Chapter Thirty-Five: Kamino: Adversaries
Thrawn cocked his head slightly to watch the holo at a different angle. It was exquisite. He heard the door to his quarters whoosh open and the heavy footsteps of the stormtroopers. "Sir, we have the prisoner."
"Release her from her binders and then leave us." Thrawn paused the hologram on the image of Kanan Jarrus. As he heard the stormtroopers leave, he swiveled his chair and looked over Hera Syndulla.
He hadn't set eyes on her in over thirty years. Time had been kind to her. Some wrinkles, a bit of extra weight. But the fire which he'd first seen in her eyes in her home on Ryloth was not only still there, but burned even brighter.
"Where's Ezra?" Syndulla demanded.
"Sit." Thrawn gestured a blue hand to the empty chair across from him. "I assure you Master Bridger is... Well, I cannot say unharmed, but he is alive. General Hux is inelegant in his methods. But then, so little of the ways of the Jedi is understood to those outside of the faith."
Syndulla hadn't moved from her spot. "What do you want with us?"
"A great number of things." Thrawn hovered his hand over the image of Jarrus. "Your daughter is an artist. You must be so proud."
The fire in Syndulla's eyes blazed. "My daughter-"
"When she was on Coruscant, she used the name of Hope Dume, a rather notorious holomaker. Seeing as Caleb Dume is her father, it seemed unlikely to be a procured identity." Thrawn had meticulously researched the former crew of the Ghost . He wasn't sure there was anyone else in the galaxy who knew- or cared- that Caleb Dume had become Kanan Jarrus.
Thrawn turned his attention back onto Hera, taking steps towards her. "Since Exar Ren brought the report on the activities on Coruscant, I have been studying her work. Extraordinary. Most would mistake the holographic manipulation as her art... But no, that is simply the canvas. Your daughter's medium is the truth. Nothing in this galaxy was ever more in the eye of the beholder than the truth."
Syndulla bared her teeth. "If you hurt my daughter..."
Thrawn held up a hand. "I have no machinations against your Kaila."
Syndulla flinched at the sound of the name. Was it just the sound of it coming from his lips, or the fact he used the Twi'leki pronunciation? With an i sound instead of an a? "She was named after Kanan, wasn't she?" Thrawn nodded. "Yes, you loved him deeply. Yet you devoted yourself wholeheartedly to the Rebellion. And when she was born you neglected her in favor of your duties. So few are so committed to their cause."
"Why have you brought me here?" Syndulla demanded.
Thrawn gestured to the table once again, trying to draw attention to the food he'd had delivered before her arrival. "I thought you might be hungry. It has been so long since we've seen each other, General. I thought a meal between friends would be pleasant."
Syndulla shook her head slowly. "We are not friends, Thrawn."
Thrawn took his seat once again, putting aside the holoviewer. "In our positions, the closest we have to friends are our adversaries. Those on the opposite side who have earned our respect."
Syndulla sat down at the opposite end of the table. "I have no respect for you."
"Of course you do." Thrawn lifted his glass to his lips. "Why else would you take this mission yourself? You could have risen through the ranks of the New Republic. But you chose to stay a general. Remain on the front lines. All so you could defeat me. Because you thought no one else could."
Hera glanced down at the food. Thrawn knew she was starving. She had to be. The prison rations she was given were pitiful and the rations she had on her ship were no doubt no better. "And you respect me."
"Of course I do." Thrawn took a sip of his drink. "Your unerring devotion to defeating me, putting aside power, family, your own safety. The team you assembled is impressive. It was bad luck on your part that you were caught. I've spent years trying to decipher how this battle would finally apex. I should have known the only true way for it to end was an alliance."
"You seem very comfortable with the First Order."
Thrawn shook his head. "Not my alliance with Hux. My alliance with you. Did you ever figure out why I returned to Chiss space? Why I re-enforced our borders? You are one of the only humans to approach our system. What did you think?"
"You were afraid of Snoke," Hera replied.
"Not afraid." Thrawn leaned in. "Disgusted. He was an agent of chaos. He would have burned this galaxy to ash had he not been murdered. At least Emperor Palpatine had a desire for power. Snoke just wanted mayhem. It would have destroyed us all. But he has left in his place petulant children playing war. General Hux may call himself Supreme Leader, but he cannot hope to maintain control. That is what it is about, General. Control. Order. I have seen this galaxy falling into entropy for six decades. I refuse to allow it any longer. I could remain with the Chiss Ascendancy and live out the rest of my days in peace. But the rest of the galaxy would burn. Neither the First Order nor the Resistance is capable of leading."
Thrawn rose from his seat. He walked to his desk, picking up the hand-carved wooden artwork. He walked back to Hera and held out the Kalikori to her. "I found this on your ship. I thought about keeping it. It has such memories connected to it. Your additions are beautiful, so... Passionate. But I offer to you as a gift of good faith. Give it to your daughter... Or your son."
Syndulla's eyes widened. "Jacen."
"You worry for him much more than your daughter. Is it because he lacks a connection to the Force or you just prefer him? Which one of them will you give your Kalikori to? Both of them have families now. I have so much on Jacen. Kaila is much more of an enigma, but according to the report she's married."
Syndulla took the Kalikori seemingly without thinking.
"How many years has it been since you've seen her? You must miss her so. Would you like to see her?" Thrawn picked up the holoprojector and put in a new disc. It was the security footage from the Sky Skimmer Hotel. The image was of young Captain Syndulla on the arm of her date. "Perhaps it was a cover story. I have no idea."
