"I decidedly do not like what's happening," declared Lando, setting down a mug of cooled caf on the table.
"And what specifically out of everything that's happening?" inquired Talon Karrde, glancing at the holographic map of the space surrounding Sluis Van in a bored tone.
"Everything," replied the dark-skinned man. "What kind of strange attack is this? They arrived, deployed droids, lost ships… Medium transports don't just drift through the galaxy on their own—they cost money."
"Perhaps for those who have a few more credits than you, Calrissian, the loss of a few ships isn't a problem," noted "The Claw," with a light motion of his hand causing the half-melted ice cubes to clink against the sides of the glass in a melodic chime.
"A few?" Lando rolled his eyes. "Eighty-seven ships! Yes, most of them are junk heaps that fly only thanks to the strength of rust, but there are eighty of them!"
"And seven more," Karrde prompted with the correct number.
"That's an entire transport fleet," his interlocutor continued to lament. "If I had that many starships…"
"As far as I know, Thrawn has already hinted at you joining his banners," said Karrde. "So what's the holdup? Ask him for a fleet of transports, live richly…"
Calrissian fell silent.
"And yet this attack was strange," he repeated his thought.
"But effective," declared Karrde. "He got the ships without much effort, the crew could have been droids, the soldiers… The Empire never considered them worth attention. And droidekas and buzz droids are just expendable resources, nothing more."
"Sounds like a profoundly logical thought is about to be voiced," snorted Calrissian, refilling his mug from the carafe.
Taking a sip of the cooled caf, he grimaced in dissatisfaction.
"This stuff is as disgusting cold as it is wonderful at a temperature close to boiling," he shared a pseudo-scientific wisdom based on personal experience.
"Probably," Karrde said distantly, not taking his eyes off the hologram of the Republican fleet.
The transport ships still held position between the Star Destroyers and their smaller but "heavy" counterparts and the Republican fleet.
An ostensibly disorganized mass.
Which was positioned so conveniently that it completely blocked the possibility of direct access from the system boundaries both to the ships of Imperial design and to the Republican fleet.
At least—the visible part of it.
"Judging by how you're hypnotizing that map, you're clearly pondering what Grand Admiral Thrawn's next move will be," Calrissian voiced an assumption that perfectly matched Karrde's thoughts.
"Precisely," agreed "The Claw," taking a sip. "These transports, buzz droids, and droidekas—are just the first step toward something bigger. What exactly—I can't figure out."
"Obviously he's going to seize all the Imperial ships here," Calrissian stated information well-known to every military on Sluis Van.
"But how he intends to do it—that's the question," "The Claw" shook his head uncertainly. "Bel Iblis has an entire sector fleet at his disposal, nearly all the star cruisers of the Fourth Fleet… And Thrawn still hasn't attacked—quite some time has passed. Even the senators on Coruscant have managed to squabble over who and why missed the attack on Sullust."
"I heard it was heated there," remarked Lando.
"It was a real massacre there," stated Talon. "Thrawn wasn't personally present—at least the Chimaera didn't participate in the attack."
"One thing's comforting—in the near future, all those ships captured at Sullust definitely won't appear at Sluis Van."
"Yes, the distance is too great," agreed Karrde. "Besides, to proceed further from Sullust along the Rimma Trade Route, the fleet that attacked Sullust would have to slip past Eriadu, and they certainly won't be welcomed there. Neither him nor his minions."
"You think whoever attacked Sullust is already hastily fleeing farther away via regional hyperspace routes?" suggested Calrissian.
"I'm sure of it," agreed the information trader.
"Well, it's already comforting that Thrawn's fleet has decreased by half a hundred ships—that sounds optimistic."
"I wouldn't say that," admitted Karrde. "No one even really knows how many starships he has in total. Or what he's planning at all, how he intends to achieve his goals."
"He's hard to understand," agreed Calrissian. "For example, I still can't figure out why he needs my mole miners. They're useless in ordinary life. And for mining resources, if not digging under the surface, they're inefficient."
"You may not believe it, but my best people worked on this, and no one found anything worthwhile. As if the mole miners were in the galaxy, and then randomly started disappearing."
"And why not believe it?" Calrissian asked him with a sigh of sadness. "The New Republic has lost entire fleets like that. Who cares about some mole miners."
