Nine years, four months and fifteen days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or forty-fourth year, four months and fifteen days after the Great ReSynchronization.
When Grand Admiral Thrawn, less known by his full Chiss name Mitth'raw'nuruodo, returned from the Unknown Regions of the galaxy a year ago, he chose the captain's quarters as his residence.
Imperial-class Star Destroyer (ISD) (check comment)
It's difficult to call this place of solitude, because it looked more like a miniature headquarters. Situated two levels below the conning tower of an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer, Thrawn's quarters were in the same section of the bays reserved for senior officers. With the exception that the former captain's cabin was located separately from the rest, on the opposite side, excluding the intersection of the officers and the ship's commander.
Now, this arrangement of living compartments allowed me to return to my abode in complete solitude.
Except for the ubiquitous Rukh, a bodyguard from the Noghri race. A terrifying-looking, ruthless killer whose people were kept by the Galactic Empire as elite saboteurs. And it did it with the simplest deception. The debunking of the tale of a caring Empire that saves the Noghri homeworld from the consequences of a great war is the reason for the sudden death of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
And it just so happened that now I have to wear this blue skin with blue-black hair, proud posture and flaming eyes.
I lived a lot there on Earth. Wife, children, even grandchildren have already begun to appear. In my youth, I was an ardent fan of the Star Wars universe—basically the Expanded Universe, of course, which was called "Legends" in my later years. How much money and time was spent on buying books, games and related material in his wild youth and youth before he settled down...
I don't know if it's an irony of fate or just how it happened, but back on Earth, I ran a small company providing crisis management services to clients. And for some reason, it was I who happened to become the crisis manager of the Remnant of the Galactic Empire.
"You are free, Rukh," I said, approaching the doors leading to my cabin.Noghri, whom you couldn't look at without internal panic, silently disappeared into the twilight of the vestibule separating the living part of the cabin and the corridor.
Noghri Rukh, bodyguard of Grand Admiral Thrawn (check comment)
Left alone, I finally allowed myself to relax. The headache that had been haunting me ever since I realized I was in Thrawn's body—precisely at the moment Captain Pellaeon appeared with a report on the completion of the information raid on Obroa-skai—didn't even think of letting me go. There is probably some reason for this, but at the moment I see only one - the appearance of my consciousness in the mind of the Chiss. But now it all looks like some kind of meat grinder, when it is difficult, sometimes to the point of pain in the back of the head, to isolate one's own thoughts and memories, separating them from the memory of the Chiss.
However, there was one question that interested me least of all at the moment.
Is there any point in tormenting myself in search of the reason why I ended up here, right now, in the body of Grand Admiral Thrawn? I think not - at least at the moment this is not a priority task.
Captain Gilad Pellaeon clearly suspected something in my behavior - it was not without reason that he glanced at me every now and then. And it's quite difficult to copy Thrawn's habits without actually knowing them. Facial expressions, behavior, gestures - all this is developed over the years and is consolidated to the point of automatism at the level of the unconscious. Therefore, every now and then the Grand Admiral's aura of cold calm was broken by my usual gloomy ridicule and grins...
I really want to live if fate has given me a second chance. Albeit in the body of a blue-skinned, red-eyed alien.
And if I want to live long, taking the place of the tactical genius of the Remnant of the Empire, whose thinking style and mental acuity I did not inherit, and what remains of his memory bears little resemblance to the whole picture, then... I will have to win. By overcoming.
It's great what can I say.
The key to success is proper planning. Thrawn himself understood this, I understand this and apply it in life. More precisely, I used it. In this we are similar.
Otherwise... the brain of this creature is a real living computer. He constantly analyzes something, disassembles the general thing into parts, each of which he studies comprehensively... One has only to think about something and the thought certainly begins to spread into parts, the situation into fragments of what happened... And it hurts.
I don't know what happened to the Chiss' mind, but I'm grateful that his body is what it is. Because I know for sure that the desire to break everything down to elementary things is not inherent in me. There, on Earth, I was engaged in analytics exclusively in work matters. And, once in Thrawn... Like in the matrix.
If anyone read these lines, he would probably wrinkle his nose and start shouting: "Cliche! Cliche!". Yes dammit! Cliche!
The very fact that I am a person from Earth, for whom the Star Wars universe is just a set of books, games, comics and other fan service, and even ended up where I wanted to go as a boy, identifying myself with certain heroes and villains A galaxy far, far away is already a "piano in the bushes," as those who enjoy overcoming the characters like to say. I, of course, will have to wiggle my way out of the grip of the cause-and-effect chain of events from this moment until the situation with the Noghri, at whose hands Thrawn fell on the bridge of the Chimera. And without his style of thinking, oh how difficult it will be...
However, no one will read these thoughts. For the Imperials, I am still the same Grand Admiral Thrawn. For the New Republic, which five and a half years ago in the Endor system blew up the Death Star II battle station with Emperor Palpatine on board, I am... nobody.
Sinking into a massive chair at my desk, I, overcoming the pain in my head, began to analyze. This must be done immediately, otherwise such an opportunity may not arise in the future - after all, circumstances already indicate that the flywheel of Thrawn's company has been launched. And, willy-nilly, I, trying as I remembered what I had read on Earth, pushed Captain Pellaeon in the direction of the development of well-known events that would end in shock therapy for the New Republic and the death of Thrawn himself at the hands of the same Rukh who was on duty outside the door. And until I come up with a plan to avoid the fate prepared for me, I will have to match as closely as possible to what my predecessor planned. Fortunately, I remember something, something can be gleaned from his thoughts...
But how painful it is...
Gritted teeth and covered mouth with elegantly gloved hand to muffle the sound of groan. Can't reveal now - and perhaps there will never be such an opportunity.
You need to think.
The problem cannot be solved unless it is taken apart piece by piece.
So, unlike the Imperial Remnant, the New Republic does not yet suspect that it has not dealt with all of Emperor Palpatine's grand admirals. This is good. There is some head start. The longer this information remains secret, the better.
