The art of the Lothal population screamed two things when a viewer looked at it.
The first was that the style was deeply rooted in the ancient peoples who had once inhabited the planet and were since long gone. That alien race was fond of curved lines, spirals, natural waves in their art which made it rather organic. The colonists who had come to Lothal so long after them, to find only a few vestiges of their civilization remaining, had adopted that same technique in their own art. Perhaps they did it to feel connected to the planet that they usurped. Perhaps they did it subconsciously because that type of cave art was all around them in their mines.
The second was that they were a very individualistic people. Their modern art only sported a few individuals, when individuals were in it, or very small groups, usually of kinsfolk related to one another. Most of their artwork was of only one person. They did this to show that they were self-reliant, self-contained, and self-sufficient, despite the harsh grasslands and rocky mountains that the populated part of the planet sported.
The art spoke volumes to Thrawn.
It reflected how the population tended to reside in small, nuclear family groups, each operating socially under its own autonomy. There were few gangs in the cities, as groups were too unstructured to maintain cohesiveness. Crime was usually perpetrated by individuals or very small groups.
Which meant that the rebel faction on Lothal was most likely made up of several small groups who were cooperating with each other, rather than one large movement. Within those groups would be a good deal of personal infighting, as the Lothalian's native individualist tendencies would not be conducive to simply following orders.
They may operate as democracies. Though Thrawn doubted it, the attacks on the capital city were getting organized according to reports, it was still a possibility to consider. Democracies were inherently chaotic and slow moving to get anything done. If these groups were democracies, then their tactics would show a slow response time between attacks.
Most likely, each successful small group was centered around a charismatic figurehead who had a penchant for leadership. Those figureheads were working together, but each group maintained its own freedom of movement within the larger structure.
That would make them easy to pick apart, piece by piece.
His datapad indicated that he'd received a message. Taking his eyes from the art pieces holographically displayed before him, he picked it up to see that it was Captain Slavin from Ryloth. Commodore Faro would not have forwarded it to him if she hadn't felt it necessary. Opening the communique, he read that it was a request for help. He was having trouble securing the Tann Province from The Free Ryloth Movement, which was continuous a thorn in his side. After hearing about his complete victory at Batonn, he asked that the Grand Admiral, should he be free, bring his expertise to Ryloth.
Thrawn felt a slight swell of anger at the mention of Batonn. The complete victory had not gone according to his plan. And he had never been able to confront Governor Price on what he suspected was her part in the total destruction of the settlement, killing everyone in it. He had made a promise to Nightswan to make the casualties the least possible. He had been unable to keep that promise. And Thrawn kept his promises.
He stood up, strode out of his office, and toward the command bridge. The blockage of Lothal was going smoothly at the moment. Ships weren't getting in without authorization, and guards to all airfields had been doubled, and at the moment the rebel attacks were small. They were regrouping, of course. But he needed them to in order find out who they were and where they were located.
Striding onto the bridge, Commodore Faro announced, "Admiral on the bridge!" Everyone stood to a attention, getting out of their seats on both the upper and lower levels of the deck.
Thrawn waved his hand dismissively and the crew went back to their stations. "Commodore Faro," he said, placing his hands behind his back as he came to stand in the middle of the upper command deck. "Set a course for Ryloth."
"Ryloth, sir?" she asked.
"It would appear Captain Slavin is in need of assistance getting a handle on his rebels. We shall provide it."
"Of course, sir," she replied, turning and relaying his instructions.
Soon the stars began to stretch and then they were in the familiar bubble of hyperspace.
When arriving back in realspace at Ryloth, Thrawn opened a communication channel to Captain Slavin. The man appeared on the holoscreen in his gray uniform, an uncomfortable look on his face. "Sir!" he saluted.
"Captain Slavin," Thrawn purred. "You asked for my help with your native resistance problem, I am here to give it."
The look of surprise on the man's face was evident. "Yes, sir, thank you sir." His voice was rushed and breathy.
"Please relay the coordinates of where I am to meet you and I shall be down shortly." Thrawn clasped his hands behind his back.
Slavin cleared his throat. "Of course, sir. Right away."
Thrawn ended the communication without a salutation.
"Get my Lambda ready," he commanded. "Commodore," he turned to Faro. "You have the Chimaera in my absence."
"Yes, sir," she saluted with a smile.
He turned on the ball of his foot and marched out of the command deck toward the shuttle bays. On his way out, he said, "We will see what we can do with Captain Slavin's issue."