Prologue
Borleias Complex
Former Grand Admiral Thrawn stared out the small window of his quarters in the military section of the Complex, watching the workers clear the wreckage from the CSA attack of four months ago. When he had first been brought down to the surface, he had been totally obedient to Garinoska, as a result of tampering during the ritual that brought him back to a new body. Luke Skywalker, a man whom Thrawn had tried to kill and capture on many occasions, along with a team of other Jedi, most notably, his nephew, Jacen Solo, and the Mon Calamari healer Clighal, had used the Force to break his obedience.
Now he had nothing to do. He was nothing more than a glorified prisoner, under constant watch by Galactic Alliance Intelligence, as well as a couple of Jedi that had extensively studied his tactics during the Civil War.
Thrawn waited, knowing that Garinoska would come for him soon. He was simply too valuable a resource to be left in the hands of the Alliance.
The door buzzer rang, interrupting his study of the Alliance workers. "GAI," said a gruff voice from the other side of the door.
It opened anyway, a second after the man had spoken. In came one man, dressed in all black, a blaster resting in its holster at the agent's side. "I have only a few words for you Admiral: no one betrays the Corporate Sector Authority." Faster than Thrawn could blink, the holster was empty, and the blaster was in the assassin's left hand, and a scarlet lightsaber was gripped tightly in the other.
"If you want me, come and take me." Thrawn whipped up his chair and backed towards the window. The assassin did not falter, not feeling any fear from the man in front of him holding the chair.
The assassin fired once at Thrawn's head, but the Chiss Admiral had anticipated the attack and dodged at the last second. The blaster bolt hit the glass window and weakened it. Before the assassin could come closer with the lightsaber, Thrawn had broken the window.
"You were sent to kill me, perhaps? It doesn't matter. No one can control the destiny of Grand Admiral Thrawn but himself!" The assassin charged, but he was too late. Thrawn backed out the open window and fell thirty stories to the grass below. The Dark Jedi assassin saw the truth in the cloned Thrawn's words, and fulfilled his final order.