Nine years, four months, and thirty days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or the forty-fourth year, four months, and thirty days after the Great Resynchronization.
You couldn't deny that the late Emperor loved to live in comfort.
Even when it came to his own secret treasure vault.
Several dozen levels packed with storerooms filled not just with treasures — there were jewels, works of art, statuettes, antiques, even a collection of lightsabers — but also technological achievements.
Things capable of bringing the New Republic to its knees.
Things capable of crushing the Rebellion, if Palpatine had for a single moment considered using Mount Tantiss in the fight against his enemy.
Standing on a small balcony, I admired the grim grotesquery of the vast cavern. Once dark and damp, it was now filled to the brim with high-tech machinery, around which technicians from the Chimaera scurried, checking the functionality of each unit's systems. Each one...
Twenty thousand Spaarti cloning cylinders nestled in the cavern, row upon row like grains on a cob.
Rukh, squatting a few meters from me, toyed with his throwing knife. Well, "toyed.".. was sharpening it. Noghri on a mission had no free time for idleness. Only maximum efficiency.
And Rukh was precisely on a mission.
The soft sound of heels rapidly descending onto the grated platform drew me away from contemplating the beautiful sight.
"Admiral, sir," Gilad Pellaeon appeared in my field of view.
"Captain," I greeted him. We had started the day without meeting, so an exchange of pleasantries was quite appropriate. "Any news?"
"Yes, sir," that much was obvious — Pellaeon was practically beaming with happiness. "The lower level is like a labyrinth. We nearly lost seven teams of technicians before we figured out what was going on..."
"Not 'like,'" I noted. "It is a labyrinth."
"Sir?" the Chimaera's commander clearly hoped for an explanation.
"Captain, I don't particularly hope for a positive answer, but I'll ask anyway," I looked at the officer. "Are you familiar with the name Garbo V'Diosa?"
The middle-aged man (though, who among us was young? Maybe only Rukh) pushed back his uniform cap, scratched the back of his head, clearly sifting through names and events in his memory.
"No, sir," he replied after a few seconds. "Should I be?"
"If you're not interested in architecture — then no," I said. "Garbo V'Diosa was one of the most extravagant and arrogant architects in the galaxy. He had a hand in many buildings in Imperial Center. Of course, at the time, the planet was called something else — Coruscant."
"I'm from Corellia, sir," Pellaeon declared.
"But you grew up on Coruscant," I clarified, having already familiarized myself with the captain's personal file. "But don't think that's a criticism, Captain. Not at all."
"Sir, what does Imperial Center and this... have to do with anything?"
"Garbo V'Diosa," I reminded him. "It's simple, Captain. Garbo V'Diosa is the man who built most of the levels of Mount Tantiss."
"Is that so," the man scratched the back of his head again. "I thought this mountain had been filled with secrets for much longer, back in the days of the Clone Wars."
"Yes, that's true," I agreed, pointing at the grotto. "See how drastically the constructions of the cloning center levels differ from the rest of the mountain? There — something spacious, high ceilings, elegant curved lines, a minimum of corners. The rest of the mountain is characteristic Imperial design, which appeared towards the end of the Clone Wars and was finalized in the first years of the Galactic Empire's formation."
"Sir, I'm far from art," Pellaeon admitted.
"Yes, so am I," I wanted to reply. But instead, I continued reciting what I had read in the files of Mount Tantiss's throne room. Yes, there was a throne room here too. Very, very similar to what I remembered from the interior of the place where Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader fought aboard the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor.
"The Emperor hired Garbo V'Diosa to design the labyrinth on the lower levels of Mount Tantiss," I said. "When the work was finished, the Emperor executed both Garbo, who created this architectural masterpiece, and his brother, who worked on the construction site as a foreman. All to keep the secrets of the mountain and the way to navigate the labyrinth hidden."
"Did you learn this from the Emperor's records?" Pellaeon inquired.
"This and much more," I admitted. "We truly have acquired a treasure vault, Captain. The only problem is that most of the 'treasures' are inaccessible to us until we deal with the labyrinth."
"However, we already have something," Pellaeon looked at the cloning cylinders. "Just think of it, twenty thousand cloning cylinders... Well, only sixteen thousand of them are in working order, but the engineers assure me that they can restore the rest over time... once they figure out this technology. It's a shame it will take us ten years to grow even one generation of clones in them. This Kaminoan technology is utterly insane. Some pipes with fluids, hydraulics... To be honest, I thought the clone-makers of Kamino were a more technologically advanced race."
"The Kaminoans are," I confirmed. "The problem with your indignation towards the inhabitants of Kamino, Captain, actually has no basis whatsoever. These cylinders are not from there."
"Indeed?" Pellaeon furrowed his brow. "But it was Kamino that supplied clones for the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. Isn't it the same technology?"
"No," I replied. "These cloning cylinders were created by a rather interesting enterprise, known during the Clone Wars as 'Spaarti Creations.' It was located on the planet... Come now, Captain, strain your memory. It was quite a scandal."
"Cartao," Pellaeon pronounced. "Yes, I remember. A production facility that supposedly could retool to produce an entirely different product overnight."
"Not overnight, but in a night," I clarified. "But otherwise, correct."
"Then it's doubly confusing," Pellaeon said. "I remember there was a scandal that the Republic had placed an order on Cartao for the construction of cloning cylinders, as they supposedly could create clones faster. But nothing came of it, because the Separatists landed on the planet right after the Republicans, wanting the same technology. A battle broke out, the Republic sent reinforcements, several Jedi. However, the Jedi couldn't handle the flight and crashed their ship, destroying 'Spaarti Creations' before they could deliver any product..."
"All true," I confirmed, remembering the story well. A story that had not been mentioned in the Emperor's records here on Wayland. Which was unsurprising — who would keep such damning evidence on themselves. "With the single exception that there were no Jedi on that ship."
"You are probably mistaken, Grand Admiral," Pellaeon brightened, probably thinking he had pointed out an error. "I remember clearly — lightsabers were found at the crash site. The whole HoloNet was buzzing about it..."
"And yet, it's not so," I sighed. Why elaborate on details? I was at least somewhat familiar with Palpatine's deeds from books. But if I told Pellaeon, he'd probably grab his blaster. "Spaarti Creations managed to create the cloning cylinders. Exactly twenty thousand."
"So these are them," Pellaeon said in amazement.
"Them," I confirmed. "We have twenty thousand incubators at our disposal that can provide us with our own clone army in a relatively short time. A useful acquisition, I must say."
"But again — it will take time, years," Pellaeon sighed.
"Not years," I clarified. "No more than a standard month," the captain followed my gaze, watching as technicians from the Chimaera placed cages with ysalamiri near each installation. "Our little creatures will help us here too. We might get our clone army even faster than we thought."