"And yet, I firmly believe that Thrawn does nothing without reason," declared Karrde. "But for now, I can't piece the picture together."
"I have the same problem regarding Bel Iblis's plans," admitted Calrissian, pointing to the hologram. "What kind of redeployment is this? What is he achieving?"
"After two hours of all fighters, bombers, shuttles, and even patrol yawls sifting the orbit of Sluis Van in search of buzz droids?" Karrde decided to clarify just in case.
"Yeah, after the droid hunt, our Corellian commander repositioned the transport starships so that from the system boundaries, from the damaged stations—essentially breaches in the first line of defense—to the planet's orbit itself, there's empty space, as if an invisible enemy bit into our defense and digested a chunk."
"Bel Iblis intends to lure Thrawn into a fire trap," Karrde kindly explained. "See how the interdictor cruisers are lined up? We can't see it from here, but I'd bet a hundred credits that after destroying the spy droids and the remnants of buzz droids, Bel Iblis ordered the gravity well projectors to be deployed so that if Thrawn pokes into this 'gut,' he won't reach the target but will be stopped midway."
"Then why hasn't he come yet?" inquired Calrissian.
"You're the general," smirked Karrde. "You tell me."
"I've left my command stripes in the past," stated Lando. "I won't say I was an unbeatable commander, but… I'm not a stupid man, yet I can't understand one thing—what's even going on here?"
"I'd like to know too," admitted Karrde. "But information brokers aren't particularly trusted in the New Republic's Military Command."
"Even after you essentially started supplying us with data from your agents on the ground?" asked the surprised Calrissian.
"Especially after that," acknowledged the sad statistics "The Claw." "Some on Coruscant think I deliberately withheld from them the number of cloaked asteroids at Thrawn's disposal."
"Knowing our slippery and inventive opponent, I can say I won't be surprised if I learn he foresaw all this and deliberately showed you those large rocks."
"You think he's capable of seeing the future, like some Jedi?" Talon was surprised.
"As far as I know, the Grand Admiral doesn't possess the Force. Most likely, all his 'foresight' comes from buzz droids on our ships. Perhaps there's no spy in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant at all, and it's all Thrawn's skillful manipulation to mislead us and divert suspicion from the droids."
"You're starting to talk like Republican politicians," "The Claw" smiled with a slight mockery on his lips.
"Sounded like an insult," snorted Lando.
"No need to look for what's not there," Karrde produced a profound thought. "Just as there's no need to engage in self-deception and self-soothing. Which is what New Republic officials have been diligently doing lately."
"Let's talk about something else?" suggested Lando.
The information trader noticed the blinking indicator on his comlink.
Someone wanted to contact him on his personal frequency.
"No problem," Karrde easily agreed. "But a bit later. I have urgent matters."
"Same here," declared Calrissian. "I'll go impose myself on Leia or Han—dispel the boredom of waiting for Thrawn's attack. And maybe even be useful somehow."
Seeing the dark-skinned man to the door of his suite, the information trader returned to the holoprojector and activated the comlink.
But instead of a voice, only static interference came from the device.
"Strange," frowned Karrde, turning off the device.
From the door came a melodic chime—someone wanted to visit him.
Perhaps Calrissian forgot something. Accidentally or "accidentally" in hopes of overhearing something important—it didn't matter.
Unlocking the door, Karrde saw a figure in a dark gray cloak, its hood hiding the uninvited guest's face.
Reaching for his blaster holster, realizing this conspiracy was clearly not without reason, "The Claw" didn't notice the punch to the chest, more like the impact of a kinetic projectile, which knocked him off his feet.
Flying through the short corridor, the information trader hit the back of his head against the wall and lost consciousness, wondering about the reasons why the guards posted on the floor could let someone through to his apartments without his knowledge.
***
Captain Pellaeon crossed the airlock separating the Grand Admiral's quarters from the corridors of the Chimaera with an inexplicable longing and dove into the familiar dimness.
"Sir, the squad commanders report reaching the assigned positions."
"Wonderful, Vice Admiral," pronounced Thrawn, not taking his eyes off his computer monitors.
Pellaeon suppressed a wry grin that crept onto his face every time he heard his new rank.
