SSD Whelm

Imperial Center, Inner Rim

Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik

It's been a while since Teshik walked the halls of his beloved former flagship. The Whelm is truly an intimidating, but magnificent ship. The mere presence of an Executor is enough to make enemies run, but there is always those brave few.

Destroying the Far Orbit and killing Coh Veshiv, in the view of certain Grand Admirals and the many politicians and nobles in Imperial Center, removed Teshik as a powerful player in the Imperial Courts.

Of course, the Emperor was angry at Teshik, but he did not regret his decision.

He trapped the Far Orbit with his fleet, and nowhere else to go, the traitors aimed to ram the bridge of the Star Destroyer Vindictive. With the speed of the Nebulon and how slow the Vindictive was to get out of its way, Teshik had no choice but to order his fleet to blow the escort frigate into smithereens.

Teshik was quite happy to end Veshiv anyway. The Imperial Adviser was corrupted and had a habit of blackmailing others. He tried to blackmail the late Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin and Thrawn soon after. Both of course were not intimidated by him.

What many did not know was how close Veshiv was to finding about all of the Imperials Teshik had allied himself with and their resentment for the Emperor.

Veshiv had to die and Teshik knew about the consequences. He had plans ready and alerted all of his allies the contingency plans in the event of his demise.

The Far Orbit's suicide run did surprise him however and he quickly forgot about why he originally needed to end Veshiv. Veshiv never contributed anything positive to the Empire anyway. The lives aboard the Vindictive was way more important to Teshik.

Teshik ran his left hand on the wall of the hallway.

It's good to be home. Even if it's just for a short time. Teshik thought.

The cyborg ignored his stormtrooper escorts who trailed behind him and everything around him.

He finally came up to the blastdoors of the bridge.

It opened for the Grand Admiral and he was met with a sight for sore eyes.

The bridge crew were hard at work, prepping for the Grand Admiral. Admiral Feyet Kiez was issuing orders.

What he noticed was that Kiez and many members of the bridge crew had smiles on their faces.

After all, they all saw Teshik as a father figure. He was there when they were all assigned to the Whelm. He molded the entire Azure Hammer Command into an elite fighting force. His decision to save the Vindictive made their respect for the Grand Admiral soar. Of course, when they heard of how the Emperor punished Teshik and pictures of his grievous injuries surfaced, pretty much everyone in Azure Hammer Command were infuriated. They were all willing die just to save their beloved Grand Admiral.

"Grand Admiral on deck!" Teshik heard Kiez yell.

Immediately, everyone snapped to attention.

Teshik's only surviving eye teared up a little at the sight of his old crew. He walked up to Kiez.

"At ease."

They all dropped their salute.

"I have no words to describe to see all of you once again. Others may see us as a simple command, but here, we are all family. My heart was shattered when I was removed from this family, but I did not regret saving the Vindictive. In my absence, I have been keeping tabs in all of you and I was very proud. You did not let my removal get in your way, but instead, used it to drive you further. My presence here is only temporary. Let's make this final trip to Anaxes a meaningful one."

Admiral Kiez stepped up.

"With all due respect sir, you are the father of this fleet. You have molded us into a force to be reckoned with and even put yourself on the line to save others on this fleet. We will follow you to the most dangerous places this galaxy can throw at us. We will happily die for you Grand Admiral. The Emperor may have removed you from command, but we are a family. Everywhere you go, you can be damn sure we won't be far behind to watch your back. You will, and have always been the commander of this fleet."

The entire bridge crew snapped to attention once again. This time, a single tear did fall out of his only eye. It was a sight many have not seen for a long time. The mighty Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik hasn't shown even a small hint of emotion since his injuries.

"Thank you, all of you. I cannot ask for a better crew, a fleet nonetheless. Now let's get back to work."

Grand Admiral Octavian Grant

Imperial Center, Inner Core

ISD Oriflamme

Grand Admiral Octavian Grant, a Tapani Noble and one of the weakest Grand Admirals in the Imperial Court, stood on the bridge of his flagship, watching the Whelm along with the ISD Eleemosynary, Teshik's personal squadron, and ships from the Azure Hammer Command jump into hyperspace.

