"You wanted to speak to me, Captain Thrawn?"
Thrawn sat at his desk, eyes glued to his terminal- seemingly unaware of Sitrep's presence.
"Captain Thrawn?"
"A moment," Thrawn said, before gesturing half-heartedly. "Do take a seat, please."
Tentatively, Sitrep sat on the chair opposite Thrawn's. His mind raced with questions. Something was clearly on the Chiss' mind- but that unreadable expression offered no clues as to what. Seconds of silence passed, and then finally, Thrawn spoke.
"I'd like to inquire about your history. My records say you served on the Resolute during the Clone Wars. What was it like? The war, I mean."
"Heh... I'm surprised you've taken an interest."
"A leader must know how to utilise their subordinates. And to do that, they must know their subordinates."
A sombre smile spread across Sitrep's face.
"Well... war was never dull. The Jedi I served with was among the greatest in the Order. And he was more than a little, uh... unconventional."
"General Anakin Skywalker, is that correct?"
"Yessir."
"And? What did you think of him?"
"Well... he was contentious, controversial. But I liked him. Direct. Adaptable. And... I always got the sense that to him, I was more than just a number. He was reckless, but never careless with our lives. He knew how to inspire loyalty... and I was proud to follow him."
"Until the Jedi betrayed the Republic."
"I..."
Sitrep winced at a sudden, stabbing pain in his forehead.
"Are you alright, commander?" Thrawn inquired.
"Yes, of course, just... a headache," said Sitrep, shaking his head as his voice quietened. "...the Jedi's betrayal came as a shock to all of us. Even all these years later, I try not to think about it. It would be one thing if they really were the scheming villains people imagine them as nowadays. But... the Jedi I knew were kind- compassionate- deeply devoted to their sense of justice."
"Yet none of your kind hesitated to carry out your orders."
"You say that like we had a choice."
"Didn't you? I find it surprising how easy it was for you all to turn your weapons upon those who had led you- those who had fought beside you."
A flare of rage lit up in Sitrep's eyes.
"You couldn't even begin to imagine- let alone understand- how we did what we did. We followed orders. Not because we're heartless droids. Not because we hated or feared what the Jedi had become. We followed orders because that's what it means to be a good soldier."
"Make no mistake, Commander, I don't fault you for your decision," said Thrawn. "And your loyalty to the Republic was admirable. But... why serve the First Light now? Was it not the Empress' will that Coruscant- and all that had become of the Republic- be burned to the ground?"
"Everything Coruscant used to be was destroyed by Palpatine's Empire long before the Purification. Besides... as hard as it was to accept, the Republic deserved its fate. It took me a while, but once I saw the truth, I never looked back."
"What truth?"
"Only devotion to the Light will ever see us deliver on the failed promises of the Old Republic. True justice. True morality. Righteousness, ordained not by self-interested politicians but by a pure and benevolent power with greater wisdom than any of us could ever hope for."
"Fascinating. You believe the Purification- the total destruction of the very heart of the Republic you once knew- is part of some benevolent design?"
"With all due respect, sir, it is a testament to the Light's mercy that we all weren't instantly struck down like the people of Coruscant. The universe was drowning in sin and wickedness, unfit even to continue existing. And yet the Light offers us an opportunity for repentance and redemption. There has never been such a spectacular demonstration of goodness and grace in all of history. I know you're Faithless, sir, but even most of your kind realises-"
Emotions had gotten the better of him. Sitrep felt a pit in his chest as the words left his mouth. He waited for the inevitable reprimand. But it never came. And then, Sitrep realised. Thrawn was studying him- looking for something- but he couldn't fathom what.
"Perhaps you're right..." said Thrawn. "In any case, I'd like to circle back to your time in the war, if you'll indulge me. There is one more thing I'm curious about."
"...go ahead."
"General Skywalker was legendary- a man whose reputation seldom did not precede him. But I'm curious to hear your thoughts on his apprentice."
"His... apprentice?" Sitrep echoed, puzzled.
"His apprentice," Thrawn confirmed. "Apprentice, student, Padawan, whatever word you want to use... what did you make of them?"
"Is... this a trick question, sir? General Skywalker didn't have a Padawan. At least, not to my knowledge. And to be perfectly honest, I can't imagine the Jedi Council ever assigning him one."
Thrawn smiled inwardly.
"Ah, of course. You're quite right. It's hard to imagine someone of Skywalker's temperament taking on a student. Thank you for your time, Commander. You may go."
Tentatively, Sitrep stood and left the office after a noticeable hesitation. Then, Thrawn allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. There were still so many disconnected pieces, but the grand puzzle that was the First Light was beginning to take shape. But the implications for such discoveries would come later. Now, Thrawn focused himself on the task at hand.
A hologram of Concordia flickered to life above his desk. Far above was marked the position of the Blitzkrieg, with three red dots representing the strike force's Fangs flying their patrols. Thrawn's Y-Wings had just finished another of their sporadic bombing runs and were returning to the Blitzkrieg to resupply. Down on the moon's surface were his three TIEs. Prior to the attack, he'd swapped out the three fighters originally assigned to him for TIE Reapers- Imperial-era troop transports that had only recently been put into production- and used them to ferry many of the Blitzkrieg's technicians and engineers to the Surface Facility. There, they'd begun the monumental task of dismantling and studying its interdiction field generator. It was against regulation for Thrawn to send the Blitzkrieg's technical officers into an active warzone. But whatever the consequences, it was necessary. Whatever happened next- however the Children of the Watch unravelled- it would likely end with terrible destruction. He could not risk the grav-well generator getting caught in the crossfire. The technology alone was invaluable; a device powerful enough to project an interdiction field into space from a planet's surface was significantly more advanced than anything Thrawn had seen before. But even more important would be the opportunity to understand the device's origins. These Mandalorian terrorists, organised and well-equipped though they were, did not seem capable of creating something so sophisticated on their own. And even the First Light, with the countless resources at its disposal, had stagnated technologically thanks to their prohibitions on entire fields of scientific inquiry. No one in the galaxy seemed capable of creating anything like it- and yet, there it was. Thrawn had to know how.
