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"I'm limited. Just look at me. I'm limited."
Five years. That’s how long Thrawn and the surviving members of the Chimera had been stranded in another galaxy until the Ascendancy miraculously found them.
Thrawn wished he could say that when he saw the Ascendancy appear out of hyperspace that he felt relief. Well, he did temporarily at least. The relief that they were no longer stranded and had to rely solely on the planet and whatever remained of the Chimera as a means of survival.
But that flash of relief for Thrawn was heavily overshadowed by a sense of dread.
He had failed. There was no other way to frame it. He had been sent to Lesser Space to collect data on the Empire and find out if they could be used in the fight against the Grysks. It was supposed to only take a year at the most.
But then Thrawn had taken an even bigger gamble and elected to work his way up through the ranks of the Empire. Making it stronger and trying to secure his place in it so that one day he might influence the next leader of the Empire to aid his cause and support the Ascendancy.
And in one battle, his plan had come to a brutal end. All those years of working his way up the chain of command. All that time bending to the Emperor's wishes. Of mapping out the Chaos for him.
All of that just to end up right back where he started. With nothing.
Now he sat on a med cot on Naporar, having been cleared by the medics, waiting to see what the Syndicure and Defense Council would do with him. Ar’alani had also left him with a questis that had been ringing with messages non-stop for the past hour. Thrawn took that to mean that was about the time when word had gotten around that he was back in the Ascendancy.
But Thrawn hadn’t looked at one of them. Didn’t want to. Didn’t want to see the expectation in their words.
It had been hard enough facing Ar’alani. There had been relief in her eyes, and she had berated him for a good ten minutes too, but there had also been that expectation. It had been in her voice too. That now that he was back in the Ascendancy he would have the answers they so desperately needed. That he was would be the one to solve the impossible equation of how to beat the Grysks and restore the Ascendancy to greatness.
But Thrawn had nothing. He had been gone nearly twenty years and instead of returning with aid, he was the one who had needed rescuing. It had all been for nothing.
The medical suite’s doors opened and Thrawn felt his jaw tighten. He told the medics he wasn’t up for visitors. He turned his head to face whoever has come to speak with him, and froze.
Eli Vanto strode in, but not the Eli Vanto he'd sent to the Ascendancy. That Eli had been a young man unsure of himself and his place in the galaxy. The man before him though was none of those things.
He had a few more wrinkles around his eyes now, and there was a hardness to his face. His build was more solid now and he truly looked like a warrior. His walk was different too. He had an easy confidence to him of someone who knew who he was and had nothing to prove.
His eyes though still held the same warmth they always had. The corner of his lip twitched upward as his gaze met Thrawn’s. “Hey, Thrawn.”
And suddenly, somehow, Thrawn knew it hadn’t all been for nothing.
“And just look at you, you can do all I couldn’t do..”
Eli pulled up a chair next to the med cot and stared at him. Not with the expectation Thrawn had seen aboard the crew of the Steadfast or even amongst his own crew, he just studied him. And for once, Thrawn couldn’t guess his thoughts.
“How did you get in?” Thraw asked abruptly.
That same half-smile made its way onto Eli’s face he’d seen a hundred times before. “Admiral Ar’alani sent me, and everyone on Naporar is inclined to listen to her. Including the medic. No one wants to piss off a Fleet Admiral.”
Thrawn raised an eyebrow. “The Admiral sent you?”
“She figured you would be in a mood. She sent me to deal with you,” Eli said with a knowing look, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
Thrawn huffed. “I am not in a mood .”
Eli gave him a pointed look and Thrawn averted his gaze. He could still feel Eli studying him though and he waited for the inevitable. For him to ask what he was going to do now. What the plan was.
But instead, Eli stood. “Walk with me.”
It wasn’t a question, and Thrawn didn’t argue. He simply followed his former protege out of the medical suite.
As they walked other Chiss warriors greeted them in passing and Thrawn was surprised to see the deference shown to Eli. A human, an outsider. As a rule, Chiss didn’t trust non-Chiss and certainly didn’t treat them as equals. But it was clear that Eli had made his place here.
In fact, it was Thrawn that felt like the outsider the more they walked. Like a stranger amongst his own kind, while the human at his side blended in with the other Chiss warriors.
At one point a warrior in passing referred to Eli as “Senior Commander” and Thrawn looked at his former aide in surprise.
“You’ve been appointed to Senior Commander?”
It wasn’t that he thought Eli was undeserving of the title, quite the opposite. He knew the man deserved even greater than that. But the fact that the Defense Council had been willing to promote him above Lieutenant Commander spoke volumes.