Eh… to jump so many ranks at once…
The fleet will definitely not like it—but the gossip will start after the campaign ends.
If his plan works—then the other senior officers will just grumble and calm down.
If it fails, or the losses are too great—then he'll face years of criticism behind his back and accusations of not matching the position.
Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Dominion…
And half a year ago, he mentally criticized every order from this very Supreme Commander.
What half a year—not even two months have passed since Gilad got rid of that habit.
"What will the orders be?" he asked.
"This is your operation, Vice Admiral," Thrawn deigned to look at him. "Command as you see fit. I created the initial plan, you corrected it. The changes are approved by me."
"Sir, I'm not sure I have enough experience for everything to end successfully," hesitated Pellaeon.
"Believe in yourself, Vice Admiral," advised Thrawn. "I'll be on the bridge of the Chimaera and protect you from critical errors at the start of the battle. But you'll finish it yourself. How exactly—depends only on you. And the result will be entirely your merit."
"Uh-huh…" thought Pellaeon.
For several minutes, he stood in complete silence, flipping through all the reports, reevaluating the moves he had devised…
"We're ready to begin, Grand Admiral," he finally pronounced.
"Excellent," declared Thrawn. "Begin, after synchronizing the attack time with the other squads of our fleet. I'll arrive on the bridge of the Chimaera in fifteen minutes. Be so kind—deliver our special prisoners there five minutes before the main forces exit hyperspace. I have something to say to them lastly."
"It will be done, Grand Admiral."
***
"Why haven't you redistributed the remaining orbital stations yet to protect the breached security perimeter?" inquired the hologram of Councilor Fey'lya with a shade of dislike.
"With all due respect, but leave questions of military efficiency of the forces entrusted to me to my discretion," snapped Bel Iblis.
"So that what we saw at Sullust repeats?" clarified the Bothan.
"Stop," declared Mon Mothma. "General Iblis, please forgive Councilor Fey'lya. The emergency Senate session just ended, and we heard many unflattering epithets addressed to us regarding Grand Admiral's attack on our ships at the SoroSuub shipyards. Emotions are still high."
"This is a factual failure!" the Bothan wouldn't let up.
Leia cast a quick glance at the Corellian and noticed his jaw muscles twitching.
"We lost seventy percent of all light forces that were under repair at the Sullust shipyards," continued the Bothan. "Repairing those ships that the Dominionists damaged 'not so badly,' didn't destroy or hijack, is simply inexpedient!"
"I said this from the beginning," declared Bel Iblis. "De-mothballing old ships to increase our forces is pointless. They won't survive a single serious fleet."
"They were being restored for patrolling and ensuring our presence in remote sectors," reminded Mon Mothma. "Now we don't even have that."
"But we have a tarnished reputation, a huge bill from SoroSuub, casualties among the Sullustans, and distrust from the Senate," continued Fey'lya.
"Failures on the front during wartime are a completely normal phenomenon, no matter how cynical it sounds," Bel Iblis said restrainedly. "I'm sorry for the dead, but the past can't be returned. The Sullustans, like the Kuati, like dozens of other territories, themselves refused the presence of our fleet to guard their systems, betting on their own armed forces. Well, they failed. It's regrettable. Now the enemy can use the ships repaired at our expense for their purposes."
"And what could his purposes be?" inquired Mon Mothma.
"Unfortunately, I can't get into Thrawn's head," shook his head Bel Iblis. "I still haven't been provided data on which ships were destroyed and which captured, so it's early to draw conclusions. But I'll assume that the most logical in the circumstances is to use the captured starships for the same purposes we intended. Stationary service, patrol, escorting, transporting small troop formations and cargo volumes—even for an old starship, you can find a suitable task if you approach the solution with imagination and understanding."
"In other words, due to your oversight, the enemy got several dozen, if not hundreds of starships, which will allow him to redistribute his own forces and increase the number of warships in the forces he uses against our Defense Forces?" the Bothan arched an eyebrow indignantly.
Leia shook her head sorrowfully.
They're on the edge of attack, and Fey'lya just wants to pin extra blame on someone.
"If you'll allow, I'd suggest leaving all bickering for when we complete the operation to eliminate the threat from the last Grand Admiral," she pronounced. "As long as he freely attacks our worlds like this, no one will be safe."
