Well it's been awhile hasn't it? Alright so main reason why this took so long, too many stories to work on and not enough time. Simple as that.
It had been two days since Luke had meet the strange alien and despite searching everywhere in the academy and asking his fellow Squadmates, Luke hadn't been able to find him again. Eventually the Imperial Cadet just gave up and was currently enjoying the mess hall with the rest of the pilots when he heard the door slide open and his instructor stormed in. The man had a furious look on his face as he surveyed the room, which only grew in intensity as his eyes narrowed upon spotting the Cadet.
"CADET SKYWALKER!" shouted the instructor, his face a bright red as he stormed over to Luke and his Squadmates.
"S-sir? Is something wrong?" stuttered Luke, watching as his Squadmates decided to vacate the area and leaving him alone to face the Officers' wrath.
The entire mess hall was silent as they watched the instructor grab Luke by the throat before ripping him out of his chair and throwing the Cadet to the ground. Luke cried out in pain as he felt his head slam into the Plastcrete floor and as he looked up he saw his vision go blurry for a second before coming back into focus.
"You…WHAT DID YOU DO!" screamed the instructor, this time placing his boot on the Cadet's neck.
"I…don't…understand…I…didn't…do anything!" struggled out Luke as he pushed the officer off him and instantly gasped as air rushed back into his lungs.
"YOU KRIFFING NERF HERDER! STOP LYING TO ME!" shouted his attacker, even as Stormtroopers rushed into the room and formed a circle around them.
"I'm not lying!" replied Luke, pushing himself off the ground.
It seemed that the instructor was going to attack him again but stopped upon noticing the ring of guards now surrounding the two of them and instead just glared at the Cadet. "Then why do I have an Imperial ADMIRAL ASKING FOR YOU!" he growled out, taking a quick step towards him.
"I don't know! I never met any Admiral!" answered Luke, a confused frown on his face.
The officer just sighed as his temper seemed to calm slightly, "Cadet Skywalker, you are either the luckiest or unluckiest person I have ever met. As of this moment you have been transferred directly to Admiral Thrawn's command."
Luke's eyes bulged at this and a deep silence filled the normally loud and blusterous mess hall as he felt everyone's eyes focus in on him. "Unlucky, sir?" asked the Cadet, trying to break the odd atmosphere that had descended on the group.
"The Chiss disgraced himself in the eyes of the Imperial Court, and so the Emperor banished him and his fleet to search the Unknown Regions. I suppose working under an alien would suite someone like you."
"Should you really be insulting your superior officer like that?" pointed out Luke with a frown, only to jump back slightly as the officer rounded on the Cadet.
"What did you just say Cadet?!" he growled out, his hand now resting on his blaster.
"I would not recommend that course of action Commander," ordered a familiar male voice.
The instructor froze and his face paled as the ring of Stormtroopers parted and the blue skinned alien from earlier walked in. The officer just looked at the alien as his face paled even further before he nodded stiffly and left the mess hall, his feet barely touching the floor from his speed. Upon seeing the situation resolve itself the ring of Stormtroopers returned to their previous guard positions, while the alien walked up to Luke.
"You! You're that alien I met before, thanks for that err… sorry I didn't get your name earlier," apologised the Cadet, a sheepish smile on his face.
"It is quite alright, no offensive is taken. Now come along, do not worry about your instructor he will be…dealt with for his insurrection appropriately," replied the alien as he walked out of the mess hall, Luke getting a confused expression on his face before following his new friend out.
"So…why didn't you tell me you were in the Imperial Navy? In fact, I'm surprised you were able to enroll considering the prejudice against nonhumans," asked the Cadet curiously, noticing the Imperial Navy Uniform that the alien was now wearing.
"My skills were deemed too valuable to cast aside, despite my Chiss heritage," explained the alien, causing Luke to freeze as he remembered what the instructor had said.
"Chiss?" muttered the Cadet as he looked at the alien's uniform and his worry increased as he noticed that the insignia normally displaying rank was missing. "U-um sir, if you don't mind me asking…what rank are you. I don't see any insignia."
"I don't wear it when I'm off duty, can you tell me why Cadet Skywalker?" replied the alien as they kept walking towards the exit of the Academy.
