Chapter 7. Irrational choices
Sending Senator Organa to lead the press conference gives him a perfect opportunity to observe the Chancellor without interference, with most of the entourage and officials so helpfully dragged away from the palace to the Coruscant spaceport. When Senator Organa sets her mind on something, a certain familial determination starts showing through… Suffice it to say that the delegations had as much of a chance of refusing her offer, as a prey of escaping a krayt dragon. Only a small group, handpicked by the Chancellor and himself, remained in the palace to keep the process going, or, to be honest, to drag it forward, ignoring kicking and screaming along the way.
Eyes follow the viewscreen, lips stretching in a tiny, barely discernible smile. As Senator Organa steps down the makeshift podium, the Chancellor discreetly disconnects from the broadcast, pretending to listen to what Grand Moff Randd has to say, a neutral mask of polite disinterest back on her face.
Pride for her protege. He knows this very special feeling of gratification and fulfillment that would brush the corners of his conscious mind, whenever he saw his teams on Springhawk and later on Chimera rise to a challenge, master the art of war, each in their own way. They would not follow his path, yet the delicate balance of mentoring someone is not molding them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.
If only he had more time before the Empire fell, if only he had a chance to put his people across strategic fleets in the navy, so that they could foster more true warriors rather than executioners. If only… yet, time is, indeed, the most precious and scarce recourse.
" Past is the past," as if on cue, a memory of the long-gone ally flashes in his mind, Lord Vader's voice still as clear as the last time they spoke. "The present and future are all that matter."
Yet another timely reminder. He briefly wonders if the palace itself or antics of Lord Vader's secret offsprings are to blame for this sudden trip down the memory lane. Whatever the reason, the phrase rings true. He makes a mental note to come up with an educational experience for his team, no reason to waste time while stranded in the palace.
Thrawn turns his attention back to the Chancellor, who is reviewing a proposed list of systems. An atrocious proposal, he saw to it himself, designed to provoke and test. She skims through and parks the conversation till tomorrow, promising to discuss with her cabinet. Reason, experience, calculation, ability to accept the necessary evil – so far, all the qualities he needs.
The Chancellor. The Symbol. The Hero.
Or, rather, the reasonable Chancellor, the unpredictable Symbol, full of contradictions, and the Hero. Logically, it should be an easy choice.
"I would've presumed, Chancellor, that you'd be sufficiently empowered to make such calls." Grand Moff Randd is not even trying to hide sarcasm from his voice.
"It may sound as a novel concept to you, Grand Moff, but The New Republic upholds the principle of a true collective government, and not a false one with an authoritarian sun at its center."
Collegiality has its time and place, but can potentially become a problem, if treated as an end in itself rather than means. Yet, seems like the Chancellor is so determined to avoid repeating a dangerous precedent of the Emperor's tenure, that she turns a blind eye on another one – a paralysis of the Old Republic.
"There may be times of crisis, when resolute and swift action is called upon."
Eyebrows rise in surprise, betraying confusion at Thrawn's sudden interruption.
"Are you already reconsidering your offer of peace, Grand Admiral?"
"You seem to believe that all threats to his galaxy are internal." He gestures, as if in jest, to himself.
"They have been, for centuries, and more of often than not, they are a pre-text for authoritarianism to take over, we saw it play out time and time again during the Clone wars."
Determined to avoid repeating the past at all cost, and the cost of hesitation may be too high, when the time comes.
The Chancellor. The Symbol. The Hero. A rational choice may not be the most strategically sound in the long term.
"Every fresh start means letting go of the past and reinventing oneself," the Chancellor continues, "look at the former Imperial worlds re-tooling and switching from military production to industrial, this is a future of the galaxy we want to see."
"If there is to be a galaxy in that future," the desire to say it out loud is almost unbearable, but he bites the words back, keeping his face neutral.
"On that note," she glances at him, "I hear you helped in securing the new climate control system for the palace in the aftermath of the Siege, Grand Admiral. I have to admit, it was an honorable, if unexpected, gesture. Lothal is definitely a better world now, with peaceful industrial production taking over."
"I do regret that the Siege was necessary in the first place, so its the least I could do. This palace houses thousands of years of history, even if each subsequent government seems keen on eradicating them. Good thing that regime change is not that frequent in this part of the galaxy. Not all species are that considerate of timing, however. For instance, the Scofti change leaders and governments…"
He makes sure to describe in painstaking detail the Scofti culture of disposable leaders, and, as expected, after twenty minutes, the Chancellor becomes bored, listens to him with half the mind and soon drops the matter altogether. Without even realizing, how close she came to almost uncovering one of the integral parts of his plan, carefully hidden in the best place – the plain sight.
