"Arriving in three.. Two.. One.. Mark," the chief navigation officer reported.
Thrawn stood on the walkway, his hands clasped behind his back while the swirl of hyperspace that washed around the viewport slowly disappeared.
After what felt like days of long travel, the Chimaera finally came out of lightspeed alongside the rest of the Seventh Fleet, which was now under Thrawn's direct command.
Upon reaching realspace, the first thing to greet his sight was that of the object.
It was a construct similar to the one they used to come here. Same length. Same design. It was an exact replica.
It's gyroscopic rings were moving in complete sync while the energy of its core remained contained within its metallic frame. By it's sides, two Imperial Star Destroyers could be seen guarding.
As far as he's been informed, no official name has been designated to them just yet, so the scientists in charge of the research have chosen to refer to them as objects. Their origin remains unknown, but their function was made clear.
Inter-galactic travel.
Two of these objects have been found so far. The first was the one they found in their own galaxy, while the second one was located by a scouting party shortly after their arrival. This guaranteed that ships could travel back-and-forth without the risk of being trapped with no way to return.
As of now, many of the top scientist that the Empire has to offer were working to uncover the secrets that these ancient devises hold—it was merely a matter of time before everything was revealed.
"Looks like we made it safely," Eli let out a sigh. His expression holds relief, and his posture looks much more at ease. "I'm surprised that everything went as smoothly as it did."
"Understandable. Travel such as this has been nothing if not unheard of until now," Thrawn agreed. "It isn't something that one should take lightly."
His expression changed. His eyes showcase gloom, perhaps ill with longing. "We really came quite far from home, didn't we?" he asked.
Deep between his mind, Thrawn understood the feeling that the young aide was experiencing. After all, Eli had a family, which was now millions of lightyears away. "Yes," he said. "Even I have to admit that I find this whole experience to be quite… unique." There was a small pause before he continued, "But let us not allow that to deter us from our mission."
"Of course," Eli responded, pushing any sense of emotion to the back of his mind. "What's our next move?"
"First we'll have to verify the state of the fleet," Thrawn said. "Commander Faro, status reports?"
"Yes, Grand Admiral," Faro said from the side of the bridge. Her expression shows uncertainty, but her resolve overshadowed any conflicting emotions that she may harbor. "All captains have reported in and the fleet is standing by. They're all ready to move on your command."
"Excellent," Thrawn said. "Plot course to outpost Delta Five."
"Understood."
The fleet was headed to a small desolate moon close to their location. That's where the first Imperial outpost was established after the first scouting party began reconnaissance operations. It was the very first step of the Imperial occupation in this galaxy.
A number of bases have also been positioned in nearby sectors, but Delta Five was by far the largest and better equipped command post out there—it also had the best defenses and the largest garrison since it was the closest to the object.
No hostile entities or sentient life forms have been found so far, but that could easily change at any given moment, especially when one ventured into unexplored regions such as this.
A warrior did not sought conflict, but would always be prepared for it; and they'll most certainly be prepared.
Chapter 1: Delta Five
Upon reaching the orbit of Delta Five, a shuttle glided out of the Chimaera's launch bay and headed straight to the surface of the small moon. The Seventh Fleet of course remained in orbit alongside the already present garrison.
Within an hour the lambda shuttle finally began it's descend until it gently touched the landing pad.
Marching down the ramp, they were greeted by an escort of stormtroopers, all lined-up for the Grand Admiral's arrival. Thrawn gave no visual response, but Eli couldn't help but feel out of place—there was no way he could get used to this sort of treatment.
A young officer was waiting for them at the end of the platform. His posture and manner in which he carried himself showed inexperience. Eli could see that he was nervous—the guy probably wasn't used to seeing high ranking members such as Thrawn that often.
In a way, he could sympathize with the guy.
"Welcome to Delta Five, Grand Admiral," the officer said in a somewhat shaky tone. He was trying his best to not look nervous, and Eli couldn't help but take note of his odd pronunciation. "I am Lieutenant Galen Hicks. Commander Kalvis is waiting for you in the briefing room, do please follow me."
