Mitth'raw'nuruodo

Mitth'raw'nuruodo, core name "Thrawn," was a near-human Chiss male who hailed from the planet Rentor in the Chiss Ascendancy, located in the Unknown Regions. The region of the galaxy, known to its residents as "the Chaos," was a hazardous place to navigate due to supernovae, black holes, gravity wells, and stranger phenomena continually affecting the hyperspace lanes.

Born on Rentor around 59 BBY as Kivu'raw'nuru ("Vurawn"), Thrawn was originally a member of the Kivu family, a small and poor family among the Chiss Ascendancy, a Chiss oligarchy which controlled a portion of the Unknown Regions. He had a Force-sensitive older sister named Kivu'rik'ardok ("Vurika") who was taken from his family to become a sky-walker navigator when he was three years old and she was two years his senior. Because the Chiss lacked technology like navigation computers, and due to the dangerous nature of the Chaos, the Ascendancy used these Force-sensitives as navigators to move through the Unknown Regions. This power, known as Third Sight, typically only manifested in young Chiss girls and disappeared by the time they matured.

In school, Thrawn was taught the lie that the population of the Chiss homeworld and capital of Csilla was around 4 billion Chiss. Csilla had slowly frozen over thousands of years prior due to the decrease of the energy output of Csilla's sun, forcing its population to move entirely underground. In reality, the majority of the population had moved to other planets, with Csilla remaining mostly empty of citizens. The remaining inhabitants of Csilla moved underground, which became the only part of the story that Chiss like Thrawn were taught. He eventually came to attend an academy on Rentor, where he got exceptionally good grades. Sometime in his student career, he became a line leader in the academy and got the attention of multiple Ruling Families. Mitth'oor'akiord ("Thooraki"), the Patriarch of the Mitth family, was interested in adopting Vurawn as a merit adoptive. Thooraki pointed his friend, General Ba'kif, to take notice of Vurawn and point the Aristocra Mitth'urf'ianico ("Thurfian") towards the student. Supreme General Ba'kif had recently created the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet when Thurfian visited Vurawn on Rentor, and the Mitth family still had two appointment slots left for the year. After an initial interview with Thurfian, Vurawn was surprised to learn that he was immediately accepted into the Mitth family as a merit adoptive (the adoption process typically took months). Unbeknownst to either Thurfian or Vurawn, it was Thooraki who facilitated this immediate adoption. Vurawn soon adopted the new name of Mitth'raw'nuru, thus making his core name "Thrawn." Thrawn's adoption into the Mitth was appointed with a ceremony and occurred around 39 BBY.

After his recruitment into the Mitth family, Thrawn was transferred to the Taharim Academy on Naporar, the planet from which much of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet was commanded. Prior to his journey from Rentor to Naporar aboard the Tomra, Thrawn had never flown in space. Thrawn wanted to learn the map and the "feel" of the ship and ventured to a restricted area aboard the Tomras bridge. There, he met a sad 13-year-old girl named Al'iastov. Unknown to Thrawn, Al'iastov was a sky-walker navigator nearing the expiration of her powers of Third Sight. The young girl was charged with navigating the Tomra to Naporar as a test of her retention of Third Sight and was required, when in the presense of any personnel not cleared to know of the existence of Chiss navigators, to not reveal her real name and to state that she was the captain's daughter. Al'iastov accidentally revealed her name to Thrawn, but she still retained the lie of being the captain's daughter.

Journeys within the Ascendancy were often used to test aging sky-walkers because travel within the Ascendancy was much safer than travel within the Chaos at large, and if the navigator failed and steered their starship in the wrong direction, the helm officer could easily and safely correct their course. Al'iastov was distraught at her failure to navigate to Naporar, but Thrawn comforted the young girl, telling her that a captain's daughter would have many possible career paths. Thrawn even got down onto one knee, placing his face slightly below Al'iastov's.

Just as Thrawn cheered Al'iastov up on the Tomra, Junior Captain Vorlip reached the transport's bridge and admonished the new cadet for entering a restricted area. She tested Thrawn's instincts for the Tomra by telling him to close his eyes, spinning him around so he would lose his balance (making sure to move around with him), and then asking him to point in the direction of the ship's bow. Thrawn correctly identified the direction despite it being his first spaceflight, impressing Vorlip. She dismissed him, telling him to be certain he had clearance before entering restricted areas in the future. As he departed, Vorlip confided in Al'iastov that it took her over 15 voyages in space on 4 different ships to acquire such a sense of direction. Nevertheless, the Captain later demerited Thrawn with 50 down-marks for accessing a restricted area. It would take Thrawn three months to work off the demerits after arriving at the Academy. Inspired by Thrawn's encouragement and compassion, she sought to be rematched to his Mitth family after retiring from the Sky-walker corps. Years later, Al'iastov had become a merit adoptive of the Mitth, now named Mitth'ali'astov "Thalias" and sought to travel with Thrawn just to see him again.

Just after being taken to the Taharim Academy on Naporar, Thrawn was taken to a rematching dinner at the Mitth family compound on Avidich for orientation. Unknown to those around him, Thrawn felt deep pain at the loss of his older sister Kivu'rik'ardok, whose starday was the same day as the rematching dinner and whom he believed had died when he was three years old.

Thrawn was greeted by an Aristocra named Mitth'ras'safis ("Thrass") who held the rank of Cousin within the Mitth family. Unbeknownst to either Thrawn or Thrass at the time, Patriarchs Thooraki of the Mitth and Stybla'mi'ovodo ("Lamiov") of the Stybla family planned to unite Thrawn and Thrass in close friendship. They and Ba'kif, a Stybla known as Labaki until his promotion to flag rank, had seen Thrawn's great talents at combat and Thrass' political acumen; and wished to bring the two young men together to complement one another. They believed the duo would bring the Mitth family to new heights and reinforce a millennia-old quiet friendship between the Mitth and Stybla families.

Most merit adoptives adopted upon joining the Expansionary Defense Fleet attended their formal welcoming to the Mitth family on Avidich before going to Naporar. However, an exception had been made for Thrawn, leading Thrass to surmise that a high-ranking family official had wished for Thrawn to join the Fleet as quickly as possible. Thrawn impressed Thrass to the point of disbelief by identifying that several of the Mitth family artworks present in the compound were created by a female artist who had recently suffered a great personal loss in her family. Indeed, the works in question were produced by the historical Mitth Patriarch Mitth'omo'rossodo "the Tragic," a woman whose all four sons had died in battle at the Final Assault on Csilla not long before she painted her last artwork. Thrass could sense a deep personal loss in Thrawn's past, but could not discern what secrets lied behind the eyes of his new acquaintance.

Thrawn left Thrass to eat at the rematching dinner and perform the ceremony. Thrass continued to observe Thrawn through the rest of the rematching dinner, watching Thrawn draw back from social interactions, mainly speak when spoken to, and observe everything around him. Thrass decided to converse more with the young cadet Thrawn, who seemed uncomfortable. Understanding Thrawn's interest in art, Thrass offered to show the cadet the large collection of artwork available at the compound on Avidich. Aristocra Thrass asked Thrawn how long he would stay on Avidich, to which Thrawn replied that he had only been permitted to stay on Avidich for one night. Thrass sought to extend Thrawn's time on the planet, predicting that Thrawn would only receive two or three downmarks for staying longer, and insisting that the Mitth family could have the downmarks waived. However, Thrawn informed Thrass that he had already accrued fifty downmarks, leading Thrass to question how Thrawn could have possibly earned so many demerits. Thrawn was surprised he had even been allowed to travel to Avidich at that time rather than waiting a few weeks, but Thrass pointed out the political concerns that had enabled Thrawn's presence that night: Avidich's Irizi family Patriel was present at the rematching dinner. The Irizi family was rivaled to the Mitth and had a goal of dominating the Ascendancy military including Ba'kif's new Expansionary Defense Fleet. Mitth family Patriarch Thooraki wished to show off three military rematches to the Irizi rather than two and had thus appealed to Colonel Wevary, Taharim Academy's leader, to allow Thrawn a one-day travel pass to Avidich. Understanding that Thrawn had to return to Naporar soon, Thrass offered to show Thrawn the Patriel's art collection and described the art gallery at the Mitth family homestead on Csilla as even grander. Thrawn declined Thrass' offer but said he'd like to examine art with the Aristocra someday.

As a student at Taharim Academy, Thrawn consistently scored among the top of his class. Eventually, Thrawn was accused of cheating on a combat simulation exam proctored by Senior Cadet Irizi'ar'alani ("Ziara"), who was three years older than him. Thrawn scored much higher on that exam than anyone in the history of Taharim Academy, leading to the allegations. In reality, Thrawn was innocent, having invented a stealth maneuver during the simulation which led to his exceptional score. However, the simulation could not be repeated with the same parameters, so Thrawn could not establish his innocence. Resigned to a fate of expulsion from the academy, Thrawn was given a chance by Ziara, who called in General Ba'kif to intervene on Thrawn's behalf. Ba'kif proposed that, if Thrawn could not establish his innocence through a simulation, a combat exercise with the same parameters should suffice. Ba'kif prepares four patrol craft and an observation launch for the 6 observers.

As they prepare to start the exercise, Ziara reflects on how she has painted a target on her forehead. If Thrawn fails to prove his case, she will be in hot water too, as she went to all this trouble to try to prove his innocence. The exercise begins, with Thrawn's patrol craft facing three others. Thrawn cuts starboard and heads toward patrol Three. Patrols One and Two close the gap by angling towards Thrawn. Thrawn then fires in between One and Three, causing the two patrol crafts to veer apart to escape the line of fire. Two then heads to Thrawn's flank for an attack, which is successful. However, ignoring the theoretical damage coming from Two's low-power lasers, Thrawn continues towards One and Three. Then, Thrawn turns around but fires his front thrusters and keeps traveling towards One and Three. These two ships veer further out of the way out of fear of being rammed. At the same time, Two traveled past Thrawn's bow, allowing Thrawn to fire at Two's stern. This attack had killed Two's acceleration and sent it into a slow tumble. At the same time as this attack, Thrawn activated his rear thrusters and moved behind Two. Once Two was perfectly in between Thrawn and the other two ships, Thrawn manipulated his own thrusters in a way that made his ship match the slow tumble of Two. This caused Thrawn to not be visible to the other two ships. It is at this point that Ziara recognizes how Thrawn was able to "disappear" in the simulation. Thrawn then waited long enough for One and Three to turn their attention elsewhere in an attempt to locate him. It was at this moment that Thrawn stopped his slow rotation and fired two lasers that hit the bows of the remaining two ships. Ba'kif ends the exercise.

The Irizi representative (who was present to represent Ziara) claims that Thrawn did not disappear the way he seemingly did in the simulation, but Ba'kif states that their vantage point above the battle and the use of weakened lasers explains Thrawn's "lack of disappearance". Prompted by Ba'kif, Ziara explains how Two's successful laser attacks against Thrawn would have caused oxygen and fuel to leak into space. When Thrawn turned around and fired his forward thrusters at the gas, it would have ignited, causing the enemy sensors to be temporarily blinded. When the Two started to spin, Thrawn simply traveled to the other side of the ignited gas and matched that spinning pattern to conceal himself from the other ships' vantage point. When the other two ships started to look for him elsewhere, Thrawn emerged and took them out. After the Irizi representative asks about Two's sensors, Ziara explains that they would have been using the flank thrusters to dampen their wobble, thus obscuring Two's sensors. Wevary ends his inquiry soon thereafter.

After Thrawn was acquitted, Thrawn invited Ziara to an art gallery to celebrate. He explains the reflection of Chiss history through the art, dating back to the Chiss participation in the conflicts between the Sith Empire and the Old Republic. After Ziara expresses her doubt, Thrawn points out a piece of one-hundred-year-old Scofti tableware, and asks Ziara what she sees in it. She cannot see past the colors, so Thrawn mentions the lack of durability in the material, citing the fact that, because the Scofti government changes so frequently and violently, the material artisans would see little point in making durable products (new leaders likely would take pride in destroying the personal items of their predecessor). Ziara still has doubts, so Thrawn starts to discuss some Brodihi flatware. From the angled color bars of the flatware design, Thrawn is able to determine that in order for the angled color bars to line up, the spoon and fork must face outward, while the knife must face inward. The positioning of the knives in this way would suggest to the other patrons that you have no animosity towards them. If you were to flip the knife to its other side, however, you would have to let it face outward in order for the angled color bars to line up. From this, Thrawn and Ar'alani determine that the Brodihi have a social hierarchy, where, depending on your rank relative to the other patrons at the table, you would turn your knife either inward or outward. Thrawn also points out that the flatware is designed to place the food several centimeters down the snout instead of at the font and determines that this is due to the existence of an outer rim of teeth meant for combat (there would be no taste receptors on this outer rim of teeth, to prevent the Brodihi from tasting their enemies' flesh and blood). After Ziara exclaims her disgust, Thrawn mentions that it would be important to know of an enemy's combat preferences, in case the Chiss ever came across the species. For example, the Chiss now can assume that the Brodihi have a preference for close-in combat (with their teeth being their primary weapon). More intrigued now, Ziara asks Thrawn to show her more.

After an hour, Ziara accuses Thrawn of already knowing of alien tactics and shaping his analysis of the artwork to fit that knowledge. Thrawn insists that he does not do that, but Ziara decides to put him to the test anyway. She invites Thrawn to study the wire sculptures that she makes in her spare time and to spar in a dojo to see if Thrawn was able to predict her fighting style. After analyzing Ziara's wire sculptures, she and Thrawn go to the dojo, where Ziara gave Thrawn the choice of combat: stick or unarmed. Thrawn chooses stick combat, and they begin. Thrawn initially defends against Ziara's calculated attack strategies. Eventually, he counters and manages to land a soft, intentional hit on Ziara's head. After some more failed attacks, Ziara tries to switch her technique and manages to get a hit on Thrawn's chest. She gets another hit, but then Thrawn releases his own flurry of attacks that force Ziara to retreat. He pushes her to the edge of the mat but allows her time to not hit the wall. Using this hesitation, Ziara attempts to attack again but lands no hits. She stops fighting, frustrated, and asks how Thrawn was able to defend so successfully against her. Thrawn explains to her that her sculptures, consisting of groundlions, dragonelles, and predatory birds, demonstrate preferences for short attacks, hesitation feints, and aggression, respectively. Overall, he mentions that her art reflects a preference for wide-spaced attack combinations. He also mentions that the open areas of her sculptures show how she creates her feint attacks. He also mentions that the angular style of her sculptures suggested that spinning attacks would likely slow her fight response. Thrawn invites Ziara to continue the analysis, and she states that after realizing the initial attack patterns were obviously failing, she switched to different tactics, which allowed her to get two successful hits on Thrawn. She then realizes that after Thrawn's counterattack, she was never able to land another hit. Thrawn asks her if she knows why, and Ziara comes to the realization that she, in a panic, went back to her original tactics (the ones Thrawn already knew how to counter). Then, Ziara briefly considers landing a quick hit on Thrawn, realizing that she never specifically ended the match. It would not be honorable to do so, however, so she decides not to. Thrawn adds that the care Ziara put into her sculptures indicate that she would not play any "shoddy tricks" on him. Embarrassed, Ziara asks if Thrawn thinks he can perform this level of analysis against an alien species, to which Thrawn expresses hope that he gets the chance to prove it to her in the future.

Two years after being rematched into the Mitth family, around 37 BBY, Thrawn graduated from Taharim Academy with a lieutenant's commission in the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. Aristocra Thrass had kept tabs on Thrawn's progress as a Taharim Academy cadet, but he had not seen Thrawn since their rematching dinner. However, Patriarch Thooraki summoned Thrass to his office to travel to Naporar and convince Thrawn to remain with the Mitth instead of joining the Stybla family as a Trial-born, which would be a promotion from his current rank as a Mitth family merit adoptive. At the time, Thrass was surprised to be called before the Patriarch for such a seemingly trivial task. However, Patriarchs Thooraki and Lamiov secretly arranged for a scenario where Thrass would have to declare his friendship with Thrawn or Thrawn would be offered rematching as a Stybla Trial-born.

Thrass traveled from Csilla to Naporar, where he arranged to meet Thrawn for lunch at a bistro. Thrass arrived ten minutes before Thrawn. Eight minutes after Thrass sat down, a strange man showed up uninvited and sat across from Thrass. The strange Chiss surprised Thrass by knowing his name. When asked, the stranger introduced himself as Stybla'ppin'cykok ("Lappincyk"), Senior Aide to Stybla Patriarch Lamiov, and impressed Thrass with his knowledge of the successes and workings of the Mitth family. Lappincyk informed Thrass that he would be extending Thrawn an offer of rematching to the Stybla and challenged Thrass to outperform that offer. Having been tasked by Patriarch Thooraki with retaining Thrawn as a Mitth, Thrass insisted that the Stybla merely saw Thrawn as a shiny new piece in a game of family glory and politics. Lappincyk riposted by questioning whether the Mitth saw more than that in Thrawn. Thrass retorted that he did not know what the Mitth family saw in Thrawn, but declared that he saw Thrawn as his friend, in the process admitting it to himself. Lappincyk remarked that Thrass' pronouncement of Thrawn as his friend was interesting.

Just after Thrass declared his friendship with Thrawn, the young lieutenant arrived and sat down. Just as Thrawn had predicted, he joined Thrass precisely ten minutes after the Aristocra. Thrawn thanked Thrass for working around his schedule as a lieutenant in the Expansionary Defense Fleet, before declaring to Lappincyk that he did not believe they had met before. Lappincyk introduced himself to Thrawn, and Thrass expected the Senior Aide to follow up with an offer of rematching as a merit adoptive of the Stybla. To Thrass' surprise, the Stybla official instead told the lieutenant that he was just leaving and bade the two friends to enjoy their meal. Unbeknownst to either Thrass or Thrawn at the time, the encounter between Thrass and Lappincyk had been a test concocted by Patriarchs Lamiov and Thooraki to see whether Thrass would admit his friendship with Thrawn. The Patriarchs had been coordinating to bring Thrass and Thrawn together as close friends, seeing the young men as possessing a powerful combination of political, military, tactical, and strategic skills which could elevate the Mitth to new heights. If Thrass had not declared his friendship with Thrawn, the Stybla would indeed have extended their rematching offer to Thrawn.

Unaware of the Patriarchs' plot to unite the two Mitth in close friendship, Thrass was perplexed by Senior Aide Lappincyk's behavior. However, Thrass considered the depth of politicking which Lappincyk had been conducting beyond his position or skill at the time. Thrass relented, deciding to merely enjoy lunch with his friend Thrawn. The Aristocra asked the lieutenant to tell him all about Ziara, by then a Junior Commander, having heard that Ziara single-handedly saved Thrawn's career during his allegations of cheating at Taharim Academy. Thrawn demurred, protesting mildly that that was not quite how the events unraveled, leading Thrass to ask his friend for the exact specifics. Thrass told Thrawn he would retell the story later as a means of proving that the Mitth was the finest of the Ascendancy's Ruling Families, and he wished to have all the details correct. Thrawn noted the bias of Thrass' conclusion, asking what if the details did not support the Aristocra's goal of demonstrating the supreme fineness of the Mitth. Thrass dismissed Thrawn's hypothetical stipulation, insisting the details would indeed support his goal. Thrass told his friend that the only thing that would change about the story is how smug he would allow himself to sound while recounting it.

As a Chiss officer, Thrawn rose through the ranks to become a well-respected member of the Ascendancy, but he was only truly liked by those who worked beside him or believed in the stories they heard of his genius. Aside from those colleagues and those in the Mitth family who loved the glory his actions tended to lend to their family, despite familial glory never being Thrawn's goal, he faced a great deal of opposition from other members of the military and some politicians for his unorthodox methods. In fact, Thrawn noted to himself his fellow Chiss were never able to understand the answers and information he could glean from artwork. Nonetheless, he would continue to receive briefings for the Expansionary Defense Fleet at its complex on Naporar.

After being promoted to the rank of Junior Commander, Thrawn served as a pilot aboard a Chiss diplomatic cruiser. Thrawn had been faced with pirates attacking shipping freighters in the outer reaches of their territory, off Pesfavri and Schesa, for several months.

Thrawn was a part of a mission tasked with heading to the planet Bardram Scoft to meet the new Prefect of the Scoftic government, given that their previous Prefect had been assassinated. To reach Bardram Scoft, the ship stopped at Guild Concourse 447, where they hired Pathfinder Qilori of Uandualon to lead them through hyperspace. In order to keep their own Force-sensitive sky-walker corps a secret from the rest of the Unknown Regions, the Chiss hired the services of the Navigators' Guild. Thanks to Qilori, the ship arrived at Bardram Scoft several minutes ahead of the captain's schedule.

Once they arrived at the planet, Qilori came out of his navigational trance, and he and Thrawn were the only people present on the bridge. When asked where the rest of the crew was, Thrawn explained the ambassador was being prepared and that, in line with Scofti culture, the highest-ranking military officer needed to join them. He also explained that their ambassador would need to learn the protocols of the new Prefect, explaining that the previous holder of the title had been assassinated. Calmly informing Qilori that such actions were not uncommon in Scofti culture, Thrawn noticed a ship out the viewport belonging to another nation. When Qilori guessed it to be a Lioaoin ship, Thrawn explained it resembled the pirate crafts that had been attacking Chiss shipping freighters. Although Qilori had heard rumors that the Lioaoin Regime had turned to piracy to save its economy, the Guild's rules about neutrality prevented him from informing Thrawn. The Junior Commander instead suggested the pirates could have bought their starships from a local manufacturer also used by the Regime.

After Qilori confirmed he had traveled to Lioaoin space before, Thrawn asked him if he could travel there from Chiss space or elsewhere, such as from Bardram Scoft. Qilori asked Thrawn if he wanted to travel to Lioaoin space at present. Thrawn confirmed they were not presently heading into Lioaoin space, learned Qilori's name, and learned that he was mostly based at Guild Concourse 447. The Junior Commander then proposed that they could work together again in the future and introduced himself as Thrawn, stating he would specifically seek out Qilori's service. The Pathfinder rued the idea but lied to Thrawn by saying the prospect sounded wonderful. Unbeknownst to the Pathfinder, Thrawn had correctly become convinced the pirates were connected to the Lioaoin Regime. Furthermore, the Junior Commander also inferred that Qilori suspected or knew that too, because a secret of such gravity would be hard to keep from the Navigators' Guild.

After meeting Qilori, Thrawn researched the Pathfinders and uncovered a deeply held secret: that they could track each other through hyperspace. Armed with this knowledge, he proposed a response to the pirate attacks to General Ba'kif. During their meeting, Thrawn argued that the pirate and Lioaoin ships had notable similarities, but he suggested they attack the pirates alone instead of assaulting the Lioaoin Regime. Thrawn notes to Ba'kif that he would be able to distinguish between enemy and friendly ships. Ba'kif corrects Thrawn's wording, stating that third-party ships were neutral, not friendly. Thrawn additionally promises he would take no action if he could not make such a distinction. Ba'kif feared Thrawn may be overconfident and that such self-certainty could backfire. Nevertheless, the general understood that continued pirate attacks made the Ascendancy look weak to other nations of the Chaos, so he approved the Junior Commander's request for three ships.

Once his mission was approved by Ba'kif, Thrawn hired Qilori and traveled to the Lioaoin heartworld aboard a freighter. Unknown to Qilori, another Chiss ship arrived as well, which was also guided by another member of the Navigators' Guild. Upon seeing Lioaoin patrol ships, Thrawn became confident that the Lioaoin Regime was abetting the pirates, noticing that a nearby ship resembled a pirate ship that had recently attacked the Chiss Massoss system. Qilori protested Thrawn's encroachment, citing the potential outbreak of danger if the Regime was involved with the pirates. Thrawn immediately responds by asking Qilori if he had known of Lioaoin involvement in the piracy. After he denied knowing anything, Qilori again asked to leave, as he knew Pathfinders on the Lioaoin corsairs could track him through hyperspace. Instead, Thrawn decided to remove any doubt among their foes that they were pursuing pirates. To the horror of Qilori, the Junior Commander sent out a transmission in a trade language known to the Lioaoi, confirming that he had found the pirates and ordering the second Chiss ship to flee.

After revealing the existence of the second craft to Qilori, Thrawn began to pilot their ship away with its thrusters on full. Thrawn slipped past a potential trap laid out by three Lioaoin corsairs and ordered Qilori to take them to the Kinoss system, where Chiss couriers could take their report to Naporar and Csilla. Qilori worried greatly that the Pathfinders aboard the Lioaoin craft could still track him through hyperspace, believing both fleeing Chiss vessels would be destroyed. However, such pursuit was exactly what Thrawn hoped for, as he believed the Lioaoin pirates used Pathfinders as well and had set a trap for their pursuers. During their journey, Qilori received visions of the pursuing ships, forcing him to revert to realspace on two occasions to regain his connection to the Force. During those pauses, the Junior Commander remained silent. Shortly after they had arrived in the Kinoss system, four Lioaoin corsairs emerged from hyperspace, fulfilling Thrawn's plan. Thrawn then revealed his knowledge of Pathfinders' ability to track each other through hyperspace, which Qilori denied. Unconvinced by the navigator's lie, Thrawn explained that the Pathfinders' "style" had been a part of the latest pirate attack, and that he hoped to bait those pirates at the heartworld before their hired Pathfinders returned to their base stations. Shortly thereafter, the four enemy ships were confronted by a Chiss warship under the command Mid Captain Ziara. Ziara suggested Thrawn and Qilori continue on their present path so they could have the best possible view of the pirates' ensuing destruction. That skirmish would come to mark the start of the Ascendancy's Lioaoin pirate campaign.

Following the skirmish in the Kinoss system, General Ba'kif reprimanded Thrawn and Ziara for what he sees as a pre-emptive strike. Thrawn debates this notion. Ba'kif elaborates by stating that there is only circumstantial evidence to connect the Lioaoin regime to the pirates. He also states that the Lioaoins have officially denied any involvement, which Thrawn protests as an obvious lie. Thrawn, wanting to prove the connection, offers to spy on the regime as a civilian, but Ba'kif stands firm, denying him any future action against the Lioaoi. Nonetheless, Thrawn is told that he is being promoted two ranks, to Senior Commander. A promotion of two ranks at once is rare, so Thrawn is surprised. Ziara is also promoted a rank, to Senior Captain. Thrawn and Ziara are also reassigned to third officer and commander, respectively, of the Chiss patrol cruiser Parala. Ziara is privately selected by Ba'kif to be Thrawn's helping hand through the political scene.

Months after being reassigned to the Parala, Thrawn receives a distress call from Security Officer Frangelic on the Garwian colony world of Stivic, a trade hub for the local species of the Unknown Regions. Stivic and its orbital merchant-hub station were under attack by Lioaoin pirates, just as the pirates had attacked the Chiss. The Paralas second officer Mid Captain Clarr'os'culry "Roscu" would berate Thrawn for responding to the distress signal, citing the Chiss preemptive strike protocols. Thrawn implored Ar'alani to bring the Parala to bear to aid in the Garwians' defense. He promised that he could lead the Parala to victory without any damage, despite the current 4-to-1 odds. The Captain was tempted to do so, but she understood that such intervention would be a violation of the Ascendancy's non-aggression laws and mean the end of her career. However, she allows Thrawn to secretly send an encoded message, via the Parala's ranging lasers, to the Garwians, detailing the Lioaoin tactics and how to defeat them. The Garwians receive the message and are able to defeat the Lioaoin pirates.

Following the Stivic incident, Mid Captain Roscu filed a disciplinary report with the Defense Hierarchy Council alleging that Thrawn and Ziara had violated the Ascendancy's non-intervention policy. Furthermore, she involved the Speaker for her Clarr family, leading the Syndicure to become involved in what would otherwise be a solely military matter. In response to Roscu involving the Clarr in the inquiry, Syndic Thurfian chose to involve the Mitth family.

General Ba'kif defended Thrawn and Ziara's actions, leading Roscu to believe they were granted unfair favoritism within the Ascendancy military. One month after the incident, Roscu was brought up on charges for a minor protocol infraction and no one came to her defense. The Expansionary Defense Fleet gave Roscu the choice between official discipline or quiet departure, leading her to join the Clarr family fleet and harbor a long-standing grudge against Thrawn and Ziara.

Four months after the pirate attack at Stivic, the Paralas officers were debriefed on Csilla to make their testimonies to the Council at the . Among those called to testify was Thrawn. Contemporaneously, Thrass was promoted to the rank of Syndic. As the newest Mitth family representative in the Syndicure, Thrass was assigned some of the more menial tasks by more senior Syndics. By that time, Thurfian was one of a few Mitth Syndics who oversaw the operations of the Chiss Defense Force and Expansionary Defense Fleet. Thurfian had acquired a data cylinder containing part of the Paralas autolog record of the Stivic incident, which he assigned to Thrass to analyze. While the Mitth Syndics employed technicians specialized at analyzing such data, Thurfian wished for no one outside the Mitth Syndics to know he possessed or read the data.

A female Syndic told Thrass that Thurfian wished for him to find a record of someone on the Parala "pulling a scam" and intervening in alien affairs on the data cylinder. At that point, Thrass recalled the Stivic incident and realized that Thurfian wished to uncover evidence of whether Thrawn had performed misconduct. Thrass surmised that Thrawn had gotten himself into major trouble over the incident, and Ziara sought to save him from the consequences, leading both to be featured prominently in the report. While Chiss families normally and officially always protected their own, abiding by the maxim "family sides with family," Thrass believed that Thurfian's animosity toward Thrawn outweighed his loyalty to the Mitth family. In spite of Syndic Thurfian's aversion to Thrawn, Thrass was unsure whether the senior Syndic wished him to indict or vindicate the Senior Commander. However, Thrass realized Thurfian's goal vis-a-vis Thrawn was secondary to the task he had been assigned: to find the truth of what had happened at Stivic.

The Paralas records of the ranging laser's modulated laserfire from the incident showcased rapid fluctuations, as Mid Captain Roscu had alleged. Thrass read in the log that the Garwians had first hailed the Paralas Chiss crew in Minnisiat. The young Syndic then proceeded to analyze the pattern of frequency fluctuations against known encryptions and in various languages, beginning with the primary Chiss language Cheunh and following with the trade languages Taarja and Sy Bisti. The frequency modulations did not match any known conversational pattern in those languages. Thrass purposely left Minnisiat toward the end of the list of languages to analyze, buying time to find evidence that could bring the entire frequency modulation into question as an intentionally transmitted signal.

While Thrass' cryptographic and linguistic analyses ran, the new Syndic uncovered the evidence he sought to cast doubt on the laser frequency data being a message. Thrass noticed that the laser's modulator disk had been replaced shortly after the incident. Such modulators were known to malfunction on occasion, leading to small, rapid frequency shifts such as those experienced in the Paralas records. In his report to Syndic Thurfian, Syndic Thrass concluded that the modulator disk's replacement shortly after the events above Stivic strongly suggested the Paralas prior modulator had suffered from that malfunction. However, the replaced modulator was since sent to a recycler for materials recovery, so it would be impossible to conclude for certain whether it had experienced that malfunction. Furthermore, the log of the part's replacement would only list the date and time, but not the person who performed the fix or the reason for its replacement.

Called into Thurfian's office to present his conclusions, Thrass reported as much to Syndic Thurfian. The younger Syndic adding that he found anything suspicious about the frequency modulation to largely be a product of Roscu's imagination. Thurfian responded by asking why the records did not include who replaced the parts or why. Thrass explained that the Defense Hierarchy Council had decided that such meticulous details would clog up the records and make it harder to search for anything meaningful. Thrass' explanation was intended to bait Thurfian into making a personal attack on Thrass, at which it succeeded. Syndic Thurfian angrily retorted that the matter at hand was meaningful, leading Thrass to apologize for his inexact word choice. Thurfian then chided Thrass for his "verbal sloppiness," threatening the new Syndic with demotion if he could not learn to better curate his wording. Having drawn Thurfian into ad hominem attacks on himself, Thrass concluded that the older Syndic had given up on his original goal of indicting Thrawn.

Thrass turned to leave Thurfian's office, but Thurfian had not yet given up on indicting Thrawn based on the incident. The older Syndic asked Thrass whether Thrawn might have been the person to replace the modulator disk. Thrass added puzzlement to his voice as he expressed doubt that a bridge officer would do such a thing. Thurfian noted that Thrawn had been in the relevant section of the Parala while the frequency modulation occurred, but Thrass explained that the repairs had been conducted fourteen hours after the vessel returned to hyperspace, at which point Thrawn was serving as the duty officer on the Paralas bridge. Thurfian then dismissed Thrass from his office.

Following his report to Syndic Thurfian, Thrass reflected that he had told the truth about his findings, though he had added a slant to advance his goal of protecting his friend Thrawn. Thrass was thankful that Thurfian had not questioned whether the replacement was necessarily performed at the time it was logged, whether Thrass had checked the transmission against all the best-known trade languages used in the region of Stivic, or whether someone might have arranged for the modulator disk to be replaced to protect Thrawn. It then occurred to Thrass that Thurfian's antagonism to Thrawn compromised the older Syndic's loyalty to the Mitth family. He then wondered whether his friendship with Thrawn might compromise his family loyalty as well. Ultimately, Thrass concluded that friendship and kinship were the basis of a family, and without those connections, the structure of Chiss families would collapse into individuals opportunistically attacking one another for personal gain. Furthermore, he thought of Patriarch Thooraki's words to him, to show Thrawn that the friendship of the Mitth was worth having. The Patriarch saw great potential in Thrawn to raise the Mitth to great heights of power and prestige, leading Thrass to conclude he had been right to protect his friend. Thrass then realized that Thrawn should have finished his testimony to the Council half an hour ago and sought to grab lunch with Thrawn at a café before each had to return to their duties.

During Thrawn's service in the Expansionary Defense Fleet and Thrass' tenure in the Syndicure, the two friends met at times for meals and board games, such as the game Tactica. Tactica was a game of strategy that involved pieces in the likeness of groundlions, whisperbird, and firewolves; animals known to the Chiss; some of which shared names with models of man-of-war capital ships used by the Ascendancy.

During one meeting at a game café, the two Mitth friends drew analogies between the strategic aspects of Tactica and their careers in the Syndicure and the Expansionary Fleet. Thrawn had been teaching Thrass the game for eight weeks, consistently defeating his friend even as Thrass' skills improved. Thrass remarked that Tactica played to all of Thrawn's strengths and against his own, calling himself a "foolish syndic." Thrawn rebutted his friend, musing that strategy and tactics were the "basic tools of the trade" in the Syndicure. Thrass agreed that those skills mattered but opined that "verbal skills" and "basic theatrics" were more important to the work of the Syndicure.

Thrawn coached Thrass on Tactica strategy, reminding his friend to have a fallback strategy in case his main strategy should fail. Thrass declared that he knew that he should do so but failed to call his backup strategy when needed. The Syndic declared his enjoyment for Tactica and thanked the Defense Fleet officer for teaching him the game. Thrawn confirmed that he knew Thrass liked the game, leading Thrass to quip that he was never quite sure whether Thrawn succeeded in picking up nuances and subtexts in what people said. Thrawn admitted to having problems in that area, musing that perhaps that was why he was in the Expansionary Defense Fleet while Thrass served in the Syndicure. Thrawn suggested that there was little need for subtext and theatrics within the Fleet, but Thrass rebuffed his friend, arguing that theatrics could be employed in any profession. Just then, the two Mitth friends witnessed a con that served as a pretext for a robbery.

At that moment, a man named Jaraki feigned a heart attack. A man and a woman at Jaraki's table called for help, with the man punching an emergency key on his comm unit while the woman called verbally to the cashier for help. The cashier came toward Jaraki with an emergency first-aid kit. In the meantime, Thrawn noticed that Jaraki had been at a table with three other people, but one of the four had gone missing. Thrass searched the café for signs of the fourth man when he noticed a man stealing from the charge register. The Syndic informed the military officer that a theft was in progress and Jaraki's heart attack was a diversion. Thrass got up from their table to block the thieves' access to the exit and decided to demonstrate to his friend how to employ theatrics to redirect people's attention. Thrass called to the robber, identifying him as "Pontriss," and asked if he had a spare jector that could be used to help Jaraki. In doing so, Thrass drew all eyes to the thief, preventing Pontriss from continuing his heist. While Thrass blocked Pontriss' possible escape vector, Thrawn likewise took a position to block the three people including Jaraki from running.

When Pontriss pulled a knife to attack Thrass, the Syndic prepared to use a chair as a shield. However, Thrawn beat Jaraki down to the floor, and Pontriss saw his accomplice who had feigned illness thoroughly beaten and decided to back down from a fight. Having defused the theft, Thrass asked the other café patrons to call the authorities to arrest the thieves and return the money. The café's manager rewarded Thrawn and Thrass with a platter of free food as thanks for foiling the robbery.

Thrass asked Thrawn whether the young officer had learned to "introduce someone to the floor" through his Fleet training or taught himself. Thrawn replied that he had learned the basics of hand-to-hand combat at the Academy, but had generalized what he learned and created more advanced techniques of his own. Thrawn proceeded to compliment Thrass on his command of theatrics to thwart the theft. The two friends continued their game, with Thrawn teaching Thrass about the backup option of a sortie if a player's main strategy failed. Thrawn complimented Thrass on his increasing skills at the game, informing his friend that at the rate of his game improvement, he would soon have to rescind the "spotting advantage" he had been granting Thrass. Thrass, unaware that Thrawn had been strategically handicapping himself, asked to what spotting advantage Thrawn referred; to which Thrawn replied that he had been playing the game left-handed, a huge tactical sacrifice. Thrass suggested that Thrawn was mocking him at the notion, but Thrawn replied that he was simply "employing controlled confusion as a diversion," as Thrass had just shown defusing the attempted robbery.

Sometime following the Stivic incident, Thrawn was given his first command: the patrol ship Boco. Eventually, Thrawn and the Boco answered a distress call from an excursion liner owned by the Chiss Boadil family. The craft, which had eight-thousand people aboard, had begun crashing into the upper atmosphere of a triple-ringed gas giant planet. Notably, the imperiled craft had luxury suites for its wealthiest passengers on its port and starboard wings. The liner had descended too far into the planet's magnetic bands and radiation for the passengers and crew to be able use the vessel's escape pods, and the ship's thrusters had failed as well. Despite the major difference in mass, Thrawn's patrol ship activated its tractor beams to try to pull the liner out, creating a smaller wake several hundred meters in front of the liner as the Boco strained and failed to stabilize the Boadil-owned ship. Thrawn sent an emergency message to Ziara. Although Ziara's journey through hyperspace took two hours and communication was impossible whilst in hyperspace, the Parala arrived in time for Thrawn to contact Ziara and ask her to join the Boco off the falling ship's bow.

Although she gave the order to her helm, Ziara informed Thrawn that the combined power of both their ships would not be enough to overcome the planet's gravity and rescue the liner. Thrawn updated her on the status of the derelict ship, informing his colleague that all the people aboard the doomed ship were gathered in the central cylinder behind still-functioning shielding, that no other aid was coming, and that they had little time to act. Once the Parala was parallel to the Boco and had activated its tractor beams, Thrawn ordered his ship to drop its tractor beams and move towards the liner. The Boco fired its spectrum lasers upon the liner's portside and starboard wings, causing them to disengage and fall towards the planet, thus lightening the liner's mass. As soon as the Boco shot the liner's starboard wing off, Ziara, understanding Thrawn's plan, ordered her Parala to use emergency power to strengthen its tractor beam. As the suddenly lighter liner finally started to be pulled free from the planet thanks to the Paralas tractor beam, the Boco returned to the side of Ziara's ship, reactivating its tractor beam and thrusters to help. Over the course of fifteen minutes, the liner was pulled out of the planet's atmosphere and gravity well, into safety. With all eight thousand people aboard safe, Thrawn contacted Ziara to thank her, and Ziara returned the favor by thanking his quick thinking. However, the Senior Captain made sure to warn the Senior Commander that, with the fancy suites of the wings destroyed in the atmosphere, he would soon encounter opposition, as the wealthier passengers had likely lost many of their expensive possessions in the rescue.

Having committed a controversial act that was not in the military's purview, as it mainly involved civilian affairs, Thrawn and Ziara were summoned to a high-level hearing on his species' homeworld, Csilla, which he had never been to before. Ziara attempted to ease his worries, noting that he held a political advantage because passengers they had saved included Aristocra from at least five Ruling Families apart from the Boadil. Even so, Thrawn admitted his hopes that his hearing would not become so politicized. As they descended to Csilla's icy surface, Thrawn asked if the city they were approaching was Csaplar, the capital city of the Ascendancy. The Senior Captain confirmed it was, declaring that Csaplar had once been a center of culture. Thrawn was unaware that Csaplar and Csilla had become sparsely populated and stated in confusion that a city with a population of seven million should certainly be able to support both the arts and the Ascendancy's government. Unbeknownst to Senior Commander Thrawn, the official population figure of seven million was vastly inflated. Upon arrival to Csaplar's southwestern spaceport, Ziara and Thrawn took a tunnel car to the Fleet headquarters.

Thrawn's hearing proved brief and perfunctory. The Boadil representative demanded Thrawn be punished and possibly even removed from the Fleet. However, representatives of three families whose Aristocra Thrawn had saved were also present and argued that Thrawn should be commended and promoted. The claims and counterclaims of the Aristocra balanced out, leaving Thrawn nearly where he started without a promotion or demotion. There was one critical exception, however: Thrawn was removed from the command of the Boco. Ziara believed this to be due to some obscure political favor someone present owed someone else. The loss of his first command disappointed Thrawn, although he tried to hide it. Ziara was surprised and apologized to her friend for the Fleet's decision as they traveled back to Csaplar aboard a tunnel car. Thrawn rationalized the tribunal's decision on the grounds that his actions had cost the Boadil millions. Ziara countered his rationale, noting that the liner's captain was responsible for the crisis. Even so, she understood that Thrawn had been blamed because the captain was a member of the Ufsa family, which was a political ally of the Boadil. As their discussion continued, Thrawn mentioned that he now had no convenient passage off Csilla, but Ziara informed him that she had requested he become one of her officers aboard the Parala, which would also give him the convenient passage off Csilla. Instead of having Thrawn wait in a hotel during his time on Csilla, she offered him lodging with her at the Irizi family homestead. Although Thrawn was concerned that guests may not be permitted into to her family's homestead, particularly because the Mitth was a rival with Ziara's Irizi family, she convinced him to come by revealing that her grandfather had been a passionate art collector. Thrawn accepted her offer but commented that Ziara was skilled at exploiting her opponents' weaknesses: in his case, his appreciation for art.

Unsatisfied by the Syndicure and the Fleet's treatment of her friend, Ziara resolved to teach Thrawn Csilla's true history: far more than regulations permitted an officer of his rank to know. Ziara secured the two of them a two-person tube car that went across Csaplar rather than around the city, which was highly unusual. Ziara felt angry and somewhat rebellious from the hearing's outcome and wanted to see how long it would take Thrawn to realize something was amiss about the Chiss capital city and planet. As the two rode in the car, the Senior Commander looked out the viewport, quickly seeing a contradiction between what he had learned about Csaplar in school and the city's stark reality. Thrawn became vocally distressed when the pair were slightly over a third of the way through Csaplar. He noticed that there was a distinct lack of people in the city and that the other tube cars had no people in them (they were riding higher up on the rails than cars with people in them). Ziara apologized for showing him the truth and then revealed that the entire planet had undergone an exodus thousands of years prior. The energy output by Csilla's star had decreased millennia ago, causing the planet's surface to freeze and leading to a mass exodus of Chiss to other worlds of the Ascendancy (specifically, Rentor, Avidich, and Sarvchi). At any time, only several hundred Chiss stayed aboveground in Csaplar while automated lights, vehicles, and traffic provided an illusion of a thriving capital. Ziara informed Thrawn that, despite the Ascendancy listing Csilla's official population as eight billion people, the true population of their homeworld was closer to sixty or seventy million. Nearly all of those people lived underground, where the true cities lied. Ziara explained that her family's homestead was in an underground cavern beneath the ancestral Irizi lands. Thrawn quickly understood the tactical purpose of the deception: an enemy who sought to attack the Chiss Ascendancy would waste time attacking an effectively empty planet advertised to the Chaos as a thriving center of culture and commerce. However, the Senior Commander also realized that such detailed knowledge of Csilla must surely be disallowed for an officer of his rank. He asked the Senior Captain why she chose to disclose the truth about Csilla to him, to which she replied that she knew he thrived on information. Furthermore, she firmly believed he would be promoted in the near future, at which time he would be given a top-level briefing on the subject. She advised Thrawn to "act surprised" in that briefing. Thrawn then asked Ziara if she had told the Irizi about his stay in their homestead. She revealed that she had not, but insisted it would not cause trouble. The male Chiss protested that she only assumed so, which she conceded.

A few weeks after his stay at the Irizi homestead, Thrawn was summoned to the office of Aristocra Irizi'stal'mustro ("Zistalmu"). Thrawn knocked on the door at precisely the specified time and was welcomed in by a reluctant Zistalmu, though the Aristocra acted friendly. After acknowledging Thrawn's presence at the Irizi homestead on Csilla, Zistalmu acknowledged that the Commander had made "quite a name" for himself over the past few years, to which Thrawn replied by acknowledging his controversial status among the Ascendancy. The Irizi official informed Thrawn of supposed problems the Commander had with certain critics within his Mitth family, and told the officer that even if the Mitth did not recognize his dedication, the Irizi family certainly did. Thrawn did not understand that this comment was meant as a setup for an offer of recruitment into the Irizi family. He thanked Zistalmu but informed the older man that he did not see how that would help his position because of the rivalry between the Mitth and Irizi families. Zistalmu said the Irizi had in mind a "more direct" means of helping Thrawn, which Thrawn still did not see as a preface to an offer of rematching. The Aristocra proceeded to unofficially offer Thrawn a spot as a Trial-born of the Irizi, a promotion from his current rank as a Mitth family merit adoptive. Zistalmu assured Thrawn that if he accepted, he would never have to perform the Trials because the Irizi family had deemed his "exemplary service" in the Defense Fleet an adequate substitute. Furthermore, the momentum of joining a Chiss family as a Trial-born would accelerate a Chiss' path toward promotion to ranking distant or even higher. Thrawn reacted with shock, telling Zistalmu that he was honored and humbled but did not see how his detachment from the Mitth would benefit the Irizi family. The official told Thrawn the Irizi could always use another distinguished military officer of high rank and they believed Thrawn was the best choice. Thrawn said he would need time to consider the offer. As the Senior Commander departed, he turned to the Aristocra and remarked that the Irizi already had one such officer, Senior Captain Ziara. Zistalmu replied that she would not be Irizi for much longer.

Shortly thereafter, Ziara was promoted to the flag rank of Commodore, removing her membership of the Irizi family and rendering her as simply Ar'alani. At the party celebrating her promotion, Thrawn told Ar'alani that he "required" advice, asking for her thoughts on whether he should join the Irizi family. The Commodore informed her subordinate that the Irizi had long dominated the military, and she had never been comfortable with it. Thrawn asked whether the Irizi family's military-mindedness would not suit him better than the Mitth, but she ultimately told him he would have to decide for himself. He thanked her for saving him on multiple occasions, including her testimonies in both the Stivic incident and his charge of cheating at Taharim Academy. She asked Thrawn to explain how he had empowered the Garwians' defense of Stivic, which he explained to her that he connected his questis to the laser frequency modulator on the Parala and sent a voice-to-script message through it. She remarked that the Garwian Unity stated on record that the credit belonged to Frangelic, and that the man had probably been promoted, which both agreed the Garwian well deserved. Ar'alani told Thrawn that she had requested the Defense Hierarchy Council make him her first officer aboard her new ship, the Destrama. She then touched Thrawn on the arm and invited him to buy her a celebratory drink somewhere more "quiet," where he could tell her more of his goals that the Ascendancy would pretend not to be grateful for.

Some time following Ar'alani's promotion to commodore, the Garwian Unity invited her and Thrawn to their capital planet of Solitair, ostensibly to thank the two Chiss for their assistance at the Stivic incident. In fact, they hoped to manipulate the Chiss into revealing more of the Lioaoi's tactical weaknesses for a planned campaign of conquest in Lioaoin space. The Lioaoin Regime sent two diplomatic ships to Solitair to negotiate a surrender to the Garwians.