The girl felt a fire of rage igniting inside her at the mere memory of the danger her children faced on Coruscant during the attack by invisible asteroids.
It took great mental strength to bury the sprouts of the Dark Side deeper within herself.
Not the time to give in to emotions.
"I support," agreed Mon Mothma. "General Iblis, how bad is it at the moment?"
"We lost twenty-seven squadrons of fighters and twenty-three ships from the outer patrols in the fight against the buzz droids that Thrawn set on us," reported Bel Iblis. "Honestly, we're lucky he has a limited number of such specialized and not the cheapest droids. Obviously, he used not pre-prepared volumes of droids and droidekas, but what he had on hand—otherwise I can't explain the reason for such modest volumes of this devastating attack."
"Modest?" echoed the Bothan. "You lost an entire fleet to some droids!"
"Not 'some,' but specialized saboteur droids," objected the Corellian. "The Separatists developed them precisely for such operations, but with emphasis on aviation. Obviously, Thrawn once again creatively rethought the approach and applied them against large ships."
"Can we conclude that he has production of such droids?" Mon Mothma worried.
Leia also shuddered.
If only to think for a moment that such a ruthless commander as Thrawn gets hold of Separatist factories, he could simply drown the New Republic's armed forces in blood in a few months.
The Clone Wars could have been won by the Confederacy of Independent Systems with their countless droid armies in half a year to a year, if, as it turned out later, the conflict hadn't been directed by Palpatine himself.
He manipulated both sides, weakening and strengthening them depending on his plans.
Thrawn has no need to "spare" the other side of the conflict—in his speeches, he clearly stated that as long as the New Republic continues to threaten the Dominion and the Empire, he won't back down.
And since any attempts to conclude a peace agreement with him will be perceived by New Republic citizens as nothing but betrayal, no one will look in that direction.
Until the New Republic has quantitative superiority in armed forces—definitely.
And from here, there are only two paths—either Thrawn builds up his army and fleet, or reduces the Republican ones.
And regarding the latter, he said he doesn't want to do that because of Palpatine's threat…
Leia licked her dry lips.
She and her family members concluded that Palpatine's threat does exist.
But until it manifests, there are more pressing problems.
"Without intelligence data, one can assume anything," shook his head Bel Iblis. "If Thrawn has such factories, he could simply sweep our fleet at Sluis Van by sending an armada of transports loaded with such droids. But he limited himself to a relatively small number. Therefore—either his production of buzz droids, droidekas, or their components is not yet well developed, or he used against us everything he had. He could, of course, acquire it all on the black market—don't forget that he still holds Mirax Terrik-Horn and her father captive. Not to mention that there's no doubt that the Katana fleet is also in his hands. And about its location, as we know again, only two were informed: Talon Karrde and Captain Hoffner. Either of them could also have been a supplier of necessary equipment from the black market for Thrawn at some point. Voluntarily or under duress—it's not so important at this time," he added, casting a quick glance at Leia.
"Karrde is on our side," she pronounced firmly. "I believe him—he told everything he knew about Thrawn."
"And it fit into a story about the Grand Admiral flying to him at some secret base, coordinates of which he refused to name, a dialogue occurred between them during which Thrawn hinted at cooperation and consolidation of Imperial Remnants and Imperial heritage in his hands, and then, for some reasons, Thrawn decided to capture him, discredit him, and destroy his business," Fey'lya concisely simplified everything he knew. "Isn't it all too refined and literally riddled with numerous inconsistencies."
"Karrde provided us help in certain matters, so Thrawn's anger is understandable," Leia stood up for the information broker. "He tried to subjugate 'The Claw' under himself, failed, and therefore, understanding the scope of his organization, began to destroy it. Because, let's be frank—Karrde can talk about neutrality all he wants, but in fact, he helps the New Republic where we can't find solutions ourselves."
"His help costs too much," grumbled the Bothan.
"Opposing Thrawn is not cheap in principle," Bel Iblis sided with Leia. "One must understand that if he was out of the game all this time, he was certainly observing us. If you review his battles, you can find many tactics familiar from past confrontations. Which served as the reason for his long identification. Even the buzz droids used as spy droids to track our ships—that's Admiral Trench's idea, who worked for Warlord Zsinj."
