Jedi Insurgency 102

Corvus sat cross-legged in the Grand Admiral’s chair, and had his fingers steepled as he regarded the blue skinned alien. 

“I have had my eye on you for quite some time, Thrawn.” Corvus said in a calm, almost airy tone. “The Empire seldom nurtures intellect. You are...a welcome anomaly.”

Thrawn did not smile, but his head dipped slightly in acknowledgment. “Flattery, Jedi, is a weapon often wielded before the blade is drawn. I advise caution when handling both.”

“Caution is prudent, yet one cannot sit idly by whilst the galaxy shifts. And for all your youth, you certainly are not lacking in ambition.” Corvus replied smoothly. “I see potential in you, Thrawn. Enough to wonder why you remain a mere Lieutenant among men who can’t grasp the weight of your vision.”

“I serve at the discretion of the Emperor. Loyalty is not a ladder, Master Jedi. It is a foundation. Without it, all ambitions fall.” Thrawn’s crimson eyes narrowed as he judged Corvus’s next reaction. 

Corvus leaned forward slightly, and felt amusement at Thrawn’s words. Truthfully, he had difficulty discussing matters with the most intelligent of people, and before each sentence was spoken, he would enter Pause to meticulously go over his dialogue. 

“The Republic would grant you more than a foundation. We would give you what you always wanted…” 

Power.

“An Admiral’s commission is in the cards for you. Resources. Autonomy. Freedom to shape the stars instead of merely navigating them. All this and more I offer you, should you pledge your services to my cause.”

Thrawn’s eyes narrowed fractionally, and adopted a calculating air. “And what of the Empire’s stability? The structure that holds chaos at bay? You would see me defect, to trade order for your so called liberty?”

Corvus tilted his head, like a curious predator. “Is it order...or stagnation? The Empire is a supposed evolution into something more, yet it holds all the same trappings of the Republic with one critical difference. It is led by a Sith Emperor. Tell me, Thrawn, will the Empire shield your people when they come?”

For the first time since the beginning of the call when he had shown some surprise, something flickered across Thrawn’s face. Not fear, he was too controlled for that, but it was something else. If Thrawn had been paying attention to Corvus before, he now had his interest. 

In the brief silence that followed, Corvus spoke again, his voice was low in volume, barely above a whisper, yet each one of his words carried weight, a pressure that the Chiss could not ignore. 

“You know who I mean. The great threat lurking beyond the edges of known space. You serve the Empire, but your heart lies with the Ascendancy. The Jedi are not blind to the extragalactic danger. I’m offering you, and more specifically, your people more than a title, or a simple alliance, Thrawn. I’m offering protection.”

Thrawn was silent for a long moment, the starfield glinted off the screen as he fell deep into thought. 

“A compelling argument, but still, a partisan one. How am I to know your Republic will not splinter and fail before the threat arrives? Your loose coalition with the CIS is bound to face internal turmoil. For all its faults, the Empire is on the path to stability. Why should the Chiss align with the Jedi when there are more reliable alternatives?”

Corvus slowly nodded his head. “You don’t. There are no guarantees in life. However, the Empire won’t change. They will be the humanocentric coalition that disdains all those considered ‘other.’ The Republic right now is in a state of flux. You, Mitth’raw’nuruodo, you have the opportunity to become one of its architects.”

The pause hung between them, heavy with implication. Finally, Thrawn’s lips curved into the barest ghost of a smile.

“We are at an impasse, it seems.”

Corvus’s stance relaxed. “Not necessarily.”

“Oh?”

“We could settle this the civilized way.” The mask tilted slightly. “A game.”

Thrawn raised an eyebrow. “Dejarik?”

“No. Pazaak.”

The Chiss blinked, he was visibly surprised. “An archaic game of chance and balance. Rarely played in Imperial circles. Most prefer Sabacc.”

“Most are unimaginative.” Corvus countered. “Pazaak is not simply about cards. It is about knowing the other player. Strategy layered beneath structure. Much like war.”

Of course Corvus was talking out of his ass here, but it was the only game he was actually familiar with. Besides, when conversing with people like Thrawn, one of the best ways to pique their interest was by holding an air of sophistication, of mystique! Only then would the fish take the bait! 

Thrawn considered that. “Very well. A game, then. But if I win, you will answer a question of my choosing. Fully. Truthfully.”

“And if I win, you shall entertain a possibility: that loyalty to the Empire is not absolute.” 

Thrawn gave the slightest nod. “Agreed.”

The screen used for communication shifted, and lines began to form into a simple grid as digital cards materialized between them. 

The game had begun.

As the first round was dealt, it became clear to both men, neither was playing solely for points.

