Match 19284 Grand Admiral Thrawn vs. Cobra Commander

[Boratz]

Chapter 9: Reign of Fire

Star-Lord turned his head and watched the rest of his team arriving into the corridor. He looked back down and glanced over the remains of Zuckuss. The battle with this bounty hunter was short, but Quill knew that Gamora would have something snarky to say about it. The legendary Star-Lord holstered his elemental guns and looked over the Beskar decoder. With the security shields down, Quill knew that the decoder would not be safe in this facility. Cobra would never stop in their efforts. He steadily reached for the item and gripped it tightly in his hand. As his eyes looked over the special tool, several thoughts ran through his mind on what they should do next. After hearing about Cobra's multiple attacks throughout this galaxy, the leader of the Guardians came to the conclusion that they should destroy the tools to deciphering the map. His eyes shifted as they peered back at Gamora. Quill sighed while pushing the Beskar decoder deep into his pack. 

"We should destroy the key and the decoder." Quill muttered while looking over his team. 

"What? What good will that do?" Rocket asked while waving out his hands.

"If that map truly leads to a weapon that can cause destruction through all the galaxies, then we have to do something." Quill responded.

"I agree with Peter." Gamora said.

"Of course, you do!" Rocket spit out.

"They are right." A gentle male voice said from behind.

The team turned to see the hooded outline of a male standing alongside Leia. 

"Who the hell is this?" Rocket asked.

"I am Luke Skywalker." The Jedi replied while pulling back his hood. "This weapon is far too dangerous for anyone to have. It would be best to destroy the ways of even locating such a weapon."

"So, what? We just toss that little piece of metal into a fire and blast the crap out of that key?" Rocket said sarcastically.

"The key would not possess any feces. I do not see how you would be able to blow feces out of a key." Drax responded.

"I am Groot."  Groot exclaimed. 

"The key and decoder cannot be destroyed so easily." Luke said as he stood before the team of Guardians. "They have to be destroyed in the Great Forge that can alter the Beskar metal."

"Where is this Great Forge?" Star-Lord asked.

"It is on Madalore." Luke replied.

"We should destroy them, and we should also strike back against Cobra." Star-Lord said.

"Agreed. It is time to take the fight to Cobra." Nova replied.

Luke turned his attention to his sister. "I will help you in this endeavor, but it is of grave importance that we do not lose ourselves in this war."

"Luke, we have lost so many people!" Leia cried. "We have to stop them before... Before they become worse than the Empire." 

"How about this?" Star-Lord asked while crossing his arms. "We send a group to this Mandalore to destroy the key and the map. We then send a group to start taking the fight to Cobra."

Leia and Luke glanced at each other. Luke was hesitant about getting involved with Mandalore, but he also felt that it was the will of the Force. The powerful Jedi closed his eyes and shook his head. He let out a deep breath through his nose and then looked over the Guardians of the Galaxy.

"How do you propose on bringing the fight to Cobra?" Luke asked gently.

"I've got a plan." Star-Lord smirked. 

"Oh, this sounds like it will be awful." Rocket muttered under his breath.

While Star-Lord started discussing his plan with the Jedi Master, Leia was called away by a New Republic general. The two walked through the corridor of the museum and out into the world of Coruscant. The catastrophes that resulted from the battle between the Zillo Beast and the Fallen continued to be devastating for everyone in the planet. The Princess of Alderann walked past the countless individuals that were still trying to find loved ones that were lost during the chaos. With a feeling of pain deep within her chest, Leia closed her eyes and reflected on the loved ones that she lost on the planet that she once called home. Leia longed for the comfort of Han Solo, but she knew that her attention was needed elsewhere. Her eyes opened and looked over the remnants of the senate building and memories of her fallen allies poured through her. She took a deep breath and confidently walked before some of the remaining leaders of the New Republic.