Eli nodded. “It took some hard one victories and a lot of arguing by myself, Ar’alani, Mak’ro, and Thalias to get them to budge. But they did.”
Thrawn noted the change of Samakro’s name. His promotion to flag rank was always a surety to him. And it would seem Thalias has made something of herself as well if she had pull with the Defense Council.
“Congratulations,” Thrawn said. “It is long overdue.”
Just then, Thrawn’s questis dinged with yet another notification. Thrawn silently cursed himself. Why hadn’t he left the damned thing in the medical suite?
Eli raised an eyebrow. “Do you need to get that?”
Thrawn didn’t look at him. “No.”
Eli didn’t argue. They came to stand by a window overlooking Naporar and just stood there in silence.
Looking down at the city below, Thrawn felt the overwhelming weight of expectation once again begin to press down against him. Now would be when Eli would ask him what he was going to do. And if not him now then Ar’alani. Or Thalias or Mak’ro or Hammerly or Pyrondi or any number of people.
And every moment he didn’t confess the truth, he felt like a fraud. Holding imaginary hope above their heads that he didn’t have. So he spoke.
“I don’t have a plan.” It’s said barely above a whisper.
He continued, still not meeting Eli’s gaze. “I failed to bring the aid I promised. I don’t even know if the members of the Chimera will stand with us or venture out on their own to try and return to Lesser Space. I have no master plan to take down the Grysks. Let alone heal the Ascendancy.”
He waited for the frustration, the disappointment. But Eli huffed out a laugh. Thrawn turned to look at him and saw the other man wasn't looking at him with expectation, but understanding.
“You don’t have to.”
The words are so simple and yet they hit Thrawn like a ton of bricks.
Eli continued. “We’ve got the start of one. Bits and pieces. We could certainly use your help. But you don’t have to do it alone. None of us do. So many of us have learned from you and have gone beyond that. Now we can work together to do the impossible.”
Thrawn stared at him in astonishment. That hadn’t been even close to the answer he was expecting.
It feels so odd to have the man he manipulated into being his aide suddenly stand so tall above him, with a confidence and ease that feels so out of reach for Thrawn at the moment. He had become a greater man than Thrawn could have imagined. And for the first time since arriving in the Ascendancy, he felt hope.
He wanted to trust in Eli and in his words. And so, he did.
“I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason. Bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow, if we let them, and we help them in return.”
Eli can remember a time when he thought Thrawn was the worst thing to happen to him. Pulled from his perfectly planned out path of becoming a supply officer and thrown into the Royal Academy and then made to become an aide on a wholly different path.
What he can’t remember exactly is the moment when Thrawn went from being a burden to being a mentor to being a friend. Maybe it was when he realized how steadfast and brilliant the Chiss was without ever showing any ego or need to flaunt it around. Maybe it was when they stood by one another as they were ridiculed by naval officers and politicians alike. Or maybe it was when they bounced ideas off of each other when they were trying to figure out how to take down smugglers and Thrawn had taken his suggestions to heart.
No, he couldn’t pin the moment down, but at some point Thrawn had become his friend. The worst part had been though that Eli had never been sure if Thrawn had felt the same until he had given him his journal and Eli had read the last entry.
And he had questioned even that when his life was once again uprooted, though this time, Eli had made the choice to go to the Ascendancy. He had gone because Thrawn had said he was ready. He had gone because what Faro had said and Thrawn had implied multiple times about him having the potential for more had finally resonated with him.
So he went.
It had been difficult, even overwhelming at times to try and integrate into the Chiss Defense Fleet. And when he briefly returned with Ar’alani and the Steadfast to Lesser Space, his reunion and talks with Thrawn had not inspired much confidence.
And then word reached them that Thrawn and the entire 7th fleet had simply vanished and were presumed dead and he had wondered if he’d made the greatest mistake of his life. For a while he believed he was truly on his own and that he had failed to meet the expectations Thrawn had of him when he sent him to his people.
But he had fought on just as Thrawn had. He endured every insult, obstacle, and pitfall sent his way and pressed on. And as he did, he realized he wasn’t as alone as he believed.
Vah’nya had been a fast friend who hadn’t judged him just because he was human. Ar’alani though she didn’t show it plainly, had his back when the Defense Council and even the Syndicure hounded him. And then there was Un’hee, who might be the best thing to happen to him since arriving in the Ascendancy.
They had supported each other and fought their demons together. She made him want to continue to fight and gave him hope in his darkest moments. And he loved her as if she were his own.
Thrawn’s friends who had only once seen him as simply Thrawn’s protege, began to see him for his own person, and they became his friends.
