Grand Admiral

Prince Admiral Delak Krennel paced the dark corridors of his palace on the planet Ciutric IV, the capital of the Imperial Shard known as the Ciutric Hegemony, in complete silence and stillness. A part of the Empire he had taken from Grand Vizier Sate Pestage years ago, executing the latter and all his family members. The traitor got what he deserved.

Prince Admiral Delak Krennel (Ciutrick Hegemony).

He was tall, muscular but not overly so, broad shouldered, and for all his size he could move silently. Even his cybernetic prosthetic right arm, covered by syntheploat, didn't spoil his appearance. In the past, back at the Imperial Military Academy on Prefsbelt, he had been considered an unrivaled opponent in hand-to-hand combat, and he had not lost his form or his physical strength since then. And the prosthesis, acting as silently as the man himself, only made him better than he was before.

Krennel entered his office, oblivious to the darkness of the room as night fell on Ciutric IV. Under other circumstances he would have continued to sleep in his bed if he hadn't been caught unawares by breaking news he couldn't ignore even if he wanted to.

The information concerned Grand Admiral Thrawn. It was so disturbing that he didn't want to believe what the robot secretary had told him, so he decided to check it out for himself.

The Prince Admiral flicked a switch. The long vertical light panels built into the walls activated, and the ceiling reflected the light onto the floor. The room, decorated in browns and browns, was filled with a cold glow.

Even without seeing his uninvited visitor, he knew for sure she was here. She was always right where he needed her.

Krennel hadn't seen her in several standard years, unless you counted the couple or three nightmares that haunted him. A little shorter than he was, black hair loose, just two white strands framing a face that would be praised for beauty on many planets. High forehead, well-defined chin, high cheekbones, straight nose, just two details that spoiled the impression of what he saw.

The first thing that those who saw the IceHeart in person noticed was her eyes. The left iris burned scarlet, like arterial blood, as if it had been poured after a radioactive burn. The pale blue of the other eye brought to mind the snow-covered planets that were scattered across the galaxy. Her gaze first burned and then made his insides shrink with fear. This woman, even when stripped of everything - subordinates, power, resources - continued to radiate power and an aura of authority. Many men wished to possess her, but only a few had the good sense to realize that she would eat them up without choking as soon as she used them, get what she needed from them, spit them out, step over them, and move on.

But the network of scars running down the right side of her face, originating from a mark on her temple, was a new "decoration." Before the Thyferra disaster, Ysanne Isard had never had such a flaw in her appearance. And Delak was concentrating his attention on those scars, lest he allow himself to fall under her spell again and again.

The second flaw in her rare beauty was a grid of scars running from a small mark on her right temple. Krennel had studied the woman's face closely, found a slight asymmetry, and assumed it was the result of a serious injury that had required surgery. Rumor had it that the Rogue Squadron boasted that they'd killed the IceHeart on Thyferra. Turns out they were lying.

Ysanne Isard.

- Just like that? - He asked her squeamishly, eyeing the seductive curves of her body, clad in a red Imperial Navy uniform. No insignia of any kind. - No traps at the entrance, no checks to keep me in line? I'm disappointed, Isard.

- It's as easy to take your life as it is to drink caf, - the IceHeart said in an even and completely unemotional tone, following his gaze. - I can take your life any time I want. And when your people find your corpse, they will gladly start serving me. Remember that.

The Prince Admiral did not entertain the thought that even now, as ruler of the Imperial Shard, he had even a moment's control or understanding of this woman. On the contrary, she was using him, hatching her own secret plans. And that's something to keep in mind - the moment he lets his guard down, Isard will snap his neck.

- You sent a droid to me with a report, - he reminded her. - It concerns Thrawn. What do you want?

- The same as always. Preserving my master's empire.

Krennel found it possible to laugh and sat down on the edge of the wide table.

- The hole in your head has taken away your memory. The Empire is destroyed. And the Emperor is dead. Or have you forgotten?

The woman's features sharpened, turning her into a predator preparing to leap.

- I don't forget anything, Krennel! Will this pain always be in my heart?

Do you have it?! Krennel didn't change his face.

- Get to the point, Isard. You said you had news about Thrawn.

- Be patient, Prince Admiral, - the former Director of Imperial Intelligence advised. - One day you will realize your long-held dream and kill him. How long have you hated him?

As always, Ysanne played her own part in the ranks of the orchestra. And it is virtually impossible to know in advance what will come out of it.

- You don't forget anything, - he grinned. - Then you must remember that I've hated that blue-skinned upstart ever since I was sent to the Unknown Regions and was under his command.

- It was a trial to your honor to receive orders from a non-human, wasn't it? - the woman murmured.