Prior to the Lioaoin diplomatic vessels' arrival at Solitair, Thrawn and Ar'alani were treated as honored guests and immersed in Garwian culture. The Garwians prided themselves on artisanship, having thousands of Creators' Markets across the Unity that showcased fine, hand-crafted clothing, artwork, food, and more. After exploring their hosts' culture, Ar'alani confessed to Thrawn that she had begun to see non-Chiss as people, a view she had never held before. The Commodore believed Thrawn had always recognized non-Chiss individuals' personhood and considered it a strength of his. However, Thrawn coldly replied that he saw non-Chiss as assets first and foremost and people second.

Once the Lioaoin diplomatic ships neared the planet, Thrawn and Ar'alani's hosts pretended to be under attack by those diplomats, begging Thrawn to coordinate a counterattack for the Garwian forces. Ar'alani recognized the situation and intervened in time to prevent Thrawn from unwittingly aiding the Garwians' aggression. The Garwians attacked the diplomatic ships, which began broadcasting surrender and distress signals. Both Chiss officers were angry at the Garwians for their attempt at manipulation. Before Ar'alani and Thrawn left Solitair, they threatened their hosts and warned them never to cross the Chiss Ascendancy again.

After leaving Solitair and nearly reaching the Ascendancy, Ar'alani called the Commander into her office to discuss the events that transpired. Thrawn apologized for nearly breaking the Ascendancy's non-aggression laws, saying that he should have seen how the Garwians hoped to manipulate their Chiss guests. Ar'alani rebuffed his acceptance of blame, protesting that she should have recognized their hosts' manipulative schemes, but not he. Thrawn asked whether this was due to her being more experienced than him, but she replied by commenting on his political ineptitude. She said he did not understand politics, ledger-balancing, or jockeying for positions and prestige. Thrawn protested that politics was another form of warfare and wondered why he could not understand it. Ar'alani explained that politics, unlike military warfare, involved allies and goals that were everchanging and impossible to predict. Thrawn expressed his hope to be able to master politics in the future.

Thrawn's actions at Solitair angered the Defense Hierarchy Council. As a result, they demoted Thrawn from Senior Commander to Mid Commander. In spite of Thrawn's demotion, the Defense Hierarchy Council assigned Thrawn a new command: the Chiss heavy cruiser Springhawk. They considered assigning Thrawn to Picket Force Two and stationing him and his command ship on the Ascendancy's Eastern zenith border, on the far side of Chiss territory from both the Garwians and Lioaoi. The Irizi family, which had previously offered Thrawn a spot as an Irizi Trial-born, now offered him to join the family at the even higher rank of ranking distant. In response, Thrawn's own Mitth family decided to offer him Trial-born status without having to perform the Trials, hoping that he would prefer to be a Trial-born of the Mitth over a ranking distant of the Irizi. Aristocra Thurfian was outraged upon hearing that Thrawn would be, in his opinion, essentially rewarded for such a brazen, illegal, reckless, and politically fraught act. However, Speaker Thistrian insisted that it was better for the family to hold onto Thrawn in case he should bring them glory. Thurfian protested, believing the Irizi were bluffing to draw Thrawn closer to the Mitth, where he would create more fallout for the Mitth if and when he embarrassed or disgraced himself. Thurfian saw that such rewards in the face of a disgraceful event required someone high-up in both the military and the Mitth family to spend serious political capital to defend Thrawn, and asked Thistrian who Thrawn's benefactors might be. Thistrian reasoned that on the Fleet side, Thrawn's sponsor must either be General Ba'kif or possibly Admiral Ja'fosk. Thistrian was neither willing to conclude nor dismiss that Thrawn's high-ranking Mitth ally was Patriarch Thooraki himself. Indeed, Patriarch Thooraki and General Ba'kif were responsible for Thrawn gaining command of the Springhawk and Picket Force Two.

During Thrawn's time as a Mid Commander, Mitth family Patriarch Thooraki offered to send Thrawn and Thrass on a mission for Stybla family Patriarch Lamiov. The two Mitth were to assist the Stybla family in reclaiming part of an ancient alien weapon known as Starflash, which had been stolen by rogue thieves who were Blood among the Clarr family. Together with the Stybla Patriarch's Senior Aide Lappincyk, the Mitth friends acquired the stolen cargo while repelling invaders of the Paataatus species and dealing with an uncooperative Clarr family captain Roscu in the Pleknok system. During the mission, Thrass identified Thrawn as his brother to the Clarr family force, which would suggest Thrawn had a higher status in the family than his rank of Trial-born at the time. Unknown to Thrass and Thrawn at the time; Patriarchs Thooraki and Lamiov, together with General Ba'kif and Senior Aide Lappincyk, had sought to bring the two together in bonds of friendship and brotherhood.

The admirable qualities displayed by the two Mitth brothers led Patriarch Lamiov to honor their contributions towards the Stybla through a Stybla honoring ceremony; an honor seldom handed to a member of the Stybla family itself, let alone a member of another family. At the ceremony, Thrawn was bestowed with the suffix "odo," a word meaning "guardian" in Tybroic, the ancestral language of the Stybla family. The suffix "odo" was affixed to Thrawn's name, thus transitioning from "Mitth'raw'nuru" to "Mitth'raw'nuruodo" but without changing his core name. In the history of the Chiss Ascendancy, only eight other Chiss not of the Stybla family had received the "odo" suffix from the Stybla, with the first being the Mitth family's Twelfth Patriarch, Mitth'omo'rossodo "The Tragic." Thrass was also honored by the Stybla, but did not receive the suffix and become "Mitth'ras'safisodo." Patriarchs Thooraki and Lamiov explained to the brothers that they could not make it so obvious to the general public that they paired Thrass with Thrawn to be a political and military power couple, which is why Syndic Thrass did not receive the "odo" suffix. As the two Mitth left the Stybla Mansion whom held the ceremony, Thrass affirmed his earlier declaration naming Thrawn to be his brother.

Shortly before he was scheduled to officially take command of the Springhawk and Picket Force Two, Thrawn was assigned a mission by Patriarch Thooraki. The Mitth's allied Stybla family was faced with an emergency, and the mid commander and Syndic Thrass were called to the Stybla stronghold on Naporar to assist. Patriarch Stybla'mi'ovodo "Lamiov" and Senior Aide Lappincyk met with Thrass and Thrawn in the Stybla Patriarch's office. Although Lappincyk had comported himself with sly intrigue when he had first met the two Mitth at a bistro several years prior, he now looked desperately worried.

Patriarch Lamiov informed his Mitth guests that twelve hours prior, a Stybla cargo ship had been attacked by pirates off the Ascendancy planet Sposia while traveling from Csilla to Naporar by way of Sposia. The pirates had disguised their ship as a transport belonging to the Obbic family; a fellow Ruling Family and recent tenuous allies of the Mitth. (As-yet unknown to the Stybla or Mitth, the attackers were members of the Clarr family with the rank of Blood.) Thrass asked the composition of the Sposia orbital security forces, and was informed that they were a combination of Clarr, Obbic, Csap, and Kynkru family crew and ships. Each of those four families had strongholds on Sposia, so they shared security duties for the planet. Thrawn asked which family managed the orbital security patrol schedule, but the Stybla told him that that was shared among the four contributing families and moreover there was no evidence that the schedulers conspired to move security forces away from the Stybla cargo ship.

The Stybla officials had presented Thrass and Thrawn with three security recordings of the attack, only one of which began recording before the attack had commenced. The pilot who had recorded both before and during the attack was Clarr, so Thrawn deduced that the pirate attackers belonged to the Clarr family. Thrass suggested that the Clarr patrol pilot who recorded the attack be detained at once and that Lamiov should contact the Clarr family Patriarch Clarr'ivl'exow "Rivlex" on Rhigar at once. Lappincyk informed the Mitth that the Clarr pilot who recorded the attack had already been taken into custody. Lamiov commented that Rivlex probably already knew about the attack, as the Stybla were receiving reports of high-level communications back and forth between Rivlex's office and Sposia since she was detained. (For context, criminal organizations within the Ascendancy were typically organized within Chiss families. Very few crossed family lines, even if they had nothing to do with the official family hierarchy.) The Stybla Patriarch stated that Rivlex knew about the theft and was now trying to track down the hijackers, "so he knows." Thrass believed Lamiov had repeated himself, but Thrawn correctly deduced that the word choice signified one item of extreme importance to Patriarch Lamiov aboard the Stybla cargo ship.

Lamiov dismissed Thrawn and Thrass to a waiting room to continue their analysis of the theft while he called Patriarch Rivlex. Thrass agreed, reminding the Stybla Patriarch that they served at his command until Patriarch Thooraki should say otherwise. Thrawn objected on the grounds that he was scheduled to take up command of the Springhawk in three hours, believing that his superiors would not look kindly on him being delayed. However, Patriarch Lamiov promised to speak with General Ba'kif to ensure Thrawn would face no adverse repercussions. Lappincyk then escorted the two Mitth friends to a lounge where they could rest whilst Lamiov talked with Rivlex.

In the lounge, Thrawn told Thrass that he had deduced that one item among the ship's cargo was of particular interest to the Stybla Patriarch, and the two Mitth set to find out whether that item was the reason hijackers had attacked the ship in the first place. (The critical item of supreme interest to Lamiov was a piece of the Starflash weapon, but the two Mitth did not know that yet.) Thrass commented that Thrawn had looked "put out" when Lamiov and Lappincyk would not play "Riddle Me" with him; asking Thrawn to explain how he had determined the culpability of the Clarr family rather than trying to piece together the signs on their own. Thrawn said he became disappointed when others could not see things "right in front of them," to which Thrass responded that Thrawn had a rare gift of insight and most people could not see things nearly as quickly or clearly as Thrawn. Thrass told the mid commander that his deduction that Lamiov cared about one item in particular was one thing that others could not see as quickly as him.

Criminal law agreements between the Ascendancy's families stipulated harsher punishments for individuals of higher family status who committed crimes against other families, because higher-ranked individuals' transgressions were worse for inter-family relations. In the extreme case, a blood relative of a family committing theft or manslaughter could rock a family relationship to the core. One example of such tiered punishment was that a cousin or Blood-ranked member of one Chiss family who killed a member of another family was immediately subject to the death penalty. However, they would only have be executed if caught by the victim's family, so families had incentives to police their own members to both prevent and punish crimes against other families. Indeed, it may be in neither family's interest to execute such a perpetrator, so if the offender's family caught the perpetrator first, both families could quietly settle the crime and officially pretend it had never occurred.

Thrawn and Thrass worked for three hours while Patriarch Rivlex attempted to stall Lamiov. Lamiov asked whether they had been brought food, but Thrawn suggested that they eat "on the ship." Lamiov was amazed that Thrawn had deduced his plan, while Thrass did not understand what either man was referring to. Thrass felt that the Stybla Patriarch and the mid commander were on the same page, while he had not even found the same book. Lamiov asked how Thrawn knew, without specifying what Thrawn knew, and Thrass asked what Lamiov was talking about. Thrawn told Lamiov that he doubted Rivlex knew about the special cargo aboard the vessel, and believed Rivlex simply wished to catch the thieves before the Stybla family did. Thrawn added that he believed that the Clarr patrol pilot had not been part of the attack, but rather was working as an agent of Patriarch Rivlex and informed that the supposed Obbic transport might have been a pirate ship in disguise. Thrawn explained that Rivlex and the patrol pilot had not alerted Patrol Command because they were not certain that the attack would take place; and if they had, they would have risked alerting the hijackers, frightening them off to attack other star systems instead.

Based on the tiered penalty clauses of the criminal law agreements between the Clarr and the Stybla, Thrawn deduced that at least one of the hijackers was a Clarr with the high family rank of cousin. Lamiov sighed and made a slight correction: the hijackers were blood; even higher-ranked than cousin. Under normal circumstances, the Stybla may have settled with the Clarr family about the hijacking. However, the cargo that had been stolen was a piece of the ancient Starflash weapon, which was too important to risk leaving in the hands of the Clarr family. Thus, the Stybla had to act to reacquire the stolen cargo and rescue their family members who had crewed the hijacked cargo ship. Thrawn promised to deliver the lost cargo to the Stybla Patriarch. Thrass deduced that Patriarch Thooraki had suggested Lamiov send Thrass and Thrawn on a mission to recover the cargo. Lamiov admitted that that had been the case, along with General Ba'kif's suggestion. They were assigned to track down and retrieve the cargo in the Chiss patrol ship Jandalin, along with Senior Aide Lappincyk and a Stybla family pilot. Lamiov confessed to the two Mitth that he had believed that Thooraki and Ba'kif had "inflated" their investigative and deductive skills beyond reality, to which Thrawn replied that he hoped the Stybla Patriarch's doubts had been allayed.

Lamiov told the two Mitth that the Clarr patrol pilot sent two transmissions: one to Cormit, and the other to Rhigar. Rhigar was the site of the Clarr family homestead and thus the planet where the Clarr family had the most influence. Cormit was the site of a Clarr fleet depot, where the light cruiser Orisson of the Clarr family fleet was docked. Thrawn deduced from the fact that a transmission had been sent from Sposia to Cormit that the hijackers were headed to the galactic Southeast, most likely heading out of the Ascendancy via a world on the border. Thrawn knew that such smugglers chose border worlds to meet their clients on a rotating schedule with rendezvous points shifting monthly. He further inferred that Rivlex had kept Lamiov on the comm for three hours in the hope of coming to an agreement so the Clarr family could have time to discern the hijackers' destination. However, unlike the Clarr family, Thrawn believed he knew their target: a remote, rarely used Chiss Defense Force emergency repair blackdock known as Glastis Three, located midway between Csilla and the Ascendancy planet Copero toward the Ascendancy's south-nadir border.

Together with Lappincyk and the Stybla pilot, Thrawn and Thrass took the Jandalin to Glastis 3. The blackdock orbited a planet considered marginally habitable, but which no Chiss family had colonized or considered worth developing. Thrawn correctly deduced that the Clarr family hijackers would leave the hijacked cargo ship and its crew in a remote location where they would be discovered and rescued, but not quickly enough for the pirates to be easily tracked by the authorities. If any of the Stybla crew had either died, been kidnapped, or gone missing for over a year; then the hijackers would be subject to the death penalty per the stipulations of the criminal law agreements between the Clarr and the Stybla.

Once in Glastis 3's star system, the Jandalins crew saw that there was a lot of space in which the Stybla cargo ship could be floating derelict. After discussing the situation, Lappincyk reasoned that the Clarr would position the ship in a long, elliptical orbit, having disabled their thrusters and comm capabilities and allowing the ship to float within visual range of the blackdock within a few days' time. Furthermore, The Stybla cargo ship was of a model that carried three weeks' worth of life-support supplies, limiting the orbital period for which the Clarr could have set the vessel adrift. Thrawn narrowed down their search space within the system based on the angle a vessel would arrive to Glastis 3 from Sposia. Further, the Mid Commander stated that a capable crew would be able to convert their ship's electromagnetic sensor into a communications receiver. While the Stybla cargo ship would not be able to send messages, Thrawn correctly realized that they would be able to hear a message from the Jandalin. Thrawn signaled the Stybla vessel, instructing them to open their fuel and oxygen tanks and ignite the mixture to produce a bright plume the Jandalin would be able to see. Soon thereafter, the derelict cargo hauler complied, and the Jandalin called the blackdock to send a rescue team.

The joint Stybla-Mitth squad met the crew of the hijacked cargo ship aboard the vessel. Its captain told the Jandalin crew that the hijackers had departed the system twenty-seven hours prior. The Jandalins crew sent for a Chiss Defense Force ship to tow the stolen freighter to the blackdock for repairs. They learned that the hijackers had taken fifty hours to jointly bring the pirate and cargo vessels to Glastis 3 through hyperspace, and spent the entire time stealing all of the cargo from the Stybla freighter. The Mitth and Stybla rescue squad understood that this included the critical cargo, and Thrass worried that they were a day behind the Clarr hijackers without any idea of their destination. However, Thrawn deduced the pirates' destination: a planet called Pleknok along the borders of the Ascendancy. His reasoning was as follows. The derelict Stybla freighter's orbital trajectory would put it within sensor range of the Glastis 3 blackdock about seven days after the hijackers' departure from the system, giving the Clarr pirates seven days to reach their destination, sell their stolen goods, and return to their base within the Ascendancy. Thrawn rationed one of those seven days to meet their buyers and sell their goods, giving them around six days total to reach and return from their destination. Thrawn believed this would break down as two days there and four days back, and certainly no more than three days to the destination. Thrawn set his search space as the difficult-to-traverse areas of the Chaos that could be reached from Glastis 3 within three days' travel time. In that region, there were no developed worlds or systems, and Pleknok was the only habitable planet. Lappincyk pointed out that an illicit sale could take place in orbit, but Thrawn reasoned that a world with water and oxygen would be preferable in case the crew needed to hide or repair their ship.

Senior Aide Lappincyk recognized the name "Pleknok," but could not remember from where. Thrawn asked the senior aide to recall a brief battle that had taken place at Pleknok nineteen years prior. The Pleknok system was located between the established territories of the Chiss and Paataatus species, so it had been a site of border clashes between those nations. During the battle in question, a survey group of Boadil family prospectors had been studying Pleknok for potential development and habitation when two Paataatus warships attacked them. The Chiss sustained damage before escaping back to the Ascendancy. The Chiss Defense Force counterattacked and beat the Paataatus, who had by then begun their own survey of Pleknok for development. Lappincyk posited that the Chiss Defense Force had beaten the Paataatus so thoroughly that they never came back. However, Thrawn rebutted that the Paataatus had simply not come back to Pleknok yet. The Mid Commander pointed out that the Paataatus only honored treaties, agreements, and lessons learned for a single Paataatus generation; consisting of seventeen to twenty-five years. Therefore, a Paataatus attempt to reconquer the Pleknok system could be imminent.

As Thrawn explained the risk of Paataatus attacking the Clarr hijackers at Pleknok, Lappincyk stopped listening. The Senior Aide invoked emergency protocols and ordered the Jandalin to be ready to fly in five minutes. Lappincyk told Thrass and Thrawn to hurry or be left behind, leading Thrawn to realize the situation was worse than he had realized.

The Jandalin arrived in the Pleknok system thirty-two hours after leaving Glastis 3. While Senior Aide Lappincyk wished to take a direct course to Pleknok, Mid Commander Thrawn proposed approaching the system from a specific direction. Ultimately, the Jandalin followed Thrawn's course. Thrawn correctly believed they had arrived before the Clarr pirates, having calculated the speed at which the pirate vessel could reach Pleknok and knowing the Stybla patrol ship Jandalin was far faster.

Senior Aide Lappincyk ordered scan of the area containing the planet Pleknok using passive sensors. The scan indicated two ships in low orbit, whose configuration was hard to discern with passive sensors only but which the pilot believed to be freighters of non-Chiss design. Lappincyk started to order the pilot to run an active sensor sweep abaft of the Jandalin when the pilot announced contact with the Chiss light cruiser Orisson of the Clarr family fleet. The Orisson was approaching parallel to the Jandalin from twenty kilometers to port, and its captain Roscu demanded the Jandalin identify itself. After she and Lappincyk exchanged greetings, Roscu demanded to know the reason the Jandalin was there. Thrass remembered Roscu as the woman who had reported Thrawn for illegally giving combat advice to the Garwian Unity at Stivic, shuddering at the thought that she would now be in command of a cruiser of the Clarr family fleet.

As requested, the Stybla Senior Aide announced the Jandalins reason for being at Pleknok, declaring their hunt for pirates who had hijacked the Stybla freighter over Sposia. Lappincyk stated their belief that the pirates were led by someone of Clarr blood, adding that he presumed that was Roscu's reason for being there as well. Captain Roscu refused to comment on her reasons or activities in the system, inadvertently but tacitly confirming that the culprits were in fact Clarr blood. Roscu demanded to know how the Jandalin had found the system. Roscu ordered the Jandalin to leave the system, invoking her status as an agent of one of the Nine Ruling Families and a former Expansionary Defense Fleet command officer to order the Stybla vessel's departure from the system. Senior Aide Lappincyk insisted that the Stybla had every right to be in the system, as it had been a Stybla freighter attacked and Stybla cargo stolen.

As Roscu and Lappincyk argued back and forth, Thrass suggested the Stybla official had a better hand to play. As Thrawn was both a member of the Nine and a current Expansionary Fleet command officer, Lappincyk could outplay Roscu by ceding command of the Jandalin to Mid Commander Mitth'raw'nuru. Thrawn accepted command and suggested he and Roscu work together. However, the Clarr captain interrupted him, demanding to know why he was aboard a Stybla ship. The Mitth officer then complimented Roscu on finding Pleknok among ten other possible destinations for the Clarr pirates. He asked how the Clarr had known it was Pleknok over other alternatives, to which Roscu demurred. Thrawn then angered Roscu by inferring that the Clarr did not actually know it was Pleknok, but had rather sent ships to all the possible locations.

As Roscu got angry, the pirates' supposed Obbic transport arrived in the system. The Stybla pilot announced that the hijackers were moving along the vector predicted by Thrawn, to Senior Aide Lappincyk's satisfaction. Roscu protested, indignant that the Jandalin knew where the hijackers would enter the system but not choose a better location to intercept them. Thrawn told her that he did not want to intercept them until after he could learn which of the orbiting ships the pirates sought to meet. Roscu objected, stating she thought they wanted the precious Stybla cargo; but Thrawn confidently insisted that he would retrieve the cargo soon. Meanwhile, the ships below were too deep in Pleknok's gravity well to quickly escape, giving the Jandalin an opportunity to reconnoiter and possibly apprehend the illicit buyers.

Roscu objected, asking whether Thrawn had learned anything at all about the Ascendancy's non-aggression policy since he "blatantly" interfered in the pirate attack at Stivic. She questioned how he remained an officer of the Expansionary Defense Fleet despite his infractions intervening in conflicts that did not involve the Ascendancy. As she berated Thrawn, the Stybla pilot reported another ship incoming. The pilot did not have confirmation of the ship's configuration, but it was the size of a freighter. (In fact, the newcomer was a Paataatus light frigate.) Lappincyk ordered the pilot to continue heading toward the unknown vessels in the planet's gravity well, but Roscu ordered the Orisson to fire on the Obbic transport with a plasma sphere, which would disable shipboard electronics. Thrawn then changed his orders, directing the Jandalins pilot toward the Obbic transport.

Thrawn asked Roscu to assist by using plasma spheres to disable the new incoming ship, but she raced to beat the Jandalin to intercept the Obbic transport and telling Thrawn to disable the newly-arrived ship himself. The Clarr light cruiser was faster than the Stybla patrol ship, so Thrawn ordered the pilot to activate emergency power levels. Thrawn protested to Roscu that the Jandalin was not equipped with plasma spheres, but Roscu responded by taunting him. Senior Aide Lappincyk then formally requested her assistance in the name of the Stybla, which she declined. The Clarr captain mused that Lappincyk would need "some of that Thrawn cleverness," promising to deliver the cargo back to Sposia. Lappincyk objected, saying the cargo was not to be touched and that it must be taken aboard the Jandalin. Roscu challenged Lappincyk, saying he was welcome to it if he could keep up, and taunting the Stybla for lacking "real" warships.

Thrawn informed Roscu that the newcomer was actually a Paataatus light frigate, breaking her arrogant brooding. The Orisson slowed its engines, explaining that Paataatus light frigates did not travel without a complement of Paataatus gunboats. Indeed, five gunboats appeared on the Jandalins scanners, incoming along the light frigate's vector. Roscu prepared to destroy the Obbic transport, reasoning that their only options were to destroy the transport or allow it and its cargo to fall into Paataatus hands. Thrawn insisted that the Jandalin would succeed in both retrieving the cargo and driving the Paataatus away. He asked for Roscu's assistance, but she refused to either disobey standing orders of the Ascendancy military or risk her ship and crew in what she considered a futile, losing battle.

Despite the Jandalin only having three spectrum laser emplacements, Thrawn ordered the pilot to target the outer cowlings of the Obbic transport's aft thrusters. Lappincyk objected, but Thrawn pointed out that Roscu had already disabled the transport, and thus targeting the thrusters would not harm the pirate ship. However, the Paataatus would see the Jandalin firing at the vessel. (At that time, Thrass thought to himself that that did not explain anything.) However, Thrawn understood that the Paataatus had a swarm mentality and preferred to pick off weakest targets first, which would enable him to use the derelict Obbic transport as bait for the gunboats.

By that point, the Jandalin was three minutes from reaching spectrum laser range to fire upon the Obbic transport. Meanwhile, the Paataatus frigate was five minutes out from possible combat range and its escort of five gunboats eight minutes away. Thrass noted that the Orisson could intercept the frigate within four minutes, but Roscu again refused to help the Jandalin against the Paataatus, and the Orisson veered away. Lappincyk reaffirmed the critical importance of the cargo aboard the Obbic transport, so Thrawn promised they would retrieve it. Syndic Thrass insisted that it would be impossible for the Jandalin to win against six Paataatus warships, but Thrawn mused that they merely had to be clever. The mid commander asked Lappincyk whether the Jandalin had any explosive munitions, but Lappincyk replied that all they had was some shattercord for burning through sealed hatches and two Crippler nets. Crippler nets were flexible nettings with electrical capacitors enmeshed on the edges to wrap around target ships and deliver a massive discharge through their hulls, which had a similar effect to plasma spheres although less powerful. Furthermore, the Crippler net launcher was gas-propelled, so Crippler nets could not "chase" their targets like plasma spheres could.

Upon hearing that the Jandalin was equipped with Crippler nets, Thrawn set a highly detailed course for the pilot to follow exactly, until and unless Thrawn were to modify it. Lappincyk stated that targets of Crippler nets would have to be nearly motionless, but Thrawn rebutted that they would not have to deliver the weapon to the Paataatus without elaborating. The mid commander told his companions to strap in for what would be a bumpy ride, and the Jandalin performed the stealth maneuver Thrawn had invented as a Taharim academy cadet.

While the Jandalin followed Thrawn's apparently chaotic flight path, Thrawn fired the patrol boat's spectrum lasers at the Obbic transport. This fire caused the pirate vessel to reverse the direction of its turn, briefly facing the Paataatus vessels. After more maneuvering of the Jandalin, the Stybla vessel was headed anti-parallel toward the Paataatus ships and within attack range. To the surprise of Syndic Thrass, none of the Paataatus targeted the Jandalin even though it was easily within the range of their weapons. Thrawn explained that the Paataatus' swarm mentality influenced their military tactics so strongly that they would form up into clusters to attack the weakest opponents first, even if other enemies were closer to their location. Lappincyk objected, believing Thrawn's use of the Obbic transport as bait would lead the Paataatus to destroy the vessel and its cargo. However, the pilot continued Thrawn's flight path, and the Jandalin soon emerged directly behind the Paataatus attack formation. Thrawn opened successive fire on three Paataatus gunboats, damaging their thrusters and immobilizing them. All the while, the pilot continued following Thrawn's plotted course.

Thrass worried that Thrawn's decision to pick off the three gunboats one-by-one would leave the transport vulnerable to the Paataatus frigate and the remaining two gunboats. However, the Crippler nets activated, disabling the frigate and one of the remaining two gunboats. Thrawn explained that he had set the Crippler nets in position and goaded the Paataatus ships to run into them. Thrass analyzed that in order to successfully accomplish that plan, Thrawn had had to anticipate the swarming tactic and the vectors of each Paataatus ship. Thrass was in disbelief that Thrawn could concoct such an expert plan solely off the data of a single battle from nineteen years before. Thrawn resolved to retrieve the Obbic transport and their hijacked cargo, and the Paataatus ships broke off their attack and prepared to escape. Thrawn did not order the Jandalin to attack the Paataatus light frigate as it prepared to flee, seeing no reason to antagonize a stronger force they had persuaded to retreat.

Despite having defeated the Paataatus, Thrawn remained concerned about what Roscu might choose to do. Indeed, the Orisson rushed toward the transport, seeking to claim it and its stolen cargo for the Clarr family as ordered by Patriarch Rivlex. Lappincyk ordered the pilot to channel emergency power to the Jandalins engines, hoping to reach the Obbic transport ahead of the Clarr cruiser. However, Thrawn pointed out that Roscu may be willing to fire on the Jandalin. Lappincyk believed Roscu wouldn't dare use force to block the senior aide to a Patriarch of the Forty Greaty Families, but Thrawn demurred. Thrawn ordered the pilot to prepare emergency breaking on his first mark, and to reverse course and acceleration on his second. Thrass began to object, but Lappincyk stopped the Syndic by affirming that Thrawn had demonstrated his competency and knowledge of what he was doing.

As Thrawn had anticipated, Roscu had fired a plasma sphere at the Jandalin. Thrawn's maneuvering orders caused the sphere to miss the patrol ship, after which the mid commander explained that he knew Roscu and was sure she would be willing to disable them. Even if the Stybla were to file a complaint to the Ascendancy authorities, the Orisson would be able to take the transport and the stolen Stybla cargo in the meantime.

Lappincyk asked Thrawn whether he believed they were powerless to stop Roscu. Thrass cut in, saying Thrawn was saying no such thing. The Mitth Syndic then hailed Roscu over the comm, identifying himself as a Mitth family Syndic and informing her that someone aboard her ship was therefore in violation of Ascendancy law. Attacking a member of the Syndicure could be considered an act of internecine warfare, and Thrass appealed to Roscu's loyalty to the Clarr Patriarch Rivlex to dissuade her from attacking. Roscu began to hesitate and asked Thrass why a Mitth Syndic would be aboard a Stybla patrol ship. Thrass invoked his right as a cousin within the Mitth family to declare Thrawn as his brother, telling the Clarr captain that the Mitth's Patriarch had asked him and his brother Thrawn to aid in Senior Aide Lappincyk's operation to recover the stolen cargo. Thrass' declaration of brotherhood took both Thrawn and Roscu by surprise, but it led to de-escalation as the Syndic had desired.

Syndics were always blood, cousins, or ranking distants in the Chiss families they represented in the Syndicure. Claiming Thrawn as his brother heavily implied that Thrawn also held a high rank within the Mitth family, even though he was in fact a merit adoptive at the time. Thrass correctly reasoned that, while Roscu may be willing to kill a Senior Aide to a Stybla Patriarch, especially if it could be blamed on the Paataatus attackers; she would never be willing to kill two high-ranking Mitth. Furthermore, Thrass informed Roscu that the Jandalin was relaying the conversation to the Obbic transport, so the hijackers were witnesses to whatever should transpire. Roscu objected, as the plasma sphere the Orisson had fired earlier would have knocked out the transport's comm. Thrass rebutted by telling her Thrawn had adjusted the spectrum lasers to send the signals through modulated laserfire to the Obbic transport's sensor network. Roscu took that as confirmation that Thrawn had interfered in the Lioaoin pirate attack on Stivic years prior. Thrawn turned toward Thrass, looking stunned, but Thrass smiled to reassure his brother and told the Clarr captain that Thrawn's ability to send a signal with modulated laserfire did not imply he had actually done so before.

Thrass implored Roscu to withdraw the Orisson gracefully, but she objected. She explained that Patriarch Rivlex had ordered her not to return without the hijackers. Lappincyk told Roscu she was free to take the transport and the criminals, and as soon as the cargo had been transferred to the Jandalin, they would withdraw from the Pleknok system. Roscu found the deal to be acceptable, and Lappincyk gave instructions on how to proceed. The hijackers were to deposit their weapons on the deck by the transport's airlock and retreat to the engine room while the Mitth and Stybla transferred the stolen cargo. Lappincyk told Roscu that, if the hijackers were to bring any of the cargo with them to the engine room or resist the Stybla and Mitth in any way,the Jandalin would tow the Obbic transport back to Naporar where the hijackers would be subject to death by torture as specified by the family accords.

Having completed their mission, the Jandalin sent a report to Patriarch Lamiov and returned to Naporar with the recovered cargo.

Back at the Stybla stronghold on Naporar, Patriarch Lamiov thanked Thrawn and Thrass for their success, which he considered to have come against all odds and against all hopes. Lamiov declared the Stybla indebted to the Mitth and himself personally indebted to Thrass and Thrawn. The Stybla Patriarch told the brothers if there was ever anything he could do for them, they would only have to ask.

In response, Thrawn asked the Patriarch to tell them what the critical cargo was that he had been so worried about. Lamiov protested, reminding the Mitth that it was secret, but Thrawn objected on the grounds that it might not be best for it to remain so. Thrawn declared his identity as a warrior, telling the Stybla Patriarch that the more he knew of the weaponry available to him, the better he could protect the Chiss Ascendancy and its people. Patriarch Lamiov demurred by asking who had said it was a weapon, but Thrawn outlined that only a weapon could fit inside such a box and cause such fear. Thrass added that, moreover, it would have to be an alien weapon not of Chiss origin; tying it to the Stybla family's oversight of the Universal Analysis Group ("UAG"), a secretive Chiss military research project based on Sposia. Lamiov tried to dismiss Thrawn and Thrass, but Lappincyk cut his Patriarch off. The Senior Aide pointed out that Thrass and Thrawn already knew too much about the item and would continue to investigate until they uncovered the truth. If the Mitth brothers discovered it on their own, they would weaken the shroud of secrecy the Stybla had built around the item in the process. Therefore, it would be better for the Patriarch to bring them into confidence and tell them about the device himself.

The Stybla Patriarch solemnly told the Mitth brothers that what he was about to tell them was a secret of the highest magnitude that could bring ruin to both the Stybla and Mitth families, and perhaps even lead to the destruction of the Chiss Ascendancy. Therefore, he asked them to embrace the secret "to their graves and beyond"; the words of the most stringent and binding oaths used by the Mitth family.

Lamiov told the brothers how five thousand years ago, the Stybla family had been the sole Ruling Family of the Chiss Ascendancy. Under the Stybla's guidance, the Chiss entered a period of exploration, venturing out into the Chaos and even Lesser Space, the term used in the Unknown Regions for the known galaxy. During the Ascendancy's Stybla-led period of expansion, the Chiss encountered many alien races and obtained many alien artifacts. Those artifacts were stored in the UAG center on Sposia for observation and study.

Among those artifacts was a weapon called Starflash. The identity of those who brought it back to the Ascendancy had been lost to time, but whoever procured it for the Chiss brought with it a report on the item's operations. The Stybla built the Bastion, an organization that became the UAG, and hid the Starflash away never to be used. However, centuries later, an enemy species launched an invasion of the Ascendancy. The invaders pushed the Chiss Defense Force back, conquering all Chiss worlds except Csilla. The enemy mustered its forces for a climactic battle called the "Final Assault on Csilla," and the Chiss knew there was no hope. Staring down the extinction of the Chiss species, the Stybla Patriarch at the time remembered that the Chiss possessed Starflash.

The Chiss had never seen Starflash in operation but retained the instructions on how to operate the single-use weapon. Twenty warriors were required to operate it, and it would be a suicide mission for those twenty people. To protect the Chiss people, Patriarch Mitth'omo'ross volunteered warriors of the Mitth family, and her four sons volunteered, insisting on facing the same dangers and sacrifice as the rest of the family. The twenty Mitth loaded Starflash into a heavily armored ship and sent it to the center of the enemy fleet. They died activating Starflash, which sent out a massive burst of tachyonic and lightspeed energy into the surface of Csilla's sun, which then returned a blast thousands of times more powerful back at the Starflash itself. The blast destroyed the entire enemy fleet, and with it, Patriarch Thomoro's four sons. With the death of her four sons, Patriarch Thomoro became known as "the Tragic."

Soon thereafter, the Chiss Defense Force reconquered the outer Chiss planets from minor garrisons the enemy had left behind. The Patriarchs of the Chiss Ascendancy voted unanimously to keep the details of Starflash confidential, never revealed to the Chiss public or the Syndicure. The only people cleared to know the truth of the Final Assault on Csilla were the Patriarchs of the Ruling Families and their Senior Aides, who would teach successive Patriarchs. However, the Starflash weapon had an unanticipated effect: the slow cooling of Csilla's sun. The disruption of the star's surface layers caused the energy output to decrease over time, gradually leading to the freezing of the surface of Csilla and forcing the exodus that Thrawn had learned about in school. Those who remained on Csilla had to move underground. Patriarch Lamiov did not believe Csilla's sun would ever return to its original heat output.

The courage and sacrifice of the Mitth family was recognized by the Aristocra, who eventually made the Mitth a Ruling Family. Furthermore, although known only to a select few, the Mitth's activation of Starflash was the reason the Mitth family crest became a blazing sun. For the Tragic Patriarch's bravery, the Stybla family chose to honor her by appending the word "odo" to her name, which meant "guardian" or "protector" in the ancestral Stybla language Tybroic. Thus, Mitth'omo'ross became Mitth'omo'rossodo, the first non-Stybla to be honored as such a dear friend of the Stybla family with the suffix. The appellation odo was reserved for guardians or protectors who had proved worthy of the Stybla's most extraordinary respect.

Lamiov informed Thrawn and Thrass that, in the aftermath of the detonation of the Starflash, the Ascendancy salvaged the wreckage they could from the weapon. In the time since, the Defense Hierarchy Council had occasionally requested the UAG to study components salvaged from the Starflash, seeking to adapt or duplicate the functions of those components. The Stybla Patriarch informed the two Mitth brothers that the Council's efforts to replicate Starflash components had never borne fruit, but the UAG continued to preserve the salvage for future research and development. Lamiov then explained that the critical cargo they had been sent to recover was one of the Starflash's tachyon flow synchrotron accelerators; which the Council hoped to adapt to a new particle beam weapon for the Ascendancy military. Normally, the Stybla would have asked the Defense Hierarchy Council to examine the Starflash component under UAG security on Sposia. However, the Council wished to keep their particle beam weapon prototype under their own security, which required the Stybla to transfer the synchrotron accelerator to the DHC lab on Naporar.

At Thrawn's request, Patriarch Lamiov allowed the Mitth to see the accelerator. The Chiss officer informed the Stybla leader that his trust was misplaced; opining that the machinery inside could not possibly be salvaged from the Starflash because its casing connectors showed no sign of degradation that would have resulted from a massive particle flux, such as the weapon's detonation. Thrawn added that the ions in a plasma sphere impact are well known to cause similar degradation as one would expect from a Starflash component that had been used.

Calmly, Lamiov asked Thrawn for the mid commander's conclusion. Thrawn deduced that the Stybla had a second Starflash weapon, before glancing at Thrass and correcting himself that they still had it. Lamiov then revealed to the two brothers that the second Starflash, referred to as the second item or only "the item," held great hope and threat to the Ascendancy. A loss of the second item's tachyon flow synchrotron accelerator at Pleknok could have led to the Paataatus reverse-engineering the Starflash's devastating technology. Even if the Paataatus could not create a similar weapon, the UAG's reserve Starflash would be useless without the accelerator the Mitth and Lappincyk had recovered.

Lamiov revealed that the Ascendancy had only been in possession of the Starflash for a few hundred years, and they had obtained it from somewhere in Lesser Space. Records of the acquisition had been lost or suppressed, but it was said that the Stybla had located and sent a team to capture the second item. The Patriarch then informed Thrawn and Thrass that only six people knew of the existence of the second item: the four present in the room, plus General Ba'kif and Admiral Ja'fosk. Even the technicians studying the second item in the UAG's most secure vault did not know it was a functional Starflash weapon. Lamiov grimly told the Mitth that those six people held the Ascendancy's future together. The Mid Commander asked the Patriarch what the UAG would do with the second item, to which Lamiov replied they would continue to study it under tight guard and hope and pray they would never again need to use it in battle. Lamiov began to cry, adding that if such a need should ever arise, perhaps two Patriarchs would be known to the future as "the Tragic."

Thrawn then asked the Patriarch to take his leave, as the Springhawks departure had already been delayed. However, Lamiov told Thrawn that the Springhawk would have to wait a little longer, as the Stybla Patriels had come to the Stybla stronghold on Naporar to perform a short ceremony in three hours' time. Thrawn asked the ceremony's relevance to the Springhawk and his mission, but Lamiov corrected Thrawn that the ceremony concerned him. Lamiov then explained to Thrawn and Thrass the significance of the suffix odo on a person's name, and that the Stybla wished to honor Thrawn by adding it to his name "Mitth'raw'nuru." Thrawn felt honored, but was hesitant to accept the honor on the grounds that the Mitth leadership might not approve of such a name change. The Stybla Patriarch reassured Thrawn, telling the mid commander that Patriarch Thooraki would be in attendance himself, and that Thrawn could ask Thooraki himself. The Patriarch then bade the brothers to change into ceremonial dress and informed them that the procedures would be on their questises.

Thrawn and Thrass were honored by a solemn Stybla honoring ritual. Of the two brothers, only Thrawn was granted the suffix odo at the ceremony. Only eighteen people were present: Lamiov, Lappincyk, Thrawn, Thrass, Thooraki, and the thirteen Stybla Patriels who were able to travel to Naporar for the occasion. The entire ritual was performed in Tybroic, contrasting the various Mitth ceremonies performed in the main Chiss language Cheunh and adding a ritual depth. In the past five thousand years, only eight non-Stybla individuals had been granted the honorific odo. Furthermore, the ceremony was shorter than most ceremonies the Mitth performed; however, in contrast to the Mitth's ceremonies, no-one was at the Stybla honoring ritual whom anyone sought to impress.

Patriarch Thooraki greeted Thrass warmly, asking the Syndic about his mother, before informing Thrass that he and his Stybla counterpart had discussed granting Thrass the suffix odo as well as Thrawn. Thrass was unperturbed by not receiving the suffix, explaining that he had done little to recover the piece of the Starflash. Thrass asked Thooraki whether the two Patriarchs had decided not to make him "Mitth'ras'safisodo" because the Syndicure would not accept a Mitth Syndic and cousin carrying a Stybla honorific as part of his name. Thooraki smiled wryly at Thrass, rebutting that Patriarch Thomoro the Tragic—Mitth'omo'rossodo—had borne the honorific, and thus there should be no problem with a cousin and Syndic doing so.

The Mitth Patriarch explained to Thrass why the Mitth and Stybla had chosen not to grant both brothers the "odo" honorific. Rather than Thrass' contribution to the mission or rank in the family and Syndicure; the Patriarch told the Syndic that he and Lamiov decided it would be best for the Mitth if they did not make it so publicly obvious that Thrawn and Thrass were a team. He explained that the duo of Thrawn and Thrass had prodigious skills in the military and political arena, and their friendship and brotherhood enabled htem to work fully in sync with complete trust—as brothers. Thrass felt manipulated by the Patriarch, inquiring whether Thooraki had "forced" him and Thrawn to become close friends. Patriarch Thooraki laughed at the suggestion, protesting that no-one could force friendship or brotherhood on anyone. Indeed, Thrawn was socially awkward and Thrass was one of few people with whom Thrawn felt truly comfortable and relaxed. Thrass remained skeptical, asking whether Lappincyk had truly sought to rematch Thrawn to the Stybla at all after Thrawn's graduation from Taharim Academy. Thooraki assured Thrass that, if Thrass had not acknowledged his friendship with Thrawn, then Lappincyk indeed would have offered Thrawn a position in the Stybla family. Thrass then admitted to Thooraki that Thrawn had been his friend long before he had realized and admitted it to Lappincyk. The Patriarch then maneuvered Thrass into accepting that he and Thrawn had also been brothers long before either had realized their brotherhood.

The Mitth Patriarch revealed that he, Patriarch Lamiov, and General Ba'kif (who had formerly been "Stybla'ba'kif," known as "Labaki") had identified the now-brothers at a young age for their mutually-complementary skills in politics and military tactics. The three officials believed that if Thrass and Thrawn (formerly Kivu'raw'nuru, "Vurawn") could become close friends, they could bring the Mitth to heights of influence the family had not attained for a long time. The way the two interacted and their interests enmeshed, the three older men knew that Thrass and Thrawn would make an excellent team. Thrass asked Thooraki what the Stybla gained from this arrangement, to which the Patriarch explained that they had a quiet, strong, and lasting friendship with the Mitth family that had survived for over a thousand years. Thrass mused that such an arrangement was even rarer than the Stybla honoring ritual itself. The Patriarch then suggested Thrass "rescue" Thrawn from probing conversation with two Stybla Patriels.

Thooraki informed Thrass that he would stay on Naporar for several days to talk with Patriarch Lamiov; however, he had prepared a shuttle to take Thrawn to the Springhawk and Thrass back to Csilla. Syndic Thrass thanked the Patriarch for his time, insight, and guidance. Thooraki bade Thrass farewell, telling the man he looked forward to speaking again in the future, and to seeing the new heights to which Thrass and Thrawn would carry the Mitth family.

Thrawn and Thrass left the Stybla mansion after farewells and thanks to Senior Aide Lappincyk and Patriarch Lamiov. As the brothers walked toward their shuttle, Thrawn seemed distant, and Thrass took the opportunity to have a private conversation with his brother. Thrass complimented Thrawn on the sound of his new name "Mitth'raw'nuruodo," although the mid commander added it would take some getting used to. Thrass then pressed Thrawn about what was troubling the young officer; asking whether his new name was causing him to worry. Thrawn denied this, asking why he would be concerned by such a tremendous honor. Furthermore, Thrawn was even less worried about the item; citing the fact that he had never even heard rumors about it as a testament to the UAG's solid security around the item. Furthermore, Thrawn recognized the Stybla as the only family who had ever had the wisdom and self-confidence to voluntarily relinquish power, making him confident that they would not misuse the second item.

Thrass was relieved at what Thrawn had just said, but asked why the warrior had the look of a man "planning a major battle campaign." Thrawn teased his Syndic brother, asking how Thrass would even recognize such a facial expression. Thrass retorted that the Syndicure was also a battleground; but their battles were merely fought with speeches and favors instead of lasers and missiles. Thrawn added theatrics to the list, and Thrass agreed that Syndicure battles were "especially" fought with theatrics. The Syndic then asked what was actually troubling Thrawn.

Thrawn hesitated before telling Thrass that he had been taken aback by the Mitth Syndic and cousin publicly declaring him as his brother. The officer recognized Thrass' right as a cousin to create his own personal family relationships. Thrawn winced at the notion of a cousin claiming a Trial-born as his brother, before convincing himself that Thrass had merely done so to create a tactical advantage against Roscu. Thrass—now guided by Patriarch Thooraki into recognizing that he and Thrawn had long been brothers—sought to soothe his Expansionary Fleet counterpart. The Syndic asked the officer whether he would more easily accept him as his brother if he were only a ranking distant. Thrawn demurred, noting that Thrass was in fact a cousin.

Thrass asked Thrawn to trade secrets; the kind of secrets traded by brothers. Thrass revealed that, while he was listed in the family ranks as a cousin; in some sense, he was technically just a ranking distant. He shared his origin story with Thrawn: Thrass' parents were from a very minor family; one whose identity Thrass did not even remember. However, just before Thrass' birth, his father had sacrificed his life to save Patriarch Thooraki from an assassination attempt. Thrawn recognized Thrass' father as an honorable man to make such a sacrifice. Thrass confirmed that, adding that his father had been even more honorable because Thooraki had been traveling anonymously and Thrass' father did not even know whose life he had saved; simply stepping in to save someone in need.

In a show of gratitude, Thooraki adopted Thrass' mother into the Mitth family with the rank of ranking distant; the highest position the Patriarch could confer on a commoner. Children of ranking distants were born as cousins of that family. However, Thrass was born only a week after his father's fatal sacrifice, which would have made him a ranking distant like his mother. However, because Thrass had not yet been born at the time of the attempted assassination of Patriarch Thooraki, the Patriarch muddled the date of rematching of Thrass' mother to between his father's death and his birth; granting Thrass the status of cousin at birth. Thrawn asked what the Patriels and Syndics might think of the arrangement, to which Thrass replied that he believed they were mostly happy that Thooraki remained alive.

Thrass told his brother it was his turn to share a secret. The Syndic recalled Thrawn's agony at personal loss the day they had met, and asked what Thrawn had been sad about. Thrawn was surprised to learn that Thrass remembered his pain, but Thrass said it made an impact on him. As his brother and his friend, what was important to Thrawn was also important to Thrass. Thrawn told Thrass that he had never had a brother before, but that he had once had a sister. She disappeared when he was three years old and she was five. Thrawn did not believe she had died (and indeed, she remained alive). The day Thrawn met Thrass at the welcoming dinner on Avidich had been Thrawn's sister's starday, and Thrawn felt her loss particularly keenly because of that. Thrawn had never meant for Thrass to notice his anguish; let alone for the Syndic to brood over it for all the years since they met.