"Let's return to matters at Sluis Van," suggested Mon Mothma in a soft but firm tone. "Another defeat, especially with the forces we've sent to you, General Iblis, is unacceptable. The threat to the New Republic must be inevitably eliminated."
Leia understood what the Chandrilan was getting at.
The series of defeats inflicted by the Grand Admiral must end here and now.
Otherwise, if Thrawn remains in power, at the helm of the Empire's war machine, the New Republic will inevitably face a parade of sovereignties.
Sectors will leave them to avoid becoming the next "legitimate" target of the Dominion.
Thrawn remained true to his word—he struck only at military targets or the military-industrial complex.
And therein lay the root of all problems leading to the separation of parts of the state from Coruscant.
The New Republic, constrained in funds and capabilities, had no other option but to use civilian shipyards and productions for repairing and modernizing its equipment.
And in Thrawn's opinion, this made New Republic allies legitimate targets for strikes.
The Sullustans were incredibly lucky to have a powerful fleet, which, unfortunately, didn't arrive in time for the start of the conflict at the SoroSuub shipyards and didn't interrupt the attack.
But the damage inflicted by part of the Dominion fleet to the shipyards, Sullust's defenses, its fleet, stirred the Sullustans.
And along with them, the question: "Are we protected?" was asked by other representatives of peoples in the New Republic.
The more defeats Coruscant suffers, the weaker it becomes.
The battle at Sluis Van will be decisive.
If they win, talks of separatism will fade.
If they lose, only pitiful remnants will remain of the New Republic—only the most loyal friends, like the Mon Calamari, or the poorest territories that simply can't survive on their own.
The confederative structure of the New Republic allowed its members to freely leave the state, and everyone in the government understood that nothing could hold the bastion of democracy from disintegration if Thrawn continues his campaign.
Even if he doesn't destroy Bel Iblis's forces at Sluis Van but manages to capture the ships of Imperial design, he'll have a huge force in his hands, which, considering all his conquest achievements, can eventually be evaluated as equivalent to the standards of an Imperial sector fleet.
And that's, mind you, a quarter of all New Republic Defense Forces!
Many sectors will simply find it safer to become neutral, severing ties with Coruscant, to avoid becoming the next targets on Thrawn's list.
Not to mention that there's a high probability that for the sake of that same security and stability, many sectors will join the Dominion—the flow of settlers from all corners of the galaxy doesn't weaken.
While the reverse process—the outflow of population from the Grand Admiral's state is such a thin trickle that one involuntarily wonders: "Maybe for once the propaganda reflects the real state of affairs in the Dominion?"
Leia hatefully pushed this thought as far away as possible.
"We lost all forward forces, and that's undoubtedly bad," meanwhile said Bel Iblis. "I've already recalled the Sluissi sector fleet to the system to replenish losses. They've arrived—forty Mon Calamari star cruisers and escort starships."
"And thereby left the sector systems without cover?" squinted Fey'lya, clarifying.
"Yes," Bel Iblis didn't deny the obvious. "Such are the current realities. I can't send Fourth Fleet ships to protect them—they're needed to lock the trap. Therefore, the systems will remain without cover. But I'm sure Thrawn won't attack them."
"Is that so?" the Bothan couldn't calm down. "And what is this certainty based on?"
"On the fact that besides Sluis Van, there are no more military targets left in the entire sector," pronounced the Corellian. "If Thrawn tries to attack them, we'll use this precedent to tarnish his reputation in the public eye."
"After all, he said he attacks only military targets," understood Mon Mothma. "Yes, that could work. And if not?"
"In that case, after completing the operation, I'll personally go to the affected planets to explain to their population the reasons for my action," resolutely pronounced Bel Iblis.
"And how do you plan to defeat him at all?" asked the Bothan.
"I'm not sure this is a suitable topic for discussion considering possible spy droids in the system," Leia quickly pronounced.
"I agree," nodded Mon Mothma. "General, we—I and the New Republic—hope for the success of your enterprise. Do what you must."
"Certainly," agreed Bel Iblis, casting a glance at his flagship cruiser's commander, desperately gesturing to his commander. "Excuse me, but I need to return to fleet matters."
