Thrawn accepted the invitation and met Orbar and Turuy at the laboratory. Thrawn beat Orbar and Turuy in a game of cards, earning the enmity of the two cadets. Following the game, Vanto and Thrawn headed back to Barracks Two. On the way, Thrawn gave Vanto a lesson on strategy using the previous card game as an example. Not long after, the two were ambushed by three masked assailants. Eli managed to blind two of the attackers by hurling gravel at them. Despite being outnumbered, Thrawn managed to wound the thigh of one of the assailants. At that point, five other cadets spotted the commotion and the three troublemakers were forced to flee. Thrawn then accepted Eli's advice to report the incident to Commandant Deenlark.[1]
Trouble On Arlia Torrent
During the meeting with Commandant Deenlark, Vanto assisted Thrawn as he related his theory that Orbar and Turuy had instigated the attack. Vanto also advocated checking their comlink records or the lab's own comm system. While Deenlark had enough evidence to take disciplinary action against Orbay and Turuy, he was reluctant to risk the political fallout of punishing scions of wealthy and influential Coruscanti families. In response, Thrawn proposed transferring the three trouble-makers to the Skystrike Academy on short notice in order to scare Orbay and Turuy into not causing any more trouble. This would be viewed to their families as a promotion rather than a punishment, but nevertheless serve as a punishment from the points-of-view of the cadets.[1]
Thrawn told Eli that he was prepared to return to Coruscant to report the truth. Later, Eli met with the TIE fighter pilot Lieutenant Gimm and deduced that he was one of the trouble-makers who had assaulted him and Thrawn at the Royal Imperial Academy years ago. When Gimm pointed out that he was still an ensign, Vanto countered that he was serving the best commander in the Imperial Navy. Gimm mocked Thrawn's predicament and claimed that Commander Deenlark had pulled enough strings for him and his fellow attackers to be transferred to the Skystrike Academy. Despite Gimm's taunts, Vanto controlled his temper and comforted himself with the knowledge that Thrawn had been proven right in his observation that Gimm would make an excellent starfighter pilot.[1] 2ff7e9595c
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