Eli made himself invaluable to the Ascendancy and climbed his way up the chain of command until he became a Senior Commander. And all the while he hadn’t given up on Thrawn either. It was his calculations that had been critical in finding him.
And yet when Ar’alani had offered for him to come along on the expedition that they’d been fighting for to go follow the path Eli had created, he had refused. Six years in the Ascendancy and five since Thrawn had disappeared and a part of him still felt unsure of himself.
What would Thrawn see when they reunited? Was this what he had wanted him to become? The war with the Grysks raged on and the Ruling families still fought amongst each other. And although Eli had fought many battles and saved many lives, he hadn’t been able to bring an end to the conflict. Would Thrawn regret his choice?
So he had stayed behind. But not long after Thrawn had been brought back to Naporar, then Ar’alani had summoned him here.
“I’m not sure what you think I’ll be able to do,” Eli had said when Ar’alani had asked him to talk to his former CO. “You two have known each other longer. If you can’t get to him, I don’t see how I could.”
Ar’alani had narrowed her eyes at him. “What was that foul Lesser Space phrase you taught to my Navigators again? Ah yes, krayt spit. I am calling krayt spit.”
Eli spluttered. “You know I didn’t teach them that on purpose.”
Ar’alani waved the comment away. “Regardless. I think you underestimate yourself. I believe it is you who may know him best now. And I believe it is you who can help him.”
And so reluctantly, he had agreed. He had prepared himself before he walked into the medical suite. Reminded himself of the life he had built on his own here. That regardless of whatever expectation Thrawn had had of him, he was who he was and he was proud of it.
But when he had walked into the medical suite and met Thrawn’s gaze, he didn’t see expectation. Just someone who was tired and uncertain. And suddenly all of Eli’s own doubts had vanished as he realized this wasn’t a battle he needed to fight against Thrawn, but with him.
“Well I don’t know if I believe that’s true. But I know I’m who I am today because I knew you.”
Yes, at one point he had resented Thrawn for turning his life upside down. But now when Eli thought of the life he might have had, one where he became a supply officer or went back to help with his family’s business, it felt hollow.
Sure he probably would have found happiness in one form or another, but there would have been no true purpose. He fully believed it now that he would have been wasted doing something like that.
Here he was a Senior Commander, helping to protect the Ascendancy and the rest of the galaxy from the Grysks. He was an innovator with the numbers and calculations he had tamed to help the skywalkers with their Third Sight. He was a mentor to others now. A friend. A father.
And he had Thrawn to thank for putting him on this road, and he could never be more grateful.
So now, whether or not he considered Eli a friend, Eli was going to help his friend.
“Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun. Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood.”
Eli now looked at the man who had once been his mentor and who was gazing at him with something like hope in his tired eyes. Of course Thrawn had thought to take the burden of this mess of the Grysks onto himself. Because he always believed that such burdens were his alone to bear.
Internally wincing, Eli realized his own hypocrisy in that manner.
What Thrawn didn’t realize was how he inspired others. How he helped them find their true potential. And how that didn’t end when he had left.
He wasn’t alone. He certainly didn’t have to do all of this alone. And Eli intended to show him as much.
For the first time since reuniting with him, Eli gave his former CO a full smile. “You should really check some of those messages. You don’t have to answer them all, but I think just reading some of them might help. There are a lot of people that are glad to have you back, and not just because you’re a tactical genius. But because you’re their friend, and they’re glad to have you back.”
Thrawn blinked in surprise and some of the wariness receded from his face. “I will think on it.”
He said it in such a serious way that made it sound like he was weighing his options before going into battle that was so like him that it startled a laugh out of Eli.
Thrawn gave him a perplexed look and Eli grinned at him. “Sorry, sir, it’s just, well… I missed you.”
Thrawn’s look softened and a small smile formed on his lips. “You do not need to address me as sir. Matter of fact, I am not sure if I will be allowed back in the Defense Fleet at all. Certainly not as high ranking as I was before I was exiled.”
Eli shrugged. “Then you prove to them all wrong once again. And not alone. Thalias will have it out with the Syndicure if they make you anything less than a Senior Commander. And I already know Ar’alani, Mak’ro, and several other officers that served with you that now have flag rank and are already in your corner that are working the Defense Fleet side of things.”
He turned to fully face Thrawn. “And as for me, I’ll always stand with you. We’ll work through this together.”
“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
Thrawn turned fully face to him as well, his smile growing a fraction. “Together then.”
“You’ll be with me, like a handprint on my heart. And now whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend.”
In the end, it was decided that he would be reinstated in the Defense Fleet as a Senior Commander. Thalias had indeed protested that he deserved higher but Thrawn had taken the verdict with grace. And when the tribunal had concluded, he had been surprised with how many people were there to greet him.