Despite the fact that the original Thrawn returned from the Unknown Regions to the known part of the galaxy a year ago, the Imperials still manage to keep his very existence a secret. And there are a number of reasons for this.
The first is that Thrawn knew the value of information. I remember this well, based on my memories of the character. The Chiss understood that the longer he remained mysterious to his opponent, the greater his chance of using the principle of surprise. When the New Republic finds out who he is, they will certainly move mountains to get at least a grain of data. And they will find it. It is impossible to clean out all the archives of the galaxy. Somewhere there will definitely be data on Grand Admiral Thrawn. If my memory serves me correctly, then the person who owns Myrkr, the planet where we are now heading, knows about Thrawn's return. But he keeps such a sensation to himself. This is good. For now, the mystery remains that way.
The second - and main - reason why Thrawn could not win in the Star Wars Expanded Universe is, of course, due to author's arbitrariness. But much of the blame for the Grand Admiral's defeat lies with the fact that that part of the galaxy that is under the control of the Imperials and is called the "Remnant of the Empire" is not a single state. After Palpatine's death, the galaxy was divided. Generals, admirals, moffs, grand moffs, grand admirals - each took a piece of the fat pie and declared himself the ruler of his own territory. For more than five years, the once most formidable military machine in the galaxy chewed itself up, until the former rebels, led by a number of famous personalities, took the galaxy from them piece by piece.
And now, the New Republic, which controls the capital world of the galaxy - Coruscant - is subordinate to almost half (and maybe more) of star systems and sectors. The Imperials are forced to be content with scraps from the common table. A confederation consisting of several large and small entities. Each of them has its own ruler, its own army, its own fleet. And Thrawn for all of them is just a steadfast tin soldier who heard the sound of the bugle and came to serve.
The Imperials, who had lost a huge amount of resources and territories in five and a half years, had broken their teeth in the internecine struggle and war with the New Republic, still adhered to the concept of discipline. And the appearance of the Grand Admiral - one of the thirteen highest military ranks in the Galactic Empire - forced them, having seized both the grief and the sweetness of their own greatness and rule over their territories, with great reluctance to submit to Thrawn. I remember this too - but in extremely general strokes.
And even then, only on certain conditions did the Imperials agree to such a conspiracy: the Chiss does not seek to seize control of the Remnant of the Empire, as many other owners of snow-white uniforms did, does not take action to eliminate the rest of the Imperial military leaders, and then receives the resources he needs under his command - money, ships, crews, the opportunity to be repaired at Oskolok shipyards. The presumptuous rulers clearly showed the Grand Admiral his place - waging war. To put it mildly, he has no way to get into other matters.
Unlike the rest of his peers of similar rank, Thrawn did not primarily seek political power. All this dirt around titles is alien to him. He is a military man to the core, and therefore his destiny is to wage war and destroy the enemy. Everything else is secondary for him. Therefore, he did not fight with any of the Imperials for any territories - he simply did what he knew best. Fought.
As far as I remember, he did it quite skillfully, and inflicted many defeats on the New Republic. And at the same time, he organically used the scarce resources allocated to him by the rulers of the Empire Remnants.
Compared to what the New Republic had against Thrawn and what the rulers of the Empire Remnants had left with them, it was a drop in the bucket.
The core of his fleet is nine Imperial-class Star Destroyers. Six of them are a personal armada, three are in reserve. Two Victory-class Star Destroyers. Three Interdictor-class destroyers. That's all the linear forces. Small things like star galleons, armed transports, cruisers and other things are third-tier ships.
And with this army Thrawn managed to defeat the enemy. The one who has at least four fleets, each with at least a hundred Mon Calamari star cruisers, in no way inferior to Imperial star destroyers.
But everything could have been much simpler...
Could be.
One could simply surrender to the New Republic, as one of the Grand Admirals did. It was possible to gather all the forces he had and go to the Unknown Regions, where Thrawn was maturing his own Empire of the Hand. But he stayed to continue to fight.
But I am not him. Even though I have his textbook knowledge, his appearance, the authority he has earned, I am no match for the Chiss. This needs to be clearly understood. My actions, even if I remember everything thoroughly from what I read, may not lead to the same cause-and-effect relationships. And therefore, the future will change. For worse or better, it's hard to say.
But still, you have to make a choice. Where to go, where to go. Who to love, to whom to surrender...
Okay, calm down. The situation as a whole is not as bad as it seems. It just needs to be taken apart piece by piece. Highlight the pros and cons of each decision, evaluate them wisely and make a decision. Victor, you have already committed several reckless actions, which in the future could result in your declassification and potential death.
Patience and analysis of the current situation are what will sober up and give the key to understanding further actions.
But first you need to rest. Sleep. Reboot your brain and look at the situation from a sober perspective.
***
— Captain Pellaeon! — the Chimera commander took a deep breath, closing his eyes and ignoring Lieutenant Tshelya's scream echoing across the bridge of the Imperial Star Destroyer. - Captain Pellaeon!
This is the problem with the current generation of imperial military personnel - on the bridge there are only brats who just recently pored over textbooks in academies and training centers, and are now responsible for the control systems of a battleship.
Gilad mentally counted to ten - exactly the same amount of time it took the young lieutenant to move to the central platform of the bridge from the communications console. And when Tschel was nearby, the captain, whose temples were already dominated by gray hair, gave him a hard look. It didn't help - Tschel looked like a dashing idiot, and remained so. Eh, but Thrawn could, by his very appearance on the bridge, instill in the crew confidence in observance of subordination and force them to delve into their brains in search of the necessary articles of the Charter.
— What did I tell you about the shouting on the bridge? — adding durasteel to his voice, the captain asked.
— This is not a livestock market, this is a compartment of a star destroyer, where it is not customary to yell," the lieutenant unmistakably conveyed the essence of their conversation preceding the escape from the Obroa-skai system. - Sorry, sir...
— Two duty services in an officer's latrine will forgive you, — Pellaeon promised, inwardly triumphing at the way the boy bit his lips. Proud, then? Well, well, they weren't the ones who were returned to the rut. - What do you have, Lieutenant?