"I'm afraid I wouldn't know sir," answered Luke, his voice now crisp and devoid of the joking familiarity that it had once held.
"Try," ordered the alien, stopping at the exit door before turning to face Luke with his red eyes.
Luke just flinched slightly before he became silent and he thought for a moment, why would someone not wear their insignia? It showed their rank, proved you were superior to the more common soldiers…and just like that the Cadet's eyes widened as understanding dawned in his mind.
"Well…because it is a symbol. The mere presence of it instills fear and respect from normal troops and officers," he replied in a crisp tone, his back subconsciously straightening upon the reminder.
The Chiss nodded at his replied before his red eyes narrowed on the Cadet, "And why is that important?"
Luke swallowed slightly as he felt his voice waver slightly from the stare he was getting from the alien, "Because if you want to truly understand your troops, you need to get them to lower their guard, to reveal their flaws and strengths without being hindered by their discipline."
The lights from the outside buildings suddenly snapped on as the twin suns began to set in the distance, casting their red glow over the darkening sky and causing the harsh light from Mos Eisley's city to contrast the deep blue skin of the Chiss.
"Very good Skywalker," congratulated the alien, his clam voice easily piercing of the sounds of the bustling city beyond them. "And now for your final test, do you know who I am?"
Luke took a deep breath before he replied, "You're Admiral Thrawn, currently disgraced by the Imperial Court and sentenced to explore the Unknown Regions."
Instead of being angry at this the Admiral gained a faint smile on his face, "Good it seems you were paying attention to your former instructor's tirade."
"Former?" questioned Luke, a confused frown appearing on his face.
Thrawn just nodded as he held out his hand, "Congratulations on your graduation from the Academy Skywalker, from now on I'll be teaching you personally."
The Cadet looked at the Admiral, his eyes widening to astronomical proportions as he stared at the Chiss, "But sir…I'm just a farm boy. Won't others get angry at this favoritism?"
"Yes they would. However, rest assured that will be taken care of. I have already prepared to have all your records at this academy removed and prepared a cover story. As far as anyone else is concerned you will be a promising citizen from Carida," informed Thrawn.
Luke froze as he thought about the proposal being offered to him. This was the chance he had been waiting for, he could climb through the ranks and start to make some real Credits. But at the same time…what was he willing to sacrifice for this? Luke wasn't a fool, he knew the Empire wasn't the most benevolent organization. And that to climb the ranks he might have to make some questionable decisions, then there was the fact that he didn't know just why an Imperial Grand Admiral had a personal interest in him.
"You are still hesitant," commented Thrawn as he lowered his hand and stared at Luke in the eye.
The Cadet flinched under the alien's gaze, "I just…I was fine being here as a garrison and protecting others from Slavers or Sand People's attacks…but this. I guess I'm just not sure I want to fully commit myself to the Empire…not all the choices they've made has been ones I agree with."
There was silence between them as Luke waited for the inevitable shouting and condemnation he was going to receive from his superior. But instead the silence dragged on and on as Luke felt his fear and anxiety rise, why did he say that?! They could go after his Aunt and Uncle!
The Cadet felt his heart start to race as pictures of his aunt and uncle burning to death in their own moisture farm appeared in his head with vivid details. It felt so real he could almost feel the heat of the flames as the fire rose to consume his family home, he could hear the screams of pain coming from his family before suddenly going silent. Luke started hyperventilating as the dark seductive whispers he'd heard earlier seemed to fill his mind, unknownst to the Cadet…Thrawn's eye narrowed further as he spotted the reinforced glass of the Academy begin cracking from an unseen force as Luke clutched his head.
The Admiral then turned back to the Cadet and frowned, "calm yourself Cadet, you must control your emotions. Not let them control you. You have nothing to fear from myself, of that I assure you."
Luke turned to face him as he opened his eyes that, for a briefest moment, seemed to almost glow an orange colour before the seductive whispers faded away as the Cadet thought back to the peaceful feeling from the Tusken painting earlier. His eye then returned to their normal colour as the cracks in the glass seemed to stop spreading and Luke let go of his head as he took a deep breath.