Upon hearing that Thrawn had had a sister, Thrass volunteered to locate records that must exist and detail her whereabouts. Thrawn demurred, thinking Thrass would be too busy, and telling the Syndic that he would one day make time to locate her himself. Nevertheless, Thrass resolved to locate the woman to assist his brother in resolving his deep personal anguish. Thrass even pondered asking Patriarch Thooraki to launch an official inquiry, believing it was the least he could do for his brother. Thrass reflected that just as Thrawn had never had a brother before, neither had he. Indeed, Thrass ultimately did collect records of Thrawn's sister, who had once been Kivu'rik'ardok, and prepared them on a data cylinder.

Before boarding their shuttle, the brothers briefly discussed Thrawn's upcoming mission. Thrass asked whether the Defense Council honestly expected Thrawn and the Springhawk to find pirates out in the Chaos. Thrawn did not know, but shared that Commodore Ar'alani's opinion was that the Council expected him to disappear from the Ascendancy for some time so they would not have to look at or think about him. Thrawn then added that no-one ever knows the future. Thrass privately reflected that Patriarch Thooraki seemed to know the future, pondering that he and Thrawn may be destined to do great things for the Mitth and the Ascendancy. Thrass was amused by the thought of them as "brothers-in-arms" working together to increase Mitth's influence both in Syndicure and among the military, as well as working to make the Ascendancy a better place for all. He then mused that, if Thooraki was right, the two men were already brothers-in-arms: a cousin born as a privileged member of the family, and a promising upstart outsider who had been welcomed in and attained the rank of Trial-born.

Despite Thrawn's request to leave the matter alone, Thrass began to collect information about Thrawn's sister. His search finally led him to a woman named Irizi'rik'ardok, who had been born as Kivu'rik'ardok and who had been adopted to the Irizi family after her tenure in the Sky-walker corps. His search also uncovered some unpleasant details about the way the sky-walkers were trained, all of which he stored on a data cylinder. After his meeting with Irizi'rik'ardok, Thrass kept an eye on her movements, making a note of her marriage to Bomarmo and her relocation to Ardok Ranch on the Ascendancy planet Ool. The Ranch served as a cover for a Seekers' Shadehouse, one of the secret locations where the sky-walkers were trained. Patriarch Thooraki would one day instruct his Senior Aide Mitth'iv'iklo "Thivik" to pass on Thrass' data cylinder to Thrawn's loyal friend and subordinate, Caregiver Mitth'ali'astov.

Thrawn conducted a campaign against Vagaari pirates that became known as the Vagaari pirate operations. The operations were a military success, with the threat of Vagaari pirates eliminated. Moreover, Thrawn had acquired a gravity well projector from a mysterious starship from Lesser Space, a valuable piece of technology that the Ascendancy's scientists were still trying to reverse-engineer around 18 BBY. However, the Vagaari pirate operations were considered politically disastrous and one of Thrawn's most "mixed-result" exploits. Thrawn had "lost" the Lesser Space starship before any scientists could examine its interior. Thrass had also gone missing-in-action in the process and was presumed dead.

By the end of the Vagaari pirate operations, Thrawn had the rank of Senior Captain. He underwent treatment for injuries he had sustained fighting the pirates at the Chiss Expansionary Fleet medcenter on Naporar and was there during the attack on Csilla by unconfirmed enemies in 19 BBY. Supreme Admiral Ja'fosk disapproved of Thrawn's actions during the operations and relieved Thrawn of command of the Springhawk. Command of the cruiser was given to Mid Captain Ufsa'mak'ro "Samakro".

Senior Captain Thrawn was still in treatment on Naporar for injuries sustained in the Vagaari pirate operations when Csilla was attacked by unknown enemies in 19 BBY. Following the attack on Csilla, the now-Supreme General Ba'kif traveled to Naporar, where he asked Thrawn to accompany him to investigate a subtler threat to the Chiss. The two left to look into an attack on the edge of the Ascendancy's outer Dioya system. Thrawn and Ba'kif ventured to the Dioya system, where unknown assailants had attacked a ship full of refugees of unknown origin, slaughtering them all. They concluded that the attackers of the refugee ship were not pirates, as the attack patterns indicated a desire to destroy rather than to immobilize. The Dioya system was at the very edge of Chiss territory, but nevertheless part of the Chiss Ascendancy. As such, the attack that occurred there warranted and in fact mandated a Chiss military response if culpability could be established. Thrawn notes to Ba'kif that he would be able to recognize the alien species if he were to see them again. Thrawn requests to be reinstated as commander of the Springhawk as he volunteers to investigate this matter further. Ba'kif, due to the rising tensions in the Syndicure regarding beliefs that the Paataatus were behind the Csilla attack, believes that he would be able to get Thrawn back into the Springhawk.

After some lobbying, Thrawn was reinstated to his position on the Springhawk. The Springhawk was navigated by the sky-walker Che'ri, with Mitth'ali'astov "Thalias" serving as the girl's caregiver. As part of Picket Force Six, Thrawn and his ship participated in an attack on the Paataatus along with Admiral Ar'alani. Thrawn's tactical insights were key to the Ascendancy's victory in that battle, as only Thrawn understood Paataatus swarming tactics. Ar'alani ordered the Springhawk to stay in a formation Thrawn knew to be tactically disadvantageous against the Paataatus. Thrawn disobeyed her order, and as a result, turned a rout into a Chiss victory and secured a "groveling" peace settlement from the Paataatus government. Thrawn also shared his confidence that this defeat would stifle the Paataatus' expansionary desires, at least until their current generation has passed.

A tribunal was convened on Csilla to question Thrawn's disobedience of an order from Ar'alani, despite it being the reason the Chiss had won. However, Thrawn could not attend the tribunal because he and Ba'kif left to investigate the attack at Dioya.

Che'ri navigates the Springhawk to an unknown planet. Thrawn recognizes that Che'ri is in desperate need of a break, even though she tries not to show it. He calls for the Springhawk to come to a rest in the system. Thalias, also sensing Che'ri's need for a break, thanks him. Thrawn expresses concern for Che'ri, and Thalias responds by explaining that sky-walkers sometimes get overload spells when under a lot of stress. She asks Thrawn if she and Che'ri could stay in the bridge for a little while to start Che'ri's recovery process, as she is not yet able to walk on her own. Thrawn permits this, stating that he is not surprised that Che'ri was strongly affected by the system. Thrawn reveals the nature of the system to a curious Che'ri: a quadruple star system. Che'ri, notably, is surprised that Thrawn is communicating directly to her. After Thalias asks about the purpose of their mission, Thrawn tells her about the refugee ship found at the Dioya system. Lieutenant Commander Tumaz'mor'diamir "Azmordi", the Springhawk's helm officer, objects to Thalias and Che'ri being made known of such information. Thrawn responds by stating that it is important for the Springhawk's sky-walker and caregiver to know of any information that may affect their performance. He also describes Thalias and Che'ri as part of the team. Thrawn then proceeds to explain that he believes the refugees found in the Dioya system had a close sense of comradeship (he notes that the refugees were clustered together), and because of this belief, he theorizes that they were traveling with a companion ship. Thalias and Thrawn agree that the quadruple star system would be a perfect place for that companion ship to rendezvous with the refugee ship (it is difficult to navigate a ship through such a system). After Thalias and Che'ri depart for their quarters, the second ship, orbiting around the planet, makes its appearance. Thrawn leads a survey crew to investigate. During the investigation, they find everyone aboard to be dead. The ship had run out of air after their hyperdrive failed. During the survey, Thrawn finds that the ship's navigational records were deleted. The audio records still remain, though. He also finds a species that had light pink skin, purple eye splotches, feathery head crests, and spindly bit well-muscled limbs. There was also a Void Guide (the Void Guides were a group within the Navigators' Guild, a group of force-sensitive navigators that were hired to navigate ships through the Chaos). Thrawn instructs Samakro to prepare the Springhawk's Ready Room Two for the biological examination of three of the alien bodies and the Void Guide. In the examination room, Thrawn, Samakro, and Thalias discuss and theorize about the fate of this second refugee ship. Specifically, they theorize that the Void Guide deleted the ship's navigational records to conceal their system of origin. Thrawn instructs Samakro to make two copies of the ship's audio records: one for the Springhawk's analysis team and one for his personal study.

After the dissection of the refugee and Void Guide aliens, the Springhawk arrives outside another unknown system. Thrawn sends a private message to Ar'alani and Wutroow to rendezvous with him. After three days, the Vigilant arrives at the system, and Ar'alani and Wutroow join Thrawn and Samakro for a briefing. The system is a box system, where electromagnetic flux interactions with the system's solar wind interfere with hyperspace travel. There are only around a dozen safe pathways into the inner system. Due to an ancient cataclysm that seeded both the inner and outer systems with large meteors, the planet itself only had three routes that lead to it safely. There are a larger number of safe pathways that lead to the system's outer asteroid belt, where abandoned asteroid mining stations are located. Before Ar'alani and the Vigilant arrived, Thrawn's brief, three-day reconnaissance, from outside the system, had picked up a fair amount of activity between the planet and the various colony and manufacturing stations in orbit around it. Thrawn also shares that the three access points to the planet are being patrolled by small warships of a different design than that of the refugee ships, leading to the conclusion that the system is being interdicted (the patrol ships were configured in a way designed to control access to the planet). The asteroid mining stations, on the other hand, are not as heavily guarded. Due to the existence of this blockade, Thrawn believes that this system is where the refugees had come from, but he will not know for sure until he can investigate one of the abandoned asteroid mining stations.

Thrawn gives his proposal, and Samakro finds it to be impossible. However, Ar'alani recognizes the planned maneuvers to be very similar to Thrawn's performance on the patrol craft simulator test at the Taharim Academy. The group discusses the plan's exit strategy. Thrawn points out that two holes in the solar wind, created by the outer system's two gas giants, create perfect spots for a ship to safety get into and out of hyperspace. The group names these holes in the solar wind Shadow Number One and Shadow Number Two. Wutroow realizes that without accurate planetary data, it would be difficult to hit these two spots from the outside of the system (after Thrawn's reconnaissance, they have the necessary planetary data), and Ar'alani then realizes that the spots would not be as difficult to hit from the inside of the system. She proposes that this is how the refugee ships were able to get past the alien patrols, and Thrawn agrees. After the plan is finalized, Ar'alani suggests Che'ri and Thalias to be transferred to the Vigilant, in case something were to go wrong with the Springhawk's mission. Thrawn requests that Thalias remain aboard the Springhawk, as he plans on taking her with him aboard the mining station. Based on the clothing worn by the aliens in the second refugee ship, Thrawn deduced that their society holds females with respect. He believes that having Thalias with him will reduce the likelihood of lethal attack if they are confronted. Ar'alani asks why Thalias should be the one accompanying Thrawn, to which he explains that every officer (including the female ones) needs to be at their stations aboard the Springhawk. Thalias accepts Thrawn's proposal to join him aboard the mining station, and Che'ri is transferred aboard the Vigilant.

Once both the Springhawk and Vigilant arrive in the system via Shadow Number One, Samakro prepares the Springhawk for Thrawn's plan. The Springhawk flies alongside the Vigilant, hiding behind its sensor shadow. Eventually, the Springhawk will break away and hide behind a nearby asteroid (matching its slow rotation), while the Vigilant distracts any pursuit by the blockading ships and flees the system via the Shadow Number Two. Before starting their inward vector, Thrawn waits for blockade ship Four to move slightly further in its orbit. Once they begin, blockade ships One and Two react to the Chiss advance. Thrawn suggests a two percent increase in speed to account for updated intercept vector projections. More course shifts were recalculated and factored into the Chiss vectors. Eventually, blockade ship Three was angling in from a direction that would bring it into clear view of the Springhawk nearly a minute before the scheduled break off point. The ships increased their speeds by a few more percent. Eventually, they arrived at the break off point, where blockade ships One and Two were four and a half minutes away from intercept and blockade ship Two was ninety seconds away from visual. However, the Springhawk successfully breaks away from the Vigilant and settles into a slow rotation behind an asteroid, without being detected by the alien blockade ships. Ar'alani starts their escape and informs the Springhawk that the Vigilant will be waiting for them at the rendezvous point. Thrawn decides to wait a few hours to allow the Vigilant to escape the system and for the blockade ships to return to their picket positions.

Five hours later, Thrawn and Thalias depart for the mining station. On the way, the shuttle's sensors alert Thrawn of an incoming ship from the system's planet. Recognizing this as an opportunity to communicate with the aliens, Thrawn decides to invite the aliens aboard the mining station using its external lights (also hoping to draw any attention away from the Springhawk). Upon arriving at the mining station, Thrawn definitively confirms to Thalias that the refugee ships had come from this system. The Chiss turn the external lights of the mining station on and await the arrival of the aliens in the equipment bay. When they arrive, Thrawn positions himself in front of Thalias, hoping that the gesture would connect with the alien's culture of placing females in high esteem. However, Thrawn detects a change in the air caused by the opening of a secondary hatch behind them, and places himself behind Thalias, much to her surprise and dismay. When the aliens arrive in the equipment bay, Thrawn asks them if they speak Minnisiat. Failing to communicate in that language, he asks them if they speak Taarja. One of the aliens responds in that language, asking Thrawn and Thalias what they were doing aboard the mining station. Thrawn presents himself and Thalias as explorers wishing to preserve the art of cultures not able to preserve it themselves. After the Chiss introduce themselves, the alien spokesperson asks why Thrawn is standing behind Thalias. Thrawn responds by stating that he is protecting her from the agents sent to shoot them from behind. The alien clarifies that violence was not their intention, stating that Thrawn's arrival had made them concerned for their safety. The alien then speak with Thrawn concerning his mission for artwork, claiming that none exists aboard the mining station. Thrawn retorts by stating that there is more art woven into the station's design than meets the eye.

Thrawn then asks the spokesperson why the mining station had been abandoned. The alien, identifying his species as the Paccosh (from the planet Rapacc), responds by stating that their Nikardun blockaders had forced them to abandon the station. The Paccosh spokesperson also confirms that the ships chasing the Vigilant belonged to the Nikardun and that their intention was to destroy. Thalias asks the spokesperson how they were able to evade the Nikardun blockage to travel to the mining station, to which the Paccosh reveals that they were sent by their blockaders to check if the mining station had captured any information regarding the Vigilant. Thrawn asks the Paccosh if the Nikardun leader would be able to identify the origin of the Vigilant. The Paccosh spokesperson identifies the Nikardun leader as General Yiv the Benevolent and states that no sensors exist aboard the mining station. Thalias then asks the Paccosh of what they intend to do with her and Thrawn. While the Paccosh speak amongst themselves, Thrawn compliments Thalias on her delivery of that question, explaining that the consideration for the female may modify their answer. Thrawn also prepares Thalias of the possibility of using their charrics to evade capture. The Paccosh spokesperson states that the Nikardun would want them to be captured if they knew of the Chiss' presence. Upon Thrawn promising to not be detected by the Nikardun during their departure and realizing that they can explain the activation of the mining station's external lights by use of remote activation, the Paccosh decide to let the Chiss go in peace. Before departing, the Paccian leader, identified by the spokesperson as Uingali foar Marocsaa, gives Thrawn a double ring depicting the image of a chimaera. Uingali wishes for the Chiss to add it to their artwork preservation project, hoping that the Marocsaa subclan won't be forgotten. Thrawn takes the double ring with honor, to which Uingali inclines his head, suggesting that he understands the Taarja trade language. Upon leaving the mining station, the Paccosh reinforce the illusion of remote-activation by turning off the mining station's external lights.

On the way back to the shuttle, Thrawn and Thalias discuss new revelations concerning the Void Guides on the two refugee ships. Thrawn notes that the first refugee ship came out of hyperspace too far away to reliably communicate with the Chiss Ascendancy (the Dioya system is very remote). He and Thalias deduce that the Void Guide must have prematurely taken the ship out of hyperspace to give the Nikardun an opportunity to attack and destroy it. Thrawn also believes that the Nikardun took the Void Guide with them, as there was no such body found aboard the wreckage. Thrawn also helps Thalias come to the conclusion that the Void Guide must have died in the attack on the first refugee ship, because if they had survived, the location of the second refugee ship would have been compromised. Thrawn also notes that the Paccosh (and not the Void Guides) must have been the ones to suggest the quadruple star system as the rendezvous point. Thrawn and Thalias depart for the Springhawk and proceed with their rendezvous with the Vigilant to pick up Che'ri.

After departing the Rapacc system, Thrawn journeyed to Guild Concourse 447, where he hired Pathfinder Qilori to serve as the Springhawks navigator. Qilori would witness the Springhawk conduct a raid operation on the Nikardun military in the Rapacc system. The Springhawk, facing three Nikardun blockade frigate, sent a decoy shuttle to distract two of them. The Springhawk subsequently battled, defeated, and captured the remaining Nikardun blockade frigate. Thrawn believed that capturing one of these ships would provide the Chiss with valuable tactical and cultural information about their Nikardun adversaries. Furthermore, Thrawn wished to gauge Qilori's actions during the raid, believing he could learn something about the Pathfinders' operations. The Chiss ultimately learned much about the military technology of the Nikardun from the captured warship. Moreover, the vessel's entire crew committed suicide prior to the Chiss boarding, which taught Thrawn and other Fleet officers the sheer willpower, hatred, and loyalty of Nikardun soldiers. Thrawn had also noticed Lioaoin design in the Nikardun vessel and came to believe that the two nations were working together. Seeking to learn yet more about the Chiss' new adversary, Thrawn resolved to understand Yiv, and prepared a proposal to investigate the Lioaoin heartworld to present to Supreme General Ba'kif along with his after-action report.

Thrawn and the Springhawk returned to Csilla, where Thrawn, Ar'alani and Ba'kif met at the Supreme General's office at the Fleet headquarters on Csilla. Ba'kif read Thrawn's report on the Rapacc missions at least twice while buying time to formulate a proper response. The General scolded Thrawn for capturing an enemy ship and Ar'alani for condoning Thrawn's choice of actions, saying the capture had been a serious breach of regulations. Thrawn pointed out that the Springhawk had acted in self-defense, which was permitted by standing orders. Nevertheless, the General distinguished between destroying an attacker and capturing their vessel, predicting that many Syndics would be furious upon learning of the capture. Ar'alani defended her subordinate, informing Ba'kif that she had studied the regulations, and none had specifically prohibited the capture of an aggressor warship. Ba'kif considered capturing an enemy ship to fall under the category of preemptive strikes, which were expressly forbidden. Moreover, many Syndics and Aristocra would demand Thrawn return the captured Nikardun vessel. Upon this comment, Thrawn mused that such a transfer would be "awkward" without its crew, as they had all committed suicide before the Chiss could board the blockade frigate. When Thrawn asks for permission to investigate the Lioaoi, Ba'kif states that he is no longer in direct control of the Expansionary Defense Fleet and, therefore, would not be able to permit the journey. Thrawn asks him to issue a directive to the fleet personnel instead, since he still has authoirity over them.

However, before they would discuss this further, Syndics Thurfian and Zistalmu arrived at Ba'kif's office to communicate with the group. They were enraged at Thrawn's actions, calling Thrawn's actions unauthorized. Thurfian reminds Thrawn of his past failure with the Lioaoi, which embarrasses him. Instead of sending Thrawn to Lioaoin space, they demanded he join Ar'alani's Nightdragon man-of-war Vigilant on a diplomatic mission to deliver a Chiss ambassador to Urch, the capital world of the Tower Dimension. The Ascendancy had signed a treaty with the Urchiv-ki to open diplomatic relations with the Tower Dimension, and the Vigilant was chosen as the warship to deliver the ambassador Boadil'par'gasoi "Ilparg." Thrawn, Thalias, and Che'ri were temporarily reassigned to the Vigilant while the Springhawk underwent repairs.

Upon the Vigilant's arrival at Urch, the Tower Dimension refused to grant the Chiss clearance to land. Thrawn and Ar'alani notice the presence of both a Lioaoin and Nikardun ship. Recognizing that the Urchiv-ki have been subjugated by the Nikardun, Wutroow recognizes that the two ships, alongside six Urchiv-ki ships, are forming a mirror payback net pattern to capture the Vigilant. Che'ri asks Thalias to explain, but Thalias does not know. Thrawn jumps in to explain the maneuver to Che'ri. After some risky maneuvering, the Vigilant was able to escape the net pattern and the Urch system, avoiding capture. Ilparg demanded answers as to what had happened. Thrawn and Ar'alani explain that the Nikardun likely wanted to capture a Chiss vessel in retaliation for Thrawn's capture of a Nikardun vessel at Rapacc and that Ilparg was the bait. Ar'alani successfully baited Ilparg into agreeing to going to the Lioaoin heartworld to demand answers. After Ilparg departs the bridge, Ar'alani notes to Thrawn that he wanted to investigate the Lioaoins, and now he could.

On the journey to the Lioaoin heartworld, Thrawn refreshed his memories of Lioaoin artwork. It took him longer than anticipated, causing him to arrive at the bridge late. When he arrived, he discovered that the Vigilant had already arrived at the Lioaoin heartworld and discusses his studies with Ar'alani and Ilparg. Ilparg dismisses Thrawn's study of alien artwork, but Ar'alani defends his effort by stating that sometimes, the study of a culture's history, philosophy, and sometimes even their art is necessary for their defeat. When Ilparg departs to speak with Lioaoin Traffic Control, Thrawn privately thanks Ar'alani for her attempts to defend him. Thrawn and Ar'alani notice nine Lioaoin gunboats lined up in a wide and planar Pincer maneuver. Thrawn notes that this goes against the typical Lioaoin vertical formation (they would typically form a three-stack wedge position with nine ships). Thrawn also notes that their current formation is for offense, not defense. Ar'alani suggests that the Lioaoi could merely just be trying new tactics, but Thrawn disagrees. Ilparg, to Ar'alani's frustration, directly accuses the Lioaoi of attacking the Vigilant at Urch. Ar'alani starts to interrupt Ilparg, but Thrawn stops her, noting that instigating the Lioaoi would reveal valuable information. Suddenly, a Nikardun Battle Dreadnought is made visible to the Vigilant. Thrawn notes that they are too far away for the Vigilant to be in any immediate danger, and Ar'alani orders her helm officer, Droc'tri'morhs "Octrimo", to stay on their current course.

A representative from the Lioaoin diplomatic office claims to have no knowledge of the events at Urch and offers to take Ilparg in for a conversation, but Ar'alani decides to leave the system, having discovered enough information. Thrawn, however, asks her if he can run an experiment on the nine Lioaoin fighters. Permitted, Thrawn communicates with the Lioaoin diplomat, stating his name and engaging in meaningless farewells. At the mention of his name, Thrawn and Ar'alani notice that seven of the nine Lioaoin gunboats break from their formation with full thrusters before quickly slipping back into formation. After leaving the system and in a conversation with Ar'alani, Wutroow, and Ilparg, Thrawn notes that the Nikardun clearly have a standing order against him. Privately, Thrawn confirms to himself that Qilori had revealed his name to the Nikardun. The group also comes to the conclusion that someone else, higher up in the command structure, had ordered the gunboats to return to formation, indicating that they did not want to appear as a threat to the Chiss. They also conclude that the Lioaoi are allied, and not subjugated, to the Nikardun, due to the presence of weapons on their gunboats (the Paccosh's weapons were removed when they were subjugated). Finally, Thrawn requests for the Vigilant to detour to the Garwian Unity capital of Solitair. He intends for the Garwians to help him study the status of other nations in the region that have fallen to the Nikardun. Ar'alani agrees to send him, on a shuttle, to Solitair, as to not drastically increase the scope of the Vigilant's mission. Thrawn also requests the use of Ar'alani's office, which is granted.

Using Ar'alani's office, Thrawn came to understand that the Nikardun Destiny posed an insidious threat to his own Chiss Ascendancy. The three known Nikardun subjects: the Lioaoin Regime, the Paccian Governance, and the Tower Dimension, were all close to the Ascendency's northern and north-eastern zenith borders. He also notes that recent reports from Naporar indicate that the Paataatus Hiveborn are gearing up for another attack on the Chiss. This is unusual, as, typically, the Paataatus stay put for a generation after a major defeat. Thrawn uses this knowledge to conclude that the Hiveborn have also been subjugated by the Nikardun. Furthermore, the Senior Captain believed that a skilled conqueror must understand the worldview, customs, and tactics of their conquered peoples. As such, he contrived the fictional role of a "Chiss family hostage" to convince Yiv that he did not fully understand the Chiss and thereby erode his confidence in his ability to conquer the Chiss Ascendancy. Thrawn hoped that doing so would buy the Chiss time to fortify their defenses from a Nikardun invasion. Thrawn invites Thalias into Ar'alani's office, where he shows her the nations surrounding the Chiss Ascendancy that have fallen to the Nikardun. He asks her to accompany him on the mission to the Garwian Unity as his family hostage. After having the concept explained to her, Thalias reluctantly agrees to join Thrawn, noting that she will need to practice how to act like a hostage.

Upon arrival at Solitair, Thrawn and Thalias meet with now Second Defense Overlord Frangelic. Frangelic was introduced to the "family hostage" and asked to keep Thalias's identity in his confidence. Thrawn secretly hopes that rumors about this hostage system would spread to Yiv's ear. Thrawn discusses the Nikardun conquests with Frangelic, and they agree that more study of the situation is necessary. Thrawn asks if he can covertly study any of four nearby nations to see if they have fallen to the Nikardun, and Frangelic proposes that he and Thalias join an upcoming Garwian diplomatic mission to Primea, the homeworld of the Vak Combine. Thrawn agrees, and Frangelic decides to accompany them as a security escort. Frangelic is asked to introduce Thrawn as an art expert looking to verify a fringe theory about potential contact between the Vaks and the Garwians tens of millennia ago. Thrawn also asks for Frangelic to refer to Thalias as Thrawn's "companion", instead of as his "hostage". Finally, Thrawn asks for a medium-sized shipping container for the Chiss' escape from Primea. Frangelic agrees to all of these terms, and the three prepare for departure. Thrawn sends instructions to Ar'alani to retrieve him from Primea.

As they travel to Primea, Thalias informs Thrawn that Qilori is the navigator of the Garwian ship. Thrawn views Qilori's presence as an opportunity to further stir up the Nikardun. After Thrawn and Thalias' arrival, they attend a diplomatic reception, where Thrawn discovered, to his pleasure, that a high ranking Nikardun was in attendance. Sighting Qilori, Thrawn comes up with a plan to meet with the Nikardun. In Qilori's earshot, Thrawn admonished Thalias for wearing her hostage makeup "incorrectly," stating that a family hostage should meet certain criteria for appearances; doing so to make sure Qilori would overhear. Thrawn, posing as "Artistic Master Svorno," later engaged Qilori in conversation about the academic theory he claimed to be trying to refute. Qilori, believing that Thrawn does not recognize him, does not share his name. Thrawn gave up the topic of conversation after realizing that it was not of interest to Qilori. The Chiss states that he knew about most of the species present and that few of those have art that was "worthy of the name," but points out the Nikardun as a species he has never seen before. After Thrawn asks to be introduced, Qilori, identifying the species, offers to see if the man would be willing to speak with him. Upon return, Qilori introduces the Nikardun as General Yiv the Benevolent.

Qilori subsequently introduces Thrawn to Yiv. Still using the name "Svorno", Thrawn and Yiv discussed art, architecture, and Vak culture. The Chiss and the Nikardun challenged one-another to analyze something that was not their counterpart's specialization; Yiv would analyze a Vak tapestry while Thrawn analyzed the architecture of the reception hall. Yiv discussed the implications of a secret tunnel from the reception area to the Vak premier's private office. Yiv also expressed belief the Vak tapestry showed "inexpert" design, but Thrawn retorted that its imperfections were purposeful and showed that the Vaks valued both the individual and the whole. When Yiv questions if Thrawn had gleaned all of that from just one tapestry, Thrawn said that he has seen a great deal of additionally artwork as the reception, all of which displaying the Vaks' cultural ethos. The Chiss then asked the Nikardun General what he saw, to which Yiv responded, "opportunity." Yiv elaborated that he saw opportunity to "make new friends" with the Vak people. Thrawn then asked Yiv what would happen if the Vaks did not want the Nikardun's friendship. Yiv responded that he would see it as an insult, to which the Chiss asked if such an insult would need to be "avenged". Yiv insisted that it would need to be "dealt with" and that "avenged" was "far too savage" a word to use. The two also discuss Yiv's symbiont tendrils, with Thrawn correctly discerning that the inner tendrils are for detecting any toxic gases in the air (the general had before revealed that the outer tendrils are for detecting any poison in a drink). Yiv complimented Thrawn on his observational skills, noting that no other being is able of comprehending such concepts that quickly. Thalias returns to Thrawn, having updated makeup, and Yiv asks for Thrawn to introduce his companion. Thrawn only describes her as a "person of no consequence" and exchanges farewells with Yiv. After Thrawn departs, Qilori and Yiv discuss the idea that Chiss have a secret "family hostage" culture. Yiv tells Qilori that he believes it to be a bluff, but Qilori notes, to himself, that there are notes of hesitation in the Nikardun's voice.

Yiv planned to capture and kill Thrawn as the Garwian diplomatic ship left Primea, but Thrawn was not aboard. Instead, knowing that Yiv would try to capture him, he and Thalias decided to remain on Primea to learn about the Vak culture and how the Vaks would respond to Yiv's diplomatic and military overtures. The two Chiss entered a Vak art gallery where Thrawn learned more about Vak culture and discussed the opinions of the common Vak people with the museum's curator. After leaving, Thrawn explained, to Thalias, that the Vaks valued all of their members' points of view, which they called "thought lines", and, as such, they sought consensus making decisions. Decision-making so thoroughly communal made the Vak Combine slower in deciding their policies and courses of action than most sentient species. However, the Vak would distrust a faction which sought to subordinate the Vaks' many thought lines to those of the faction's leader. Yiv would no doubt seek to make his own thought line the only one that mattered. Thrawn and Thalias sought to spread that warning before they were caught by Nikardun or Vak security forces.

As they waited for the Vigilant to arrive for their retrieval, Thrawn and Thalias would hide in the shipping container prepared by Frangelic back on Solitair. Inside, Thrawn would interrogate Thalias as to why she came to board the Springhawk. Samakro had told him of Thalias's deal with Thurfian to get aboard, theorizing that she was a Mitth family spy. Thalias denies this, noting how the Mitth family continually tried to block her access to board as a Mitth family observer. Thrawn deduces that it must have been Thalias's decision to attempt to board the Springhawk and asks her why. Thalias reluctantly tells Thrawn of her desire to see him again. Thrawn, as a cadet, had encouraged her as she exited her sky-walker career aboard the Tomra. He notes to Thalias how Junior Commander Vorlip had sent him fifty downmarks after he accessed the Tomra's restricted bridge area. Thrawn also shares with Thalias how he had an older sister who disappeared when he was three and when she was five. He thought that she was dead, but discovered the possibility of her being recruited as a sky-walker when he learned of the sky-walker corps when he achieved bridge rank. Thalias encourages him to try to research her whereabouts through the Chiss records, but Thrawn does not wish to disturb her, as most sky-walkers wish to remain hidden. Thrawn accepts the fact that he will likely never see her again. Over the course of the next couple of days, the two would pass time. The shipping container would eventually be brought into the Vak spaceport, where the Chiss would infiltrate a Vak sentry fighter, subduing any Vak officers on the way with tava mist.

Ar'alani would eventually arrive at Primea to retrieve Thrawn, accompanied by Syndic Zistalmu, who sought to ensure the two Chiss ships would obey the Chiss non-aggression protocols. The Chiss force called the Primea diplomatic office to ask the whereabouts of Artistic Master Svorno. The Vaks responded that the Garwian diplomatic ship had departed three days ago. Meanwhile. the Vigilant was met by thirteen Vak patrol boats arranged in a lens formation. The Vak patrol boat commandeered by Thrawn soon joined the other thirteen. Thrawn's patrol boat opened fire on the Vigilant with modulated laserfire in what appeared to the Chiss as a Vak attack. In actuality, Thrawn was sending Admiral Ar'alani the schematics of the Vak patrol boats so she, if needed, could disable them without destroying them. He was using the same communication method he had devised for instructing the Garwians at Stivic. Some of the other Vak patrol ships broke from their formation and pursued the rogue craft. Much to Syndic Zistalmu's outrage, Ar'alani used Thrawn's apparent attack to justify engaging the Vak patrol boats. However, just before the Vigilant could fire to disable the Vak fighters, four Lioaoin warships appeared from hyperspace. These craft were summoned by Yiv, who anticipated a Chiss extraction after he had learned that Thrawn was not aboard the Garwian diplomatic ship when it left Primea. The Lioaoi flagship hailed Ar'alani, positively identifying themselves as part of the Lioaoin military and telling the Chiss they had disrupted the peace of the Vak Combine. They warned the Chiss to depart immediately, and when Ar'alani replied that they were only there to search for one of their people, the Lioaoi attacked the Chiss force. Ar'alani knew that she did not have enough firepower to destroy all of their attackers, so they planned an escape. Syndic Zistalmu was further angered because, "now that they were actually attacked," Ar'alani wanted to leave. Thrawn's commandeered patrol craft, now not being pursued (the Vaks had no desires of involving themselves in this battle), was able to attack and destroy the outermost Lioaoin ship's weapons clusters, allowing Ar'alani enough time to secure Thrawn and Thalias before escaping the system. Upon their return to the Ascendancy, Thrawn, Thalias, and Ar'alani would undergo days of interrogations for their roles in the mission at Primea.

While Chiss Ascendancy law prohibited preemptive strikes against non-enemies, it required retaliatory strikes against enemy forces who definitively established their identity. As such, the Lioaoin attack at Primea required the Expansionary Defense Fleet to counterattack the Lioaoin Regime. The Syndicure and Defense Hierarchy Council sent the Vigilant and Springhawk to attack the Lioaoin heartworld. Unknown to most of the vessels' crews, Thrawn and Ar'alani wished to only attack using the two warships, rather than bringing a larger force.

On the way to the Lioaoin heartworld, Thrawn and his officers discussed the philosophy of war and what they had learned about the Nikardun Destiny. Kharill mused that this attack was madness, to which Samakro responded that the ancient Chiss philosophers would consider all warfare madness. Kharill expressed a desire for a few years of peace, even if that peace left the Chiss Defense Force personnel unemployed. Thrawn asked Kharill how that peace should be achieved, and the Senior Commander retreated. With Samakro, Thrawn reasoned that the Lioaoi were Yiv's allies, and Yiv had ordered them to Primea to engage the Chiss so neither the Nikardun nor the Vaks would have to expend their own forces. The Senior Captain said Yiv would judge the Ascendancy's will to conduct reprisals during the coming battle; and as such, the Chiss' goal should be to maximize the message they would send while minimizing the actual damage inflicted on the Lioaoin Regime. Thrawn guided his first officer Samakro to reason why their attack force consisted of only two warships. The reasoning amounted to a confluence of several factors. First, by deeming only two warships adequate to perform their reprisal, the Chiss Ascendancy would project supreme confidence. Second, small forces were best able to evaluate enemy tactics. Thrawn added that Ar'alani had requested only two ships for the engagement, and a single ship would have been even better for tactical evaluation. However, the Defense Hierarchy Council would not have allowed only one ship to perform the mission. Thrawn added that the Syndicure was happy enough to grant Ar'alani's request for only two ships, as many would be confident in the two ships' powers. On the other hand, Thrawn expessed concern that some in the Syndicure may hope for his and Ar'alani's deaths in the upcoming battle.

Upon the Chiss force's arrival at the Lioaoin heartworld, they saw twelve Lioaoin warships. Thrawn knew that no more than four would engage the Springhawk and Vigilant, as the Chiss had a reputation that they would have reinforcements lying in wait. If the Lioaoi were to send their whole defensive fleet to engage two Chiss ships, they would open their planet to attack by the Chiss reinforcements they believed would come. At that time, Ar'alani hailed the Lioaoin ships, asking for an "explanation" of their attack at Primea. The Lioaoi did not attempt to deny or justify the attack, leading Thrawn to reason that Nikardun forces were present and the Lioaoi feared reprisals by the Nikardun if they should downplay their aggression at Primea. At the beginning of the battle, Ar'alani would instruct Thrawn to launch one of the Vigilant's shuttles towards the four attacking Lioaoin ships. The Lioaoi would tractor the shuttle on a course that would take it though their diamond formation. However, upon the shuttle reaching the middle of this formation, the Springhawk would fire and destroy the shuttle, revealing four breacher missiles that impacted the Lioaoin ships. A second shuttle was secretly launched and destroyed, revealing four more breacher missiles. In the ensuing chaos, two more Lioaoin ships would emerge from their defensive high orbit to engage the Chiss in battle. The Chiss would eventually emerge victorious, maximizing their deterrent message while minimizing permanent damage to the Lioaoin Regime in the hopes that the Lioaoi would remember the Ascendancy's restraint in the future. The Springhawk sustained heavy damage in the battle.

Following the Lioaoin skirmish, Thrawn met with Ba'kif on Csilla, were they discussed possible next steps. The General was now convinced of the threat posed by the Nikardun, but the Defense Hierarchy Council and the Syndicure were not. Thrawn proposed conducting reconnaissance behind Nikardun lines. He would take a small scout ship able to evade pursuit and learn the size, strength, and degree of control the Nikardun Destiny exercised over its subjects. Ba'kif agreed that such a mission was possible, but asked the Senior Captain "to what end" it would be undertaken. Thrawn initially replied that the scout mission could incite the Nikardun's conquered peoples to revolt against their conquerors. Ba'kif shot the idea down as a violation of the Ascendancy's prohibition on preemptive military action. The Senior Captain then proposed leasing military bases or supply depots from nations occupied by the Nikardun, but the General rejected that idea on the same grounds. Finally, Thrawn proposed searching for allies who may have been able to resist Nikardun conquest and keep such resistance unknown to Yiv. Despite believing the chances of such potential allies existing to be slim, Ba'kif granted Thrawn permission to undertake a search for allies. Further, the Supreme General allowed Senior Captain Thrawn to bring Che'ri and Thalias with him. Ba'kif warned Thrawn that he would not only be risking his own life, but also those of two women. Thrawn understood the gravity of the situation, but insisted that he would rather cause Che'ri and Thalias' deaths through his actions than cause the deaths of the entire Ascendancy through inaction. Reluctantly, Ba'kif agreed. The general told Thrawn his orders would be "cut but sealed," meaning they would be official and binding, but no-one but Ba'kif would know about them. Ba'kif wished Thrawn good luck as the younger man left.

Thrawn left Ba'kif's office to meet Thalias and Che'ri, who had been waiting outside. Despite her clearance to accompany Thrawn on his mission, Thalias was prevented from coming when Syndic Thurfian pulled her aside. Unknown to Thrawn, Thurfian had made a deal with Thalias: he would get her aboard the Springhawk while she acted as a spy for him. Thalias refused to be Thurfian's spy against Thrawn, and, to secure her position within the Mitth family (Thurfian was threatening to rematch her to her old, struggling family), she resolved to take the Mitth family Trials, proving herself worthy of being a Trial-born of the Mitth (Trial-borns were somewhat more immune to rematching). After learning of Thalias's inability to go on the mission, Thrawn asked Che'ri if she still wished to undergo the planned mission without her caregiver. Che'ri agreed, understanding the importance of the mission, and asked Thrawn to give her more colored graph markers. Thrawn pleased the young girl by telling her that he already acquired two boxes of the markers and four binders of paper on which she could draw.

Thrawn departed Csilla with sky-walker Che'ri to search for allies for the Ascendancy's coming conflict with the Nikardun. Their search was to take place within and beyond the Unknown Regions. While exploring the edge of the Chaos, Thrawn began teaching Che'ri how to fly a starship. Che'ri had drawn aerial landscapes, birds, and many other flying entities, and the Senior Captain recognized the young girl's desire to fly reflected in her drawings. Che'ri became more confident and admitted her love of flying, and came to believe that Thrawn was an excellent teacher.

Not long after reaching the Outer Rim Territories of "Lesser Space," Thrawn and Che'ri would start to examine a five-world arc of systems. At the first system Batuu, they found a small patrol force. After passing by the next three systems, Umme, Yakorki, and Ovanis, they would arrive above the system of Mokivj, where they detected an energy shield far more advanced than the electrostatic barriers used for warship defense in the Unknown Regions. The Chiss would also notice the use of droid-powered craft, and Thrawn would explain to the girl that one side of the Lesser Space war was predominantly fought with droids. They also find another ship before it jumps into hyperspace. Thrawn determines that it is heading for the most populated planet, Batuu, and commands Che'ri to follow after it. Che'ri did not believe they would be able to catch up with Duja, but Thrawn was confident that Chiss hyperdrives and especially Chiss sky-walker navigators were superior to those used by the Republic. Upon arriving at Batuu, the other ship arrives, and Thrawn speaks with its pilot, attempting to communicate in multiple languages (Minnisiat, Taarja, Sy Bisti) before receiving a response in Meese Caulf. The pilot refers to herself Duja, and Thrawn correctly inferred her to be a scout or spy for the Galactic Republic. During their conversation, Duja would ask Thrawn if he had seen a Nubian ship. After stating that he didn’t, Duja ended the conversation and descended to the surface. Days later, the Nubian ship arrived and descended to the surface at the spot where Duja’s ship had landed. Hours later, Duja’s ship would leave with a few local patrol crafts pursuing it. The Nubian ship would not follow. Over the course of the next several days and weeks, Thrawn would study the planet, learning of its name. He would also continue Che’ri’s piloting lessons.

Eventually, Jedi General Anakin Skywalker's Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor exited hyperspace above Batuu, and Thrawn saw artistic similarities with the design of Nubian ship. Thrawn's scout ship approached the Actis hyperdrive ring, seeking to study it. In the Meese Caulf trade language, the Jedi ordered Thrawn to withdraw from his hyperdrive ring. When Skywalker introduced himself, Thrawn was surprised by his last name, given that the same name "sky-walker" was used for the Chiss navigators. Although he was actually a Senior Captain, Thrawn introduced himself as Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, an officer of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. Thrawn sought Skywalker's assistance in learning of the pan-galactic Clone Wars and the state of the galaxy. The Jedi Knight agreed to help in return for Thrawn's assistance. The two discuss their first steps, and Thrawn mentions that he knows where the Nubian ship is on the planet below. Skywalker explains that the Nubian ship was carrying a Republic ambassador (who he later identifies as Padme) collecting information from an informant. Much to Che'ri enjoyment, Skywalker would repeatedly mispronounce Thrawn's full name, so Thrawn offered the use of his core name, which Skywalker reluctantly accepts. The pair descended to Batuu's surface along with the Jedi's astromech droid companion R2-D2. Che'ri was left alone to take care of Thrawn's ship and was instructed to go back to Mokivj and to deploy decoys when they would be needed.

Thrawn and Skywalker found Padmé's H-type Nubian yacht in a small forest clearing thirty kilometers from the settlement known as Black Spire Outpost. There, Skywalker fought a group of smugglers upset at the presence of Amidala's ship in their landing spot, leading Thrawn to break up the fight. Together, he, Skywalker, and R2-D2 investigated Padmé's Nubian yacht. They found no sign of forced entry, but found logs indicating that Duja's ship, a Nomad Four, had left a week before Amidala's arrival. The two made arrangements to travel to Black Spire to continue their search.

Skywalker and Thrawn visited a cantina in Black Spire Outpost, where they asked the bartender about Padmé and Duja's whereabouts. The two were attacked by four assailants, but subdued and killed their attackers. Thrawn was wounded in the fight, but luckily his Chiss uniform absorbed and dissipated much of the energy from blasterfire. Thrawn deduced that the assailants had come to assassinate Skywalker and that a fifth companion was still at large. To track down the fifth companion, Skywalker came up with a plan to make it appear that one of the human assassins survived, wherein Skywalker would use the Force to animate the assassin's corpse. In the meantime, Thrawn installed listening devices at the cantina. Because of Skywalker's Force-sensitivity and employment of the Force in combat, Thrawn deduced that he was either a Jedi or a Sith. Because the Chiss myths of Jedi and Sith portrayed the Sith as clever and capable warriors, and because Skywalker had made careless mistakes in the skirmish, Thrawn inferred he was a Jedi.

Thrawn and R2-D2 returned to Skywalker's Jedi starfighter with the assassin's body. While Skywalker and R2 flew with the body, an explosion in the Actis portside repulsorlift caused it to descend rapidly. Skywalker managed to regain control of the ship and landed it among the trees, where he was attacked by a droid assassin. Skywalker was able to use the Force to deflect the droid's fire back at it, disabling it. Skywalker soon encountered Thrawn, who had captured the fifth assailant. The two searched the assassin's Separatist freighter.

Skywalker and Thrawn disabled the droids guarding the freighter, and discovered that it was transporting alcoholic beverages and gold ingots. Thrawn deduced that the ship was transporting its goods to a Separatist manufacturing facility. They also found that the crates were etched with an unfamiliar symbol. R2-D2 inspected the navigation computer and learned that the Separatist ship was traveling to the planet Cermau. Thrawn learned from the listening devices he had installed in the cantina that five individuals had entered the cantina, knocked the bartender unconscious, and carried him away. Thrawn explained that Chiss listening devices translated speech into powerful sonic signals which were processed by another device into a pattern of invisible flickering lights, and then translated back at the receiving end.

Returning to Black Spire in their landspeeder, Anakin and Thrawn were attacked by several thugs. The wounded Thrawn rammed their landspeeder into their attackers. Following a fight, Anakin and Thrawn subdued the assailants. They questioned two prisoners, including a cargo inspector named Oenti. One of the prisoners revealed that the bartender Janott had connections to the pro-Separatist Duke Solha of Serenno, the same planet whence the Separatist Head of State Count Dooku hailed. Questioning their prisoners, Thrawn and Anakin determined that Padmé's handmaiden Duja had discovered that the smugglers were using Batuu to smuggle supplies to a Separatist droid factory and that Duja had entered a Separatist ship and contacted the Republic. However, Oenti's comrades had realized she was a spy, causing them to panic and attempt to ship their gains off-world. However, before their ship had arrived, the landing space had been occupied by Ambassador Amidala's ship.

Oenti confirmed that Padmé Amidala had landed at Black Spire and wrote a poem for the deceased Duja. Janott and Oenti denied killing Duja, and Anakin confirmed they were being truthful. When Thrawn announced that they would head to the Separatist base on Mokivj, Oenti and his companions attacked Thrawn and his Jedi ally. Using his lightsaber, Anakin slew the assailants except for Janott. Janott confirmed that Padmé survived and left in a different ship. Leaving the bar, Skywalker briefed Thrawn about the political dynamics of the Clone Wars.

On Mokivj, Thrawn fought alongside Skywalker and Amidala against Solha's droid forces. The Separatists had a cortosis mine and a droid factory on Mokivj where they were manufacturing cortosis B2 super battle droids to fight the Jedi Order. Cortosis was able to withstand energy weapons like blaster bolts and lightsabers, making cortosis-fortified armor deadly against Jedi and clone troopers alike. Skywalker and Thrawn located the droid factory, which Amidala sought to infiltrate, and eventually united with the Senator.

Thrawn and Skywalker met Duke Solha, offering to deliver his lost cargo in a ploy to infiltrate the Separatist facility. Solha, flanked by an escort of B1-series battle droids and B2-series super battle droids, escorted the two men into the factory's courtyard. The Jedi General attempted to create a diversionary attack on some of the droids, but the two visitors were caught and detained in the factory's prison block. Skywalker contacted his wife with telepathy to rescue them. Thrawn utilized the fibers of his clothing to make a crude lock-pick, which Anakin used the Force to maneuver to free the two men from their prison. After two hours of waiting for Padmé, the Jedi's wife arrived, accompanied by several maintenance workers local to Mokivj: Huga, Cimy and LebJau. The factory workers helped the Republic and Ascendancy individuals escape through the unused portions of the factory. Thrawn, Anakin, and Padmé retrieved Skywalker's lightsaber and sabotaged the factory.