Grant at first, didn't like any of the Grand Admirals. Some of them loved to mingle with politicians whom he hates, and others he saw were not even nobles to begin with like Grand Admiral Peccati Syn.

It took several war games before Grant finally had some level of respect for his peers. He was absolutely livid when he found out about Thrawn's promotion to Grand Admiral. Not only was he an alien, but to his knowledge, he was not a noble either.

During a war game over Validusia, Grant challenged the new Grand Admiral. Everyone expected the Grand Admiral who defeated the fleet of the legendary General Jan Dodonna to win. Many were completely shocked when the alien Grand Admiral utterly defeated Grant. Grant unexpectedly was not upset with his defeat, but was instead very intrigued.

He decided to set up a meeting with the new Grand Admiral to have a drink and learn more about him. There, Grant learned that Thrawn would be considered a noble. Although he was born a commoner, he rose through the ranks quickly in the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force and was adopted into the Eighth Ruling Family. Thrawn introduced to him his usual strategy on how he would beat his opponents, art.

Grant almost laughed until Thrawn explained to him how art helped him defeat his opponents. Nonetheless, Grant in the end believed it to be ingenious. He did know art, but Thrawn was able to use it to crush his opponents, something Grant knows he's incapable of doing.

Later on, he met privately with Grand Admirals Thrawn and Osvald Teshik where they told him everything, from the many wars of the past, the Sith, the Jedi, and even information about the Emperor and Lord Vader Thrawn discovered secretly.

Grant did not want to believe it at first, but the evidence Thrawn showed him seemed very genuine. At the advice of Teshik, Thrawn took Grant to both Naboo and Tatooine to see further evidence if he did not believe them.

It was then Grant finally hooked, the Third Head of the Hydra has joined them.

The first to leave Imperial Center was Grand Admirals Josef Grunger and Martio Batch, then Miltin Takel in the ISD Magic Dragon, Afsheen Makati in the ISD Steadfast, Peccati Syn in the ISD Fi, and Rufaan Tigellinus in the ISD Avatar.

The ISD Emperor's Disciple and the ISD Admonitor are still in orbit meaning Ishin-Il-Raz and Thrawn are still here. However, Grant did see two shuttle heading towards the Admonitor while there has been no activity from the Emperor's Disciple.

Only Nial Declann didn't have a personal flagship and spend most of his time in Imperial Center. Thinking back, Grant has never heard of Declann participating in any battles ever since his promotion to Grand Admiral. Even Tigellinus still performed regular naval duties, chasing pirates and destroying Rebel bases.

Grant's time is limited, Four of the Five Heads of the Hydra have already departed for Anaxes. Only Thrawn and himself are left. Knowing Thrawn will catch up, he gave the order to jump to hyperspace.

"Plot coordinates for Anaxes."

"Yes sir." He heard a voice behind him.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Imperial Center, Inner Core

ISD Admonitor

"Welcome back aboard sir, how was the meeting?" asked Captain Niriz.

Thrawn was back on the bridge of the Admonitor flanked by Twilight and Spike. In front of them were Captain Niriz and General Mohc.

"I think it went quiet well. Did you inform General Mohc about everything and what he should expect?"

"Yes sir. I've even warned him about...Admiral Krennel's behavior."

"Do not worry Grand Admiral. I've dealt with officers like Krennel before. Rest assured, I'll be fine with him around." said General Mohc.

"Very good. Now, set course for Anaxes."

"Yes sir." said Niriz.

Behind Niriz, Thrawn could see the Oriflamme jump into hyperspace.

"Make haste, we're already behind schedule." said Thrawn.

Thrawn heard the sound of someone grunting and the cracking of bones.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna hit the hay." said Spike.

"I'm coming with you, I need to read more about the Empire's history anyway." said Twilight.

Thrawn turned around to address them.

"Very well, get plenty of rest. We have a very long trip ahead of us."

"We will, goodnight sir." Spike said while the dragon and the alicorn gave him a salute before walking away.