"You truly mean that sir? If I say no, there won't be any negative repercussions?" asked the Cadet, trying to put his horrifying vision out of his mind.
"Indeed, in fact I appreciate you are giving this a great deal of thought. It means you understand the responsibility that comes with this offer," replied the Chiss in an approving tone, causing Luke to shoot him a surprised look. "I told you Skywalker, your talents are wasted here but…I will respect your decision. So, I'm giving you a choice."
Luke watched as the Admiral walked out into the rapidly darkening streets beyond before an Imperial shuttle landed in front of him. Light seemed to spill out into the street as the door to the shuttle opened as the Chiss walked up the ramp before turning back to face Luke, his shadow reaching down to the Cadet's feet.
"You can stay here on this dust ball in the Outer Rim and maybe make the rank of Commander if you're lucky, perhaps save a couple of dozens from raiders. I won't hinder your progress; nor will I help it," informed the Grand Admiral, catching Luke's attention.
"Or you could join me. Learn what I have to teach you and make it your own. If you don't agree with the Empire's policies, then become powerful enough to change them. It is possible to get around their Xenophobic tendencies, I'm living proof of that," finished the Admiral as he once again offered his hand out to the Cadet.
"Easier said than done," muttered Luke, somehow being heard by the Chiss whom nodded his head in agreement.
"Indeed, but you'll find that most things in this galaxy are," pointed out Thrawn, as the twin suns finally disappeared behind the horizon and plunging the world in darkness. "The choice is your's Skywalker, what will you chose?"
Luke just looked around at the darkened street around him before turning to face the Admiral, taking a deep breath he slowly walked into the light cast from the shuttle before shaking Thrawn's hand. "Looking forward to learning from you sir," replied Luke.
Luke sighed as he took his first step onto the Star Destroyer before turning back to look at the Planet he'd spent his entire life before this. 'I guess there's no turning back now, I wonder if this is how Biggs and Wedge felt,' he wondered, thinking about the friends he hadn't seen in what seemed like years. However, his reminiscing was broken by the sound of Thrawn calling him over.
"Skywalker, these two will be your other superiors. This is Captain Niriz and you have already met Commander Voss," introduced the Chiss, as he pointed towards the two men standing next to him.
"I don't approve of this Admiral," frowned the older looking male with light brown hair and wearing a Captain's uniform, eyeing Luke with a suspicious look on his face.
"Oh and why is that Niriz?" asked Thrawn, raising his eyebrows as Luke flinched once more under the Captain's glare.
"Just because you think this boy has some potential doesn't mean he is worth all this trouble," argued Niriz with a sigh as the Captain finally took his gaze off Luke.
"Your opinion is noted Captain; however, I shall be the one who determines that. You will be assisting in his tuition along with the Commander," ordered Thrawn, getting a sigh and a nod from the Captain.
"Yes sir, if that is all I am needed back on the bridge," replied Niriz with a tired sounding voice.
"Very well, you are dismissed Captain, I will call if I have need of you," replied Thrawn, getting a nod from Niriz whom saluted before walking off.
The remaining two then turned back to Luke whom stood up slightly straighter as he met their gaze and Voss nodded approvingly before Thrawn spoke up. "Skywalker, come with us."
The group then walked through the bowels of the ship, numerous Stormtroopers and Officers saluting as they passed, Luke himself knew that he would likely get lost if he didn't have these two leading him. "Tell me Skywalker, do you have a family?" asked Thrawn, snapping Luke from his attempt at mental mapping.
"Yeah, my aunt and uncle own a moisture farm back on Tatooine," replied the Cadet, getting a frown from the Admiral.
"What about your mother and father?" questioned the Chiss.
Luke just shook his head, "I don't know…I was told that my mother died in child birth and I never met my father."
"Interesting, well I'll see what I can do about relocating your aunt and uncle somewhere safe," replied Thrawn, getting a quick look from Voss.
"You would do that?! T-thank you sir, I won't forget this," assured Luke in a grateful voice, his visions of his aunt and uncle burning to death once again filling his mind.
Thrawn stared at the Cadet with his red eyes as he answered, "Just pay attention to my lessons and use your potential to serve the Empire as best you can, that is all I ask."
"Of course Admiral.," promised Luke with a nod.