Thrawn briefly left after securing the deflector shield generator, claiming to Amidala that it had been his mission. Nonetheless, he returned to help the Jedi and his wife defeat the Separatists. After defeating the Separatist duke and droid forces, Skywalker and Amidala insisted on destroying the Confederacy's ability to produce the cortosis-armored droids before leaving Mokivj. Thrawn suggested that they sabotage the droids so the Separatists would waste valuable resources on a flawed project doomed to fail, but Skywalker insisted on destroying the mine where the cortosis was acquired. This caused a catastrophe that rendered Mokivj barren and inhospitable. Che'ri returned near the end of the mission, helping the Chiss and Republic individuals distract and defeat Separatist vulture droids protecting the base in air and space.

Thrawn was impressed with Skywalker's courage and cunning, while Skywalker was also impressed with Thrawn, and spoke highly of him to Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine when he returned to Coruscant. Thrawn was unimpressed, however, with the state of the Republic. He believed it to be unfit for an alliance with the Chiss Ascendancy, citing that the Republic's democratic style of government created a bloated, inert system where everyone had a voice but nothing was accomplished. Thrawn believed that a system of governance that encompassed so many points of view, styles of political thought, and philosophies was sluggish and inefficient by nature. Nevertheless, Thrawn's association with Skywalker was later made known, passed along in rumors among people who mined in the Thrugii asteroid belt.

Almost five weeks after their departure from Csilla, Thrawn and Che'ri returned to the Ascendancy with the Republic energy shield. Upon his return, Thrawn met with Ar'alani, Thalias, and Che'ri to make plans to defeat General Yiv and his Nikardun forces. Ar'alani and Thrawn would discuss the implications of this new technology, as it was far beyond anything the Chiss have been able to develop. They theorize that Yiv may have an energy shield of his own and believe that he must be dealt with before he can use it in a campaign against the Ascendancy. They then discuss Yiv's focus on the Vak Combine, noting that it is probably taking much longer to convince them to cooperate with and support the Nikardun, due to their culture of considering every individual thoughtline. Thrawn wished to create a division between the Vaks and Yiv, as it would prevent Yiv from allying with an important trade nation in the region. Thrawn would explain his plan, but Ar'alani would call it illegal and insane. Thrawn sees no other alternative, however, and informs Ar'alani that she does not have to join him. Ar'alani, focusing on the threat the Nikardun posed to the Ascendancy, reluctantly decided to agree to Thrawn's plan. Ar'alani also reminded Thrawn of his failure with the Garwians, but Thrawn is confident in his analysis of Yiv and the Vaks, as it involves war and not politics.

Thrawn's plan involved sending a message to the Vaks alongside the return of the stolen Vak patrol craft as a gesture of goodwill. Thalias and Che'ri, disguising themselves as family hostages (with a potent amount of tava mist in their plaster makeup), would return the patrol craft to Primea, where Thalias would inform the Vaks of Thrawn's "thoughtlines" behind his previous actions. Thrawn successfully predicted that this wording would allow Thalias and Che'ri to return the patrol craft without being harmed by the Vaks. Thalias carried one copy of Thrawn's message to the Combine while a second and longer copy was stored in the patrol boat's computer. The copy in the returned ship included a warning that Yiv might capture Thalias and Che'ri and replace the contents of their message with something innocuous. If the copy the Vaks' leaders received matched the copy aboard the ship's computer, then all was fairly calm with the Nikardun. However, if the messages did not match, that would indicate the Nikardun General had altered the message and could therefore not be trusted; thus leading to a shift in Vak thought lines to oppose the Nikardun Destiny. Thrawn's warning to the Vak Combine included data he had collected on other civilizations that Yiv had made entreaties to, with which he hoped to convince the Vaks that Yiv's promises and flattery were in fact deception prefacing an iron fist that would follow if they should accept Yiv's suzerainty. Moreover, it included an invitation for the Vak Combine to form a military alliance with the Chiss Ascendancy against the Nikardun (notably, Thrawn was not authorized to propose such an alliance). Che'ri was nominally aboard the Vak patrol boat because she knew how to pilot the ship while Thalias did not. However, the true reason for Che'ri's presense at Primea was that Thrawn and Ar'alani required Yiv capture the young sky-walker to convince the Syndicure to conduct a military strike against the Nikardun. As Thrawn expected, General Yiv ordered the capture of Thalias and Che'ri, taking them hostage. He sent a message to the Csilla demanding that Thrawn deliver a monetary ransom aboard an unarmed freighter in exchange for the release of the captive Chiss. The message specified coordinates representing high orbit of Primea, and demanded that Thrawn come alone in an unarmed freighter.

Supreme Admiral Ja'fosk called an emergency session at Csilla's Convocate Hall to deliver the news to an outraged Syndicure. While Syndic Thurfian had often seen Thrawn skirt or step over the limits of acceptable and legal behavior for a Chiss officer, he was completely unprepared for the news that Thrawn's actions had led to the capture of a Sky-walker. Thurfian privately fumed that such an act was treason against the Ascendancy. Called to testify before the Syndics, Thrawn explained that he had never intended to place either woman in harm's way, and asserted that it was Yiv's aggressive actions that endangered Thalias and Che'ri; not his own. The Plikh Speaker asked how Thrawn could have allowed a valuable sky-walker to fall into "enemy" hands, to which Ja'fosk replied that the Nikardun Destiny was not the Ascendancy's enemy. The Syndics and Ja'fosk discussed whether Yiv might know of the existence of Chiss sky-walker navigators, concluding that there was neither evidence that he did or did not. The Syndics remained furious and demanded action be taken to rescue Che'ri, even if that action constituted a military strike, and an expedition to Primea was authorized. The Speaker for the Irizi family effectively ended the meeting by saying they would have more questions for Thrawn and Ar'alani, but they could wait until after Che'ri and Thalias were rescued.

It was decided that Thrawn would travel to Guild Concourse 447 and hire a navigator to take his unarmed freighter to the coordinates Yiv had specified. If Thrawn failed to retrieve Thalias and Che'ri on his own, a Chiss fleet would soon follow and arrive at Primea. In reality, Yiv had arranged for the navigator to be Qilori and for Qilori to bring Thrawn and the freighter somewhere in the outer reaches of the Primea system. Thrawn expected as much and would later invoke Yiv's treachery to justify the Chiss fleet that followed him to Primea. Thrawn had studied the schematics of Yiv's flagship Battle Dreadnought the Deathless, which sported an overly large viewport as did many other Nikardun vessels. He had the Fleet make special modifications to the freighter he would take to the Concourse and then to Primea, so its nose would first puncture and then perfectly seal a vacuum in the viewport of the Deathless bridge. Additionally, the Fleet had installed a prototype "Republic energy shield" on the freighter, reverse-engineered from the one Thrawn had acquired on Mokivj and far stronger than any shielding technology commonly employed in the Unknown Regions at the time. Nevertheless, the freighter was bereft of weapons as required. In a final conversation with Qilori, Thrawn maintains his illusion of ignorance by flattering the Pathfinder with his favorite tealeaf, Galara, and giving no indication on whether he knows the true scope of the situation.

Upon Thrawn's arrival to the outer Primea system, Thrawn and Qilori saw the Deathless accompanied by three other Nikardun Battle Dreadnoughts. Thrawn hailed Yiv over the comm to announce his arrival to the General and that he had the specified monetary ransom. Yiv said that Thrawn misunderstood, and that Thrawn was himself to serve as the ransom, explaining that the Chiss officer had earned death for capturing and killing one of his ships and crews. Yiv asked Thrawn whether he wished the General to shoot his freighter down rather than bring him aboard to be killed personally, to which Thrawn replied that he did not. The Chiss commended Yiv for his cleverness in arranging the meeting at a different location than promised, and asked if that meant the other "provisions" of the meeting had changed too. The General quipped "probably" before proceeding to brag about the Vaks' awareness of his substantial military forces in the system and nearby. As Thrawn's freighter approached the Deathless, Thrawn said he wished to revisit the provision that he come to Primea alone.

At that time, the Vigilant, Springhawk, and the rest of Picket Force Six arrived in the Primea system from hyperspace. They called Primea Central Command to announce their arrival and inform the locals of the presence of Nikardun warships. After the Chiss vessels performed a sensor scan, the Chiss discovered that the Nikardun dreadnoughts had formed a blockade formation. The Chiss understood that the blockade was meant to prevent the Vaks or any others in the system from stumbling upon Yiv's covert meeting with Thrawn, but the Vaks had no reason to suspect such a motive. Yiv was furious upon seeing the arrival of the Chiss fleet at Primea. Thrawn further angered the General by pointing out a dilemma the Chiss had set for Yiv. The Chiss fleet was much stronger than the Nikardun patrol boats forming the apparent blockade of Primea. Yiv could sacrifice those small warships, but that would bring disgrace on Yiv as the Vaks knew that Yiv had stronger battle dreadnoughts that could reinforce his patrol boats. On the other hand, Yiv could send his dreadnoughts to reinforce his blockade formation, but if he sent all of them, it would appear he was fleeing Thrawn and his unarmed freighter. Moreover, even if Yiv sent all three of the Deathless companion dreadnoughts to reinforce his blockade ships, it would appear that Yiv was too cowardly to join the battle himself. Ultimately, that third option is what an apoplectic Yiv settled on. Thrawn also quietly interrogated Qilori about the situation. Thrawn would also reveal, to Yiv, the existence of the second copy of the message he sent to the Vaks. Ar'alani then sent the Nikardun formation data to Primea Central Command, who also understood it to mean they were the subject of a planetary blockade by the Nikardun Destiny. Ar'alani asked for the Vaks' permission to clear out the blockading vessels from the system, which they granted. As a result, the battle over Primea ensued. The battle began between the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet on one side and the Nikardun on the other, with the Vak Combine not engagine either side. Infuriated by Thrawn's "treachery", Yiv threatened to destroy the Chiss Ascendancy, starting with Thrawn's hostages.

As the battle between the Chiss and the Nikardun commenced, Thrawn recognized that Qilori was upset. Thrawn, realizing that Qilori is probably worried about a potential attack on the Deathless from behind, assures the Pathfinder that there will be no such attack. He drops his cherade and reveals to Qilori that he knows of his alliance with Yiv and that the Nikardun have been using the Pathfinders to coordinate military attacks. Since these activities are serious violations of Navigators' Guild rules, Thrawn proposes that he will withhold this information from the Guild if Qilori agrees to not tell anyone of the details of this confrontation. Qilori reluctantly agrees.

In the battle, Admiral Ar'alani told Mid Captain Samakro, now commanding the Springhawk, to "play dead," and appealed to several non-combatant Vak patrol boats for humanitarian aid. The Vaks agreed after a short period of protest but were promptly shot and destroyed by several Nikardun warships. The Vak culture thus promptly joined the battle against the Nikardun on the side of the Chiss fleet. Yiv, now even more angered, began hurting Thalias to try to learn Thrawn's plan. Thrawn, still on the comm display, informed the Nikardun that there was no need for such actions, and laid out his plan transparently for the General. Thrawn sought to trap Yiv in a box, which he insisted he had. He told Yiv the only way forward would be for Yiv to capture Thrawn's freighter with the Deathless tractor beams and release Thalias and Che'ri, as provided in the two men's original "agreement." Yiv smugly chided that he had always wished something like that but said he would kill and dismember Che'ri and Thalias in front of Thrawn so the Chiss Senior Captain would die knowing he had brought such a fate on all Chiss. He ordered Thrawn's freighter to be brought in by tractor beams. Just at that moment, however, Che'ri and Thalias stripped their hostage disguise and released the concealed tava mist, inhibiting the reaction time and reflexes of the Deathless bridge crew. Using a prototype Republic shield generator the fleet had installed, Thrawn's freighter, after breaking away from the tractor beam, endured ensuing Nikardun laser fire without significant harm, even though the lasers would have been strong enough to easily destroy the freighter if it had only been equipped with the electrostatic barriers common in the Chaos. Thrawn's ship crashed into the bridge of the Deathless, at first opening the viewport up to vacuum before sealing it with the perfectly-shaped custom nose the Expansionary Defense Fleet had installed on Thrawn's freighter. Thrawn then knocked Yiv unconscious with more tava mist, seized him, his questis data-link reader, and his data banks, and rescued Che'ri and Thalias from the Nikardun before escaping the Deathless. The departure of Thrawn's freighter once again opened the bridge of the Deathless to the vacuum, killing all of Yiv's bridge crew.

After the battle, Thrawn would meet with Thalias and Che'ri, where they would discuss the outcome of the battle. Thalias informs Thrawn that some in the Syndicure want to bring charges against him for putting a sky-walker at risk, but Thrawn reminds her of his purposeful framing of the situation: Che'ri was sent to return the patrol ship to the Vaks, and Yiv was the one who put her in danger. Thrawn mentioned that Ar'alani noticed a key detail about the Vaks: no other historical nation dared to kill a Vak. As the Vaks give weight to all thoughtlines, killing a Vak would deprive the nation of valuable information and opinion. This was the motivation behind the Vaks joining the battle against the Nikardun. Thrawn shares his belief that Ar'alani is a better commander than he is, citing her view of non-Chiss entities as "people" and not "assets". Thalias suggests for Thrawn to change his command style to be more like Ar'alani, but Thrawn does not think he is able to.

Following the battle over Primea, the Syndicure called several hearings regarding the Nikardun threat, how they had been discovered, and how they were defeated. After analyzing the data and battle plans Thrawn had seized from Yiv, Syndicure became convinced that the remnants of Yiv's forces must be eliminated. As such, they authorized Ar'alani, Thrawn, and Senior Captain Lakinda, commander of the Grayshrike, to neutralize any Nikardun remnants in the Chaos. Thrawn participated in the campaigns. At some point in approximately 18 BBY, Thrawn, together with Ar'alani and Lakinda, were sent to defeat the last Nikardun remnants within the Vak Combine, but Thrawn had been given a private mission by Supreme General Ba'kif as well: return to Rapacc to check on the status of its Nikardun. The Grayshrike was disabled over the course of the battle, and Ar'alani ordered Thrawn to first help defend the damaged cruiser and then assist her Vigilant in picking off the remaining Nikardun enemies. At the conclusion of the battle, Thrawn was permitted by Ar'alani to proceed with his private mission to Rapacc.

In the meantime, Syndic Zistalmu and Thurfian, now promoted to Syndic Prime of the Mitth, believed Senior Captain Thrawn would make a political miscalculation, bringing shame to the Ascendancy, and as such conspired to draw Thrawn far away from Chiss territory. As such, the two Syndics began amplifying rumors of an alliance between the Paataatus and the Vagaari pirates, knowing that the Syndicure would be eager to send Thrawn against two enemies he had thoroughly defeated in the past. In addition, Thrawn's acquisition of a gravity well generator from the Vagaari pirate operations was famous among the Nine Ruling Families, and the Syndics would hope Thrawn could secure more promising alien technology in further combat against the Vagaari. Unknown to the Syndics, the rumors they were amplifying had originated with the Grysk, Jixtus.

Before arriving at Rapacc, Thrawn entered the Springhawk's bridge, where he would find Thalias already looking at him. He concluded that Che'ri had sensed Thrawn's imminent arrival through her Third Sight abilities and had informed Thalias. Thrawn speaks to Samakro, who wishes to bring Thalias and Che'ri back to their sky-walker suite before arriving at Rapacc. Thrawn, knowing that Thalias would want to witness the day's events, refuses, stating that Che'ri might be needed for a quick escape. He agrees that they should not be on the bridge, however, and thinks about sending them to the Springhawk's secondary command. Thrawn asks one of the Springhawk's plasma sphere specialists, Lieutenant Commander Laknym, if he is comfortable operating the secondary command's weapons operations. Laknym expresses doubts, but the Springhawk's primary weapons officer, Senior Commander Chaf'pri'uhme "Afpriuh", affirms the Lieutenant Commander's qualifications for the task. Thrawn believes that Laknym would benefit from this experience, and sends him, alongside Thalias and Che'ri, to secondary command. Upon entering the Rapacc system, the Springhawk was greeted by a Nikardun blockade frigate that had been captured by the Paccian Governance. Thrawn hailed the frigate in the Taarja trade language, stating that he represented the Chiss Ascendancy and came in friendship and peace. The frigate's captain, who was Uingali foar Marocsaa, apparantly not remembering Thrawn's name, asked the Springhawk to prove that it was Chiss. The Paccosh had heard legends that the Chiss were able to disable enemies without inflicting any permanent damage. Uingali thus challenged Thrawn to prove his Chiss-hood by launching a Paccian passenger shuttle for the Springhawk to disable harmlessly. Thrawn obliged, having Afpriuh disable the shuttle with a plasma sphere. The Senior Captain then revealed that he had come to Rapacc to ensure the Nikardun had been driven out and to return Uingali's Marocsaa subclan ring. Thrawn then correctly identified the commandeered frigate's captain as Uingali. Upon showing the ring to Uingali over the viewscreen, the Pacc smiled, welcoming Thrawn to his world. Shortly thereafter, Uingali's frigate turned upward to reveal a massive ventral decal of a chimaera.

Uingali took Thrawn, Thalias, and Samakro to Rapacc's capital city of Boropacc, which was largely destroyed. Uingali told his Chiss guests that most of the destruction had been by the Nikardun as they withdrew from the planet, but some of it had come from the Paccosh in their eagerness to kill as many Nikardun as they could on their way out. Uingali also asked Thrawn of the fate of the two refugee ships he had sent, to which Thrawn revealed that both had perished. The Pacc then told the Chiss the true purpose of his invitation. Uingali's Paccosh people had come to host 200 refugees of a mysterious species seven and a half months prior, which was three months before Thrawn's first encounter with the Paccosh aboard the mining station. Those refugees had a matriarchal society and were led by a female figure known as the Magys. The Magys' people had fled a disastrous civil war on their homeworld and believed that all others of their species were dead. Uingali also revealed to Thrawn and his companions that the Nikardun had originally invaded the Rapacc system in order to hunt down the Magys' refugee group. Believing that her two-hundred refugees were the only members of their species to survive their homeworld's war, the Magys wished mass-suicide for her people. She believed their only hope would be to become one with the Force by joining "the Beyond." Uingali explained that The Magys had to wait for nine of her people's months without hearing from any higher authority from her planet before she could command her refugees to commit suicide; that time translated to approximately eight standard months. By the time of the Springhawks arrival, trust had frayed between the refugees and their Paccosh hosts. However, the aliens had expressed intrigue when Uingali had told them about a group of aliens (Thrawn and Thalias) who had visited the Paccosh seeking to preserve their art. Thus, upon the Chiss' arrival at Rapacc, Uingali believed Thalias would be able to dissuade the Magys from ordering suicide because the refugees' matriarchal culture would lead them to respect a woman's opinions more than a man's. Thalias expressed doubts in her diplomatic ablities, but Thrawn encourages her. Thrawn also proposes that he speak with the Magys instead, citing their common ground of interest in art.

Uingali took Thrawn, Thalias and Samakro to a city on Rapacc where the Magys' refugees had settled. The refugees had assembled in what appeared to be the convocation hall of an abandoned school building, sitting in a pattern that Thrawn described as the "tactics of desperation" in which the strongest and most combat-ready sat closer to the edge, protecting the weaker, more vulnerable, and the leaders. Eventually, the Magys' protectors parted, opening enough room for one of their visitors to talk with their leader. When Thrawn attempted to converse with her, however, she insisted on only talking with Thalias, whom she could sense had "touched the Beyond." Thalias and the Magys conversed, and the Caregiver persuaded the Magys to visit her homeworld to see if there were any survivors before ordering her people's deaths. The Magys agreed, however, only on the condition that she could take one of her refugees as a companion and witness. Thalias lacked the authority to make such promises, but did so anyway, seeing no other means of preventing a mass refugee suicide. However, during the conversation between Thalias and the Magys, Samakro informed Thrawn of the existence of several Nikardun listening posts on the vector the refugees took to get to Rapacc. They agreed that the Nikardun had at least some interest in the civil war on the Magys's planet, due to their pursuit of the refugees. They also agreed that more information gathering was necessary, and Thrawn was pleased to find out about Thalias's coincidental arrangement. Thrawn, Samakro, and Thalias were also made aware of a strict timeframe of two weeks (the Magys was obligated to wait for nine of her months without any contact from her world before making any decisions on suicide, and the time conversations concluded that only two Chiss weeks remained). Thalias stated that the Springhawk must get moving before realizing that, again, she had no authority to command the Springhawk. Thrawn and Samakro smiled at the ordeal, and Thrawn complimented Thalias's enthusiasm. He orders Samakro to relay orders to the Springhawk. Thrawn wants two rooms prepared for the Magys and her companion and for the Springhawk to act as if Thalias were a high-ranking officer whenever the Magys or her companion were present. Thrawn explains that the Magys clearly believes Thalias to be a high-ranking officer and that he would like to maintain that misunderstanding. Additionally, being a high-ranking officer would explain Thalias' periods of unavailability. As Samakro gives the orders to the Springhawk, Thalias argues that treating her as a senior officer would be a bad idea, due to the potential negative ramifications that would ensue if the Magys found out about the deception. After Thalias goes to inform the Magys of the specifics of the mission, Thrawn asked Samakro if he disapproved of the order to refer to Thalias as a senior officer. Samakro affirms, and Thrawn also admits to not particularly liking the arrangement. They also discussed sending an update to Csilla. Rapacc had no long-range communications triad for the Chiss to use, and the Springhawk was out of range for ship-to-ship communications. Mid Captain Samakro insisted they first travel within comms range of the Ascendancy before going to the Magys' homeworld so they could update Ba'kif and Ar'alani with their status. However, Thrawn pointed out that the short timeframe, and if the data had been wrong or units converted incorrectly, the actual amount of time left may be even shorter than they thought. Samakro and Thrawn then agreed to travel straight to the Magys's world.

Before the arrival at the refugees' world, Thrawn ordered Che'ri and Thalias to navigate in the Springhawk's secondary command, since he wanted the Magys to be on the bridge to observe the planet. Upon arrival, Thrawn asked the Magys the planet's name. The Magys refused to share her world's name with an "outsider," so Thrawn nicknamed that planet "Sunrise," choosing a name symbolic of his hope and optimism for her people's future. Thrawn then ordered the Springhawks helm officer Azmordi to perform an in-system jump to 40,000 kilometers above Sunrise's equator. Shortly after completing that jump, the Springhawk would observe Sunrise's scorched surface (caused by a pattern bombing campaign). The Magys would immediately conclude that no one on the surface survived the carnage, but Thrawn insisted that there was no proof of that. However, before they would agree on what to do next, the Springhawk was attacked by unidentified forces affiliated with the Grysk Hegemony. Fifteen gunboats, in three groups of five, converged on the Springhawk in rosette patterns, and Thrawn would test to see how much they knew about the Chiss Ascendancy's war tactics. Thrawn would send out a shuttle, and the gunboats immediately attack and destroy it, thus giving the Chiss a reason to fire a breacher missile down the middle of the first group of gunboats' rosette pattern. The gunboats would wait and widen their formation before destroying the missile, demonstrating their knowledge and ability to not get hit by the Chiss' acid. However, just before Thrawn could engage the gunboats in true combat, the Grayshrike suddenly appeared on the other side of the gunboats. The Grayshrike would be attacked by an as-of-yet unseen Grysk Battle Dreadnought, the Shatter-class WarMaster HopeBreaker[5], which called back ten of the fifteen gunboats to engage the Grayshrike. Thrawn would subsequently destroy the remaining five gunboats with a simultaneous then sequential laserfire pattern before sending Lakinda his battle plan. Thrawn fired the Springhawk's remaining twenty plasma spheres at the other ten gunboats, disabling them in the process. Lakinda then subsequently fired its own plasma spheres into the portside of the still as-of-yet seen HopeBreaker, disabling that hull's sensor capabilities. After the Grayshrike suddenly leapt into hyperspace, the Springhawk would fire its remaining breacher missiles at the now visible HopeBreaker. Because it couldn’t detect the incoming attack, all the breacher missiles made contact with the HopeBreaker's portside. Thrawn would subsequently fire laser volleys at the damaged portside, causing serious amounts of damage. The HopeBreaker would try to turn away from the Springhawk, causing its portside to face away from the Chiss. However, the Grayshrike suddenly appeared on the other side of the HopeBreaker, having done a series of in-system jumps. Together, the Springhawk and Grayshrike would continue firing upon the HopeBreaker, with the Grayshrike continuing to inflict serious damage to the Battle Dreadnought's portside. The HopeBreaker would soon escape in to hyperspace, but before it did, it fired upon and destroyed the remaining derelict gunboats, depriving Thrawn from being able to study them. The HopeBreaker had been guarding a small ship that Thrawn, Samakro, and Lakinda sought to identify; believing that identifying the freighter's purpose would provide clues to what enemy had attacked them and presumably instigated Sunrise's civil war. The Chiss did not know it at the time, but the freighter had been transporting the valuable industrial metal nyix off the world for the Grysk Hegemony.

After the battle, Thrawn was informed that Lakinda was sent to deliver him a message. Lakinda wanted to visit the Springhawk to deliver this message in person and to talk about the battle, and the two Chiss would later arrange the meeting. Thrawn told Samakro that he believed the Battle Dreadnought stayed in the battle as long as it did to keep the Chiss distracted from its companion ship's escape. Thrawn also stated that the Dreadnought was orbiting Sunrise in a geosynchronous orbit over a specific area, and he requests for the Magys and her companion to return to the bridge, hoping that she would be able to tell him what exists at that location. Samakro asks Thrawn if he would like to investigate the planet's surface, but Thrawn refuses, citing the Springhawk's and Grayshrike's current lack of capability of sustaining such an operation. Thrawn would ask the Magys if she could identify any reason for the Battle Dreadnought orbiting at their specific location, but she does not give any useful answers. After this, convinced that her world is lost, the Magys ordered her companion to commit suicide. After Thrawn and Thalias attempt to talk her out of telling the other refugees to kill themselves, she attempted to kill herself on the Springhawk, knowing that a new Magys would rise up and make the same decision for mass suicide. Before she could do so, however, Thrawn arrested her for causing the death of an alien on his vessel, and put her to sleep in a hibernation chamber and placed her in Thalias's room in the Springhawk's sky-walker suite. During Thrawn's and Samakro's meeting with Lakinda, the three officers would discuss the situation with the refugees. Thrawn intends for the Magys's current whereabouts to remain a secret and asks Samakro and Lakinda to oblige, to which they both agree to. Soon thereafter, the Springhawk returns to the Csilla to meet with Supreme General Ba'kif and to receive their next assignment.

On Csilla, Thrawn and Samakro went through several meetings. First, the captains met with the full Defense Hierarchy Council to debrief about the skirmish above Sunrise. Second, they were questioned by a select committee of the Syndicure about their mission. Finally, they met Ba'kif in his office for one of the Supreme General's infamous off-the-record meetings. Ba'kif informed Thrawn and Samakro of the Springhawk's next mission: to investiaget rumors of an alliance between the Paataatus and Vagaari pirates. Thrawn believed such an alliance to be impossible, as their overwhelming defeat by Picket Force Six the prior year should have detered the Paataatus from attacking the Ascendancy for at least a Paataatus generation, given as 17–25 years. Ba'kif did not believe the rumors of the alliance either, but nevertheless reaffirmed the Springhawk's assignment to investigate them, as the Syndicure and Council had for once agreed on a common goal. Samakro questioned the Ruling Families' ulterior motives to assign Thrawn more operations against alleged Vagaari pirates. The official reports of the Vagaari pirate operations had been thoroughly redacted. Samakro inferred that some of the Ruling Families believed they could profit by sending Thrawn against the Vagaari again, referring to the correct rumors that Thrawn had acquired valuable technology from Lesser Space (the artificial gravity well generator) in his prior engagements against Vagaari pirates. Supreme General Ba'kif did not confirm or deny such motivations, but Ba'kif's complete lack of a reaction confirmed the Mid Captain's suspicions. Thrawn then asked Ba'kif whether the Grayshrike would be sent back to investigate Sunrise and the force that had attacked the Chiss there. Ba'kif responded that many Aristocra were weary of sending a major warship so far from the Ascendancy but did not explicitly say the cruiser would not return to the Magys' planet. At the time, the Grayshrike was undergoing repairs at Csilla Blackdock Two, further from the surface than any of Csilla's bluedock facilities. From that, Thrawn correctly inferred that Lakinda's cruiser would be assigned a follow-up mission to Sunrise and would be joined by Ar'alani's Vigilant. The Grayshrike would later receive orders to assist in Thrawn's search for pirates and the Springhawk would be informed by comms triad, but Thrawn would be too far out of communications range at the time to acknowledge receipt of that information.

To investigate the allegations of an alliance between the Paataatus and Vagaari pirates, the Springhawk journeyed to the Paataatus homeworld of Nettehi, which had been conquered and subjugated by the Nikardun. After entering the system, the Springhawk scanned twenty Paataatus fighters, six Paataatus enhanced cruisers and one Paataatus heavy frigate orbiting Nettehi. Not long after, the Springhawk received a transmission from a Paataatus identifying himself as Prince Militaire, and who informed the Chiss that they were trespassing in "holy Paataatus space." The Springhawk reasoned that "Prince Militaire" must be a title for a civilian and military official in the Paataatus government and noted that the Paataatus seemed more talkative than typical in past bouts of combat between the Chiss and the Paataatus. Thrawn replied by identifying himself, declaring their peaceful intent, and told the Prince that he came with a question for the Paataatus. Rather than asking his question immediately, Thrawn chose to observe the Paataatus' behavior towards the Springhawk to learn about their tactical situation. Thrawn and Samakro observed the Paataatus vessels change from a sentry configuration to a more defensive posture. Samakro thus reasoned that the Prince Militaire was aboard the frigate, and Thrawn pointed out that the cruiser directly behind the frigate went into a ventral guard position. Thrawn surmised that Nikardun forces were aboard that cruiser and that they were monitoring the conversation between Thrawn and the Prince Militaire and threatening the Prince's frigate if the Prince were to appeal for Chiss help against them. After the Paataatus gathered for an attack on the Springhawk, Thrawn reiterated his peaceful intentions, but also promised to display the "full might of the Chiss Ascendancy" if the Paataatus' situation remained unchanged. Thrawn also challenged the Militaire to focus on the precise words of his statement. The Paataatus fighters began their attack, but the Springhawk would find out that the lasers were at one-tenth power and keyed to the interplanetary dust profile. Because the lasers were configured to be absorbed by the interplanetary dust instead of by the Springhawk's hull, the lasers appeared as if they were at full power and set to the hull's profile. The Springhawk would fire back in the same manner to maintain the illusion of a real battle. In another transmission with the Paataatus, the Prince Militaire would challenge Thrawn to "do his worst", and the Springhawk would fire two breacher missiles and four plasma spheres at the Nikardun cruiser. The Paataatus cruisers and frigate theatrically maneuvered out of the way of the missiles, and, upon their impact on the Nikardun cruiser, they would fire upon and destroy their oppressors.

Thankful for Thrawn's assistance liberating their homeworld, the Paataatus allowed the Springhawk to use their long-range communications triad to reach the Ascendancy. Thrawn's askde the Paataatus was whether they had any leads on recent Vagaari pirate activity. The Paataatus presented Thrawn with a region of space that the pirates may be presiding in, and, with this information, he updated his search pattern and sent his the updated plan to the Syndicure and Defense Hierarchy Council, using his personal encryption key.

As a result of the liberation of Nettehi, the Paataatus and the Chiss developed much better diplomatic relations, despite their prior acrimony.

After departing Nettehi, Thrawn continued his search pattern to trace the rumored remnants of Vagaari pirates. Eventually, the Springhawk encountered a Watith captain named Fsir who claimed his freighter, the Saltbarrel, was under pursuit by Vagaari pirates. In fact, the freighter remotely controlled three Watith gunboats which appeared to attack the Saltbarrel but did no real damage. Fsir appealed to the Springhawk for aid, but Thrawn, recognizing the deception, would decline, stating that the Springhawk's current vital mission could not be interrupted. Upon saying this, one of the three gunboats broke off from its attack on the freighter and fired upon the Springhawk. After its subsequent destruction, the other two gunboats would also attack and be destroyed by the Springhawk. After the battle, Thrawn would ask Fsir to identify his species and their purpose for coming to this system. Fsir informed Thrawn of the Watith species and their mission to find a suitable planet to host a long-range communications triad on. Fsir then told Thrawn that he believed their attackers to be pirates due to the proximity of a Vagaari pirate base. After Thrawn informed the Watith that the Vagaari were the group the Springhawk was hunting, Fsir insisted on leading the Thrawn to the system where the Vagaari base was located, rather than simply providing the system's location. Thrawn was skeptical of the Watith's motives, but nonetheless relented to Fsir's offer. However, he insisted on remaining in the current system for a couple of days to examine the debris from the destroyed gunboats. Further, the Chiss Senior Captain insisted on boarding the Saltbarrel to examine the Watith crew's competencies. Fsir objected to Thrawn boarding, but Thrawn eased the Watith's concerns by allowing them to hide their computer systems, reminding him that the Chiss would not understand labels written in the Watith's writing system. Thrawn also rationalized the visit as "payment" for saving the Watith crew and cargo. Fsir relented and agreed, after which Thrawn boarded the Saltbarrel along with several Chiss warriors acting as guards. During this and another voyage to the Watith freighter, Thrawn counted 23 crew members including Fsir, as well as 20 consoles. Thrawn would also order the Springhawk to examine the gunboats' wreckage, telling them to specifically check for biological debris.

Over the course of the next three days, Thrawn's analysis of the gunboat debris went underway. Curiously, no discernible body parts or genetic material was found amongst the wreckage. Thrawn would then surmise that the gunboats were remotely piloted by the consoles he saw on the Watith freighter. Thrawn informed his senior officers of his suspicious of a trap. On the third day, Thrawn wanted to compare the Watith's clothing to that of the Magys, and made his way to the sky-walker suite, where the Magys was being held. He met Thalias there and observed the Magys, but Thrawn could not establish a connection between the two species' clothing style. However, before he could leave, Thalias stopped him and demanded to be informed of the situation, stating that, because she took care of Che'ri, she was one of the most important individuals on the Springhawk. She also added that she was tasked by Mitth Patriarch Thooraki to look after Thrawn and his political enemies. Thrawn, considering this, decided to inform the caregiver of his beliefs that the Watith are staging a trap for the Springhawk, describing Fsir's obvious desire to control where and when the Chiss arrive at this supposed Vagaari pirate base, and reasoning that the Watith must have a large and powerful force waiting at the destination. Thalias asked Thrawn if he still planned on springing the trap, and Thrawn stated that, no matter the odds, whoever orchestrated this needed to be dealt a killing blow, especially if it was the Vagaari.

The Saltbarrel did not have a navigator aboard, so the two ships had to make a jump-by-jump journey to their target system. The Grayshrike had been given Thrawn's search pattern and sent by Supreme Admiral Ja'fosk to assist the Springhawks hunt for alleged Vagaari pirates. During the journey to the supposed Vagaari pirate base, Mid Captain Csap'ro'strob (Apros) of the Grayshrike successfully made contact with the Springhawk. Thrawn filled Apros in on their status and coordinated with the Mid Captain to lie in wait at the Springhawk's destination. Once the Springhawk and Saltbarrel arrived, twenty gunboats awaited and attacked them. Two of the gunboats sped off toward the planet below, and Fsir cried out that they must be seeking reinforcements from an orbiting weapons platform and preparing to sound an alert. Thrawn ordered weapons officer Afpriuh to target the two closest gunboats with the Springhawks spectrum lasers, and commanded Kharill to prepare a full spread of ionizing plasma spheres on all but the leading two gunboats. Afpriuh's lasers quickly destroyed the two leading gunboats, and their debris and smoke occluded the remaining gunboats' view of the Springhawk and the plasma spheres it launched. Nevertheless, the gunboats evaded the spheres' trajectories almost instantly, which would not have been possible for organic pilots aboard to do, due to the smoke cloud. Because of this, Thrawn proved that the gunboats were operated remotely. Two of the sixteen gunboats were hit by glancing blows and rendered disabled but still intact, leaving fourteen gunboats operational on the plane of battle, plus the two heading toward the planet. Thrawn then ordered the Springhawk to fire plasma spheres to disable the Saltbarrel. At the same time, Thrawn ordered his communications officer Brisch to signal the Grayshrike to make its presence known. Mid Captain Apros ordered the unidentified gunboats to stand down or be destroyed, and the Saltbarrel tried to evade Laknym's sphere barrage to no avail. When the Saltbarrel was disabled, the sixteen remaining gunboats then started to drift in space along their current vectors. Thrawn asked Apros whether the Watith had been correct in their assertion of an orbital Vagaari pirate base in the planetary shadow. Apros confirmed that no Vagaari base, or indeed anything else, had been present on the far side of the planet, where his Grayshrike had been hidden for the beginning of the skirmish. Thrawn ordered the officers of the Springhawk and Grayshrike to collect the Saltbarrel and the fourteen remaining Watith gunboats that were neither flickered by the plasma spheres nor heading toward the planet. Thrawn also invited Apros to board the Springhawk, who had asked to meet with him to discuss an urgent matter. The Watith crew were later arrested, and, during an interrogation administered by Thrawn, Fsir confessed they had been hired to engage the Springhawk in battle. Their employer, though not revealed to Thrawn at that time, was the Grysk Hegemony agent Jixtus.

Once aboard the Springhawk, Mid Captain Apros explained to Thrawn and Samakro that Senior Captain Lakinda had left her post as the Grayshrikes commanding officer to respond to a Xodlak family emergency summons on the planet Celwis in the southeast of the Ascendancy. Thrawn was extremely unsettled by this news, as he knew Lakinda to be a devoted and steadfast officer. The Senior Captain asked whether Apros knew anything about the circumstances of the emergency summons, but the Grayshrikes Mid Captain did not. Apros had tried to dissuade Lakinda from leaving her post, but she left promptly upon learning of the order and accompanied a Xodlak hyperdrive technician named Lakwurn to Celwis. Thrawn thus learned that whoever had declared the Xodlak emergency on Celwis must have wanted all military personnel of the Xodlak family to assemble, regardless of rank or position. Apros further revealed the results of his inquiry into the state of Celwis, describing two partially-crewed light cruisers and an uncrewed reserve frigate that the Xodlak had among their fleet at Celwis. The Mid Captain feared that the Xodlak might be setting up for a battle, but neither he nor the Springhawks commanders knew who they might intend to fight. Apros further informed the Springhawks senior officers that they had received two additional encrypted transmissions issuing family emergency summons for members of two other Great Families of the Ascendancy; Defense Fleet personnel of the Erighal family were to assemble at Copero, and those of the Pommrio family were to assemble at Sarvchi. Like Celwis, Copero and Sarvchi were located in the Ascendancy's Southeastern region. Thrawn noted that the party's current location was to the Southeast zenith of the Ascendancy's borders, near Celwis, Copero, and Sarvchi, and insisted on helping resolve whatever trouble was brewing. The Chiss heavy cruisers were to collect the fourteen Watith gunboats and the Saltbarrel, with the Grayshrike towing nine gunboats and the Springhawk hauling the other five as well as the Watith freighter. Before departing to help collect the gunboats, Apros remembered that he had come aboard the Springhawk to hand Thrawn a brooch. He explained that those brooches had come from a group of aliens called the Agbui and that the jewelry had caused a great deal of "official interest" on Celwis, and a Xodlak rancher, Xodlak'phr'ooa "Lakphro", on Celwis had acquired one. The rancher sent it to his cousin, Lakbulbup, an employee of the Expansionary Defense Fleet on Naporar. Lakbulbup had heard of Thrawn's brilliance at analyzing alien art and culture and insisted on sending the brooch to Thrawn. Lakbulbup had then given the brooch to Lakwurn, a Xodlak hyperdrive specialist on the Grayshrike, when that ship docked at Naporar for repairs and provisions, and Lakwurn was to give it to Senior Captain Lakinda to give to Thrawn. However, because Lakwurn and Lakinda had taken leave to answer the Xodlak family emergency on Celwis, Lakinda entrusted the brooch to Apros to give to Thrawn. Upon learning of the Xodlak's interest in the brooches, Thrawn made the connection between it and the Xodlak family emergency. After Apros returned to the Grayshrike, Samakro commented that each of the three Great Families involved were allied with a mutually-rivaled Ruling Family. Thrawn had not known that, but Samakro explained that the Xodlak were allied with the Irizi family, the Erighal with the Dasklo family, and the Pommrio with the Plikh family. Tensions were already high between the Irizi, Dasklo, and Plikh families, to the degree that any altercation involving their allied Great Families would cause major discord in the Syndicure and throughout the Ascendancy.

Because Thrawn saw artistic similarities between the clothing of the Magys and the metal threads of the brooch, he determined to talk to the Magys. He and Samakro entered the sky-walker suite after making sure the sky-walker was asleep and proceeded to initiate awake the Magys. While the machine deactivated, the Springhawks captains filled Thalias in on the details of the brooch and the family emergencies. Thalias asked whether the Agbui might be some of the Magys' people, which Thrawn quickly assured was not the case, due to the photos of the Agbui included with the brooch. Thrawn then confirmed the similarities between the brooch and the Magys' clothing, insisting that Thalias and Samakro could see the relation (in fact, neither could). The Magys awoke furious, accusing the Senior Captain of betraying her people by denying her the "right and weight of leadership." She insisted that her people were gone, that her remnant had no right of "lingering survival," and that they must die to touch the Beyond. Thrawn tried in vain to reason with the Magys, but she insisted that she would commit suicide then and there, with her people soon following later. Abruptly, Caregiver Thalias interjected, taking the brooch from Thrawn's hands and showing it to the Magys. The brooch was clean and beautiful, unblemished by the stains of war or degradation, suggesting its recent manufacture and distribution. The Magys instantly ceased her angry accusations and gained a new resolve. She explained that the brooch had undoubtedly come from her world of Sunrise, and only the artisans of the Southern Mountain could craft such a beautiful trinket from metal wires. She had feared them all dead, as she feared of the rest of her planet's population, but Thalias and the brooch gave her new hope. The Magys demanded that Thrawn take her to Sunrise immediately to reunite with her people. Thrawn promised he would do so soon, but she must wait a little longer. He explained that, if anyone outside the sky-walker suite learned that she was still alive and aboard, his superiors would call him back home to investigate his actions and study her, thus delaying her reunion and repatriation. The Magys was ready to passionately argue the point but acquiesced to Thrawn's rationale after glancing in the direction where Che'ri, a fellow Force-sensitive, was sleeping. The Magys then agreed and returned to stasis. Thalias then apologized for her "severely disrespectful" behavior in the previous exchange, but the Senior Captain did not mind. He reassured the caregiver that he cared far more about results than etiquette and that her actions were very productive. Thrawn turned to Samakro to ask of his thoughts on the situation, and the Mid Captain replied by questioning how the Agbui could possibly benefit from stealing jewelry from the Magys' people and passing it off as their own. Thrawn insisted they find out by asking the one person who might know: Senior Captain Lakinda.

Thrawn and Apros called Senior Captain Lakinda, eventually reaching her on a repositioning stop of her jump-by-jump journey for her family. The calling officers informed Lakinda that they both had information for her and required information from her, but Lakinda refused to disclose the details of her Xodlak family mission. Thrawn and Apros informed her that the Pommrio and Erighal families appeared to be gathering for unknown but similar purposes in locations close to Celwis, raising Lakinda's alertness, but not enough for her to change her mind and disclose her mission parameters. Apros then insisted he had "one last question" for the Xodlak captain: whether her mission had anything to do with "alien jewelry." Thrawn and Apros explained the brooches' origins, both supposed (from the Agbui) and true (stolen from Sunrise), and Lakinda asked whether merely the jewelry's manufacture had originated on Sunrise or if its metal had as well. She told her colleagues the question was "vitally" important because one of the metals in the brooch was nyix, a valuable and exceedingly rare industrial metal used to fortify the hulls of warships. Thrawn explained that the Agbui were scamming the Xodlak, and most likely the Pommrio and Erighal families as well. Apros also stated that the Agbui were probably the ones who instigated the civil war on Sunrise, and Thrawn, in retrospect, agreed. Lakinda informed the calling officers that she was in command of the Xodlak frigate Midsummer and light cruiser Apogee to claim the supposed Agbui mining world of Hoxim for the Xodlak family. The Agbui presented themselves as having such an abundance of nyix that they could waste it on cheap jewelry and had even set up a fake mining settlement on Hoxim to convince family officials such as Senior Aide Xodlak'ji'iprip "Lakjiip" of their mineral riches. The plot to incite a Chiss civil war clicked in Lakinda's mind, and she explained that the Agbui's goal was for three Great Families to fight to the death over a "worthless rock." To Lakinda's chagrin, Thrawn declared the Agbui's coordinated operation "exquisitely planned and timed." She told him to forget the "artistic beauty" of their plot and insisted on warning Csilla. However, Apros pointed out they were far out of range to hail the capital planet, and that even if they could, reinforcements from Csilla or Naporar could not arrive in time to prevent a battle between the families' task forces. Thrawn then asked Lakinda how much her officers knew about their mission, and she replied that they knew nothing as she was ordered not to disclose the details until they arrive. Thrawn was pleased to hear that, as it bought them time to prepare. He then came up with a plan by which the Springhawk, Grayshrike, and Lakinda (secretly) would defuse the tense situation bound to occur between the Xodlak, Pommrio, and Erighal families. Those families, set to engage one-another in battle, would find the Springhawk "under attack" by unknown gunboats. The family fleets, crewed by Expansionary Defense Fleet officers and warriors, would be loyal to the Ascendancy first and each of their families second. In Thrawn's plan, they would form an alliance to destroy the gunboats attacking Thrawn's "damaged" cruiser and all receive praise and accolades. The Springhawk and Grayshrike would arrive before any of the three family fleets, and Lakinda would agree to accelerate her journey to beat the Pommrio and Erighal task forces to Hoxim. Both Apros and Lakinda thought Thrawn's plan was crazy, but neither could come up with a better plan in time for the coming showdown. Lakinda insisted that the mission to prevent a Chiss civil war had the utmost precedence, and that if that required destroying her ships, the officers were to consider her life expendable. Apros, her first officer, objected, but she told him she would not hear any arguments. Thrawn, politically oblivious, asserted that he was not going to offer one. Nonetheless, he promised they would do everything they could to prevent a need for such sacrifice.

The Springhawk and Grayshrike reached position at Hoxim well before the Xodlak, Pommrio, and Erighal family task forces. The Springhawk was positioned on the far side of the planet from where the family task forces would arrive, where it would come under apparent attack by the fourteen Watith gunboats. The cruiser's electrostatic barriers would be down, its lights would flicker, and its thrusters would only fire intermittently, all to make the Springhawk appear in distress. The arrival of the quarreling Great Family forces would therefore be seen as a reprieve, and they could thus "rescue" Thrawn's warship and crew from an "alien attack." Thrawn's rationale for the plan was that the task forces were crewed by officers and warriors of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet whose oaths to the Ascendancy would supersede their need to bring glory to their individual families when they saw a fellow Chiss warship in peril. Fourteen officers and warriors were chosen from among the crew of the Springhawk to remotely operate the captured Watith gunboats from their consoles aboard the Saltbarrel. Each of those fourteen was a member of the Xodlak, Pommrio, or Erighal families, chosen because each Great Family required its Defense Force personnel to be familiar with the layout and operations of the ships of their family fleets. They would know the strengths and weaknesses of their ships better than anyone else and would thus know how to target one with a "maximum of ferocity but a minimum of actual damage." Only Springhawk crewmembers were chosen as operators because the Watith freighter's remote piloting consoles were aboard the Saltbarrel, which was moored to the Springhawk. The two cruisers had spent several days in hyperspace while traveling to Hoxim, making the Saltbarrel and gunboats only accessible to the Springhawks crew during much of the journey. The cruisers' engineers and technicians had tried but failed to move or replicate the Watith consoles aboard their warships, and thus the pilots had to control their gunboats from aboard the Saltbarrel. In the course of the journey, Samakro oversaw hours of remote combat training simulations aboard the Saltbarrel. In the hours leading up to the coming battle, Laknym, who had volunteered to operate a gunboat, expressed misgivings about being asked to fire upon the vessels of his own family. Samakro gave Laknym an impromptu pep talk about the solidity of Thrawn's plan, reminding the lieutenant commander that he had volunteered for the assignment and as a Xodlak, he knew how to target Xodlak vessels without inflicting any serious damage. Laknym understood the reasoning but wondered whether Thrawn might have a political motivation for such a task. Senior Captain Thrawn was a member of the Mitth family, which was rivaled against the Irizi family. The Irizi were allies of Laknym's Xodlak family, so concerns of family politics might reasonably lead Thrawn to want to embarrass the Xodlak. Samakro quickly shot Laknym's worries down, insisting that he had never met anyone as "utterly incompetent" at politics as Senior Captain Thrawn. The Mid Captain explained that when Thrawn came up with a plan, it was strictly military; nothing more and nothing less.

