Star Wars: Immortal Devotion - The Spiral

Chapter 5 (Part 4)

"I do hope you understand that I did not seek you out personally," Grand Admiral Thrawn's shimmering blue figure said as he loomed above Prime Minister Anton Butler. "No, in fact it was the contrary. I had never even heard your name uttered before this issue arose. However, Admiral Motti spoke so highly of you that I had to do some research of my own. And after a few days of digging into your records, I knew you would be perfect for this assignment."

"And what assignment would that be," Anton asked, attempting to mask his intimidation behind an expression of calm indifference.

"I was just getting to that," Thrawn said as he picked up some sort of trinket and began fiddling with it. "I need you to personally track down someone. A smuggler who has been on our radar for a while. He is not a threat to our Empire quite yet, however, he is an annoyance. And he has caused us far more trouble than his life is worth. The rest of his family has been dealt with appropriately, but so far, he has slipped past the grasp of a number of our operatives."

Thrawn looked up, admiring something that was seemingly just out of view of the holoprojector's display. "I am re-assigning you to a Star Destroyer. One of the new ones fresh off the assembly line should do nicely. You may travel to the shipyards above Seswenna and choose any one that meets your liking. I have already informed Admiral Galleon, and he is awaiting your arrival."

"And what of my political duties," Anton asked, knowing Thrawn had already figured out a solution for this as well.

Thrawn nodded, "I have selected a young senator from the Imperial Center, Jor Ovella, to take your place. His position is marked as strictly temporary... at least for now. And he will act only as a substitute with limited jurisdiction. Upon your successful return, he will be reassigned to one of our new allied outer-rim territories and you can resume your role until you inevitably die of boredom. There is no need to fraught about Seswenna, I am well informed on the local politics, and understand that they are just as mild as the winters."

The Prime Minister looked around his office, seeing all of the things he had collected while overseeing Seswenna. He took note of everything that he had worked for, everything that now held sentimental value to him, and everything that his current lifestyle now represented. And he felt defeated.

A wave of remorse washed over Anton as he realized he could never truly escape the servitude of the Empire. He looked at the small family photo on his desk, and felt even more pain, knowing that he would soon have to break this news to the sweet and frail daughter he held so dear to his heart.

He was desperate to continue living the satisfactory, and more importantly peaceful life that he had finally grown accustomed to.

Anton looked back up at Thrawn, the desperation beginning to show on his face, "And there is no one better suited for this assignment?"

Thrawn grinned, seeing the man's weakness finally revealing itself. "No," he replied coldly.

"Am I allowed to reject this assignment?" the Prime Minister asked, knowing full well the answer. Thrawn played with the trinket in his hand for a fraction of a second, before looking him dead in the eyes. "For the beautiful Eureka's sake... I would hope not," and Anton now realized he was fiddling with a child's plaything, probably a piece of the Grand Admiral's legendary collection of artifacts.

Chills ran down the Prime Minister's back as Thrawn set the toy down and spoke up again, "Do you have any more pointless inquires?"

Feeling utter hopelessness, Anton could not force his eyes to meet Thrawns. "No, Grand Admiral, I will accept whatever task I am assigned."

The blue skinned officer smiled at this response, fully revealing his teeth for the first time during the exchange. "I am glad to hear you are finally on board. Now that we are on the same perverbial page, I can reveal to you your pressing assignment. It concerns the child of a certain pirate. I pirate who, if I'm not mistaken, was responsible for the death... of your son."