"So what happens now?"
The boy looked back at Thrawn, the strain clear on his face, but he didn't answer. They had completed their hyperspace jump – for it was obvious that was what had happened. The creatures who enveloped Thrawn's ship and the others of his fleet somehow had the capacity to do so. A silence settled upon them both. The cool, fragrant air of a different world filtering in through the broken viewports.
Being removed from the battle did not mean the standoff was over. That much was clear from the Jedi's face.
"You cannot keep this up forever," Thrawn continued, his voice measured and cool despite the situation. "Eventually, you will have to release the door, and the stormtroopers will come in. And they will kill you, if I so order. At which point, I assume, these creatures will kill me."
"That's the plan," Ezra said through clenched teeth.
"Then why not kill me now?" Thrawn asked. "These creatures do your bidding, do they not?"
"I'm not a murderer," Ezra bit out. "Not like you."
"If you are speaking of the bombardment, understand that you gave me no other options. A warrior does not accept defeat merely when he is maneuvered into a poor tactical position."
"To the people of Lothal, you're still a murderer."
"And they would have every reason to regard me as such. I regret the loss of life, but a true leader must accept such consequences when waging war. And so you must ask yourself, Ezra Bridger – what consequences are you willing to accept for waging war?"
"It's like you said. What happens now will happen to both of us."
"Mutual destruction then?"
Thrawn tested the give of the tentacles wrapped around him. Ezra could feel it – somehow – and again, focused harder.
"Do you know where these creatures have taken us?"
Ezra grimaced. His strength was slipping. "What does it matter to you? You'll be dead in a matter of minutes."
"If we're going to die anyways, why the struggle?" Thrawn asked. Ezra had no answer, but Thrawn understood. "If I may? These creatures have brought us to a world that is out of the reach of the Empire. In the Unknown Regions, most likely. A world that is unpopulated or else technologically dead. We are here because our ships are not fit for travel in space and we lack the means to fix them and thus return to the fight.
"I also imagine this place must be… how do you say? Force Sensitive? These creatures are bound to it. As are you."
Ezra's eyes became glossed over. "There's… a settlement near here… there was… a shipwreck… there's… Jedi."
Thrawn swallowed down the momentary panic. Of course there would a Jedi settlement here.
"You're afraid?"
"Perspective. I prefer to understand my enemies."
"And that's why you'll lose."
"We both lose," Thrawn corrected. "When you lose your ability to keep the door locked, the stormtroopers will come in. As I said, all I have to do is give the order, and your life will end. However, I suggest an alternative. I could give them the order to let you live, and have you taken to the medical bay to treat that blaster wound."
"And why would you do that?"
"Because you have given me the one thing I desire more than anything."
Ezra blinked. Defeat? Exile?
"The power to save my people.
"You've given me a way out of the Empire, with the tools I have been seeking to save my world. There is an Evil growing in the galaxy. One that threatens us all. I would like to show it to you. But what happens next is up to you."
Ezra lowered his arms, the doors opening behind him.
Thrawn dropped to the ground.
The purrgils had let him go.