It's happening again, isn't it?
Well if you insist...
All About Image
"Are you
sure the Abyss Watchers aren't related to the Sith?" asked Ahsoka. "Pawn to D-5"
"Oh, what's prompted this line of questioning? Do you think I'm secretly a Sith Lord?" said Thrawn as he confidently moved his own piece. "Pawn to H-3."
"Not you specifically. It's just that the Abyss Watcher's emblem seems a bit… Sith-y. Bishop to H-3. You should pay more attention Thrawn." Boasted Ahsoka as she removed Thrawn's pawn from the board.
"And you should take after your Master a bit less. Aggression isn't always the best strategy. Pawn to H-3. I'll be taking your bishop." said Thrawn calmly as his trap worked to perfection. It was good for him to play someone as tactically inexperienced as Ahsoka. Grievous had told him before that his plans were sometimes too complicated for his own good. "As to your allegations, I can honestly say that no living Sith Lord is in anyway affiliated with the Abyss Watchers. And the insignia serves a very important purpose."
"To look creepy? What does a black and red Tessek with too many face tentacles do for the Abyss Watchers?" asked Ahsoka, choosing to deal with the loss of her bishop by ignoring the game entirely for a bit.
Thrawn sighed heavily. While Ahsoka was decent conversation, the real reason he extended an open invitation was the simple joy of having an opponent who thought of more strategies than a droid could, even if they weren't always
good strategies. "It's not a Tessek first of all. In truth I have no clue what exactly the image depicts. But black and red are strong colors. Red is fire, blood, passion, leadership, courage, strength, and similar themes, at least in the hues utilized. Black on the other hand is more ominous than red, creating fear of pending violence as opposed ongoing or concluded violence. It often symbolizes fear, strength, authority, etcetera. The two colors used also contrast sharply, amplifying the native effects of the colors. These meanings are of course not universal, but the number of cultures with similar sentiments attached to colors is intriguing to say the least."
Thrawn noticed Ahsoka's eyes glazing over, but he couldn't really bring himself to interrupt his spiel to berate her. "But I digress. The actual entity depicted on the insignia is rife with meaning as well. The Abyss Watchers may function as a general mercenary force for Lady Ciaran, and by extension the CNS as a whole, but originally Lady Ciaran made her fame as an information broker. The tentacles are likely a nostalgic reminder of her roots, reaching into everything to extract information, synergizing with the eye. A large number of sentient species that have some form of tentacled predator in their history."
"Remind me to not bring up art next time." muttered Ahsoka.
"Do you truly not see the meaning inherent in this? I wasn't kidding when I said my passion for art is instrumental in my successes as a strategist." chastised Thrawn. His disappointed tone actually seemed to draw Ahsoka back into the conversation.
"What do you mean by that? How does art help you win battles? I'm not doubting you, I'm just curious at this point." said Ahsoka, quick to defend herself.
"I'm sure you're aware of the adage that heralds knowling your enemy as the key to victory? A person's cultural history informs every action they make, and art is a window into that culture. Relics left by generations past to teach us how they thought, and the ideals they passed down to the present." Thrawn noticed that Ahsoka was still struggling to understand the concepts, and so decided that some hypothetical situations might be in order. "Take the people of Kaleesh. They're certainly fierce warriors, an knowing even the general approach they might take into battle would obviously inform your strategy. If you know they will play tricks and set traps, you'd proceed with caution. If you know they will charge recklessly, you'd set traps of your own. If they would cower behind fortifications, you'd settle in for a siege."
"I get all that, but how does art tell you how they'll attack? It doesn't seem like it would have much practical use." complained Ahsoka.
"You'd surely sing a different tune after looking at some Kaleesh artwork. Carvings at their holy sites depict glorious battle, great warriors featuring prominently with their foes fleeing before them. It's easy to see that theirs is a culture that sees battle as a chance at glory. If I were to face them in battle, I would attempt to draw them into a situation advantageous to my side by exploiting that. Drawing them out of favorable terrain by feigning a rout for example. Their culture would push them into pursuit to claim further glory from a cowardly foe. All according to a plan devised from some carvings."
"Whoa. I think I see what you meant." said Ahsoka, appropriately awed.
"I'm glad some of this is getting through to you. We'll make a proper art aficionado out of you yet Ms. Tano." chuckled Thrawn.
"How does that work with the Abyss Walkers though? They're a mercenary group that's only a few years old. They've hardly had time to develop a culture." said Ahsoka, now thoroughly engrossed in the conversation.
"Much simpler really. The emblem is worn into battle, where it can directly affect morale. The symbol of power inspires our men to perform better in the field, while demoralizing our foes by subtly convincing them that they stand no chance. I'm led intimidating than a red and black Tessek with too many tentacles." joked Thrawn, drawing a chuckle out of his opponent.
Just then, Thrawn's communicator rang, and he set it down on the table. The hologram wasn't Lady Ciaran, but a Tortuga woman Ahsoka had never met. "Ah, Cheriss. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
The woman, apparently named Cheriss responded nervously. "Ah, it's about the upcoming operation with Wesker. Lady Ciaran placed me in charge."
Thrawn nodded slowly. "Yes, thinking of it like that, I can see how your biology could offer certain advantages. I'm most disappointed that I won't be able to see some of my more sadistic plans in action for all the headaches he's put us through. I was looking forward to seeing him squirm."
"That's just it. I was wondering if you'd go over some of the strategies with me before the operation. I'm no strategist, and even if I was, you'd be a better one." said Cheriss.
"It would be my pleasure. I'll meet you outside your lab shortly." Hanging up, Thrawn turned to Ahsoka. "My apologies, but business calls. If you'd like something to work on, you were thirty-seven moves from checkmate with my current strategy. Less if you made any suboptimal moves." Thrawn left then, leaving Ahsoka to stare at the chessboard in frustration.
AN: In which Thrawn explains why out symbol totally isn't evil and gives Cheriss some pointers for her upcoming raid on Wesker. Tips which she apparently executes flawlessly. And hey! Ahsoka is getting less bad at chess! Everybody wins! Except Wesker, because fuck Wesker.