Upon the arrival of the Great Families' task forces, sensor officer Dalvu informed the Springhawks bridge crew of their arrivals and positions. The Xodlak, Erighal, and Pommrio family task forces were on the verge of attacking one-another to claim the planet below when they noticed the Springhawk derelict and imperiled just beyond the curve of the planet. Thrawn ordered for the gunboats to break away and converge onto the other Chiss ships, and, upon seeing this, Senior Captain Lakinda convinced the three families' forces to form a united front to defend the Springhawk. The gunboats could not be taken out too quickly or too easily, as enough gunboats had to hold out for long enough for the Grayshrike to appear, come to the apparent rescue, and bring the battle to a close. The combined Xodlak, Pommrio, and Erighal forces amounted to one frigate, two light cruisers, and five patrol ships. The fourteen gunboats would presumably outmatch such a strike force, making the smart tactical move for each Chiss family to retreat and return with reinforcements. Thrawn's plan counted on each family's tenacious and even reckless desire to secure the supposed "nyix mine" for their family overruling their self-preservation, making them stay and fight a stronger force. Indeed, the families refused to retreat and regroup, deciding to stand and fight the Watith gunboats.

Controlled from the Saltbarrel, the gunboats attacked the families' ships with apparent might but in fact choosing their targets to minimize damage. They targeted empty hull sections, targeting sensors, and other non-critical systems that could be repaired or circumvented with skilled crewers' manual aim. Thrawn's plan went successfully until the family task forces destroyed six of the gunboats, reducing the original fourteen gunboats to eight. At that point, Senior Captain Lakinda noticed a potentially fatal flaw she believed Thrawn would miss due to his ignorance regarding family politics. Each family task force had been sent to Hoxim to claim the world's supposedly abundant nyix mines. However, the mines were a ruse and Hoxim was mineralogically useless to the Chiss. Lakinda reasoned that the three Great Families would surely discover that after rescuing the Springhawk, and at that point, the families would look for someone to blame for misleading them and wasting their time. As a result, Lakinda believed that inter-family tensions would become nearly as bad as if the three task forces had actually attacked each other. As a result, she made an excuse to leave the Midsummers bridge to launch a tight-beam communication to warn Thrawn about the flaw in his plan. Lakinda warned the Mitth captain that the Agbui "mining" settlement on Hoxim must be destroyed in the battle. She suggested that someone would have to remain aboard the Saltbarrel to crash it into the "mine," which would cost that person's life. Thrawn could not reply to Lakinda even on a tight-beam channel without risking another of the family ships intercepting his reply. After sending her warning to the Springhawk, Lakinda's officers mutinied, relieving her of command and restricting her to quarters pending an investigation of her alleged crimes and offenses against the Xodlak family. Lakinda protested that the Mitth were not their family's enemy, but her first officer countered that the Mitth were not their ally either. Lakinda worried that Thrawn had required her to remain in command to make changes to the battle plan as needed, and now he would not even know that she had been usurped until the battle had ended.

Silence permeated the Saltbarrel as the remote gunboat operators took in Lakinda's implication that one of them must sacrifice their life to destroy the fake Agbui mine with the Watith freighter. Laknym eventually volunteered to sacrifice himself to crash the freighter into the mine while Samakro tried to find alternatives to loss of life. Thrawn messaged the Saltbarrel over the comm, saying Lakinda had been right that that the Saltbarrel must appear to be piloted. Laknym told his commander he understood, his throat tightening in tension as he accepted his fate, but no regret showed in the plasma sphere specialist's face or eyes. Thrawn disagreed, emphasizing the need for appearing to be piloted. Instead, the Senior Captain ordered Laknym to save him a gunboat for his personal use and ordered the people aboard the Saltbarrel to prepare to evacuate to the Springhawk upon his command.

Adapting to Lakinda's warning, Thrawn urgently summoned caregiver Thalias and sky-walker Che'ri to the Springhawks bridge. When they arrived, Thrawn was in communication with the first officer of the Midsummer who had mutinied against Lakinda. Thrawn told the officer that the Springhawk received a transmission from Lakinda but had been unable to open it because they had been boarded by attackers, from whom they and only just regained control. (Thrawn's statement to the mutinous officer was a lie). He asked the officer to allow Lakinda to re-send her message, but the officer refused. At that moment, Thrawn ordered comms officer Brisch to signal the Grayshrike to make its appearance. Five gunboats remained as Apros' heavy cruiser appeared, when Thrawn would order the remaining gunboats to flee. Prior to the Grayshrikes arrival, the gunboats fleeing would have appeared uncharacteristically cowardly and suspicious to the family task forces. However, the arrival of a Chiss heavy cruiser sufficiently upset the balance of power in the battle to mitigate any such suspicion. The Grayshrike eliminated three of the five gunboats as they passed, leaving two intact. These two gunboats were set to travel along a specific vector towards the planet. Soon thereafter, Samakro informed the bridge crew that the Saltbarrel had been evacuated and all its personnel were aboard the Springhawk. The Mid Captain released the freighter, unmooring it from the Springhawks underside. Thrawn ordered weapons officer Afpriuh to target specific sections on and just off the freighter in a pattern of near misses, both to give the appearance that the Springhawks power had just been restored and its targeting systems remained less than fully functional and to cause the freighter's thrusters to release compressed gas to make it appear powered on and under command. Thrawn explained to his bridge crew that the three rival families were recording the battle, and they must convince anyone who would view the footage in the future that the skirmish's events could not possibly have been "engineered" by the Springhawk. As such, he would set the freighter and two gunboats to collide and required Che'ri's gift of Third Sight to ensure they would crash into and destroy the Agbui mine below. Thrawn would have Afpriuh operate a tractor beam to slightly change the Saltbarrels trajectory, guided by Che'ri's precognition to ensure the proper rotation of the freighter. The Mitth Senior Captain told his sky-walker that they would only have one shot, as the recorded footage would correctly identify additional attempts as tractor connections. Che'ri was to use her precognition to watch the tactical display several seconds in the future. Afpriuh operated the tractor beam, inactive and set to low power. If Che'ri foresaw the freighter making a certain yaw turn, she would tap Afpriuh's hand to signal the weapons officer to set the tractor beam's power to full and then activate it. This would ensure that the freighter was had the correct alignment to eventually hit the mine on the surface. Thalias objected on the grounds that this activity exceeded the scope of Third Sight abilities, but Thrawn reasoned that it should work as long as Che'ri was not directly influencing the event and as long as Afpriuh remained in control. Che'ri thought her task was like what she did all the time in the course of her duties as navigator, but Thalias continued to object. The caregiver asked what would happen if Che'ri did not perform Thrawn's task, to which the Senior Captain replied perhaps nothing, but perhaps "serious trouble among the families" if the analysts on Naporar found out about the Springhawk's tractor beam influences. Thrawn said Che'ri would not have to do it if she felt uncomfortable, but the girl replied that she had not believed she could fly until Thrawn taught her and that if he believed in her, she could do anything. The girl then agreed to guide Afpriuh's hands. Thrawn had not informed Che'ri or Thalias that they were attempting to prevent a civil war, but Thalias suspected based on the tension on the Springhawks bridge that Thrawn had understated the consequences of Che'ri declining the task. Che'ri waited until the right moment when she signaled Afpriuh to fire the tractor beam to full. The Saltbarrel made the correct rotation and collided with the gunboats and exploded, and Dalvu confirmed that their combined vector would hit and destroy the mine. Che'ri did not respond for several moments after that, and Thrawn ordered her to undergo a full medical examination when she came to.

Shortly after the skirmish of Hoxim, Mitth Patriarch Thooraki died, and the Mitth Patriels chose now Syndic Prime Thurfian as his successor. Ascending the office of the Patriarch, Thurfian continued to plot against Thrawn.

Even though Thrawn helped prevent the Chiss civil war Haplif sought to engineer, the Grysks remained a threat to the Ascendancy. Following the Hoxim incident, Thrawn sought information on who hired the Watith crew led by Fsir. Based on artistic patterns he had seen aboard the Saltbarrel, Thrawn took the Springhawk to the Zyzek system, a trading hub Southeast of the Ascendancy where he believed Fsir's crew had been hired. Thrawn announced in Minnisiat that he sought to return his 23 Watith prisoners to any Watith that may be present in the system. In truth, Fsir's crew had all died, as the Springhawks officers had testified to Supreme General Ba'kif, but Thrawn did not announce that.

Notably, no-one else in the Ascendancy knew that the Springhawk had gone to the Zyzek system, and the cruiser headed straight to the system without stopping at Csilla for repairs. Thrawn told his bridge officers that they were in the system to see if they could create a reaction, as any reaction would help identify the true threat behind the Watith crew. Upon arrival in the Zyzek system, Thrawn ordered his officers to perform a complete catalog of the ships in the system as well as their positions.

At Zyzek, the Springhawk encountered Nakirre, a member of the Kilji species who served as the generalirius and leader of the Kilji government; the Kilji Illumine. Unbeknownst to Thrawn at the time, the Grysk agent Jixtus was aboard Nakirre's flagship Kilji war cruiser Whetstone and advising the generalirius. Moreover, Jixtus had effectively co-opted the Illumine Kilhorde—the military of the Kilji Illumine—as a client military of the Grysk Hegemony.

Thrawn engaged in a conversation with Nakirre regarding the Kilji path, ancient Chiss philosophy, and the Watith; during which time, the Whetstone and Springhawk nearly engaged in combat. However, the forces of Zyzek System Defense convinced the warships to stand down without combat. Nevertheless, Senior Captain Thrawn had gained valuable information from gauging the Kiljis' reaction to his discussion of the Watith; and the ship's officers had scanned and performed a complete catalog of all the starships present at Zyzek.

Having learned about the Kilji, Thrawn departed to the planet Sposia to deliver an artifact he had acquired from the Saltbarrel: a lattice system that enabled the Watith crew to detect when an approaching vessel would emerge from hyperspace. Thrawn and Samakro delivered the artifact to the Universal Analysis Group. Previously, Thrawn had presented the UAG with the gravity well projector he had acquired from the Vagaari pirate operations and the "Republic energy shield" he had siezed from the Separatist base on Mokivj. The UAG had not successfully reverse-engineered either of those devices yet, but Thrawn had nevertheless gained renown in the Ascendancy's upper echelons for acquiring valuable alien technology of interest to the Chiss Defense Force.

Thrawn and Samakro deposited the Watith lattice artifact at the UAG's Vault Four on Sposia, where they met with Stybla Patriarch Stybla'mi'ovodo "Lamiov" and Supreme General Ba'kif. The military officers and the Stybla Patriarch discussed the artifact and its potential for defense operations. The Springhawk was then sent to return to Csilla for repairs and a debriefing with Ba'kif on the Hoxim debacle.

On Csilla, Ba'kif debriefed Thalias, Samakro, and Thrawn; understanding that the Springhawks crew may know more details than the crews of the other vessels involved. Supreme General Ba'kif was irate that neither Samakro nor Thrawn would divulge all of the details they knew regarding the Battle of the Three Families. After three days of debriefings, Ba'kif took a shuttle to Csilla's Bluedock One, where the Springhawk was moored for repairs.

Ba'kif met Samakro and Thrawn aboard the Springhawk to learn what Thrawn had sought to inform him at the UAG vault on Sposia. Much to the Supreme General's anger, Ba'kif learned that the Magys was being held in hibernation aboard the Chiss cruiser. Although Thrawn and Samakro appealed to humanitarianism and Defense Fleet protocol to justify their holding of the Magys, Ba'kif was furious. It was highly problematic for a non-Chiss to be present, even in hibernation, in a secure defense facility such as a bluedock in orbit of the Chiss capital planet Csilla, causing Ba'kif alarm. The general sensed that Samakro disapproved of Thrawn's choice to hold the Magys on the Springhawk, but also doubted that Thrawn had consulted Samakro before bringing her. Moreover, regardless of whoever had approved of the Magys' remand; Ba'kif, Thrawn, and Samakro could all be in trouble if the Syndicure or the Council heard about the Magys' presence.

Regaining his composure, Ba'kif asked the captain and first officer who else knew of the Magys' presence on the Springhawk. While Samakro and Ba'kif were concerned with the possible political fallout of the Magys' presence, Thrawn responded in apparent obliviousness. Senior Captain Thrawn informed the Supreme General that, apart from those present, only Caregiver Thalias and Senior Captain Lakinda knew of the Magys' presence on the Springhawk. In the time since the Hoxim incident, Lakinda had been rematched from the Xodlak to the Irizi family and thus changed her name and core name to "Irizi'in'daro" and "Ziinda," respectively. Mid Captain Samakro had heard that news, but Thrawn had not. Supreme General Ba'kif could sense the first officer calculating how Ziinda's rematching into the Irizi would affect her rivalry with Thrawn, as the Irizi were staunch rivals of Thrawn's Mitth family. Both Ba'kif and Samakro hoped that Ziinda's loyalty to the Expansionary Defense Fleet would prove stronger than her loyalty to the Irizi family, because otherwise, they might all get in deep trouble.

Ba'kif then asked Thrawn whether he believed the Magys' homeworld of Sunrise was the key to the strange events that had been occurring in the Ascendancy over the past year or so, hoping to find justification for a mission to Sunrise. Thrawn demurred, expressing reservations about the possibility of Sunrise being the key to everything strange that had recently occurred. However, Thrawn confidently submitted that Sunrise and its resources were decidedly involved in the Agbui's attempt to cause a Chiss civil war. While Ba'kif understood the seriousness of the situation, the general had hoped for an ironclad case to present to the Syndicure which would justify Thrawn's imprisonment of the Magys and his recent military actions. In Ba'kif's ideal scenario, the evidence would tie Sunrise to the Magys, the Agbui, General Yiv, the Paataatus, and maybe even the Vagaari pirates. Such a case would ensure the Syndicure's support for a combat mission to Sunrise, where the Defense Fleet would both return the Magys to her homeworld and strike the unknown enemy who had been stationing Battle Dreadnoughts over the planet and attacking Ascendancy vessels on sight.

Ba'kif and Supreme Admiral Ja'fosk had quietly dispatched Admiral Ar'alani and the Vigilant on a reconnaissance mission to investigate the remnants of Nikardun bases in the region, where Ar'alani learned that the Nikardun had been a pawn for an unknown force. (Unbeknownst to the Chiss at the time, that force was the Grysk Hegemony.) If not for the uproar over the Hoxim skirmish, Ba'kif believed the Syndicure may have sought to punish him and Ja'fosk for even authorizing Ar'alani's reconnaissance. As such, Ba'kif refused to allow Thrawn to take the Magys aboard Springhawk all the way to Sunrise. Instead, he decided that Thrawn would return her to Rapacc, but was still deciding whether to assign Thrawn the Springhawk or merely a scout ship for the mission.

Thrawn asked for permission to bring Che'ri with him and the Magys if he should be assigned a scout ship to return the Magys to her refugees on Rapacc. Recalling Thrawn's previous decision to bring Che'ri on an adventure and the ensuring fury from both the Defense Hierarchy Council and the Syndicure; Ba'kif firmly refused to allow Thrawn to bring the girl in such a small vessel. Samakro insisted, at the possible cost of repercussions to both his own and Ba'kif's career, that the plan would only work if they took the Magys to her people aboard the Springhawk. Ba'kif reluctantly agreed with the mid captain, ordering Thrawn to take the Magys back to her people on Rapacc aboard the Springhawk and then immediately return to Naporar for further orders.

Thrawn pointed out that he had made the Magys a promise to return her and her people to Sunrise. Ba'kif insisted that Thrawn would have to break that promise, as the Springhawk had to return as quickly as possible; before the Syndicure would notice. The general insisted to Thrawn that meant no "side trips." Ba'kif further stipulated that the Chiss had done the Paccosh a facor by bringing the Magys to see the condition of Sunrise for herself, and that by rights, the Paccian Governance now owed the Ascendancy a favor. Thrawn and Samakro bristled at the implication of the Paccosh having to return the Magys to her world, as they had not seen the Paccosh demonstrate the military acumen required against the unknown enemy occupying Sunrise. Nevertheless, Springhawks commanding officers understood their orders. As their cruiser finished its resupply, they prepared to bring the ship to Rapacc. Ba'kif ordered them to return as quickly as possible.

Supreme General Ba'kif dismissed Thrawn, but retained Samakro to ask the Mid Captain about the Chiss family composition of the Springhawks crew. Specifically, Ba'kif asked Samakro how many Mitth served aboard the cruiser apart from Thrawn; and Samakro responded five: a junior officer, three Chiss warriors, and Caregiver Thalias. To Ba'kif's surprise, Samakro knew that statistic off the top of his head, rather than having to look it up. Samakro explained that he had long suspected Patriarch Thooraki of protecting Thrawn from the fallout of the Senior Captain's political faux pas but understood that Patriarch Thurfian would not do the same. Ba'kif vocalized Samakro's unstated implication; namely, that the Mitth Patriarch might stand against a respected naval officer of his own family. The two officers agreed that Thurfian disliked Thrawn, and wondered aloud whether Thurfian's promotion to head of the Mitth family would change his outlook on Mitth family members. With the Patriarchy came the rights to give direct orders to any Mitth, though Samakro and Ba'kif agreed that Thurfian would not make any blatant moves against Thrawn in the open.

During the Springhawks crew's leave on Naporar, Caregiver Thalias took Che'ri shopping. While Che'ri bought clothing and ice cream, Senior Aide Mitth'iv'iklo "Thivik" approached the caregiver asking to speak and introducing himself as senior aide to Patriarch Mitth'urf'ianico. Thalias tensed at the thought of an assistant of Thurfian's sending her more orders, as she had been recruited by the now-Patriarch to serve as his personal spy against Thrawn aboard the Springhawk. The caregiver tried to dismiss herself and her young ward, but the senior aide cut them off, explaining that the late Patriarch Thooraki had asked him to discreetly deliver a parcel to her.

Thivik explained that the late Syndic Mitth'ras'safis ("Thrass") had compiled a data cylinder of records, which the Syndic entrusted to Patriarch Thooraki shortly before his death in the Vagaari pirate operations. One of Thooraki's last instructions to Senior Aide Thivik had been to privately deliver the data cylinder to Thalias, as the Patriarch had been very impressed by the Caregiver and Trial-born when they had met during her Trials at the Mitth family homestead. Thivik explained that Thalias would know how to use the enclosed files when the time was right.

Che'ri had witnessed Thalias' exchange with Thivik, and once the Senior Aide departed; the sky-walker asked her caregiver who Syndic Thrass was. Thalias explained that Thrass had been one of the top Mitth Syndics in the Syndicure, but had died a few years prior. Che'ri then asked what Thrass had to do with Thalias, who answered that she did not know. However, Thalias resolved to find out.

Unknown to Thalias at the time, Thrass had become Senior Captain Thrawn's brother. The files on Thrass' data cylinder included records by which Thalias would eventually track down a woman named Cohbo'rik'ardok, who was Thrawn's long-lost sister.

While Thrawn and the Springhawk had been sent to Rapacc, Jixtus and Nakirre traveled aboard the Whetstone to the orbit of Avidich. There, the Grysk agent proffered a recording for Thistrian (now Mitth Patriel of Avidich); which he claimed showed a military alliance forming between the Ruling Dasklo family and other Chiss families, by showcasing what appeared to be a military exercise supervised by the Dasklo. Patriel Thistrian called Thurfian to inform the Patriarch that he had just discussed with an alien the possibility of an alliance between the Dasklo and Great Xodlak, Erighal, and Pommrio families.

Jixtus' original recording was not clear enough to discern the family affiliations of the play-attacking vessels, and Jixtus did not disclose the identities of the families supposedly allying with the Dasklo. However, Thistrian procured an enhanced clip which showed ships bearing the markings of the Erighal and Xodlak families. The Erighal had been allies with the Dasklo family for a long time. Nonetheless, the presence of Xodlak ships in an apparent joint military exercise with the Dasklo and Erighal families riled Thurfian. The Mitth officials thus reasoned that the recording showed the Xodlak and Erighal practicing an attack on a freighter-sized vessel while a Dasklo ship supervised. Thurfian asked Thistrian why the Patriel believed the Grysk would choose to provide this clip to the Mitth at all. The Patriel reasoned that Jixtus most likely wished to act as an information broker, offering to sell the Mitth more information. Thurfian became alert at the possibility of the Dasklo allying with the Xodlak, Erighal, and possibly Pommrio families; which could present a challenge to the Mitth's political and economic power in the Ascendancy. However, he refused to pay Jixtus for further information and balked when heard that Jixtus had offered military assistance for hire. Upon hearing of Jixtus' offer of mercenary forces, Thurfian ordered Thistrian to decline the Grysk's offer and send him on his way. The Mitth Patriarch pondered the possibility of the Dasklo aligning with so many Great Families, but dismissed the notion as he had made a great effort to study the politics of the Nine Ruling Families and Forty Great Families prior to his elevation to Patriarch. Thurfian reasoned that the Clarr family—who had a bitter 30-year rivalry with the Dasklo—would be more prone to believing "monster stories" about the Dasklo. Thurfian further reflected that, if the Ascendancy were to fall into crisis, it would be the fault of people like Senior Captain Thrawn.

After the Mitth declined Jixtus' offer, the Grysk explained to Nakirre that he had never expected the Mitth family to. However, Jixtus sought to use the Mitth's adversarial reaction as a baseline against which to gauge other families' interests in his offers of info and military support. Jixtus had learned much about the rivalries of the various Chiss families from Haplif, including the acrimony between the Dasklo and Clarr families. As such, he instructed Nakirre to take the Whetstone to Rhigar, where he would make the same offer to Patriarch Rivlex of the Clarr family; whom he told the Clarr were in danger from other Chiss families.

As such, a crisis in the Ascendancy brewed while Thrawn and the Springhawk were out in the Chaos performing their duty.

After various encounters with Grysk forces, many battles between families and tensions. Senior Captain Thrawn joined forces with various Chiss officers, such as Admiral Ar'alani, Senior Captain Ziinda, Mid Captain Apros, and other officers who had met Thrawn or wanted to support him in an attempt to defeat the massive threat of the Grysks, specifically, Jixtus's fleet. The joined Chiss forces amassed at the Sunrise system, spread debris and ship scrap across the system, and powered down most systems. Shortly after, the Grysk leader arrived with Qilori and Generalirius Nakirre aboard the Whetstone, Nakirres flagship, after their arrival, Qilori and Jixtus witnessed the catastrophe and finale of the amassed Chiss forces, some gunboats were dormant, some still showed some signs of life, but all resembled Thrawn's final "defeat." And the upcoming fall of the Ascendancy which would be delivered by the Grysks. Jixtus then ordered the Kilji vassals aboard the Whetstone to move closer to the debris, the vassals ignored the order from the unenlightened, however, Nakirre confirmed the order. After one vassal at the sensors station confirmed the ships still contained life, and that the bodies were cooling, Qilori, stated that a few hours had passed since the defeat—or whatever had happened—Jixtus was disappointed that such a catastrophe had occurred—as it was led by Thrawn— however he nonetheless stated that he thought Thrawn would refuse the order to surrender, and he had done so. Qilori inquired the Grysk about the question, Jixtus explained that Thrawn considered himself unbeatable, now, there, at the Sunrise System, his luck had drained away, and as the Chiss Ascendancy spiraled towards its doom, the Chiss defeated themselves and battled each other. Which allowed the Grysks to gain control of Sunrise and thrive in the chaos.

The Grysk watched as two ships exchanging laser fire and ordered the Kilji warship to move closer. The two ships were still fighting even when the Kilji warship approached them—the ships were the Vigilant and the Aelos, Uingali foar Marocsaa's stolen Nikardun blockade frigate—Jixtus ordered the vassals that ignored his orders to move the ship near the battle, he then ordered another vassal to send a broadcast signal calling for survivors. The Whetstone communicated with the Chiss forces, Thrawn's voice came from the speaker, Thrawn stated that the Kiljis arrived too late to bring enlightenment Nakirre once promised Thrawn. He asked the generalirius if Jixtus was still with him, Jixtus stood up, and confirmed his presence, he then interrogated Thrawn regarding the Magys and Magysines.

Jixtus asked Thrawn various questions. Thrawn confirmed that the Magys and Magysines had been found and that they were aboard his ship. Jixtus continued by telling Thrawn that he had nothing to fight with, and that he had lost, however, he also stated that he was aware that there were many survivors aboard the Vigilant. Thrawn told him to leave the dead and dying alone, to fight him, and just him. Jixtus asked him if it wouldn't be beneficial to ease their suffering. However, he contradicted himself and stated that Thrawn was the one he intended to kill.

Thrawn told Jixtus again, that he wouldn't be able to give the Magys and the Magysine, as they were too young and delicate. Jixtus told Thrawn that he and his people could take care of them, that they'd be honored guests, however Thrawn told him that the Grysks didn't have the time and patience required to properly train them. However, Jixtus told Thrawn that he underestimated him, that he had engineered General Yiv's campaigns, trained him, guiding him, training his people. Thrawn told him that no patience was required to train the Nikardun, as the Nikardun simply lashed out at everyone in their path, which required no guidance. Jixtusisit to Rapacc mocked Thrawn by telling him that if he truly believed that, he was less perceptive that he had thought, and continued by saying the order and locations of his attacks and alliances were carefully mapped out so they could encircle the Ascendancy as needed. Thrawn asked Jixtus if the conquests referred to the Vak Combine and the Garwian Unity, Jixtus told that there was no need to conquer those, all that was needed was to quit them and intimidate them. Jixtus told Thrawn that the nations that got their resources drained by the Nikarduns were just practice for the Nikardun soldiers, the few worlds that weren't worth of much effort, like Sunrise were broken from the inside by the Agbui—specifically Haplif was good at it—Thrawn asked who would the Agbui destroy, as they had destroyed everything in the region, Jixtus said that perhaps the Paccians, the Vaks, or the Garwians. Thrawn warned the Grysk that he shouldn't do the latter.

Jixtus agreed, he said that Sunrise was an entertaining exercise, but a costly one. He continued by saying he'd perhaps enslave the Garwians and Vaks, as Agbui persuasion wasn't limited to destruction after all. Thrawn said that when Jixtus sent Yiv against the Paataatus he made a terrible mistake. He continued by saying that he had traveled with the Ruling Families, done a variety of major activities, yet he made an error. There was no deceit among the families, and the Grysks' warships were never going to be given to any family. They'd be under Jixtus' control. Jixtus asked if Thrawn would hand over warships to beings already marked for destruction, if you had warships be given, of course. Thrawn accepted the Grysk's point, he continued by saying that Jixtus didn't expect to see the destruction that had occurred at Sunrose, and therefore would have never come alone. Jixtus said that of course he wouldn't do so, he concluded by asking Thrawn to witness his final doom. Jixtus' Fleet.

Jixtus introduced all his warships to Thrawn, the FateSpinner, the Emery, the SkySweep, and the eleven Prism-class BattleChiefs. The enemies engaged in a brief conversation about the folly of not leaving behind any ships for the families and Jixtus' expectations. Thrawn asked Jixtus if that was his entire fleet, and that if the Grysk answered the question, Thrawn would provide the answer to why sending the Nikardun against the Paataatus was a mistake.

Jixtus accepted the Chiss' offer, he continued by saying he didn't care about Yiv, certainly not, as he was gone. He continued by saying that was his entire fleet, not the full Grysk fleet of course, but his entire fleet. He continued by saying that the Grysk fleet would completely cover Csilla's sky, and that his fleet are just the ships that he considered necessary for the destruction of the Chiss Ascendancy. Thrawn began to explain why sending the Nikardun against the Paataatus was a mistake. When the Paataatus saw there was an attempt to conquer them, they became unhappy, which turned into an equal degree of gratitude for Thrawn's assistance in breaking the last Nikardun stronghold. Which made them happy enough to do a favor to Thrawn, Thrawn asked Nakirre if he was still there, Nakirre confirmed it, Thrawn continued by saying that Nakirre sent the Kilhorde against several of the small nations in the south and southeast of the Ascendancy, unfortunately for them, that also put them on the north and northwest of the Paataatus Hiveborn, having that big of a military force near their borders was deemed unacceptable, and therefore destroyed it, thanks to the weaknesses in design and combat doctrine shared by Thrawn to the Paataatus. Nakirre leapt to his feet and began to scream at Jixtus, which shot Nakirre with a blaster. Qilori was shocked and attempted to stop Jixtus, however, the Grysk told the pathfinder to become calm because the Kilhorde was gone and therefore the Generalirius was useless. Jixtus asked Thrawn to give the Grysks the Magysines, however Thrawn continued yet another speech. Thrawn said that the data gathered from the Hammer had provided knowledge of weaknesses in the Kilhorde, but in the Grysk fleet to. He asked Jixtus to keep that in mind before Thrawn said his last question. Jixtus asked what question he was going to say. Thrawn then asked him to surrender.

The bridge of all the Chiss ships, and the Whetstone had gone silent. Qilori looked at the command chair of the Whetstone, it was empty. Jixtus had abandoned him in the Kilji war cruiser, Qilori screamed the Grysk's name with no result, Jixtus had already left with an escape pod and was en route to the FateSpinner, his flagship.

In the bridge of the Springhawk, Samakro warned everyone for the coming battle, Thrawn ordered the Springhawk to fire on the Armageddon, or "Paccian Four," as the joined Chiss and Paccian forces had called it, as the Springhawk opened fire on the Armageddon the nearest of Jixtus' three StoneCrushers began to attack one of the Paccian gunboats. As the Armageddon moved and fired towards the Springhawk it also sent salvos of dibbers to the Paccian gunboat, who also fired at its Grysk attacker. An instant later, a dibber hit a plasma sphere fired by Afpriuh into the former's path. However, the Paccian gunboat and the Grysk warship couldn't receive any damage thanks to the distance between them, unfortunately for the Grysks though, the Springhawks attacks were digging into the massive warship's hull. As the Springhawks laser fire destroyed the Grysk's missiles, the Paccian gunboat got nearer the Grysk, and delivered devastating laser fire into the massive warship's blinded flank. Thrawn congratulated his forces on their efforts and ordered the secondary batteries to engage the enemy and the primaries to begin their attack on the Armageddon. And also announced it was time to end the Grysk threat.

Thrawn sent Roscu and her light cruiser against one of the Grysks' StoneCrushers, which was being attacked by two light cruisers of Supreme General Ba'kif's reinforcements, who were trying to slip in plasma spheres and breachers, however, little slipped in, but, the ones that did hit the vulnerable spots Thrawn and Ar'alani had identified and marked. In the distance off the Orissons starboard flank, Roscu could see Paccian gunboats and some Chiss light cruisers attacking a BattleChief, beyond them, the Parala and Bokrea were attacking another BattleChief. Roscu ordered her ship to continue its attack, and to prepare three breachers. Meanwhile, Ziinda, the Parala and Bokrea broke off their attacks and shot off, each in a different direction. The Grayshrike drove forward through the forward point-defense laserfire and skimmed along its starboard flank, raking it with laserfire and dropping breachers and plasma spheres into its hull as fast as possible. Then, a final volley at the portside barrage and the Grayshrike continued towards deep space.

Although the Grysk warship had received heavy damage, the Grayshrike did too. Ghaloksu announced the casualties of the encounter to Ziinda while the Emery began to drive towards the Grayshrike to destroy the wounded nighthunter. Fortunately for the Chiss, Thrawn had anticipated this result of the Grayshrikes attack, in fact, he was counting on it. As the Grayshrike drove away from Sunrise, clearly trying to get to the planet's gravity well to escape to hyperspace, the Emery chased the heavy cruiser, in an attempt to destroy it. Thrawn ordered the Grayshrike to execute an in-system jump while the gravity field was being activated. The Grysk warship attempted to pursue through hyperspace, however, the Vagaari gravity-well generator prevented that from happening, Ziinda ordered Vimsk to mark the edge of the gravity field while she ordered Wikivv to calculate another in-system jump. After it was executed, Qilori—the current commander of the Whetstone—watched as the surprisingly clean jump finished and appeared next to the Emery while it destroyed the latter's hull–and exploded.

Shortly after the Emerys destruction, Thrawn stated that he believed Jixtus had assumed combat. Although the FateSpinner had been idle for most of the battle, it was now charging towards the Vigilant and the Aelos. Thrawn told Ar'alani that Jixtus had to be damaged enough to be threatened, but not threatened enough to assure his retreat, because, if Jixtus retreated, it'd be very likely that the next battle would take place in the center of the Ascendancy. Shortly afterwards, the Aleos, the Vigilant and the Stingfly locked their tractors on an asteroid. Then, the Vigilant began to exchange fire and spheres with the FateSpinner, afterwards, the Vigilant sent breachers, however, they were destroyed by the Grysks' dibbers. However, the FateSpinner noticed the asteroid between its thrusters, and began to destroy the giant threat, when it was destroyed, the Stingflys breachers that were hidden in the asteroid's visual shadow where revealed, the Grysk warship began its attempt at the breacher's destruction, which ultimately failed, the breachers were too close, and impacted into the warship, the Chiss expected Jixtus to retreat, however, they were still surprised as Jixtus launched missiles and everything he had at the Chiss warships and ran with the fastest speed he could achieve to the planet below, as the Chiss destroyed the missiles. As the Chiss watched the ship rush onto the planet. Jixtus contacted the Whetstone, and inquired Qilori—threatening to destroy the Kilji ship and everything inside it including Qilori—about how the Chiss were able to do the jumps they were doing and deactivate the hyperdrives of the Grysk ships. Although Qilori didn't know at all, he told Jixtus what he suspected. Which Jixtus accepted, in the meantime, one Battlechief exploded. Jixtus saw the gunboat carrying the Vagaari device, a gunboat and began his attempt to destroy it.

Roscu sent his vector to Ar'alani, and Ar'alani ordered her ship to be moved towards it, as it drove to Roscu's vector, the Springhawk was driving towards a pair of injured BattleChiefs fighting some Paccian gunboats and some patrol cruisers. The Grayshrike, Orisson and the Springhawk prepared an attack on the Armageddon, which was pursuing the Springhawk. Thrawn ordered all the ships to lock breachers onto the massive warship, the breachers fired, and slammed into one-another, creating a massive cloud the Armageddon drove into, the ships began to attack the warship, however, Thrawn ordered the Grayshrike to help out Apros' gunboat, which was being attacked by two Grysk BattleChiefs after the gravity-well generator.

Thrawn continued his exploration of the galaxy's Outer Rim. A short time after the formation of the Galactic Empire, he encountered a colony of refugee Neimoidians. The colonists warned him of the tyranny of the Empire and pled with Thrawn to bring the full force of the Chiss Ascendancy against the Empire on Coruscant. Furthermore, they promised to help with the attack if it meant the revival of the Galactic Republic. Thrawn did not trust the Neimoidians' unsubstantiated word, but reported back to his Chiss superiors about the encounter. Thrawn's superiors were concerned about the report and sought to understand whether the Galactic Empire might be a suitable ally against "evil" threats.

After his encounter with the Neimoidians, Thrawn returned to the Chiss Ascendancy seeking counsel. Growing increasingly worried about threats in the Unknown Regions, the Ascendancy ruled that the time had come to judge whether or not the Empire and its New Order would make a suitable ally against the still-lurking threat of the Grysks. Thrawn was given his mission: he would infiltrate the Empire in order to either make it an ally or weaken it enough to become easy prey for threats, thus shifting focus away from the Ascendancy. Despite having put a stop to Jixtus's plot, Thrawn noticed there were still stirrings of political conflict between the Aristocras, but he assumed they would settle their differences as they had many times before. Following the successful defeat of the Grysk fleet at Sunrise, many of the Aristocra wanted to punish those involved in order to shift blame from their own failures. Thrawn worked out a plan with Supreme General Ba'kif and Supreme Admiral Ja'fosk to instead take the full blame, be publicly stripped of his rank and go into fake exile.

While on that fake exile, Thrawn would begin his mission to meet with the Empire and judge its usefulness. With the help of the Ascendancy's Defense Hierarchy Council, Thrawn chose a planet in Wild Space and built a hut designed to look as though he had been living in it for years. Thrawn's hut was accompanied by power generators and craters bearing markings in the Sy Bisti trade language used in the Unknown Regions and Wild Space. After several attempts and a few standard months spent on the planet, Thrawn finally managed to attract the attention of the Empire. His initial plan only foresaw him being away for a few months, enough time to make contact with Anakin Skywalker or other high officials. In those meetings, Thrawn would learn all he could about the Empire and then quietly return to the Ascendancy to report back to Ba'kif. He did not expect to be gone for more than a year.

In effect, Thrawn's mission was simple, with the Chiss not considering that he could be given a chance to join the Imperial Military. Before Thrawn left, Supreme General Ba'kif expressed regret that he would never see Thrawn wearing an admiral's white uniform. Thrawn replied that it had already been very unlikely, as "no one around here" would ever promote him to an admiral anyway. Thrawn had time for one last meal before leaving for his "exile" aboard the Parala, now commanded by the recently-promoted Senior Captain Apros. Ba'kif asked if his younger friend would share a last meal with him, but Thrawn declined, informing the general that he wished to dine alone at the bistro where he and his brother Thrass had often eaten before Thrass' death.

Around 15 BBY Thrawn had a fateful encounter with the Galactic Empire. Thrawn was away from his encampment when the Imperial Venator-Class Star Destroyer Strikefast, commanded by Captain Voss Parck, arrived at the planet searching for smugglers. Parck, Colonel Mosh Barris, and Cadet Eli Vanto examined his encampment and the Sy Bisti markings on its crates, in accordance with Imperial Unknown Alien protocols. The protocols, abbreviated as "UA protocols," were a law the Empire had inherited from its predecessor state the Galactic Republic, and required Imperial forces to study possible instances of first-contact with unknown alien species. Vanto, a senior cadet at the Empire's Myomar Academy in the galaxy's Expansion Region, was fluent in Sy Bisti as it was a trade language used near his Wild Space homeworld of Lysatra.

While the Imperials searched his camp, Thrawn used a carefully placed monofilament line to crash a V-Wing starfighter that had been surveying the planet. The Chiss managed to remove the pilot's body from his flight suit; steal the pilot's blaster, power packs, comlink, and concussion grenades; stuff the flight suit with grass, leaves, and fermented pyussh berries; and escape the crash site before Major Wyan arrived at the scene to investigate.

Once Wyan had brought the stuffed flight suit into the Imperial encampment for Parck, Barris, and Vanto to see, Thrawn set his plan to board the Strikefast into motion. Hiding on the edge of the encampment, Thrawn removed the sturm dowels from his stolen blaster power packs and strapped them to the backs of small nocturnal creatures as improvised explosives. Drawn by the smell of the fermented berries in the makeshift scarecrow Thrawn had made of the pilot's flight suit, the creatures ran into the Imperial encampment, exploding and causing chaos within the base.

In response to the explosive berry mayhem, Captain Parck ordered another group of V-Wings to perform a grid search for the as-yet unknown assailant. Thrawn, realizing he would need to replace his stolen comm before they jammed it, managed to crash another V-Wing and swapped his stolen comm with the pilot's. Thrawn also stole the pilot's blaster, power packs, and concussion grenades, but did not remove the pilot's corpse from his flight suit. When Barris discovered that Thrawn had stolen the first pilot's comm, he ordered that particular comm shut down. Barris did not, however, discover that Thrawn had swapped the first stolen comm with the second pilot's, so Thrawn was still able to eavesdrop on Imperial communications.

Due to the chaos raining down on the Imperial forces, Colonel Barris ordered Imperial Navy Troopers to join the search. Imperial Navy Troopers wore a distinctive black helmet that showed the trooper's face, whereas Imperial stormtroopers did not. Because Thrawn was a Chiss with blue skin and red eyes, armor or uniforms that showed his face would not be a suitable disguise to infiltrate the human forces of the Galactic Empire. Thrawn attacked the navy troopers with explosives throughout the night, hoping to goad the Imperials into sending stormtroopers into the forest to investigate. Once the stormtroopers were sent out in search of Thrawn, he used another explosive to dispatch one of the soldiers in order to study the stormtrooper armor, while simultaneously jamming the Imperials' comms in order to distract from the sound of the explosion. Thrawn donned the phase II clone trooper armor of the clone trooper he incapacitated.

After the screeching of the comms subsided, Barris decided that he had had enough of Thrawn's attacks and took Thrawn's hut aboard the Strikefast to study it onboard. While the UA protocols required Imperials to study possible first-contact with alien species, they did not explicitly require the studies to take place at the location of possible contact. As such, Barris justified taking Thrawn's makeshift shelter aboard the Strikefast. Knowing the time had come for him to return to his camp, Thrawn silently incapacitated another stormtrooper. Filling the stormtrooper's armor with explosives, Thrawn snuck the armor into the encampment and propped it up by the transport with sticks. While the Imperials were distracted by the exploding armor, Thrawn hid in a power generator casing from his camp. The casing was then loaded into a transport and taken, with the rest of Thrawn's hut and crates, to the Strikefast. While hiding in the power generator casing, the Chiss continued to wear the clone trooper armor he took from the trooper he neutralized.

Once Thrawn was aboard the Strikefast, he spent two standard hours waiting in the casing before leaving his hiding place. Moving swiftly, but not so swiftly that he would not be seen, Thrawn crossed the hangar and boarded a Zeta-class Heavy Cargo Shuttle. When Parck sent troopers to intercept him, Thrawn allowed himself to be captured without resistance. Once he had willingly surrendered, Thrawn was brought before Parck and Barris. The senior officers asked Cadet Vanto to serve as a translator due to Vanto's fluency in Sy Bisti. Among all the Imperials, only Eli Vanto recognized Thrawn as a Chiss, and mentioned his the legends of the Chiss he had heard growing up on Lysatra. The captive Mitth'raw'nuruodo heard Vanto say the word "Chiss" and became keenly interested in what the human cadet had heard of his species.

Parck asked whether Thrawn spoke Basic or Sy Bisti, to which Thrawn replied that he knew a fair bit of Basic but was far more comfortable with Sy Bisti. Parck replied that the Chiss captive's comfort was not the issue at hand, and they would converse in Basic. Vanto served as Thrawn's translator for the remainder of the conversation, where Thrawn introduced himself as Mitth'raw'nuruodo, but said it would be easier for his human captors to call him by his core name "Thrawn." He then told the Imperials of his exile and how he had crashed the V-Wings, attacked the camp unseen, and infiltrated the Strikefast. Thrawn said he had to return to his native people, who faced untold dangers and needed him. Parck asked why Thrawn had been exiled if his people needed him so, questioning whether the Chiss leaders disagreed with Thrawn about Threats to their people. Thrawn said they agreed regarding the threats to the Chiss Ascendancy, but disagreed on a subject which he did not know the word for in Basic. Thrawn relayed it as "ezeboli hlusalu" in Sy Bisti, which Vanto gulped and translated as "preemptive strikes." The conversation impressed Parck, to the point that he decided to present Thrawn to Emperor Palpatine himself.

Thrawn was sent to temporary living quarters on board the Strikefast, and a separate meeting was held between Parck and Vanto. In this meeting it was determined that, due to his knowledge of the Chiss and Sy Bisti, Vanto would serve as Thrawn's translator and teacher of Galactic Basic for the duration of the trip to Coruscant. Vanto resented his assignment but nevertheless complied with his orders.

For the rest of his passage to Coruscant aboard the Strikefast, Thrawn spent his time in the company of Vanto. In addition to helping Thrawn with his basic, Vanto told him the legend of the Chiss that he had heard growing up on Lysatra. Thrawn was amused by the legends, finding them interesting and informative but at times false or over-exaggerated. The two also discussed the Empire, particularly the Empire's social hierarchy and prejudices against aliens and those not from the Core Worlds. Vanto also told the Chiss of his career goal of becoming a supply officer in the Imperial Navy. Although Thrawn initially took an interest in Vanto to learn of humans' legends of the Chiss, the exfiltrated senior captain saw untapped talent in Vanto's tactical and analytical abilities and sought to make the human cadet his protégé.

Once the Strikefast reached Coruscant, Thrawn, Vanto, Barris, Parck, and several navy troopers and stormtroopers boarded a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle for the flight to the Imperial Palace. Despite knowing the importance of the man he was about to meet, Thrawn did not feel daunted by the prospect of meeting the Emperor. Instead, Vanto noticed, he looked maddeningly confident. Attempting to calm himself down, Vanto told himself that they would not be seeing the Galactic Emperor himself, but only palace officials. The human cadet was, however, wrong.

Upon debarking from the shuttle, Thrawn and the Imperials were guided by two of Palpatine's red-clad personal royal guardsmen to the Emperor's throne room. Once they had arrived before the Emperor, Parck presented Thrawn as a gift to him. Thrawn, however, offered himself as not a gift but a resource. He informed Palpatine that his native Chiss Ascendancy had discovered a mysterious threat in the Unknown Regions, offering his information on the threat in exchange for the Empire's help. In hope of convincing Palpatine that he was to be trusted, Thrawn offered the name of Skywalker as someone who could vouch for him, believing Skywalker to be a servant to the Emperor. The Emperor informed Thrawn that Skywalker had died at the end of the Clone Wars, but also that Skywalker had spoken highly of him before he had died. Accepting Thrawn's offer for information on the Unknown Regions, the Emperor offered something else in return: a role in the Imperial Navy. Thrawn accepted on the condition that he was allowed to keep Vanto as his translator.

Wishing to discuss the threat in the Unknown Regions further, Palpatine guided Thrawn to the privacy of his throne room's interior garden. Thrawn was impressed by the artistry of the garden, believing it to be indicative of power, subtlety, and depth of thought. Once within the garden, Thrawn and Palpatine discussed Palpatine's personal interest in the mysteries of the Unknown Regions. Palpatine decided that Thrawn did not need a translator, but Thrawn nevertheless requested Eli Vanto as his personal attaché. Secretly, Mitth'raw'nuruodo sought to develop Vanto's talents as a tactician and strategist. Emperor Palpatine agreed to Thrawn's request, decreeing that Thrawn would be assigned three months of training at Coruscant's Royal Imperial Academy with Vanto by his side. The three months of training corresponded to the remainder of Vanto's term as a cadet at Myomar Academy. Although Royal Imperial was the most prestigious of the Imperial Academies, Vanto felt resentment for being reassigned without being asked his own wishes.

Upon arriving at the Royal Imperial Academy, Thrawn and Vanto found their way to the office of Commandant Deenlark, the Academy's top official. Thrawn was met with hostility there; Deenlark openly expressed contempt for the alien Thrawn and the fact that he had arrived in Deenlark's office by command of the Emperor. As the meeting with Deenlark drew to a close, Thrawn was informed that instead of graduating the academy as an ensign like Vanto, he would be graduating with the rank of lieutenant. Thrawn was given his lieutenant's rank insignia plaque, which Deenlark secretly hoped would make Thrawn the target of bullying. On the way out of the office, Vanto informed Thrawn of Deenlark's intent, and Thrawn took the opportunity to learn more about the social hierarchy within the academy. Ultimately, Thrawn decided not to wear his rank plaque until it proved convenient to him, masquerading as a normal cadet.

During their time at the academy, Thrawn and Vanto stayed in Barracks Two. The cadets trained in hand-to-hand combat, Imperial procedures and technology, equipment, and tactics.

