When you are wrong (really wrong)

Ezra froze in his spot. His whole body trembled. He felt nauseous. A wave of Horror. A wave of Fear. Then, only Death. []

"Bridger?"

"So much death..." Ezra couldn't talk. [] "Not one... so many... I don't understand... it was just so fast, I have never-..." he was shivering trying to keep it together. He could still feel the ripples in the Force. He was shaken. []

"You should rest."

"I just need a moment... I'll be fine-..." Ezra assured him, taking deep breaths to calm himself. At his side, Thrawn became very still and tense.

~

"Vanto. [] Did Stardust become operational?" []

"Yeah... []" there was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“I was afraid so. About some three months ago, I presume.”

“Actually... yes,” Eli blinked surprised. “How do you know?”

Thrawn looked down pensive at the floor, then briefly at Ezra. []

“Where?”

Eli hesitated again, almost as if he would not dare to say it out loud. “Alderaan”

Thrawn was completely taken back. Ezra had never seen him like that. Stunned. He straightened keeping his composure.

“Was the evacuation-”

“There was no evacuation,” Eli said, a rising anger in his chest.

“...I see,” Thrawn became silent again, his expression hardening.

“What happened? THRAWN?” Ezra demanded. []

“The Death Star. A weapon capable of destroying a planet [],” Thrawn said bluntly. [] "The project was in the last stages of completion when I finally discovered it,” Thrawn explained calmly, knowing he needed to diffuse the situation. “I argued it was unnecessary and countered it by offering an alternative project of my own. The Death Star had been the pet project of the Emperor but the TIE Defender was promising and I managed to divert resources to it instead, but then..." Thrawn trailed off, locking eyes with Ezra. [] "Then we heard of what happened in the factory and the Emperor gave me one last chance to keep his attention from the Death Star. He wanted you. [] What I did in Lothal... [] I acted under the impression it would prevent the Death Star from becoming operational,” Thrawn said calmly, but with a hint of sadness in his voice. “I was wrong.”

["Last Known Trajectory" by @soulnova_alizrak]