— The course to Myrkr has been set, all systems are functioning normally, — he reported without hesitation. — We'll get there faster than a Jedi can hang on the mountain...
— Three duty services, — Pellaeon corrected himself. - Lieutenant. You are in the army. Leave the jokes to civilians.
— Yes, sir, — the officer said readily. — Report the time of arrival to Myrkr to the Grand Admiral?
— Why are you discussing the orders of the senior naval officer with me? — Pellaeon winced.
— It's just... — Lieutenant Tschel hesitated.
— It's just that even Gungans don't fight,— Pellaeon flashed an aphorism from the times of the Clone Wars. - Essentially.
— The Grand Admiral did not leave any instructions — the lieutenant admitted. - It's strange because...
— He usually demands that he be kept informed of everything that happens, — Pellaeon finished. - Free, Lieutenant. I'll report myself.
From the very first day of his appearance aboard the Chimera, Thrawn introduced a number of unshakable rules - including the fact that he must be informed when the orders given to him are carried out. Immediately.
Throughout the year, with the patience of a teacher, he introduced this into the heads of the crews of star destroyers, and now... forgot to remind you of what he considered one of the pillars of discipline on a ship - the awareness of a senior officer?
Or was it a test?
Or did something happen to the Grand Admiral?
Pellaeon tried to remember when Thrawn began to behave differently...
Today. Yes, exactly today. When he entered his quarters to report that the reconnaissance mission to Obroa-skai was a success, Thrawn remained silent for too long, sitting with his eyes closed. And when he opened them, the reaction was completely atypical.
Thrawn did not run away from battles - he easily got involved in them and emerged victorious. But for some reason he ordered the Chimera to retreat without firing a single shot. Yes, a young and inexperienced crew. Yes, against them there are already four New Republic Nebulon-Bs, and even a squadron of X-wings... But the opposite did not have a single interdictor (interdictor will be the collective name for all ships that have gravity well generators)! It was possible to take the fight and give them a hard time... But Thrawn chose to retreat.
Now he forgot about his own order - since the ship went to FTL, he should have received a report from the watch commander...
And they are also flying to some little-known planet, about which there is so little information in the ship's database that, apart from galactic coordinates and scant information about the suitability of the local atmosphere for breathing...
What's happening?!
Gilad stroked his mustache impatiently.
It's completely unlike Thrawn to give instructions, demand their immediate execution, and then be the first to ignore them. No, of course, he is the commander here, but...
The middle-aged captain took off his uniform cap and smoothed his hair.
We need to stop racking our brains trying to find answers to what is happening.
Thrawn is impossible to understand - he just seems to have learned, he will instantly change his mind. And you're a fool again.
One could only hope that in Grand Admiral Thrawn's unfolding campaign the rebels would be left in the cold rather than as usual.
***
I was awakened by a call on the comlink - Captain Pellon reported that the Chimera was half an hour ready to arrive at the planet Myrkr in the Obroa sector, which, according to the tactical map of the galaxy, is located in the N-7 quadrant.
— Okay, captain, — I said in a calm tone, now looking at my face in the mirror. — I'll be on the bridge soon. — End of connection.
I managed to sleep for a while, which only reduced the headache. And this is good.
So you can think about it.
But the fact that, when I woke up, despite my hidden hope, I could not remember anything from Traun's tactics, strategy, or even even a criterion for evaluating works of art, was depressing.
If you try hard, you can remember a lot - faces, names, places... but all this is fragmentary, not systematized. Not a full memory, but just fragments of it. And perhaps not the most important ones. This means that even Thrawn's possession of any secrets is a disadvantage.
I doubt he has a cache of personal notes, like a diary, somewhere on the Chimera. I somehow don't fit in my head the image of Thrawn and an intelligent person who would record his conclusions on flimsi...
Flimsy...
Flimsiplast. One of the most common writing materials in this galaxy. Created on an acrylic base, used for handwriting texts and printing data. Can be reused as the inscriptions and printed test can be removed from it without losing the functions of the flimsy sheet. Can be dissolved in liquid.
Sooooo. I know what the paper is called in the Star Wars universe. Amazing. Not because it is now clear that you can keep handwritten notes. But because during my earthly life, I did not know such subtleties. I was more interested in the surroundings, the events of the universe, and not what the stationery is called here.
So this is part of Thrawn's memories. Not that it's really useful, but...
Stop. What do I even know about the galaxy I ended up in? Otherwise I'm already getting excited, they say, I'll go decide which side to choose. A shame!
I should be glad that at least I can speak the official language of the galaxy - that is, this language is familiar to me. So, maybe I can not only speak it, but also read it? Otherwise, after this dream, nothing seems reliable.
Approaching the desktop, I quickly found a built-in computer with a transparent curved monitor, which for the time being was hidden in the body of the piece of furniture. All you had to do was sit down in a chair and put your hands on the tabletop - the computer came to life.
Hmm... it's getting interesting.
So, I understand all these letters. And I don't just parse it, I read it freely. And judging by the fluttering of my fingers on the keyboard, I'm also typing. And at a pretty good pace.
Fine. I can speak, read and write. You can apply to Coruscant as a senator from any of the sectors - I'll do it for one.
But, jokes aside, but business is business.
There are only twenty-five minutes left before arriving at Myrkr. This means that I have exactly enough to fill my gaps. At least in general terms.
What an idea! After all, Thrawn spent most of his time here, in his cabin. This means I can sit in my room without hiding from anyone, delve into background information on the galaxy, historical events, personalities - from the Chimera, like from any other imperial ship, there is access to the archives on Bastion - the capital of the Remnant of the Empire. But getting information from there is not easy. Even Thrawn's own clearance level is not enough to pull this off - you need to personally fly there and get an array of data. You can also study it only on Bastion: war is war, and no one has canceled the secrecy regime.
However, the central computer of the Chimera also had its own data archive - but of a service nature. Accessing it is quite simple - you just need to insert your code cylinder into a special slot on the computer - a device that looks like a metal pen, but contains electronics inside with data recorded on it. Simply put, a "flash drive", an electronic key and an electronic signature in one bottle.