"Is that so," the Imperial officer said meaningfully. "And I was wondering why we needed a full hold of them."
"We might need even more," I said. "Much more..."
"You think the ones left on the ship won't be enough to protect us from that... C'baoth?" Pellaeon didn't hide his contempt.
"If not, we always know where to find more," I said.
"Sir," Pellaeon lowered his voice. "Are you sure that the deal with this C'baoth is the right move? He's... well," the officer twirled his finger near his temple. "Not quite sane."
"No, Captain," I replied. "The deal with C'baoth is far from the right move. But it is necessary to achieve a number of goals. Besides, our acquaintance is not C'baoth at all."
I wished I could have seen the expression on Pellaeon's face. The officer was clearly struggling to suppress a nervous tic.
"What?" he said in a choked voice.
"Jorus C'baoth is dead," I explained. "For... well, these dating systems. Twenty-six years, if you ignore certain liberties in calculation."
"But... how?" Pellaeon nearly dropped his datapad.
"Notice how our ally introduced himself," I said. "Joruus C'baoth. He can't even pronounce his own name correctly. The real C'baoth led an expedition beyond the galaxy. The Outbound Flight."
"I've heard of that Jedi initiative," Pellaeon frowned. "Fifty thousand sentients dissatisfied with the Galactic Senate's rule boarded a ship of unique design and set off beyond the galaxy intending to found colonies. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine supported them back then."
"And Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth was a regular member of our Emperor's inner circle during his time as head of the Republic." "But even then the Emperor understood that the Jedi and their philosophy posed a danger to the galaxy. So he supported the project. Half a dozen Jedi Masters alone gathered aboard the expedition's ships, not to mention Knights and so on. The expedition set out for the edge of the galaxy through the Unknown Regions."
"There's been no word from them since," Pellaeon said.
"No one to send reports," I explained. "The expedition was discovered, intercepted, and destroyed. No one returned or continued their journey."
Pellaeon swallowed loudly, staring intently at me: "How do you know that, sir?"
"I destroyed them." There it was — hanging a mass murderer's label on yourself. Though Pellaeon himself wasn't blameless either — serving the Galactic Empire made it hard to keep your hands free of blood.
"Sir," the captain looked crushed. "Then who..."
"Who is this Joruus C'baoth?" I smiled. Gilad nodded silently. "Come now, Captain, think. A long-dead Jedi shows up on a planet with cloning technology..."
"A clone?!" Pellaeon said, stunned. "A clone of a Jedi?!"
"Exactly," I confirmed. "What's more, I'll tell you it's not even certain the Guardian of the Mountain ever existed. More likely our friend C'baoth was there from the very beginning. And he's served here for a very long time — he was probably created before the original Jedi's death. Or a little after. Yes, he was most likely the first thing made in this cloning lab. Either way, I see no sense on the Emperor's part in creating a Jedi clone to compete with the Guardian. And even less sense in giving C'baoth's clone Wayland's coordinates."
"Perhaps C'baoth arrived on this planet himself?" Pellaeon suggested.
"And his ship just vanished?" I asked. "No, Captain. No matter how much the rebels praise the Force and the Jedi, they still haven't learned to fly between stars. But whether the Guardian existed or not doesn't really matter. What we have now is enough."
"Sir," Pellaeon said cautiously. "I'm no cloning specialist, but I remember very well that there were clones — especially in the last year of the Clone Wars — who went insane. Psychologically unstable, emotionally unbalanced. Psychos, in a word. If C'baoth wasn't created using Kaminoan technology, he could be dangerous to everyone around him."
"Yes, our dear 'master' has problems, no denying that," I agreed. "Over time they'll even progress — I think we'll soon witness outbursts of rage, emotional grievances, paranoia, and other symptoms of disorder."
"And you're willing to trust a subject like that to coordinate our forces?" Pellaeon was surprised.
"Do you happen to know another trained Jedi with such talents?" I asked. Pellaeon shook his head negatively. "Neither do I. We'll work with what we've got. And work with great caution. You're effectively my second-in-command, Captain. Consider my request an order. But as long as C'baoth is on board, you and the entire bridge crew should befriend the ysalamiri. No one knows when our dear Master will want to renegotiate the terms of our cooperation, but it will happen. And no one knows exactly what he might do to our soldiers' minds."
"More and more reasons to eliminate him and avoid going to extremes," Pellaeon grumbled.
"For now we need him, Captain," I noted. "Once we learn to manage without him, we'll deal with the issue. We don't need unnecessary risk. But we can't do without him either."
"You promised him the restoration of the Jedi Order," Pellaeon frowned, since I'd recounted the conversation with the clone during the Tantiss Mountain survey. "You even gave him the name of that pilot who particularly distinguished himself in capturing the Lusankya..."
"And the Brawl," I reminded him. "Yes, Corran Horn has done plenty of damage to the Imperial cause. I think if we can deliver him to C'baoth, or C'baoth to him, we'll at least get moral satisfaction from what our Master does to him."
Pellaeon shuddered.
"You're not actually going to let C'baoth create an Order, are you?" he asked. "He's dangerous alone, but if he gets followers..."
"That would be a disaster," I agreed. "No. If I wanted what's best for our dear 'Master,' I'd tell him about Luke and Leia Skywalker. The latter, pregnant with twins, would certainly make our ally worry. But I won't lie — having Jedi on the rebels' side gives them some advantages. Just imagine how much further we'd advance in our cause if we had a man with C'baoth's talents who was absolutely loyal to the Empire's ideals?"
"I served alongside Jedi in the Clone Wars," Pellaeon admitted. "There were some among them you could speak well of, but..."
"That's ancient history, Captain," I said, wrapping up the discussion. I was slipping. Can't do that. Can't break character. Control. Control. "Any news from the Imperial Center?"
"Strangely enough, yes," the captain said, handing me a datapad. "The Delta Source sent another report. Encrypted, naturally."
"Well, let's take a look." I touched my code cylinder — containing my access codes — to the device's receiving port, activating the decryptor. As soon as the symbols on the screen turned into readable text, I immersed myself in reading.
After a few minutes, having deleted the message, I returned the device to the captain.
"Everything is unfolding better than ever, Captain." I allowed myself a restrained smile. "We're being informed that the rebels failed to reach an agreement with smugglers for direct centralized supply shipments. Their logistics network is in decline. Their supreme commander made an interesting decision — disarming combat ships to increase cargo space for transport."
"Stupid decision," Pellaeon declared. "Using a fleet as freighters is idiocy."
