Fits and Spasms

By LadyRavena

AN: Thank you to my new friend, Aleine Skyfire for the encouragement on completing this story. Go read her Thrawn work, it is really good, and should be finished soon.

Thanks to Curious_Kitty who kept poking me for hints and tips, and really helped out on this first chapter by letting me rant about it long-distance. Yes, I changed that one line, and it works much better. (Tea's on me next time) No, this will be the only time that Thrawn will be lit up like a Christmas tree. The Emperor figured out Thrawn after this. He's a Sith Lord, they must have some intelligence.

On no fewer than four occasions I told the Emperor that I would not waste his troops and ships attacking an enemy which I was not yet prepared to defeat. The first time I refused he called me a traitor and gave my attack forces someone else. After its destruction, he knew better than to ignore my recommendations.

~ Grand Admiral Thrawn~

Chapter One: I Say So, So It Will Be So

"No."

The Emperor was completely still as the word hung in the air between the Vice-Admiral who stood four steps lower and the Supreme Ruler of the known galaxy, standing by the viewport behind the regal throne. Black robes fell to the floor, with hood concealing all but the barest crescent of paste-white skin; he reminded one of an archetypal bringer of death and pestilence. "What do you mean, 'no,' Vice-Admiral Thrawn?"

"The word, I believe, is self-explanatory, your Majesty," Thrawn said calmly, still standing at ease. The Chiss was as opposite as one could get to the Emperor, with his pale blue skin and blue-black hair, and crisp uniform of olive green. He stood with the practice ease of one with several decades of service in two separate Fleets, with his customary look of blasé interest. "I will not take an unprepared battle fleet against forces that will defeat them. Particularly not when another two weeks of preparations will allow said group to vanquish their foe with relative ease and minimal loss of personnel."

The Emperor drew himself up, hardly leaning on the cane that was his constant aid. "You've had this fleet in preparations for nearly a week, Vice-Admiral. It is ready now, and will defeat this little band of rebels," he spat, temper rising to the fore.

Thrawn drew in a deep breath. Yet again, he thought to himself, I had hoped this human would be different than my own people's leaders…. "With all respect to your Majesty, I have examined the reports of the enemy from the various Intelligence operatives, along with several other sources, and have determined that a confrontation at this time will not go in our favour."

"Imperial Intelligence assures me that the time to strike is now, Vice-Admiral. Have you been, perhaps, gifted with a vision of these events that differs from their analysis?" the Sith Lord said softly, voice as deadly as deep snow over thin lake ice.

Thrawn raised an eyebrow, knowing full well the fragile terrain upon which he trod. "I use simple reasoning, my lord, from the facts in front of me. Any admiral worthy of the rank would be able, after doing the equivalent research, to tell you the same thing." Not that they would dare, but I will not waste my men's lives needlessly. "I claim no soothsaying ability, only intellect and the will to use it, in combination with the training of an Imperial officer." Belatedly, he wondered if that could be construed as an insult.

The Emperor turned fully from the view of the Imperial capital and walked closer to his only alien admiral, an officer whom he had considered raising to the white of Grand Admiral in the years to come. This was a being that had, with little prompting on Doriana's part, destroyed Outbound Flight with little more than a picket ship and a few little fighters. He expected this alien to show the same abilities in his service to the Empire, and bring these small, insignificant brush fires under control with ease, but now… now, however, this stark mutiny of the blue skinned freak was all that he could see. The treachery and the gall to question one such as the Emperor!

"How dare you," he hissed. "After all that I have done for you! Rescued you from that inhospitable prison of a planet, allowed you into the splendour that is the civilized galaxy, allowed you to serve in the glory that is the Imperial Navy, and now you would throw that back at your Emperor? Claim superiority over the ruler of the Galactic Empire?"

Thrawn remained calm, supressing one fleeting thought of, 'Are we done our little tantrum?' before replying, voice as even as it was at the start of this discussion. "Your Majesty, no disrespect was intended. However, you yourself welcomed me into the Fleet, making specific mention of my tactical abilities in your decision to allow me to serve. It would seem wasteful if I did not use those same abilities in all aspects of this war."

The Emperor was not mollified; Thrawn could see it in the human's quivering body language, and feel it in the crackling air around him. The Emperor, in fact, looked furiously angry. "This Fleet has the power to crush this insignificant little revolt and you will see it done!" he spat. "That is my order, alien, as your Emperor!"

"No," Thrawn repeated firmly. "Your Majesty, respectfully, you do not have the power to make this Fleet succeed-"

"I HAVE UNLIMITED POWER!" the Emperor shrieked suddenly, cutting Thrawn off.

An arch of blue white lightening shot from the Emperor's upraised hand, crackling through the space between them and hitting Thrawn mid-chest. He gasped as the current fed through his body, dropping him to his knees in shock. Clenching his jaw, he felt his muscles trying to spasm and seize, but he fought it, only dropping his hands to the floor after the first seconds to keep from collapsing completely to the ground. As abruptly as it had begun, the Emperor released him, and looked down at the kneeling Chiss officer below him.

"You will take your Fleet, Thrawn, and you will defeat this enemy," he said softly, voice as calm as if addressing a child.

Thrawn had to wait a moment several heartbeats before replying, waiting for the tiny arcs of electricity to stop dancing up his outstretched arms. He'd fully expected a Force choke, not this caged electrical storm, and it was taking him longer than he believed prudent to recover. Drawing in a shaky breath, he leaned back on his knees, and looked up at the Emperor's gloating face. "Your Majesty, this changes nothing," he rasped, voice hoarse. "The fleet will be destroyed if it engages at this time! The delay would only-"

The second bolt of energy caught him high on the chest and dropped him to the throne room floor, unable to resist the convulsions of his muscles, only able to keep his jaw clenched tight against the scream that wanted to escape. It seemed to last infinitely longer, before the Emperor felt that the point had been made, and lifted the energy off of the Chiss officer's twitching body. Vaguely, Thrawn felt the floor shake slightly as two stormtroopers came to attention several feet away.

"Take this traitor out of my sight! I would question him later, to find what else he has hidden from us."

A dual chorus of "Yes, my lord!" greeted the Emperor. Thrawn tried to find his feet after they hauled him upright, but they marched too fast for him to do anything other than allow them to drag his twitching carcass into a turbolift.