Star Wars - Thrawn: Alliances

I have sensed a disturbance in the Force.

Emperor Palpatine paused, stretching out his thoughts to the two men standing before his throne, awaiting their reactions.

No. Not men. Of course not men. Men were insignificant, pitiable creatures, fit only to be ruled, or intimidated, or sent to die in battle. These were far more than mere men.

A Chiss Grand Admiral, a strategic and tactical genius. A Sith Lord, ruthless and powerful in the Force.

They were watching him, Palpatine knew, each trying in his own way to glean some understanding as to why they d been summoned. Grand Admiral Thrawn was observing his Emperor s voice, face, and body stance. Lord Vader, in contrast, was stretching out with the Force toward his master.

Palpatine could feel all that. But he could also feel the tension between these, his two most useful servants.

The tension wasn t simply because each wished to be the one standing alone at his master s side at the center of Imperial power. That was certainly part of it.

But there was more. Much more. Thrawn had recently suffered a serious defeat, permitting a small group of rebels he d successfully trapped on the planet Atollon to slip through his fingers. That failure had earned Vader s contempt.

Thrawn, in his turn, strongly opposed the Death Star project favored by Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Palpatine himself, pushing instead for his own prized TIE Defender project on Lothal. So far Thrawn s opposition had not reached the level of open resistance, but the Emperor knew it was only a matter of time. Vader knew that, as well.

But Palpatine hadn t brought them here to offer an opportunity for reconciliation. Certainly not to mediate personally in their conflict. There were other, far deeper considerations.

Thrawn had given his oath of loyalty to the Empire. But that loyalty had never been fully tested. Vader stood beside Palpatine as the Sith Master s apprentice But his pervious life among the Jedi could not

Timothy Zahn is the author of more than forty novels, nearly ninety short stories and novellas, and four short-fiction collections. In 1984, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. Zahn is best known for his Star Wars novels (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor’s Quest, Outbound Flight, Allegiance, Choices of One, and Scoundrels), with more than four million copies of his books in print. Other books include the Cobra series, the Quadrail series, and the young adult Dragonback series. Zahn has a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. from the University of Illinois. He lives with his family on the Oregon coast.

It s a science fiction beach read in the best way, brisk and amusing, with some cool additions to the Star Wars galaxy. Den of Geek
 
Like all of Zahn s novels set in a galaxy far, far away, it s an essential read for anyone looking for an artistically done adventure. CNET