As they were walking away, Thrawn took note of the muscles on Spike and the wings and the horn on Twilight. He would love to see how strong Spike is compared to Zuke from Scar Squad or a Wookiee. As for Twilight Sparkle, Thrawn noted to have someone cut holes on her spare uniform and cap for her horn and wings.

"Sir huh? Kids catch up quick." Captain Niriz said.

"Kids? Just how old are those two?" asked General Mohc.

"From what I was able to gather, Spike is only 19 years old and Twilight Sparkle is 25 years old. Gotta be hard for Twilight. Being 25 and was a very powerful individual in a galactic power. Heh, my 25 year old self would've probably destroyed this galaxy through stupidity if I was in her position." answered Niriz.

Thrawn turned back to the viewport and admired the many warships and defense platforms defending the capital of the Galactic Empire.

With the power we have, this Rebellion should've been crushed years ago.

"Alert the Ludwick and the Maru Ki. Tell them to head for Naval Station Validusia where they will rendezvous with the Merciful, Turncoat, and the Betrayal. The station commander has already been notified and they will receive new orders from there." Thrawn said.

"Yes sir. Anything else?" said Niriz.

"On the way here, I was notified that the Emperor has already ordered more capital ships to reinforce our fleet. Some of them will meet us in the Quelii Oversector. The rest of them will meet us at Eriadu in the Seswenna Sector. We will join Grand Admiral Octavian Grant's fleet on the journey to Eriadu. He will meet with Grand Moff Ardus Kaine while myself, Miss Sparkle, and Mr Spike have a meeting with Admiral Sander Delvardus."

"Very well sir. I'll alert the fleet." said Niriz.

Niriz and Mohc left Thrawn alone as he gazed out the viewport. The Admonitor and the rest of the fleet were getting into positions to make the jump to hyperspace. Due to the heavy traffic of Imperial Center, many ships from cruise liners and freighters passed by the Imperial fleet.

Thrawn wondered about Twilight and Spike. He knows the Emperor gave them advisory roles, but their actions to save that Stormtrooper squad and against the Celestial Alliance shows they could fight and have some experience commanding a large force. Maybe he can give them more than just an advisory role.

Both of them are very smart individuals. While Twilight Sparkle is the smarter of them two, has political experience, and was apparently one of the most powerful wielders of magic back at her home, she is quite physically weak. Thrawn took note to see if she can handle a blaster and use martial arts.

Spike on the other hand, can't use magic like Twilight, but his ability to breathe flames is a powerful weapon. He is very muscular, strong, and Thrawn wouldn't be surprised if he could use his flames and his tail to his advantage. In close combat, Spike seems to be capable of going toe to toe with even Rukh. With his strength, he should have no problem handling heavy weapons.

This will have to wait however, Thrawn has plans to make after all.

En route to Anaxes

ISD Admonitor

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight gazed at the datapad in her hands while laying on her bed. On the other side of the room was Spike, sleeping with his armor on the floor next to his bed. She counted herself lucky, the crew had no problem finding undergarments for her, but they had a little trouble finding one for Spike. Luckily, the Stormtrooper who addressed himself as Zuke had a whole wardrobe with him with plenty of underwear. He was about the same size as Spike and was the biggest Human she's ever seen thus far. Spike liked his armor, but sleeping with it would be annoying. Considering how Spike likes to toss and turn in his sleep, it would've been awkward if Twilight woke up to see his junk sticking out. It's something Twilight does not want to experience again.

Next to her bed was an alarm clock with a neatly folded uniform. In order to not wake up Spike, she lowered to volume low enough so it wouldn't bother the sleeping dragon.

For an hour, she scoured through the holonet, finding as much information as she can, especially on the individuals she just met.

Instantly, she had a distaste for several of the individuals. Grand Admirals Ishin-Il-Raz, Rufaan Tigellineus, and Danetti Pitta were some of the most hated individuals in the Empire. Only a few individuals such as Director Ysanne Isard of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, Darth Vader, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military, and the Emperor himself topped those three Grand Admirals.