Thalias of course he’d seen before the trial and she had hugged him fiercely and made him promise to come have dinner at her house. Her and Admiral Mak’ro’s house. Thrawn had always wondered if anything would come of the tension between those two from their time on the Springhawk .
But as he stepped out into the reception room, he was greeted by several officers, many of them flag rank. They had aged just as he had, but he still recognized them.
All except one young woman who immediately barreled into him as he stepped out and hugged him. She’d grinned at him when she pulled away. “I’ve grown a bit since you last saw me, but trust me, I’ve put your flight instruction to good use.”
Thrawn smiled. “Che’ri.”
“Sacher now, actually,” Sacher said.
And thus everyone crowded around to clap him on the back or welcome him home or ask where the hell he’d been. Thrawn’s head nearly swam with all the attention focused him. Sure he’d been the center of attention before, but usually it was only a professional setting of receiving a promotion or standing trial at a court martial. To be surrounded now by so many people who considered him a friend, who were so happy to see him…
Thrawn glanced at the one person who hadn’t swarmed him and was watching the whole thing unfold with a warm smile. Eli was giving him a look as if to say, “I told you so.”
Mak’ro caught the look and grunted. “I heard you brought an entire crew of humans with you this time. Wasn’t sending two here enough?”
“Oh please,” Tro’owmis said nudging Mak’ro. “That’s not the attitude you had when you all but fought Ar’alani to get Ivant on your ship.”
“His work was invaluable to my campaign,” Mak’ro argued, though Thrawn could tell it was only half-hearted. “Besides, didn’t you coerce him into that mission two years back against that client species?”
Tro’owmis made an exaggerated noise of shock. “I can’t believe you would think that, I would never do anything like that. And if I did it wasn’t so much me coercing Ivant as it was Ivant and I coercing Ba’kif into looking the other way.”
“Speaking of ship assignments,” In’daro put in. “Have you been given a ship assignment yet?”
Thrawn shook his head. “Not yet.”
Mak’ro grunted. “Well then, I think it’s only natural that you come back aboard the Springhawk .”
Tro’owmis clicked her tongue. “The Vigilant is nicer.”
“Yes, but the Grayshrike has the most prestige these days,” In’daro said too casually.
“You needn’t concern yourselves with ship assignments,” Ar’alani said, stepping in. “I have ensured that Senior Commander Thrawn is aboard the Steadfast .”
There were several protests.
“You can’t have Ivant and Thrawn,” Mak’ro argued.
“I am a Fleet Admiral,” Ar’alani said in a way Thrawn knew from being her friend so long that she was being smug. “I can do as I wish.”
Then Ar’alani’s expression became something more serious. “And he and Ivant have important work to do together. We have a war to win and a plan to enact.”
The attitude in the room shifted as his friends became officers once more. All focused on a common goal to save the Ascendancy.
One by one they all made their way out until it was just him and Eli once more. Eli gave him a lopsided grin. “Senior Commander.”
Thrawn smiled back. “Senior Commander.”
It was the first time they had held the same rank, and it felt right. Eli was no longer his protege, but his equal in every way.
“Sounds like we’ve got our work cut for us,” Eli quipped.
“Perhaps,” Thrawn said. “But it is as you said. We will enter this endeavor together.”
“Together then.”
“Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea. Like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood.”
Thrawn and Eli began their work in earnest and it was like falling into a familiar rhythm. The way each of them could anticipate the other’s thoughts and follow a similar train of thought. How the other could understand where the other was going with a plan before it had fully taken shape. Thrawn was also pleased to find that Eli’s ability to see the bigger picture had grown by leaps and bounds.
There were small things about their partnership Thrawn realized he had missed too. Such as when Eli would make sure he didn’t get too wrapped up in his research and make him come to the mess hall with him.
Or when his human companion would get particularly riled up about a stupid decision made by high command or the Syndicure. Thrawn was always there to offer a patient ear when the two of them would retreat to their office as Eli would rant about “idiotic politicians” and “stupid family relations getting in the way.”
It was a balance he had sorely missed.
He also found that Eli’s impact aboard the Steadfast particularly interesting. Specifically the way the Navigators seemed to flock him like growser cubs to their mother. Un’hee in particular was attached to him and he learned that she had been unofficially adopted by him.
And despite the daunting task ahead of them, Thrawn felt oddly grounded. He didn’t feel the need to spend every waking moment to some task or another. He even found himself enjoying the quiet moments given to him.
Long chats with Ar’alani over cacaoleaf. Drawing with the skywalkers and being gifted art in return. Dinner with Eli and Un’hee in the evenings.