"Good, now come along we have some tests to run," ordered the Chiss, once again turning from the Cadet and continuing to walk on with Voss following close behind.
"Tests, sir?" repeated Luke, rushing to catch up to them.
"Are you questioning your superior Cadet?" asked Voss, a hint of amusement in his voice as Luke quickly tried to apologise.
"N-no, of course not. Sorry," replied the Cadet, lowering his head.
"Calm now Voss, you should know I appreciate officers that can think for themselves. If I wanted mindless drones obeying me I would have droids," commented Thrawn as the group finally stopped in front of the Medical Bay.
"Now Skywalker, to answer your question we just need to run some blood tests and inoculations. You will be visiting many different planets while working here, so your immune system will need to be helped for the next couple of months," informed Thrawn, getting a nod from the Cadet.
"Understood Admiral," replied Luke as he walked in and the doctors began injecting something into him with needles before then taking some blood out of his body.
As the doctors then walked behind the one-way glass and into the computer room they placed the blood sample on the analysis machine. "The sample is ready, like you requested Admiral," informed the doctor as the two Imperials watched Luke lying down on the bed in the med bay.
"Good, leave us," he ordered to the doctors, whom exchanged looks before nodding and leaving the room.
"Sir…might I ask why you feel the need to examine Skywalker's blood test results personally? You've never taken an interest in recruits like this before," asked Voss, watching as Thrawn approached the terminal.
"Just testing a theory, Commander," answered the Chiss with a frown.
"A theory?" repeated Voss in confusion as he sat in front of the results for the blood sample.
"What is his midichlorian count?" asked Thrawn, ignoring the question posed by Voss.
"His midichlorian count? Sir, is there something I should know?" questioned the Commander, knowing what that implied.
Thrawn was silent for a couple of minutes as the blood was analysed before speaking up, "During the Clone Wars there was a very successful Jedi General by the name of Anakin Skywalker."
Voss blinked in shock upon hearing this, "Weren't all the Jedi wiped out during Order 66?"
"Most not all Commander, those higher in Imperial Command are aware that some Jedi escaped the Purge, and this Anakin's death was never confirmed, to make matters more interesting…he was originally from Tatooine," informed the Admiral, making a deep silence descended on the two Imperials, which was only broken by the sound indicating the analysis was done.
"I understand Admiral, and the results from the test are finished. His midichlorian count is…" Voss trialed off as his eyes widened in pure disbelief.
Upon seeing this a frown grew on Thrawn's face as he approached the results from the blood test and he said nothing as the Chiss silently deleted the data. "Commander…" prompted the Thrawn.
"Yes, Admiral," acknowledged Voss, his voice sounding slightly subdued.
"The results of this test are to be kept secret from everyone else, do you understand? I don't want a word of it being spoken to anyone," ordered the Admiral in a tone devoid emotion.
"Anyone, sir?" repeated Voss, wanting clarification on what exactly the Grand Admiral was asking of him.
"I will not lose such a promising war asset just so Vader can have another Inquisitor in his service. He will do far more for the Empire as an Officer than an over glorified Jedi Hunter. Especially with the storm set to arrive," replied the Chiss.
Voss was silent before he nodded, "I understand, still I don't feel comfortable with a potential Force user on the ship. Supposedly they can control your mind if they want to."
"I'm aware, I have had firsthand experience in dealing with the Jedi after all. Rest assured Commander, I will take the appropriate countermeasures," promised Thrawn, his mind going back to his last encounter with the Jedi.
"Of course, I must head back to the Bridge," sighed the Commander, getting up from the chair.
"Good, Dismissed," nodded the Admiral as he walked into the room with Skywalker.
If someone had told Luke last week that he would be a student learning directly under an Imperial Grand Admiral…he would have told them to lay off the Deathsticks. But now here he was, it had only been two days since he was recruited and still he failed to wrap his head around how this happened.
"Cadet Sallian? Cadet Sallian are you listening?" reprimanded Thrawn as Luke shook his head.
"Sorry sir, I'm just not used to that name yet," apologised Luke.
"Remember that you must be able to respond to this name when in public. To the rest of the crew you are to be considered Luke Sallian, not Skywalker," pointed out the Chiss.