"Yes, of course," pronounced Mon Mothma, ceremonially lowering the gavel onto the wooden platform. "The meeting is adjourned."
After the holograms disappeared, the Corellian gestured his flagship's commander closer.
"The sector fleet starships have arrived," he pronounced. "I sent them your instructions. Entering the safe perimeter zone."
"Anything heard about the enemy?" inquired Leia.
"Absolutely nothing," replied the same officer.
"In that case, we can only wait and keep the alarm button ready," concluded Bel Iblis.
"The move is Thrawn's." declared Leia. "I pray to the Force that everything works out, because…"
"Single target at the boundaries of Sluis Van's orbit!"
"Located beyond the range of our guns."
"Identified as Interdictor-class Star Destroyer."
"Name 'Eternal Wrath.'"
"Report to all ships!" Bel Iblis perked up upon hearing about the enemy's appearance. "Notify the Fourth Fleet flagships! On my command…"
"Sir, long-range communication is blocked—the 'Eternal Wrath' is jamming!"
Leia darkened upon hearing the last message.
Memories of read reports on Thrawn's past attacks flashed in her mind…
"'Eternal Wrath' has deployed gravity wells along vectors one, two, ten, and eleven!"
"Holding beyond our deployment vectors!"
"Located beyond the engagement zone of artillery and our ships!"
"Registering arrival of large enemy forces!"
"Two Interdictors on the opposite orbit!"
"Holding beyond our guns!"
"Interdictor cruisers along the entire circumference of the planet!"
"Twenty heavy cruisers along vector one!"
"Star Destroyers along vector two!"
"Forty marks along vector ten!"
"Sixty enemy marks on vector eleven!"
"Battle stations to the entire fleet!" bellowed Bel Iblis. "Begin monitoring the situation!"
"Garm," whispered the girl. "Thrawn has cut us off from Fourth Fleet reinforcements?!"
"I'm afraid so, Leia," hissed Bel Iblis through his teeth. "It looks like I misjudged his tactics. He clearly intends a full siege, methodically smashing our defensive structures, while the most logical way would be a quick raid, seize the ships, and get out of here unscathed."
"He doesn't want to capture Sluis Van, right?" tensed Leia.
"I don't know," declared Bel Iblis. "I'll do everything I can to prevent him from achieving anything he planned. But," the Corellian looked at her, "I'll need help."
"Talk Thrawn to death?" Leia smiled mirthlessly.
"No," there wasn't a hint of an attempt to defuse the situation on Bel Iblis's face. "Go to Han. Take the Falcon, because only that ship is fast and lucky enough to break through the blockade of interdictor cruisers around the entire orbit that Thrawn has organized. I foresee he'll bring out the fleet at the locations of these starships using their gravity wells. You must leave Sluis Van immediately and head to these coordinates," he pulled an information chip from his pocket and literally thrust it into Councilor Organa-Solo's hands. "This is an uninhabited system not far from Sluis Van. Admiral Duplex and I will delay Thrawn as long as we can. You must fly there immediately and take a roundabout way to the Fourth Fleet. Bring all their ships here—the faster, the better. Thrawn clearly intends to take us in a standard 'pincer grip'—he senses the trap at the front, and he'll need time to break through."
"Consider us already on the way," pronounced Leia, rushing toward the exit from the bridge.
"Take care of your safety!" Bel Iblis shouted after her.
But Leia had already thought of that—she was dialing Han and Lando, realizing that only an old friend could be trusted in such difficult times.
***
The turbolift doors opened, and the trio of prisoners was literally pushed out by the guards.
Looking around, Luke, Wedge, and Iella proceeded to the central dais, where Grand Admiral Thrawn sat in the chair.
Turning to face the central viewport, beyond which white-blue spots of the hyperspace light tunnel were visible, Thrawn quietly addressed the trio, stroking the lizard lounging at his feet.
"Welcome to the bridge of the Chimaera, General, Jedi, agent…"
Luke tried to reach for the Force but couldn't.
He looked around but saw no other creatures on the bridge—only the one the Grand Admiral himself had.
So only one lizard is cutting him off from the Force…
"Sounded like the start of a joke," grumbled Wedge in response to the Grand Admiral's greeting.
