Mitth'jio'nuruodo sat on the edge of his bunk, staring fondly, though sadly, at the image of his family. First, he lingered his scarlet gaze upon his parents, who always supported him and made sure he achieved his full potential. His mother was smiling bright and his father's eyes sparked with pride he had always imagined was for him. What once inspired him and lifted him up, pulled him like a weight into the dark sea of guilt and anxiety. A lone tear fell down his blue cheek with the thought of how much pain he would end up causing them.
Next, he shifted to his eldest brother, Mitth'ras'safis. He was one of his heroes, a person to whom he looked to for guidance. No, he had never met him, having died ten years before he was born, but he knew what his brother stood for, and Thjion always asked himself what his brother would do before acting. Thrass was known as a kind-hearted soul who gave his life to save strangers from an unjust imprisonment that would arise from a provoked attack. He followed the laws and code to a T. Thjion tried to follow his brother's example, but now he realized, sometimes things had to be broken.
Finally, he gazed at his other brother and hero, Mitth'raw'nuruodo. No, he was not crazy or ignorant; he truly respected and admired his older brother. When he heard his parents talk about how disgraceful he was and a disappointment, he found everything he could on Thrawn, not wanting to believe that his brother was homicidal. He found holos on the trial and documentation on the attack and finally concluded that his brother truly believed he was saving the planet from an attack and that he had no other option if he wanted to preserve their way of life. He knew the consequences of his action and still went through with it. He was, in his opinion, a true hero and deserved the galaxy's respect. Thjion always listened silently to the brutal criticism his brother received and made to ignore it. In his opinion, there was no one who could compare to Thrawn. Now, Thjion was going to do something his parents had dreaded, follow Thrawn's example. He was going to abandon everything for his people. This time tomorrow, everyone would know he had deserted the army to find an exiled person, breaking a court order. They would know he was doing it for the Chiss, but he also knew they would not understand. In trying to bring Thrawn back to save them, he was ultimately telling them that the leadership was weak, and the code was outdated. The Chiss were a proud people who did not take kindly to criticism.
For the last ten years, the attacks from the Vagaari had worsened steadily. At first, the Ascendancy was able to repel the attacks, but little damage was actually done to the enemy fleet. Most of the damage was done to the Chiss forces, and the system did not have the means to crank out new ships every month. Thjion knew that an offensive attack was needed, but would never happen, so a leader needed to be brought in that could out think them and destroy them with a shambled fleet. He had not the post or genius to lead this, but he knew someone who did. The problem was, no one knew where Mitth'raw'nuruodo was anymore. It was believed that he was dead, an exploration of the planet he had been exiled to showed no sign of him now, but Thjion did not believe that. He could not believe it. His main idea was to travel to the head of the New Republic, and try to search him out. Thrawn was not on the isolated rock, meaning he had gotten away, and it was simply logical that he had taken residence in one of the systems controlled by the Republic. They would have to have a record on him, and so Thjion would be able to find him and convince him to come back.
He took one final look at the picture and set it in his bag atop a spare uniform. He gently ran his fingertips over the red accents on the black jacket and wondered if he would ever be able to wear the uniform he took so much pride in. He closed the latch and locked it, knowing he would never regret his choice. A knock sounded on the door and he crossed the small distance to open it, finding his best friend and bunkmate, Ignoriten. The suppressed excitement his friend was radiating with brought a small smile to his face.
"Are you ready yet? The shuttle's going to leave without us," he rushed him.
"Yeah, I was just finishing up," Thjion answered, going back to get his bag. Ignoriten glanced around the cabin and whistled.
"My goodness man, you are a neat freak," he commented on the state of perfection of Thjion's side of the room.
"Excuse me for wanting to display a bit of civilized manner unlike you," Thjion bit back, glancing about the room one last time before departing forever.
"Hey, are you alright?" his friend asked with a frown. Thjion cursed himself for letting his emotions get the better of him. It would not do to blow the whole thing now.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just been a hard week. Glad they went retreated finally and we can get our leave," Thjion answered mostly truthfully.
"Yeah I know. I thought for sure the battle would run right into this, but we got lucky or something. An entire week off, nothing could possibly sound better right now!" Ignoriten gushed. "So what are your plans?" Thjion shrugged halfheartedly.
