Greater Good, the second installment of Timothy Zahn’s trilogy comes out Tuesday.
Star Warscontinues to piece together the elaborate puzzle that is Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Everyone seems to be looking for Thrawn these days.
Credit: Del Ray
(InRosario Dawson’s newly announcedAhsokaspinoff seriesfor Disney+, perhaps?)
Thrawn has also popped up in animation form, notably inStar Wars Rebels.
There, they are led into a rather unusual encounter.
‘Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good’ cover.Del Rey
There were also times there was no vagueness about it whatsoever.
Today was one of the latter.
Flying theSpringhawkinto the Paataatus hive-home system of Nettehi.
Flying along the same approach vector they’d used during the punitive raid with Admiral Ar’alani.
Flying in with no idea of what was waiting for them.
Only this time they didn’t have theVigilantand the other ships of Ar’alani’s task force along.
This time, they were going in alone.
“Prepare for breakout,” Thrawn called calmly from his command chair.
They were tense, he could tell, for all the same reasons he was.
But he could see no panic or serious doubt.
Distantly, Samakro wondered if they’d had that same confidence back whenhe’dbeen theSpringhawk’s commander.
“Three, two,one.”
The star-flares flashed and settled into stars framing the planet Nettehi.
“Combat range: We’ve got fighters,” the sensor officer announced.
“Approximately twenty gunboats within combat and mid-range.”
“Check planetary orbit,” Thrawn said.
“I think I see some larger ships there.”
confirmed, sir," Dalvu said.
“I make seven ships: six enhanced cruisers, one heavy frigate.”
Samakro eyed the display.
“Full magnification and status readouts,” Thrawn ordered.
“Frigate first, then the cruisers.”
“Mid Captain?”
“Looks Paataatus to me, sir,” Samakro said.
“Certainly doesn’t match any of the Vagaari ship configurations in our records.”
“Agreed,” Thrawn said.
But it’s a strong indicator, particularly since I don’t see any major ship modifications."
Samakro shifted his attention to the planetary data now streaming across the secondary sensor display.
“I also see no evidence of large-scale damage on the planet’s surface,” he pointed out.
“Excellent observation,” Thrawn said approvingly.
Their joint conclusion didn’t address the original rumors, he knew.
“Captain, we’re receiving a transmission,” Brisch called from the comm station.
He’d never heard of that rank before.
If it evenwasa rank.
It could just as easily be a title or name or something unique to these aliens.
“You are trespassing within holy Paataatus space,” the prince continued.
“Unusually talky today, aren’t they?”
Afpriuh commented from the weapons station.
“Sir, all enemy ships are holding station.”
“Talkyandstanding their ground,” Samakro said.
“Not like them at all.”
“No,” Thrawn said.
“It’s not.”
Samakro looked sideways at him.
Thrawn’s eyes were narrowed, his attention shifting back and forth between the sensor and tactical displays.
“You said we were going to ask them about the Vagaari?”
Samakro reminded his commander quietly.
“Yes,” Thrawn said thoughtfully.
He hesitated another moment, then touched the comm key on his chair.
“We come in peace, with a question for you.”
He keyed the mute.
“You’re not going to ask the question, sir?”
“Not yet,” Thrawn said.
“Call this an experiment.”
“Paataatus ships on the move, sir,” Dalvu said.
“Ten fighters moving toward us; orbiting ships reconfiguring.
Remaining fighters holding station.”
“Watch closely, Mid Captain,” Thrawn said.
“Let’s see what they do.”
“Yes, sir,” Samakro said, suppressing a snort.
And with theSpringhawkout here all alone .
“There,” Thrawn said, pointing at one of the displays.
“The orbiting ships.
You see it?”
Samakro focused on them.
The seven ships were on the move, shifting from sentry to defense configuration.
“Defense configuration,” he said.
“Which suggests our Prince Militaire is aboard the frigate.”
“Correct,” Thrawn said.
“But did you noticehowthe cruisers took up their new positions?”
“One of the leading ships moved up, one of the trailing ships moved down.”
Samakro played the memory back.
“Yes, sir,” he said.
“I’m not sure I see the significance.”
“Fighters gathering, sir,” Afpriuh called.
“I see them.”
Thrawn keyed off the mute.
“Prince Militaire, this is Senior Captain Thrawn.
As I’ve said already, we come in peace.
“Do you make threats against the Paataatus Hiveborn, Senior Captain Thrawn?”
“I stand by the precise words of my statement, Prince Militaire,” Thrawn said.
“Do you intend harm to the Paataatus?”
“I stand by the precise words of my statement.”
“The consequences are yours.”
“I am prepared to accept them.”
“Then all is in your hands.”
“I am prepared.”
A tone sounded from the speaker.
“He’s cut off transmission, sir,” Brisch reported.
“Understood,” Thrawn said.
“Stand ready, all weapons.”
Samakro took a careful breath.
What was Thrawn doing?
“Sir, we have no authorization to initiate hostilities against the Paataatus.”
“Nor do I intend to,” Thrawn assured him.
“Do you see anything odd about those fighters' attack formation?”
But these ships had instead gathered in groups of two and three and were moving warily toward theSpringhawk.
“That’s not the usual Paataatus structure,” he said.
“Indeed it’s not,” Thrawn said, a hint of grim amusement in his voice.
“But itisone we’ve seen before.”
An instant later the two nearest groups of fighters opened fire, their lasers blazing at theSpringhawk.
“Incoming fire!”
“Response, sir?”
“Hold your fire,” Thrawn said calmly.
“Sir, we’re being attacked!”
“No, we’re not,” Thrawn said.
“Damage” Dalvu broke off.
“None, sir,” he said, clearly confused.
“Enemy lasers running at .
“That can’t be,” Samakro insisted, looking at the sensor readout.
Those lasers had been fully as bright as anything he’d ever seen from a Paataatus attack.
But Dalvu was right.
The energy blasts had barely even gotten the attention of theSpringhawk’s electrostatic shields, let alone strained them.
“I don’t understand.”
“Dalvu: Analysis on laser spectrum,” Thrawn ordered.
“What are they keyed to?”
Samakro felt his eyes narrow.
“They’re not keyed to our hull, sir,” Dalvu said, still sounding confused.
“They’re” Again he stopped .
but this time, he half turned in his seat to give Thrawn a wry smile.
“They’re keyed to the interplanetary dust profile.”
For a couple of heartbeats, Samakro still didn’t get it.
Keyed to thedust profile?
Then suddenly he understood.
As visible, in fact, as full-power lasers that were instead keyed to a warship’s hull.
“It’s not an attack.”
He looked at Thrawn.
“It’s a light show.”
“It is indeed,” Thrawn said.