Her eyes moved over the crowd of leaders as she waited for the rest of them to arrive. For a few of the leaders, they were still overtaken by shock from the recent events. For the rest of them, they had seen the loss of close allies before. During their war with the Empire, there was many lives lost. While waiting for the rest of what was left of the New Republic leadership, Leia's eyes caught onto the trembling hands of one of the young senators. She could see in the face of the senator that they tried to keep put on a strong appearance, but deep down they were overtaken by fear. While looking over the senator,  she could hear Luke's voice in her head. "Trust in the Force." He brother lived by those words. He dedicated his life to those words. For Leia, she still had trouble understanding the idea behind the Force. After seeing the devastation caused by the Empire and now this Cobra, she had trouble seeing how the Force could be so good when there was so much evil in the universe. 

While she thought to herself, Leia heard a familiar voice from behind. The former Princess of Alderann turned her head and saw the image of Shara Bey calling out to her. Next to the pilot, she saw Mon Calamari. Both had a look of concern while approaching Leia.

"What news do you have?" Leia asked.

"We have lost contact with the R.L.S. Legacy." Shara muttered.

"Our intelligence found that the crew that was hired to retrieve the energy resource went rogue. We found that Commander Rourke and his crew were under the employment of Cobra." Calamari said while glaring into Leia's eyes with a piercing look. 

"Cobra has the resources?" Leia said while shaking her head.

"Not from what we have gathered." Shara responded with a sigh. "Apparently, there was also a crew of... pirates on the Legacy. They overtook Rourke's crew. Amelia and a few others escaped."

"Where is Amelia now?" Leia asked.

"We believe that she is on that planet but we have lost contact." Shara replied.

"We need to send a rescue team!" Leia exclaimed.

"Not yet." Calamari grunted. "Our priority is still on Cobra. Amelia knew what she was getting into."

"We do not leave our own behind!" Leia growled.

"If this Cobra rises up to be the next major power, we cannot send out troops on a minor rescue mission." Calamari replied. 

"It will not be minor, Mon Calamari. These are our people, our friends. If you haven't noticed, we lost several of our leaders recently. We need all the help we can get." Leia replied.

Calamari sighed while shaking his head. "We have a crew not far from that sector. I will send word for them to proceed with the rescue mission."

Within the Chimaera,

While walking through the halls of the Star Destroyer, Eli Vanto reflected on his life. From a conveyer to the bridge, the former Imperial Commander thought about how everything changed after meeting his mentor. While serving alongside his mentor as a translator, he rose through the ranks of the Empire and eventually was sent to the Chiss Ascendancy. Vanto heard about his mentor's defeat on Lothal, and almost could not believe it. He had witnessed the brilliance of his mentor first hand and saw his calculating nature. After the Empire's defeat, Vanto and several other remnant Imperial leaders lost faith in their cause. Their hope and faith slowly started to grow once again when they saw the opportunity to reclaim the galaxy. Vanto was overwhelmed with joy once he heard that his mentor was alive and planning his return. After being summoned to the Chimaera, Vanto was curious to see what became of Grand Admiral Thrawn after all these years. 

Upon entering the private quarters of Thrawn, Vanto gazed over the different relics that his mentor had collected over the years. There were shelves full of history scattered throughout with cultures that were all over the galaxy. A small grin formed over Vanto's cheeks once he realized that nothing with Thrawn had changed. His mentor was very much the same calculating Chiss that sought to learn about different histories and cultures. While looking over the many artifacts, Vanto heard that familiar voice from the shadows. The emotionless voice that had mentored and trained him throughout his younger years.

"Hello, Eli Vanto." Thrawn said while slowly walking out of the shadows with his arms crossed behind his back.

Excitement burned deep within Eli Vanto as if he were reunited with an old friend. "Thrawn, it's..." Vanto said while shaking his head and fumbling with his words. "It's good to see you."

"As it is good to see you as well." Thrawn replied with that same emotionless voice.

"It's good to see that nothing has changed about you." Vanto said while waving his hand out and gesturing at all the relics that Thrawn had collected throughout the years. 

Thrawn circled around his former protege. "As I have taught you; to defeat an enemy, you must know them..."

"Not simply their battle tactics but their history, philosophy, and art." Vanto recited while interrupting his former mentor. 

"Precisely." Thrawn responded while looking over a few of the artifacts that he had collected. 

"Why are you back?" Vanto asked while his eyes followed Thrawn. "Why did you come back now? There are so many that have lost faith and hope in what the Empire was." 