"Yes, perhaps," he easily agreed. "In fact, the situation is indeed comical."
"Why?" flared Iella. "You surely didn't call us to the bridge to crack jokes."
"You're right there, Agent Wessiri," agreed Thrawn, honoring them with a glance. "You see, the end of the current campaign is approaching. I attack Sluis Van, its shipyards, and take from the New Republic the starships of Imperial design."
"Already?" blurted Wedge in a mocking tone. "And I thought we were in hyperspace."
"We're in the process, General Antilles," clarified Thrawn. "The Sluissi sector fleet, summoned by General Bel Iblis, has just arrived at the shipyards. And my diversionary forces have taken positions."
"And what's your plan?" inquired Luke.
"Simple," replied Thrawn. "We destroy your resistance and take what doesn't belong to you."
"Ambitious," opined Wedge. "Interesting, how will you do it?"
Iella cautiously poked the man between the ribs.
"Despite all General Iblis's tricks, his defeat is inevitable, as is Palpatine's return," pronounced the Grand Admiral. "All these tactical moves, undoubtedly very inventive, only delay the inevitable."
"Sounds like the traditional villain's triumph in the finale of a holofilm," pronounced Wessiri.
"Perhaps," Thrawn replied evasively. "However, you're fundamentally mistaken in your conjectures, agent. I'm not a villain. Though, this concept depends on evaluation criteria and the observer's point of view."
"Now it sounds even more like it," declared Wedge. "Won't you take pity on us simpletons and reveal your clever plan?"
"Self-deprecation as a variant of self-irony on the edge of provocation," evaluated Thrawn. "Cheap farce, considering I invited you not to waste time on unnecessary boasting."
"Then why did you invite us, if I may ask?" asked the Jedi Knight.
"To show how bitter the consequences of delusion can be," pronounced Thrawn.
Around the same time, the Chimaera exited hyperspace.
Luke expected that after the light tunnel, he'd see a battle scene, but…
"Where are we?" Wedge was surprised.
"Sluis Van," Thrawn readily explained.
"And where's the battle between the New Republic and your forces?" asked Iella, voicing the question tormenting the trio.
"Oh, don't worry," advised the Grand Admiral. "We exited over the planet's north magnetic pole and are currently moving toward the battlefield you so desire."
Luke and Wedge exchanged glances.
Iella's face showed incomprehension.
"You want to strike from the rear," Wedge realized first.
"With the main forces, yes, the strike will be delivered precisely that way," confirmed Thrawn. "While my diversionary forces engage the arrived sector fleet and break the defense at the front, the main strikes will be far from where General Iblis expects."
"Where the protection is minimal," realized Luke.
"Yes, General Iblis will soon pay for his shortsightedness," confirmed the correctness of the guess the Grand Admiral himself. "All his tricks to deprive me of the tactical advantage of the latest weapons are, in fact, worthless."
"You speak as if you've found a way to bypass all the surprises prepared for you."
"I didn't just find a way—I did it," he pointed forward, urging everyone present to look at how a battle scene unfolded before their eyes.
Throughout the space surrounding the Sluis Van shipyards, a fierce fight was indeed boiling.
Dominion ships, surrounding the arrived Sluissi sector fleet, pressed on the New Republic starships near the defensive perimeter of orbital defense stations.
The battle was already turning into a classic "brawl" in places, where several heavy cruisers supported by numerous Corellian frigates and corvettes surrounded one or several Mon Calamari star cruisers, stinging it from all sides without hindrance, as if ignoring the Republican ship's response.
From the side, it looked very much like an attack by wild animals, predators assaulting a herd of herbivores, separating one or two individuals and feasting.
"General Bel Iblis really tried to deprive me of the advantage of new types of weapons," pronounced Thrawn. "See these numerous transport ships positioned like two layers of a cake around the ships of Imperial design?"
"Their positioning prevents you from striking with your new fighters or disabling ships of Imperial design with ion cannon shots, which are helping our forces on the perimeter repel your heavy cruisers," noted Wedge. "Therefore, your Venator-class Star Destroyers can't do anything now except hold in the upper echelon and assist with their cannon fire and aviation."