"And you expect brilliant decisions from yesterday's farmers?" I chuckled. Pellaeon looked at me closely. Damn. Looks like I slipped out of character again. Why didn't I take acting courses?! "Their rash decision will play into our hands."
"How so?" Pellaeon asked, bewildered.
"Everything in its time, Captain," I said. "Better tell me how the search for the cloaking device technical schematics is going."
"We found it." A smile appeared on Pellaeon's lips. "Schematics, several conditionally working prototypes. The techs are still checking their usability, but I think it's a success."
"Undoubtedly," I agreed. "Send the data to the Chimaera — we'll take it with us. We need to test the technology in real trials. Find anything else useful?"
"That's all so far, sir," the captain admitted. "But a cloaking generator... that's a huge success! We could sneak up on the enemy and destroy their ships..."
"No, we can't," I dashed the Star Destroyer commander's hopes.
"But why?" he was surprised.
"Because it uses a substance called 'hybidium' as its base," I explained. "The cloaking device you found is Admiral Martio Batch's first attempt at creating one."
"I've never heard of that technology," Pellaeon admitted. "Honestly, I read that we found blueprints for cloaking devices used during the Clone Wars."
"Unfortunately, according to the Emperor's records, that's not true," I clarified. "Martio Batch was an exceptional man. Talented, yet modest. While the Imperial court wallowed in political squabbles, he distanced himself from it. He even earned the nickname 'the invisible admiral' for it," judging by Pellaeon's smirk, he knew about it. "After our defeat at the Battle of Yavin, the Emperor tasked Batch with creating a cloaking device. After many attempts, he created an original design — the very one we found. But it had a significant flaw — when activated, the ship's pilot couldn't see anything beyond the cloaking field. Though the ship itself was undetectable. That's why the technology ended up in the Emperor's hands and into the treasury — it has potential."
"Does it?" Pellaeon noted with sadness.
"Yes," I confirmed. "When Grand Admiral Zaarin betrayed the Empire, he was working on solving the hybidium-based cloaking device's flaws. He managed to reduce energy consumption and decrease the installation's size, but he didn't achieve a breakthrough. Incidentally, Zaarin owed his death to yet another flaw of hybidium — when attempting a hyperspace jump, a ship with such technology activated tears apart."
"And you know this?" Pellaeon asked.
"Yes," I confirmed with a barely perceptible nod. "I destroyed Zaarin myself."
At least that's what Palpatine's documents on cloaking systems indicated.
The research was called Project Vornskr. Its goal was to refine Batch's work. Grand Admiral Zaarin was in charge of it. An outstanding engineer and inventor, he decided to betray Palpatine in his time. So Thrawn was sent after him. The Chiss defeated Zaarin in a direct engagement, then tricked the rebellious Grand Admiral into using a frigate called the Vornskr for his escape. Demetrius Zaarin and his followers fell for the trap. Trying to shake Thrawn off their tail, they activated the cloaking device the frigate was equipped with to jump into hyperspace and remain undetected. Unfortunately for them, Thrawn expected this move. He knew perfectly well that attempting a hyperspace jump with the cloaking device active would destroy the entire ship. A simple yet effective trap.
Palpatine, enraged by Zaarin's betrayal, ordered the project shut down and all materials related to it destroyed. Quite strange, considering he'd kept Batch's work. Though according to the Emperor's records, Zaarin hadn't achieved much of a breakthrough before his betrayal. Still, records and schematics for reducing energy consumption and installation size do exist. Along with indicators for the planet where hybidium was mined. Garos IV. That's important because we'll need a lot of raw material.
The technologies Pellaeon mentioned, referencing Clone Wars experience, used stygium crystals as their base — and that allowed them to avoid adverse effects like absolute "deafness" and "blindness."
But here's the problem — stygium is so rare and so expensive, and producing cloaking based on it would require tons of the substance, that unfortunately, we can forget about that possibility. We can't afford it right now. And by "we," I mean the remnants of the Empire, not just our specific fleet.
"Captain," I said, addressing Pellaeon. "Get in touch with our fleet's ships. When Mount Tantiss starts working, I want the best pilots, technicians, engineers, and soldiers here to create copies of them."
"Yes, of course, Admiral," the Imperial said absently. "Only... Sir, it's unlikely the Imperial Space warehouses will be that full of equipment and gear. I mean shock armor. They're hardly producing any now — the factories are under rebel control."
"We'll take everything we need," I said firmly. "Imperial property exists on the black market, with smugglers, and I'm sure Karrde has some too. Speaking of which, do we still have the beacon data?"
"They're still on Myrkr," Pellaeon stated. "The Death's Head and three Star Galleons are heading there for a new shipment of ysalamiri and could check..."
Star Galleon-class frigate.
"Is that so?" I was surprised. "Eleven days have passed and they're still at their base? Interesting. No, tell Captain Harbadaa to change course and head directly to Wayland. The ysalamiri we have on the Chimaera will be enough for now. We don't need to give our enemy more information to think about than necessary."
"You think the smugglers don't intend to leave the planet?" the Star Destroyer commander asked.
"No," I said confidently. "It's more likely they found our beacons and left them behind as a keepsake." Casting a glance at the Noghri, I added: "It seems, Rukh, you're not as effective as I would have liked."
"I will correct my mistake, our new master," Rukh stood up readily.
"Do you think I'm naive enough to trust a new assignment to someone who failed the previous one?" I said in a flat, expressionless tone. "No. Let our scouts check it. As for supply, Captain" looking at Pellaeon, I noticed him studying the cloning cylinders — "aren't there millions of Phase II clone armor sets still in the warehouses?"
"Yes, sir, of course," Pellaeon nodded. "They're in the strategic reserve depots..."
"Which are located in the Deep Core," I concluded. Palpatine had things well set up. Everything for himself. "I don't think they'll share them with us."
"And they're standard issue, designed for only one type of sentient — the clones' donor from the Grand Army of the Republic," Pellaeon added.
"Of course," I agreed. "Well, there's a source for replenishing our army and fleet. Now let's take care of logistics, supplies and... new ships for our fleet. Arrange a meeting for me with representatives of pirates, corsairs, and hijackers. We'll have a proposition for them."
* * *
Joruus C'baoth.
A mentally unstable clone of a Jedi who, even in his best years, wasn't known for exceptional patience or peacefulness.
A very dangerous resource. Very.
Heading to Wayland, I convinced myself I'd use his services without revealing the secret that there were Jedi in the galaxy. Because that's dangerous — first and foremost for me. However, the only thing that could interest a madman was the Jedi legacy. Potential students.
And the worst part — I knew perfectly well what this clone was like. And what the consequences of using him in the Thrawn Campaign would be.