"By all means," Thrawn said with a polite tone. "Lead the way."
Faro and Eli followed after Thrawn, matching his pace as they made their was through the complex. From the sides they were flanked by a pair of Death Troopers—their tall, imposing dark figures easily overshadowed their own.
Following his promotion, Thrawn was given a small squad of Death Troopers, which were now under his direct command.
Death Troopers were considered as some of the most effective tools of war that the Empire has to offer. Ruthless warriors dedicated to serve and destroy. They were so technologically advanced that they put regular troopers to shame, or so rumors say if they're to be believed.
With that considered, Eli was still not used to the sight of the elite soldiers. The name certainly didn't painted them on a better light, but if they were as efficient as their reputations precedes them, then he'll probably have nothing to worry about if they ever find themselves in the middle of a firefight.
Regardless of the favor of the Emperor or his recent promotion, Eli found it easy to tell that Thrawn was visually disappointed by the reassignment of his mission, and he understood why. For the last couple of years the Chiss has been engrossed in his investigation of the illusive opponent known as Nightswan.
It was a case that took Thrawn's interest since the very beginning of his career, but now he won't be able to continue his hunt for the man. It was a shame, but there wasn't much that one could do under these circumstances. The Emperor's orders were absolute.
Between moments they reached the command center. Commander Kalvis—the officer in charge of the outpost—greeted them as he turned his attention away from the holoprojector. "A pleasure that you could join us, Grand Admiral. I trust that your journey went well?"
"The journey was an interesting one, but nonetheless it all went without any drawbacks."
"I see," Kalvis said before straightening himself. "Then let me be the first to welcome you to outpost Delta Five. I trust that you'll find the installations to your liking."
The man might think that he's fooling them with his good manners and friendly smile, but he wasn't any good at hiding his intentions. He carried the same air of arrogance that most Imperials had, and Eli could pretty much tell that he didn't like Thrawn at all.
He had a feeling that they won't be getting along any time soon.
"I thank you for your hospitality, commander, but I'm afraid that such pleasantries will have to wait."
Kalvis blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"
Thrawn's gaze was fixed on the man. His glowing red eyes remained undisturbed. "I read the official reports detailing the latest findings that you delivered to Imperial command, but I wish to hear about your progress from yourself, if you don't mind."
Thrawn's words may sound like an invitation to some, but that couldn't be any further from the truth—he was giving the man a direct order.
"O-of course not, Grand Admiral. I'd be more than happy to answer any queries that you may have," Kalvis said, turning the holoprojector on to provide visual reference. "Not long after we successfully established the first Imperial garrison we set out to expand our reach by putting a number listening outpost in nearby systems."
A holographic star-map displayed a number glowing yellow-dots, representing their bases.
"The process has gone smoothly and no trouble has been encountered. At the moment preparations for further expansion are looking fairly positive." Kalvis seemed rather proud of himself. It wasn't hard to tell considering the gloating smile he wore.
Thrawn nodded. "Those are excellent news, but I'm afraid that you might have forgotten to mention something in your report."
Kalvis' smile slowly disappeared. "What do you mean?"
"You see, a certain incident was brought into my attention." Thrawn's face slowly turned into a scowl. "One that I find myself most displeased with considering the actions you chose to take, or should I better say, lack of action."
Lieutenant Hicks took a step forward as the air grew tense. "Th-that's correct, Grand Admiral. Over three standard days ago our sensors registered a signal of unknown origin at the edge of the system, which vanished not long after," he explained, displaying the signal in the holoprojector. "Thankfully our scanners managed to catch it before it could slip away, but we suspect that it could be a scout ship of some sorts."
Kalvis gave the lieutenant a dangerous look. "I assure you, sir, our scanners pick stuff like this all the time." He turned back to Thrawn. "I can guarantee that there's nothing to be concerned about."