From the start of their term at Royal Imperial, Thrawn and Vanto were plagued by incidences of bullying and harassment that were, for various reasons, not punishable. The culpability or intent could not be established, or the acts were made to look like accidents, or they merely did not cross a line into the realm of disciplinary action. Thrawn refused to respond, however, hypothesizing that the lack of response would embolden the bullies to act rashly and commit a punishable act of bullying. Thrawn's hypothesis proved true one month into the three-month term, when cadets Spenc Orbar and Rosita Turuy invited him and Vanto to play a card game called Highland Challenge in the metallurgy lab. Thrawn was aware that the offer was a trap intended to get the Chiss and Vanto caught gambling for credits and being in a lab they were not authorized to be in but chose to accept the offer anyway. Vanto protested Thrawn's decision, but Thrawn felt confident that he could twist the trap in his favor.

Arriving in the lab at the appointed time, Thrawn and Eli were quick to turn down Orbar and Turuy's offer to play for credits. Turuy was upset with their decision but decided not to push the matter. The four proceeded to play a tense game of Highland Challenge, Orbar and Thrawn discussing the topic of traps in the context of hands of cards. As the round drew to an end and Orbar activated his trap by discreetly calling in an instructor, Thrawn slipped on his lieutenant's rank plaque. The instructor, powerless to punish a lieutenant for being in the lab, was forced to reluctantly let Thrawn and Vanto go, much to Orbar and Turuy's chagrin. Confident that he had dismantled the trap and sufficiently embarrassed the two antagonistic cadets, Thrawn set down his hand of cards and declared that the game was over. Rather than seeking for the instructor to punish Turyu and Orbar, Lieutenant Thrawn told the instructor that the cadets were running a metallurgical test and he and his translator Vanto were merely observing their progress. Once the instructor left, Thrawn said to the thoroughly embarrassed Rosita and Spec that there was no guaranteed winning hand, a metaphor for both Highland Challenge and the trap in which they sought to ensnare Thrawn.

Thrawn and Vanto walked back to their barracks and Vanto expressed his admiration for Thrawn and how he had managed to subvert the trap with such precise timing. A moment later, Thrawn pushed Vanto into the bushes as he was assailed by Gimm and two other cadets who had been called to the scene by Orbar and Turuy. Thrawn fought off the assailants, allowing them to land a few hits in order to assess their combat skills before, with the help of a distraction from Vanto, injuring one of the assailants and causing all three to scatter.

After the assailants had fled the scene, Thrawn and Vanto returned to Deenlark's office to report the incident. Thrawn deduced that the attack had been masterminded by Orbar and Turuy, and informed Deenlark that the assailants were likely friends of the two cadets. When Deenlark protested that it would be impossible for him to punish the guilty cadets because of their influential parents, Thrawn suggested that rather than being punished, Gimm and the assailants should be transferred to Skystrike Academy for fighter pilot training. He explained that during the fight he had observed that all three had tremendous aptitude as fighter pilots and that it would be a waste of their potential if they were not transferred to Skystrike. Furthermore, Thrawn argued that the punishment would create paranoia, as Gimm and the assailants would live in fear that they would one day be punished, while Orbar and Turuy would be frightened by the fact that their friends had disappeared so suddenly. Deenlark agreed to carry out Thrawn's suggestion, and the matter was closed.

Two standard months later, Thrawn graduated the Royal Imperial Academy as a lieutenant. On the day of his graduation, Thrawn received a second rank insignia plaque, Deenlark having forgotten that he gave Thrawn his plaque the day he arrived at the school. Thrawn held onto his spare plaque for later use if he ever needed it. After the graduation ceremony, Thrawn briefly met Eli Vanto's father and mother who both expressed subtle discomfort around him. As they left, the Vantos mentioned wishing they could use their beckon call, a technology that intrigued Thrawn greatly. After the Vantos were gone, Thrawn and Vanto reported to Deenlark's office for the first assignments of their careers.

Thrawn was assigned to be second weapons officer of the Gozanti-class cruiser Blood Crow, and Vanto was assigned the role of his aide. Though it was not unusual for high-ranking officers to have aides, lieutenants were not normally assigned one. Vanto and Thrawn boarded the transport and began their careers in the Imperial Navy.

For the first eighteen months of his service aboard the Blood Crow, Thrawn served under Captain Rik Virgilio hunting smugglers, aiding distressed vessels, and defusing political situations in the Mid and Outer Rims. Thrawn enjoyed his service under Virgilio, facing little to no discrimination and enjoying a quick promotion to First weapons officer. Additionally, Virgilio granted Thrawn use of the Blood Crows previously unused Number Two storage bay to store the collection of Clone Wars–era technology that Thrawn was amassing. Thrawn was using the technology as a means to study the era and war, and by the end of the eighteen months, he had collected two doonium-shelled Mark One Buzz Droids, a Droideka, half of a Single Trooper Aerial Platform (STAP), and most of a hyperdrive ring. This was not to last, however, as Virgilio was replaced suddenly and without explanation by Captain Filia Rossi, who had previously served as first officer of an ore freighter.

Thrawn found himself at odds with Rossi not long after she first set foot aboard the Blood Crow. Discovering Thrawn's stash of Clone Wars technologies while surveying the ship with First Officer Senior Lieutenant Nels Deyland, Rossi demanded a meeting between the three of them in the storage bay. Rossi, eager to assert her dominance as captain, demanded that Thrawn's collection be dumped or otherwise destroyed. Thrawn, who still had plans for his collection, argued that he should be allowed to keep his collection due to the value of the pieces that he had accrued with his own credits. With the help of Deyland, Thrawn managed to argue Rossi down to a compromise. She told Thrawn that he was allowed to keep his collection until the Blood Crow reached the planet Ansion. In that time, he would be allowed to continue to attempt to repair the buzz droids in order to bring them up to their maximum market value. At that point, the collection would be turned over to her and she would be allowed to sell it. Thrawn agreed to the compromise. Unbeknownst to Rossi, Thrawn had already managed to get the buzz droids back to full working order.

Thrawn found his service under Rossi notably more difficult than his service under Virgilio. Unlike Virgilio, Rossi was prejudiced against aliens and took offense to the fact that Thrawn was allowed an aide. As a result, Thrawn was assigned to every dirty, nasty, or undesirable job on the Blood Crow while working under Rossi.

As a consequence of Rossi's tendency to assign him to the undesirable jobs, Thrawn was not surprised when he and Vanto were assigned to investigate the distress call coming from the cargo freighter Dromedar. The freighter was carrying a valuable shipment of static-locked tibanna gas, a locking mechanism infamous for generating incredible amounts of dirt and dust. Once the Blood Crow reached the adrift Dromedar, Thrawn boarded a shuttle to the vessel alongside a boarding party which consisted of Vanto, Ensign Merri Barlin, electronics technician Layneo, and engineering technician Jakeeb.

Once they had boarded the Dromedar, Thrawn assigned Vanto, Layneo, and Jakeeb to investigate the engine section while he made his way to the bridge with Barlin. Several minutes later, Vanto signaled Thrawn that he had found someone in the central passageway. Thrawn instructed Vanto to return to the bridge with the prisoner.

At this moment Thrawn met the man he would later come to know as Nightswan, currently operating under the alias "Nevil Cygni." Thrawn asked Nightswan why he had threatened Vanto, Layneo, and Jakeeb, to which he replied that he had mistaken them for pirates. He explained to Thrawn that the Dromedar had been attacked by pirates hoping to make off with the tibanna gas and that they had taken the crew of the freighter hostage while they returned to their base to get a slicer to help them restart the Dromedars hyperdrive. Assessing the situation, Thrawn commanded Vanto to contact Rossi and request a full operational team to either restart the hyperdrive or transfer the tibanna gas canisters to the Blood Crow. Vanto protested that Rossi would not like Thrawn's request, but Thrawn did not change his mind. Once Vanto had gone to relay the message, Thrawn began a thorough examination of the ship.

As Vanto had predicted, Thrawn was not granted his requested full operational team by Rossi. Instead, Thrawn was granted the supplies he needed and up to three crew members aside from Vanto and himself. Additionally, they would be left to deal with the Dromedar situation on their own as the Blood Crow had been called to Moltok to deal with a Makurth boss' attack on a Ho'Din settlement. Thrawn was fine with this arrangement, remaining on the Dromedar with Vanto, Barlin, Layneo, and Jakeeb as the Blood Crow voyaged to Moltok.

On the Dromedars bridge, Thrawn oversaw Barlin and Layneo's attempts to find an asymmetric backdoor code that would get the ship up and running again. As they worked, Thrawn moved with Vanto and Nightswan to the cargo bay. There, Thrawn unpacked one of his crates of supplies from the Blood Crow, revealing one of his two Mark I Buzz Droids. Taking the buzz droid to where the tibanna canisters static-locked to the hull, Thrawn explained his plan to free the tibanna. The static-lock functioned to seal the canisters, but only from the cargo bay side. Thrawn intended to use his buzz droid to cut through the hull and free the tibanna canisters from outside the ship. Nightswan was impressed with the plan, shocked he had not come up with it himself and that it was not used more commonly. Thrawn admitted that his plan was not completely unheard of, but that it would require the sacrifice of one of the tibanna canisters; a sacrifice many were unwilling to make. This plan proved unnecessary, however, when Barlin and Layneo got the hyperdrive back in working order.

When he turned back around to face Nightswan, however, Thrawn found himself staring down the barrel of Nightswan's second blaster. Nightswan had intended to hijack the Dromedar. Calmly, Cygni requested that Thrawn order Barlin, Layneo, Jakeeb, and Vanto to surrender so that no one would have to be harmed. Before Thrawn could give the order, however, he found himself, Vanto, and Jakeeb surrounded by Angel and his Culoss pirate crew. Nightswan gave Thrawn one more chance to surrender, and Thrawn obeyed, surrendering and commanding Barlin and Layneo to surrender via comlink.

Thrawn, Vanto, Barlin, Layneo, and Jakeeb were then taken, with the buzz droid, to Angel's ship Marauder to be with the prisoners from the Dromedar. Nightswan, only interested in the tibanna and Dromedar, demanded that Thrawn and the prisoners be dropped off unharmed at a predetermined rendezvous. Angel had wished to kill Thrawn but reluctantly agreed, locking up the Imperials with the Dromedar crew.

Once they were locked inside the cell, Thrawn proceeded to wait silently until Nightswan and Angel had re-boarded the Dromedar and jumped to lightspeed. Once the Dromedar had gone, Thrawn set his plan into action. He asked Layneo if she could isolate the bridge and fly the Marauder from the control panel in the room, to which she replied that she could as long as she could reach the panel. Pleased with Layneo's answer, Thrawn removed his insignia plaque, revealing that he had turned the spare plaque from graduation into a beckon call for the buzz droids. Using the beckon call, Thrawn guided the buzz droid to attack the prison cell's locking mechanism. Drawn by the commotion, three pirates entered the lockup, and Thrawn redirected the buzz droid to attack them. While they were distracted with the buzz droid, Jakeeb kicked apart the damaged cell door, and the Imperials and prisoners rushed the pirates. The three pirates were subdued, and Thrawn directed his second buzz droid to cut the ship in half so that they could avoid a confrontation with the pirates in the forward portion of the vessel. Emergency airlocks sealed the sections of the ships from the vacuum. Once Layneo had used the control panel to gain control of what remained of the ship, Thrawn took command of the Marauder, with the Dromedars captain Fitz asking what course to set.

Back aboard the Blood Crow, Thrawn and Vanto were brought before Rossi to justify their actions aboard the Dromedar and the Marauder. In the meeting, Thrawn revealed that he had realized Nightswan was deceiving him, had anticipated his betrayal, and had allowed himself to be captured in hopes of locating and rescuing the crew of the Dromedar. Rossi was unhappy with Thrawn's report, berating him for choosing to save the crew instead over the more financially valuable tibanna gas. Thrawn was baffled by Rossi's assessment, believing that his decision to save the crew and capture some of the pirates was the correct one. Rossi, however, stuck by her original statement, believing the value of tibanna outweighed the value of the lives the Chiss second weapons officer had saved. As a punishment for Thrawn's failure in the eyes of the Imperial High Command, Rossi sentenced Thrawn to suspension at Admiral Plor Wiskovis' Imperial base on Ansion while she waited for an official ruling from Coruscant regarding Thrawn's actions. Seeing this as his opportunity to get the Dromedar back, Thrawn subtly manipulated Rossi into sentencing Vanto to suspension along with him.

Thanks to Thrawn's actions on Ansion, the Dromedar and its tibanna canisters were found and recovered although Nightswan managed to evade capture. Once the tibanna canisters were checked, however, it was discovered that Nightswan had managed to covertly steal the contents of twelve of the twenty canisters using a variation of the technique that Thrawn had suggested aboard the Dromedar. This partial defeat vexed Thrawn greatly, kicking off his obsession and rivalry with Nightswan.

Once on Ansion, Thrawn convinced Admiral Wiskovis to allow him to interrogate the three pirates they had captured, and to allow Vanto as a witness to the interrogation. The Chiss lieutenant correctly deduced that the pirates, who called themselves Culoss, were remnants from the crew of the pirate queen Q'anah, which had been known as Q'anah's Marauders. Thrawn threatened the three prisoners with a visit from Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the man who had been responsible for the death of Q'anah and most of her crew as a leader of the Outland Regions Security Force around 46 BBY. The pirates, frightened by the prospect of being turned over to Tarkin, allowed Thrawn to tell them his deal. In exchange for the location of Nightswan, Angel, and the Dromedar, Thrawn offered the pirates safe transport out of the sector before Tarkin and the Imperial Security Bureau ("ISB") arrived for additional interrogations. Hoping to trick Thrawn, the pirates had a short conversation in Sy Bisti, a regional trade language of low prestige and poor regard in the galaxy's core, and one which they did not believe any Imperial officers would understand. In their Sy Bisti dialog, the Culoss pirates planned to give Thrawn false information in order to secure their freedom. Speaking in Basic once more, the pirates told Thrawn that the Dromedar had been taken to Cartherston on the planet Keitum. Thrawn and Vanto, both of whom spoke Sy Bisti, understood that this was a lie, but Thrawn nevertheless noted Cartherston as a location of interest as he believed it had come up to quickly to truly be of no consequence to the pirates.

Out of the interrogation room, Thrawn, Vanto, and Wiskovis determined from the pirates' slang words "trapo," "ub-dub," and "squalsh" to determine that the Dromedar had been taken to a trading post ("trapo") on the planet Uba in the Barsa sector. Hoping to save Wiskovis from any of the career fallout that Thrawn feared might accompany his actions, Thrawn volunteered to take full responsibility for the operation to Uba to rescue the Dromedar. Interpreting this action as Thrawn attempting to hoard the glory, Wiskovis became angry and argued with Thrawn for several minutes before ultimately deciding to save the argument for later. Returning to the more pressing matter at hand, Thrawn and Wiskovis dispatched forces to Uba and Keitum to arrest the pirates and retake the tibanna gas. Hypothesizing that the stolen tibanna may be taken from Uba to the nearby tibanna producing planet Kril'Dor, Thrawn also ordered a force be sent there as part of the reclamation effort.

Despite the fact that the operation had been a strategic success, Thrawn found himself facing the threat of a court-martial from High Command due to his actions throughout the Dromedar incident. As such, Thrawn spent the following Ascension Week and Empire Day on Coruscant, touring parties and mingling with the influential elite alongside Vanto and ISB Colonel Wullf Yularen. Yularen believed that Thrawn's actions on Ansion had been justified and beneficial, and sought to aid Thrawn with the court martial by introducing him to senators and ministers that he felt could be an asset during the investigation. It was at one such Ascension Week party, the party in the Alisandre Hotel's grand ballroom, where Thrawn met Arihnda Pryce for the first time, then an aide to Lothal Senator Domus Renking. The two spoke briefly, and Pryce correctly guessed Thrawn's purpose at the party; before Yularen, Thrawn, and Vanto moved on to speak to another senator.

Thrawn and Yularen's social strategy ultimately paid off, as Thrawn was cleared of all charges by the court-martial committee. Despite the committee's decision to officially close the Dromedar incident, Thrawn continued to be bothered by the incident's outcome and Nightswan's cunning. Additionally, he found Nightswan's knowledge of the Mark I Buzz Droid's value intriguing, asking Vanto if he could investigate supply and demand of the rare metal doonium in the galaxy. Thrawn had begun to suspect that the Empire was working on a secret military project of some sort and wished to discover the truth. It turned out that Nightswan shared similar suspicions of and interest in such a project.

After the court-martial committee made their decision, Thrawn received new orders from High Command. He was promoted from lieutenant to captain and assigned the role of First Officer aboard the Arquitens-class light cruiser Thunder Wasp with Vanto still assigned as his aide. Thrawn was disappointed that Vanto was not promoted, having recommended Vanto for both a rank promotion and a combat position, but the two accepted their new assignments nonetheless.

After being assigned to the Thunder Wasp, Thrawn spent the next year hunting smugglers and pirates in the Mid Rim Territories under the guidance of Commander Alfren Cheno. During this time, Thrawn also made five visits to Coruscant, traveling to the Imperial Palace to help Emperor Palpatine map the Unknown Regions. Thrawn also paid a visit to Yularen during each of his five visits to Coruscant, working with him on an investigation of Nightswan's identity and activities in the galaxy.

Sometime towards the end of his first year of service aboard the Thunder Wasp, Thrawn noticed a sudden uptick in the value of vulture droids while shopping for his collection. Hoping to investigate, Thrawn purchased another vulture droid part, sneaking a glimpse at the Rodian salesman's order requests when the merchant focused his attention elsewhere. In the order requests, Thrawn discovered that Nightswan had purchased a large number of vulture droid parts from the merchant and paid with the rare metal iridium.

Not long after, Thrawn and Vanto investigated and arrested a group of smugglers who had been smuggling iridium in the shells of Paklarn grist mollusks. Looking into the matter further, Thrawn deduced that the smuggling operation had been masterminded by Nightswan and that Nightswan had used the smuggled iridium to pay for large shipments of vulture droids. Pressing the captured smugglers for details, Thrawn discovered that Nightswan had mentioned the Expansion Region planet Umbara when he had been instructing the smugglers. Eli Vanto dismissed Umbara as a false lead, believing that Umbara would not dare to try insurgency again after joining the Separatists and suffering heavy losses during the Clone Wars. Thrawn, however, felt confident in his intuition and believed that an investigation of insurgent activity on Umbara was necessary.

Thrawn's intuition proved correct; insurgent activity was discovered on Umbara and the Thunder Wasp was dispatched to help put a stop to it with Admiral Carlou Gendling's task force.

Thrawn spent the entirety of the passage to Umbara locked away in his cabin. He used the solitude to immerse himself in Umbaran art, surrounding himself with holograms of Umbaran art through the ages. He noted the subtle differences between Republic and Imperial Era art, using the similarities and differences to extrapolate details of modern Umbaran culture and military doctrine.

Thrawn was interrupted mid-thought when Vanto entered his cabin to inform him that they had arrived at Umbara and that Cheno had requested his presence at the bridge. By the time Thrawn arrived at the bridge, the Thunder Wasp was in position and ready for battle, joined by Gendling's Imperial Star Destroyer (ISD) Foremost and two Raider-class corvettes. As they stood on the bridge, Cheno joked with Thrawn that he hoped the Umbarans would attack so that he and the Thunder Wasp could finally get some recognition. Thrawn, however, felt it was unlikely that the Umbarans would attack.

Thrawn watched from the bridge alongside Vanto and Cheno as Gendling delivered his ultimatum to the Umbaran insurgents, demanding that they hand over their leaders within the hour or face reprisal. Even as Vanto declared the matter finished after Gendling's ultimatum, a battle erupted as four-hundred vulture droids appeared from behind Umbara's outermost moon.

As the battle began and Cheno commanded a counterattack against the vulture droids, Vanto was quick to point out to Thrawn that he had been wrong. Thrawn, however, stood by his original statement, deducing that the attack was not by the Umbarans and that they were merely watching it in hopes of deciding whether or not to join in.

As the battle continued and the Thunder Wasp sustained greater damage, Thrawn realized that Cheno was unable to command the battle and promptly seized control of the Thunder Wasp. Moving Senior Lieutenant Hammerly to a turbolaser station, Thrawn sat down with Vanto at Hammerly's sensor station to study the attack patterns of the vulture droids. After several moments of watching the vulture droid attack patterns, Thrawn was able to deduce that the vulture droids were performing too effectively to be commanded by their pre-programmed swarm behavior. Instead, they were being controlled directly by a transmitting base. Thrawn knew both from experience against vulture droids and their geometry and artistry that they were designed for swarm tactics, which they were not presently employing, and explained his reasoning to Vanto.

Having taken control of Hammerly's sensor station, Thrawn's true goal at the moment was to infer the location of the transmitting base that was in control of the vulture droids. The Chiss captain had noticed that the droid fighters intermittently reverted to their programmed swarm tactics, which indicated their passage through a transmission shadow from other ships or objects blocking their line-of-sight to the controlling transmitter. As such, Thrawn used the sensors to pinpoint the location of the droids' transmitter tower, which was on the surface of Umbara. His analytical work done, Thrawn called out to Cheno, telling him to contact Gendling to inform him of the location of the base. Gendling, however, felt that Thrawn's assessment was merely guesswork and disregarded the advice. Vanto commented to himself that normally it would be reasonable not to fire at a population center, and many Imperial officers would not hesitate to do so, but this circumstance was different as Thrawn had proven it was the location of the enemy's transmitter and a surgical strike would quickly minimize the droids' combat effectiveness.

Frustrated with Gendling's ineptitude, Thrawn ordered the Communications Officer to signal the remaining ships to attack the vulture droids when they passed through the transmission shadows. The other ships acknowledged Thrawn's strategy and shifted tactics, quickly turning the tide of the battle. By the end of the battle, one of the corvettes had been destroyed and the remaining corvette, Thunder Wasp, and Foremost were all badly damaged, but the vulture droids had been destroyed and Umbara unconditionally surrendered. Vanto believed the Imperial warships all sustained far more damage than they would have if Gendling had listed to Thrawn.

Even though Thrawn's strategy had won what had begun to appear to be a losing battle, Gendling was furious with both Thrawn and Cheno for their roles in the battle. His pride bruised, Gendling promised Cheno that the battle would be the end of his career. When Gendling turned on Thrawn, however, Cheno stepped in to save the Chiss captain's career. Once they were alone Cheno admitted that he believed Thrawn to be the future of the Imperial Navy, saying that it had been a privilege to be Thrawn's commander, even for a short time.

After departing from the meeting with Gendling and Cheno, Thrawn met with Vanto to discuss the possibility of Nightswan's involvement in the battle. Thrawn asked Vanto, who was a skilled numerical analyst, to analyze the value of Umbaran ore as well as the success rates of smugglers on Umbara versus smugglers on worlds where the Empire controlled mining and the supply line of metals. As the Chiss suspected, smugglers had significantly more success smuggling and skimming metals from planets with Imperial-controlled industry than those operated independently. Thus, Thrawn reasoned that Cygni had orchestrated the events on Umbara to ensure that the Empire took over Umbara's mines and facilitate his smuggling operations. Going even further, Thrawn concluded that Nightswan had purposefully allowed the iridium smugglers to be caught in order to draw the Imperials to Umbara. Impressed, Thrawn admitted that he would be forced to wait until Nightswan chose to resurface again to take further action against the insurgent leader.

As a result of the actions taken during the battle, Cheno was forced to retire by Gendling and High Command. This decision angered Thrawn greatly as he considered it nothing more or less than a foolish waste of resources. Surprised by Thrawn's reaction, Vanto informed him that Cheno was neither the first navy career Thrawn had destroyed nor was it the last career he would destroy. Thrawn was vexed by this but resigned himself to the reality of his situation and his inability to control or even understand the Empire's military politics.

Not long after learning of Commander Cheno's forced retirement, Thrawn and Vanto visited Colonel Yularen's Coruscant office to discuss their ongoing joint investigation of Nightswan's activities. Yularen reported that the ISB had managed to connect Nightswan to metal smuggling, purchases of antiques, and political protests; but had not been able to determine the man's identity. Intrigued by the mention of political protesting, Thrawn asked Yularen to give him a list of the insurgent activities Nightswan was associated with. Pursuing his inquiry further, Thrawn asked Yularen about insurgent activity on Coruscant. Yularen brushed off his theory, believing that political unrest in the Imperial capital planet's lower-class lower levels would never be able to impact anything. Thrawn refused to relent, however, countering Yularen's disbelief by citing the protest in the Circle Bay mayor's office on Nubia. Yularen pointed out that the protest had only succeeded because the insurgents had managed to infiltrate the servant staff in the capital, and Thrawn deduced that insurgency on Coruscant could be equally effective if insurgents infiltrated the government via bodyguard training dojos. Yularen conceded that Thrawn had a point, and the three set off for an investigation of Coruscant's dojos.

Thrawn, Yularen, and Vanto's investigation led the three men to the Yinchom Dojo, a dojo owned by a Togorian named H'sishi which trained bodyguards for the Imperial Senate. While waiting to speak with H'sishi, Thrawn once again found himself talking to Arihnda Pryce, now working for Higher Skies Advocacy Group and at the dojo for self-defense lessons and networking with senate guards.

After a brief conversation with Pryce, Thrawn spoke with H'sishi, obtaining records of the dojo's government contracts and trained guards. Seeking to learn more about the difficult-to-read Togorian in front of him, Thrawn challenged H'sishi to an advanced stick fighting duel under the guise of searching for an instructor for an urban combat unit. In truth, Thrawn hoped to learn of her possible connection to subversive activities through her behavior and tactics in combat. Just prior to the duel, Thrawn asked Pryce for the name of her advocacy group, paying attention to the reactions of those around him when Pryce revealed the name of her organization. As the two dueled, Thrawn observed not only H'sishi but also Pryce and her friend Juahir Madras, observing Madras' nervousness and H'sishi's single-minded focus on combat. After the duel, Thrawn complimented H'sishi's Togorian-inspired style of stick fighting, expressing his interest in one day learning it from her.

Outside the dojo, Thrawn shared his findings with Vanto and Yularen, reporting that he believed there was more to Higher Skies than met the eye and that while H'sishi was undoubtedly innocent, Juahir Madras was likely complicit. Thrawn wished to pursue the investigation further, but new orders from High Command prevented that wish from becoming a reality.

Thrawn had been commanded to spend the next four weeks at the Imperial Palace, charting the Unknown Regions with Emperor Palpatine while the Thunder Wasp underwent repairs. Once the repairs were finished, Thrawn was once again assigned to patrol the Mid Rim and Outer Rim, but he had been promoted to a commander and the captain of the Thunder Wasp following Cheno's imposed retirement.

Sometime during his four-week stay at the Imperial Palace, Arihnda Pryce called upon Thrawn to help her escape a trap that had been laid for her by Imperial Moff Ghadi. Ghadi believed the Higher Skies advocacy group sought to destroy him and sought to force Pryce to counter-spy on the group itself under threat of turning her into the ISB on false charges if she refused. Further, the Moff wished to blackmail Pryce into blackmailing other Imperial officials on his behalf, including Ghadi's arch-enemy Grand Moff Tarkin.

Thrawn wore glasses and a hood to conceal his identity and masquerade as a Pantoran, meeting Pryce in the Gilroy Plaza Diner to discuss Ghadi's trap and how to dismantle it. Pryce handed Thrawn a datacard filled with evidence of Ghadi's corruption, requesting that he hand it along to Yularen and ensure that only Yularen knew that it came from her. While extorting Pryce, Ghadi inadvertently revealed to her that one of his mines—a mine rich in doonium—had recently been attacked by insurgents. Notably, Ghadi's mine was unregistered and the Moff was using it to sell metals on the black market without paying proper taxes and duties.

Thrawn agreed to do as she asked but refused to hand Pryce's blackmail dossier to Yularen until the best possible moment, deducing that the longer it stayed in the ISB, the more likely it was that Ghadi would use personal agents within the ISB to acquire or sabotage the information. Pryce argued that she was unwilling to wait, attempting to bribe Thrawn to give it to Yularen as quickly as possible. The two discussed the politics of military promotions and ship repairs, with Pryce offering to use her contacts to both speed up the repairs of the Thunder Wasp and to get Vanto his long-denied promotion. Thrawn was receptive to Pyrce's offers, placing a high value on Vanto's promotion and his ship's repairs. As his end of the bargain, Thrawn offered Pryce some military advice; he advised her to use Ghadi's hatred of Tarkin to her advantage to either ally herself with Tarkin or use Tarkin to force Ghadi to ally himself with her.

Before he left the diner, Thrawn asked Pryce if she would be willing to turn on the Higher Skies group if it was discovered that they were involved in insurgent activity. Pryce replied that she would absolutely turn her back on them if that should be required for her to have Yularen's protection from Ghadi.

Some time after Commander Thrawn and ensign Vanto returned to patrol duty on the Thunder Wasp, the Arquitens-class light cruiser was assigned the investigation of a land dispute on the planet Cyphar between the native Cyphari and human colonists. Thrawn had requested the assignment to investigate, mediate, and solve the dispute. Thrawn noticed an uptick in shellfish exports from Cyphar reminiscent of the Nightswan-led smuggling operation that had led him to Umbara, and correctly saw the shared motif as an invitation from Nightswan to mediate the dispute. Thrawn spent the passage to Cyphar discussing his Nightswan theories with Vanto, particularly his belief that Nightswan was connected to the sharp increases in doonium theft, land disputes, and general unrest that had begun to spread the Empire's military thin.

Once on Cyphar, Thrawn and Vanto attended a meeting with the colonists of the human colony, Hollenside Enclave, involved in the dispute. The Imperial officers discussed the dispute's circumstances Mayor Pord Benchel and other colonists including Lenora Scath, Brigte Polcery, Clay Tanoo, and a small committee of other concerned citizens. The meeting was brief and hostile, with Polcery and Scath in particular finding it ridiculous that Thrawn wished to hear both sides before making his decision. The dispute between the humans and the Cyphari Afe clan was not Thrawn's top priority during the meeting, however. Thrawn had deduced that the entire land dispute was an elaborate cover-up for smuggling operations and spent the meeting studying Benchel, Scath, Polcery, and Tanoo for signs of guilt or innocence in a scheme that the dispute was designed to hide.

Thrawn and Vanto took a shuttle to meet the Cyphari Chief Joko of the Afe Clan, during which the Chiss discussed his findings with his human assistant. The two had come to the same conclusion: Scath, Polcery, and Tanoo were all involved in the smuggling activity, but Mayor Benchel was oblivious to everything besides what had been reported to him about the land dispute. The two officers visited the mobile Afe clan meetinghouse to speak with Joko. Joko pleaded his case to Thrawn, telling him that the dispute had started when humans from the Hollenside Enclave had invaded Afe land and that all issues since then had either been self-defense or acts of retaliation. While in the meetinghouse, Thrawn subtly studied the artwork on the walls, ascertaining information on Afe culture and strategy. Thrawn gleaned from the art that the Cyphari would harbor intense guilt if they killed an opponent in combat.

Joko then showed Thrawn the grain field where the incursions had occurred, along with a holo-map of likely airspeeder travel paths and the sites of both the human attacks on the Afe lands and the Cyphari counterattacks on Hollenside. Thrawn studied both the damaged grain and the attack locations, quickly discerning patterns and developing a plan to combat the invaders. Thrawn cautioned Joko against attacking Hollenside again, promising Joko that the situation would be resolved that night if he followed Thrawn's orders. Thrawn resolved to spend the night at the meetinghouse with Vanto, offering Joko stormtroopers for protection and ordering him to evacuate the surrounding area. Joko was hesitant, but followed Thrawn's commands after Thrawn promised once more that he would resolve the situation in a single night. Thrawn was confident in his promise that he could fix it that night; he had deduced that the colonists would see that evening as their final chance to advance the smuggling operation until the investigation was closed.

That night, Thrawn and Vanto observed from a distance as three landspeeders full of humans, led by Tanoo, arrived on Afe Clan land and began digging for ore. Thrawn immediately focused his attention on Tanoo, asking Vanto to pull up Tanoo's full record on his datapad. Vanto revealed that Tanoo had studied organic chemistry, and that his brother had been arrested for possession of spice derived from scarn. Thrawn found what he was looking for in the information about scarn, calling in stormtroopers and an escort of TIE fighters led by Lieutenant Gimm to their location. Unbeknownst to Gimm, Thrawn had been the reason he was transferred from Royal Imperial to Skystrike Academy and thus became a starfighter pilot.

Hoping to stop the human perpetrators from escaping before they could be arrested, Thrawn drew his blaster and opened fire, destroying the repulsorlifts of two of the landspeeders. After a short firefight, Thrawn and Vanto managed to stun all of the perpetrators and arrest Tanoo, interrogating him at gunpoint in the speeder he had attempted to escape in. Tanoo admitted that Polcery had designed the scarn smuggling plot and that he had been forced to participate as the chemist. Thrawn was unsatisfied with his answer, however, pointing out to Tanoo that he could have easily changed the formula slightly to make a far less potent and illegal version of scarn that Polcery would never notice. Tanoo, trapped by Thrawn's logic, admitted that Thrawn was too clever for his lie but quickly added that he had done nothing that Thrawn had enough evidence to arrest him for. Thrawn then inquired about Nightswan, and Tanoo admitted that Scath had sought out Nightswan as a legendary smuggler to facilitate the expansion of their spice-trafficking operation.

Having nothing to charge Tanoo with but unwilling to accept defeat, Thrawn studied Tanoo's scarn sensor and quickly formulated a plan to end the scarn production, even without due cause to arrest Tanoo. Meeting with Gimm, Thrawn delivered him the sensor and commanded him to fly close to the ground, using it to follow the underground scarn vein. As Gimm flew along the vein, Thrawn ordered Lieutenant Commander Osgoode to use the Thunder Wasps turbolasers to obliterate the scarn vein behind him. Once the night was over, Thrawn's plan had succeeded and the scarn had been scorched out of existence.

Thrawn's plan, though successful, was met with backlash from both High Command on Coruscant and Joko on Cyphar. While Thrawn had nullified the reason for the humans' incursions into the Afe clan's lands, he had also damaged their cropland. In a final confrontation with Joko before he departed, Joko promised to appeal Thrawn's actions in hopes of securing yet another court-martial of the Chiss commander. Thrawn expressed no regret for his actions, however, believing that he had done the best he possibly could have in the situation. He felt complete apathy towards High Command's disdain for him, believing that they wanted him to be a yes-man but that there were some situations that could simply only be solved by his particular brand of strategy.

Following Chief Joko's appeal to Imperial High Command, Thrawn was once again cleared of all charges of misconduct. He and the Thunder Wasp returned to hunting for smugglers and illicit activity connected to Nightswan. Using Vanto's knowledge of supplies and logistics, Thrawn was able to uncover and stamp out several doonium smuggling operations, at least two of which were connected to Nightswan. Frustrated that Nightswan was still slipping through the Empire's fingers, Thrawn contacted his fellow officers with warnings about Nightswan, but his warnings were generally not taken seriously. Additionally, Thrawn continued to be perplexed by the Empire's excessively high demand for doonium, having still found no answers despite his and Vanto's continued investigation.

Eventually, Thrawn and Vanto were surprised by a summons from High Command on Coruscant. Once on Coruscant, Thrawn and Vanto found themselves in the center of an award ceremony attended by various admirals and Grand Moff Tarkin. For his outstanding record of successes and his string of unusually fast promotions, Thrawn was promoted from commander to the rank of commodore and given command of the ISD Chimaera. Additionally, Vanto was promoted from ensign to lieutenant commander, a decision that greatly pleased Thrawn. After the ceremony concluded, Thrawn briefly spoke with Tarkin, discussing Pryce's recent promotion to Governor of Lothal and subtly thanking Pryce for her role in Vanto's promotion. After Tarkin had departed, Thrawn briefly exchanged a heartfelt congratulations with Vanto before the two set off for their career aboard the Chimaera. The Chimaeras prior first officer Commander Karyn Faro stayed on and retained her role.

Some time into Thrawn's tenure as commander of the Chimaera, the Chimaera received a distress call from the Imperial troop carrier Sempre. Meeting on the bridge of the ship to discuss the mission with Commander Eli Vanto, senior communications officer Lomar, Stormtrooper Commander Ayer, and his first officer Karyn Faro, Thrawn discussed his belief that Nightswan was behind the theft of the frigate Castilus and V-19 Torrent starfighters that had attacked the Sempre, but not behind the attack itself. Thrawn also called into question the motivation behind the attack, as Ayer revealed that the Sempre was not in fact transporting stormtroopers when it was attacked. Ayer refused to divulge more, firmly asserting that the mission of the Sempre was classified and that only he and his troopers would be allowed aboard to combat the threat. Thrawn took this news in stride, calmly commanding Faro to check the Chimaeras weapons and Vanto to ensure that they were going at the quickest possible speed.

Almost two hours later, Thrawn arrived at the site of the attack to discover that the crew of the Sempre had been completely massacred and that the Castilus and V-19 starfighters were long gone. Commodore Thrawn stated that Ayer's orders for complete secrecy were no longer relevant in the face of their failure to reach the Sempre in time to save the Imperials aboard. Thrawn and Vanto boarded the Sempre to observe the carnage for themselves. Moving carefully through the ship, Thrawn observed that only a few of the dead had blaster burns while the rest appeared to have been brutally beaten to death. Studying the bloodstains on the walls, Thrawn noted several that appeared to have been written glyphs or attempts at words. Moving deeper into the ship, Thrawn sought to enter the troop quarters, but was blocked by one of Ayer's men. Curious what the Empire was hiding, Thrawn commanded the stormtrooper to stand aside, asserting that in order to deliver justice for the murdered soldiers, he had to see the contents of the troop quarters.

The stormtrooper continued to insist that the room and its contents were classified. At that point, the Chiss commodore raised his voice, shouting in apparent anger for the stormtrooper to step aside. The trooper sheepishly complied. Vanto was surprised by Thrawn's uncharacteristic anger, but once inside the troop quarters, Thrawn explained that it had been a pragmatic choice to appear angry in order to cut the conversation short. The Chiss remarked to his aide that when an adversary grows accustomed to a warrior's normal behavior, it could be tactically advantageous to disorient the adversary by acting in a different way than expected. Inside the room, Thrawn discovered what the Empire had been trying to hide: the Sempre had been used to transport slaves.

Back on the bridge of the Chimaera, Thrawn met once more with Vanto, Faro, and Lomar to discuss the matter further. After Faro revealed that the attacking V-19s had destroyed the Sempres shield generators, hyperdrive, and sublight engines, Thrawn deduced that the intention of the attack had been to free the slaves, not to take command of the Sempre. Focusing instead on the slaves, Thrawn asked what species the ship had been transporting, to which Lomar replied that he had used the ship's audio and the size of the restraints to determine that the slaves had been Wookiees. Utilizing the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk as a starting point and the Sempres location as an endpoint, Thrawn and Vanto pinpointed the location of the Empire's secret slave-processing center as Lansend Twenty-Six, an old Separatist staging area from the Clone Wars. Identifying the blood marking on the wall as a Wookiee clan symbol signifying defiance, Thrawn deduced that there was a saboteur on Lansend Twenty-Six and that rescued Wookiees and freedom fighters would attack there next in an effort to free more of the Empire's slaves. Determined to defend Lansend Twenty-Six where they had failed to protect the Sempre, Thrawn commanded radio silence as the Chimaera approached the processing center.

When the Chimaera arrived at Lansend Twenty-Six, the station had already fallen under attack by the Castilus and its squadrons of V-19s. Thrawn quickly deployed a squadron of TIE fighters to deal with the threat, ordering them to disable the Castilus without destroying it. He also ordered a signal be sent to the Empire's nearby Baklek Base, asking for assistance. Next, Thrawn contacted Colonel Zenoc of Lansend Twenty-Six, from whom the commodore learned that the saboteur had already been captured and requested a holo-map of the station. Using the map to track the positions of the escaped slaves and attackers, Thrawn fired on the station, destroying sections of it to trap the escapees unharmed in section B-five. The threat within the station neutralized, Thrawn turned the Chimaeras attention back to what remained of the attacking frigate and V-19s.

As the battle drew to a close, Vanto approached Thrawn, asking him what would happen to the Wookiee slaves. Thrawn replied that the Wookiee slaves would be left with Zenoc on Lansend, prompting Vanto to express his discomfort with the idea of the Empire using slaves at all. Thrawn replied that it was entirely possible that they were actually indentured servants, prisoners, or had sold themselves into slavery voluntarily to pay off debts. Vanto questioned his commodore's rationalization of Imperial slavery, and Thrawn admitted that it was unlikely that the Wookiees were anything but innocent people captured as slaves. Thrawn concluded that the enslaved Wookiees' origins ultimately did not matter. In the commodore's eyes, the Wookiees were now Imperial assets and had to be treated as such, even as his tone hardened from discomfort.

Sometime later, Thrawn and the Chimaera were called upon by Fleet Admiral Jok Donassius to put down an insurgency on Botajef, a planet in the Outer Rim. The planet, led by Governor Quesl, had declared independence from the Empire. The Empire feared that such declarations and insurgencies could lead to another Separatist Crisis, and thus commanded Thrawn to put down the revolt by any means necessary before any other systems thought to act similarly. Setting course for Botajef immediately, Thrawn turned to Vanto, Faro, and Senior Lieutenant Pyrondi to discuss the matter further. Pyrondi offered her disbelief that Quesl would lead a rebellion without other star systems as allies, arguing that the planet's governor was well aware that the military might of the Chimaera alone could stop the world's rebellion dead in its tracks. Commander Faro replied that she feared that Botajef may just be the first of many worlds preparing to secede from the Empire. Thrawn listened to their theories without offering any of his own, listening intently as Pyrondi described to him the follower nature of the native Jefi people. Carefully noting the Jefies' tendency to follow anyone who presented themselves as a capable leader, Thrawn suggested that the best overall strategy may be to overthrow Quesl in favor of a new, non-insurgent leader. After the conversation ended, Thrawn retired to his quarters and left Faro in charge of the bridge.

Thrawn spent the rest of the fourteen-hour journey to Botajef in his quarters, studying Jefi artwork. Thrawn felt that the low-contrast sculpts showed a self-awareness of their shortcomings, whereas their tressiles depicted their belief in the stability of their political system. Indeed, that planet had a history of long periods of passive allegiance punctuated by short bouts of revolutionary violence.

Two hours prior to the Chimaeras arrival at Botajef, Vanto arrived in Thrawn's quarters to discuss his growing concerns about the mission. Vanto feared that the mission was a set up by government officials and High Command designed to make Thrawn look bad by either painting him as a war-crazed alien who wiped out a planet of innocent followers or as a coward unable to defeat the Botajef Defense Force and forced to retreat. Nevertheless, Thrawn felt confident that he would be able to avoid falling into such a trap. Vanto warned that, in the event of failure, Thrawn and he might be demoted to commanding an ore carrier like their former commander Filia Rossi's previous assignment. Nevertheless, Thrawn changed the topic.

Thrawn brought up his and Vanto's investigation into the Empire's secret military project, which they speculated to be the destination of the doonium and other metals whose prices and supply had shown recent marked changes. Sharing his most recent research with Vanto, Thrawn revealed that he had deduced that it was a single large military installation on a scale the Empire had never before seen, and that it must be equipped with a hyperdrive. The Chiss commodore admitted to his human friend that he believed the project was a foolish waste of resources and expressed his belief that it would be wiser for the Empire to pour their resources into a more flexible and mobile navy of capital ships and versatile starfighters. Hoping to check out the project for himself, Thrawn revealed to Vanto that he had used the vectors from the Wookiee slave ships and Rossi's doonium transports from Socorro to discover the likely location of the secret project's construction site. Thrawn told Vanto that once the opportunity presented itself, they would investigate it further.

Thrawn brought the conversation full-circle, returning to the insurgency on Botajef that awaited them upon exit from hyperspace. The Chiss commodore pulled up a hologram of Quesl declaring the Botajef system's independence from the Empire. Pointing out Quesl's mannerisms, Thrawn noted that he seemed to be daring the Empire to respond with military force to quash his declaration of independence. He theorized that the capital would be heavily fortified and that Botajef's substantial planetary defense forces would be deployed to keep the Chimaera at a distance. Closing the holo, Thrawn and Vanto returned to the bridge to discuss strategy further.

Upon arriving at Botajef, Thrawn discovered that his theory about the planet's defenses had proven correct. The planet was defended from space by two CR90 corvettes as well as five squadrons of V-19s dispatched from Botajef's north-polar base and two squadrons from its south-polar base. The governor's palace was fortified by five ground-based turbolasers. Confident in his ability to handle the situation, Thrawn ordered Starfighter Commander Yve to launch the Chimaeras complement of TIE fighters to perform flybys past the corvettes and to form a screen between the Chimaera and the V-19s. A moment later, Thrawn received a call from Quesl, who asserted that the Chimaera was invading Jefi space and was required to either vacate or be fired upon. Thrawn responded calmly, buying time by contriving a fictitious Clone Wars-era treaty which Botajef had supposedly signed at the end of the war. Thrawn told Quesl that his secession from the Empire was a direct violation of the supposed treaty. As he spoke, Thrawn watched the TIE flybys of the corvettes, noting that the starboard corvette slightly twitched as the Chimaeras TIEs drew near whereas the portside corvette did not react.

Having ascertained all the information he needed, Thrawn proceeded with his plan; ordering Yve's special unit of TIEs to destroy Quesl's groundside turbolaser placements near the governor's palace. Yve's bombing run on the palatial turbolaser batteries distracted governor Quesl. In the meantime, Thrawn navigated the Chimaera closer to the corvettes, capturing the starboard corvette in the Star Destroyer's tractor beam. As the tractor beam drew the corvette in, Quesl gasped and stumbled over the hologram, confirming Thrawn's theory: Quesl and the valuable Jefi art were on the starboard CR90 corvette. The Imperial commodore had predicted that Quesl had staged the system's insurrection and secession to facilitate his theft and illicit sale of valuable Jefi artworks. The governor had intended for Thrawn to destroy the palace to conceal the theft while he slipped away in the ensuing battle. Thrawn also revealed to Quesl that the flyby had revealed that the starboard corvette had a human crew while the portside corvette had a Jefi crew; he had surmised that Quesl was on the human-crewed corvette as it was unlikely that a Jefi crew would aid in the theft of their own art. Thrawn drew the corvette in, promising Quesl he would face trial for his actions before cutting the transmission. Ordering that the prisoners be apprehended and the art be returned to the Jefies, Thrawn commanded Vanto to inform High Command that the situation had been resolved. Following his victory at Botajef among other successes, Thrawn was promoted to Admiral and Vanto to Commander.

Sometime between 9 BBY and 2 BBY, Thrawn sent his subordinate, Captain Gilad Pellaeon, to Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth's presentation to the Empire on the designs of the TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighter. Following the meeting, Pellaeon approached Elsbeth, stating that he liked her designs, and that his superior sent him to such meetings to search for promising individuasls. Later, Thrawn sent his Noghri assassin Rukh to fight Elsbeth, as a test of her ability to handle herself. Elsbeth proved herself successful, to which Pellaeon emerged and recalled Rukh. In that moment, the admiral revealed himself and spoke with Elsbeth.

As insurgent activity began ramping up across the galaxy, Thrawn and Vanto came to lead the Ninety-Sixth Task Force. They represented the Ninety-Sixth at a high-security meeting by Fleet Admiral Donassius. Inside the meeting room, Thrawn was greeted by Yularen, Donassius, Admiral Durril of the One Oh Third Task Force, and Admiral Kinshara of the One Twenty-Fifth. The planets of Batonn, Denash, Sammun, and Lothal were deemed at-risk for the growing insurgencies against the Empire, and as such, their governors were present as well. Respectively, the governors were Restos of Batonn, Wistran of Denash, Estorn of sammun, and Pryce of Lothal. Taking his seat at the table, Thrawn listened as Yularen described the situation: a series of coordinated insurgencies had sprung up on the represented planets, indicating the potential for rebel cell activity. The Empire sought to prevent the rebel cells from coordinating, integrating, growing, or coalescing into a unified rebel movement.

Yularen moved forward to inform the admirals and governors that the Lothal insurgency was being handled by Admiral Kassius Konstantine. He then briefed the officials present on the rebel activity on Batonn's Scrim Island. Colonel Yularen explained that the Scrim Island Imperial garrison had been overrun by insurgents who had taken more than a hundred people hostage and seized control of the island's energy shield and ion cannons. The admirals initially assigned Thrawn and the Ninety-Sixth Task Force to end the rebel activity on Batonn and Scrim Island. However, Yularen had incomplete information regarding which of the island's ion cannons were operational, and Thrawn noted that the available information about the island's defenses was inadequate for him to plan a guaranteed victory without endangering the Imperial hostages held by Scrim Island's insurgents.

