C’baoth took a step toward Thrawn’s command seat, eyes blazing even hotter-and then, abruptly, he seemed to shrink again to normal size. “You would never speak that way to the Emperor,” he said, almost petulantly.
“On the contrary,” Thrawn told him. “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.”
C’baoth snorted. “Only fools spoke that way to the Emperor,” he sneered. “Fools, or those tired of life.”
“The Emperor also thought that way,” Thrawn agreed. “The first time I refused he called me a traitor and gave my attack force to someone else.” The Grand Admiral reached up again to stroke his ysalamir. “After its destruction, he knew better than to ignore my recommendations.”