"Plots within plots," Thrawn thought to himself. "If an enemy wanted to destabilise the Light, dividing Mandalore is the best way to do it. Exploiting the same weakness I did- pitting Mandalorians against Mandalorians. But if there is a puppet master behind the Children of the Watch, then..."
Thrawn's heart sank. Few things could provoke the same kind of anxiety in him as what he feared was coming.
"...I cannot discount the possibility."
His prime suspects were the Grysk- a race of vile and relentless warriors from the Chaos who were no strangers to using proxies to fight their battles. They had knowledge of interdiction fields- they'd begun making incursions into Lesser Space since the Clone Wars- and their tactics of toppling empires by sowing within them the seeds of division were all too familiar. He hadn't seen any evidence of Grysk involvement thus far- but then, it would be uncharacteristic of them to leave any such traces. Of course, the galaxy was dangerous. Any number of hidden powers could be biding their time, eagerly awaiting an opportunity for their own galactic dominion. But whoever these phantom enemies were- assuming they even existed- they were well-versed in subtlety and subterfuge. That alone made them dangerous- not just to the people of the Light, but to those of the Chiss Ascendency.
"The Beskar Raiders and the Children of the Watch. The Council Chamber bombing and the disappearance of Sabine Wren. There is a pattern here- a pattern of concealment."
But Thrawn was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his office door sliding open. A trooper entered and stood at attention.
"Transmission for you, sir. Fleet Captain Graven of the Star Destroyer Strongarm. He says it's urgent."
Thrawn gave a non-committal nod.
"Very well... I'll take it on the bridge."
"You cannot be serious!"
Bo-Katan didn't even try to keep the indignation out of her voice. She sat, her back leaning against the cold metal wall of the Surface Facility, one arm still missing from her clash with the Armourer. It wasn't painful- the artificial pain receptors in what was left of the arm had long since been disabled- but still, she felt its absence.
"Withdrawing our forces now is only going to-"
"Present our enemies with an opportunity to retaliate," Thrawn interrupted through her comms. "I'm aware. But Fleet Captain Graven has proven... stubborn. We are to withdraw all forces from Concordia and return to Radiance, effective immediately."
"What?! Why?!"
"It seems our recent activities have been deemed outside the scope of my mandate. Fleet Captain Graven reported- with no small amount of satisfaction- that I'm to be brought before a military tribunal and punished for my trespass."
"Unbelievable. Does High Command even realise the number of lives they're jeopardising?!"
"I tried to inform the Fleet Captain. I argued that the matter of my misconduct may be dealt with later, but the threat we're dealing with is-"
"This isn't about misconduct, Captain. It's a witch hunt. It seems your enemies in the Light finally have the ammunition they need to bring you down."
"You think they would do this out of personal animosity? Even in times such as these? Is it not the way of the Light to put duty before pride?"
A shroud of tired frustration fell across Bo-Katan's face.
"In theory, yes. But in practice, things are rarely so simple. They hate you. They hate you because you're Faithless, they hate you because you approach problems differently, and they hate you because they cannot understand you."
"I'm still not entirely certain who 'they' are."
"They are... anyone who considers you a threat to the very foundation of the Light. It's a long list. And the truth is... not so long ago, I'd have been among them."
For a moment, Thrawn was stunned into silence. Then, he spoke, a note of caution in his voice.
"You... hated me?"
"That's not- no. I didn't hate you, but... I did think you were dangerous. And in fairness, I was right. You're unpredictable, but your every action has massive and far-reaching consequences. You serve the Light, but remain critical of its dogma. And you've already admitted to having mixed loyalties."
"Then... why..."
"Why what? Why did I support you in this mad scheme?"
"...yes. If what you say is true, standing with me is only going to tarnish your reputation."
"I don't think even I know why. Well... no. That's not completely true. I... guess I've just seen too many a leader waste the lives of their subordinates as though they were worth nothing more than the armour they wore. If High Command had caught wind of the Watch Stronghold before you had, they would have thrown armies at it until eventually these terrorists were broken. I couldn't begin to imagine the number of lives they'd be willing to sacrifice. But I know they wouldn't care. The plan you offered risked nothing more than a handful of fighters and a small force of Paladins. Maybe it was a little insane. Maybe I'm a little insane for going along with it. Still, it worked... or... would have worked, if not for High Command's nonsense."
Thrawn let out a shallow breath.
"'Would-haves' are irrelevant on the field of battle."
"Maybe. But I'm not going to let this stand. There's only so much the Empress will be able to do- she needs to appear impartial. But me? I'll burn every bit of credibility I have if it means putting an end to this petty, pointless backstabbing."
"No. I have been blind to these forces working against me. I failed to account for them. And so, if anyone should suffer the repercussions of this ill-fated assault, let it be me and me alone. I will assume full responsibility and accept whatever consequence is handed down."
"Just like that?! You're just going to... give up?!"
"I fail to see what other choice there is."
"...no. I'm not going to accept that."
"High Paladi-"
"We can debate this later. For now, we need to see to extracting our forces on the ground. Is that not the more pressing concern?"
"...it is."
"Then there isn't time to waste."