Destroying a city to kill him would be far too reckless and stupid. In the Thrawn Campaign events I knew, he played a considerable role in tactical victories but also caused countless strategic problems. Eliminate him now — many of the campaign episodes I knew would have to be presented in a different light. If they could even be implemented at all. And to let him live, allowing the situation to develop along the known course — reckless, if not stupid.
And it wasn't clear which of these options would be better.
So I started my own game, putting a not-so-powerful potential Jedi in the crosshairs. Yes, Corran Horn would become a very significant acquisition for the New Jedi Order created by Luke Skywalker. But that would be in the distant future. If it happens at all.
In the Thrawn Trilogy events I knew, the Grand Admiral promised the madman to deliver Leia Organa Solo's still-unborn children so he could train them. A decision that led to disaster. Because he used the Noghri for it. The very Noghri who worshipped Darth Vader as their god and master. Either Thrawn didn't know that Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were the same person at different points in his life, or he didn't know Luke and Leia were his children. Or he didn't suspect the Noghri's almost supernatural ability to determine kinship by scent.
One way or another, I wouldn't hand over the Skywalkers to Joruus C'baoth of my own free will. That family is dangerous on the Dark Side — Darth Vader would never lie. And his grandson, the yet-unborn Darth Caedus, also known as Jacen Solo — from the same mold. Little can handle a Jedi — except another Jedi. Or a Sith. I didn't have any at my disposal. I didn't want to send special forces and stormtroopers to the slaughter. Nor did I want to risk the Noghri switching to the enemy's side. I needed to track the Skywalkers' movements across the galaxy and keep the Noghri away from them. That was first. Second — to resolve the issue with their planet. As far as I remembered, to keep the Noghri in line, the Empire promised to eliminate the consequences of the ecological crisis that broke out during the Clone Wars due to a Separatist ship carrying poison crashing on Honoghr's surface, the Noghri homeworld. Darth Vader exploited the situation and ensured the planet's restoration to its original state progressed very slowly. In exchange for food, medicine, and technology, the Noghri served the Empire as assassins and saboteurs. And some opportunities opened up there.
But let's get back to the Jedi.
I had certain doubts that the Skywalkers could ever be defeated without possessing the Force. Such a fate had passed me by, and most likely — thank God. Because all these Force-sensitives have their own perceptions of the world. Like having a conversation with autistics. And there's no difference between Jedi or Sith — they're all equally brain-damaged.
Distracting attention from the Skywalker also served another purpose. If Thrawn hadn't started hunting Luke and Leia Skywalker, the future Grand Master wouldn't have met Mara Jade. If he didn't meet her, he wouldn't seek her help. And if that were the case, circumstances wouldn't put her on the New Republic's side.
For these and other reasons, no one sent the Noghri to Bimmisaari to capture the Skywalkers. It was pointless. They'd weasel their way out. And I'd only reveal my interest in them and reveal the existence of the Noghri and their abilities to the New Republic. No, let them live. For now.
The idea of creating a Jedi Order loyal to the Empire was intriguing, I admit. But it could hardly be achieved under Jorus C'baoth's leadership. More precisely — it was impossible. And certainly not at the present moment. Time was needed, a more favorable situation in the galaxy, and sentients loyal to the Empire capable of becoming mentors for young talents.
And that meant it wasn't a decision for today. So — we'll remember it, but set it aside from the list of short-term and necessary tasks.
Several more urgent tasks needed addressing.
For example — replenishing my modest fleet.
There it was... I'd quickly gotten used to the role of the real Thrawn. Well, that was for the best. The main thing was to keep controlling myself and not let myself relax. Failure would shorten my second life fairly quickly.
The door to my cabin slid aside, admitting Captain Pellaeon.
"Sir," he addressed me. "The Death's Head has arrived. Specialists gathered from all ships have been delivered to Mount Tantiss. As has the temporary base garrison along with all necessary equipment."
"Excellent," I said. "Tell the commander to begin cloning operations. The more technical specialists we have, the better."
Even better would be to clone one of the best, if not the best, Imperial pilot — Baron Soontir Fel. The problem was that this sentient was at the Empire of the Hand's base on Nirauan. And unfortunately — or fortunately — the coordinates of the Empire of the Hand were unavailable to me. I'd expected that data to be on Thrawn's code cylinders, but I was wrong. The Chiss didn't trust such data to any storage device except his own memory. Which I no longer had. Annoying, certainly. But who knows — if Thrawn's consciousness had survived, would my own have? Or, by the laws of the body-snatcher genre, would we have become something new? No, thanks. I didn't need someone else's thoughts. Thrawn, genius though he was, relied on his mind's analytics. His brain was mine. And unlike him, I had knowledge of the future. An interesting combination — genius versus mediocrity (why deny it?), reinforced by foreknowledge. We'll see what comes of it. I could take a ship and fly far, far away at any moment. But I'd save that option for the absolute last case. Not everything was lost for me and the Empire. Not everyone knew that yet.
"But we don't have ships for them," Pellaeon noted reasonably. "Sir, I doubt that criminal rabble you've scheduled a meeting with in the Pakuuni system can procure a fleet for us. Wouldn't it be better to try negotiating with the warlords in the Deep Core? Especially since they have something to offer us. Those Phase II clone armors... Fully functional sets go for obscene money on the black market. And we could save that by forming an alliance..."
"Let's just fly to Byss right now and swear allegiance to the Reborn Emperor Palpatine, shall we?" I wanted to say. But it was better to keep quiet about that, otherwise Pellaeon and the other commanders, not to mention the Imperial Remnants, would really rush there headlong.
"We are the Empire, Captain," I reminded him. "They are nothing more than rebels. Perhaps of a different caliber than those holding Coruscant, but rebels nonetheless. An offer to join was made to them — they rejected it. I have no intention of begging or pleading with anyone. In due time, we'll deal with them too. And I ask you not to raise this issue again."
"Yes, Admiral," Pellaeon said firmly.
For a while I stared at my computer monitor. Then I said: "Contact our people in intelligence. I have a series of assignments for them."
"Ubiqtorate or...?" Pellaeon asked.
"Our own fleet intelligence will suffice," I clarified. "How are the Mount Tantiss defense systems coming along?"
"Three of the four reactors are in working order," Pellaeon reported. "The fourth needs expensive repairs, but according to the commandant, three will be sufficient for normal operations. Once the stormtroopers from the Death's Head disembark, we can consider the mountain fully secured. However, I recall you mentioned that a legion of stormtroopers on the planet was a risk of exposure."
