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Thrawn’s eyes opened slowly. The red emergency lights flickered, providing the only light in the bridge. He was still pressed against the shattered hull, secured by something warm and wriggling.
“Oh good,” said a voice off to his right. “You’re alive.”
The speaker moved closer until they were clearly in view. “Ezra Bridger.”
“Yep.” Ezra nodded. He pinched his lips together, still nodding, and not quite making eye contact.
Thrawn pulled a little at the restraints holding him. They covered his entire body and he couldn’t remember—-
It all slammed into him at once. Lothal. The whales. The windows smashing in and the all-consuming swoop of a jump to hyperspace without dampeners.
“Where are we?”
Ezra shrugged. “Their mating grounds, I think. There aren’t any planets I can see. Not that we’d know them anyway.”
Thrawn stared at him blankly. “You sucked us into deep space.”
“Yep,” Ezra said like it wasn’t earth-shattering information.
“Let me down,” he growled, not quite at Ezra and not quite at the whales.
“Promise not to kill me?” Ezra asked.
Thrawn wanted to laugh. He should have killed Ezra Bridger a long time ago and been done with this whole thing before it even started. He wouldn’t have failed if Ezra were dead. He wouldn’t be stuck in deep space if Ezra were dead.
Ezra started talking again before he could respond. “I’m pretty sure we’re the only people out here, and I’m the one who can talk to the whales.”
“Why not just kill me then? Or have them do it?” It’d be easy. Just a little extra pressure around his chest and he’d be done for.
Ezra looked appalled. The idea probably hadn’t occurred to him, being raised by a Jedi. And rebels, which was worse. “I wouldn’t…” Ezra shook his head and sucked in a breath. “You’re really smart, right?”
“So some have said,” Thrawn replied.
“I think you might be my best shot at surviving here.” Ezra said. “And I’m definitely yours.”
Thrawn looked down at Ezra. “A truce, then?”
“A truce,” Ezra searched his face for a second before nodding. The arms holding Thrawn in place fell away and he dropped lightly onto the floor.
Thrawn stood up, adjusted his uniform, and looked at the stars outside the viewport. He was grateful the shields were still intact enough to keep him from being sucked into space. “What sector are we in?” Thrawn asked.
Ezra inspected the space outside the viewport. “I don’t know, I’ve never been here.”
“I have,” Thrawn said.
Ezra balked at him. “When?”
“I am from here.”
“You’re from deep space?” Ezra said. Clearly he was shocked. “I mean, I knew people lived in the Unknown Regions, I just didn’t think they ever left.”
“Did you assume I was Pantoran?”
“What’s a Pantoran?” Ezra said.
Thrawn was not rendered speechless - when he did not speak, it was a deliberate choice made so that he could take in new information uninterrupted. He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. “What species did you assume I was?”
Ezra shrugged. “Seemed rude to assume.”
“You never thought to ask?”
“When would I have asked?” Ezra said, as if the very notion were ridiculous. “I knew you worked for the Empire. Species; fascist. Didn’t really matter beyond that.”
Thrawn stared at him.
“What?” Ezra asked.
“How is it that I was beaten by someone who knows so little about their opponents?”
“Luck?” Ezra asked. “Also, the whales.”
Thrawn nodded. “The purrgil were a logical leap. Not one I had seriously considered.”
“Did you? Consider it.” Ezra laughed.
“We should see if there are any shuttles left on this ship.”
Ezra leaned forward seriously. “No, wait, did you actually consider the purrgil?”
“There may be one left in the hangar bay.”
“Thrawn!”
***
There was a single ship left in the hangar bay. It was an Imperial scout shuttle, a model Ezra had never been in before. There were two seats up near the console and two further back. Ezra started to sit in the back when Thrawn put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Ezra did not like the contact and he did not like what Thrawn said next.
“You will need to pilot the ship.”
“Me?” Ezra said. “Hera usually— I don’t really know how to fly.”
“You’ve never piloted before?”
“Not in space.” Ezra paused and considered. “I mean, once, Hera tried to teach me. But she said I was hopeless and complained about me adjusting her seat for a week.”
“You will have to learn quickly, then. I can provide instruction.”
“Why can’t you do it?”
“Do you know why this region is so difficult to map?”
“Because it’s… far away?” Ezra said. “I never really thought about it.”
“A running theme, I’m discovering.”
“Hey!”
“This area is unexplored because the large amount of black holes and nebulas create an incredible difficulty in navigation,” Thrawn explained. “Navigation computers are not effective over long distances, and this ship is not programmed for a jump-by-jump. The only way to navigate is with a Force-sensitive at the helm.” He looked at Ezra seriously. “It has to be you.”
“Oh,” Ezra looked down at the console. He swallowed nervously. “Okay.”
***
After the absolute quickest crash-course in piloting Ezra had ever thought possible, he and Thrawn sat staring at the vast expanse of space in front of them. “Where are we going?”
“A more traveled section of space, preferably.”
“Yeah, I know,” Ezra snapped. “But where is that?”
“You have to pilot with the Force,” Thrawn said.
“Right,” Ezra’s hands skimmed over the console before settling back in his lap. “How do I do that?”
“Can you not feel the pulses of life? The pull of the planets and stars as they move through the Force?” Thrawn asked. “Aim for a high concentration of those.”
