A/N Hi! So this is my contribution to Day 1 of Thrawn Appreciation Week. I've never written Thrawn or anything Star Wars Rebels before so I hope this doesn't feel to OOC or anything.
Disclaimer: I do not own Thrawn or Star Wars: Rebels.
"A Lieutenant Commander Vanto is requesting permission to board the Chimera Grand Admiral."
Grand Admiral Thrawn, Agent Kallus and Governor Pryce had been overseeing the docking of the ship on the bridge when the officer had entered.
Kallus watched the edges of Thrawn's lips turn upwards in the closest thing to a smile he had ever seen him wear. Whoever this commander was, they must be important if they were able to warrant any kind of reaction from the stoic blue alien. He tried to remember if he'd heard the name before but his mind drew up a blank.
"Thank you officer. Escort him here immediately." The Grand Admiral said disrupting his train of thought with a tone of voice that was slightly different from his usual confident drone but Kallus couldn't quite place how.
A short time later a man with auburn hair, tanned skin and a trail of freckles across his face entered the bridge. He was quite a few years younger than Kallus but walked with a purposeful gait that he'd only ever seen one other person use.
"Grand Admiral Thrawn."
Kallus was careful to hide his shock at the wild space accent, that was clearly not as strong as it once was after either trying to hide it being away from his home world for so long, but was still distinctly there.
"Commander Vanto." There it was again, that same half smile that was so different from the usual superior smirk Thrawn often wore.
The pair stared at each other for what felt like eons as Kallus watched ...something pass between them.
As usual Governor Pryce had to annoyingly interrupt anything potentially useful.
"Commander,a pleasure to see you again."
"Likewise Governor."
So Pryce knew who this mysterious Commander was too Kallus thought. Although it was clear that whatever her connection to him was not at strong as the one between him and Thrawn.
As he watched the young man talk to Pryce, he noticed that his gaze was one that tried to protect confidence but still held flecks of self doubt.
"Would you care to assist me in overseeing the transfer of good?" Thrawn asked interrupting the conversation.
"Yes sir." Commander Vanto replied.
Their ship had docked at an imperial port on a small outer rim planet to restock their weapons, rations and fuel. They weren't docked there for very long but some of the crew had taken the opportunity to stretch their legs and breathe some unfiltered air.
This left fewer personal to help transport the new supplies but Thrawn didn't seem to care. He was to engrossed with his apparently old friend to notice. Kallus watched them out of the corner of his eye as he recorded the supplies on his data pad. The pair was standing closer to each other than professionally necessary and at some point started conversing in a language that Kallus couldn't even recognise let alone understand. Their body language expressed closeness and familiarity and as they talked Thrawn's face looked as thought he was ...happy. It was probably the scariest thing Kallus had ever seen.
"Those two are as thick as thieves." Governor Pryce said as she appeared to materialise behind him. Damn that woman.
"On the bridge, you said you knew him." Kallus inquired, not bothering to remain subtle.
"I've met him a few times during my career. Always by Thrawn's side."
"But how did a wild space get to be a commander?" Kallus said pretending to be disgusted. He was from Coruscant so his supposed prejudice wouldn't be a surprise and Pryce didn't care enough about such matters to be offended.
"We both know that working with Thrawn can either double or destroy your career and it seems apparent that Commander Vanto received the better outcome." Governor Pryce's tone changes to that of a warning. "I wouldn't under estimate him though. Thrawn isn't the type to keep him by his side for all these years for just his pretty face."
Kallus turned back to look at the man who was currently talking to an officer from the port who seemed to have just said something rude about either Vanto or Thrawn but he hadn't been focused enough to hear what. As the commander spoke in a firm and thinly veiled threat to man, Kallus watched Thrawn gaze at Vanto with something akin to amusement and pride. Kallus had probably seen Thrawn display more emotion in the past half hour than in the entire time he'd been under his command.
He turned back to Pryce, for once thankful of her interference.
"I'll keep that in mind."
After the supplies had been boarded and everyone was accounted for, The Chinera left the port for their latest mission. Kallus caught up with Commander Vanto who was presumably on his way to the Grand Admiral's office.
"Forgive me but I do not believe we were introduced earlier." Kallus said formally as a way of introduction. "I am-"
"Agent Kallus." The Commander finished throwing him off guard. "I've heard great things about your dealings with the rebel insurgents."
"Thank you Commander." Kallus replied regaining his composure. "Will be assuming the commander position on this ship?"
He shook his head kindly. "Sorry I'm not liable to say."
"Of course." Kallus said understandingly. "And where were you previously stationed?"
"Well I was last stationed on Batonn but I've been on a ...vacation of sorts for the past few months."
"Really?" Kallus asked casually feigning interest. "And may I ask how you came to know the Grand Admiral? I haven't known him to have many allies."
"You sure ask a lot of questions agent." Commander Vanto said with a small smirk to show that he dint mean it accusingly.
Kallus chuckled lightly as his pulse quickened with nerves inside his chest. Luckily he was used to hiding his feelings under stressful circumstances. "Sorry, I'm ISB. I often forget how have normal conversation after drilling people for information for so long."
"I understand Agent." Eli replied lightly. "I was assigned as The Admiral's translator at the Imperial Academy. After our graduation I became his aid and spent most of my career serving him." He quickly glanced at his data pad. "If you excuse me I have a debriefing with The Admiral now."
"Of course." Kallus replied. He watched as the young commander headed off towards Thrawn's office. From their interactions he knew that there was something going on between the pair that he couldn't place. But he was going to make it his mission to find out what.