The Primea diplomatic reception was a diplomatic mission hosted by the Vak Combine on the Vak homeworld of Primea[1] in 19 BBY.[2] Primea served as a hub for trade and diplomacy in the region, and as such, many nations sent representatives to the reception. General Yiv of the Nikardun Destiny sought to conquer the Vak Combine, and used the event to make political inroads with the planet's leaders while also maintaining a fleet of warships in orbit to intimidate his hosts and their guests. Meanwhile, the Garwian Unity sent representatives to attend the event, with Second Defense Overlord Frangelic accompanying them.[1]
Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo "Thrawn" of the Chiss Ascendancy attended the reception under the alias of "Artistic Master Svorno", Chief curator of the Nunech Art Collection. Thrawn was accompanied by fellow Chiss Mitth'ali'astov "Thalias" who was to act as Thrawn's family hostage. Thrawn had made up the concept of Chiss family hostages in the hopes that word of the supposed cultural practice would reach Yiv and cause the Nikardun to question his knowledge of Chiss culture. To Thrawn's pleasant surprise, Yiv was actually present at the reception, and Thrawn asked Qilori of Uandualon to introduce the two men.[1]
Aftermath
- "They spend so much time listening to all points of view—I believe they refer to them as thought lines—that they have difficulty arriving at decisions."
"You can't mean all thought lines. There must be billions of Vaks. All of them can't be equally important."
"In theory, yes, they are. […] It leaves the Vaks with a longer decision process than that of most species. That hesitation, as they gather and weigh all opinions, makes the leaders appear weak."
"Well, they won't have that problem if they let the Nikardun move in. The only thought line that'll matter will be Yiv's." - ―Thrawn and Thalias discuss the Vaks' philosophy
Thrawn and Thalias did not depart Primea with the Garwian diplomatic mission with whom they had arrived. The pair remained on the planet to learn about the Vak culture and how the Vaks would respond to Yiv's diplomatic and military overtures. The two Chiss entered a Vak art gallery where Thrawn learned more about Vak culture and discussed the opinions of "the common [Vak] people" with the museum's curator. Thalias opined that the people who frequent art galleries would not be the decision-makers of their species, to which Thrawn replied that she did not see what he had.[1]
Seeking to capture or kill Thrawn, Yiv ordered his Lioaoi allies to attack a Chiss fleet that arrived to rescue Thrawn and Thalias. That strike required a counterattack under Chiss law, which led to a Chiss attack on the Lioaoin heartworld.[1]
Behind the scenes
The Primea diplomatic reception appeared in the 2020 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn.[1]
Appearances
- Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising (and audiobook) (First appearance)