“Of course I can feel it!” Ezra protested. “But how am I supposed to translate that into coordinates?”
“It’s not direct coordinates, per say,” Thrawn said. “I’ve heard it described as sinking into the flow of space, and then moving the ship along that flow.”
Ezra narrowed his eyes at Thrawn. “You do know it’s not the same for everyone. Like the Force feels different to different people.”
“Does it?” Thrawn said. “Interesting.”
“Oh, we’re going to die out here,” Ezra’s hands clenched around the controls of the ship like his own mortality was setting in.
“Do try not to crash.”
***
By some miracle, Ezra not only didn’t crash, but also managed to get them near enough to a habitable planet to attract attention. As grateful as he was to be alive, Ezra looked up at the massive warship coming toward them and really wished they hadn’t attracted any attention.
A voice spoke over the interspace coms in a language Ezra didn’t recognize. “It is the Chiss,” Thrawn explained.
“That’s you?”
Thrawn nodded. “It will be best if you respond. They may recognize my voice.”
“What are you, famous?” Ezra joked. When Thrawn didn’t react, his face fell. “Are you famous.”
“They may not be enthusiastic about my return.”
“What did you do?”
“My duty as a Chiss officer.”
“That’d do it,” Ezra turned back and released a long, slow breath. “Are they going to kill us?”
Thrawn ignored the question. “Do you know any Sy Bysti?”
“You have to know that I don’t.”
“Very well,” Thrawn nodded. “Answer in Basic. It may at least buy us time.”
“Right,” Ezra turned to the console. He gestured to the various buttons in front of him. “Which one?” Thrawn pointed and he nodded. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”
“Do try not to get us killed.”
“Out of my hands now,” Ezra held the button down. “This is Jabba aboard the shuttle Calrissian. We’ve gotten a little lost. Any chance you can give us directions out of here?”
“You’re still using Jabba?” Thrawn asked when Ezra released the radio.
“It works most of the time.”
“Except when it doesn’t.”
“What are the odds someone out here even knows Basic, much less the Hutts?”
“Not high,” Thrawn conceded. “But not zero.”
There was dead silence from the Chiss ship for a minute. Then another. “What are they doing?” Ezra asked Thrawn.
“I do not know,” Thrawn said. He narrowed his eyes in a way that meant he had several ideas.
“Want to share with-“ Ezra started, but the crackle of the radio stopped him dead.
“Shuttle Calrissian,” said a voice in Basic. They spoke in an accent Ezra wasn’t familiar with, a slight drawl on every vowel, but they were clearly familiar with the language. Ezra’s eyes widened in surprise. Thrawn sat forward. “You have entered the territory of the Chiss Ascendency. State your intention.”
Ezra reached for the button to respond but Thrawn held out a hand to stop him. “Ask if he’s the only one aboard who speaks Basic.”
Ezra narrowed his eyes in confusion, but complied. “They managed to find the one person on board who spoke Basic?”
The voice laughed as he responded. “You’re lucky, there aren’t many of us out here.”
“But you’re the only one on board?” Ezra knew he was pushing. He hoped it didn't seem suspicious.
The voice didn’t respond immediately. When he did, it was cautious. “Yes.”
Ezra winced. Definitely suspicious.
Before he could say anything, Thrawn leaned over. “Tell him you have a mutual friend.”
“Do you know this guy?”
“Say ‘Good day, lieutenant’. He will understand.”
“Yeah, sure,” Ezra said, but did it anyway.
Once he was done, there was another tense pause. When the voice came back on, it was just above a whisper and dripping with disbelief. “Thrawn?”
***
Thrawn’s friend told them to wait for boarding. Ezra was trying not to shuffle his feet next to Thrawn, who looked like he was getting ready to receive the Emperor.
While Ezra was fighting not to crawl out of his skin with nerves, Thrawn spoke softly. “Refrain from revealing your Force-sensitivity, if you can.”
“Why?”
“Among the Chiss, such gifts are incredibly rare. It’ll be in our best interest to wait.”
“And if I don’t?” Ezra crossed his arms defiantly.
“Would you like to pilot a ship, as you just did, every day for the rest of your life?”
Ezra looked away from Thrawn without uncrossing his arms. When he spoke, it was barely above a mumble. “No.”
“Then refrain.”
“Shuttle Calrissian, the docking is secure. Please lower your ramp for boarding,” a voice crackled over the speaker.
Ezra leaned forward to open the ramp. Standing on the other side were two blue-skinned beings in white uniforms and one human. The Chiss were armed and looked designed to be intimidating, but the human looked happy to see them.
“Thrawn,” the human said. He didn’t quite smile, but there was a softening in his eyes and around his mouth when he looked at Thrawn. He seemed to remember the other Chiss a second later and straightened. “Admiral.”
“Lieutenant Vanto,” Thrawn said coolly in response. “I thought it would be you.”
If the human took any offense at Thrawn’s tone, he didn’t show it. “Of course it was me.” He looked at Ezra. “Who’s your friend?”
“Ezra. Ezra Bridger.” Ezra waved awkwardly at the human.
The human smiled at him. “Eli Vanto.” He turned back to Thrawn. “A new recruit for the Ascendency?”
“Not intentionally,” Thrawn said. “But I do think he could prove valuable.”