The other Grand Admirals had some weird backgrounds. Martio Batch was never a military commander and was more like a scientist and Nial Declann was an Imperial pilot. Why the Emperor decided to promote them to such a high-rank was a mystery to her.

Curiously for Thrawn, there was zero information on his background prior to joining the Imperial Navy. All information started with him taking crash courses in an Academy and being the protege of a certain Voss Parck whom according to the holonet, was a Captain before being demoted to Commander. There was a time gap before all of a sudden, he emerged as an Admiral.

Then, there was something called a "Ghost Fleet" that was mentioned in both Parck's and Thrawn's bio. Apparently, there was a conspiracy going on among the Empire's populace. There were several Imperial ships including three Super Star Destroyers and their crew who never show up on any spaceports. Every once in a while, they were sighted but only on Imperial Center. The Admonitor itself was one of those ships listed as part of the "Ghost Fleet".

To Twilight's surprise, new information popped up while she was on the page about the Ghost Fleet. According to the very bottom, the Star Destroyers Admonitor, Grey Wolf, Vanguard, Stalwart, Sceltor, and Iron Fist with some escorts showed up on Imperial Center. Suspiciously, according the the writer, they showed up around the same time as the flagships of other Grand Admirals.

Considering how the Grey Wolf was the last known flagship of the then Vice Admiral Thrawn, they've suspected that this Ghost Fleet was in fact the personal squadron of Grand Admiral Thrawn. However, his base of operations and the location of the rest of the Ghost Fleet was still a mystery.

The rest of the page was just a list of warships suspected of being part of the Ghost Fleet.

Vector, Wrath, Sword of Kuat, Pride of Corellia, Purge, etc.

Curiously for Twilight, the page said the Vector and the Purge disappeared completely long before the rest of the Ghost Fleet disappeared from the known galaxy. Not even the families of the crew knew of their fates. According to Imperial High Command, the Vector and the Purge were listed as Missing in Action. There were rumors of supposed survivors who claim the crews of both ships were infected by a virus which made them into mindless mutants. The last command given to the Vector according to some Imperial Commanders, was to transport unknown cargo by orders of Lord Vader. Vader himself has made no comments about the Vector nor the mysterious cargo.

The rest of the page was just full of conspiracy theories that Twilight found outrageous.

A fighter that can destroy a star? The Emperor orchestrating the Clone Wars by playing both sides? Where do these people get these ideas from? Twilight thought.

Finding no more information that interests her, she decided to listen to a news network.

The screen switched to a brown-haired female Human in a black suit, giving a report.

"Breaking News, the Equality for All Movement has organized a new set of demonstrations. It has been reported that they are holding protests in many planets from Imperial Center, to Corellia, to Eriadu, and to Fondor. In order to avoid clashes with counter-protesters, law enforcement has been sent to either protect the protesters, or order them to cease and desist. This has come after pictures and videos on the holonet was leaked of Wookiee slaves on Kashyyyk, to even the kidnapping of Human slaves from Jabiim.

This has sparked outrage as people believe the Emperor is turning a blind eye on these criminal acts. It is no secret that non-Humans are treated as Second-class Citizens in the Empire, but a growing number of people are demanding equality. Many within the Imperial Military themselves have been open on their opinions. While Grand Admirals Ishin-Il-Raz, Danetti Pitta, and Rufaan Tigellineus were quick to denounce them as Rebel sympathizers, Grand Admirals Osvald Teshik, Thrawn, and Octavian Grant have announced their support for the movement. This was heralded as a turning point as people wave flags and posters with the three Grand Admirals. For Thrawn especially, he was seen as a hero to non-Humans. The alien surprised many when he was promoted to Grand Admiral by the Emperor himself.

Some Imperial Admirals have come out this week including Admiral Sander Delvardus, Teren Rogriss, and former Admirals Barton Coburn and Shoan Kilian. In response, Admirals Blitzer Harrsk, Treuten Teradoc, and Kosh Teradoc have denounced their colleagues and their movement.

So far, no Grand Moffs have denounced the movement but they have been publicly supported by Grand Moff Ardus Kaine who made a speech just last week."

