I've made some changes to my previous fanfic Escalation, after the release of "Wolves and a Door" and "A World Between Worlds". This includes a revised subplot for Palpatine and Ezra.

"There are things in the universe that are simply and purely evil. A warrior does not seek to understand them, or to compromise with them. He seeks only to obliterate them."

―Mitth'raw'nuruodo

Coruscant.

Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo stood in the cockpit of the Analyst, his personal Lambda-class T-4a shuttle. He watched the blue streaks of hyperspace fade, signaling the shuttle's exit from hyperspace. Imperial Grand Admirals were always given the privilege of bypassing the intense traffic of the Coruscant skylines. All he had to do was wait for his shuttle command staff to submit their clearance codes.

A voice buzzed at the comms. Most likely the voice of a sector command staff member. "Lambda shuttle Analyst, please submit your clearance codes and state the reason for your visit..."

This was a common procedure that Coruscant Security followed when concerning high-ranking individuals in the Imperial Military. The increasing number of rebels posing as Imperial staff was steadily increasing, and the Emperor made sure to keep himself safe from espionage.

Thrawn's red eyes briefly turned to the two pilots transmitting the codes, before he said his response...

"The Emperor has demanded a report in person... I will be meeting him in the Imperial Palace."

There was a long pause as the codes were transmitted to the Praetor Mark II-class battlecruiser serving as the flagship of the Coruscant Defense Fleet. Thrawn had studied Praetors and other Kuat designs extensively. Instinctively, Thrawn began to mentally refer to his extensive prior knowledge of Imperial designs.

"The Praetor Mark II is a battlecruiser designed primarily for the defense of important Imperial worlds such as Coruscant and Kuat", Thrawn recalled. It was an incredibly rare sight on the battlefield, as its slow speed did not fit with Imperial fleet tactics. The Chiss admiral had disagreed many times with the Imperial Navy doctrines, most notably on their view of starfighters as cannon fodder. However, he found that the Praetor's lack of frontline use was understandable. It was a very old design... dating back to the Clone Wars. His analysis of the craft would come to a premature end when the Admiral contacted him once more.

"You are clear to proceed, Grand Admiral..." The voice of the Admiral on the comms said quite bitterly. If the man communicated through hologram, perhaps he would have detected some contempt. Some officers in the Core disliked him, because he was not human.

"Thank, you Admiral..." Thrawn responded with his usual calm tone. The toxic opinions of a man who rose to power through nepotism do not affect him. Moments afterward, the shuttle accelerated rapidly as it entered the atmosphere, the blue ions propelling it forward.

The first thing you always noticed about Coruscant was the sheer amount of people. The skylines are constantly dotted with lines of starships and airspeeders. The other thing you notice is the extremely tight security on Coruscant, but it lessened the farther down you go.

The surface's airspace was dotted with security checkpoints, each of them consisting of either an EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate or an Arquitens-class light cruiser. Passing through all layers of security would normally take hours, but Thrawn is able to bypass all of it.

The Lambda shuttle kept its steady pace, converging with an escort of two scarlet TIE Interceptors. These interceptors, piloted by Royal Guardsmen, would patrol the airspace surrounding the Imperial Palace for hours on end. Obviously they had to switch with another squadron eventually, but the exchange has never been sighted.

To the Chiss Grand Admiral, it was very interesting how Coruscant had such tight security—yet the Outer Rim city planets had little to no real security. The stormtroopers farther into the frontier were less competent, and less well-trained. Eli had always talked about the Empire's types of prejudices. The more prominent being distance from the Core Worlds, which provided an explanation for that tactical disturbance. Thrawn secretly held a hatred for it, mostly based on his own experiences in the Empire—especially during his time on the Coruscant Royal Academy.

The Lambda shuttle finally reached its destination, landing in the Palace hangars as the interceptors returned to patrol duty. A dozen royal guardsmen and twenty shock troopers marched onto the hangar in two single file lines.

Thrawn watched the Royal Guards approach, as he walked down the ramp of the Analyst. Their scarlet red armor matched the color of most humanoids' blood. Their narrow visors made them intimidating to most, though it did not affect the Chiss. Rather than watch in silent fear, he held a fascination on their design. It was very clearly influenced by the ancient Mandalorians, the Sun Guards of the Thyrsus system, and the Senate Guards old Republic. Over the years, the guards became the subject of conversations with the Emperor. The old man spoke very highly of their abilities, though Thrawn would be more convinced if he saw them in action—which was a rare occurrence.