"On the planet, yes," I confirmed. "The stormtroopers and their attached equipment, like AT-ST walkers and speeder bikes, will be stationed inside the mountain. Our late Emperor kindly equipped his vault with shielding generators that protect against scanning. So we're not risking anything here. But in case of an attack, a legion of stormtroopers and heavy equipment will provide enough resistance against any enemy to hold them off until the main forces arrive."
"Sir, wouldn't it have been better to use a standard legion, then, instead of assembling one from across the entire fleet?" Pellaeon clarified. "We've effectively stripped our forces of the best of the best..."
"Have we really?" I inquired, staring intently at Pellaeon. Come on! It's simple! Think! I laid it all out for you at our last meeting!
"You're cloning them!" the Chimaera's captain finally caught on.
"Exactly," I confirmed. "Right now, we don't have a major need for ground forces. So we'll start by creating technicians — we need a large number of specialists to win. That's why both the garrison and the technicians on Wayland are the best we have. They'll work inside Mount Tantiss, simultaneously serving as sources of genetic material for cloning. We don't have that many ships, even seemingly useless ones, to send them halfway across the galaxy, ferrying new specialists for cloning. We're optimizing the workflow. We need technicians — we'll have them. When it's time to increase the number of stormtroopers, we'll tackle that problem too. But first, we need to equip our clones with uniforms, provisions, and a place of service. Not to mention that we need a victory. We simply can't crush the rebels in a single decisive battle — we don't have enough ships. But at the same time, we can kill a krayt dragon by striking it with blows that seem minor. One, two, three — they won't destroy the New Republic. But they'll instill in our soldiers the confidence that we can fight. To summarize everything I've said, I've defined our first, but far from last, target.
Touching the computer keys, I projected a hologram of a star system under the ceiling.
"Sluis Van?" Pellaeon was taken aback. "That's one of the rebels' largest shipyards. Not to mention it's a sector fleet base! There must be thirty Mon Calamari star cruisers there alone!"
"That's right," I remarked calmly. "Our intelligence isn't paid for nothing. Indeed, Sluis Van is a heavily fortified place. Just like Fondor, just like Kuat, just like Sullust, just like Mon Calamari, also known as the planet Dac. Not to mention the lower-class shipyards. Only on Sluis Van, the Mon Calamari homeworld of Dac, Fondor, and Kuat can the rebels build their line-class ships. And accordingly, they defend them thoroughly. That's precisely why no one expects an attack on this planet."
"Admiral," Pellaeon said with concern. "I dare to remind you that we have only six Imperial-class Star Destroyers in the first and second modifications of your operational task force, three Imperial support vessels, two Victory-class Star Destroyers, three Interdictor-class Star Destroyers, two Immobilizer 418-class cruiser-interdictors, ten Strike-class medium cruisers, and Star Galleon-class frigates..."
An Interdictor-class Star Destroyer.
"Thank you for reminding me what fleet I command, Captain," I remarked dryly. "If you intended to compare our combined forces with the rebel sector fleet at Sluis Van, then let's immediately remove the Star Galleons from the equation. They're just armed freighters, capable of fending off pirates on their own, yes. But not Mon Calamari star cruisers, which can duel on equal terms with an Imperial Star Destroyer."
Pellaeon looked embarrassed, clearly realizing he'd overstepped. But I wasn't going to let him off the hook.
"Also, let's not forget that the design limitations of the Immobilizer 418-class cruiser-interdictor prevent it from countering threats from light ships and small starfighters, which the rebels love to use," I continued. "And its frankly weak armament during the operation of the gravity well generators is practically deprived of power because it all goes to powering the four generators."
An Immobilizer 418-class cruiser-interdictor.
"Sir, I..." he tried to say something in his defense, but was shamelessly interrupted.
"In total, in a battle with the sector fleet, we can use, without worrying about the enemy, only nine Imperial-class Star Destroyers of the first and second models, two Victory-class Star Destroyers, three Interdictor-class Star Destroyers equipped with gravity well projectors capable of participating in a full-scale battle, and ten medium cruisers that together probably won't match the firepower of a pair of Imperial Star Destroyers," I caught myself starting to get worked up and letting irritation creep into my voice. Goddamn it, bright and early and already on a forced march! "Did I miss anything, Captain?"
"No, sir," Pellaeon swallowed loudly. "I apologize, Admiral, I overstepped and..."
"Apology accepted, Captain," I said dryly. "But I won't deny that there's a grain of fair truth in your words."
The captain stood rigidly still.
"What do we know about the rebel fleet?" I asked rhetorically. "Strangely enough — quite a lot. Or, if you look at it from another angle, quite little. But let's turn to our intelligence data." I found the relevant file on the computer and brought it up as a holographic projection.
"As of now, the New Republic Defense Fleet, as they majestically call it, consists of four regional fleets, with headquarters on the planets Kashyyyk, Elom, Bothawui, and Anaxis. The latter is the home fleet, defending the Coruscant sector. And we can't handle that one with our current forces. But the other three... Despite most rebels hailing from backwater worlds, there are plenty of traitors from our own ranks among them who, in one way or another, contributed to establishing order and centralization within the enemy's ranks. We know that until the occupation of Coruscant three years ago, the enemy's main tactical trick was based on the flexibility of their operational task forces — allowing them to be moved across vast distances. This isn't the Imperial Fleet at its peak, when every sector had its own sufficiently combat-capable and autonomous fleet. The rebels have to resort to a defensive node tactic. They have headquarters for each of their fleets, then create smaller regional bases on some planet and move smaller tactical formations — like squadrons or battle groups — there. This kind of organization creates the illusion of territorial defense in a given quadrant of the galaxy. If something happens, a few ships from the regional base will arrive to properly defend the independence of the attacked worlds," I shared generalized information from the Imperial archives. There really was a lot of interesting stuff in there! Too bad the day only has twenty-four hours and I couldn't spend more time studying this treasure trove of information. I also had a suspicion that very few people ever accessed this data. "Consequently, the enemy's structural organization has vulnerabilities. Not just tactical and strategic ones. But also moral and ethical ones."
"I don't quite understand, sir," Pellaeon admitted. "How do moral norms relate to waging war?"
"For us — not at all," I assured him. "An order is an order. For the New Republic, which is barely holding together as it is, maintaining the face of fighters for democracy and the other ideals of the Old Republic is very important. Imagine what would happen if, say, a hypothetical enemy found themselves in some rebel system. Condition — that system has no fleet of its own."
"They'd send a request for help to the nearest base," the Chimaera's captain offered a reasonable answer.
"Exactly," I nodded. "And they'd respond proportionally to the threat, otherwise the rest is pointless. Too weak an operational unit and the hypothetical enemy would destroy it; too strong and it's a waste of resources. But let's return to the theoretical conditions. One system is attacked, and the enemy's first battle group rushes to its aid. Then, in the same regional base's area of responsibility, another planet comes under attack. What would the rebels do?"