Corvus narrowed his eyes as he recalled the rules of Pazaak. The goal was to play cards adding up to 20. Whoever was closest to 20, or had 20 exact points, won. You could even play a negative number one round, subtracting your total points if you were worried about going over 20. Because going over 20 was an automatic loss. On the flip side, there were even cards that added points to your opponent, forcing them into a precarious position. Pazaak was indeed a game of chance, but there was an intricate strategy involved. 

Finally, whoever reached 20 points three times out of five games emerged the victor of the entire match. 

The digital grid shimmered softly as the first cards flickered into being on the holotable. Corvus’s side lit up with a 4 and a 7. Thrawn’s showed a 3 and a 6.

Small numbers. Small plays. But nothing was small between these two.

“So.” Corvus began, his tone casual

“You’re familiar with the rules, I trust?”

Thrawn placed his third card with delicate consideration. A 5. His total came to 14. “Naturally. I do not engage in games without understanding their many layers.”

Corvus chuckled under his breath and played a 6. “That explains your presence in the Empire.”

“Much like the game.” Thrawn said, eyeing his cards. “The Empire is simple at first glance. But its rules are not always so rigid.”

“Hmm.” Corvus mused noncommittally, and placed a +1 from his hand to hit 18, then leaned back. “Your people, meanwhile, are perhaps too stiff, too uncompromising. They served the Sith Empire more than 3,000 years ago. Who is to say they won't serve them again?”

Thrawn’s brow rose faintly. “You presume a great deal about the Chiss.”

“I know a great deal.” Corvus replied. “Csilla, that great ball of ice is your homeworld. Governed, by the families: Csapla, Inrokini, Sabosen, and of course the Nuruodo.” He gestured faintly toward Thrawn. “Your bloodline.”

Thrawn paused mid-reach. That flicker returned in his eyes, it held interest, yet was quickly veiled behind a calculating mind. 

Corvus pressed. “I know their fears. The quiet, unspoken ones. Not the Empire, nor pirates, nor even Republic expansion. No... they fear what even I, with all my power, fear.”

He leaned forward to the screen so close his mask was practically in the screen. “The Yuuzhan Vong.”

The name cut through the air like a vibroblade. Even through the distortion of the somewhat imperfect monitor screen, Corvus saw the subtle tension in Thrawn’s frame.

“A myth.” Thrawn said, his voice was cool with dismissal. 

“A myth that will burn half the galaxy forty years from now.” Corvus said calmly. “A myth that has no presence in the Force. No empathy. No mercy. Only annihilation. And they won’t come with fleets of metal. They’ll come with living ships. Living weapons. A war the Chiss cannot win alone. You know why you are on this side of the galaxy. You know your mission. Why the hesitation? Do you worry about the weakness of the Jedi, or the fractious nature of the Republic?”

Thrawn stared across the holoboard at him, and then, with no change in tone, dropped a +6 from his hand. 19.

“Match.” Thrawn said, unwilling to rise to Corvus’s bait. 

Corvus nodded, his smile was hidden beneath the mask as he drank Thrawn’s overall demeanor in. “Well played.”

As the next round began, Thrawn reset his hand. “Curious, though, that a Jedi should take such interest in a youth no older than twenty-two. What value could one such as I possibly possess that the esteemed Revan the Butcher, the Prodigal Knight, Dark Lord of the Sith, and Jedi Crusader does not already hold dominion over?”

Corvus didn’t answer at first. He played a 9, then a 3, equaling 12. 

“You are no mere youth.” Corvus darkly chuckled as he thought back to yesterday's events. “This conversation alone is evidence enough of that. Whilst the Grand Admiral” Clrvus sarcastically remarked. “Enjoys my hospitality on the floor, I am speaking to a bottom tier officer discussing the fate of the galaxy. Thrawn, my intellectually inclined fellow, there is nothing mere about you.” 

“You flatter again.” Thrawn said, placing a 7 beside his 5. “Or perhaps deflect.”

“Perhaps.” Corvus replied in a light tone. He couldn't very well tell the guy that he was a fanboy who consumed Star Wars media, now could he? 

Drawing a 5, he regarded his hand, then kept the conversation moving. “Sev’rance Tann is evidence that our cooperation-mine and that of the Chiss Ascendancy-is possible. Nay, that it is bound to happen, it is our destiny”

“And you believe you are the man to bind us together? That Revan shall once more bring a so-called ‘balance’ to the Force?”

