Disclaimer: Timothy Zahn is the MAN! Worship him. He gave us Thrawn. And Talon Karrde ::Sighs fondly::

A/N: Try not to judge too harshly ;P There's a crapload of better writers out there than me, I'm the first to admit it. I just wanted to give a little more on Pell's reaction to Thrawn's immediate death:) (When I say little, I guess I really mean little -.-)

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The Last Command
A Star Wars Oneshot

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"But... it was so artistically done."

Six words and a faded smile.

The Empire was dead.

Pellaeon stumbled away from the command chair clutching his throat, his face etched with horror.

Rukh.

The Noghri was moving swiftly across the bridge and for the doors, his task accomplished. He knew, and so did everyone else, that he wouldn't get far.

A sharp voice called out, muffled to Pellaeon's ears, accompanied by the dull thundering of footsteps as the ever present stormtroopers took chase.

Their future took one last shuddering breath, and was still.

"Captain Pellaeon!" the tense voice of a comm officer rang out urgently. "Star Destroyers requesting orders!"

"Retreat!" Pellaeon barked in a strangled voice, all professionalism snapping back into place. The battle was still raging around them: the rest of their survival was essential. "Retreat NOW!"

The Captain spared a glance at Grand Admiral Thrawn, taking in the spreading stain of red across the pristine white uniform. "Goodbye," Gilad murmured, squeezing his eyes shut on the chaos for a brief moment. When he opened them again, he stood to stiff military attention, his expression bristling. The young man beside him gave the order. "All ships, retreat!"

Pellaeon's stern gaze riveted onto the flashes of turbolaser fire blazing past the pit. Slowly but steadily, the Chimaera began to pull back away from Bilbringi, followed by the rest of the force.

The universe had turned against them.

"New Republic is giving chase, Captain. Open fire?"

"Don't bother," Pellaeon said, the words catching ever slightly in his aching throat. "Just make the jump to lightspeed. Set coordinates for the Unknown Regions. Stormhawk, cover our tracks."

Behind him, the medical team worked furiously over Thrawn's body.

But everyone knew it was already too late.

"Making the jump now, sir!" another officer informed him through a taunt voice. The ship performed the familiar jerk and the stars flared momentarily into starlines.

An abrupt silence descended over the bridge as the blue tunnel of hyperspace swirled around the Chimaera. The furious sounds of a Star Destroyer at war faded into the back of their minds.

The mourning spell was broken only by the medical officer.

"He's… gone, Captain. He's gone."

Pellaeon clenched his fists tightly at his side and gritted his teeth, his eyes trained on the displays.

"Captain?"

Pellaeon forced down the hard lump in his throat.

The Empire lost their leader…

Pellaeon lost a friend…

…and the universe lost Mitth'raw'nuruodo .

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E/N: I'm not the first to write Thrawn's death (probably won't be the last, and my oneshot is by no means the best), but it's a'ight. Reviews are appreciated, even if they're not doting on my genius(; I'm kidding. Sheesh.