Thrawn ignored him as he turned to face the lieutenant. "Let me see the anomaly," he said, much to the commander's annoyance.
Lieutenant Hicks nodded and the holoprojector shifted to downplay a small dot.
"Amplify the image," Thrawn ordered.
The object became clearer until its frame finally revealed what resembled a ship.
It was small—perhaps the size of a small corvette. It's design was slimmer than the standard Imperial vessel, but it looked efficient enough as to almost bypass their sensors.
At this confirmation, Kalvis didn't dared rise any comments. Good, Eli thought with small satisfaction. At least he knows when to stay quiet.
Faro glared at the image. "The appearance of a ship in this sector cannot be a mere coincidence," she said with a scowl.
Eli took in the display of the vessel. "It certainly looks unique. Locals no doubt " he reasoned. "Could it be related to that other ship?"
"Unlikely." Thrawn stepped up to the holoprojector and inserted a datacard. He keyed on the panel before a hologram of the warship from a few months back was displayed. "The vessel we saw has less refined looks. Older, worn down. This one looks far more practical and has nothing of the rough exterior that the other one had. They most definitely hold no relation."
The young commander spared the holoprojector another look. "I guess I can see what you mean, but that still leaves us with the question as to what was it doing out here to begin with."
"Sir, with all due respect, a small ship like this doesn't merit this amount of concern," Kalvis spoke up.
"I disagree," Thrawn said with as much as a second look. "While this ship has no affiliation to our last enemy, their intentions have been made more than clear. This was merely a scout ship sent to gather information, to study us and report back. There's a chance that we have trespassed into their territory and our presence here has been taken as a declaration of war, so they will most definitely return with a much greater force than our current garrison."
Commander Kalvis was at a lost for words. "B-but that–! If what you say it's really true then we must prepare for an imminent attack at once!"
"Patience, Commander. Making rash moves at a moment like this will do us more harm than good. The enemy must have evaluated our numbers and assets. Fortunately for us, this presents us with an advantage," Thrawn said, earning a curious look from everyone in the room. "Their data consist on that of the garrison that was stationed here, so they have no knowledge about the Seven Fleet's presence."
"I see," Faro murmured in realization. "Use the enemy's overconfidence to lure them in and use our main force to crush them when they less expect it."
"We can hide the fleet in any of the nearby systems and have them at the ready to lightspeed into action. Once the enemy arrives, we spring the trap and box them in," Eli added.
Thrawn nods in approval with a small smile. "We don't know when the enemy will strike, so we must make haste and prepare ourselves for the imminent engagement."
Faro nodded. "I will reach the fleet and make preparations immediately."
"Do see to it, Commodore." Thrawn turned his attention back to Kalvis. "Commander Kalvis, inform all outposts to remain on high alert. Inform them of a possible attack from an unidentified force."
Kalvis seemed reluctant at first, but nodded in acceptance. "As you wish, Grand Admiral."
Eli was then left with Thrawn on the command room. "Do you believe they will be hostile, sir?"
"That remains to be seen. As far as we know, we have invaded the borders of an unknown civilization and will most likely attempt to destroy us in retaliation," Thrawn answered. "I will attempt to find a peaceful solution before we can resort to any hostile action, but nothing guarantees that they'll listen."
Eli grimaced at the thought. "Hopefully it won't come to that."
"Indeed."
Hours later after the meeting was over, most of the officers assigned to the Seventh Fleet worked in preparation for the upcoming operation. That of course included Thrawn, who remained in the command room in order to get a better grasp of the installations and the current state of the garrison.
Most of the staff were following orders, with only a select few being fully aware of the circumstances surrounding their current situation—such being the case of Eli.
Marching across the corridors of Delta Five that lead to his temporary quarters, his eyes were fixed on his datapad as he worked administrating transport of supplies, movement of personnel and amongst other things. It was a tedious job, but one that Thrawn trusted him enough to handle.
The Grand Admiral recognized his skills and made sure to put them into good use, and of that he was thankful.