For the first time, these quiet moments didn’t feel like distractions or frivolous, but precious.
And there were more moments such as these away from the Steadfast as well. He kept his promise and had dinner with Thalias and Mak’ro and their children, including Sacher. Tro’owmis dragged him, Ar’alani, and Eli into doing wine tasting with her. He even stopped by retired Supreme General Ba’kif’s home and had a long pleasant chat with him.
Many of the remaining members of the Chimera had joined up with the CEDF as well. Even the young Jedi Ezra Bridger who had somehow ingratiated himself with the crew during their time in that distant galaxy, and had agreed to work with the skywalkers. Hammerly insisted that whenever they were all on Naporar that they meet up and Thrawn found himself looking forward to those meetings.
On one such meeting as the old crew of the Chimera gathered in a pub together, Thrawn watched from his seat at the edge of the crowd as his old crew mingled and laughed and enjoyed their drinks together. He was content to simply watch the scene in front of him at the moment.
And of course, that was the moment Ezra Bridger decided to take a seat next to him.
“You’re different,” the Jedi said without preamble.
Thrawn merely raised an eyebrow. After five years of being stuck with the young Jedi and having these observations thrust upon him at random he’d become used to them. Ezra always ended up explaining himself, though not always in a way that made sense, so best not to comment and just let him get to the point.
And sure enough, Ezra continued without waiting for Thrawn to comment. “I mean, it’s pretty hard to read you most of the time even with the Force. But when I can, you’re like a cloud that never lets the sun out. In fact it’s almost like you make a wall around it.
“But now you’re finally starting to part the clouds a little. And I think it’s also showing who you were always meant to be.”
Now that Thrawn couldn’t understand. “Explain.”
Ezra shrugged. “I don’t mean like you’re really supposed to be some party animal deep down, but like… how to explain? Like you’re still you. Stoic, smart, obsessed with art, all that stuff. But you don’t wall people off anymore. You don’t try and make yourself an enigma. You’re you, but just a you that actually allows himself to live .”
Thrawn wasn’t sure if he fully understood, but a part of it resonated with him. Everything he ever did, everything he ever was, was to serve the Ascendancy. Even in the Empire his goal had always been the same. There had rarely been a moment that he had taken for himself.
Thrass had been one of the only people that had gotten him to just take time for himself and just let him be. And after he had vanished, it had been a long time until someone else had come along and made him stop.
It had been after an encounter with Nightswan and Thrawn had been pouring over every bit of data that he could to track him down. He hadn’t slept and had only eaten when Eli had shoved something in his hands.
On day three of this, Eli had finally put his foot down. He had all but dragged Thrawn away from his art and his terminal and forced him to actually take his shore leave.
They’d gone to Lysatra where Eli had taken him hiking through the canyons. Thrawn had found it to be a waste of time until they climbed to the top of one of the canyons just as the sun was setting. The view had been magnificent and unlike anything he’d ever seen. And in that moment, he’d felt that old sense of contentment.
From then on, Thrawn allowed Eli to pick little stops if they had time wherever they traveled. They ended up going to numerous art museums, cafes, walking trails, and other local exhibits that were almost always a source of enjoyment and Thrawn looked forward to those outings.
It was as Ezra had said. He had still been himself, but it had been a version of him that had felt lighter and less guarded.
And when Eli had left, that part of himself shut up again.
“Does that make sense? I don’t know if any of that made sense,” Ezra said, drawing Thrawn out of his thoughts.
“Well enough,” Thrawn admitted mildly.
Ezra rolled his eyes. “I should’ve known that would be your answer.” The Jedi stood. “Well, it’s been fun, but now I’m going to go make sure your buddy Eli or Ivant or whatever his name is gets drunk enough so he’ll tell me embarrassing stories about you. See ya!”
And with that the Jedi was off.
Thrawn let out a long sigh even as a smile crept up his face. He knocked back the rest of his drink and stood up as well. It appeared his friend was about to be in need of rescuing.
___
“So, it comes down to the skywalkers then,” Ar’alani said, her voice grim.
Mid Captain Thrawn and Junior Captain Ivant stared back at her resolutely. Eli nodded. “They’re drawing the Navigators closer to their bases, so if we can track them, we can track the Grysks. And, in theory, we may be able to use skywalkers to track other skywalkers. At least that’s what Bridger seems to think.”
“Is there a way to do this without involving other Navigators?” Ar’alani asked.
“We can narrow down the locations of bases and attempt to do sweep of them,” Thrawn said. “However, that would give away the element of surprise, as well as give them a chance to relocate their more valuable assets. Including the stolen Navigators.”
Ar’alani drummed her fingers along the desk. “So we are going off of this theory based on the word of a half trained Jedi?”
