Author's Note: This takes place after Rebels season 3 and is a bit of a branching out for me-actually attempting to post a multi-chapter story (even before I have finished the story itself). Enjoy!


The room was dark and silent, punctuated here and there with flames of light, a dramatic display of a chaotic dance of power and peace, control and release. Light and Dark, each striving against the other, twisting and clashing, brilliant and terrible in its orchestration.

The air felt heavy with it, his hair tingling with dreaded anticipation. He could feel the brush against his throat, and his fingers moved instinctively to swipe it away.

But there was nothing there. And still the pressure remained. He could sense his heartrate increasing, despite telling himself firmly that it was only a memory. There was no one there. He was alone. Even so, the touch on his throat was joined moments later by another against his back, curling around his side with teasing tenderness. A third pressed against his stomach.

His breathing had become erratic. This was not all right. He was hallucinating. He could not afford this, not now. Not ever. His eyes snapped open, their red glow joining that of the holograms surrounding him.

He drew in a sharp breath.

Two large, intense orbs hovered before him, surrounded by dark, swirling clouds. There was no wind within his quarters, and yet he could feel the breath of it on his face, stealing his. For what felt like hours, he sat paralyzed. But it was only seconds, and his hand twitched just enough to bring the lights back up to full intensity.

The room was empty. He could breathe again.

Closing his eyes, he put a hand to his face. What he would give to have someone he trusted right now, someone with whom he could speak his thoughts and find some semblance of order.

Eli.

Jorj.

Thrass.

With an effort, he dropped the hand back to his lap, focusing on making the trembling stop. Why did this upset him so? It was ridiculous. Idle threats. That was all it was.

Or was it?

Taking a deep breath, Thrawn turned to his computer. There were plenty of tasks which needed doing that could keep his mind occupied. He required time to process this. No doubt the Emperor would wish to see him after the attack on Atollon. He had to be in his right mind and in full control, or the Emperor would know. He could not reveal such a weakness, especially not to him. No one could know how much this unnerved him, how uncharacteristically helpless it made him feel.

That was when he saw it. A special transmission had been received, encrypted and from an unmarked source. He frowned, ignoring a twinge of uneasiness, and set to work decrypting it, staring blankly at the screen as the computer did its work. When the file finally opened, he blinked twice. The text was in Sy Bisti.

Hey! I know this is unexpected—at least, it is for me—but I've been given the opportunity to go see my parents. I guess to assure them that I'm still alive and well, and perhaps because the Admiral can tell I've been feeling a bit homesick and out of my depth (but don't worry, I'm not leaving!). Anyway, I just thought that if you happened to be in the area at all, maybe we could get together, say hi and all that. Only if it's no trouble, of course. I'm sure you have plenty to do as Grand Admiral. Just let me know if you get this. –E

Thrawn sat back in his chair, smiling in spite of himself. What impeccable timing. It was odd that Admiral Ar'alani would allow him to leave, particularly for such a mundane reason.

Perhaps Eli was not the only one who wanted to check up on him. Or perhaps there had been a significant or ominous turn of events in the Unknown Region.

His mind raced. The fleet was still perched above Atollon, recovery crews sorting through the remains on the surface while repairs crews assisted the remaining vessels that had survived the battle. His lips flattened into a grimace as he recalled Konstantine's blatant disregard for his instruction, a mistake with a fatal consequence.

With a quiet huff, he pushed the thought away. It had only been a matter of time, anyway. Despite the losses, what happened here had ultimately been a victory for the Empire.

What tasks remained did not necessarily require his presence here on the Chimaera. He could plausibly borrow a shuttle under the claim that he wished to return to Coruscant ahead of the rest of the fleet. It could be days yet before they were ready to leave, which would give him that much time for a brief detour. His hand went to his chin thoughtfully. Yes, he could manage that.


The docking clamps locked with a thud. Thrawn made his way to the entry hatch, positioning himself nearby, back rigid, hands behind his back. The door opened with a hiss, and a familiar figure stepped through, the grin on the other's face widening the moment he saw him.

"Long time no see, Admiral."

Thrawn stepped forward, returning the other's smile with a small one of his own. Reaching out, he gripped Eli's arm, his smile deepening when Eli returned the gesture. "It is good to see you, Commander."

Eli's grin went lopsided. "I don't know if I'm technically that anymore."

Thrawn tipped his head. "Perhaps Ambassador would be more accurate at this point."

With a reddening face, Eli shrugged self-consciously. "You could just call me Eli." There was a glint in his eye, and his grin turned mischievous.

Raising an eyebrow, Thrawn returned the smirk. "Would you like to move to a more comfortable arrangement, or are you particularly attached to this hallway?" he said, half turning and ignoring the last comment.

"Lead the way, sir," Eli responded, stiffening in mock attention.