The news showed a video of an Imperial Officer with gray hair on a platform in front of a huge crowd of people.

"Back then, I probably would never have supported the Equality Movement. I grew up around Humans and I was taught that Humans were the superior race. I carried that belief to my promotion to Grand Moff. The most astounding thing happened to me. During an inspection on Ryloth, the planet was attacked by pirates. Not only did they come for my head, but to also capture Imperial equipment and acquire Twi'lek slaves. It was truly an amazing sight, Humans and Twi'leks fighting together against a common evil, not seen since the Clone Wars. My life was even saved from a sniper by a Twi'lek named Sera who is here to join us today."

Kaine gestured to a light blue Twi'lek who sat on a chair behind him along with some other aliens and Imperial Officers. Sera was wearing a white dress and nodded to the Grand Moff with a smile.

"She along with everyone there have my eternal gratitude. From that day forward, I began to believe that a unified Empire is a stronger Empire. One where there is no slavery, one where everyone, Humans and Twi'leks, Wookiees and Trandoshans, can stand side by side as equals, fighting for one banner. If anyone in Imperial Center can hear me, in order for the Galactic Empire to move forward, we need equality now! When our children grow up, they should be viewing us with pride, not shame or fear! The Empire will not stand divided, but will be stronger and more powerful united!"

There was a resounding cheer from the crowd before the video cut off and returned to the news caster.

Many have accused the Equality Movement as Rebel sympathizers and traitors. However, many experts agree, the movement is not traitorous at all. Some of their demands do seem aligned with the Rebel Alliance, but experts say, the movement consists of people who agree with some of the Rebel's ideas, but will not betray the Empire. Their main objective, is to improve the Empire, not destroy it. Grand Admiral Ishin-Il-Raz just yesterday announced that the Equality Movement are all traitors that should be arrested and jailed. His comments have been heralded by many nobles and politicians. As for the Emperor himself, he has made no comment about the movement at all whatsoever.

Coming up next, the Admonitor and some ships of the supposed Ghost Fleet show up on Imperial Center. What could this mean? And later, the Crimson Command finds itself with a new commander, in the form of High Admiral Treuten Teradoc. What could this mean for Grand Moff Zsinj and his power within the Quelii Oversector? We'll be interviewing Admiral Nils Tenant on what he believes is
an upset in balance of power in the region. Stay tuned, we'll be back right after this break."

Twilight stayed to see what else she could learn from the news network, attempting to deal with advertisements.

"Are you sick of piles of owls constantly blocking your landing pad? Well then you gotta get the Owl Trowel!"

Nevermind. Forget it. Twilight thought.

She decided to sleep. There will be more time for research later.

2 days later

ISD Admonitor

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Within one of the storage rooms of the Star Destroyer, Grand Admiral Thrawn and Sergeant Kreel were searching through some items they've collected over the years. Thrawn wanted to make sure, many of them were historical relics he wish to see them in museums in the future. Normally, he would have others do it for him, but Thrawn likes to admire some of them and Kreel has a habit of collecting things.

"Clone Commander Gree's helmet, check." said Kreel as he marked it off on a datapad.

Thrawn took out a blaster and a hat from one of the boxes.

"Cad Bane's LL-30 Blaster pistols and his hat. Check." Thrawn said as Kreel marked it off.

Kreel reached into one of the boxes and pulled out a droid's head.

"General Kalani's head. Check. Almost done sir. Why do you insist to do it yourself sir?"

Thrawn let out a sigh. "It's not just because I like to admire them, but I also needed time to think. Things do get quite boring when I only see the same art pieces in my office."

"So why not buy some new ones sir?"

Thrawn glanced at the Sergeant. "My time as a Grand Admiral leaves little room for breaks, though when I'm on leave, I usually spend my time with someone else."

"Is it that Imperial Court Painter I keep hearing about?"

"Former Court Painter. She now works as a painter in Grand Admiral Teshik's estate."

"Ah, so I guess this is why we're heading to Anaxes?"

Thrawn smiled. Kreel was one of the few who would break into small talk with his commanding officers and treat them like friends.