"C-commander Vanto," he heard someone call for him. "Commander Vanto, a moment of your time!"
Turning around, he was greeted by a familiar face. It was Lieutenant Hicks, running across the hall with a datapad in hand. The man was clearly out of breath. Did he run through the whole base looking for me? Eli questioned with an incredulous look.
"Lieutenant Hicks," Eli greeted him. "Can I help you with something?"
"Y-yes," he responded between ragged breaths. "I… I was told you were in charge of the transfer of assets with the Seventh Fleet since the Grand Admiral isn't available at the moment, so I need your signature to process the transfer of materials that he requested to the logistics team."
"Sure, let me take a look at that." Handing over the datapad, he proceeded to read the data in it, which was followed by an awkward silence between the two.
Looking to break the uncomfortable atmosphere, Eli spoke up in an attempt to start a conversation.
"So," he began. "How are you finding your accommodations here, lieutenant? You know, with the whole new galaxy and all that."
Hicks gave him a strange look at first, but smiled soon afterwards. "To be frank, it's kinda awful out here. Being stuck with nothing but synthetic food and having to deal with processed air for so long can make anyone go mad, you know?"
"That bad, huh?"
"Yeah, no joke," Hicks affirmed. "It's a good thing you came just in time with more supplies. Should make the next couple of months easier to bear."
"I can imagine, though I guess it isn't that different from Wild Space to us, right?" Eli murmured.
Hicks' face turned into one of surprise. "Wild space-?" He murmured before his eyes widened. "How did you figured it out?"
Eli almost let out a laugh at the lieutenant's reaction. "Well, your accent isn't really hard to miss," he explained. "I mean, you almost made it sound like you're from somewhere in the Core Worlds, but you let yourself slip up with your pronunciation."
Hicks cursed under his breath. "Hmm, I guess listening to the way you speak made me let my guard down," he said with a short laugh.
A great number of people looked down at those that came from the Outer Rim or even Wild Space, especially amongst the Imperial ranks, so it didn't surprised him that Hicks has been trying to hide it the whole time. The fact that he made it to his current position despite the constant prejudice of the Imperial Navy was a remarkable feat in his military record.
"It's honestly kind of impressive that you made it all the way to commander even through you're still so young."
Eli couldn't help but smile fondly. "Well, I can't really say that I did it all on my own," he said before handing him the datapad back. "Here, that should be it, right?"
"That's right," Hick responded. "Thank you for your assistance, Commander Vanto."
A couple of days passed by in the blink of an eye when almost by clockwork the command room's busy crew went silent as a beeping tone went off from the threat assessment station and the klaxon blared as all hands went to battle stations.
"Sir! Our sensors are registering anomalous readings!" One specialist reported after another. "We've got several contacts entering the system!" The tension began to draw everyone in like a wave and Thrawn stood unflinching amidst it.
Eli's eyes darted from side to side watching the cohesion of the staff as they prepared for battle.
"It's a full fleet Sir! It's huge! Dozens of them... maybe even more!"
The voices of the staff could be heard exchanging orders back and forth in preparation for the upcoming battle, but Thrawn stood calm. One would think that the Chiss was uninterested in what was essentially an emergency of the highest priority, but Eli knew better than that—Thrawn was determined to completely destroy his enemy.
"And so, all the pieces fall into place," Thrawn said with low tone. "Now, let us begin."
It was time to lead the Imperial war machine into battle.
Hello guys, I'm sorry it took this long to get this update out, but I was really working to get my ideas straight into what could become a compelling story, and I have to say, I'm excited about where I can take this.
One thing I decided though, I'm going to start making chapter much shorter—probably around 3k—in order to bring them out much sooner.
Hopefully it won't take me too long to have the next update out. Either way, next chapter will feature the first contact with one of the species of the Milky-Way, so let us hope that turns out well.
I thank you all for taking the time to read this silly fic of mine, and I'll talk to you all later.