"Poe," Syndulla whispered in amazement as she watched the image.
Thrawn nodded, noting the look in Hera's eyes. So not just a cover. Of course Thrawn knew the identity of the man. Hux had not shut up about it.
"I can give you the file on Jacen. Oh, he's thriving." Thrawn held up a holodisc. "I can show you everything. I can let you be with them. You can be safe. Be a part of a legacy of peace and prosperity this galaxy hasn't seen in two generations. The war must end. I can do that... But I need your help."
Syndulla held the kalikori reverently. She then tossed it onto the table. "I'd like to go back to my cell now."
"Of course. Do consider it, General." He pressed a button to summon the stormtroopers again. He picked up the kalikori, cradling it in his hands. "Is your pride really worth the safety of the galaxy?"
The tall and willowy Sada Vu glided through the corridor to meet them as they walked through the door. "Master Ren."
Ben was surprised by how uncomfortable he was wearing his robes. It hadn't been so long ago they had been like a second skin to him. As much as he loathed the idea of his mask now, he would've liked to have it back. Maybe it could have hid his nervousness about affecting Kylo Ren's mannerisms. He looked to both sides. Finn and Rex were garbed in stolen stormtrooper armour, serving as his personal guard. "I'm glad you could see me on such short notice. I've come to examine the progress of the army."
"It has been our pleasure to fulfill your order." Sada Vu replied gestured a thin hand down the corridor. "None of the clones have emerged from their maturation pods yet. In order to accelerate the growth and arrest it upon completion, they must remain in complete stasis for a full five months. After that, they are giving another month of flash learning in order to program them. We are scheduled to begin programming in the next few days."
There was a grunt beside Ben. Finn's body language had changed, visible even inside of his armor. Ben glowered at him. He needed to keep his calm.
"Then I have arrived just in time." Ben drew several discs from his robes and held them out. "These are updated protocols I would like you to use in place of the ones I already provided."
His mother insisted that if they were to use a clone army, the clones would have a choice in the matter. She would not condone slavery, even if it were an artificially created race. Rather than indoctrinate the troops with propaganda, they were to be taught the history of the galaxy. Then they could choose whether or not they wish to serve.
"Of course, Master Ren." Sada Vu accepted the discs. "The samples have yielded twenty thousand Phasma troops, one dozen Dameron troops and two dozen of the Master Jedi."
Ben nodded. "In a month's time, I will send transport here to retrieve the troops." As they walked, he looked out into the cloning facility. Thousands of pods held copies of Captain Phasma- utterly naked- curled up in foetal position. "They look to be strong. Identical to the original."
"We pride ourselves on our technique," Sada Vu replied.
Ben felt something deep in his gut. There was something wrong. A wave of ephemeral dread washed over him and then was gone. "Have there been any problems I should be aware of?"
His eyes snapped open and he thrashed around in the viscous liquid drowning him. Where was he? For a moment, he couldn't even remember who he was. In a flash, it all came back to him. What he had been doing. Where he had been. But how did he get into this particular place? Had he been attacked? He had the flash of an attack. Someone in a black mask. A red beam.
He needed to get out. He'd die if he didn't. He pounded his fist against the transparisteel enclosing him. When brute force didn't work, he placed his palm flat against it. He needed to concentrate. His panicked mind let loose with a telekinetic wave, shattering the transparisteel. The liquid sluiced out in thick waves. He was still covered in the fluid. He fought to hang on to the edge of his pod, realizing only when he'd shattered the transparisteel that he was high in the air, the pod suspended from the ceiling.
He panicked again and energy flowed through the pod. It shook it loose from its holding. He climbed back into the pod, clinging on as it plummeted. On the way down, it took another down. He tried to brace himself for the impact, leaping out just before he hit the ground. He used his abilities to protect himself. This was good. He was thinking. He needed his wits if he was going to get out of it.
An alarm sounded, piercing his fragile ears. Everything was harsh around him. How long had he been held prisoner in stasis?
He blinked, trying to adjust his vision to his surroundings. He saw the destruction in the wake of his escape. Two pods had crashed to the floor. He grimaced at the sight of crushed limbs. At least a dozen other prisoners had been killed in his escape. He hadn't intended to harm anyone.
No, he couldn't focus on such things. What was important was he escape and report what had happened. Was anyone wondering where he was? How long had he been gone?
The facility looked different than he had seen. The pods were bigger than he'd seen before. Rather than infants, they were filled with tall, naked women.
He needed clothing, a weapon and an escape ship. The clothing wasn't difficult. At the door of the facility was a cabinet. He grabbed a pair of pants and shirt, pulling them on. He was beginning to come back to himself. He was no longer naked and vulnerable. He knew who he was.
As he ran into the corridor, he saw figures heading towards him. One of the Kaminoans, tall and thin. Along with them were three humans figures. Two were in white armor. Instinctively, he knew the armor belonged to the enemy, as if he'd seen it before. He'd never seen the black-clad man, but he felt it inside of him. The touch of darkness. He then saw the lighsaber at his hip.
He reached out a hand and called it to him. The Sith Lord's face was one of pure shock as the lightsaber came to his hand.
The Sith Lord stopped, throwing his arms out to hold the others back. He blinked in surprise. "Master Kenobi?"
He smirked in response. "You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don't know yours." He ignited the lightsaber, taking a fighting stance. "But I do know what to do with you."