Yes I knew about Zahn and the chess analogy but I used it and gave it new parameters, to fit it into my explanation . Daala as a defense tactician... hmm... If Thrawn hadn't been killed at Biblringi and he finds Daala, as you suggest she would have been ideal to defend some important world while Thrawn lead the Imperial Forces to battle, from her personalty I wouldn't have put her near Wayland, i'd have put her in an important world. Protecting Bastion, or Bilbringi, and if Thrawn retakes Coruscant, then she might be in charge of the garrison. Since we are making an alternative of this whole thing. What would have Thrawn done with Palpy? Killed him? Deal with him? Serve him? Palpy valued Thrawn as a servant, but could the clone see Thrawn as an opponent? I never liked clone Palpy, so i'd rather have Thrawn kill him, after all Thrawn had started his campaign, and I doubt he would have surrendered all to Palpatine, Thrawn was unifying the galaxy to figh tthe hundred possibel threats from the Unknown Regions, woudl Palpy understand that?