Needless to say, the palace had been swiped for listening devices at least three times before the talks begun. A couple of times since. Healthy paranoia on both sides and all. As usual, Thrawn has to acknowledge, people tend to look for obvious solutions and revert to familiar patterns: relying on security and intelligence services, bug and holo-microphone detectors.
Forgetting that sound, in essence, travels through air, it reflects and builds, carrying each wave through the distance. What one needs is simply to translate speech into powerful sonic signals at frequencies above those detectable by any known species, reflect and channel them to travel along the way… or along a ventilation system, as long as reflectors are placed in right spots. All that is left afterwards is to capture and convert the signals back to speech. Simple, really. Well, possibly not that simple, but certainly doable, he used a similar technology decades ago, back when his paths crossed with Anakin Skywalker for the first time. How fortunate, indeed, that Lothal's factories have been re-tooled to produce climate control systems, and that in a haste to do so, engineers kept the imperial software codes, no trouble at all to suggest an honorable gesture…
Later that day, he listens in, as every night before. The Imperial high command secret meeting (to which he, clearly, was not invited) doesn't bring any new revelations, bruised egos notwithstanding, everything is still going according to his plan, and will come to an inflection point in a week or so. The New Republic one is much more… eventful.
"You can't be serious! We can't just stand by and watch what they do to Kashyyk." Senator Organa's voice is brimming with outrage and worry.
"It is not a new Republic territory in the first place."
"Who cares! That's how it starts, that's how it always starts, you close your eyes once, and oppression spreads, it grows like a tumour, and if we do nothing…"
Calling Senator Organa that very evening is a gamble, but if he has learned anything about human emotions, the best way to secure a willing ally is to show a modicum of compassion in their times of distress, possibly, offer support, or better yet, let them make the first move. Truth to be told, Thrawn is intrigued, for she is caught in an intricate net of conflicting loyalties, and he is wondering which side will take over. Will she be willing to bypass her own mentor and principles collective government for the sake of saving lives? If the answer is yes, it makes her potentially a much more interesting and strategically potent choice in the long term. High risk and high reward in all its glory.
"I want your help to convince Grand Moff Tolruck to cede the control of Kashyyk. Nothing makes people see reason like a fleet of star destroyers in the orbit, wouldn't you say?"
"I think it can be arranged, Senator."
For the first time in the short period that he has known her, Senator Organa smiles with abandon, and this is something that lights up her entire face - eyes, lips, cheeks – and he is once again taken aback by the contrast to her public persona. Like looking directly into the sun after a long night, it hurts his eyes at first, all the earnestness, relief and hope - a blinding light, unsettling, bit too bright, but not… unwelcome.
They both agree to take the next day to refine their respective plans of attack and fine-tune the timing, after all, they cannot strike at the same time, that would be way too obvious. Senator Organa will need to prepare her line of questioning over Queluhan Nebula, while he will figure out the most efficient way to take over Kashyyk - it's not the battle he intends to lose any people and resources over, so may need to be creative, but it's exactly the type of challenge he thrives on.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
The next evening, Senator Organa's confused and baffled voice cuts through the silence of the training gym in the East wing, startling Admiral Ackbar, who is about to take the Knight and block Thrawn's next move, as well as a dozen of other people, who are standing at a respectful distance from the board, following their game and making notes on their datapads.
"Good evening to you too, Senator." Thrawn doesn't need to turn around to know it's her, so he keeps his eyes trained in the board, wondering whether to prepend he doesn't see a trap set up by Ackbar, or block it right at here and there. "As ever, you do know how to make the entrance."
"What's going on here?"
"I believe it is commonly known as a chess match." Indeed, walking into Ackbar's trap will be beneficial for now. "But seems like you expected at least a shoot-out?"
She pretends to be affronted, yet judging by her face when she comes closer, into his line of sight, she did. Or, more precisely, she may have expected something similar to the training session she interrupted a few days prior, so seeing a chess board and two chairs in the middle of the hall is definitely a surprise.
Belatedly, she turns around and realises that she is the only one who came so close to the players, and that she is blocking the view for others. Royal manners kick in, and she steps closer to his side, mindful to keep the view of the board clear for everyone in the hall. The move betrays more familiarity than probably necessary, and for once Thrawn hopes that people will be as unobservant as ever.
"Given that most of the officers seem to have disappeared in the general direction of the East wing, it was a sound assumption." She crosses her arms in a classic defensive gesture, betraying a lie. Thrawn wonders why she didn't call or sent him a message if she wanted to talk, but there is no way to ask the question out loud.
"Apologies for disappointing you, Senator," he sacrifices a pawn. "Next time we will endeavour to bring blasters and star destroyers for your entertainment."