- I recognize his talent, but he has always been and remains an underling who needs to be gotten rid of, - the Prince Admiral gritted his teeth.

- Oh, yes, his dabbling in learning the cultures of other races was rumored to have won him a victory, - Ysanne stated. - The Imperial Center had a long discussion about how he sent you back like he was returning a sick animal to the shelter. Remind me again why he did that?

- Because that thing fails to realize that, aside from his whim of studying alien cultures, the ruthlessness of overwhelming might is far more effective when fighting against the natives, - the prosthetic right hand clenched into a fist.

- If the Emperor hadn't died at the Battle of Endor at that moment, your career would have been ruined, - Ysanne said meaningfully. - Thrawn had an inexplicable influence on the Emperor....

Why is she reopening old wounds? What does she want?

- You gave up your desire to become one of the rebel warlords, and six months after the Emperor's death, when it was revealed that Sate Pestage, who controlled the Center of the Empire, was trying to negotiate with the rebels, offering to surrender the capital and several key worlds in exchange for your safety and well-being. When the deception was discovered and Pestage fled to Ciutric, you were sent to punish him. You found the fugitive and took away his property and power, then declared yourself Prince Admiral, a title you made up, and successfully took over a dozen planets, from which you created your own little empire.

- I don't need a history lesson, Isard! Thrawn.

- Thrawn's return frightened you. He could have easily taken away your little toy, your empire. And it was only out of fear that you helped the Grand Admiral by supplying his squadron with finances, ammunition, ammunition, personnel, - Isard continued, and Delak realized she was only mocking him. - How often have you woken up at night with the thought of his destroyers invading and subjugating your precious Hegemony? Because no one will come to your aid. Your supply of military hardware to the Imperial Remnants is no panacea that can protect you from trouble. And your fleet, no matter how much you cherish it, is ridiculous.

- That's a good point, Isard, but you can't tell me how much power I have in my hands, - the prince-admiral decided to throw her off balance, for his own safety, of course. - If you had as much power as I have, you could build your own empire. Wait a minute, - he pretended to think, - you've already tried. First on the Imperial Center, then on Thyferra? And the rebels killed you for it.

A fire of blind rage flared in her eyes, as destructive as it was beautiful. The IceHeart touched the scar on her temple with her fingertips.

- They failed, - she pronounced.

Krennel once again noticed the lack of confidence. She couldn't remember what had happened on Thyferra when Isanne had lost absolutely everything - three star destroyers and the Lusankya, not to mention control of the galaxy's only bacta producer; amnesia, not surprisingly. The trauma was severe. Probably thinks she's given up a little, so she came to visit him. The same ease with which she'd sent her filthy ragamuffin prisoners from the Lusankya to Ciutrik.

- You're dragging me out of bed to mess with me?

- No, I only said all that so that you would see an opportunity to rebuild the Empire and sit on its throne, - the woman pointed a finger at Krennel. - Remember at your leisure, I made you a similar offer before, but you chose to take Pestage's domain instead of bringing a renegade to me. I would have made you emperor. And I still can.

- And all I hear is you spending an hour admiring a non-human and wasting my time! - growled Prince Admiral.

- Without my support, you would have been assimilated long ago, Krennel, - Isard said calmly. - Only my combinations and my agents allow you to live on without fear of the Imperial Ruling Council or Ardus Kaine sending a fleet to conquer your dwarf state.

That's the only reason you're still alive. But you're less and less useful every day.

- Thrawn has always amused me, - the IceHeart continued. - An excellent performer. Give him a task and he'll do it in no time, and so perfectly that the rest of us are envious. Curious, isn't it, that Thrawn was the only one forgiven for disobeying orders? He could tell Palpatine that this or that battle would lead to the Empire's defeat, and Palpatine believed him. No, of course he demoted him first, sent fleets to slaughter, and then elevated him again. Poor Osvald Teshik - he had to take part in a similar operation against the Hapes Consortium personally, while Thrawn sat in the rear. Until recently, I'd thought that Thrawn's job was to chase some savages on the fringes of the galaxy. But he's proven in a matter of weeks that he can easily take on battle-hardened rebel armadas. But he is foolish for he does not realize that sometimes firepower inspires greater terror in hearts. And terror itself is a long-range weapon. It does not use fear, and that is its defect.

The Prince Admiral's metal palm clenched the edge of the tabletop.

- I've pointed out this flaw of his before.

- Apparently, he's decided to make amends, - the edges of Ysanne Isard's lips crept upward lazily.