The Chiss admiral asked for more time to study the island's defensive capabilities so he could formulate such an ironclad plan without collateral damage. Fleet Admiral Donassius sharply cut into Thrawn at the notion, positing that they had no time to study the situation without taking action. Thrawn declined the assignment on the grounds that he refused to put the hostages' lives at risk. Instead, the Chiss admiral was assigned the pacification of an insurgency on Sammun, while the duty of retaking Scrim Island fell to Durril and the 103rd Task Force.

After the meeting, Thrawn and Vanto discussed the repercussions of Thrawn's decision to openly disrespect the assignments of High Command. Thrawn asserted with confidence that any detriment he had incurred in High Command's perception of him was a temporary setback, and he would soon recover their esteem and more. He was confident that the attack on Scrim Island would go poorly for Durril and the 103rd; and moreover, that he would be asked to clean up Durril's mess and deliver success. Coldly disinterested in the impact Durril's impending embarrassment would have on the other admiral's career, Thrawn abruptly ended the conversation and spent the rest of the walk to the landing platform silently studying Sammuni art.

Once he and Vanto reached the landing platform, Thrawn contacted Commander Faro aboard the Chimaera, directing her to take the Chimaera and the Ninety-Sixth Task Force to Sammun. The admiral gave his first officer a strategy to swiftly crush the Sammuni insurgency, informed by the Sammuni artwork and culture he had just studied. Additionally, Thrawn requested that she detach the Arquitens-class light cruiser Shyrack and Captain Brento from the bulk of the Ninety-Sixth Task Force for his and Vanto's personal use. Faro agreed to Thrawn's directives, promising to contact him once the Sammun insurgency had been defeated. Vanto expressed concern with Thrawn's choice to stray once again from his assigned mission, but Thrawn was calm in the face of potential backlash from High Command. He confidently asserted once more that all would end up as planned, informing Vanto that while Faro handled the Sammun job; they would be observing Durril's attack on Scrim Island. Donassius had ordered the Ninety-Sixth Task Force to pacify Sammun, but he did not specifically order Thrawn and Vanto to be present with the rest of the task force. Boarding the nondescript light freighter Slipknot, Thrawn set course for Batonn.

Arriving in space above Batonn, Thrawn positioned the Slipknot in a location where it could view both Durril's Star Destroyer Judicator and Scrim Island. From the Slipknot, Thrawn watched as the insurgents carried out their strategy and left Durril flailing. The insurgents' positions were protected by an energy shield that encompassed most of Scrim Island, protecting the island from orbital bombardment. The rebels on the island contracted the shield briefly to fire their ion cannons to incapacitate the ships of Durril's task force. Thrawn also observed eight small space freighters flying close to the sea between Scrim Island and Batonn's main continent to avoid detection. As he watched, seven of the freighters continued towards the continent while the eighth slipped off to space. Temporarily shifting his attention back to Scrim Island, Thrawn noted that the insurgents were in possession of a turbolaser emplacement that Yularen's intel had not mentioned.

His interest piqued by the freighter attempting to flee, Thrawn directed Vanto to hail it with a tight-beam comm signal before it could jump to lightspeed. Instructing Vanto to use the pseudonym "Horatio Figg," Thrawn explained that he wanted Vanto to convince the insurgents on board that they were weapons smugglers. Posing as arms traders, Thrawn hoped they would gain access to the insurgents' base. The Chiss admiral was correct: the smugglers aboard the escaping freighter provided Vanto with their base's coordinates.

Thrawn commanded Vanto to make the jump, leaving Durril and the 103rd to their fate. Vanto expressed unease with Thrawn's choice, but Thrawn assured him that he had already sent out a distress call on Durril's behalf and that he had seen more than enough of the Scrim Island insurgents' tactics to formulate a strategy of his own for the Ninety-Sixth's eventual deployment to Batonn. Leaving Brento and the Shyrack to track the movements of the seven freighters remaining on Batonn, Thrawn jumped to the coordinates that the eighth freighter had given Vanto.

At the coordinates, Thrawn discovered a large Clone Wars-era Nomad starship that the smugglers had set up as their mobile base of operations. Prepping Vanto for the infiltration, Thrawn removed his uniform tunic and shot it to make it appear as though Vanto had killed an Imperial officer and stolen his uniform. Additionally, he had affixed his old rigged lieutenant's plaque to the uniform, telling Vanto to press the tile closest to the center of his chest when the time comes. Promising to spend the time while Vanto is gathering information engineering their escape, Thrawn sent Vanto out to the smugglers and proceeded with his portion of the plan.

Once Vanto had been brought to the insurgents' leader, Thrawn created a bomb out of gimmicked blaster packs, much like he had done years prior on the planet of his exile to gain access to the Strikefast. Falsifying a radiation leak warning and hiding in the Slipknots escape pods, Thrawn set off his bomb when a boarding party boarded the Slipknot to investigate the leak. Escaping the damaged ship in the confusion, Thrawn triggered the Nomad's abandon-ship alarm. Reuniting with Vanto in the frenzied chaos of the Nomad's repair bay, Thrawn led Vanto into one of the insurgents' freighters.

Settling into the pilot's seat, Thrawn explained to Vanto that he hoped that by stealing one of the insurgents' freighters they would be able to gain any data that had been left on the ship's computer. Inquiring about Vanto's time on the ship, Thrawn learned that he had surmised correctly that Vanto had spoken to Nightswan, and that Nightswan was the man behind the Scrim Island Operation. Having accomplished all that he could on the Nomad, Thrawn used the insurgent freighter to return to Batonn.

Arriving back at Scrim Island, Thrawn discovered that Durril had survived and with the help of Brento and the Shyrack, had made it out of harm's way. The battle paused, Thrawn met via holographic projection with Donassius, Kinshara, and Durril. During this meeting, Kinshara reported his success on Denash while Thrawn reported the Ninety-Sixth's success at Sammun. Displeased with Durril's loss at Scrim Island, Donassius ordered Durril to take the Judicator and 103rd to the Marleyvane shipyards for repairs. Turning to Thrawn, Donassius asked how much longer Thrawn would need to study the insurgents before he could make an attack. Confident in his ability to handle the situation, Thrawn replied that he had already gathered the information he needed. With that, Donassius officially returned the Batonn Operation to Thrawn and the Ninety-Sixth. His new mission in hand, Thrawn prepared the Chimaera for battle.

Moving into position around Scrim Island, Thrawn briefed Faro, Vanto, and the commanders of the Shyrack, Flensor, and Tumnor on the strategy he had come up with to deal with the insurgents. Ordering the three light cruisers into position, Thrawn watched as they bombarded Scrim Island's shields before being disabled by the island's previously unseen fourth ion cannon. Thrawn, however, was not surprised by the fourth ion cannon and had built his strategy around it. Speaking to Captain Yelfis of the Tumnor, Thrawn learned that the cathtron tube of the fourth ion cannon was in the process of dying.

Moving forward with his strategy, Thrawn began the Chimaeras descent towards Scrim Island, using the partially disabled light cruisers as cover against the ion cannons. Once the Chimaera reached optimal firing position, Thrawn opened fire, shooting into the ocean off Scrim Island's shore. Thrawn's gambit worked, sending a tsunami crashing into the western shoreline of Scrim Island. Firing at a second target in the sea, the Chimaera created a second tsunami that managed to hit the turbolaser emplacement. Alternating fire between targets one and two, Thrawn slammed Scrim Island with tsunami after tsunami until the water shorted out the island's turbolasers. Contacting the island, Thrawn ordered them to either lower their shields or risk the death of those operating the shoreline defenses. When the shields did not lower, Thrawn sent two more tsunamis at Scrim Island.

Faced with destruction, the insurgents of Scrim Island lowered their shield and surrendered to Thrawn. Accepting their surrender with the terms that any further resistance would be met with lethal force, Thrawn directed Vanto to send word of their victory at Scrim Island to Coruscant. Humble in the face of Faro's praise, however, Thrawn admitted that there was more to be done before the battle for Batonn was over. Asking Faro to inform him when the island had been secured, Thrawn retired to his cabin.

Sometime later that day, Thrawn hosted Pryce and Yularen aboard the Chimaera. Settling into the Star Destroyer's conference room with Vanto and Faro, the group discussed the situation on Batonn's main continent. Thrawn revealed that he had discovered the location of the insurgents' stronghold to be the Creekpath Mining and Refining complex outside Paeragosto City. Thrawn then informed Yularen and Pryce of his plan to invade the complex via ground troops as the complex was both shielded and home to 30,000 innocent civilians. Worried about her parents, Pryce suggested that she should go into the complex first to scope out the area and potentially take out the shield generator. Yularen explained further that Pryce would enter the complex with ISB Agent Gudry and tell her family that she was looking for a friend who got lost in the mines to gain access to the insurgent base. Thrawn was hesitant to accept Pryce's plan but ultimately conceded, knowing that he was likely unable to stop an Imperial governor backed by the ISB even as an admiral. Yularen went on to explain that they would send Pryce and Gudry in disguise to the planet Dennogra and have them take a planet hopper from there to Batonn. Though he was forced to accept the plan, Thrawn was vocal about his disapproval of it, thinking it to be both unsafe and dubiously effective. His feelings aside, Thrawn wished Pryce luck on her mission.

As repairs were conducted on the Tumnor, Flensor, and Shyrack, Thrawn positioned them in a wide equilateral triangle around a hundred kilometers away from the Chimaera, a strategic positioning that worried both Vanto and Yularen.

As twilight fell on Paeragosto City, Thrawn sat in his office aboard the Chimaera surrounded by holograms of Batonnese art. Even as he studied the art as always, Thrawn felt the pressure of each passing moment, knowing that his time with Nightswan was rapidly approaching its end. Keying a comm frequency that he had discovered aboard the stolen freighter, Thrawn contacted the insurgents as requested to speak with Nightswan. Once Nightswan was on the comm, Thrawn requested a face-to-face meeting in the field two kilometers to the north of the Creekpath facility. Nightswan met Thrawn's request with caution, prompting Thrawn to promise that his guards would stay out of firing distance. Additionally, Thrawn informed Nightswan that he was valueless to Thrawn dead or captured. His interest piqued, Nightswan asked Thrawn why the Chiss thought he would not try to kill Thrawn, to which Thrawn replied that he knew that Nightswan valued life too much to try to kill him. He asserted that his life was the only thing keeping the Imperials from destroying the Creekpath facility and killing the civilians inside because he was the only Imperial commander that would go out of his way to prevent casualties.

Pained, Nightswan admitted that he had never wanted civilians to endanger themselves by living within his base. Thrawn revealed that he felt the same drive to prevent the deaths of innocents. After a pause, Nightswan agreed to Thrawn's invitation to parley in one hour. When Thrawn arrived at the field an hour later, he found that Nightswan was waiting for him. Nightswan mused that Thrawn could kill him at any moment, leading Thrawn to reiterate that he had no use for Nightswan dead. The two began discussing the Dromedar incident, Nightswan revealing that he was the reason that Thrawn had a Buzz Droid that day and Thrawn countering by revealing that he had two Buzz Droids; so even if Nightswan had not assisted, he still would have escaped. Shifting the conversation, Thrawn revealed that he knew that Nightswan was a part of the Mining Guild, having deduced it from Nightswan's knowledge of precious metals and the fact that he had been to the Thrugii asteroid belt. In response, Nightswan revealed that his activism had begun when the Imperial demand for metals had led to him joining a splinter group of the Mining Guild dedicated to helping out the small businesses hurt by the rapidly forming Imperial metal monopoly.

He went on to tell Thrawn that the corruption had eventually spread to the splinter group, so he had set off on his own and become the mercenary Thrawn had met on the Dromedar. Nightswan closed his speech by telling Thrawn that once he heard rumors of the Imperials' secret military project, he joined the insurgents. His interest piqued by the mention of the Imperials' secret weapon, Thrawn demanded to know everything Nightswan knew about the project. Nightswan, however, refused to divulge unless Thrawn joined him. Changing the subject, Thrawn learned that Nightswan had purposely sabotaged the Cyphar scarn operation due to being strictly against spice and that Nightswan had never approved of the assassination attempts conducted by Higher Skies' indoctrinated recruits. After another brief discussion about the military project, Thrawn complimented Nightswan's talents as a leader and tactician. In response, Nightswan revealed that he had tried to unite the rebel cells into a Rebel Alliance, but distrust and infighting had prevented his plan from coming to fruition. Hoping for equal honesty from Thrawn, Nightswan asked him why he was perpetuating the Empire's evils. In a moment of honesty Thrawn revealed the truth of his situation to Nightswan, telling him about his meeting with the Neimoidians, the Chiss Ascendancy's plans for the Empire, and that he had completely faked his exile in order to infiltrate the Empire.

Thrawn revealed that the Ascendancy had given him a single task: either use the Empire as an ally against the threats in the Unknown Regions or collapse them from the inside as easy prey. Discussing political ideals with Nightswan, Thrawn revealed that he believed that the Empire's tyranny was necessary to keep the galaxy in a state of order rather than chaos. The rebellion, he believed, would bring about a dangerous chaos that could allow the threat in the Unknown Regions to overtake everything. Taking a more optimistic tone, Thrawn reminded Nightswan that Emperor Palpatine would one day die and that when that day came there was hope that the Empire would choose a more tolerant and just leader. Unknown to Thrawn, there was a chance such a future would never come to pass; Palpatine intended to secure immortality and rule the galaxy forever from the Sith world of Exegol. Returning once more to Nightswan's tactical prowess, Thrawn made Nightswan an offer the human had not expected. The Grand Admiral asked Nightswan to use his skills to aid his native Chiss Ascendancy in their battle against the evils far worse than the Empire. Furthermore, he promised Nightswan that if the people of Batonn put down their weapons, no harm would come to them. Believing Thrawn's promise to be impossible to keep, Nightswan declined his offer. He believed that he and Thrawn had the same vision for the future, but vastly different paths to get there.

In a final effort to get Nightswan on his side, Thrawn offered to take Nightswan to his deduced construction site for the Imperial project so that they might investigate it together. Nightswan was intrigued to the point of nearly agreeing, but once again found his obligation to the people of Creekpath forcing him to decline; he knew that surrendering would mean that the people would continue to suffer despite Thrawn's promises. As he departed, Nightswan admitted that he knew his stand at the Creekpath mine would fail. Thrawn promised to order the soldiers to capture him alive, but Nightswan assured him that the soldiers would execute him anyway. Thrawn made one final attempt to save Nightswan's life by arresting him then and there, but Nightswan once more declined stating that he would hold to his ideals and protect his followers even if it led to his death.

As Thrawn watched him go, Yularen approached him from behind, threatening to shoot him as a traitor to the Empire. Having overheard none of the conversation that had occurred between Thrawn and Nightswan, Yularen demanded to know why the two had met alone in the field to talk. Thrawn was honest, openly admitting his intentions to recruit Nightswan to the Chiss Ascendancy. Accepting Thrawn's answer, Yularen returned to the matter of Thrawn's unconventional light cruiser positioning, and Thrawn explained that he had positioned the cruisers as he had in hopes of deterring any attempts by the insurgents to steal them. With this, Yularen was satisfied and the two briefly discussed Pryce's mission. No longer seeing a reason to remain on Batonn, Thrawn and Yularen returned to the Chimaera to prepare for the remainder of the conflict.

Once aboard the Chimaera, Thrawn stood at the bridge's forward viewport gazing down at the planet below, lost in thought. As time wore on and Pryce and Gudry failed to check in, Thrawn commanded Yularen to dispatch a special-duty squad to search Pryce's parents' house for Pryce, Gudry, or clues to find them.

The ground battle accounted for and suspecting that the space portion of the battle would begin at any moment, Thrawn ordered Faro to prepare the Chimaera for combat. Even as he did so, ten mid-sized ships emerged from hyperspace and moved at attack speed towards the Shyrack, followed shortly after by two more groups of eleven ships also targeting the cruisers. As the ships closed in on the cruisers, Thrawn calmly commanded the ground troops to send harassment fire in the direction of Creekpath.

As the ships reached the cruisers, however, they passed them by without firing, heading in the direction of the Chimaera. Thrawn remained placid in the face of the imminent attack, ordering the cruisers to free themselves from the repair barges so that the repair barges could release their stowed squadrons of TIE fighters. Using a combination of the TIE fighters attacking from behind and the Chimaeras turbolasers, Thrawn easily neutralized the threat of the mid-sized insurgent ships.

On the planet's surface, Gudry tried to evacuate Pryce without her parents. As a result, she murdered Gudry. To cover up her crime, Lothal's governor set off an explosion. Thrawn watched from the Chimaeras bridge as the explosion destroyed the Creekpath facility and consumed the civilian houses in the vicinity. Thrawn was disgusted and unnerved by the loss of civilian life but strode to hide it. Thrawn attempted to maintain a calm façade as he commanded his ground troops to enter Creekpath to act as a search and rescue team for civilians and insurgents alike. Faro reminded Thrawn that a few mid-sized insurgent ships remained. The admiral decided to allow those ships a chance to flee unharmed, destroying those who stayed to fight.

In the wake of the massacre at Creekpath, Thrawn held a meeting with Yularen, Pryce, and Vanto to discuss the events that had transpired. Thrawn and Yularen interrogated Pryce, asking her to explain the events leading up to the explosion. Pressing further, Thrawn asked Yularen to confirm Nightswan's death in the explosion. Yularen confirmed, and Thrawn silently reflected that the galaxy was worse off because of his death. Shifting the conversation, Pryce informed Thrawn that Emperor Palpatine was pleased with what had occurred at Batonn and, as if on cue, Faro signaled on the intercom that Palpatine requested his presence on Coruscant. The meeting over, Thrawn requested a word with Pryce once Vanto and Yularen had left the room.

Quick to protect herself from the repercussions of her actions on Batonn, Pryce proposed a deal to Thrawn. The governor pressured Thrawn not to report her for his suspicions of her role in massacring Batonn's people. Pryce's rule of Lothal had been challenged by the rebellious Phoenix Cell. Her previous attempts to destroy the rebels with the help of Grand Moff Tarkin, ISB Agent Alexsandr Kallus, the Grand Inquisitor, and even Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader had failed. Pryce believed Thrawn was the one capable of defeating the insurgents, and promised that if he would destroy Phoenix Cell, then she would use her political connections to guarantee him Fleet Admiral Sartan's job as the commander of the Imperial Seventh Fleet.

Additionally, she promised to help the Chiss admiral navigate politics, something that she considered to be his major weakness. Tempted by her offer, Thrawn agreed to consider it and allowed Pryce to depart the board room. Eighteen minutes later, Vanto returned and reported Pryce had departed before asking what they had discussed. Thrawn told Vanto about their conversation, and Vanto agreed that Thrawn could use someone to help him navigate Imperial politics. However, Vanto expressed doubts that Governor Pryce was the right person to help the admiral in the political arena. Vanto and Thrawn both agreed she had likely played a role in the events at Creekpath, though they had no evidence to use against her. Clarifying that they would head to Coruscant, Vanto suggested Thrawn act grateful for his promotion, making Thrawn smile as Pryce had suggested the same. Thrawn then allowed Vanto to see if there was any remaining information groundside. When Thrawn expressed hope that Vanto and the others would get credit for the Imperial victory on Batonn, Vanto doubted that would happen and stated he was content with staying his aide. Thrawn, however, suggested that Vanto could have a different future.

Arriving on Coruscant, Thrawn made his way once more to the Emperor's throne room. In the throne room, Palpatine presented Thrawn with a Grand Admiral uniform, a white uniform with gold shoulder bars and a silver collar insignia along with a rank insignia plaque indicating his promotion to Grand Admiral. Thrawn noted the Emperor's face held satisfaction with undertones of amusement and malice. Before he would take the promotion from the Emperor, however, Thrawn demanded to know about the Death Star. Thrawn explained that his concerns with the Death Star were twofold; he feared that Palpatine might use it against the Chiss and he believed that Palpatine was diverting too many resources into a single military project that would be better served by developing a versatile navy with many strengths. Palpatine assured Thrawn that he had no plans to use the Death Star on the Chiss, mentioning that he had noticed that Thrawn had left the locations of Chiss worlds and bases off his maps of the Unknown Regions. The Emperor informed Thrawn that he did not begrudge the Admiral for seeking to protect his own people by leaving their locations off the maps he provided. Additionally, he expressed complete confidence in the Death Star's ability to suppress all opposition, making it worth the cost. After those assurances, Emperor Palpatine offered the Grand Admiral's rank plaque again and this time, Thrawn accepted.

As Thrawn accepted his rank insignia plaque, Lord Vader entered the throne room. As the Dark Lord of the Sith approached, Thrawn analyzed Vader's confident gait, stance, and voice. Thrawn greeted Vader and exchanged formalities, saying he was pleased to finally meet the Emperor's Sith apprentice, about whom he had heard a great deal.

As he prepared to begin the campaign against the rebels of Phoenix Squadron, Thrawn decided it was finally time for he and Vanto to part ways. Pleased with the progress Vanto had made in the areas of tactics, leadership, and strategy, Thrawn believed that Vanto would be a perfect candidate for the Chiss Ascendancy's military. Gifting Vanto his personal journal, Thrawn directed Vanto to a set of coordinates in the Unknown Regions. These coordinates would bring Vanto to Admiral Ar'alani and the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, to whom he came with greetings from Thrawn.

Freshly promoted and having given Vanto the job he believed his human friend deserved, Thrawn set off to combat Phoenix Squadron and the rebel cells of Lothal. Thrawn arrived at Lothal in 2 BBY.

As soon as he arrived on Lothal, Thrawn began overseeing operations against the rebels. He attended a briefing with Pryce, Agent Alexsandr Kallus of the ISB, Konstantine and Grand Moff Tarkin, where they discussed that the rebels had attacked Mining Guild ships at the Sereeda Waypoint. Knowing that the rebels had rescued pirate Hondo Ohnaka from Naraka prison, where the Weequay had been cellmates with Terba, a laborer from the Reklam Station in the Yarma system, Thrawn hypothesized that the rebels would be heading to that station, given that it was only one hyperspace jump point away from the Sereeda Waypoint, to steal starfighters for the growing Rebel Alliance Navy. The Grand Admiral declared that he would pull the rebels apart piece by piece, ensuring that they would be the architects of their own destruction. The Imperial garrison there was alerted to the potential rebel threat.

During the rebels' operations, they stole a number of Republic Y-wing fighter/bombers that were left over from the Clone Wars. A group of rebel ships arrived to assist, and Thrawn allowed them to escape. While some officers, such as Konstantine, believed that these ships were the rebel fleet; both Thrawn and Pryce knew that there was a larger resistance movement growing in the galaxy. Both the Grand Admiral and Lothal's governor believed they could send a message to all the disparate anti-Imperial insurgent groups in the galaxy by destroying the rebel cell active at Reklam Station. Complete destruction of Phoenix Cell would intimidate other rebel groups and prevent a large alliance from forming, in the view of Thrawn and Pryce.

At some point after his promotion to Admiral, Thrawn met the Imperial Governor Derantus who had purchased a counterfeit painting from the Trandoshan smuggler and thief Feresk Tssat. Thrawn informed Derantus that the painting was counterfeit, which in the Trandoshan's characterization caused the Governor to "make an ass" of himself in front of Thrawn. Derantus placed a death mark on Tsatt, forcing the smuggler to seek refuge with the Rebel Alliance, which he came to join as a pilot. Before the end of the Galactic Civil War, Tsatt recalled to Vanguard Five how he had worked as an "acquisition specialist" that hunted down trophies, antiquities, and other prized collectibles; and how at the end of his career as a thief, he sold the counterfeit painting to Dereantus, which earned him the death mark that drove him to join the Rebellion.

Soon after the rebels' theft of Y-wing bombers at Reklam Station, the Skystrike Academy TIE pilot cadets Wedge Antilles, Derek "Hobbie" Klivian, and Rake Gahree attempted to defect to Phoenix Cell. Of the three cadets, Wedge and Hobbie survived, but Gahree was killed by the Academy's flight instructor Captain Vult Skerris, a gifted TIE pilot who flew a TIE/IN interceptor.

In 2 BBY, Grand Admiral Thrawn proposed an initiative to develop a new starfighter in the TIE fighter series with improved offensive and defensive capabilities: the TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighter, known as the "TIE Defender." Unlike most of the models of Sienar Fleet Systems' TIE series, the TIE Defenders would come equipped with deflector shields and a hyperdrive. Imperial Security Bureau agents had captured and interrogated renegade TIE fighter pilots who sought to defect to the Rebellion. The agents' briefings showed that all the captured would-be defectors were reluctant to pilot fighters that lacked energy shields or hyperdrivers. As a result, the Defender would not only be more effective at defeating rebel fighters, but also increase loyalty among Imperial pilots.

Thrawn petitioned Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin for authorization to develop his proposed TIE Defenders. The Outer Rim governor held the view that unshielded TIE fighters, which were cheap to manufacture and reduced pilots' independence, were a more economical means of maintaining control over TIE pilots. Nevertheless, Tarkin authorized Thrawn to proceed with the Defender initiative and meet with Sienar's engineers and designers at the Sienar Systems Advanced Projects Laboratory on Lothal. The Chiss Grand Admiral was heavily involved with Sienar's development of the TIE/D; personally submitting designs for some of the fighter's modules and components.

Thrawn's TIE/D Defenders were faster than any previously manufactured model of the TIE line, and computer simulations confirmed they would be faster than rebel Y-wings. Furthermore, the Defenders' wings angled away from the cockpit to give TIE Defender pilots a broader field of vision than TIE Interceptors provided. Some accounts from the Advanced Projects Laboratory recorded Thrawn bringing a rare Kamino saberdart to the ship designers, which he utilized to convey several of his proposals for systems and modules. According to those accounts; Thrawn used the saberdart to demonstrate the Defenders' proposed wing shapes and positions, the heightened speed and maneuverability TIE Defenders would have over other fighter craft, and the "unparalleled" visibility the design would provide TIE/D pilots. The heavy armaments of the defender, together with its high degree of maneuverability and speed, classified it as a fighter-bomber.

At some point after the mission at Reklam Station, Thrawn fought against the Free Ryloth Movement led by Cham Syndulla. The Empire had been cracking down on Ryloth, the homeworld of the Twi'lek species, since the end of the Clone Wars. While the planet was nominally called the "Free and Independent Protectorate of Ryloth," the Empire cracked down on the planet and gained control of more provinces over time. Unlike most Imperial commanders who merely sought to pacify Ryloth, Thrawn took a keen interest in Twi'lek culture. By studying Twi'lek art, culture, and history, the Grand Admiral was better able to counter and defeat the forces of the Free Ryloth Movement than other Imperial leaders.

Thrawn joined the occupation to counter the Ryloth Insurgency after the Spectres helped the Free Ryloth Movement secure a previous victory before capturing a Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier, which they dubbed Phoenix Nest. That rebel victory had persuaded the Empire to accelerate its plans for occupying Ryloth. The Twi'leks, who had found previous success fighting against the Imperial occupation of Ryloth under Captain Slavin, underestimated Thrawn's abilities and battle strategies. When combating the Twi'leks, Thrawn used far more precise tactics compared to other Imperial officers Syndulla had encountered. Under the authority of Thrawn, the Empire began to forcibly bring the population to its knees. Knowing it was Syndulla's home, Thrawn established a base of operations on Ryloth in the Tann Province, where he spent time studying their culture to better understand them.

One day, Thrawn spoke with Slavin in his headquarters inside the Syndulla residence about his security arrangements. Thrawn knew that Syndulla would come for her family's Kalikori, a sacred relic in Twi'lek culture honoring the living and dead members of a clan. Thrawn and Slavin then ran into Hera Syndulla, disguised as a servant who tried to steal the Kalikori. The Imperial forces took Hera into questioning. There, Thrawn was able to deduce from the sentimental value of the Kalikori to a single Twi'lek family and the Syndulla family portrait that she was in fact Hera Syndulla, Cham's daughter and a noted rebel. Thrawn was also able to see that the scout trooper on guard was actually the Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger, whom he stunned. Slavin asked Thrawn how he knew that the trooper was actually a rebel. Thrawn stated that if trouble brewed, Bridger's fellow rebels, the Spectres, would quickly come to his aid. After locking them up, Thrawn asked Captain Slavin to have the Kalikori transferred to his ship, which Slavin derisively called a "piece of Twi'lek trash." Enraged at the philistine remark, Thrawn seized the captain by the front of his tunic in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, but released him after a moment and apologized for forgetting that not everyone appreciated art like he did.

Thrawn then went aboard an Arquitens-class command cruiser and watched as Slavin oversaw a prisoner exchange between Syndulla and his daughter. However, Syndulla and the Rebels were able to escape from Slavin's forces by detonating the Syndulla residence, with a mildly impressed Thrawn watching from a distance. Thrawn then allowed the rebels to have their victory. As Thrawn's campaign against Ryloth continued, the Free Ryloth Movement found itself fighting without much help from the larger Rebel Alliance, just as it had before.

Grand Admiral Thrawn was aboard the Chimaera above Lothal with the Seventh Fleet when Konstantine and another Imperial officer arrived to report on the imposition of martial law on Mykapo and the ongoing Imperial blockade of Synistahg. After learning that a local rebel cell called the Iron Squadron had attacked an Imperial patrol with the help of the Ghost, Thrawn deduced that the rebels were evacuating Mykapo's treasonous inhabitants. Curious about the Iron Squadron, Thrawn dispatched Konstantine to deal with the rebels there.

When Konstantine announced that he would depart with a full squadron, Thrawn insisted that the Admiral only deploy a single light cruiser. He reasoned that one ship would be sufficient for a man of his talents. The Admiral was unhappy but complied after Thrawn insinuated that he was not up to the challenge. Konstantine managed to trap the Iron Squadron's leader Mart Mattin and cripple his ship Sato's Hammer and attempted to use him to lure his rebel rescuers into a trap. However, the Spectres circumvented Konstantine's plan and managed to rescue Mart with the help of his uncle Commander Jun Sato. In desperation, Konstantine sent a call for reinforcements to Thrawn.

Thrawn arrived in his Star Destroyer shortly after the rebels damaged Konstantine's light cruiser. The rebels nearly collided with his ship but managed to flee under the ventral hangar. Speaking to Thrawn over the com, Sato vowed to meet him again. Thrawn replied in a similar fashion and allowed the rebels to escape. Thrawn then turned his attention to Konstantine and asked whether he had contacted him for assistance. Konstantine tried to deny it by claiming he had called to report that he had driven the rebels from the system. However, Thrawn realized that Konstantine was lying after seeing his blazing cruiser and noted that the planet's treasonous inhabitants had already escaped.

After a surge of defective vehicles at the Lothal Imperial Armory Complex, Imperial High Command dispatched Grand Admiral Thrawn to investigate the presence of subversives at the factory. In fact, a small rebel cell led by the former Governor Ryder Azadi had been infiltrating the factory and sabotaging vehicles. By that time, Thrawn had also initiated a new starfighter initiative to develop the TIE Defender, a starfighter equipped with deflector shields. Thrawn believed that this starfighter would contribute to the Empire's counterinsurgency efforts against the rebellion.

Intelligence of the starfighter project was leaked to the rebellion. While not the full details of the project, this information led the Phoenix Squadron to send Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, and the astromech droid Chopper to spy on the factory and link up with Ryder's cell. The Rebel mission coincided with Thrawn's crackdown on the factory. After berating the workers for their poor craftsmanship, Thrawn forced the worker Morad Sumar to demonstrate how fast a 614-AvA speeder bike could reach maximum speed. Sumar had earlier inspected the vehicle. Unknown to Thrawn, he was part of Ryder's rebel cell and a saboteur.

The speeder bike began to overheat and Sumar begged Thrawn to end the simulation. However, Thrawn was not satisfied and set the speeder bike's engines to full speed. The faulty bike exploded and killed Sumar. Thrawn's actions horrified Bridger, Jarrus, the workers, Kallus, and even Yogar Lyste. Thrawn took this as an opportunity to warn the workers that they would be personally testing every vehicle they built, expecting a substantial drop in the malfunction rate as a result. Thrawn then ordered Pryce, Kallus, and Lieutenant Lyste to question each of the workers. As a precaution, the Empire also jammed the factory's communication signals.

However, Bridger and his team managed to slip away and reach Section A2, which stored the blueprints for Thrawn's weapons. Meanwhile, Thrawn reassured Pryce that he had secured the chamber by ordering the sentries to shoot anyone trying to enter the facility without his personal code on sight. When Kallus expressed skepticism that Thrawn's new fighter initiative would make a difference, Thrawn responded that victory and defeat depended on the smallest details. He then ordered another worker to demonstrate his All Terrain Defense Pod (AT-DP) walker. When the walker collapsed, Thrawn gestured for his stormtroopers to arrest the man.

Thrawn later summoned Lyste and Kallus to his office at the Imperial headquarters. The office was decorated by holographic displays of the Spectres, Sabine Wren's graffiti, Mandalorian art and a Jedi Temple Guard's helmet. Thrawn then showed his subordinates one of Wren's starbird graffiti paintings. While Lyste merely dismissed the painting as a retaining wall, the more perceptive Kallus recognized the starbird as a creature of light that had been re-appropriated as a symbol of the Phoenix Squadron. Thrawn deduced that the crew of the Ghost, whom he had encountered on Ryloth, had a special connection to Lothal.

When Thrawn inquired about their crackdown, Lyste informed the Admiral that two of the workers had disappeared following his speech and that they had left behind their uniforms. Kallus advised issuing an alert, but Thrawn countered that the rebel infiltrators had already found new disguises and were after his secret starfighter project. Thrawn ordered Kallus and Lyste to secure Section A2 but the Rebels managed to escape the factory with the help of their secret informant, who allowed the rebels to escape on an AT-DP walker at the east gate's hangar bay. The Rebels' escape coincided with a diversionary attack launched by Ryder at the east gate.

Reasoning that the Rebel infiltrators would take advantage of the attack to make their escape, Thrawn ordered the AT-AT pilots aboard the All Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) walkers "271" and "414" to attack the Rebel's stolen AT-DP walker. Despite the efforts of Thrawn, the Rebel infiltrators managed to escape with the stolen plans. Later, Thrawn heard a report on the skirmish from Lyste. Satisfied, he dismissed him and then turned to talk with Pryce and Kallus. Thrawn voiced his suspicions that the Empire had a mole within their ranks who was supplying the rebellion with information. When Pryce suggested questioning all Imperial personnel, Thrawn suggested setting up a trap for the traitor.

Using the information stolen by Chopper, Bridger, and Jarrus, Syndulla was able to plan a strike on the Lothal Imperial Factory. She planned to deploy a fraction of Phoenix Squadron and assigned Bridger to carry out reconnaissance work on Imperial military positions. When Wren asked if Thrawn was there, Syndulla replied that there had been an increase in Imperial ships above Lothal but that they did not know for sure. Syndulla was forced to relieve Bridger of his duties after he experienced a Force vision of the former Sith Lord Maul and attacked a Rebel crewman. While Bridger, Jarrus, and Wren stayed behind to deal with Maul, Syndulla proceeded with the mission.

Later, Thrawn embarked on a campaign to scour the Outer Rim for the Phoenix Squadron's base. Under his command, E-XD-series infiltrator droids were dispatched to Outer Rim worlds to search for the bases. One of these droids, EXD-9, stumbled upon Chopper Base and was adopted by the Lasat Garazeb Orrelios and the RA-7 protocol droid AP-5, who mistook him for a protocol droid. Kallus, using the pseudonym Fulcrum, managed to warn Orrelios who disabled and reprogrammed the droid with the help of AP-5 and Chopper. The rebels then sent EXD-9 back to the Empire as an improvised bomb which destroyed an Imperial Star Destroyer.

Following the destruction of the Star Destroyer, Thrawn met with Kallus aboard the Chimaera. When Thrawn asked how the explosion happened, Kallus responded that he believed that the rebels reprogrammed the infiltrator droid to explode upon returning back to the ship. Despite the setback, Thrawn remained in good spirits because the incident greatly narrowed down the planets that could be housing the rebel base from a thousand to ninety-four systems.

Thrawn intercepted a transmission beamed out under the code phrase "by the light of Lothal's moons" and discovered that the rebel mole went by the codename "Fulcrum," and that it was the reason for recent rebel successes. Thrawn and Pryce listened in on Fulcrum's next transmission to learn his true identity. Because only Imperial officers who were Sector Command staff or higher had access to the intel Fulcrum sent in the transmission, Thrawn realized that Fulcrum was not only a Rebel spy and an undercover saboteur but also a traitor to the Empire as well. To ferret out the traitor, Thrawn enlisted the help of the Head of the Imperial Security Bureau Colonel Wullf Yularen to screen the Lothal Sector's Command staff. Agent Kallus and Lieutenant Lyste were summoned to the Chimaera, where they encountered Sector Command staff en route to Thrawn's office. Kallus and Lyste encountered Thrawn as he was practicing hand-to-hand combat with a pair of DT-series sentry droids, and then continued to the office and met with Yularen and Admiral Konstantine. Thrawn then met with the group and, along with Yularen, briefed Lyste and Kallus about the danger posed by Fulcrum. During the meeting, Thrawn also revealed that he had narrowed the search for the rebel base by analyzing Rebel attack patterns on Imperial installations and ships, and most importantly their proximity to the planet Lothal. When Lyste expressed his enthusiasm in hunting Fulcrum, Thrawn warned him that nobody was above suspicion.

After dismissing his guests, Thrawn met with Pryce, who had come to inquire about progress in determining the Rebel base's location and the identity of Fulcrum. Thrawn told her he had set a trap by asserting that the Rebel spy in question was present for the meeting and that they now needed to wait for the spy to pass on the information they learned. Yularen then informed Thrawn that a coded message had been beamed off the Chimaera following the transfer of the shuttle thief that Lyste had apprehended above Lothal. Thrawn decided to visit the prisoner for himself.

When Thrawn along with Pryce and Yularen arrived at the detention block, they discovered that the prisoner had escaped. After Yularen discovered that Lyste was the last person to access the detention block, Thrawn came to suspect that Lyste was the rebel agent Fulcrum.

Thrawn returned to his office and was informed by the stormtrooper sentry outside that Lyste was waiting inside his office. Already suspicious, he beckoned for two stormtrooper guards and cautiously entered his office. By this time, "Lyste" and Chopper had deleted the Atollon system from his charts and were hiding behind one of his exhibits to avoid detection. Meanwhile, Fulcrum reprogrammed two of Thrawn's sentry droids into assassin droids and set them to Thrawn's office. The droids entered the room and knocked out the guards. Thrawn attempted to disable the droids with the command "Override Code Rukh," but failed. Following a fierce struggle, Thrawn destroyed the droids by shooting them in their chests. Thrawn also caught sight of "Lyste" fleeing his office. Believing that Lyste had tried to assassinate him, Thrawn contacted Yularen and instructed him to proceed to the Chimaeras hangar bay.

The rebels managed to escape, but Lyste was arrested as Fulcrum. Following Lyste's arrest, Thrawn and Yularen interrogated him and quickly ascertained that he was not Fulcrum. Despite being aware that Lyste was innocent, Thrawn told Kallus and Pryce that Fulcrum was apprehended, before dismissing the two. In private, Yularen expressed his dissatisfaction with how easy the conclusion was made and how Lyste was too inexperienced and naive to be capable of what he's been accused of. Thrawn agreed with Yularen's assessment. They then analyzed the helmet the shuttle thief had left behind, which was inscribed with an artistic depiction of a Loth-cat. Thrawn recognized the art style as belonging to Wren and identified Bridger as the owner of the helmet. When Yularen asked why Kallus did not report Bridger's capture, Thrawn concluded that Kallus was the real Fulcrum and had framed Lyste for the crime. Thrawn's plan was to manipulate Kallus into revealing the location of the rebel base in the Lothal sector.

After Senator Mon Mothma resigned from the Imperial Senate and gave a fiery speech denouncing the Ghorman Massacre placing the blame upon Palpatine, Thrawn received intelligence that Mothma and the Spectres rebel cell were planning to travel through the Archeon Nebula to avoid Imperial detection. Based on his knowledge of Phoenix Leader Syndulla, Thrawn anticipated that Syndulla would be risky enough to travel through the Archeon pass. In response, he deployed his prototype TIE Defender, piloted by Imperial Commander Vult Skerris and escorted by two TIE Interceptors, to flush the rebels out of the nebula. Thrawn also tasked Pryce and Konstantine with positioning two Star Destroyers outside of the Archeon Nebula to capture them when Skerris drove them out. Despite Thrawn's planning, Syndulla and the Spectres managed to escape with Mothma and her entourage following a brief skirmish in the Archeon Nebula. Following her escape, Mothma and other rebel leaders formally established the Alliance to Restore the Republic above the planet Dantooine. The TIE Defender's deflector shields allowed it to endure the Archeon Nebula's ionized dust far longer than a standard TIE fighter would have.

As part of his counterinsurgency efforts, Thrawn also utilized the services of a team of Imperial Information Office intelligence officers based aboard an IGV-55 surveillance vessel. This team was led by Imperial Controller LT-319 and were tasked with gathering intelligence and monitoring rebel activities. These individuals were fitted with AJ^6 cyborg construct implants and gave up part of their autonomy in the Empire's service. As part of their intelligence operations, these spies were tasked with keeping an eye out for rebel droids such as Chopper, who had taken part in numerous undercover missions.

During the Spectre rebel cell's mission to Killun Station, LT-319's team detected Chopper's presence at the ISB base. Using a network terminal, the team reprogrammed Chopper into a double agent droid and tried to use him to discover the location of Chopper Base. As part of the operation, Chopper hijacked the rebel ship Ghost and used a data spike to transfer data from the ship's navigation computer to the surveillance vessel. Before the download could be completed, the rebels retook control of their ship and removed the Imperial programming from Chopper. Syndulla then destroyed the surveillance vessel by sending back their data feed, causing a data surge that blew the vessel apart.

Later, Thrawn acquired the services of a six-man squad of death troopers that became his personal guard. He flew his Lambda-class shuttle to the Imperial Complex in Lothal's Capital City for a private meeting with Pryce and Konstantine. Inside the briefing room, Thrawn closed the blinds and warned them that they still had a traitor in their midst. He also initiated a hologram conversation with Tarkin and warned that the Phoenix Squadron and General Jan Dodonna's Massassi Group were planning to attack the TIE Defender factories on Lothal. While Thrawn had not determined the location of the Rebel base yet, he vowed to capture the Rebel leadership at Tarkin's request.

Agent Kallus was listening to Thrawn's conversation and traveled to Bridger's former home at LothalNet comm tower E-272, which had a transmitter which he had used to send his Fulcrum transmissions to the rebels. Aware that the traitor had listened in on the briefing, Thrawn followed him. When Kallus tried to inform the rebels, Thrawn startled him and revealed a communications jammer in his hand. Following a brief hand-to-hand scuffle, Thrawn managed to defeat the rogue agent, though Kallus destroyed his jammer and was able to warn the rebels. Kallus was taken captive by two death troopers and brought to Thrawn's command center. Thrawn coolly stated to Kallus that by looking at both the trajectory of General Dodonna's fleet and the agent's transmission, they pointed at a spot that was not shown on Imperial charts. Thrawn was aware that it was not on the charts, as it had been deleted by Bridger. However, the Grand Admiral examined the ancient art of the people in the sector and instantly discerned that the rebel base was in the Atollon system. The Grand Admiral incorrectly believed that the entire Rebel Alliance Navy was based on the planet Atollon, which he placed under a blockade. Grand Admiral Thrawn sought to destroy all rebel forces on Atollon and cripple the Alliance's morale by delivering a crushing defeat.

Thrawn ordered Konstantine to blockade the Atollon system with the Seventh Fleet, cutting off any escape with two Interdictor vessels. He then traveled to Atollon aboard the Chimaera with Pryce and the captive Kallus in tow. Thrawn then issued a hologram transmission to Syndulla, Sato, and Dodonna, stating that negotiations were off the table and vowing to crush them. The rebel fleet tried to break the blockade, but Thrawn's Star Destroyers and TIE fighters inflicted heavy casualties. Rebel Y-wings only inflicted light damage on the Star Destroyer Dark Omen commanded by Captain Corf Ferno. The Alliance had several EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigates present above Atollon. While Nebulon-B frigates were formidable against enemy starfighters, they could not withstand sustained long-range fire from Imperial Star Destroyers. Several rebel Nebulon-B's were destroyed before they could organize a coordinated response to the Empire's blockade.

The rebels only managed to find a gap in Thrawn's blockade after Konstantine disobeyed orders to intercept Sato's Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier Phoenix Nest in an attempt to gain personal glory. Sato rammed his ship into Konstantine's Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, destroying both vessels and allowing the rebels Bridger and Chopper to flee on a Kom'rk-class fighter/transport into hyperspace. Thrawn witnessed the debacle and hoped that Konstantine's folly would not undermine his battle plan. Sato sacrificed his own life and that of his cruiser-carrier to buy the young rebel Padawan time to escape and seek reinforcements. In the meantime, General Dodonna ordered the remaining rebel forces to retreat to Atollon's surface.

Despite this setback, Thrawn's forces had inflicted heavy casualties on the two rebel groups. Grand Admiral Thrawn nearly realized his goal of destroying the Rebel Alliance at the battle of Atollon. After forcing the rebels back to the surface, Thrawn ordered his fleet to bombard Chopper Base from orbit. However, the rebels had activated Wren's prototype deflector shield generator, which prevented serious damage from the orbital bombardment. To give the rebels the impression that their shield could withstand orbital bombardment, Thrawn ceased the attack. He then delegated command of the Seventh Fleet to Pryce while he led the ground assault on Chopper Base. Thrawn deployed both AT-DP and AT-AT walkers for the ground assault.

In order to learn the rebels' strength, Thrawn sent his AT-DP walkers into the canyon leading to Chopper Base first. The walkers were destroyed by the former clone commando Rex and Orrelios' detonators and a rocket launcher. Thrawn then deployed several AT-AT walkers that were protected by shield generators. These walkers destroyed the remaining detonators, forcing the rebels to retreat. Thrawn and his death troopers then entered the base, while ordering his stormtroopers to advance.

One of Thrawn's AT-AT walkers managed to destroy a rebel GR-75 medium transport fleeing offworld. Thrawn and his troops then surrounded Syndulla, Dodonna, and several rebels. When Syndulla refused to surrender, Thrawn threatened to kill them one by one beginning with Jarrus. However, Thrawn was interrupted by the mysterious Force entity known as Bendu, who had arrived after being provoked by Jarrus. Bendu used lightning to destroy the base and strike down one of Thrawn's troopers and a walker. This gave the rebels the window needed to flee into space with their comrades.

Undaunted by this new enemy, Thrawn ordered his soldiers to fire at the Bendu, effectively ending its rampage. Back in space, Bridger, Wren and their Mandalorian allies were able to destroy the second Interdictor, allowing the remains of the rebel fleet to escape into hyperspace. While he was unable to capture the rebel leadership and crush the rebellion completely due to Konstantine's folly, Thrawn viewed the battle as an Imperial victory.

Following the battle, Thrawn confronted the fallen Bendu. When Thrawn asked Bendu what manner of creature it was, the Bendu replied that it was beyond Thrawn's power to kill. The Bendu also predicted Thrawn's defeat, describing it as "many arms surrounding you in a cold embrace." Undaunted, Thrawn attempted to kill the Bendu, but by the time he fired, it was already gone. Thrawn could still hear the Bendu's laughter ringing in the air. Meanwhile, the surviving rebels fled to Yavin 4.

In the aftermath of the battle and because of Thrawn's victory, the Rebel Alliance had come to believe that they were not ready for open warfare against the Empire, and their mission to liberate Lothal would have to be postponed. The battle was considered a crushing defeat for the Rebel Alliance; but the actions of Sato, Bridger, and Wren enabled some forces to escape and prevented a disastrous total rout.