Moments later, they were settled as best they could be around a tiny table in the common area. Eli produced a small package, sliding it across the table to Thrawn. "I bring a gift," he said, watching Thrawn's reaction curiously.

Thrawn certainly recognized the shape of the package and the logo stamped on the side. Reaching out, he took the soft bundle in his hands, the familiar texture within it stirring up old memories.

"The Admiral—Admiral Ar'alani, that is—mentioned that this tea was a favorite of yours," Eli explained. He laughed quietly under his breath. "I may have gotten a little addicted to it myself," he added with an embarrassed smile. "But this is all yours."

"The gesture is very much appreciated," Thrawn said quietly, with more feeling than he intended. It had been many long years since he had tasted this tea. His fingers brushed the top of the package. "Am I allowed to share it with a friend?"

A look crossed the young man's face, but it was quickly hidden. "Well, sure, if you're offering," he said, rising when Thrawn did. "Do you need me to get anything?"

"No, no, please sit. Allow me to be a proper host."

Eli did as he was told, waiting quietly while Thrawn prepared tea for them. When Thrawn opened the package, he was mildly surprised to discover a data stick buried within the loose leaf. Digging it out gingerly, he held the slender stick a moment before tucking it away within his uniform. Had Eli put it there, or had it been Ar'alani?

Returning to the small table, he observed Eli as he set the tea before him. Eli gave no indication that he was aware of the data stick, so Thrawn let the matter rest. He would look into it after the visit was over.

"So," Eli said, settling back with the steaming mug cradled in his lap, "I've now had a taste of being the odd man out." His fingers played along the mug's rim. "And I admit I feel a bit ashamed of how I treated you back then. It's hard."

Thrawn's shoulders shifted fractionally in a dismissive shrug. "I was never offended. It was my fault, after all, that your life had been thrown off course."

"Yeah, but still." Eli stared deeply into the tea before flicking his gaze up to meet the other's. "I'm sorry."

Thrawn bowed his head in acceptance, a small smile on his lips.

"Also, I had no idea you had a brother," Eli continued, in a lighter, more hopeful tone.

There was a flicker in Thrawn's eyes. "They told you?"

"No! No," Eli said, sitting up and frowning slightly. Had he said something wrong? "I, uh, I happened to overhear it, before they realized how much I understood Cheunh." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Was I not supposed to know?"

"It doesn't matter," Thrawn replied quietly, taking a sudden intense interest in his own drink.

Eli watched him silently, biting his lip and kicking himself for obviously crossing some invisible line.

"Have you seen your parents yet?" Thrawn asked, after a lengthy sip of tea.

Eli winced inwardly at the blatant change of topic. "Yeah, I stopped by Lysatra first, since I wasn't sure how long it would be before you might get my message."

Thrawn nodded. "They are well, I assume? I imagine it has been rather a while since you last saw them."

"Yeah," Eli confirmed with a quiet sigh. "I had to spin them some tale about being on a major project on the other side of the galaxy that would keep me busy for a while. I don't know when I'll have another opportunity to come back—" He stopped mid-sentence, snapping his mouth shut as he fell briefly into his thoughts. Then, with a dark chuckle and a shake of his head, he said, "I can only imagine what they would say if they knew what I was really doing."

Thrawn made a non-committal sound in the back of his throat as he took another sip of tea. Eli met his gaze and shared a crooked smile with him.

"What about you?" Eli asked, shifting the focus away from himself. "Keeping busy, I imagine?"

Thrawn's eyes glittered. "When am I not?"

Eli chuckled. "True. But anything exciting happening, or just the same old routine?"

"It has been..." Thrawn paused thoughtfully, "...an interesting time."

"Has Governor Pryce been behaving herself?" Eli asked, raising his eyebrows knowingly.

Thrawn tilted his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. "There has been no repeat of past events, if that is what you mean," he answered carefully. "I have been assisting her with her own insurgent problem, incidentally."

Eli's mouth tightened into a grimace. "And how has that been?"

Another sip of tea. "As I said, it has been interesting."

Eli stared at him, his own eyes narrowing a bit as he studied the other. "...what happened?"

Thrawn's eyebrows rose briefly, and Eli was sure he saw the corner of his mouth twitch. His glowing red gaze met Eli's evenly, and Eli could almost see his mind working. "Do your people have stories of Force-sensitive beings?" he asked, setting his mug down and sitting back. "Similar to your myths of my own people."

Eli frowned, his thoughts thrown off track. What did that have to do with anything? "I—well, yes, some, I suppose," he stammered. "Why?"

Before Thrawn could answer, both of them were startled by the sudden blaring of the proximity alarm, quickly followed by a loud thud.

Eli stared at Thrawn. "Was—did my ship just detach?"

Thrawn stiffened. A second later, they both ran to the cockpit to figure out what was wrong.

Looming in the viewport was an Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser.