Thrawn had plucked the completed plans for the Death Star from Galen Erso and delivered them to the Emperor. And a week since Pellaeon had spoken more than a few lines that he had been obliged to. In that time they had been hit by one Republic EMP detonation and Thrawn had driven off two attempted attacks by the Rebel fleets with a modified Tron Boral manoeuver and an eclectic mixture of deductive logic, TIE fighter and turbolaser deployment.
But most of all, he was lonely.
He found Pellaeon was in the mess hall wrestling with a tin of soup.
‘I know I’ve disappointed you Captain and I’ve done things that you consider to be morally repugnant.’ Thrawn said, seating himself two seats away. ‘But the truth is, I am no better or no more worthy of your respect than any other Imperial officer.’
Pellaeon goes still. ‘Sometimes I look for the person I went to Poln Major with and find him missing. Sometimes I see him torturing innocents and sometimes,’ He said turning to Thrawn, eyes shining and tearsplotched. ‘I see myself doing it alongside him.’
He took his tin of soup and went to the opposite end of the room.
Thrawn didn’t follow him over but he was back the next day. And the day after that. And so on. On one of those days he brings a long loop of string he interlaces around his hands and invites the Captain to fold them over in intricate but predictable patterns.
More often than not, he brought nothing except a willingness to listen.
No wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat's cradle is nothing but a bunch of X's between somebody's hands, and little kids look and look and look at all those X's...
No damn cat, and no damn cradle.
-- Kurt Vonnegut