Thrawn’s mouth set in a grim line. “It is not ideal. I trust Bridger’s judgment, but this is theoretical even for him. It would be my preference to speak with someone who has a better understanding of the skywalkers. I have heard rumors that Ool has such experts.”
Eli and Ar’alani exchanged a look and Thrawn narrowed his eyes. The two of them seemed to be having some sort of silent debate.
“This might not be the best time,” Ar’alani said, still meeting Eli’s gaze.
Eli’s face hardened. “It’s something he should have known a long time ago.”
Thrawn glanced between the two of them. There was something on Ool they didn’t wish him to know about.
Finally, the silent debate seemed to end and Ar’alani let out a sigh. She turned to face him, her expression oddly sympathetic. That sent more warning bells off in his head than if she had glared at him.
“Thrawn,” Ar’alani began slowly. “There’s something you should know. Someone you should know about.”
___
Thrawn had faced down many opponents, overcome many obstacles. And yet he was more nervous now than when he’d left the Ascendancy.
She was there, just inside the house he was walking up to at this very moment. Someone he’d mentally buried because anything else was too painful.
“Do you want me to wait out here?” Eli asked from beside him.
Thrawn only had to think about it half a second. “No.”
And blessed Eli, he didn’t ask for further explanation. They came to the door and Thrawn froze. What would he find on the other side of this door? Or rather, who?
Eli had explained what had been done to skywalkers until Thalias had brought an end to the terrible practice of Fading. She wouldn’t know him except for what she might have heard of him.
Vurika. His sister.
Borkia now.
He was uncomfortably aware that he hadn’t made any move to knock in an amount of time that he should have definitely knocked by now. Maybe he should let Eli go in and then he could follow later. They were expecting them sure, but she’d met Eli already. Maybe she didn’t want to see him at all.
Thrawn glanced at his companion. Eli gave him a small encouraging smile. “I’d tell you she doesn’t bite, but that’s not even close to the truth. I’ve seen her make Ar’alani sweat, and she’s as sharp as all get out. It took me all of five minutes after meeting her to know she was your sister.”
Despite himself, Thrawn felt a small smile twitch on his lips. “She was like that when we were young too. An older boy pushed me one day and she punched him so hard she broke his nose. Then to get him not to tattle on her, she threatened to tell everyone he lost a fight to a girl two years younger than him. Needless to say, he said nothing.”
Eli chuckled. “Well then, it sounds like she’s not so different after all.”
Thrawn took in a deep breath. This wasn’t just about him, this was about helping the Navigators too.
Steeling himself, Thrawn knocked.
Ten seconds later, the door opened… and there she was. Even after all this time, Thrawn would recognize her anywhere. Her expression was stony but otherwise gave nothing away. They stared at each other for a while, just taking in the other.
Then Borika straightened. “Mid Captain. Junior Captain. Please come in,” she said neutrally, stepping back to let them pass.
They both nodded their thanks, and Thrawn barely took his eyes off his sister as they entered. Borika guided them to a living room where they all took a seat. Borika sat across from them and she and Thrawn once again continued to study each other in silence.
This lasted only a minute or so until Eli stood up again. “Borika, do you keep the tea in the same place?”
Borkia nodded, not looking away from Thrawn. “Yes.”
“Good because I’m going to go make us some,” Eli said cheerily before leaving the room.
Thrawn had the childish urge to call Eli to come back for a second but he quickly quashed it. Now it was just him and a ghost he still wasn’t sure was real.
Then Borika fidgeted under his gaze. She seemed to come to some kind of conclusion and said abruptly. “I don’t remember you.”
Thrawn nodded. “I know.” Though hearing it from her still stung more deeply than he thought it would.
Borika averted her gaze. “I don’t know what you were expecting, but I’m afraid this is what you get.” Her voice was firm, but there was something in her face that made Thrawn pause.
And then he had it. A familiar look on her face that he knew all too well.
Expectation. Not expectation of him, but what he might think of her.
Perhaps they really were still so alike, even after all this time. And maybe he could show her some of the same kindness that Eli had shown him.
His face softened and he offered her a small smile. “And I’m sure you have heard a great deal about me. But if you would allow it, perhaps together we can start over with no expectations of the other.”
Borika met his gaze and studied him a while longer. And then, a small matching smile of her own crept onto her face. “Together then.”
“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
Senior Captain Thrawn and Mid Captain Ivant stood on the bridge of the Steadfast . The tension there was palpable. Through their efforts and that of many others, they had forced the majority of Grysk forces to retreat to a planet that also housed their biggest supply line. If they could beat them here, the war was theirs. Naturally there would be other smaller Grysk fleets to deal with and a few client species they’d managed to hold onto, but this battle would shift the war in their favor.