"Vanto, my return was inevitable but it had to be at the right time." Thrawn responded.

"And that time is now?" Vanto asked.

"Not exactly." Thrawn replied.

"So, why? If it is not the right time." Vanto said.

"The New Republic was attacked by a new enemy. An enemy not of this galaxy. An enemy to everyone." Thrawn replied. 

"What is it? Cobra?" Vanto laughed. "I hear they're a joke." 

"Do not underestimate them, Vanto. There is more to them than you or the rest of the Imperial remnants realize." Thrawn replied while walking over to his communication pad.

"What does that mean?" Vanto asked.

"You still have much to learn." Thrawn muttered while pressing down on a button to send a transmission.

On the Cobra base,

Cobra Commander's blood boiled once he heard that the bounty hunter failed to retrieve the decoder. His rage burned deeper once he had heard that the mercenaries that were hired to steal the energy resources had also been defeated by a band of pirates. The Commander knew that the war was far from over, but these setbacks proved that his forces were not unstoppable. Cobra Commander gripped the map tightly in his hand and looked over the markings. He let out a groan while dropping it down on his desk. Without the key and the decoder, the map was useless. The Commander rose to his feet and walked to the window. He gazed over the planet that his forces had taken control of. Several thoughts ran through his mind while he contemplated his next moves. The ruthless leader of Cobra knew that he needed to find a way to secure more victories in this war. While watching over the world, he heard a faint beeping noise coming from an incoming transmission. 

The Commander turned and walked back to his desk. He pressed his finger against the transmission and watched as a hologram appeared before him. To his surprise, the transmission was not from one of his own Cobra operatives but of a tall blue figure. This figure had bright red eyes and was wearing a white Naval uniform. His hair was dark and his demeanor was confident. While looking over the Naval uniform, Cobra Commander recognized the Imperial markings and realized that this figure was once a Grand Admiral for the Galactic Empire.

"Who are you? How did you get this line?" Cobra Commander asked.

"I am Grand Admiral Thrawn, and I know more about you than you know about yourself." The Grand Admiral responded.

"What do you want?" Cobra Commander asked.

"Your surrender of course. Your plans for this galaxy have caused issues for what I have planned." Thrawn responded.

"I never surrender!" Cobra Commander laughed. "I conquer."

"I know where you are, Cobra Commander and I know how to defeat you. It would be wise for you to surrender." Thrawn replied.

"Then you know the armies that I have at my disposal. There is no defeating Cobra!" Cobra Commander roared before shutting down the transmission.

The Cobra leader rushed to gather his army. He screamed out orders for his forces to ready their weapons and ships. He knew that a battle was coming and this would be the turning point in this war.

***********************************************

Grand Admiral Thrawn has the command of the Chimaera along with multiple squadrons of TIE fighters, an army of stormtroopers, and a sentry droids

Cobra Commander has multiple squadrons of Cobra operatives, starfighters, ground vehicles, and sentry weapons.
 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Read more about Grand Admiral Thrawn at Wikipedia
Official Site: Lucasarts Links: StarWars.com Grand Admiral Thrawn Wiki Wikipedia

Cobra Commander
Read more about Cobra Commander at Wikipedia
Official Site: Hasbro Links: Wikipedia My Useless Knowledge Yo Joe

[Boratz]

Hope you all enjoy

[leroypowell3]

Comics Cobra Commander was much more menacing and smarter than how they did him in the cartoons. I always think back to the World War Three GI Joe arc where he really put them through it.

I don't see him outdoing Thrawn though.

I'll go with Thrawn.

[Pizzaguy2995]

Yeah even the best versions of Cobra Commander doesn’t stand a chance against Thrawn at his best. Peak Thrawn was Alexander the Great, Sun Tzu, Genghis Khan, and Hannibal Barca all rolled into one.

[Mercenaryblade]

Even comics Cobra Commander wouldn't fare well against Thrawn. 

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - StormChaser
4.60 - Pizzaguy2995

FPA Calculation:
2 Total Votes cast
9.60 Total Combined Score
9.60 / 2 = 4.80 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Grand Admiral Thrawn: 5
Cobra Commander: 0