"Partially, I still have a meeting with some Grand Admirals at Teshik's estate. I'm only going to spend one day with her. One day is short, but I've got to make every time I have count."

"Makes sense." He pulled out a lightsaber.

"Eh? What's this doing here?"

Thrawn looked back at him as he placed a lid on a box.

"The lightsaber of Jedi Padawan Aubrie Wyn. Recovered from Jabiim. You can take it, it shouldn't be here."

"Thank you sir. This will make a fine addition to my collection." Kreel said as he clipped the lightsaber to his belt. "Well I gotta go, I have a wrestling match with Cav."

"Good, you're dismissed." Thrawn said.

Kreel saluted the Grand Admiral and walked out of the room.

Meanwhile, Thrawn zoned out for a while before walking away as well.

5 minutes later

Thrawn walked around the Memorial Room, paying his respect to every fallen crewmember of the Admonitor.

Hologram after hologram, they all showed stormtroopers, pilots, officers, etc. smiling and saluting. Near each hologram were pictures of the individual on the wall.

"Too many for my liking." Thrawn muttered to himself.

He turned around a corner and to his surprise, found Twilight Sparkle looking at the holograms as well.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to be here." Thrawn said.

Twilight quickly turned around and sighed in relief.

"I got curious sir. There's just so many here. For a single ship, I wasn't expecting so many dead." Twilight said as she gazed at the hologram of a fallen Imperial Officer.

Thrawn walked up to her side. "Well, the Admonitor has seen a lot of battles. It's one of the most decorated ships in the Navy after all."

They were silent as the pair walked by several holograms.

"Were they all under your command?" Twilight asked.

"Most of them actually. Before I took command of the Admonitor, Captain Niriz and the crew usually hunted down pirates. It was only after I took command did they experience larger battles. Once a week, I come here to pay my respects."

"So do all ships have Memorial Rooms like these?"

"Most warships do, though a few ships who have never seen any battles have empty Memorial Rooms."

They stopped in front of the last hologram, a stormtrooper with freshly laid flowers on it. They saw many pictures of the stormtrooper smiling along with his squadmates. The picture that stood out however was a picture of troopers surrounded by snow holding a tattered Rebel flag. The trooper in particular was crouching on a crashed snowspeeder with two AT-STs in the background.

"A veteran from the Battle of Hoth. Killed by pirates when they wounded up in one of the planets in my territory trying to escape from authorities." Thrawn said.

"Do you feel regret for every death sir?" Twilight asked as she looked at him.

Thrawn continued to stare at the particular trooper. "I feel regret for every death. This is war and I learned to move on."

The comlink on Thrawn's belt beeped.

"Excuse me Miss Sparkle. I must take my leave."

"Alright sir. Have a good day." Twilight said.

"You too Miss Sparkle." Thrawn said as he walked away.

Unknown Location

Home One

Rebel Alliance Home Fleet

"Something's going on, the Admonitor has been sighted at Anaxes." said General Carlist Rieekan. The leaders of the Rebel Alliance all stood in the war room of the Home One.

"What's so special about this Star Destroyer?" asked Princess Leia.

"Not only is the ship part of this Ghost Fleet, but it is a possible flagship of Grand Admiral Thrawn. A few days ago, every Grand Admiral was present indicated by the presence of their flagships and ships from their personal squadrons. Now, we've accounted for six Grand Admirals present at Anaxes. This means something big is going on." said Admiral Ackbar.

"If I remember correctly, I thought there were only twelve Grand Admirals. Who is this Thrawn?" asked Leia.

"An alien."

Everyone turned to General Crix Madine.

"Prior to my defection, I learned there was a new Captain within the Imperial Navy, appointed by the Emperor himself. A lot of us were confused at his decision but we chose not to question it. He served with Inquisitor Jerec. None of us knew where he came from and was a species none of us have ever seen. His skin was completely blue but those deep red eyes, they were pretty intimidating. Somewhere along the way, he was promoted to Vice Admiral. Fast forward to a few years, Grand Admiral Demitrius Zaarin attempted a coup d'etat. He nearly succeeded in killing both the Emperor and Lord Vader, but was stopped by a certain Vice Admiral. The Grand Admiral was killed, and Thrawn was promoted to replace Zaarin."