But this fight wouldn’t be easy. Every remaining and able Grysk and client species ship would be gathered here. Ready and willing to fight to the death and take as much of the enemy out with them as possible.
Thrawn glanced at Eli who was drumming his fingers against his questis as he studied the screen intently.
“Your numbers are correct,” Thrawn murmured. “They always are.”
Eli huffed but he looked up from his questis all the same. “I know. But I want to be sure. A lot of good people are gonna die today. I just wanted to see if there was another angle, another place to attack that I might’ve missed before we charge in.”
“We along with the Admirals have been over this many times,” Thrawn reminded him. “And we will hardly be simply charging in. Trust in our strategy. At some point, a warrior must accept the path he has chosen and stand his ground.”
Eli chuckled. “I’ll be sure to add that one to your journal when we get back.”
When we get back.
“And just to clear the air I ask forgiveness for the things I’ve done you blame me for.”
For the first time, Thrawn felt a stab of guilt about putting Eli here. When he sent him here, he did so because he trusted him and because it was the logical next step. But he had given little thought afterwards to if Eli ever regretted his decision to leave everything and everyone he knew behind.
And now here he stood, ready to die for a people that wasn’t his own. Putting everything on the line for them even when his path had been fraught with mistrust and prejudice.
Thrawn turned to fully face Eli. “I’ve never thanked you for coming here,” he murmured. “Or for just how much you’ve done for us. You gave up your own people to become one of us and I… I am grateful beyond words.”
Eli blinked at him in surprise. Then his look became sheepish. “I mean, that’s why you sent me, right? Wasn’t this what you expected me to do?”
Thrawn smiled at his friend. “Eli, I think it is fair to say that you have far surpassed anything I expected of you.”
“But then I guess, we know there’s blame to share.”
Eli wanted to take the compliment in stride. Thrawn rarely put his praise into so many words, but Eli couldn’t help the bit of guilt he felt himself.
He’d resented Thrawn for so long. And then he’d considered him a friend only to doubt him when he sent him away. And honestly? It was Eli who was eternally grateful to Thrawn. There was nothing for him in Lesser Space. But he was finding he had a great deal here more and more every day.
Eli fully turned to face his former mentor. “I suppose I never did thank you for not letting me become a supply officer and rot away at some desk. I have a real life here, more than I could have ever imagined. So thank you .”
“Even if that life ends today at the hands of the enemy?” Thrawn asked quietly.
Eli smiled at him. “I would still choose this end over growing old Lysatra. Because at least in this life, I have a career I’m proud of, friends, a daughter. These are my people now, and I’m proud to have fought for them.”
“And none of it seems to matter anymore.”
“Break out in sixty seconds,” called the helm.
Thrawn and Eli turned back to face the viewport. Eli nudged him. “And hey, who says we’re going to meet our end today? I still intend to go home to my daughter. And your sister will kill you if you die out here.”
Thrawn let out a soft chuckle. “Then it seems we must endeavor to win this battle and return home safely.”
“You did promise Un’hee that you’d take her to that art museum in Rentor’s capital,” Eli reminded him.
“That I did. In that case, together then?” Thrawn of course already knew the answer, but he didn’t get tired of hearing it.
“Together,” Eli said confidently.
And then they were out of hyperspace.
“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?”
Bridger had dubbed the celebration a We-Didn’t-Die victory party. Of course they were having it about six months after the final great battle with the Grysks that had won the war in favor of the Ascendancy.
But attendants of said celebration had also been running campaigns to hunt down the remaining Grysk fleets and rescue any remaining Navigators as well as mending broken relations between the Nine.
Now though, finally, they were all gathered on Ool in Borika and Bomarmo’s ranch house to celebrate. With so many people arriving, everyone was hard at work in the kitchen preparing for the meal.
Except the two Kivu siblings who were banned from the kitchen due to their tendency to set said kitchen on fire.
“How two geniuses can burn water is beyond me.” Thrawn heard Eli mutter to Bomarmo at one point.
His brother-in-law had shrugged, a conspiratorial grin on his face. “I’ve been trying to solve that mystery myself for years.”
And thus, the great Senior Captain Thrawn and the mysterious and steel-hidden scholar Borkia were put on table setting duty.
With so many people helping out, in no time the food was ready and everyone crowded around the mismatched set of tables they tried to combine to make one long table. A magnificently decorated and set table if Thrawn did say so himself.
As everyone sat down to eat, Thrawn took a moment to appreciate all those who had gathered. The old crew of the Chimera was there, though they had all long since gone on to serve on separate ships. Newly appointed Supreme Admiral Ar’alani was laughing at something Tro’owmis was saying.