The Battle of Atollon was seen by Vader and Emperor Palpatine as a failure on Thrawn's part. The Emperor was displeased with how some rebels escaped, but he nevertheless considered Thrawn and Vader to be his two most useful servants. Following the battle at Atollon, Thrawn and the Chimaera were tasked with putting down a threat to shipping in Sector 56 as part of an effort to bring a star system under Imperial control. Afterwards, the Grand Admiral spoke with the Emperor and Vader on Coruscant.

Thrawn was tasked with traveling with Vader to the planet Batuu to deal with a disturbance in the Force felt by Palpatine. During their trip, Thrawn took multiple occasions to taunt Vader about knowing that he was once the very same Anakin Skywalker he fought alongside on Batuu many years ago. After arriving above the planet's surface aboard the Chimaera, Thrawn and Vader took a shuttle down to the surface. They entered a bar and encountered a species called the Darshi. Following the skirmish, Imperial forces became involved in a conflict with the warlike Grysk species; engaging in a battle on Mokivj in which Vader's elite First Legion of Stormtroopers rescued several Force-sensitive Chiss girls from Grysk captivity. Though Thrawn sought to serve both the Chiss Ascendancy and the Empire, he introduced himself to the Grysk forces by his full Chiss name "Mitth'raw'nuruodo." Thrawn knew that the Grysks always attacked the closer foe first, and thus the Grand Admiral gave the Empire time to prepare for a Grysk invasion of Imperial space. They also returned young Chiss girls who had been kidnapped by the Grysks to Admiral Ar'alani. These children were Force-sensitive navigators, and the Grysks had kidnapped them in an attempt to replicate this Chiss tactic. The children's fear was the disturbance Palpatine had sensed.

However, Vader also spotted a courier ship, which the Sith Lord deduced belonged to the Chiss, escape, and saw that personal cloaking devices worn by the Grysks were the same in function as Thrawn's assassin, the Noghri Rukh. The Sith Lord told Thrawn he believed they were both of Chiss design, and Thrawn confessed it was a Chiss craft and that the devices were from his people. Thrawn claimed his message to the Grysks was still important to the Empire, though Vader questioned if the message was not to warn the Grysks away from them, but instead to warn the Chiss working with the enemy that the Grand Admiral knew about them. The Chiss officer answered by implying it could be both, though did not state if that was truly the case and told the Sith about the political stirrings from when he had left the Chiss Ascendancy. Thrawn speculated the Aristocras had failed to settle their differences or that the Grysks had made deeper inroads to their culture than he had hoped. Thus, as Vader pointed out, Thrawn, despite having openly criticized the way the Republic had handled the Clone Wars, could soon be facing a civil war. Thrawn even speculated that, if the Grysks had gained control of one Chiss faction, the first actions of such a conflict had already begun and that the attempted closing of the border was to stop him bringing the Empire to interfere.

Still, Thrawn promised Vader that, while he would eventually return to the Chiss Ascendancy, he would not take the Chimaera away to help his people. The Chiss cited his pledge to serve Emperor Palpatine, promising he would not leave until he had completed his service to the Empire by neutralizing threats to the Empire. Thrawn compared his service to the Emperor to his pledge to help Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars. When Vader again stated that Skywalker was dead, Thrawn said that he now knew, having come to believe that Vader was a mentally separate person from his old ally. After this, Vader, who had piloted a TIE Defender during the battle, complimented Thrawn on the starfighter, stating he would speak to Palpatine on behalf of the project. The Sith Lord also suggested several improvements to the craft, which Thrawn promised would be transmitted to the Lothal factory when they returned to Coruscant.

After Lord Vader informed Emperor Palpatine of his support for Thrawn's TIE Defender project, the Sith apprentice submitted proposed improvements to the Defender to the Sienar Advanced Projects Laboratory on Lothal. Darth Vader recommended the new Defender should be faster and more heavily armed than the original TIE Defender, as well as have simplified controls for pilots. Sienar Fleet Systems named the new prototype the TIE/D Defender Elite. According to many Imperial pilots and sources within Sienar, the Defender Elite's speed and maneuverability exceeded nearly every other starfighter available in production at the time. Thrawn wished to mass-produce the TIE Defender Elite at Lothal's Imperial Armory Complex. The first TIE Defender Elite prototype was tested by ace TIE pilot Vult Skerris.

At some point during the Imperial era, Thrawn's Chimaera pulled several individuals out of hyperspace and brought them into his Star Destroyer's hangar using its tractor beams. He offered to pay them for help fighting a pirate gang he was hunting.

Shortly before Thrawn's victory against the rebels on Atollon, an uprising led by Clan Wren of Krownest against the Imperial-backed government of Mandalore had begun as a result of Sabine Wren's return to her homeworld. This event saw the death of Governor Gar Saxon and all-out conflict engaged on Mandalore. Acting on the Emperor's behalf, Thrawn contacted Saxon's brother and successor as Governor, Tiber Saxon, instructing him to end the uprising as swiftly as possible. Saxon assured Thrawn that he would succeed in ending the conflict and promised that he would unveil a new weapon prototype that would prove invaluable to the Empire.

A short time after the weapon had been tested for the first time during a battle with Clan Wren, Saxon showed Thrawn, present via hologram, the efficiency of the Arc Pulse Generator, also known as "The Duchess." Thrawn was shown the successful test of the Duchess against Clan Wren's warriors, and asked how his brother would feel if he saw him using such a weapon. Despite being impressed by the Duchess's abilities to target the Beskar metal in Mandalorian armor, Thrawn expected the range to be greater. Though Saxon tried to defend that he had managed to rebuild the weapon from what fragment remained, the Grand Admiral bluntly stated that Saxon could not use the Duchess to its fullest potential because he did not truly understand it. Thrawn then suggested to Saxon that he should capture the Duchess's creator, Sabine Wren.

The Rebel Alliance, particularly the Spectres, sought to free Lothal from Imperial rule and occupation. Lothal's Capital City was occupied by an Imperial Planetary Occupation Facility, known to locals as "The Dome." Furthermore, the Outer Rim planet housed factories producing TIE Defenders for export to the Imperial Navy, which required massive amounts of natural resources which the planet was ravaged to provide. As a result, the Spectres sought to liberate Lothal as a confluence of militarily strategic and personal objectives.

Some time after the Mandalorian civil war, Thrawn visited a remote Imperial base on the plains of Lothal to see how his new TIE Defender Elite prototype was faring. Upon arriving, he was greeted by TIE pilot Vult Skerris who had promised to show the Grand Admiral the fighter's capabilities. During the visit, a TIE pilot caught Ezra off guard, causing him to be spotted by Thrawn and Pryce. Thrawn was surprised to see the rebels here, and ordered his Death troopers to secure the prototype, before watching the young Jedi's antics with vague curiosity and responding to Bridger's casual greeting with a dry remark, sounding unsurprised.

Ezra was merely distracting the Imperials for his friend Sabine, as she was inside the Defender Elite attempting to steal its flight data recorder. Seeing Ezra pinned down, she lifted off in the fighter and helped him inside before destroying most of the depot's parked fighters and even strafing the area where Thrawn was standing. Unfazed by the powerful bolts scorching the ground inches from him, Thrawn calmly stood his ground and fired up at the rogue fighter with his blaster even as his fellows scurried for cover until it went screaming over his head. The fighter then proceeded to blow up the shuttle Thrawn had arrived in and strafed the command tower before screeching off into the grasslands. Still calm, Thrawn dryly inquired if the debacle had been part of the aforementioned demonstration. Pryce offered to activate the Defender Elite's kill switch, but Thrawn instead saw a perfect opportunity to test the ship's combat abilities and ordered Skerris to deploy three TIE Interceptors in pursuit.

After two of the Interceptors were destroyed in short order, Skerris surmised that Syndulla was piloting the Defender Elite. Thrawn stated that it was unlikely, as she would have destroyed all three Interceptors much earlier. When the Defender Elite's transponder was disabled, Thrawn noted that it has been done in record time and correctly inferred that Sabine was also aboard the Defender Elite with Ezra. In spite of the Imperials' failure to retrieve the Defender Elite's hyperdrive and flight recorder, Grand Admiral Thrawn considered the day's events a success for its original purpose: demonstrating the prototype Defender Elite's capabilities. He reasoned that Ezra Bridger was an unexceptional pilot and had been able to defeat three trained Imperial pilots because the TIE Defender Elite was such a formidable vehicle. Even though Vult Skerris had not been the one to demonstrate the prototype fighter's strengths, Thrawn was nevertheless highly satisfied with the results. The Grand Admiral believed the Defender would give the Empire a decisive advantage against the Rebel Alliance once mass-produced, and authorized Pryce to activate the Defender Elite's kill switch. He promised her ground reinforcements to secure the crash site and help find Ezra and Sabine. However, a Loth-wolf led the young rebels to safety, so Thrawn's reinforcements were not able to locate Wren and Bridger.

Having secured the crash site, Pryce contacted Thrawn and informed him that both the flight data recorder and hyperdrive were missing from the wreckage. This led Thrawn to deduce that they would try to get the data to Rebel Command, and so he dispatched his own personal agent, Rukh, to stop them. When Pryce protested that such help was unnecessary, Thrawn pointed out that the rebels' presence on Lothal and the theft of the Elite as testaments to the contrary. Despite Rukh's efforts, the rebels nonetheless escaped. Attaching the stolen hyperdrive to an aging U-wing, Captain Hera Syndulla eluded Thrawn's massive blockade by jumping to lightspeed through the hangar of an Imperial construction module, leaving Thrawn visibly annoyed.

After Syndulla returned to Yavin 4 with the data recorder, the rebel leaders were reluctant to commit to an attack because of Thrawn's tactical brilliance. Syndulla was, however, able to convince the reluctant leaders to show the galaxy that the Rebellion would not back down, even to the might of Thrawn and his fleet. In spite of many Rebel leaders' hesitancy to strike Lothal, the Rebel Alliance was determined to prevent the mass-production of the TIE Defender Elite.

Thrawn was later holding command on his flagship when he was informed of several rebel starfighters entering the system and realized that the long-awaited attack on Lothal was now commencing. Reasoning that the rebels would most likely target the TIE Defender factory and Lothal City fuel depot in Capital City, Thrawn contacted Governor Pryce and ordered her to shore up ground defenses. When the rebels on Lothal managed to destroy the anti-air batteries on the ground, Thrawn ordered Commander Skerris to join the fray and prevent any rebels from reaching the surface. Skerris, piloting a new TIE Defender Elite, destroyed two rebels in quick succession but was unable to resist pursuing the now General Syndulla after she revealed herself. Unable to match the Elite's speed, Syndulla instead headed straight for Thrawn's flagship, the Chimaera.

Realizing she was attempting to lure Skerris into a trap, Thrawn ordered him to cease his pursuit but was refused, as Skerris believed that he almost had her. Thrawn was disappointed by this and told his gunners to open fire, the blasts struck both Skerris' Defender Elite and Syndulla's X-wing, disabling their shields. Hera then damaged the Chimaeras targeting array, briefly hid in the smoke produced by the subsequent explosion, and fired on Skerris' now vulnerable fighter, damaging its wing assembly and sending it spinning into an Arquitens-class command cruiser. The crippled light cruiser in turn then crashed into a Star Destroyer and sheared through its bridge tower, allowing the strike force to make a break for the planet surface. Before they were able to reach their targets, Thrawn had ordered the second wave of TIE fighters to intercept them, and they managed to destroy the entire strike force. Upon being informed by Commander Woldar that several X-wings crashed in and around the Capital City, Thrawn contacted Rukh on the ground and ordered him to locate and capture any survivors, particularly Syndulla. After a lengthy chase through the streets of Capital City, Rukh caught up with Syndulla and successfully captured her after a short fight.

While Governor Pryce was torturing Hera Syndulla, Grand Admiral Thrawn entered Pryce's office and asked if Hera had yet revealed the location of the rebel fleet. Pryce responded that she had not begun interrogating Hera. Thrawn questioned Hera but the rebel leader remained defiant. Thrawn then showed Hera her Kalikori and talked about the shapes on the Twi'lek artifact. When Thrawn questioned Hera about her lost brother, Hera responded that he was unworthy of holding it. Believing that the Kalikori would end with her, Thrawn promised that the Kalikori would be in good hands before leaving the room.

Due to Hera's failed attack against the Lothal factory and the theft of the Defender Elite, Grand Moff Tarkin informed Thrawn that Orson Krennic, the Director of Imperial Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research, had persuaded the Imperial authorities to divert further funding to his "Project Stardust"—the first Death Star battle station, which had been under development and construction for nearly two decades. Thrawn protested that the Emperor had already assured him that he supported the TIE Defender program, to which Tarkin replied that he had arranged an audience with the Emperor for Thrawn to plead his case. Thrawn immediately departed Lothal aboard the Chimaera to return to Coruscant around 1 BBY. Aboard the Chimaera, Thrawn spoke with Commodore Faro about Pryce's ability to deal with the Jedi and the Rebels. Despite her concerns, Thrawn knew losing the TIE Defender project would be much worse than losing General Syndulla.

En route to his meeting on Coruscant, Thrawn received coordinates from Tarkin to rendezvous with him in the Sev Tok system aboard the ISD Firedrake, the flagship of the Empire's Third Fleet led by Grand Admiral Balanhai Savit. Upon his arrival, Thrawn met with Tarkin, Grand Admiral Savit, Director Krennic, and Emperor Palpatine (who attended via hologram). There, he listened to Krennic complaining about the grallocs attacking power cables and couplers at a equipment transfer point for his Project Stardust, which was the Death Star station Thrawn had learned of. To settle the dispute between Thrawn and Krennic, Tarkin and the Emperor agreed to continue funding the Defender project if Thrawn dealt with Krennic's gralloc problems within one week, with which Thrawn agreed. During this time, Thrawn reunited with Eli Vanto, Admiral Ar'alani, and the Chiss, helping them combat a Grysk task force that had entered Imperial space.

During the skirmish against the Third Fleet, the Grand Admiral and Commodore Faro also defeated Savit, who was behind the gralloc crisis, as he had been using them to allow starships to disappear and steal components from the Death Star. After this and the Chiss defeating a pair of Grysk warships, Vanto learned that his numerical analysis assignment for the Ascendancy was in fact to discover patterns among the characteristics of Chiss navigators and their powers. Recognizing the vital importance of navigators to the Chiss people, Vanto finally understood why Thrawn had sent him away.

Shortly afterwards, Tarkin and Krennic contacted Thrawn and Assistant Director Brierly Ronan, a strong believer in and member of Project Stardust. Ronan, though initially conflicted on what to say, told the two officers that Thrawn had failed his side of the agreement, as he had technically not destroyed the grallocs. Despite this loss to the defender project, Tarkin claimed it would be a priority after the Death Star was complete. Before the conversation ended, however, Thrawn recommended that Darth Vader be assigned to Stardust, claiming Lord Vader was the only Imperial who could recognize and deal with all threats to Stardust. Tarkin agreed with Thrawn's idea, and, after the discussion ended, the Grand Admiral used this to force Ronan to join the Chiss. Ronan would have been unable to hide his contempt for Palpatine from Vader, and Thrawn felt the Imperial official would be useful in the Ascendancy's coming war against the Grysks.

Thrawn learned that Governor Pryce had destroyed the fuel depot outside of Lothal's capital in an attempt to prevent the rescue of Hera Syndulla. Though the resulting explosion had killed the rebels' leader Kanan Jarrus, it also crippled the Imperials by destroying all of their fuel on the planet, bringing the Defender program to an indefinite halt. Thrawn chastised the governor for having the audacity of holding a parade to hide the magnitude of the disaster. Cutting off her protests, the Grand Admiral coldly informed Pryce that he would deal with her upon his return to Lothal, but in the meantime, he felt that without Kanan's leadership, the rebels—particularly Ezra—would be aimless, and attack recklessly. To that end, he dispatched Rukh to eliminate them once they showed themselves.

Pryce became afraid of what Thrawn would do to her when he returned and resolved to capture the Rebels before he arrived. Some time later, the Spectres attempted to infiltrate the Lothal Jedi Temple, which was now under the Empire's control. To that end, Chopper displayed a hologram recording of Thrawn during the Battle of Atollon to distract two scout troopers long enough for Orrelios to knock them out and give their armor to Bridger and Wren. After Wren was exposed and captured by Imperial Minister Veris Hydan, Hydan informed the Mandalorian that Thrawn admired her work and had amassed a collection of her artwork.

Thrawn returned from Coruscant to find that Ezra Bridger and his forces had captured Governor Pryce and taken control of Imperial headquarters in the capital, falsely enacting the Imperial evacuation order Protocol 13 to lure the planet's garrison into the Dome in order to remove them from Lothal. Furthermore, Lothal's rebels used knowledge from the defector former ISB Agent Kallus to exploit Imperial weaknesses and plant explosives within the Dome. The Chimaera positioned itself directly above the Dome so that the Dome crashing into it would rain down debris that would destroy Lothal's Capital City. When Ezra stated that the rebels would kill all the Imperial personnel on board and that they could withstand his assault, Thrawn affirmed the opposite: Bridger had moved all of his personnel to safety and ordered Rukh to disable the shield generator before beginning to bombard the city.

The Seventh Fleet's bombardment of Capital City waylaid the rebels' plans. Seeking to prevent the rebels and Lothalite civilians from being slaughtered, Ezra surrendered himself to Thrawn aboard the Chimaera. Thrawn warned Ezra to not attempt any "heroics," or he would resume his bombardment. Upon arriving, Thrawn took Bridger to his office and showed him the displays of art he had collected from Lothal, explaining that he intended to preserve Lothal's art and culture. The Grand Admiral continued, telling the young Padawan that he had never intended to ravage and destroy Lothal's people, but he now believed that inevitable due to the rebellion Bridger and his friends had staged. Nevertheless, Thrawn respected the Lothalites and their culture, so he sought to preserve as much as he could while beating the planet into submission.

Thrawn then brought Ezra into a cargo hold which contained the remains of the Jedi Temple, and a hologram of Emperor Palpatine. Leaving Ezra in the presence of his Emperor, Thrawn returned to the bridge and ordered a full-scale bombardment.

Ezra managed to escape from the cargo hold and stormed the Chimaeras bridge, just as the rebel forces on the ground were able to raise Lothal's planetary shield. Thrawn attempted to contact Rukh after his barrage was repulsed, but Zeb answered instead, as Rukh was being electrocuted to death. Ezra entered the bridge and told the Grand Admiral that he had lost. Thrawn stated that it was only a momentary setback, but multiple unknown contacts emerged from hyperspace and destroyed Thrawn's blockade fleet in orbit: a flock of purrgil, which had been summoned by the Ghost at Ezra's instruction.

One Imperial officer reported that the ships attacked by the purrgil were "just gone," and Captain Gilad Pellaeon reported that he had never seen something like it before losing communication. The purrgil wrapped their tentacles around the Chimaera, smashing their tentacles through the viewports and holding Thrawn and his crew in their grip. Though he wounded Ezra with his blaster, Thrawn was Force-pushed into the purrgil tentacles by the young Jedi, the "many arms" of the creatures holding him in their "cold embrace," just as the Bendu had foretold. The creatures carried the Chimaera—including Thrawn and Ezra—into hyperspace. Because Bridger managed to remove Thrawn from the situation, rebels were able to turn the tide and destroy the Dome. Lothal's civilians witnessed the destruction of the Dome and knew that it marked the end of the Empire's reign on their world.

The Rebel Alliance's attack on Lothal destroyed most of the planet's TIE Defender Elite Factories. As a result, Imperial officials halted the TIE Defender project indefinitely, shifting attention and resources to the completion of the Death Star battle station. Thrawn and Ezra survived their purrgil-powered trip into deep space. Following his disappearance along with Ezra Bridger, Thrawn's whereabouts remained unknown for years. Although his death was never confirmed, Thrawn was proclaimed dead after the battle.

Unbeknownst to most, the Grand Admiral had in fact survived the Battle of Lothal. The purrgil had sent the Chimaera along with its crew to the extragalactic world of Peridea, located in a far off galaxy. The planet was noted as the end of the species migration route, and soon enough the starship was stranded on the ancient world, battered and severely crippled. At some point Bridger and the Admiral parted ways, with the latter keeping a note on his whereabouts. Thrawn eventually found an ancient fortress, where he discovered three Nightsisters known as Aktropaw, Klothow and Lakesis, collectively known as the Great Mothers, and woke them from their long dormant sleep. They struck a bargain that enabled Thrawn to use their dark magick for help in returning to the galaxy, where he would bring them to the Nightsister homeworld of Dathomir. With a plan to return to the galaxy in motion, Thrawn began to rebuild the Chimaera.

Over the years of exile, however, Thrawn's forces depleted. Eventually, the Star Destroyer's stormtroopers were reduced to a single legion, who took on the name Night Troopers, under the command of Captain of the Guard Enoch. At least two of Thrawn's guard of death troopers remained amongst his ranks but, at some point, both died. However, the Great Mothers were able to reanimate their corpses via the Chant of Resurrection.

Meanwhile, while his disappearance put a stop to Palpatine's idea to use the Grand Admiral as a means to take over the Chiss, Thrawn's legacy within the Empire survived despite his disappearance. Shortly after the Duel on Cloud City, Emperor Palpatine sought to hunt and eliminate the remnants of the Rebel Alliance fleet. He noted to Darth Vader that such an assignment would be perfect for Thrawn, but he—like Tarkin, who had died in the Battle of Yavin—was gone and few others in the Empire matched the Chiss' level of talent. As a result, the Emperor ordered his Sith apprentice to hunt the remaining rebels even though it would delay Vader's search for Luke Skywalker. Vader ultimately selected Ellian Zahra for the task.

Several years after Thrawn's battles with the nascent rebellion, the Alliance to Restore the Republic managed to cripple the Empire, kill Palpatine, and transform into the New Republic. During this time, Thrawn's legacy within the Empire survived, but the Admiral was himself still missing. The shattered remnants of the Empire were defeated during the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY, and the Imperial Navy retreated into the Unknown Regions. To do so, they used an Imperial Observatory on Jakku to help chart the way through the harsh region of space. Much of what Thrawn knew of the Unknown Regions had been used in the Observatory's computations.

In 9 ABY, with Thrawn's return to the galaxy from Peridea in motion, he planned to restore the Galactic Empire and wage war with the New Republic as the "heir to the Empire." Rumors began to swirl in the galaxy of the lost Grand Admiral's return. While Moff Gideon, who led his own Imperial remnant allied with other Imperial Remnants via his seat on the reformed Shadow Council, never heard evidence of Thrawn's imminent return, such rumors still existed and, due to his reputation, the mere threat of his return was a danger to the young New Republic government. The galaxy's Imperial Remnants sat waiting for a call like Thrawn's return to galvanize them into action. Indeed, the Shadow Council awaited on Thrawn's return to galvanize the Imperial Military back into force as part of its designs to restore the Empire. Such hopes were spurred on by Thrawn's old subordinate Captain Gliad Pellaeon, who repeatedly told the council that Thrawn would indeed reappear.

By 9 ABY, former Jedi Ahsoka Tano had heard the whispers of Thrawn's coming return. Hoping to learn his location to stop the Imperial Remnant before it was too late, she chased down one of Thrawn's associates, Morgan Elsbeth. Currently serving as the oppressive magistrate of Calodan on the forest planet of Corvus, Elsbeth did her best to hold off Tano until the former Jedi was aided by the Mandalorian warrior Din Djarin. Upon defeating Elsbeth in a duel, Tano demanded the magistrate tell her Thrawn's location. Meanwhile, the Shadow Council and its allied Imperial remnant warlords remained in wait for Thrawn's return, as per Pellaeon's promises. Based on the timeline laid out by Pellaeon and Commandant Brendol Hux, a fellow Shadow Council member and founding member of the First Order, Thrawn would soon return and herald the return of the Imperial Military, which would give Hux time to finish work on a cloning operation known as Project Necromancer. Thrawn would provide the reformed Empire with new leadership until Hux's work was done.

Around 9 ABY, during one such Shadow Council meeting where Pellaeon cautioned his fellow members to avoid open attacks until Thrawn's return, Gideon finally spoke up to voice his concerns on Thrawn's failure to ever appear as part of Pellaeon's delegation. Noting how he had never uncovered evidence of Thrawn's return, Gideon suggested the group look for new leadership. Rather than allow Gideon to continue, Hux and Pellaeon pressed Gideon for why he was calling for reinforcements, only to learn the Moff was experiencing security concerns due to Mandalorian efforts to reconquer their homeworld of Mandalore. Knowing a resurgent Mandalore would threaten their designs, Pellaeon and Hux provided Gideon with his requested reinforcements. However, the Moff and his forces were defeated on Mandalore in Bo-Katan Kryze's successful reconquest, during which Gideon himself was killed. Djarin, the same Mandalorian warrior who helped Tano in capturing Elsbeth, played a major role in the reconquest.

Amid rumors that Thrawn was plotting to return as "heir to the Empire," the New Republic did not believe the rumours of his return, with Senator Hamato Xiono in specific believing Thrawn to be long dead. General Hera Syndulla knew better, believing that the return of Thrawn would be enough to start another war. By circa 9 ABY, the Great Mothers used their magick to contact Morgan Elsbeth so as to lure her to Peridea. In doing so, they could escape with Thrawn and, thereby, secure Thrawn's promise of safe passage away from Peridea. The former magistrate built a supermassive hyperspace ring known as the Eye of Sion using the salvaged hyperdrive cores of Super Star Destroyers, which proved powerful enough to traverse the void between galaxies. Soon enough, aided by her mercenaries Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati, Elsbeth sent the ship into hyperspace above the planet Seatos and began the journey to bring Thrawn home. Calculations for the jump to Peridea were derived from an old star map once used by her ancestors, which Baylan quick destroyed to prevent anyone from following them.

Former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano, alongside Thrawn's old enemy Sabine Wren, were also on a mission to find Ezra Bridger and bring him home while preventing Thrawn's return. Their mission brought them into direct conflict with Elsbeth's forces. After a confrontation on Seatos with both Skoll and Hati, Wren parted ways with Tano and traveled aboard the Eye, believing it to be the only way to bring her friend home. Meanwhile, Tano used the natural hyperspace capabilities of the purrgil in order to make the trip to Peridea herself.

When the Eye of Sion finally emerged from hyperspace it found itself in orbit of Peridea, which Elsbeth noted to be the homeworld of her Nightsister ancestors. Later they would send a shuttle onto the world's surface where Elsbeth, alongside Skoll and Hati, would meet with the Great Mothers atop an ancient Nightsister Citadel. They welcomed her as a child of Dathomir and told her to be patient when she asked about the Grand Admiral. They also demanded that Sabine Wren be imprisoned in the depths of the fortress, sensing her to be a threat.

Soon enough, the ISD Chimaera arrived in a worn and damaged state. The ship hovered over the citadel where it proceeded to dock its hangar bay. Waiting for the group was an army of mysterious Night Troopers led by Captain Enoch, chanting Thrawn's name. Finally, the Grand Admiral emerged and made contact with the group, noting that what once seemed a dream had become reality. Promising a reckoning, he told the group that they would finally be able to escape the exile which had plagued them for so long. He then calmly ordered Enoch to begin the transfer from his ship as per his agreement with the Great Mothers. They in turn informed Thrawn that his rescuers brought a prisoner. He expressed some interest in the unexpected development, with Skoll taking credit for the capture. Upon hearing the names of the rogue Jedi, the Grand Admiral formally recognized Skoll, addressing him as a former general of the Jedi Order and remarking that he wouldn't be the first to leave the Jedi. When Elsbeth mentioned that the prisoner was in fact Sabine Wren, he was surprised to hear a familiar name, expressing that she would indeed be of some use to them.

Later Wren would be brought before Thrawn, with the latter noting what a delight it was to see a familiar face after so long and acknowledged her role in his return from exile. The Mandalorian changed the subject, demanding Bridger's whereabouts. The Grand Admiral assured he would uphold her pact with Skoll and had Enoch set her free with provisions, a mount and their latest intel on the lost Jedi's whereabouts. Wren expressed skepticism that Thrawn would just let her go, so he reasoned that since she aided his cause, he would aid her. However, he forewarned that once the Chimaera departed, she would be stranded on Peridea forever and the possibility that Bridger may possibly be deceased. Wren agreed to Thrawn's terms, and asked what he could provide for her journey. The Grand Admiral then asked Captain Enoch to assist Wren, which he did, providing her with all the necessary equipment and intel to find Ezra Bridger. Thrawn observed with his allies as Wren departed the citadel in search of Bridger, which Elsbeth believed to be a fool's errand. The Grand Admiral then ordered Skoll and Hati to follow, much to the latter's confusion. He explained to Hati that while he would allow Wren to reunite with Bridger, he expected the two mercenaries to kill them both soon after.

Later, while the Chimaera was being resupplied, Enoch informed Thrawn and Elsbeth of the mercenaries' departure. Thrawn then ordered the dispatch of two squads to aid Skoll. When Elsbeth questioned if they should commit more troops, Thrawn reasoned that their numbers had dwindled in the intervening years, so two squads would suffice. He made it clear that their main objective was to return to their own galaxy and whether Wren and Bridger as well as Skoll and Hati were to become either stranded or killed was of no consequence.

Thrawn was later summoned by the Great Mothers, who announced that a Jedi was en route to Peridea with the aid of purrgils. Unsettled by this news, Thrawn suspected the Jedi was no other than Ahsoka Tano, who somehow managed to survive her confrontation with Skoll, and chided Elsbeth for underestimating a Jedi. He demanded she provide him all the information she had on Tano and to destroy any purrgil that were to approach Peridea. He then turned to the Great Mothers to request the aid of their dark magicks. After Tano's arrival, Thrawn managed to delay her efforts through a battle against his Night Troopers and Shin Hati, yet the unexpected absence of the defected Baylan Skoll prevented Thrawn's strategy from killing their enemies. While Tano and Wren managed to reunite with Bridger, Thrawn concluded the incident was a victory because it allowed his forces to complete the cargo transfer.

After a successful attack on the Jedi star ship using a squadron of TIE Fighters, Thrawn stated they will need to prepare a land force to occupy the Jedi while they make their escape from the planet. Elsbeth rounded up volunteers for the assault. Thrawn, Elsbeth, the Great Mothers, and their forces began boarding the Eye of Sion while the Jedi began making their way to Thrawn. Upon determining that the Jedi would reach the ship before lift-off, he reluctantly asked Elsbeth to delay the Jedi while he and the Great Mothers made their escape. He used her as nothing more than a resource to aid in his escape and stated to her that he had seen Imperial officers underestimate their enemies and that never again will he underestimate the Jedi. He then boarded the Eye of Sion and took control of the gargantuan vessel as it docked with the Chimaera. Upon noticing the incoming group of Jedi, he ordered the turbolasers to raze the terrain surrounding the Fortress.

The attack yet again failed, though the Grand Admiral nevertheless began the preparations for departure. The Night Troopers volunteers were swiftly cut down by the Jedi and the Great Mothers began their ritual, resurrecting the soldiers as an undead army of zombie troopers. At the same time the Hyperspace ring began leaving the fortress. Ahsoka Tano later dueled Morgan Elsbeth which resulted in her inevitable demise, while Ezra Bridger with the help of Sabine Wren managed to sneak on board the Chimaera though the hangar bay. Elsbeth elected to stay behind alongside Ahsoka. As the Jedi fought the hordes of troopers the Chimaera started departing the atmosphere. Once in orbit Thrawn ordered the destruction of the Fortress using the ships weapon systems, razing it to the ground and earning a look of ire from the Great Mothers.

Before long the Eye of Sion, carrying the damaged ISD, left the orbit of Peridea and headed towards the Hyperspace vector. The Jedi aboard their T-6 shuttle approached with speed which prompted Thrawn to open a direct channel to Ahsoka Tano aboard the ship. He congratulated her as a worthy opponent and shared regret at having not met face to face. Yet he lauded that victory was now indeed his and that her fate as a wondering ronin was uniquely aligned with that of the forsaken planet. With that notion and a look of pride from the Chiss, the Eye of Sion safely jumped to lightspeed and entered hyperspace, nearly shorting out the shuttle's electrical systems in the process. Grand Admiral Thrawn had now escaped his exile and was on his way to return to the known galaxy, albeit unknowingly with the Jedi Ezra Bridger, safely aboard. He too was finally returning home.

Soon after returning to the known galaxy using the Pathway to Peridea, The Eye of Sion arrived in the Dathomir system and approached the dead planet. On board the Chimaera, Captain Enoch informed the Grand Admiral of their arrival. Having fulfilled his promise to the witches, Thrawn, alongside Captain Enoch and the Great Mothers, looked on with pride as the caskets removed from the Peridean catacombs were steadily brought to the planet. With Tano and Wren stranded on Peridea, Grand Admiral Thrawn was ready to take his place as Heir to the Empire.

As a result of Thrawn's knowledge, as well as information retrieved by the few survey teams and droids the fallen Emperor had once sent into the unknown, the Imperial Navy reorganized into the First Order in the depths of the galaxy. This was part of Palpatine's Contingency, a plan to ensure that the Galactic Empire would not outlive him—but that was co-opted by surviving worthy Imperials to ensure that the Empire continued after his death. Although Thrawn's TIE Defender project never saw widespread use during the Galactic Civil War, many of its design features were eventually incorporated into the First Order's TIE/sf space superiority fighter and TIE/vn space superiority fighter, known as the "Special Forces TIE fighter" and the "TIE Silencer" respectively.

During the era of the First Order, a Tarinna in the Lost Library of Nelgenam attempted to feed off the stories and memories in the mind of cartographer Emil Graf. To save his friend, monster droid CR-8R revealed he had thousands of stories in his databanks, displaying a profile on Thrawn wearing his Grand Admiral's uniform, and several others to showcase his knowledge.

Grand Admiral Thrawn was a male member of the near-human Chiss species. He had shimmering blue-black hair, piercing glowing red eyes, and an angular face. Thrawn was not Force-sensitive, although his older sister Kivu'rik'ardok was. He saw in a slightly different spectrum than humans.

Thrawn had a calm and collected demeanor. He was a brilliant military strategist, known for his anticipation of enemy attacks and his own tactical precision. He was known to speak at least six languages: Cheunh, his native tongue; Sy Bisti, Meese Caulf, Minnisiat, and Taarja, which were trade languages used by the Chiss; and Galactic Basic fluently after joining the Empire. Despite swearing loyalty to the Empire, he also remained loyal to the Chiss, believing Emperor Palpatine only commanded the loyalty of his actions. The loyalty of the Grand Admiral's heart and mind remained with the Chiss Ascendancy.

Thrawn worked to perfect the art of war. He had respect for his enemies, believing that in order to defeat a worthy opponent, one must understand them in every aspect, including their history and philosophy. In particular, Thrawn had a strong appreciation for art, and he believed that studying it could allow him to delve into the psyche of the people of the cultures that the artists belonged to, even though his study of art made him the target of many jokes in the Imperial Navy's upper ranks. The critics of the Grand Admiral falsely thought he just enjoyed beautiful pictures, while Thrawn's supporters knew it helped him learn enemy tactics. Other Chiss never understood Thrawn's ability to build detailed tactical knowledge from what was viewed to be insignificant or obscure details, but Thrawn believed anything in a species' art was important. To Thrawn, all threads tied together, every brushstroke spoke to him, and the light curves told the artist's story. While he knew that every artist was an individual, Thrawn knew that they were the product of a culture, so Thrawn could use art to begin to deduce the "fundamental pattern" of a species. He also could find the relationships between a species' art, culture, and military doctrine, which allowed him to anticipate and counter them on the battlefront.

Thrawn had a strong dislike for civilian casualties, although during his service to the Empire he sometimes acquiesced to operations that harmed civilians. Throughout his service to the Chiss Ascendancy and the Galactic Empire, Thrawn sought not only to protect the civilians loyal to the regimes he served, but also civilians of other factions. His regard for the lives of civilians, including aliens, was noted by several individuals including Senior Captain Lakinda, Lothal Governor Arihnda Pryce, and Commander Eli Vanto.

During his service in the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, Thrawn maneuvered to save the lives of civilians of other species on numerous occasions; even at times bending the Ascendancy's non-intervention protocols. During his service to the Ascendancy, Thrawn's primary loyalty was to his own Chiss people. As such, he typically had motives related to learning about threats to the Chiss when protecting civilians of other factions, but notably did not during the Stivic incident. During Haplif and Jixtus' plot to destroy the Chiss Ascendancy, Senior Captain Lakinda reflected with disdain that Thrawn had "exaggerated concern" for non-Chiss "aliens" for whom the Chiss Ascendancy had no business caring about. She had no doubt that Thrawn would intervene in a civil war in which the Chiss had no stake to try to stop the hostilities, and believed there would be negative repercussions for the Chiss's involvement in that war.

While serving the Empire, Thrawn angered his captain Filia Rossi by saving the people aboard the Dromedar rather than saving all the tibanna gas in the hijacking of that vessel. Later, during the skirmish against the Third Fleet, Thrawn promised the treasonous Grand Admiral Balanhai Savit that he would defeat the Third Fleet with no deaths in either Grand Admiral's command, and--together with Commodore Karyn Faro--succeeded in doing so.

Art pieces taken from his enemies in Thrawn's personal collection were, in his eyes, "not merely trophies." To Thrawn, such works were a way to symbolize his greatest foes. Notable among Imperial officers, Thrawn abhorred civilian casualties and sought to preserve the lives of civilians who would be caught in crossfires and even enemy combatants. Thrawn offered clemency to Nevil Cygni, known as Nightswan, and offered the rebel a position in his native Chiss Ascendancy, believing his adversary's skills would be of great benefit to his people. Thrawn sought in vain to prevent a mass slaughter at Batonn's Creekpath Mining and Refining complex by seeking his foe's surrender, promising Nightswan that he was the man's "only guarantee" that the civilians crowded within the stronghold would not be slaughtered, which other Imperials would be happy to do. Thrawn knew that Cygni would not harm him during the two men's covert meeting on Batonn because of their mutual respect, and because Thrawn pledged to do all in his power to prevent unnecessary deaths.

Against the wishes of Thrawn and Imperial Security Bureau Colonel Wullf Yularen, Governor Pryce ended the Batonn insurgency by detonating a bomb in the Creekpath complex that killed hundreds of insurgents and civilians. She violated her orders in doing so but secured an Imperial victory over the rebel insurgents of that planet. Thrawn and Yularen suspected Pryce's guilt in the matter but could not prove it. However, the Imperial High Command on Coruscant saw the result as a major victory and did not mind the death of civilians. They promoted Thrawn, whom they believed responsible for the attack, to Grand Admiral for leading the major victory on Batonn. Thrawn had strong misgivings about accepting a promotion for an attack he abhorred and which he had not conducted or authorized. However, Pryce persuaded Thrawn into accepting the resulting acclaim by arguing that someone would command the Seventh Fleet, and very few other high Imperial officers would seek to minimize civilian deaths with that Fleet. Nevertheless, Thrawn ordered his ground forces to search and rescue survivors, civilian and combatant, from the ruined complex, hoping in part to find Cygni alive.

Thrawn's respect for his foes extended to other major opponents, including Hera Syndulla and Ahsoka Tano. Upon his first meeting with Syndulla, he remarked that it was an unexpected pleasure to meet the rebel leader and was somewhat upset the encounter could end up their only meeting, promising her he would keep her family Kalikori in a place of honor. Later, he particularly praised her abilities as a combat pilot, even while Syndulla was using those skills against his blockade, and heralded her as one of his greatest foes upon her capture. He took the moment to ask about the Kalikori and even apologized for inquiring, although he then suggested she should appreciate the fact that he cared for it. During his escape from Peridea, Thrawn congratulated Tano on being a worthy opponent and bemoaned that they would likely never meet face-to-face.

While Thrawn generally refused to kill civilians needlessly, he became willing to resort to killing non-combatants at the end of the Lothal Campaign in order to achieve victory for the Empire. Thrawn had the goals of rooting out Lothal's rebels and procuring Ezra Bridger for the Emperor, who sought to turn the young Padawan to the dark side of the Force. Thrawn demanded that Bridger surrender himself and come aboard the Chimaera or he would bombard Capital City.

The Lothal rebels did not believe Thrawn at first, but Thrawn had Rukh's forces disable the city's deflector shield generator, at which point the Chimaera began bombing the city. Horrified, Ezra gave in and took a gunship to Thrawn's flagship. At that point, Thrawn stopped the bombardment, but warned he would resume it and destroy the city and Ezra's friends if the Padawan tried any "heroics." He stayed true to his word, ordering his ships to prepare to fire after Bridger began to fight his way to the bridge.

Thrawn displayed less hesitation to kill non-sentient animals, such as the Purrgil, when a situation called for it. He ordered the Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth to kill any Purrgil that approached the planet Peridea to ensure that the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano did not manage to land on the planet's ground.

Throughout his adult life, Thrawn had a deep appreciation for art and culture: art became an invaluable tool for the blooming tactican as he found that everything about a piece of art tied together and spoke to him. While no other Chiss understood it, despite the many times they tried, and despite receiving mockery from the upper ranks of the Imperial Navy for his studies, he had a rare talent of learning societies' and even individual people's histories, tactics, and strategies by studying the art they created. The Chiss officer was able to learn from his adversaries' artwork to design strategies to exploit their cultural and tactical blind spots, leading to wide recognition as a military genius. Even able to find subtle changes in a culture's collective art style as he studied generations of art, Thrawn studied works ranging from paintings to sculptures to any other art form to piece together the truth of their creators: from those deductions, he could find the cultural, historical and philosopical background of the individuals who created the works, granting him an understanding of society or species from which they spawned.

Whether it be finding ways in which a species would react to attack or deducing how a culture would respond to what was before them, artwork was a fundamental key to Thrawn's strategy: the fundamental pattern one's species or culture left on a work meant that, while he knew each artist was their own individual, Thrawn could find the common threads between multiple works, flesh out the culture of those before him, and find how it connected to one's military doctrine. Thrawn even found that what art was highly valued amongst a culture and the type of art a culture made were clues for how they would act in battle. Whereas other Chiss often saw Thrawn as someone who made military miracles because he understood insignificant details, Thrawn maintained that every part of an art piece was important: it was through a complete understanding of a piece of art Thrawn could understand the creator, and then grow that understanding into one of their culture or species. The impact of both the individual and their culture on the art they created could be seen by Thrawn's discerning eye.

During Thrawn's first meeting with Thrass, he noted to his guide the unusual fact that the artist who did the three landscapes in the Ruling Family reception hall also created two of the statuettes. All Mitth family artwork, rotated out through the official collection of family art on Csilla, was unsigned, as the artwork as seen as a family piece, not by individuals. Thrass was stunned by Thrawn's immediate ability to note five works of art that, among a selection of hundreds of thousands of Mitth family works, were all created by the same artist. Thrawn was also able to determine the gender and personal history of the artist, who was the Twelfth Patriarch Mitth'omo'rossodo the Tragic. Thrass found Thrawn's ability to determine that the Patriarch suffered a personal loss after the tidepool landscape piece nothing short of incredible.

Thrawn sought to preserve the cherished Paccosh subclan ring of Uingali foar Marocsaa when Uingali feared the Nikardun invaders of Rapacc would kill every Paccosh. By the time of the Nikardun Campaigns, Thrawn had a reputation among the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet as an expert on alien art and someone who could glean important information from a cursory inspection of an art piece. Thrawn's renown was wide enough that Fleet analyst Lakbulbup recommended Thrawn analyze a suspicious brooch his cousin had sent him, rather than a scientist or metals specialist. Similarly, as an Imperial Grand Admiral, Thrawn stole the Syndulla family's kalikori after subverting resistance on the Twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth. Thrawn honored the kalikori as a sacred item in Twi'lek culture and sought to both protect and analyze it.

Thrawn's first Imperial protégé Eli Vanto trusted in the Chiss's ability to read people through art, even wishing Thrawn could teach him to do the same, but came to believe no one could truly understand the officer's skill in that field. Instead, Vanto understood numbers and thus had his own skill to bring to the table: both possessed a skill they understood like no other, which Vanto suspected could be why they were such a good team. Another one of Thrawn's Imperial protégés, Karyn Faro, was at first frustrated by Thrawn's ability to make deductions through art because she did not see what he did. Later, however, she let go of that anger: instead, she always took the moment to marvel at nice pictures, trusting that the Grand Admiral knew what he was talking about.

Thrawn's appreciation for art and his determination to defeat the rebellion led him to amass a vast collection of images and objects related to the crew of the rebel ship Ghost, who had outsmarted his predecessors. In addition, Thrawn's scrutiny of Lyste and Kallus' reports following the rebel infiltration of the Lothal Imperial factory led him to realize that the Empire had a spy within their ranks. Thrawn believed that interrogating all Imperial personnel would alert the traitor. Instead, he advocated engineering a trap for the traitor that would turn them into an asset of the Empire.

During his exile in Peridea, he developed a new interest in the dark arts and the occultism, even asking the Great Mothers to lend him a portion of their Magick. Seemingly learning from his previous experience of unfamiliar opponents using the force. During his eventual escape Morgan Elsbeth gathered a small legion of volunteer troops who would be resurrected into an undead legion upon death. Upon the return to the Galaxy he travelled to the planet of Dathomir as part of the bargain he struck with the Great Mothers, the hold of the Chimaera was full of caskets taken from the ancient Peridean Nightsister Fortress.

Throughout his career with the Ascendancy and the Empire, Thrawn held a confident and calm view of traps laid before him. Up to and during the battle over Primea, Thrawn allowed himself to spring General Yiv the Benevolent's trap wherein he would be brought aboard Yiv's flaghship Deathless in an unarmed freighter. Thrawn successfully reversed that trap by bringing the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet to bear on Yiv's Primea fleet, including the Vigilant, the Springhawk, and the Grayshrike. Following Yiv's defeat, the Grysk Hegemony hired a Watith crew led by Captain Fsir to trap and either destroy or distract Thrawn and the crew of the Springhawk. Thrawn understood that they were being led into a trap, but commented to Caregiver Thalias that that made it all the more important to understand their unknown enemies. An opponent bold enough to attack a Chiss war vessel directly was dangerous and well within the prerogative of the Expansionary Defense Fleet to scout out.

When discovered by the crew of the Imperial Venator-Class Star Destroyer Strikefast, Thrawn caused enough damage to the stormtroopers and Imperial Navy troopers to make the Strikefasts officers seek to study him, leading them to transport his hut aboard the Venator. He hid inside his hut, arranging his transport to within the Empire proper, thus securing his own goal by springing what the Imperials believed to be their own trap. As a cadet at Royal Imperial, Thrawn explained to Eli Vanto that most traps could be reversed on their designers, and proceeded to ensnare Rosita Turuy and Spenc Orbar in the trap they sought to catch Thrawn and Vanto in in the metallurgy lab. Later, upon discovering Grand Admiral Balanhai Savit's treachery, Thrawn defeated Savit in part by springing Savit's trap and being held as a captive by the human Grand Admiral on the bridge of Savit's Firedrake.

When Senior Commander Thrawn and Commodore Ar'alani visited the Garwian homeworld of Solitair, their hosts introduced them to Garwian culture. Ar'alani informed Thrawn that she now saw aliens as people for the first time, believing this was how Thrawn had always seen non-Chiss. Thrawn replied that he saw non-Chiss individuals as assets first and people second. When he explained that to Ar'alani, she noticed sadness and thoughtfulness on his face before he explained the "assets" could be possible foes or allies. Following their capture of General Yiv the Benevolent at the battle over Primea, Thrawn explained to Che'ri that Ar'alani enabled the joint Chiss—Vak victory because she saw non-Chiss as people, while he saw them as assets.

By the time of the Nikardun campaigns, Thrawn's view of non-Chiss had evolved, believing that the lives of all species were important. Thrawn became notorious in the Expansionary Defense Fleet for his desire to protect people of other species. Senior Captain Lakinda reflected bitterly to herself that Thrawn may meddle in an alien species' civil war to save them from destroying themselves. At some point after the skirmish above Hoxim, Thrawn took the Springhawk to Zyzek, searching for Watith envoys or traders to whom he could turn over custody of his Watith prisoners, so that they might be reunited with their own people. During his time on Cyphar serving the Imperial Navy, Thrawn treated the immigrated humans and native Cyphari even-handedly while collecting information, ultimately finding that some of the humans had mistreated the Cyphari.