"Should we be worried about this Thrawn?" asked Luke Skywalker.

"Very." responded Madine. "During a war game, he utterly defeated Grand Admiral Octavian Grant with minimal losses while outnumbered and outgunned. Remember, he defeated General Dodonna and Commander Sato's fleet over Atollon a few years back when he was still a Vice Admiral."

Everyone stood stunned. This Thrawn defeated the Grand Admiral who decimated General Dodonna's forces on Yavin and was responsible for his capture. Not only that, he handed the Rebel Alliance their first defeat. Before, they did not know who was leading the Imperial forces who was chasing them, nearly capturing Mon Mothma as well before the Alliance was founded.

"Anything else we should know?" asked General Rieekan.

"Yes, there are no records of how big is Thrawn's personal squadron nor the location of his base of operations. We need to assume the Ghost Fleet is his squadron."

"That's including three Super Star Destroyers and a Star Dreadnought, more firepower than the other Grand Admirals. Are you sure about this General Madine? I assumed the fleet at Atollon was his squadron." asked Admiral Ackbar.

"It was indicated that the 7th Fleet became Death Squadron as evident with the presence of the Chimaera, Judicator, Inexorable, Death's Head, Nemesis, and Stormhawk. Besides, it's better safe than sorry, my agents were able to attach a tracking beacon to the Imp Star over Imperial Center before it jumped into hyperspace. It's still active now and General Syndulla is itching for a fight after his cell was routed by the then mysterious Vice Admiral."

"Well then tell Syndulla to tread carefully." said Mon Mothma. "Admiral Ackbar, what is the status of the Viscounts?"

"Almost completed, we should have the first ship completed by the end of this year."

"Good, with how many Dreadnoughts the Empire has, we're bound to encounter one sooner or later."

Several hours later

Teshik Estate, Anaxes

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn walked down the beautiful halls of the Teshik Estate. In Thrawn's opinion, Teshik's ancestor certainly has good taste in art when he had the mansion built.

On his way to the meeting, he ran into Admiral Osted Wermis of Azure Hammer Command, Moff Laird Gustavu of the Fondor Sector, and former Republic Admirals Barton Coburn and Shoan Kilian. Admiral Coburn was using a cane to walk while Admiral Kilian used a hoverchair.

They all saluted each other.

"Greetings all of you, how goes the meeting?" asked Thrawn.

"Bah, that fellow Batch likes to complain too much." said Kilian.

"Agreed, is this what the Navy has turned into? He's just as bad as Admiral Ozzel." said Coburn.

"You have to forgive Grand Admiral Batch, he's not a military man, but a scientist. His head is on the line after all if his projects fail to please the Emperor." answered Thrawn.

"A scientist promoted to such a high rank? This galaxy surely has gone mad." said Coburn.

"It certainly is a strange and very chaotic time. I must take my leave, I have a meeting to attend after all." said Thrawn.

"Very well, good luck to you Grand Admiral." said Kilian.

"As to you, and remember, always watch your back."

They saluted one more time before separating.

After a short walk, Thrawn came upon an open door guarded by two Stormtroopers. He could see his colleagues sitting on some chairs in a patio overlooking a lake.

Grand Admiral Martio Batch was pacing back and forth while the others were drinking and listening to him.

"-and what are we going to do now? Ziering and Sunber refused to talk to Zsinj." said Batch.

"Relax Martio, we've got the Fondor, Bilbringi, and Sluis Van Shipyards, Naval Station Validusia, and Black Sword and Azure Hammer Commands. We should be celebrating that." said Grand Admiral Miltin Takel who took a swing from his drink.

"I didn't hear KDY or Grand Moff Zsinj in there didn't I Miltin?" Batch said angrily.

"Martio please, shut up and sit down. You're being more paranoid than Miltin was when he was high on spice." said Grand Admiral Josef Grunger.

Batch turned towards him. "And what about Grand Moff Ardus Kaine and Baron D'Asta?"

