Uriellien looked at the door close shut behind the Chiss Grand Admiral and his TIE Defender commander and then whirled on Ophun, Governor of Astarrax. His face began to turn red in fury.
"Were you trying to make me look like a fool in front of him?" he snarled in Astarraxian with a dramatic swing of his arm toward the door. "The rest of you idiots might not be able to see it, but I can! That man is a genius, and I intend to be a part of it in any way I can!" As he yelled his face became redder, with darker red on the side swirling up his cheeks into his hairline and down his neck in an elaborate design. "And how the hell could that be my mother!?" He pointed to the portrait that smiled down at them sunnily from the wall.
"That's why I was confused," Ophun said, backing away toward the door.
"This is why I don't invite you to my ship!"
"I didn't expect you to have a portrait of your sister—"
"She fought for the freedom of our planet just like you and I did," Uriellien snapped. "You speak of her with respect."
"Of course. That was a long time ago, but we still honor those who fought in the Clone Wars. Even more, those who chose to go into Imperial military service afterward." Ophun gestured to Uriellien.
"Civil service is nothing to balk at," Uriellien said, the red in his face fading as his temper did. "Though I am disappointed in yours at the moment, Ophun!"
The Astarraxian puffed up his chest indignantly. "I am Governor over this planet, Grand Admiral," he said with sternness in his voice. "I, too, should be spoken to with respect."
There was a moment of silence as the two men looked each other in the eye. Uriellien's lip was upturned still, his cheeks remaining a little heated. Finally, he said, in a calmer voice, "How much have your rebel attacks stopped since I have taken over guardianship of this system?"
"30%," Ophun replied, his head held high.
"How many bases have I eliminated on our planet?"
"4," Ophun said, then quickly added, "I have never doubted your abilities, Admiral Viita."
"Then don't doubt them now, without the TIE Defenders. I'll have my own squadron soon enough. Thrawn will be eager to spread them around to prove their worth. He has powerful allies, but few of them. He needs all the allies he can get. He has to know that."
"What can we offer him?" Ophun asked. "He has a mining world—and funding."
"We can offer him another playground," Uriellien said. "We offer him backing. And we offer him an interruption in rebel communications."
"You really think that these cells on different planets are organized?" Ophun's voice is disdainful.
"I do," Uriellien replied. "It's the only way to explain much of what's happening, and why it's happening at the same time."
"Does Grand Admiral Thrawn think the same thing?" Ophun bumped against one of the potted plant pedestals. He absently stroked a large, green leaf from the foliage on it.
"I don't know," Uriellien replied. "That's something I need to find out."
"Captain Skerris, what did you think of Grand Admiral Viita's display?" Thrawn asked his TIE Defender commander on their way back to the Lambda.
The Captain looked around nervously before answering. They were on Grand Admiral Viita's ship, after all. "Well, sir," he said quietly, "I think he's a bit of a blowhard, but he seems like a good fellow to have on your side."
Thrawn paused in his stride and gazed at Skerris before he began walking again. "I mean the display of the TIEs."
"Oh," Skerris cleared his throat. "Just what you said, sir. It was a simple victory. Nothing to write home about." His face broke out into a smug smile. "But then, they aren't our pilots, sir."
"Very true," Thrawn replied before falling silent. They parted ways in the hangar, Skerris to pilot one of the borrowed TIEs back to the Chimaera, Thrawn to take the shuttle back, so that soon it was only Thrawn and the Lambda pilot.
"Ready for takeoff, sir," the pilot informed him.
"Go ahead."
Looking down at the box of datacards, Thrawn realized that Skerris had given something unexpected to think about.
Having Uriellien Viita on his side.
He hadn't considered that. Yes, he was certain that the other Grand Admiral would want the TIE Defender. He wouldn't have asked for them in the first place if he didn't. He certainly wouldn't have invited him to his ship to show off the rather mediocre results. But he hadn't considered having him as an actual ally.
Like himself, he had been newly promoted. Yet, he managed to get the position at a relatively young age, also being one of the younger of the 12 Grand Admirals appointed. His military acumen was not any better than any of the other Grand Admirals, which would indicate that he got the position through political means. That meant he had powerful friends or was politically savvy. Or both.
He was having success in quelling the rebel uprisings in his system and was willing to adapt his approach if he needed to. He had said someone smarter than him had told him to gather more information on the TIEs than he was originally thinking of doing. That showed he could take advice.
The thought, however, of being compared to the woman in the large painting did not sit well with him. The sunny smile and shining eyes did not belie any resemblance of thought process that Thrawn could discern. Art mimicked life, and if it were so in this case, the woman in the painting was capricious and flighty. That she held something ephemeral as a datapad and stylus, alone, supported that assumption. The lack of ornamentation on her clothing and hair indicated someone who was too 'busy' to be made up, even for a portrait. The fact that she took up so much of the office space, however, showed that Viita held her in very high regard. Even if Thrawn hadn't seen the look on the man's face. So the woman must have some value that Viita felt the need to compare the two of them.
He shrugged that particular thought off.
Perhaps having Viita on his side was not something to be summarily dismissed.