Krennel's temples throbbed. His heart raced faster at the words, spoken in a low, husky voice, almost a whisper. Isard was speaking the thoughts that the Prince Admiral had cherished since he was a boy helping his father burn down the dwellings of non-humans so that the agribusiness could turn their lands into his own. The intonation of this extraordinary woman, the conviction, the certainty of what she was saying - everything resonated within the imperial commander. Isard knew what he was thinking, knew she could reveal her soul to him (if she had one at all) and not become an object of ridicule. As much as he feared this woman, she beckoned to him. And he struggled to keep the right distance so that he wouldn't burn like a moth when he got unacceptably close.

Krennel forced himself to breathe.

- You've learned something new about Thrawn, - he concluded. Isard loves to play with her prey, to get them to the right condition. There's a reason she went over her blisters.

- Our brave Grand Admiral has returned from another campaign, - she said. - Once again, with a victory. Do you remember how many Imperial star destroyers he had?

- Eight 'ones' and one 'two', - he said without hesitation. - Two Victories and one more joined after the Ubictorate left Tangren. Three Interdictors...

- Now add to all of that three Imperial II star destroyers, one MS80 mon-calamari star cruiser, one Venator star destroyer, a Neutron Star heavy cruiser, and one Acclamator strike cruiser. Not to mention the fact that he had several smaller class ships at his disposal...

- Who gave him those ships? - The Prince-Admiral's eyes flashed with fury.

- No one, - Isard said calmly, giving him an appraising look. - He took them himself. By the right of the strong. Lured his enemies into a trap, letting them think they were hunting him. And defeated them. Smugglers, pirates and a New Republic battlegroup. Lost only four ships of little consequence, half of which were left as traps on the battlefield. Two more ships, the Victory and the Interdictor, were heavily damaged and headed to his forward base for emergency repairs and arrival on Tangren.

- That sounds surreal, - Krennel shook his head. - I thought you said he was after the legend of the Dark Force, the Katana Fleet.

- Oh, he found it too, - Isard smiled. - Intriguing, isn't it? His star destroyers are cruising right under the New Republic's nose, ferrying ships from one part of the galaxy to another, right into his hands.

- That bastard has enough power to destroy my own fleet! - Krennel hissed. - He will surely use that advantage to take over the Hegemony!

- Don't jump to conclusions, Admiral, - Isard advised. - Yes, he has a huge fleet. But it still needs to be repaired, crewed, trained, and most importantly, maintained.

- You said Baron D'Asta was sponsoring him, - Krennel recalled. - He had given him some of the ships in his private fleet.

- What's more, - Isard smiled. - The Baron came personally to congratulate him on his victory. And with him came several cargo tankers with fuel, food, and spare parts for small aircraft. Not to mention the three thousand volunteers from the D'Astan sector who have decided to enlist in his service.

- The bastard sent me a request for nearly three thousand SFU's a few weeks ago, - Krennel squinted. - So he had it all figured out ahead of time?!

- Maybe so, - she said, as if she had lost interest in him. - But don't worry about it too soon. His ships need repair and maintenance, and that will take time. Especially since his fleet's supply of fighters and interceptors is entirely up to you, Prince Admiral! - Isard stood up and paced in an arc, never coming within a few meters of her companion. - He is powerful, but that power is only potential. We must continue to maintain a semblance of favorable treatment of him. Fulfill his order for small flying machines - but ask for money for the whole batch at once. He's got nowhere to go - he needs fighters. Apparently, he intends to staff his "dreadnoughts" with them, among other things - therefore, this is not an easy task, as he needs to staff his crews, among other things. Once you receive the money for the order, it can be spent on increasing your own fleet, Prince-Admiral.

Krennel understood the reason Isanna had begun to address him respectfully. She'd easily switched from being a dominant companion to an equal advisor, realizing that it was the only way Delak would take the information as a directive to action.

- Your spies should gather as much information as possible about Thrawn's future plans, - the Prince Admiral ordered. - I'm sure he'll try to unite the Moffs of Morshdine's neighboring sectors around him and proclaim himself their ruler. He can't be so apolitical!

- We'll find out soon enough, - Isard smiled slyly, casting a puzzled glance in his direction. - Thrawn has one curious characteristic: he's a reasoner of action. Which means he'll spring into action without waiting for his entire fleet to be ready for battle. We just need to keep track of his targets and put the picture together.

- And then what? - Krennel asked impatiently.

- We'll wait until he's secured his rear and gotten his fleet back in shape, then we'll strike a blow he'll never recover from. Let him play with his allied sectors. His greatest weakness will be used against him.

The look the former Director of Imperial Intelligence gave him lastly made the Prince-Admiral feel uncomfortable.

***

Grand Moff Ardus Kaine finished reading the report and set the deck aside. He took a cup of strong kaffe from the stand, a cup as black as interstellar space and as strong as ten-year-old Corellian whiskey.