And, if you strain your memory, you can remember that in the films, imperial officers always carried similar code cylinders in the breast pockets of their jackets. True, until now I thought that these were just writing instruments...
Yeah, called a fan... Okay, we'll deal with that later. Thrawn has several such "flash drives" - I'm sure there are a lot of interesting things there. Or not - and the Chiss stored everything in his vast brain.
Using an encrypted and secure communication line from a Star Destroyer, it is also possible to gain access to the galactic infotainment network, similar to the Earth's Internet. It's just called "HoloNet". The thing is extremely simple - there is a search engine, there are websites, there are chats, there are video hosting sites... In general, in terms of the media space, there is nothing radically different from the "World Wide Web" that I am used to.
But I won't go there yet - I need to find out more about everything. Perhaps, like in my world, activity on the HoloNet can be tracked. And I don't really want a squadron of New Republic starships, "rebels," as the Imperials called them, to come and knock me and the entire fleet under my leadership on the head because I decided to read some historical chronicles.
"Rebels"... Good rebels that control most of the galaxy, while the Remnant of the Empire does not occupy even a third. Here the question is who is the legitimate government and who is the armed opposition.
Yes, galaxy. What exactly is known about it?
From my memories I can only remember that in this galaxy there are a considerable number of planets, and hundreds, perhaps thousands of different races known to people... So. Not "people". Here, to denote an intelligent form of life - both people and aliens, the address "sentientt" is accepted. Tolerant...
The Imperials flatly refuse to consider non-human races as "sentient," and therefore have come up with several epithets to replace the concept. "Non-huMan", "xenos" (There is no other way to translate this. In the original it will be read as exot - a name for all non-human races).... Military personnel and civilians of the Remnant of the Empire do not favor nonhumans and consider them almost as slaves. The roads to positions of power are closed to them; in fact, they are oppressed and mercilessly exploited. Thrawn was frankly lucky, because thanks to his tactical skills, Emperor Palpatine himself elevated him, personally making him his thirteenth and last Grand Admiral.
But, let's return to the galaxy.
What we have?
Having opened the map of the galaxy (understanding the common galactic language, known as BASIC, allows you not only to write, but also to read, and therefore there are no problems with managing at least simple technical achievements), which flashed under the ceiling, leaned back slightly in chair, folding palms on chest. house" and fixing gaze on the ceiling.
The Star Wars galaxy far, far away has no name among the locals. Just Galaxy. That's all. While some races do have their own terminology, there is none officially accepted within Imperial society.
According to publicly available reference information from the Chimera's navigation computer, the "front of work" ahead is simply enormous. One glance at the hologram and its explanation is enough to show that it is clear how difficult it is not only to create, but also to maintain power over such a vast territory. At this point, it's probably worth taking off our hat to Emperor Palpatine, who in just over twenty years managed to subjugate most of the distant, distant galaxy, somewhere by imposing his own power, and somewhere by limiting himself to loyalty to the ruling regime on the part of planetary governments, giving the latter some rights of autonomy.
The galaxy has a diameter of one hundred to one hundred and twenty thousand light years. The galactic disk contains about four hundred billion stars, of which no more than a quarter have so far been properly explored by the galactic community, described, cataloged and entered into a database. A considerable number of stars have not yet been discovered or explored, and the races inhabiting them are unknown to the peoples inhabiting the galaxy.
So, for convenience, the galaxy is divided into eight regions, radiating out from the galactic center: the Deep Core, the Core Worlds, the Colonies, the Inner Rim, the Expansion Region, the Mid Rim, the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions. Regions, like circles on water, diverge from the center to the periphery - because the exploration and settlement of the galaxy occurred in exactly this order, starting with the Central Worlds and the Core. Namely, human expansion began on the planet Coruscant, which has been the capital of the largest galactic states for thousands of years. For the previous two decades, Coruscant, like the entire galaxy, was under the control of the Galactic Empire and was called the Center of the Empire. Now the planet, like most of the galaxy, is ruled by the New Republic, which has returned the planet to its old name.
The imperial military command also uses a technique called a "coordinate grid" to accurately determine the course. Something similar to the well-known and familiar game "Battleship," when letters were placed on one side of a regular square and numbers on the adjacent side. The place where the imaginary lines of a particular letter and number visually intersect was called a "quadrant." Although what is meant is not a geometric flat figure, but rather a cube that covers all planets, systems and other astrographic objects within the boundaries of the designated "quadrant".
From the Galactic Core, also called the Deep Core, four arms spiraled out - the Bakchou Arm, the Ettarue Arm, the Southern Arm and the Tingel Arm. It is in them that most of all the stars and systems outside the Deep Core are concentrated. Closer to the center of the galaxy, these arms are practically intertwined together, and towards the periphery they diverge, like propellers in a fan.
There are five known dwarf satellite galaxies, designated by the first five letters of the common galactic language: Aurek, Besh, Kresh, Dorn, Esk. It was also assumed that there were two similar dwarf galaxies, which were given the designations Forn and Grek, but it is not reliably clear how large they are. The first two are the most famous and have been at least somewhat studied, but again, expeditions were not sent there, and if so, I did not find any details in the Chimera databases.
The galaxy, according to many studies, is surrounded by a certain anomaly that prevents the stable operation of hyperdrives, which is why expansions beyond the boundaries of habitable space are practically not carried out. In my memory, there was only one of these, but Thrawn destroyed it so that it would not fall into the hands of the most dangerous enemy for everyone living within the galaxy. But there is still a lot of time before they appear, and therefore they can be discounted for now. The self-name of these opponents is Yuuzhan Vong, and they are flying here on a far from friendly humanitarian mission.
So... How much time is left before they arrive?
Again... Time.
Having made another request to the on-board computer (I really hope that there is no system administrator on board, which will then quietly flow around, reading the history of requests from my terminal), I shook my head.
So, as befits such a large state, there are different chronology systems. And... they differ from each other, sometimes radically. But studying them all is pointless. The Imperials use a calendar officially called the "Galactic Standard Calendar" and also popularly called the "Coruscant Standard Calendar". This method of chronology has been the main one since the founding of the Galactic Republic twenty-five thousand years ago.