"They'd send reinforcements again," Pellaeon said confidently.
"And so on," I said, not bothering with details. "Each new attack brings another reinforcement. But eventually, what would be left at the base itself?"
"Orbital defense platforms, maybe some patrol forces, ships under repair," Pellaeon began to speculate.
"Or undergoing disarmament," I clarified.
"The rebels intend to use their warships as transports!" Pellaeon exclaimed.
"Yes," I agreed calmly. "A convoy system. Obviously, they won't disarm all their ships — just some of them. Our intelligence's goal is to find out which ones. Our retreat from Obroa-skai convinced them that the Empire's backbone is broken. And they desperately need to rebuild their economy. Interstellar trade will give them the resources they need to repair and modernize their ships, not to mention build new ones. And our primary goal is to prevent them from strengthening their armed forces."
"By attacking Sluis Van?" Pellaeon asked rhetorically.
"Yes," I confirmed. "As you rightly pointed out, our fleet isn't the largest. We can't crack the defenses of Dac — too many Mon Calamari star cruisers there. Same with Fondor. The Kuat sector is positively swarming with their own fleet, including Mandator-class dreadnoughts. So Sluis Van is our most optimal of impossible targets. The rebels use this planet's shipyards to disarm their ships. The planet itself is a major transport hub in this part of the galaxy. Just look at how actively the rebels court the local species, the Sluissi, to secure their loyalty. Once, only Dac and Sluis Van could provide our enemy with line-class ships. With the addition of other planets, particularly the Kuat sector, the Sluissi's importance to the rebels has diminished. Using their world as a transport artery should increase the Sluissi's perception of their own importance to the government on Coruscant. And so our strike will be strong enough not only to weaken the rebel fleet but also to make the locals wonder — did they do the right thing by exchanging their loyalty to the Empire for unattainable dreams of democracy?"
"You hope the Sluissi will become loyal to the Empire?" Pellaeon asked skeptically.
"I intend to take measures toward that end," came his reply. "We don't have that many shipyards of the same class as Sluis Van. Not to mention that the dry docks there allow for repairs in a significantly shorter time. For example, the Sluis Van V-475 orbital dry docks."
Sluis Van V-475 orbital dry docks.
"As far as I recall, the Sluissi build them only for themselves," Pellaeon said.
"Exactly," I agreed. "Their dry dock technology is particularly good. An enclosed space that can comfortably accommodate a Mon Calamari star cruiser or an Imperial Star Destroyer. You just secure the ship in special fixtures and fill the dry dock with air, allowing work without special equipment. You understand — this approach lets repair crews operate not in zero gravity and spacesuits, but in more comfortable breathing conditions without restrictions. Repair efficiency increases. And that works in our favor. We need that."
"In other words, we're aiming only to damage the rebels, not the Sluissi shipyards?" Pellaeon clarified.
"The latter is out of the question," I said sternly. "Anything we destroy, we'll potentially have to rebuild ourselves. And unnecessary expenses will also affect the Sluissi's mood."
"You don't want to punish them for betraying the Empire?" Pellaeon was surprised.
"There are too many traitors, Captain, to waste our already limited resources on executing each one," I declared. "In conditions where the death of Emperor Palpatine led to a power struggle, the chaos frightened many. So the question of who betrayed and who switched sides out of commercial or other economic interest remains unclear. I'm confident that once we establish ourselves as a reliable force capable of opposing the rebels, and most importantly — of providing shipyards and factories with orders — even Kuat will reconsider whether it shouldn't return to the Empire's fold."
"An unusual approach," Pellaeon admitted. "The Empire long held everyone in fear and an iron fist."
"Maybe that's why the Rebellion arose?" I inquired. "The Empire brought the galaxy stability it didn't have under the previous government. But, like any other political regime, the New Order has its flaws. Our task is to learn from the past and not repeat past mistakes."
"I understand, Grand Admiral." Pellaeon straightened up.
I drew my own conclusions.
"Inform our intelligence operatives that we need a number of additional elements," I said. "Otherwise, the success of the operation at Sluis Van will be in doubt. The first of these are autonomous geological drills. I've heard the planet Nkllon has such plasma drills, developed by Slayn & Korpil. And quite a bit else besides. For example, large deposits of rare-earth minerals needed for starship construction. Notify Captain Brandei that the Judicator needs to be prepared accordingly for the upcoming mission."
"Yes, sir." The Star Destroyer commander saluted and left my cabin.
As soon as the door closed behind him, I allowed myself to relax, leaning back in my chair. For a while I studied the three-dimensional map of the Sluis Van system. Nothing outstanding, nothing remarkable. Except the planet and its shipyards.
Even the resource source for these production and repair facilities is external. That is, occupying the Sluis Van shipyards with the intention of using them also implies having a source of materials for the slipways and docks to work. And it needs to be relatively close, otherwise you'd have to haul resources — spare parts, ore, materials — across half the galaxy. Which is expensive and inefficient.
Under those conditions, kicking Lando Calrissian off the planet Nkllon, rich in minerals but too dangerous due to high radiation, isn't the worst idea. It's one thing to cross two or three, well okay — five sectors, and another to cross a couple hundred. But again — that's the prospect of our attack on Nkllon. A tactical advantage of a completely different order.
There was a very good opportunity to eliminate the Skywalker family by provoking an attack by my agents on that honored group on Bimmisaari. Just like in the events I knew, they'd fear for their yet-unborn twins. And if they didn't — the attack could be repeated. And it didn't necessarily have to be the Noghri. Either way, the Skywalkers and Han Solo would end up at the mining facility on the planet Nkllon, owned by Lando Calrissian. And if desired, they could be destroyed with a single orbital bombardment, but...
Again, circumstances have to be considered.
Nkllon is located too close to its sun, and the radiation, plus the star's emission, could literally bake a Star Destroyer in its own juices. Staying there long, even with existing shielding, isn't practical. Using a slow ship for defense is a very bad course of events. Safe — yes. But in the time it would take to capture the necessary starship and jump to the planet itself, the people at the facility could not only prepare for an attack but also hide what they have. We'll settle for simple piracy, even if the equipment suffers.
The second, and main, reason we need to keep that family alive — Emperor Palpatine. In the events I know, only the Skywalkers (by the law of the genre, who doubted it) managed to destroy both the Reborn Emperor and his armada. And while I wasn't particularly grieving over the first, the second... Hundreds of ships, many of which were Super Star Destroyers... And all of them were destined to die in the finale of the Reborn Emperor's campaign. A great, great shame.
