The Return of Thrawn

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

<font color=yellow><marquee direction=up scrollamount=1 ><center><font size=6>THE RETURN OF THRAWN


<font size=4>It has been years since Grand Admiral
Thrawn died aboard the Chimaera
at the hands of his own bodyguard.
Since then, the New Republic as well as
the Jedi and Sith have grown in
number. Most of the Galaxy has
forgotten the terrible threat that the
Grand Admiral once presented.

Little is known of the Grand Admiral's
race. The blue skinned beings known as
the "Chiss" still hide in the Unknown Regions,
choosing to avoid the known sectors of the Galaxy.
Efforts have been made to attempt
contact with the strange race. All of them
have failed, and rarely did Diplomats return.

On it's way to Coruscant, an unmarked starship
travels through Hyperspace. Only one passenger
is in the ship, and his visit to Imperial Center
could present a new problem for the
New Republic, and the Galaxy itself...</center></marquee>

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Who are you?

"I am Syndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo."

Why are you on this ship?

"To return to my beloved Empire as Grand Admiral Thrawn."

Are you more loyal to this Empire then your own people?

"...Yes."

Why is that?

"Because my own people exiled me."

Do you despise your brethren?

"...Yes."

Wrong answer, Syndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo.

Every time Syndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo answered wrong, he was subjected to an electrical shock that sent waves of pain throughout his nervous system. This had been the fourth time this week he had failed answering that question. Syndic was strapped to a chair, and hooked up to a computer system. He awaited the next answer, anticipating fear. Would it reprimand him again if he answered incorrectly? Syndic took a moment to think to himself what "it" was. His thoughts were disturbed by it's next question.

Would you betray your beloved Empire for your people?

"...No."

Wrong answer, Syndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo.

Syndic was tempted to open his mouth and scream out in pain. Would that make this experience less painful? He resisted the temptation and opened his red eyes. He was met with darkness, as if something had been placed before his eyes that disabled his sight.

Who are you?

Thinking straight for the first time in five days, Syndic determined he was hooked up to some machine that repeatedly asked him the same questions. The blue skinned alien tried to move his arms, but they were strapped tightly. He tried to blink, but his eyesight would not return. He felt an emotion build up inside of him. Was it rage? He couldn't tell, but he had the sudden urge to scream and shout.

Perhaps if I answer each question correctly, I will be granted freedom from these shackles, Syndic thought.

The humanoid put his theory into play, answering each question correctly. For each question that he failed at before, Syndic thought of the opposite answer. And finally, the machine asked him the last question.

Would you betray your beloved Empire for your people?

"Yes." Syndic lied. He was beginning to feel another emotion...Guilt perhaps? It didn't matter, as long as Syndic was free to move around.

Syndic's vision began to return. He heard various clicks and other sounds he could not identify. He raised his left arm, successfully. The blue skinned humanoid did the same with his right, and then proceeded to wiggle his fingers. He craned his neck both left and right, blinking furiously as his eyes were filled with tears. He couldn't remember seeing light this bright before. Syndic felt pressure relieved from his legs. He pushed up and tried to stand. The floor seemed unstable, or was it his inability to walk after such a long time?

This was all new to him, yet old in the same sense. He had thousands of questions, and not a single answer...

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Thrawn had discovered a neatly folded Grand Admiral's suit in one of the bridge's compartments. He could vaguely remember wearing it before, but somehow it just felt right. He stared at himself in a mirror, admiring his facial attributes and the sharp image the suit presented. Immediately, Thrawn came to the conclusion he had worn this suit before, but he couldn't remember where. Now that the Grand Admiral thought of it, he couldn't really remember anything. His mind was surrounded by a thick fog, that had only just begun to clear.

Just as soon as Thrawn returned to the bridge, he heard a small beeping sound. Turning his neck right, the blue-skinned alien recognized the small screened console as a navigational computer. He walked toward it and bent down on one knee, observing the digits on the screen. It took Thrawn three minutes to remember what everything meant. The hyperdrive indicator notified him that he would be exiting hyperspace in three hours.

The Grand Admiral had found his way back to the room he had been confined in two hours earlier. As he passed by the computer screen, he noticed it was blinking. Curiousity propelled him toward the computer. The screen read:

<font color=red>Input Order_

<font color=white>He could not find a keyboard, or any device to input orders. The Grand Admiral threw caution to the wind and spoke an order in basic...Nothing happened, and the screen continued to blink.

This must be a Chiss-made starship, which means this thing will only respond to Chiss, Thrawn thought to himself.

Suddenly, he uttered very foreign and rapid words that could only be translated as, "Pull up all files on Grand Admiral Thrawn." Much to his good fortune, the computer replied by rapidly listing all the sources it had on Grand Admiral Thrawn. The blue-skinned alien was surprised at the 678 file entries relating to Thrawn. This would surely inform him of his past, and why he was going to Coruscant. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember hearing it before.