"Relax, I'll be meeting with Kaine soon. We get him, then we can get D'Asta and General Tagge too if we're lucky." answered Grand Admiral Octavian Grant. "Our dear friend Teshik here has a plan to get Admiral Sander Delvardus and Grand Moff Zsinj."

"Oh and what plan is that?" Batch sneered.

"Me." Thrawn said as he chose that moment to walk in. He took a seat next to Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik as he poured himself a glass of Corellian Brandy.

"You? What can you do?" asked Batch.

"Zsinj used to be a Captain in my squadron. I know him more than any of you. I can get to him."

"And what about Delvardus?" asked Grunger.

"You are all familiar with Miss Twilight Sparkle correct? According to her, she used to heal her friend who constantly has head injuries due to reckless acts. She has never brought someone out of a coma from a head injury however, but she taught herself a way to do it using magic and is willing to test it."

"Again with this magic. How can we be so sure it will work?" asked Batch.

"It's our best shot Martio, unless you've got a better idea, please enlighten us." said Takel.

Batch merely grumbled before taking a seat next to Grant.

"We still have that problem with Syn and Makati." said Grant.

Teshik chose to respond. "Syn is a wildcard, I don't know anything that can convince him to join us. However, Makati is loyal to whoever controls Imperial Center-"

"Or whoever can get him Kadann of the Sith Cult." finished Thrawn.

"Exactly, we don't know the location of this Kadann which is imperative that we get Delvardus and his intelligence network."

"And it's also imperative we get as many warship in our control as possible. I need to pull some strings to get the Enforcer to Takel, but we need to get Tagge in order to get the Annihilator. Deny our opponents any of the Super Star Destroyers." said Grunger.

The Grand Admirals continued with their plans. Meanwhile, Thrawn tuned out to whisper to Teshik.

"How is she?"

"Doing fine of course. She's been very impatient, waiting for your return. I assume you're going to see her after this is over?" whispered Teshik.

"Of course. It will only be a day, but I'll make it count. I'll try to visit more ofter."

Teshik smiled. "Then do it. I swear she created an entire art gallery to keep her busy, waiting for you."

For the next hour, the group argued and made plans. When it was finally finished, Teshik stood up to address the group.

"Gentleman, years ago, we were promised peace and prosperity by our Emperor. We have seen that this promise is nothing but a lie. Out there, Criminal Empires still run amok, the Rebel Alliance continues to divide this galaxy, slavery still exists, and discrimination is rampant. We have all learned the history, history the Emperor tried to erase.

Countless wars have been fought between the Jedi and the Sith with us, the non-Force sensitives, suffering the most because of them. Trillions upon trillions have perished because of their squabbles. The Emperor is no different, from his time as a Senator, to his rise to Chancellor, and finally to his rise to Emperor, he has manipulated the galaxy and sacrificed so many for his agenda.

I say enough is enough. No longer will the Force Sensitives manipulate this galaxy any longer. No longer will politicians squabble back and forth, while ignoring the cries and the suffering of the people of this galaxy. It is our time gentleman, to transform this Empire to the one that was promised years ago, free from the manipulation of the Jedi and the Sith and free from the control of idiotic politicians and corporations. The time is ripe gentleman. We may not survive this, but we will fight to give the galaxy the future it deserves. A future for our children to believe in."

They all stood up and held up their glass.

"Long Live the Empire!" They all shouted as one.

Author's Note

Amidst the Writer's Block in my other fic (played BF4, watched Black Hawk Down, and watched Act of Valor to get ideas) I wrote this because my mind keeps churning out ideas for this fic.

I've always had a fascination for the Imperial Grand Admirals and other high ranking Imperials so I decided to add many of them to my fics. (Literally I've only read 2 fanfictions, aside from my own, that featured Octavian Grant, Sander Delvardus, Natasi Daala, Osvald Teshik, Gilad Pellaeon, Captain Dorja, and Josef Grunger. One of them is a Star Wars RWBY Crossover.)

And yes, the Magic Dragon is literally the name of Grand Admiral Miltin Takel's flagship. The creators gave that name as a reference to his spice addiction.