In the Emperor's private chambers inside Mount Tantiss, I found a lot of interesting things. Palpatine clearly hadn't put much thought into the computer security of his data, since any information chip could be removed from his vast collection and read on any datapad.
Some of them could be used right now — and then the New Republic would fall even without my direct involvement. But again — who would stop the cloned madman then? And I'm not talking about Joruus C'baoth. Palpatine would have enormous resources — just look at the technical data of the ships being built for his personal fleet. And it immediately becomes clear that Thrawn himself would hardly have been able to defeat this man and his supporters.
It's curious that the construction of many ships wasn't a particular secret in the Imperial armed forces. They even appear in specialized reference books with approximate tactical and technical characteristics. However, it seems none of the Imperials ever bothered to ask: "Where did all this wealth go?"
It's hard to imagine that a good dozen or more various Super Star Destroyers, if destroyed by the rebels, wouldn't have been trumpeted in their motivational and populist speeches. But no, no one really bothered to track down these ships. Ships whose construction took years and billions. Such expenditures simply cannot go unnoticed!
Or did someone actually ask?
It's very curious that a significant portion of such starships vanished from the galaxy's reaches right around the period after the Battle of Endor, when the chaos of one Imperial faction warring against another — known as the Imperial Civil War — began. Most likely, given the size of the galaxy, they were written off as destroyed without going into details.
And that was a very big mistake, because very, very notable ships disappeared — and not just disappeared, but I even suspect where they ended up.
For example, the Procursator-class Star Destroyers. Digging through my memory, trying to match the ship's name with analogs from my native language, I couldn't find a translation. Too bad. Fine, I'll remember it as 'Procursator.'
One kilometer and two hundred meters long, shorter than a standard Imperial Star Destroyer. Three axial linearly-elevated turrets with main caliber artillery. Unfortunately, Palpatine's files didn't include the number of guns in each turret, but I can assume each has four to eight — standard turbolaser turret allocation in the Imperial Fleet. Total — twelve to twenty-four heavy turbolasers. Plus eleven heavy turbolaser batteries distributed across the hull and sides. To power all that — a solar ionization generator under the keel. Not the most powerful ship, I have to admit — Imperial-class Star Destroyers have more guns. Probably... If only I knew how many guns each battery has on the Procursator... But, either way, it's a rare 'beast' how many were built, again, if the vault's data is to be believed... An unknown number. At first I couldn't believe my eyes. Data missing. Even though comparable information exists for the Imperial-class Star Destroyers themselves. Data on orders, deliveries of construction materials — for each ship. And there were, mind you, over twenty-five thousand of them built in the nearly thirty years of the Galactic Empire's existence. And that's just the number of Imperial-class Star Destroyers, not counting other ship types.
Most likely, only a prototype batch was built, after which they decided not to develop the project. But I'll bet my boots that since these ships aren't in the galaxy's reaches — not with the Empire, not with the New Republic — all of them are currently serving in the planetary defense fleet of Byss, hidden and securely guarded in the Deep Core. The secret residence of the Reborn Emperor Palpatine... A place that any sane person should avoid like the plague.
A Procursator-class Star Destroyer.
Or take the modular task force cruiser. Created by the Tagge Industries Shipyards Limited. Considering a high-ranking officer named Tagge served on the Death Star, one might assume nepotism was the cause, but that remains a mystery sealed behind seven locks. Everyone who could, in any way, shed light on why the Imperial Navy would hold a competition to build this type of ship when hundreds of types of highly specialized starships already existed, are, one way or another, already dead. The only sane idea is precisely the creation of a modular type of ship capable of performing various missions. Extremely convenient — one ship that can serve as a hospital vessel, a prison ship, a scout starship — just swap out the huge modules with the necessary personnel and equipment inside. Considering that in the fleets of the Imperial Space and other fragments, medical ships from the Clone Wars era, if not even greater antiquity, pop up now and again, it becomes clear that the modular cruiser project either didn't gain much popularity among the ranks of Imperial fleet commanders, or it's located somewhere one really doesn't want to show one's face. Which is strange — not a word about this ship's armament, or the "contents" of the modules. Nor about the number of ships built, nor the contract data... As if such data doesn't exist at all. Strange.
Modular task force cruiser.
And then...
And then it starts getting genuinely frightening. And I'm not joking.
Length — seven thousand two hundred meters. Classification — "Fast Dreadnought." Bellator-class. Created based on the concept of the Mandator-class dreadnoughts built at Kuat. Smaller than its predecessors, less heavily armed, but far faster than the Mandators, Executors, and all other ships classified as "dreadnought" or "Super Star Destroyer." Notably — not a word about its armament. Not even in Palpatine's files. And I'm starting to suspect that's no accident.
But if that seems too little to start sweating, how about the fact that the number of ships built is also classified? Even from Imperial Intelligence. Even from the Ubiqtorate. There's just a fact — this type of ship existed and exists. Yes, it was designed before the first Executor was laid down. And that's it, deal with it. There isn't even a technical specification. No approximate characteristics, nothing. Only the length...
And to make sure I don't get too comfortable, the Ubiqtorate reports contain information that the rebels have at least one such ship in service. One starship containing more power than my entire fleet... And not a word about how much more. But even from the schematics, it's clear that the number of turbolaser batteries alone matches what I have on my nine Imperial-class Star Destroyers. Not to mention the existence of batteries, proton torpedo launchers, or concussion missile launchers. Apparently, someone went to great lengths to ensure that data about these ships — each of which outclasses not only the primary line starship of the Empire but also the New Republic's — never became public. I'll need to carefully inquire with Joruus C'baoth whether anyone who came for the Guardian of Mount Tantiss before me managed to get inside. Because it is exceedingly strange that the personal treasury of the Emperor lacks data on these types of ships. While the technical specifications for, say, the Executor are present. You could start building one tomorrow. If you had the place and the money. Lots of money. An immense amount of money. Considering that during the height of the Galactic Empire, billions were spent with perfectly organized logistics and thousands of worlds supplying resources to superbly equipped shipyards, it's no wonder that none of the Imperial Remnants are currently trying to build even a single Super Star Destroyer. They simply don't have the funds for it.
Fast Dreadnought, Bellator-class
Well, let's move on to the next file.
"Vengeance-class Star Dreadnought."
Am I surprised that once again I found virtually nothing? No data on armament, ship speed, crew complement, air wing, and so on. Just a file with a name and a visual image.
Vengeance-class Star Dreadnought.
No more doubts remain. The files have been purged. Roughly done, probably working in a hurry — unsurprising, given the fact of the insane Joruus C'baoth, who could have been on our heels. They did the maximum possible — destroyed what was of greatest interest: the technical details. You can stare at the three-dimensional model of the ship all you want, but you won't get any real data, no matter how brilliant you are. The starships could have undergone upgrades, refits, re-equipment, or, conversely, partial disarmament.