Grand Moff Ardus Kaine.

The ruler of the Pentastar Alignment grimaced as he felt the scalding liquid touch his esophagus and rush down.

No more than a temporary inconvenience.

The same as Grand Admiral Thrawn.

There's no denying the non-human has made great strides. Found allies, acquired a fleet, made a couple of serious strikes against the New Republic. It's an interesting approach to warfare. Not based on immediate success.

That's interesting.

But no more than that.

Grand Moff glanced at the hologram of the galaxy, which displayed the borders of the state he led. Almost a dozen and a half sectors, hundreds of star systems within them, a powerful shipbuilding and industrial cluster - the largest in all of Imperial Space. And it all belongs to him. A man who looks on with contrived nonchalance at the fiddling among Imperial warlords and rebels. Watches and does nothing - except build up his power and see to the defense of his worlds. Which is why his territories are thriving. And to make sure no one sees him as a target, he uses Thrawn as his whipping boy. But it turns out that this "boy" himself is able to properly put the rebels and their allies in their place. As for the Grand Admiral himself, there can't be two opinions.

The non-human is useful only as long as he fulfills his task, which is to carry out military actions. Thanks to his active actions, the New Republic is refocusing its attention from the Imperial Remnants to Thrawn's faction. And now the latter has acquired a rather impressive force that is in need of repair. It doesn't take a prophet to realize the simple truth - just like after the attack on the Dufilvian sector, Thrawn will now move to actively rebuild his ships. And that will give the rebels a respite, allowing them to continue to rebuild their economy unhindered. Which there is absolutely no way to allow.

Thrawn must go to war.

The appearance of almost two hundred heavy cruisers of the "dreadnought" type virtually equalizes it in number with a similar category of ships available to both the Pentastar Alignment and the Imperial Ruling Council. And that in turn is already dangerous.

Even though Kaine's own starships were more modern, and he had dozens of times more star destroyers than Thrawn, he was not satisfied with parity in any one class of ships. Especially when the Grand Admiral had his own base and the ability to repair starships without losing his own resources.

Thrawn must be forced to continue his active warfare. Otherwise, he could gain the power to overwhelm several smaller Imperial Remnants at once. Combined into a single state entity, they could become invincible. And that would be contrary to the plan.

So, therefore, we need to get the enemy to intensify their actions against Thrawn.

A strike on the Morshdein sector?

No, it doesn't. Thrawn's rear base is now flooded with starships, which in their mass can defeat any enemy. It is necessary to provoke an attack on some other world, controlled and loyal to Thrawn.

Most of the available ones are dismissed at once. They are either close to Morshdein and reinforcements from Tangren can arrive there in a short time, or they have their own forces to repel an attack.

Something distant but equally important is needed.....

For example, its forward base, which is now home to two badly damaged starships. No orbital defenses, just planetary defenses. One star destroyer in orbit is no cover. Not if the attackers are sufficiently outnumbered. Well, that's no longer the Grand Moff's problem.

He himself, of course, is not going to show any activity or attack Thrawn. His task is not to waste ships in feuds, the fleet should be built and the number of starships should be increased.

It is necessary for those people who still serve the Grand Moff and continue to obey Thrawn to find out more about the forward base. And get the information to the New Republic, again, in a roundabout way. They will strike at Thrawn's territory, most likely even destroy both ships, and in the best case - even three, after which the Grand Admiral will have no choice but to go into counterattack in search of the offender. And he would continue to fulfill his role as it was intended.

We could sic the remaining Inquisitorial units under Ardus Kaine's command on him to get rid of the upstart. And after he's dead, take over what's left of the fleet. But that would mean switching from the tactic of monotonously pumping Thrawn for everything he needed, while continuing to stay in the shadows and enjoy neutrality in the ongoing war. All the more so because, for the moment, Thrawn's active stance could not but please him Everything was going according to plan.

Of course, the other option was to give Thrawn more money, resources, and men to speed up the repair of his fleet. And then he would certainly begin to act with a much larger scale. But this option of solving the problem with the passivity of the Grand Admiral has pitfalls.

What's stopping Thrawn from repairing his ships with Kaine's help, then going after the Imperial Remnants? That's right - nothing. Therefore, a forceful assimilation of the Imperial Remnants is a distinct possibility. Which is also unacceptable.

Grinning, the grand moff began to draw up a plan to provoke his opponent. It would have to work, the non-human had to fight.

And where and with whom - that's a separate question. It is desirable that the Grand Admiral's field of vision should include a damn strong and resourceful opponent.

Staring at the deck screen, Grand Moff Ardus Kaine began planning an attack on Grand Admiral Thrawn.

From translator: Another chapter for you boys and girls.