“Ah, Thrawn, a student of history. I should gift you an artifact sometime. There is much to learn from me, from the Jedi that you could only imagine. The entire Jedi Archive,  eons of knowledge, and art pieces that haven't seen the light of day in centuries. They are all in my possession. Aren't you…curious?” Corvus tilted his head, and switched tactics. Before, he was appealing to Thrawn’s sense of logic, his loyalty, and his overall knowledge regarding the existential crisis known as the Yuuzhan Vong. Now? Now, however, he was appealing to the blue skinned alien's personal hobby. 

Thrawn drew a 6. His total came up to 18. The blue skinned alien was silent in the face of Corvus's temptations, but he could see that Thrawn was genuinely considering the offer. 

Knowing when to let an idea marinate, Corvus remained silent, and resumed the game between them. 

Corvus drew a 2, reaching sixteen, he then placed a +4. Thrawn countered with a +1. 

A tie had been reached. The score was 20 to 20.

Corvus leaned back, amused. “I may be partial to Chiss intelligence. Or maybe I’m just curious what a man like you will become in the future. I have an appreciation for talents, even those opposed to me.” 

Thrawn's gaze sharpened slightly. “Much could be said of you too. The Mandalorian Wars. The Jedi Civil War. The rise of Darth Revan. The redemption arc. Then the exile. Finally, a silent disappearance, as if you had never existed to begin with.”

He folded his hands behind his back. “You fought for the Jedi. Then you fought against them. You became Sith, and then turned on them too. And now, here you are, offering me a place in your version of the Republic. Why should I follow a man who has betrayed everyone he’s ever fought beside?”

Corvus was silent for a moment, the light reflected off his mask, and an unseen aura spread across the stars, causing Thrawn’s heart to unknowingly palpate. 

“Because I’ve made every mistake you’re trying to avoid. I’ve fought for peace and found war. Fought for justice and committed atrocities. I don’t offer you certainty, Thrawn. I offer you perspective. Under my hands-off stewardship, you will have the freedom to decide your own path before it’s chosen for you.”

Thrawn's expression remained unreadable. Then, after a long pause, he drummed his hands across the table.

“A most interesting prospect, Revan, or perhaps I should say, Mr. Bond? It is curious that you wear so many masks, Jedi. That you yourself were the one who provided me with the initial information regarding ‘Revan.’ Yet for all your promises, I find myself unwilling to tie myself to your stable at the current time. Actions, above words. I find my perceived value in your eyes to be intriguing. Perhaps…perhaps should you escape your current predicament, I shall take you up on your offer.” 

At the end of Thrawn’s last sentence, Corvus felt his senses begin to blare in warning, and that premonition from earlier came to the fore of his mind. 

“Doubtlessly you read the report that Grand Admiral Josef Grunger's fleet was due to arrive in 3-5 days. Unfortunately…”

As Thrawn spoke, alarms blared inside the office, and a priority one call was hailing him. 

It was Grunger. The battlegroup with 10 full Legions, and 100 million Imperial Army regulars had arrived. 

Corvus took a dry gulp, and stared at the computer screen, almost willing Thrawn to death. 

“I am afraid we shall have to pick up our game next time, Mr. Bond. I look forward to your unfiltered opinion.” Thrawn smiled for the first time since the call began, and then cut the transmission. 

Seconds later, a count down began. 

“10…9…8…”

Corvus wanted to slap himself, and laugh out loud at the irony of it all. He had caught Vader in the exact same scenario! Thrawn, that intelligent blue bastard must've analyzed his own actions, and figured that he might try and pull an infiltration! 

Not only that, but at that very moment, he sensed Thrawn flying by in a shuttlecraft. Aboard that very same vessel, a dark wounded animal was contained. 

Vader was escaping!

Corvus felt his lip twitch as he realized he had been massively played. 

[Shadow Hopping] onto the bridge, he performed his ability three times in quick succession, and boarded the ARC-170 he had parked on top of the bridge. 

Once in the pilot seat, and he took off, he glanced to his left, and saw Thrawn pass by in his shuttle. Although they were actually quite far away from one another, it felt like they were staring one another in the eye. 

Flying away in a rush, the Imperial Venator exploded into a massive fireball behind him. 

Grinding his teeth, Corvus was about to rage, when a CIS fleet-half the size of the Imperial fleet-transitioned into real space. A minute later. another fleet-one that blasted Republic IFF codes, and held the presence of a Jedi-came rocketing onto the scene. 

Exhaling a weary breath, Corvus took stock of the situation, and noticed that nearly the entire battlegroup under Grand Admiral Grant had been destroyed or fled during his and Thrawn’s game. 

With the new arrivals, they almost doubled the number of starships under Josef Grunger's command! 

Almost as soon as the Imperial fleet had arrived, it took one look at them, and became spooked. Entering hyperspace, they fled!

….the battle over Eriadu’s orbit was a victory!