Ackbar snickers, his mood definitely lightened by seemingly winning the game, as well as Thrawn's irony. Senator Organa shoots him a glare, and only respect for the military mastermind of the Rebellion prevents her from responding. Well, might as well satisfy her curiosity.
"It's a good learning experience, Senator," Thrawn gestures to officers who are following the match, wondering when she will notice equal numbers on both sides, equal or equivalent ranks, spread across navy, army, intelligence. "Although, I assume, making side bets is also a factor, as always."
He raises his voice a notch at the last sentence, ensuring it carries through to the corner of the hall, where Pyrondi and Hammerly suddenly find the floor immensely entertaining, pretending that they have nothing to do with it.
"A learning experience?"
"Since admiral Ackbar and I are unlikely to clash on a battlefield soon… that is, of course, if we all get through these talks unscratched…"
"Wouldn't count on it, but we live in hope." Ackbar is getting more entertained, feeling that his strategy is working, so he sees no harm in joining this little conversation.
"Indeed. Hence, we've decided to teach a lesson in tactics and strategy."
"Why chess?"
"The Mon Calamari are known through the galaxy as master chess players, so I could not resist the challenge. Plus, I find that playing Shah-tezh would've been unwise, given the context."
Thrawn witnessed firsthand how fascinated Palatine became with an idea that each piece existed in service to one other piece—the Imperator, and that all the pieces of the demesne were there to protect him. Senator Organs nods, apparently, also aware of the late Emperor's obsession with the Shah-tezh.
"The core mechanism remains, of course," Ackbar chimes in, "yet the power balance in chess is much more fascinating."
Thrawn analyses his move, and nods, remarking in a pensive tone.
"The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, can move at will, any number of squares vertically, horizontally or diagonally." He makes a move. Diagonal it is.
"At will?"
He inwardly winces. Twenty years in, yet basic is still so solely lacking, it fails to convey the underlying shades of meaning, the lowest common denominator in all its glory. Cheunh would do it justice – implying more at one's discretion, and a will of someone, in service of a plan… On the second thought, possibly it's good that the shades of meaning are lost in translation.
"On the other hand," he continues, as he advances in counter-attack, "for all grandeur and splendour, the king is the weakest figure in need of contestant protection."
Ackbar tilts his head, taking in a new layout of the game that is suddenly taking shape, and adds.
"Yet, if the King falls the game is over, no matter how many other pieces there are on the board."
"Indeed," Thrawn nods, making a final move to take over Ackbar's king. Then looks up at Senator Organa, and remarks for her ears only, "Isn't it a waste, Senator?"
Before she can answer, he stands up, shakes Ackbar's hand, and both walk over to the officers.
"The first strategy mode is the for-win mode." Despite his loss, Ackbar sounds gracious and more focused on practical implications of their lesson. "You get the advantages you are absolutely sure you can get, and push for the slight advantages, edging slowly but surely to get the upper hand."
"The second strategy," Thrawn adds, "is a classic high-risk – high-reward scenario. Coordination from different pieces all over the board, faux sacrifices and retreats, all netted together in a complicated attack pattern masquerading as a defeat. The downside of the second mode is that a slight mistake, or a hidden trap, would make your entire game collapse. Don't start this one, unless and until you're are absolutely sure you can keep up the symphony of action."
As everyone bids their goodbyes for the day, Ackbar follows him in a corridor, and whispers, once they are out of sight.
"The immense power of the queen has a drawback – she is a vulnerable target. This drawback is the reason why the queen usually can't join the action too soon. Instead, you will generally develop other pieces first and plan a safe square to where you can develop her. Sound tactics, isn't it, Grand Admiral?"
Thrawn inclines his head. Sound, indeed, only the Queen herself has already jumped into action and seems to be thoroughly enjoying it. Back in his quarters, although the warning still lingers, he sends Senator a message to see why she was looking for him in the first place and whether she wants to meet before the showdown tomorrow.
While the Queen will help him make one move, it's time to set up a proper meeting with the Knight. Thrawn opens his datapad and types in a code. Nothing beats a well-timed coincidence, most likely… he will get a chance to talk to the illustrious master Jedi in a couple of days, if his assumptions are correct.
Author's note
What can I say, Ackbar is actually super sharp, underestimate that Mon Calamari genius at your own peril, gotta give him the recognition he deserves. Thanks to Wookiepedia and that little fact about Mon Calamari for giving me a perfect excuse to use chess ;)))
Thrawn is Thrawn, and Leia is an unpredictable force that can make or break any game plan. High risk - high reward, but totally worth it.
Officially, I love them all, your honor, apart from some Imperials, who are idiots, obvi … but we will deal with them later.