"I don't know. Sending tonight with my parents I know for sure. Rest of the week is up in the air," he answered. Thankfully his friend had no idea that he would literally be spending the rest of the week up in the air… or up in space really.
"Well, we should make plans. Too bad we didn't have time before now to really talk about this," he answered. Thjion nodded, not sure what to say. They made it to the shuttle and Thjion bit down the rush of emotions knowing he would probably never again come aboard this ship. For the next half hour, people all around him talked excitedly about their plans for their week off; unaware of the emotional and psychological turmoil he was suffering. In just a few hours, he would leave everything behind.
The ship touched down and the eager soldiers filed off to meet with their families and friends. Thjion sighed, rather reluctant to join them, but walked off, and onto the platform where his parents and orphaned cousin, Krealla, waited. The girl spotted him and ran forward, grabbing him in a tight hug. He could not help a smile from pulling at his lips at the sight of the excited young girl. He dropped the bag, and hugged her tightly. He picked her up and she squealed gleefully, earning a laugh from him.
"I missed you Thjion," she told him. "Why do you have to go away for so long?" she asked innocently.
"Because it is my job to keep the mean people from hurting you. Sadly, they are not as smart as you are and keep coming back, so I have to stay away to keep you safe," he answered and they made their way to where his parents stood. His mother stepped forward and embraced her youngest son, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Welcome home. I'm so glad you're safe!" she cried.
"I'm glad to be home too," he told her truthfully, pushing the guilt and angst that pulled at his heart. For just a moment, he wanted to forget what had to be done. He handed over his cousin and turned towards his father.
"Good Evening Father," he greeted him. His father was extremely formal.
"Good Evening Lieutenant. Been busy have you?" he questioned.
"Just a bit," Thjion joked, though war really was no laughing matter. His father extended a hand, which Thjion eagerly shook.
"It's good to have you home Son," he finally said. Thjion nodded in return.
"Now come on, let's get you home. We have so much to catch up on," his mother encouraged them, breaking the formal atmosphere.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Thjion sat in his old room, listening intently for any sounds of movement. It had been two hours now since the family retired, and he planned to now make his escape, but he had to be sure that no one would catch him. He waited another twenty minutes, and then he was satisfied. He moved silently as he changed into his uniform, and gently folded his civilian clothes. Next, he crawled under the bed, pulled up a loose floorboard, and reached inside for the sack hidden there. He smiled as he pulled out the three articles his brothers had left there long ago. The first and oldest was from Thrass. It was a Smash Ball that had yellowed with age, giving it a distinctive look. His signature, crudely written as if by a child, adorned one side along with a date Thjion had never asked his parents about. The next was a sketchbook from Thrawn, containing pictures of everyday life, fantastic lands, notes of observations, and various blueprints. Finally, an old datacard was left. Thjion placed the card into his datapad and read the message for the millionth time.
"If you are reading this, then that means you have found the hidden artifacts of Mitth'ras'safis and Mitth'raw'nuruodo. They have been placed here so that in the future, perhaps when we are long gone, people will know a bit about us and the way life was during our time. The two items hold a special value to us and we please urge you to take care of them. We wish you luck on your quest."
It was juvenile and did not properly portray the shear intelligence of his brothers, but it was another side of them he would never know.
"Thjion?" a small voice broke his thoughts. He looked up sharply to see the sleepy form of Krealla. She shut the door behind her and crossed the floor to come sit next to him on the bed. "Whatcha doin'?"
"What are you doing out of bed? It's late," he asked in return.
"I wanted to give this to you," she mumbled, holding out a drawing of his parents and her. "For when you go away, so you don't forget us," she added. He smiled, folded the picture up, and slipped it into his pocket.
"Thank you Krealla, but I could never forget you," he told her with a hug.
"Are you going away again?" she asked. Thjion did not answer right away, but weighed the consequences of telling her the truth.
"Yeah I am," he said finally. "But not back to the ship."
"Then where are you going? Can I go with you?" she asked eagerly. He shook his head gently.
"No, because I'm going to get in big trouble for this and I might not come back. You need to stay here," he explained.
"If you're going to get in trouble then you shouldn't go. I don't like getting in trouble. Auntie makes me sit in the corner for five minutes. Are going to have to sit in the corner?" Thjion smiled slightly, amazed at the innocence of youth.