Fleet Admiral Mak’ro and Prime Syndic Thalias were making sure their children were behaving themselves with Sacher doing her best to help. Ezra Bridger was seated next to one of the older Navigators, Vah’nya, and he appeared to be trying to flirt with her. His brother-in-law was trying to get his sister to stop fussing over the decorations and sit down. Even an aging Ba’kif had managed to join.
Many others from Thrawn’s past were there as well as a few new friends he’d made since returning.
And of course, taking a seat right next to him was Eli. And next to him, Un’hee, who he’d officially been allowed to adopt.
Eli nodded to him as he took his seat. “Senior Captain.”
Thrawn smiled. “Senior Captain.”
He saw Eli straighten a little at his new title. His well deserved title.
“I hear they’re giving you your own ship,” Hammerly spoke up, jumping into the conversation.
Eli nodded. “The Omen . I take command of it next week.”
“The Omen , huh?” Mak’ro said. “Sounds like they’re tying to pull another fast one on you again, Ivant. I’ve heard that crew is a pain to deal with. Ran the last commanding officer into early retirement.”
Eli nodded. “So I’ve heard. But I intend to get them in line. Especially with the first officer I’m bringing.”
He nodded to Sacher, and the Junior Captain saluted him with her glass.
“And what about you?” Tro’owmis asked. “Are they giving you your own ship, Thrawn?”
Thrawn shook his head. “Ar’alani has asked me to continue to serve as first officer aboard the Steadfast for now.”
Tro’owmis raised an eyebrow at the Supreme Admiral. “Really?”
Ar’alani shrugged. “We all know he’s going to make flag rank within the next year or so. And at that time, the Steadfast is his.”
Then Ar’alani gave him a mirthful look. “Though if Ivant beats you to flag rank, I’m giving it to him.”
“If you are all quite finished,” Borika said. “You all kept going on about how good you made everything, so let’s eat while it’s still hot.”
There were cheers of agreement and food was passed out all around. As everyone laughed and ate and talked amongst each other, Thrawn felt a surge of happiness like nothing he’d felt before. And something else even more surprising. Contentment.
He was wholly and completely content.
“I do believe I have been changed for the better.”
If someone had told Eli that he would find happiness in the Unknown Regions fighting for an alien military, he would have thought them insane. But here he was, surrounded by love and laughter. And so many friends who supported him that he could hardly believe it.
He felt so at peace here with the family he’d come to find. A part of him was always uncertain about something, but now, he knew that even with whatever might come his way, this is where he belonged.
“Papa? Are you okay?” Un’hee asked beside him.
He smiled at her. His daughter, and someone he would have never known if he’d merely turned his back on the alien he’d been forced to trail after.
He ruffled her hair which elicited a squawk of protest from her. “I’ve never been better.”
“And because I knew you.”
Dinner had ended and everyone had either sat down with some caocaoleaf to chat quietly or had gone to bed.
Thrawn though stood just outside the ranch, gazing at the endless starlit sky. Footsteps approached from behind him and he knew who it was before they even came into view.
“I guess it’s back to our separate ways next week, huh?” Eli mused as he gazed at the same view as Thrawn.
He nodded. “Separate, but never truly apart.”
Eli chuckled. “Not a chance. Someone has to watch over you.”
Thrawn chuckled as well. “Yes, I am already anticipating the number of messages I will receive regarding reminders to eat and sleep.”
Eli gave him a thoughtful look. “You have been getting better at that though.”
Thrawn looked back at the starry sky. “I am beginning to understand that I can serve as well as take time for myself as well.”
“Because I knew you.”
Eli gave his friend a thoughtful look. “Good, it’s about time. And it only took…how old are you again?”
Thrawn gave him a half-hearted glare and Eli laughed. “Okay, okay. But promise me you’re still coming over for Un’hee’s starday in a month.”
His friend’s look softened. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
Eli let out a long sigh. “Assuming my new crew doesn’t kill me in my sleep. I might have to take a page out of your book and choose to forgo sleep.”
Instead of answering the jab, to his surprise Thrawn was giving him a look of pride. “I have no doubt you will make the crew of the Omen into the finest one the CEDF has ever seen.”
Eli smiled at his friend gratefully. “Thanks. I suppose I had a pretty good person to show me the way.”
“As did I. And I suspect that doesn’t end when we go our separate ways once more,” Thrawn murmured.
Eli nudged him. “Guess we’re still in this together then.”
Thrawn nodded. “Together, always.”
The two of them turned to face the starry night sky, their whole future ahead of them.
“I have been changed for good.”