The shock troopers stood totally still as he marched past them, but the guardsmen turned towards the large hallway in a synchronized fashion. They began to escort him through the gigantic former Jedi Temple, giving him a very long opportunity to admire the architecture once again. Thrawn silently generated a commentary on everything he sees, down to the smallest detail he could detect. The temple itself was not incredibly ornate, providing an indication of the identities of the previous owners. Jedi were not too keen on building very ostensibly, but somehow managed to preserve the beauty of the ancient structure. It was fascinating... The sheer emptiness, caused by Palpatine's removal of the Jedi artifacts, was very unsettling to many of the visitors. The Emperor did not wish to see Jedi artifacts of any form in his home. They were all either destroyed or moved to dozens of hidden observatories all over the Galaxy.

As much as he would like, Thrawn was not present in this marvel to make commentaries on architecture. He is here to directly report to the Emperor on his new project, in a private meeting scheduled by Grand Moff Tarkin. The Chiss naturally remained calm throughout the hour of walking through a maze of halls, until they reached the center courtyard. The guards remained at the entrance as Thrawn continued on.

Emperor Sheev Palpatine silently strolled through the Palace garden, taking in the scenery before his cloaked figure turned to face the Chiss.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn, what is your opinion on my newest addition to the garden?"

Thrawn's deep red eyes scanned the area, finding the new additions. They were deep green palms native to Scarif, contrasting with the vibrantly colorful Naboo wildflowers surrounding the palm bushes.

"A very interesting choice, your majesty... The dark green palms provide a visually appealing contrast to the colorful Naboo wildflowers in the surrounding area..." Thrawn explained... He's always thought of the Emperor's garden design as a work of art in itself. There was always something new and interesting added on every visit. Even the most horrific tyrant found interest in art, albeit a very specific denomination. The true use of these plants in Darth Sidious's experiments would forever remain unknown to the blue-skinned alien.

"Excellent... Those indeed were my intentions with this new flora." The Emperor said calmly, never taking his eyes off the palm bush. "You wish to appeal to my administration to protect the funding for the TIE Advanced initiative?"

Thrawn's red eyes stared aimlessly, his face showing no emotion... "Yes. That is my intention with this visit..."

"What do you believe would sway my attention away from Krennic's ultimate weapon?" Palpatine inquired, turning to face the Admiral.

"A new design prototype is under construction, after production for the new TIE Advanced x7, or TIE Defender Elite. Perhaps you may be swayed by a test of this new weapon." Thrawn calmly responded.

The TIE Advanced program operated for several years before he took control. The first prototype, the TIE Advanced x1, was provided to Darth Vader for his evaluation. He was so impressed by its abilities that he began to use it as his personal starship. Several production models and prototypes were created by the Tarkin Initiative as well, including the TIE Advanced v1 and TIE Avenger. If this new TIE Defender is produced even in limited numbers, all of them except Vader's fighter would be rendered obsolete.

"Perhaps... I shall consider your offer, Grand Admiral Thrawn. I will watch this prototype be tested personally." Palpatine made himself clear... Walking closer to the Grand Admiral. "When and where will this evaluation unfold?"

"In the capital city of Lothal..." Thrawn continued, picking a flower from a bush. "I have a facility there that is currently working on producing this new prototype. Though a band of rebels have become problematic."

"These rebels... Led by Jedi, are they not?" Palpatine always showed a special hatred of the Jedi. It made sense, since they were instrumental in the plot to destroy the Republic years ago...

"Yes..." The Chiss said, his red eyes showing curiosity. "Two Jedi."

"A master and an apprentice..." The Emperor's interest certainly peaked...

"It is possible that they may attempt to disrupt my project on the day of testing. Do you believe this will be a problem?"

"No... I am counting on it..." The decrepit, old man smiled... Perhaps he has his own plans. "If you encounter the Jedi padawan Ezra Bridger, capture him."

The Chiss made a long pause, considering the possibilities... But he decided against questioning a direct order from the Emperor himself. "As you wish... my Emperor."

"Proceed, Grand Admiral. I trust that you will bring effective results." The old man simply walked away, indicating that this discussion has come to an end. The scarlet-colored guards escorted Thrawn out of the garden, and back to the shuttle that awaits him.

Sheev Palpatine's when walking remsembled a spectre floating in the darkness. His rough black robe blending almost perfectly with shadow. This was no different as he slinks toward his throne. His experiments with the arcane continue, and the Dark Side of the Force has shown him a glimpse of a key to unlimited power... That key being Ezra Bridger. Though how this could be, he did not yet know...

Blueberry's in huge trouble.

Please leave a review, follow, and favorite this work!