"Not quite, but I have to go. You see Krealla, sometimes a person breaks rules because by doing so, they are helping people. That's what I'm going to do. I'm breaking the rules so that maybe I can help people stay safe," he tried to explain, but the look of confusion told him she did not understand.
"But isn't that a good thing? Why are you going to get in trouble for this if you're helping people?" she pressed. Well, it looks like this was not going to be easy.
"Krealla, have you heard of my brother, Thrawn?" he asked. She shook her head no. "Well, he too was in the Defense Force, and commanded a ship. He was a genius and only wanted to protect his people. Well, he was told that there was a bunch of ships heading towards Csilla to harm us, and so he attacked them first before they got too close. However, this broke the code and he was kicked out of the DF and sent away. A lot of people were mad at him, but he just wanted to help," he explained.
"That's not fair!" Krealla protested.
"No it's not, and it was a big mistake. Thrawn was the most brilliant leader we ever had and now we need him. So, I'm leaving to find the New Republic and see if I can search him out. We need him now. Of course, this is breaking many rules. So I have a job for you," he told her. Her red eyes sparkled with eagerness and she straightened up as if to improve her worthiness.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked. He pulled a datacard out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"I need you to give this to Mom and Dad. It explains everything I just told you. Also, someday, when you're bigger and have a job, if I don't come back, please tell the world my story. I don't want them to think I'm a coward or a traitor," he instructed grimly.
"But you're the bravest person I know. They couldn't think you're a coward," she protested.
"Yeah, but not everyone thinks like you do. Can I count on you to do that?" he asked seriously. She did her best imitation of a salute.
"You can count on me Thjion!" she promised. He pulled her into a tight one-armed hug, and then went to slip the "treasure" back into its bag.
"What is that?" she asked.
"Thrass and Thrawn left a few things under my bed for someone to find years later and they would know about how life is now. I found it when I was about your age while hiding under the bed. It in no way tells everything about the Chiss, but it is my connection to my brothers. Thrass left his old Smash ball because he was quite a fan of the sport. Thrawn left a sketch book with a bunch of stuff in it," he told her, showing her the items. She handled the ball carefully, then set it aside and flipped through the worn pages of the book.
"Why don't Auntie and Uncle talk about Thrawn? They've told me about Thrass, but not him. Is it because of the thing?" she asked.
"Yeah. It was a big deal and the family was hurt for a while. I'm afraid I'll do the same thing to them," he mumbled.
"Thjion, are you scared?" she asked.
"More than any other time in my life, but I have to do this," he told her, trying to convince himself. He glanced over at the chrono on the table and jumped up suddenly. "I have to go!" He tossed the "treasure" into his bag and locked it up. He then turned towards Krealla. "You have the card?" he checked. She held it up sadly.
"I'm going to miss you, Thjion," she said, tears starting to run down her cheeks. He stooped down and hugged her tightly.
"I'm going to miss you too. I promise, I'll do whatever I can to get back. I love you," he told her, tears of his own starting to run.
"I love you too. Good luck Thjion," she cried. Thjion gently pulled himself out of her grip and stood up. He grabbed his bag and wiped salty tears from his face. It would not do for someone to see an officer crying.
"Can you do one last thing for me?" he asked before he left. She nodded sadly.
"Tell Mom and Dad I love them," and with that he left.
XXXXXXXX
Thjion watched as Csilla shrunk away from him, grief spilling over him. He forced himself to look away and concentrate on the readouts in front of him. He was clear for hyperspace. He punched in the coordinates of Coruscant and waited just a second. He received the go ahead from the computer and, knowing there was no turning back, jumped to hyperspace.
A/N- So, this is my first Star Wars stories, and therefore, my first attempt at writing the Chiss. I know that Thjion was probably too emotional, but I'm thinking that the whole serious, cold attitude is probably a generalization and a show for outsiders and to be professional. I imagine in front of family they are fairly normal. In addition, if you notice some blaring errors, someone gets ooc, or something of similar nature, please point it out in a kind manner. I really hate flames. I can handle constructive criticism, but just telling me this sucks does not help manners. If that's all you're going to say, don't review. Thanks for taking time to read this. I cannot promise the next time I'll update, I have a very busy schedule, but probably next weekend. If it becomes a crazy amount of time, feel free to yell at me to update.