"From the very beginning, they were confident they could defeat the Galactic Republic? On what basis?" Taremi found it hard to believe as well.
"Because they are a lost Empire." With his hands clasped behind his back, Thrawn walked to the viewport and gazed out at the vast sea of stars, speaking calmly.
"A lost Empire?" Taremi had never heard such a description.
Thrawn smiled faintly. "You developed from the core of the Milky Way Galaxy, so for the most part, you rarely encountered civilizations like this. Yet in the 'Chaos,' such beings are plentiful. The Kilik Swarm, the Rakatan... They once dominated the Milky Way Galaxy, only to decline rapidly afterward. But no matter what, they retained some of the essence of their former civilizations."
"I know... the Infinite Empire, the Rakatan. Quite a few of their Relics have been found in the Milky Way Galaxy, but almost none of them are of any value, aside from studying their former culture," Taremi said.
"However, the Fourth Civilization is different. They almost certainly retained a great many inheritances, especially technological ones." Thrawn said, "They once successfully resisted galaxy-scale natural disasters—three times. No matter how devastating the cost in the end, they succeeded. To survive wars of such intensity, the legacy they carried must have been extraordinary. That is why they have always been able to defeat the Galactic Republic, as well as the Galactic Empire. From the very beginning, there was a generational gap between your technology and theirs."
"I thought that was already a consensus..." Taremi shook his head with a bitter smile.
"No. I believe your understanding of this matter remains insufficient. Hmm, myself included. I believe I still need to learn much more from them..." Thrawn said gravely. "Otherwise, more failures await us."
"..." Taremi fell silent