"How does it feel to realize, Grand Admiral Thrawn, that you prepared new superweapons for so long, and you were outplayed by simply placing old transport ships between you and your target?" smiled Iella Wessiri.
"I'll only say that General Iblis has finally learned the lesson taught to him repeatedly," Thrawn pronounced in a calm tone.
"What do you mean?" Luke tensed.
"Only that your commanders have truly learned to counter the latest types of weapons," continued the Grand Admiral. "But there's a nuance. Even several."
"And you'll kindly tell us them?" inquired Antilles.
"Of course," replied Thrawn. "Remind me, General, why did the New Republic choose to disarm precisely Imperial military ships for cargo transport?"
"Because of high crew requirements and large cargo capacity at comparable sizes to Mon Calamari star cruisers," answered Iella instead of her comrade.
"Yes, cargo capacity that provides those same Imperial Star Destroyers with long autonomy," pronounced Thrawn in a tone as if tasting expensive wine. "Actually, for this very reason, I chose to deliver the main strike precisely with Star Destroyers: the Chimaera and all those currently under my command."
Luke felt a sinking sensation in his stomach.
He glanced around, quickly found the tactical screen…
"Great Force!" he gasped.
"You have almost half a hundred Star Destroyers!" exclaimed Wedge Antilles, not hiding his surprise.
"And they're now attacking Sluis Van from three different directions," confirmed Grand Admiral Thrawn.
On the monitor, it was clearly visible how from the north pole side and two opposite points on the planet's equator, at a quarter-orbit distance in each direction from the frontal strike site, the Sluis Van defensive perimeter was being breached by numerous triangular pictograms.
And from his experience, Luke knew that the tiny green arrows moving from these triangles to the orbital fortress icons were far from just computer graphics.
These were turbolaser salvos and anti-ship missiles now tearing the hulls of defense stations to pieces, opening the way for Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet to low orbit over Sluis Van.
Essentially, Thrawn had just flanked the ships defending Sluis Van from three directions.
His ships only needed to orbit a quarter, and he'd reach the orbital shipyards directly.
And Admiral Duplex's ships (at least identified as such by the onboard computer), guarding the shipyard complex and the orbital docks near them.
"Bel Iblis will stop you!" firmly pronounced Wessiri.
"He will undoubtedly try," clarified Thrawn. "The General prepared for this confrontation. And did so diligently. The problem is only that," Luke realized the Republican forces had finally noticed the approach of three Star Destroyer squadrons and began redeploying, "he prepared to counter high-precision weapons. These transports flooding the orbit are undoubtedly ships for transporting crews currently operating starships of Imperial design. Full crews, I'll clarify just in case. And also obstacles to direct strikes. But they also serve as ersatz carriers for transporting fighters needed to strike my ships while we're engaged in a shootout. Numerical superiority in aviation—a fairly common tactical move. I've implemented it myself more than once."
"In that case, your song is sung, Grand Admiral," smiled Wedge Antilles. "Since you're outnumbered in aviation, your superweapon can't fire, and even ships of Imperial design are combat-ready, you're clearly in the minority!"
"Moreover, Bel Iblis has all the interdictor cruisers working in Sluis Van's orbit," noted Luke.
He too had calculated the situation but, unlike his Corellian friend, didn't rush to rejoice.
The Grand Admiral Thrawn spoke too easily about knowing the trap he'd been lured into.
And in such detail that it exalted Bel Iblis's genius to the skies.
A trap upon a trap!
In Thrawn's very style.
"Yes, it seems so at first glance, General," replied Thrawn to Wedge. "Superweapons can't be used in the current situation. But the question is different, dear prisoners."
"And what is it?" asked Iella.
"Has Bel Iblis learned to gather stones or not," calmly pronounced Thrawn, looking at the gray-haired man with vice admiral insignia. "I suggest beginning, Vice Admiral Pellaeon."
"With pleasure, sir," he smiled restrainedly, gripping the comlink more comfortably. "To all Dominion destroyers. Activate tractor beams. Begin launching special cargo."
"No-no-no-no-no," whispered Wedge with eyes rounding in horror, seeing how from the bow of the Chimaera, launched at fighter speed, a medium-sized asteroid rushed toward the New Republic ships.
And another behind it.
And another.
And
another.
And a dozen nearby…
***
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