Since then, the method of chronology has changed several times, but the method of calculating time and the standard for designating dates has remained unchanged. Year, month, date. And only so.
The Galactic Empire, as well as the Imperial Remnant, used the same calendar and the same principle of counting the date - either from the Great Resynchronization that occurred forty-four years ago, or from the date of the proclamation of the new Order twenty-eight years ago.
The Rebel Alliance and the new Republic counted dates from the Battle of Yavin, which took place nine years ago, but the Imperials ignored such chronology - after all, for them the Battle of Yavin was not a day of triumph.
However, any of the galaxy's calendars were based on the size and speed of rotation of the planet Coruscant. This is a "solo-lunar" calendar, related to both the movement of Coruscant in orbit around the star and the movement of the planet's main moon, Centrax I, in orbit around Coruscant. The standard unit of time is the standard second. And it seems that it is similar to the earthly one - at least my attempts to calculate the length of a second using the well-known "Mississippi Time" method led to exactly this result. Minute, hour, day - these time values corresponded to earthly ones. The differences began at the "month" level. In the galaxy, there are two options for counting the number of days in a week: similar to Earth, that is, seven days in a week, or "standard," when there are only five days in a week. And in this case, in a "standard month" there are seven weeks, since a standard month is equal to seven standard weeks, or five - but seven days each. But in both cases the standard month is thirty-five standard days. There are 368 standard days in a standard year, arranged into 10 months, three holiday weeks and three public holidays. Because the hyperdrive theory allowed space travelers to overcome relativity, a single duration of time was established for all regions of the Galaxy. Convenient, I must say.
But we must understand that different planets and different parts of the galaxy have different local times.
So, returning to the Yuuzhan Vongs... They will arrive, again, if my memory serves me correctly, twenty-five years after the Battle of Yavin. Accordingly, in sixteen years. And all this time, only civil strife will reign in the galaxy - imperials against the rebels, rebels against someone else, and so on...
The real Thrawn was aware of the threat posed by the Yuuzhan Vongs and was willing to fight them, exploiting their weaknesses that he could identify. And I...
What chance do I have of acting even as coherently as Thrawn? I don't have his knowledge, I don't have his talent. I only have knowledge of the Expanded Universe of a galaxy far, far away. Not that everything is, but if you delve into your memory, you can remember something...
What can I oppose to the genius of strategy and tactics? What data do I have to carve out my place in the sun in this brave new world?
Service in the analytical department of the Navy of your home country? In a universe where multi-kilometer ships fly, moving to the speed of light? It's not even serious...
Or not?
I want to live, since I have a second chance. Preferably, away from wars and possible genocides. But, if I remember correctly everything that will happen in the galaxy, I won't be able to sit it out.
So what to do?
The Yuuzhan Vong will be defeated by the Republicans. At the cost of great losses, the collapse of their state, but they will win. The remnant of the Empire, weakened by years of civil war and confrontation with the rebels, will also find itself on the sidelines. And, if I remember correctly, even the Star Destroyers of the Remnant, which were obsolete by that time, would be able to fight the Yuuzhan Vong much better than the Republican starships.
And the acute question arises - who to join?
This is pure mathematics.
In the Imperial Remnant, I am a Grand Admiral. A prominent military figure who enjoys a certain amount of authority. Thrawn has many ideological supporters. Not to mention the fact that behind him in the Unknown Regions, where a significant part of his service to the Galactic Empire took place, was an entire power called the Empire of the Hand. But for some reason, Thrawn did not report her to the Imperials in the Remnant. Why?
One must think, because he imagined what their further actions would be - squabbling over new sources of resources, perhaps even intervention. There are not so many ships in the Empire of the Hand - slightly more than Thrawn currently commands. And the best chance of preserving everything he created is to continue to keep the existence of these territories secret.
The lack of unity of command among the Remnant territories is the reason why the Remnant is losing the war against the rebels. In fact, after the collapse of the Empire, there was a lot left that could be used to defeat the rebels. But all this is in the hands of ambitious and selfish leaders who only think of themselves as brilliant and great rulers. Their neighbors rejoice as the rebels eliminate their competitors. Therefore, the Remnant is destined to lose vast territories - the New Republic will bite them off little by little. The process began five years ago, when the rebels captured Coruscant - since then, their machine for restoring democratic power in the galaxy has not slowed down. They come out of any crisis with acquisitions for themselves.
Thrawn is the last of the Imperial military leaders who made not a sector or two sweat in the New Republic, but everyone - from the private to the government.
Or would it still be advisable to go over to the side of the New Republic?
After all, even now Thrawn, in my person, has a lot to offer them.
For example, lure your fleet into a trap and help the rebels get rid of significant Remnant forces. Reveal the location of Honoghri - and the Noghri are excellent saboteurs and killers. Anyone whose side they are on will only win.
You can offer the same Empire of the Hand and the knowledge it has about the Unknown Regions - I'm sure that the New Republic has nothing similar. They don't even know what's in the northern part of the galaxy - even on the Imperial map it's just blackness, devoid of star markers and hyperspace routes.
If I had in my head data about Thrawn himself, imperial secrets, I could offer them too...
On the other hand, what can the New Republic give me? Will they keep me in the dungeon, thinking that I am playing some kind of sophisticated game with them, saying that I know absolutely nothing about the things that they will try to find out from me? But they will definitely try - it's naive to expect that they will accept me with their white little hands, allocate a house with a white fence somewhere in a paradise and will calmly smile at me when they meet. Most likely I will be convicted by "the fairest of courts" and then locked up somewhere. A high-ranking Imperial officer of Thrawn's caliber cannot simply join the rebels and remain above suspicion for the rest of his life.
No. For them, I am just a bearer of imperial secrets. Of course, they are unlikely to torture me, but given that my ignorance will most likely be interpreted as a reluctance to share what they themselves do not know, but really want to know, such as the secret of the lizards from the planet Myrkr, or the secret treasury of Emperor Palpatine on the planet Wayland...
