Contempt

“You haven’t been with the navy long, have you?” Durril asked. "A few assault boats’ worth of stormtroopers, and it’ll be over.”

“Perhaps,” Thrawn said. “I will need more time to study the situation.”

“There is no time,” Donassius said. “Every hour the garrison is held, the reputation of the Empire is tarnished a little more. Your orders are to proceed at once to Batonn and release the insurgents’ hold on Scrim.” His lip twists. “Destroy the island if you have to, but remove the rebels.”

“Destroying the island would also kill the hostages,” Thrawn said. “There are better ways. But they require more reconnaissance and planning.”

“Very well,” Donassius said. His voice is stiff. “If you don’t think you can handle it, the Ninety-Sixth can go to Sammun instead.”

“You disapprove of my decision,” Thrawn said as he and Eli.

“I think everyone disapproved of your decision, sir,” Eli said sourly. “Whatever capital you might have had with the High Command, I think you’ve just burned it.”

“For the moment,” Thrawn said calmly, pulling out his datapad and keying it on. “That will change.”

“I don’t see how,” Eli said. "Admiral Durril seemed awfully certain he could take back the island.”

“Admiral Durril is always certain of himself,” Thrawn said. “But he has a tendency to value speed over precision. Often, it leads to miscalculation.”

“You think this is one of those miscalculations?”

“I am certain of it,” Thrawn said. “And that failure will be costly, both to his task force and to him personally.”

“Wonderful,” Eli muttered. More men and women hurt or killed because of the arrogance of their superiors. “Should we say something?”

“I did say something,” Thrawn reminded him. “I said the situation required more study.”

“So we just let him and the One Oh Third walk into the wall?”

“Admiral Durril has taken a stand,” Thrawn said. “We have offered advice. He has not taken it. We must now stand aside and allow him to test his confidence.”

“I suppose,” Eli said, craning his neck. The images were still flowing across Thrawn’s datapad. “May I ask what you’re doing, sir?”

“Studying Sammuni art,” Thrawn told him. “I need a better sense of the culture.”

~

This exchange is a gem. A GEM.

[Photo: since he is a rather recent purchase, I decided to feature my Thrawn Funko pop. However, the current posts series still belongs to Eli, so, indulge me in including him again, a custom made by @poppourrico, which recently opened a dedicated pop account @cardinal.creates. In the background: Chimaera embroidered canvas by the lovely @snipsandco_]