Parck looked up from the report. “So that’s it,” he said.
“That’s it,” Thrawn confirmed. “One of the bodies in the Dwelling of Guests was positively identified as his.”
Parck nodded, feeling a strange weariness stealing over him. After ten years of sporadic combat, slippery escapes, and unlikely victories across the Unknown Regions, warlord Nuso Esva was finally, finally dead. “What now?” he asked, setting the datapad aside.
Thrawn shrugged slightly. “There’s little we can do for the Quesoth except aid in rebuilding the damage to the Red City,” he said. “But they should be all right. Historically, there have been several instances when Queens have died prematurely. Sometimes that induces the next Queen to arise ahead of schedule; sometimes the affected city has to limp on alone until the regular time of arising. But whatever struggles the Red City ends up going through, the people of Quethold will survive. That’s what’s important.”
“Yes,” Parck agreed with a shiver. Especially considering what that Midli, Trevik, had told them about Nuso Esva’s plans for the planet. He could have destroyed everything, and might even have gotten loose to spread more of his poison across the Unknown Regions.
But he hadn’t. He was dead, and it really was over. “Actually, Admiral, I meant what were we going to do now,” he said.
“You and the Admonitor will be heading back to the Chaos Triangle to begin cleaning up the legacy that Nuso Esva left behind,” Thrawn said. “As for me, I can now finally turn my attention to an even more pressing problem than Nuso Esva. Namely, the restoration of the Empire.”
Parck winced. Thrawn had returned only occasionally to Imperial space since Palpatine’s death. Those trips had usually been short, had always been shrouded in secrecy, and had invariably left the Grand Admiral frustrated by the growing disorder there. Between the incompetence of its own leadership and the steady military pressure from the New Republic, the Empire had shrunk to barely a quarter of the size it had attained under Palpatine’s rule. “You may have trouble persuading them to accept your help,” he warned. “Some of their recent experience with Grand Admirals hasn’t been all that positive.”
“There’s someone there I can contact,” Thrawn assured him. “Captain Gilad Pellaeon, currently in command of the ISD Chimaera. I worked with him before, back when Nuso Esva made his one incursion into Imperial space.”
“Yes, I remember,” Parck said grimly. “Candoras sector. I also remember that it was shortly afterward that Nuso Esva launched the Braccio campaign and ended up nearly destroying half a dozen species.”
“Your recollection is correct,” Thrawn said, frowning slightly. “Your point?”
“That Nuso Esva was a vengeful son of a space slug,” Parck said. “I don’t expect his followers to be any less so. It may not be a good time for you to reintroduce yourself to Imperial politics.”
Thrawn shook his head. “Don’t worry, Captain. Whatever followers Nuso Esva has left are few and scattered. Without his leadership, they’ll slink back into the shadows where they belong.”
“Perhaps,” Parck said. “It still might not be a bad idea for you to take a few additional precautions out there.”
“Your concern is touching,” Thrawn said. “Again, you have no need to worry. Captain Pellaeon is a competent commander, and he’s made the Chimaera into one of the finest warships in the fleet.”
“What I meant—”
“And I’ve also made arrangements to have a bodyguard accompany me when I return to the Empire,” Thrawn continued. “Whatever vengeance Nuso Esva had planned, or thought he had planned, it will never reach me.”
“I hope not.” Parck took a deep breath. He still didn’t like this, but he knew better than to argue when Thrawn’s mind was made up. “With your permission, Admiral, I’ll go begin preparations to contact Captain Pellaeon and return you to the Empire.” He smiled slightly. “To your Empire.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Thrawn said quietly. “And don’t look so glum. This isn’t just the end of Nuso Esva.”
He smiled tightly. “It’s also the beginning. The beginning of victory.”
A B O U T T H E A U T H O R
Since 1978, TIMOTHY ZAHN has written nearly seventy short stories and novelettes, numerous novels, and three short fiction collections, and won the Hugo Award for best novella. Zahn is best known for his Star Wars novels Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor’s Quest, Outbound Flight, and Allegiance, and has more than four million copies of his books in print. His most recent publications have been the science-fiction Cobra series and the six-part young adult series Dragonback. He has a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. in physics from the University of Illinois. He lives with his family on the Oregon coast.
BY TIMOTHY ZAHN
STAR WARS
STAR WARS: Choices of One
STAR WARS: Allegiance
STAR WARS: Outbound Flight
STAR WARS: Survivor’s Quest
STAR WARS: Vision of the Future
STAR WARS: Specter of the Past
STAR WARS: The Last Command
STAR WARS: Dark Force Rising
STAR WARS: Heir to the Empire
ALSO
Cobra Alliance
The Judas Solution
Conquerors’ Legacy
Conquerors’ Heritage
Conquerors’ Pride
Cobra Bargain
Cobra Strike
The Backlash Mission
Cobra
The Blackcollar
STAR WARS—The Expanded Universe
You saw the movies. You watched the cartoon series, or maybe played some of the video games. But did you know …
In The Empire Strikes Back, Princess Leia Organa said to Han Solo, “I love you.” Han said, “I know.” But did you know that they actually got married? And had three Jedi children: the twins, Jacen and Jaina, and a younger son, Anakin?
Luke Skywalker was trained as a Jedi by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. But did you know that, years later, he went on to revive the Jedi Order and its commitment to defending the galaxy from evil and injustice?
Obi-Wan said to Luke, “For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” Did you know that over those millennia, legendary Jedi and infamous Sith Lords were adding their names to the annals of Republic history?
Yoda explained that the dreaded Sith tend to come in twos: “Always two, there are. No more, no less. A Master, and an apprentice.” But did you know that the Sith didn’t always exist in pairs? That at one time in the ancient Republic there were as many Sith as Jedi, until a Sith Lord named Darth Bane was the lone survivor of a great Sith war and created the “Rule of Two”?
All this and much, much more is brought to life in the many novels and comics of the Star Wars expanded universe. You’ve seen the movies and watched the cartoon. Now venture out into the wider worlds of Star Wars!