The thought struck me like lightning.
Stop. Imperial secrets. What no one knows, but wants to know.
What the galaxy doesn't know about. Something that will manifest itself later, during certain events.
Crumbs left after the pigs devoured all the delicacies from the table.
I remember! Even if not in detail, I remember some names, significant events, approximate dates! I read about all this! Or heard about something that I haven't read personally.
Okay, not about everything, but about what was significant for this galaxy. So I couldn't forget. Well, certainly not with Thrawn's mind, which is like a computer, calculates, analyzes, processes...
You just need to strain your memory...
It is a pity that all the dates and events were given in the books from the point of view of the rebels and the New Republic, that is, the countdown was carried out from the year of the Battle of Yavin. It will be necessary to recalculate, but this is only a small part of the problems.
The situation is much worse with the fact that very soon - in a year, or maybe less, Emperor Palpatine will announce himself.
Yes, he died at the Battle of Endor five years ago. But few people know that the Emperor is the Lord of the Sith, intelligent, capable of controlling metaphysical matter - the Force. Like the Jedi, who by default are for everything good, against everything bad, but the Sith are ambitious and intelligent, for the most part wanting only two things - power over everyone and everything, as well as death for all Jedi.
Emperor Palpatine almost succeeded in achieving both of these goals. His death at the Battle of Endor caused the Empire to fall apart and lead to a protracted period known as the Imperial Civil War, when the territory of the Empire was divided into territories under the control of one or another Moff, Governor, General, Admiral, Grand Admiral or other god knows who.
By now, most of them are already dead - either at the hands of the rebels or each other. And the rebels subjugated their territories, realizing that sooner or later the song of the imperials would be sung...
But they do not know that on the planet Byss, which is not on any map, located in the Deep Core, Emperor Palpatine will be reborn, or has already been reborn. And gathers his supporters.
I don't remember exactly when all this will end, since the campaign of the revived Emperor was described in a series of comics that I did not read. But I know exactly what will happen - in general terms.
Palpatine will gather under his command all loyal Imperial commanders and the forces subordinate to them. He will go through the republican worlds, and not only them, with fire and sword, crushing his enemies with the help of a huge fleet. Among the ships of which will be super star destroyers - many kilometers long warships capable of burning out entire planets. Some use the force of their artillery. Others use superlasers similar to those installed on the Death Stars. But in the end, Palpatine's thirst for the children of Leia Organa-Solo will play a fatal joke on him.
Oh, if only I knew exactly when all this chaos would begin...
For what? Yes, because you should definitely stay away from such an epic mess. The Emperor Reborn is mad. He does not primarily seek to revive the Empire and confront enemies from beyond the borders of the galaxy. He wants to settle scores with the Skywalker couple, the children of his henchman, Darth Vader, who caused the death of Palpatine aboard the Death Star. And there are only two of them - Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, who married the smuggler and rebel general, Han Solo. The latter is actually retired now, but...
So, once again - stop. Palpatine will die while trying to seize the body of the youngest of the Solo couple's children, Anakin Solo, who was barely born at the time of the Reborn Emperor's campaign. Yes, this will not be his final death, however, this is an event that I remember. Palpatine will die irrevocably only the following year after he is killed while trying to seize Anakin Solo's body. And along with the Reborn Emperor, the flower of the Imperial Navy, the best ships and officers, will perish.
But, if I remember correctly, Leia Organa Solo is currently pregnant not with him, but with her older twins. Exactly! Both children will be born right before Thrawn's defeat in the same year in the events known to me. This means that Anakin Solo will be born at least next year.
This means that, in the events known to me, Thrawn died the same year he began his campaign against the New Republic, the campaign of the Emperor Reborn will begin next year.
This means I only have five months of this year to implement my plan for my future.
What's the plan?
Well, certainly not to go over to the side of the New Republic.
Fuck them. I have nothing against democracy and the New Republic, but according to the books, there will be endless chaos and crisis after crisis. Help them by joining? After all, many of the New Republic military are former Imperials. But this trick will no longer succeed - those who supported the Alliance are valuable and respected. Those who joined later are just extras. But I don't want to be a statistic.
Just as I don't want to be a target for Palpatine, but I will become one if I go over to the side of the New Republic before his death. Palpatine had a special place with Thrawn. And he will not forgive such betrayal.
Join Palpatine? No thanks. Leaving aside the point that he is mad, we must remember that he is also a sitter. And who knows, maybe the Sith will be able to read in my brain that I am not who I say I am? How was it there? "Yes, your thoughts betray you." And if I am relatively confident in the Republicans - these guys will not stoop to torture, then the Reborn Emperor will turn me inside out to find out what I know. And something tells me that there is no way to negotiate peacefully with this guy.
Let it be as it is? So I'll die. If you do not intervene in a number of events, Thrawn's death is guaranteed. And behind it came the loss of positions by the Empire Remnant.
Subjugate the Remnant? Yes, I wanted a lot in the first week of my stay. The very first battle - in the Obroa-skai system - was lost. Having fled shamefully, I'm now thinking about how to capture vast territories, dozens, if not hundreds of sectors... Since when have I had delusions of grandeur? After all, against me will be career military men who have been fighting for years, if not decades - first against the separatists about thirty years ago, then against various kinds of small-town rebels, and for the last ten to fifteen years - against the Rebel Alliance, which is now the New Republic. The chances are minimal, if they exist.
On the other hand...
Among the same rebels there were not so many professional military men, but they gave the Empire a damn. And we also started small. Why did I start reflecting here? The rebels had a much thinner starting point than I did from the very beginning! They fought on various junk ships, merchant starships and converted star liners. And they won.
Either in this galaxy the notorious Force helps those whose life motto is "dementia and courage," or there is some kind of secret. For example, in the fact that representatives of the Skywalker family are often at the center of the entire crisis. I don't have one on hand, however...
I have an afterthought! And the desire to survive. Do not seize territories for the sake of your painful ego, but so that "bo-bo" does not occur in the future. No, it will happen in any case, but there is an opportunity to reduce its scale. And find your place in the world.