The same information about Eclipse-class Star Dreadnoughts and the Sovereign, equipped with axial superlasers barely weaker than those used on the Death Star, is completely absent. Which is unsurprising, given the fact that the Eclipse was or will be Palpatine's flagship next year. A simple and effective procedure for covering tracks. So that no one — not even allies — knows exactly what Palpatine has at his disposal. Apparently, after the Grand Admirals died, the remaining military became so consumed with the desire to tear each other's throats out that they didn't even notice half the fleet, if not more, disappearing.
No, a little more of this and I'll genuinely start thinking that the entire Imperial military was under Palpatine's control right up to the Battle of Endor, when his death forced the Imperial forces to merely feebly fend off a handful of enemy ships. Then why, if he has already been resurrected, doesn't he do it again? He could easily have made his presence known to the entire Empire, and they would have followed him. Hmm... this is surely connected to the document purges in the treasury.
The data on the Executor class was either not deleted in time, or, conversely, they didn't bother trying. This type of starship is well known and was visible to millions of sentients. Surely the New Republic has data on it, and had it even before they captured the Lusankya. No, I'd bet my last credit that Palpatine's underlings ensured that data on ships possessing enormous destructive power was removed from the Imperial and the Emperor's personal archives. But they served somewhere far from the main deployment areas of the Imperial Fleet.
And the question immediately arises — if the files in the Emperor's personal collection were tampered with, might there be copies somewhere else?
For example, the infamous Caamas Document — the list of Bothans who deactivated the planetary shield and allowed the Imperials to carry out a show of extermination via orbital bombardment on the heads of the local population. It's in Palpatine's personal treasury. And it's in the possession of Grand Moff Ardus Kaine. Though, judging by the fact that he still hasn't brought it to light — the head of the Pentastar Alignment either doesn't know of its existence in the Imperial archives on Yaga Minor, or has decided to save it for a more opportune time. Publishing this document now would lead to the collapse of the New Republic. Because the Bothans play a significant role in it. And given their natural lust for power, I'm sure they aim very high. One of the rebel fleets is based in the sector known as Bothan Space, by the way. This is known and not particularly hidden...
There it is!
Deployment locations!
That's what I need to know to understand how large the resurrected Emperor's fleet is. At least approximately.
The Imperial archives must retain data on the basing locations of every single ship. Who is assigned to which fleet, battle group, squadron. Who reports to whom, where they underwent repairs, how much was spent on it, and so on. The Empire meticulously keeps its books and archives; therefore, by subtracting from the total number of known Imperial fleet ships those that were guaranteed destroyed, those captured by the rebels, and those serving in various Imperial Remnants, we will get at least approximate data on the forces available to the resurrected Emperor. I'm sure that no matter how many servitors Palpatine has, now acting in secret, they couldn't have scoured and altered every single archive. As far as I remember known events, the archive on the planet Bastion was considered the most reliable. Even the rebels tried to infiltrate it to get data on the unaltered copy of the Caamas Document. But here's the trouble... Among the list of planets I have, there is no Bastion. At all. Neither in names nor in designations.
Bad. I'll have to figure out how to understand the enemy differently. Flying to Byss and asking Palpatine directly is a last resort. I'll have to figure it out myself.
It seems I need trusted people from Imperial Intelligence. A team that could scour the archives, cross-reference data, and provide a summary. I can't do everything myself. I simply won't have enough time to both fight and dig through papers. All my free time will go to studying Imperial tactical schemes, data on past battles and campaigns. What other Imperial officers studied for years, I have to grasp in a matter of weeks.
The beginnings of a global plan started forming in my head.
With very difficult conditions.
Because I'll have to allow the New Republic to survive now, so that Palpatine doesn't conquer the galaxy a second time. I have to let the "plot script" work.
However, to prevent Palpatine from conscripting me into his service, or crushing me if I disobey, I don't have that many options.
Regardless of how well I know future events, if I don't want to end up on Palpatine's laboratory table, I will have to ensure the New Republic wins.
It's pure mathematics here. Palpatine effectively has more followers. All the reserves of the Deep Core are at his disposal. The warlords who fled there went with their fleets, and that's thousands of combat ships of various classes. The entire Imperial Space has, at most, two or three thousand, and that's counting ships from before the Clone Wars.
And he'll start his campaign in literally six months. Even if I burst myself on an Imperial flag, I can't defeat the New Republic and build an armada capable of fighting what the resurrected Emperor has acquired for himself in six months. The only option is to let the New Republic defeat me so that it serves the "plot script" and forces Palpatine out of the shadows, makes him rush headlong at the New Republic. And then, traditional Skywalker luck will kick in.
But even if I lose, Palpatine will still call me to him — the original Thrawn was highly respected by him. The only reason I can think of that the Grand Admiral didn't join the forces on Byss is Palpatine's desire to use resources to prevent the New Republic from consolidating during the time he gathers an armada around himself.
Quite... logical. Die, be resurrected, observe what and how your subordinates achieved in your absence, select the best ones. The rest will either join on their own or be destroyed by the New Republic. Or someone else.
It's funny, really... I can't go to Palpatine — I'll be exposed.
I can't warn the New Republic — they won't believe me.
I can't form an alliance with them — they'll execute me. But first — they won't believe me.
Running away is pointless. Palpatine will turn the entire known galaxy upside down, but he'll find me and kill me. And living in fear isn't my style. How long will it take the New Republic to defeat the madman and his minions? A year? No, it seems like a year and a half or even two. That's enough time for a member of the ship's crew to betray me or for the Seekers to pick up my trail. Unless...
Hmm...
Interesting thoughts. And sad ones.
I cannot allow Palpatine to reign over the galaxy, for he is mad. Only those with at least an approximate number of ships can defeat his armadas. That is — the New Republic and its allies. Destroying the Emperor himself is only possible with the help of "cheats" the "Skywalker clan."
So, one way or another, I need all of them alive.
But no one needs me alive. Because the New Republic won't stop hunting me until I'm destroyed, the moment I attack them. And the attacks are already underway — raids, granted, but still. The beginning has been made, and there's no backing out now. This is a game of survival — either I get them, or they get me.
Thrawn is a hero and a genius in the eyes of the Imperials and the Empire. For Palpatine, however, he is now nothing but a consumable. A buffer needed to weaken the enemy before a grand triumphant return.
And from all of the above, it turns out that for the New Republic to defeat the resurrected Emperor, for the events I know to occur, I have to lose...
Furthermore — to die.
Great situation I've landed in.