No, well, so what? Am I an isekai MC, or am I out for a walk? Those who do nothing have no chance.
I have the strength behind me - a good-sized fleet. If the circumstances are successful, you can try. But again, a military conflict within the Remnant will weaken it in front of the New Republic. And therefore, while I fight for crumbs on one side, the Republicans, who have much greater strength than me, will bite off a larger piece on the other side.
And let's be honest, unleashing a new massacre between the Imperials will not bring me popularity among the population of the Remnant and the military from the territories that are part of the Remnant. And when all the forces are needed to subjugate the Shard, they may not support me...
Okay, stop. Support comes from loyalty. The soldiers and sailors of the territories included in the Imperial Remnant are loyal to those who currently hold power. Because these people have more weapons in their hands, they have money, and after all, unlike Thrawn, these military leaders distinguished themselves in the war against the New Republic.
Thrawn's entire authority now rests largely on the fact that he is the last Grand Admiral of the Empire. The only foreigner to receive such a title. This means that it was not for his beautiful eyes that he received a white uniform from the hands of Palpatine himself, known for his xenophobia.
If you start trumping with the words: "Yes, I built a state for myself there in the Unknown Regions!", this will not bring too much benefit. The value of an intelligent person in the Empire depends on its effectiveness. Thrawn was effective—very effective.
Hence...
Since I don't want to become a bird in the golden cage of the New Republic, I don't want to become a target or a servant of the crazy Reborn Emperor, I don't want to be a puppet in the hands of the warlords of the Imperial Remnant, I need to occupy my own niche in this galaxy. And so that this niche is not the size of a coffin or a prison cell, I need to win in order to gain popularity among the Imperials.
To do this I will need to take advantage of what Thrawn did in his books. Except that defeat is unacceptable. And the betrayal of the Noghri is completely life-threatening.
Let's put aside the Empire of the Hand - it won't help now. Everything that is produced there immediately goes to the defense of the borders of the Empire of the Hand itself. This means I won't get any ships or soldiers from there.
And I need ships and soldiers if I intend to carve out my place in the sun. And I really want this.
The easiest way is to act as Thrawn acted. But, avoid mistakes that turn into catastrophic mistakes. And again, this is a short-term strategy. However, I have no prospect of a long-term one yet—the appearance of the Reborn Emperor is approaching.
So, the goal has been formed - your own state. It's not safe to talk to anyone about this yet – it's not safe for your health. A remnant of the Empire may be offended and demand back everything it gave. And you can't ask them for more - someone would give it themselves.
So, again, we return to the ways to achieve the goal. The galaxy has long been divided between spheres of influence. This means that you will have to conquer the territory for yourself. This requires ships and people in my service.
Thrawn has already taken steps in this direction - Myrkr and Weyland will provide him with a replenishment of human resources. About the ships... So... He attacked the shipyard to capture the disarmed ships of the New Republic. Why were the combat starships disarmed at such a difficult time?
Think, Victor, think...
However, why think when you can turn to intelligence reports?
Well, let's see... The rebel fleet...
Found! The New Republic has a hole in its pocket. I mean, their budget is as bad as mine is bad on all fronts. And it is vital for them to establish cargo transportation. There is not enough merchant fleet. And someone very smart named Akbar ordered to disarm some of the warships and use them instead of transports.
The plan is as reliable as a Swiss watch, I must admit.
Removal of weapons, reduction of crew members on board - and all free space is filled with cargo. Very useful for either side.
A very tasty morsel is to attack the shipyard, where the ships will be unloaded, land troops and steal some combat starships right from under the noses of the Republicans. Boldly, bravely, but... Thrawn didn't succeed.
Well, I remember why exactly, and therefore, we can try to replay the outcome. But first, the whole plan should be broken down into parts. And each of these parts should be comprehensively studied, evaluated and understood as to what exactly went wrong and where.
This is the first scenario in terms of increasing the size of the fleet.
The second is, like Thrawn in the events known to me, to announce a "competition" among starship hijackers, smugglers and other illegal public for the purchase of hijacked warships. It's clear that in such a situation, when there seems to be money, but not too much, you won't pay the full price. And for less, few people will want to work. But there will definitely be people who want it.
Another question is that the ships that will be obtained in this way are, at best, not the best. Or perhaps it's just outright junk. The same Mon Calamari star cruisers, which form the basis of the New Republic fleet, differ significantly in characteristics and technical parts from imperial-built starships. And a nightmare for logistics and repair crews are different types of starships. It is clear that the original Thrawn did not disdain such things - what is not useful to oneself can be used for other purposes, but only to weaken the enemy. But I also have a head on my shoulders. The Remnant of the Empire already suffers from not the best organization, but here, if I also start bringing Mon Calamari cruisers to the shipyard for additional armament and repair, for example, how quickly will they go into operation? After all, this technique is not very familiar to imperial crews. Consequently, the effectiveness of using this type of starship is questionable.
But there is also a third option - to lay a raking hand on what lies badly. Those very crumbs and imperial secrets that, in the events known to me, will emerge in a year, two, five, and so on... Of course, there is nothing to think about stealing ships from the Remnant of the Empire, although I would not refuse a super star destroyer type "Executor" called "Reaper", which belongs to Grand Moff Ardus Kaine, who heads the largest territorial entity in the Imperial Remnant. But he will never give it up. Not only is such a nineteen-kilometer giant on its own capable of tearing apart an entire fleet, but also for the Imperials it is something of a symbol of power. And they don't throw symbols around.
This means that we need to take ships and equipment where it is and no one needs it. Or where no one knows where it lies.
And at the moment there are a lot of such places in the galaxy...
Feeling as if my head has turned into some kind of computer center. Scattered facts, events that were connected with each other, logically or dialectically substantiated, lining up into an overall picture surfaced in my memory, but... The puzzle had not yet come together very well. But I think it's a matter of time.
And I have time. Apparently, Thrawn's mind, even if it carries residual information, such as simple, uncomplicated data, such as reading and writing skills, is a weapon in itself. Which rummages through my memory, extracting from there more and more new details... True, there are not enough of them useful for business now.
But there is.
From memory I can remember a good dozen places where you can find this or that "orphan property" abandoned to the mercy of fate. As a matter of fact, the first such "Easter egg" is already practically in my hands. And I'm talking about Emperor Palpatine's treasury on the planet Weyland - a lost world where many of the secrets of the ruler of the Galactic Empire are kept.
Thrawn has information about the location of this world. And... even if they entered this data...
No, the Chimera's navigation computer doesn't have them.
Badly. Is it really a failure?
Stop though. Would the Grand Admiral have so easily kept such an important secret, before he laid his hand on it, in the general knowledge of the crew?
No, Thrawn definitely wouldn't.
This means we need to look elsewhere. But where?
Moreover, we are about to arrive at Myrkr and we should return to the bridge.
Think, think, think! Such secrets are not kept in the public domain. They are kept to themselves.
Exactly! With me!
A file with a set of coordinates that did not coincide with the position of any planet in the galaxy was found on the second code cylinder. The first contained Thrawn's clearance codes and his service record. A personal matter, in general. Interesting. I'll have to look into it later.
Surprisingly, the planet Weyland, if these coordinates actually belong to it, is located relatively close to Myrkr. So it won't be a long flight.
This is already good news.
I felt my body tug slightly as it experienced weak, barely noticeable, but still loads. It's hard to describe them, but it felt as if I was going up or down an elevator.
Apparently we have exited hyperspace.
Sighing, turned off the computer. Threw jacket over body and buttoned it up. Put the code cylinders into pockets - after all, this is a requirement of the regulations - and headed towards the exit of the cabin.
Stopped in front of the reflective surface next to the door and looked at the reflection in the owl.
An effort of will drove the grin off his face. Thrawn doesn't do that. Thrawn is serious and calculating. You must not make mistakes.
One mistake, two - it will be attributed to the personality of the Grand Admiral. But the more of them there are... As in the good old proverb: "Once an accident,twice a coincidence, three times a pattern." All that was missing was for "my people" to reveal me. The Imperials certainly won't stand on ceremony with their interrogation methods.
Decision is made. I'm on the side of the Empire. Not because I am a tyrant and despot. Because the Empire is effective in fighting enemies. But not the Empire that remains now. And the one that was.
And the state that I will create.
This is not a quick process, so at first we will use what I can pull out of my memory. Interstellar flights here are not fast, and the Chimera's memory banks are full of official information, including textbook tactics and strategies. All this needs to be studied. Process it, put it into pieces with the help of a brilliant mind, now my mind. And make sure that all this becomes a weapon for creating a new state. I don't think calling what I want "Thrawn's Empire" would be right - it would be an immediate trigger for the rebels. And the galaxy has recently had a lot to eat from various "Empires". No, we need something else. Something more viable and not reeking of Palpatine's senile old age.
However, I will have time to think about this. And gain new knowledge about this galaxy. In the meantime, events have not gone too far and it will be possible to use the groundwork of the real Thrawn. But change everything for the better. The one that is convenient for me.
One small step for the Chiss in whose body I found myself, and a huge leap for the intelligent ones in this galaxy. And this will happen today, now.
My mind is already analyzing and strategizing. The events of today will already change the future. Just the way I want it.
It's time to say hello to the owner of this world. And, make him a cautious offer to earn extra money. An offer he would refuse.
However, if I remember everything that is happening correctly, then it will be possible to meet not only Talon "Claw" Karrde, the leader of the smugglers.
He is served by the one whom Emperor Palpatine once called his Hand.
A very valuable asset in the ruins of the fallen Galactic Empire. And she will be mine. Or no one's.
It's time to remind Mara Jade of her oath of allegiance.
***
"I'm dreaming," Luke reminded himself, looking out into the vast expanse of Tatooine. The same yellow, the same ruthless, the same...
Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (check comment)
— Luke, — a voice said from behind him, and the young Jedi turned around.
- Ben! - he exhaled joyfully. - Ben! You were gone for so long that it was thought you would never reappear. I'm so glad...
— And me, Luke, — the bluish-blue ghost smiled. — It's great to see what a powerful Jedi you have become.
— I'm trying, — the young man hesitated. — The last of the Jedi, after all...
— Be careful, — Obi-Wan Kenobi said sternly but good-naturedly. - The Emperor and Vader are dead...
— The Emperor and my father, — the young Jedi mentally corrected the words of his old friend.
—... but the Dark Side of the Force is still strong in the galaxy, — the ghost of the Force stunned him with his unexpected confession. — You felt a distortion in the Force that happened not so long ago?
— Yes, — was all Luke could say. - Something strange, as if alien... But I couldn't understand what it was. Only a slight ripple in the Force, which became almost invisible. Sorry Ben, I couldn't figure out what was going on.
— Don't blame yourself, — Obi-Wan said firmly. — Your journey is just beginning, Luke. Be patient and disciplined. The Great Force is with you, do not forget this. There have been and will be mistakes there's no getting around it. But you can learn a life lesson from them. Don't look for easy ways - use the right road.
— You speak as if you came to say goodbye and are giving final instructions, — Skywalker said sadly.
— It's becoming increasingly difficult to overcome the veil between the world of the living and the dead, Luke, — the young Jedi thought that a bitter smile should have appeared on Kenobi's face, but no. Obi-Wan had no regrets. He simply stated what was happening. - I think this is the last time we see each other. Listen to the Force, Luke. It will help you find allies where you don't expect them. And it will reveal the plans of his enemies...
— I really hope so, — Luke said, watching the image of Ben Kenobi melt away. And even the sands of Tatooine began to ripple. - Goodbye, old friend.
But Obi-Wan Kenobi did not answer him.
The old Jedi disappeared. Luke Skywalker opened his eyes, wiping the moisture from them. He's still in his room. Staring at the bedroom ceiling...
And despite the fact that his twin sister, Leia, was somewhere in the Imperial Palace, the young Jedi felt incredibly lonely.