"I know but…" Luke trailed off.
"You don't approve Skywalker?" asked the Grand Admiral with a frown.
"It's not that sir…it's just that," the Cadet again felt his voice die down as Thrawn turned from his datapad to look at him.
"Speak," ordered the Admiral.
"Can I really make any sort of meaningful relationship with the crew when I'm lying like this?" sighed Luke, his hand running over his own datapad showing multiple artworks from numerous races he had to study before continuing.
"I mean, is it really a good idea to weave such an elaborate web of lies? Old Ben, the hermit that used to visit my family, once told me that you should beware those who weave too much, for they are often tangled and trapped by their own creations," finished the Cadet, thinking back to the old man back on Tatooine.
Thrawn put down his datapad and stared at Luke with a nod of approval, "Then he was a wise man, but even a wise man can be mistaken."
The Admiral then continued, "Tell me, Skywalker. Have you ever witnessed a Felucian Spider ensnared in its own web? I think not. For they know too well every fibre, every strand, which are harmless but stronger than steel, and which are fragile but death to touch. Like an extension of its body, the spider is intimately in tune with every square milimetre of its web, sensing immediately any disturbance, or any success."
Thrawn then paused and turned to a skull sitting on the wall before walking over to it and reaching his hand out to the skull, holding it up to the light with a thoughtful expression on his face. Luke was about to break the silence when he heard a soft murmur escape the Admiral.
"The spider never is trapped by its own web... though perhaps by that of another," whispered the Chiss in a soft voice.
"Umm…sir? Are you alright?" asked Luke, feeling more than a little confused by the normally stoic Chiss' reactions.
"Yes, I am fine. Now let us begin the first lesson I have to teach you," replied Thrawn as he put the skull back on the wall and spun to face Luke.
The Admiral then walked over to a nearby stand before throwing a staff over to Luke as he grabbed one of his own, causing Luke to fumble as he tried to catch the staff.
"When you said you would teach me…this isn't what I had in mind," commented Luke as he held the staff out before him.
"A common belief of the Chiss Ascendency is that a strong body leads to a disciplined mind, now ready yourself," answered Thrawn as he brought his staff up to a ready position.
Luke nodded as he tried to copy the Chiss' stance, only to cry out in pain as the Admiral's staff slammed through his sloppy defense and knocked him to the ground. The 'spar' continued on like this few what seemed like hours before Luke felt something…
It was like his body was moving on its own accord or as if something was guiding him as the Cadet blocked a strike from the Admiral, forcing the Chiss back a step before Luke tried to press his advantage. Thrawn just nodded as if satisfied with something as he easily blocked Luke's strike and with a flurry of blows knocked the staff from the Cadet's hand as Luke fell to the floor.
"An adequate first attempt, we are done for the day. Tell me, why did you lose?" lectured the Chiss.
"Because you are far more experienced than me, you performed every maneuver perfectly," replied Luke, frowning at how obvious the answer should have been.
Thrawn just nodded, "Yes I did, every maneuver was perfect, textbook, and most importantly predictable. Something that should have been easy for you to counter."
Seeing that he now had Luke's undivided attention Thrawn continued, "Not every battle shall be fought with equal or superior numbers on your side Skywalker, when faced with an enemy that outguns and outnumbers you…What do you do then? Fighting on their terms will only ensure your defeat."
"But…we're the Empire. What force out there could possibly challenge us?" questioned Luke in slight disbelief.
The Chiss frowned as he turned to face the office window and a faraway look appeared in his eyes, "There is always someone out there stronger than you, never assume you are unbeatable or soon you shall find your forces crumbling all around you."
"That is it for now. Meet me here the same time tomorrow for our next session, I expect to see a better result next time," ordered the Admiral.
"Yes, Admiral," nodded Luke in understanding.
"Good, now report to Commander Voss and Captain Niriz. They will oversee teaching you the basics of fleet management and warfare, both Naval and Ground based," informed Thrawn, getting another nod from Luke whom turned towards the exit, only to stop as Thrawn spoke up once again.
"Oh and Skywalker, don't let you piloting skills get rusty. There is a simulator in the barracks, I'm sure the ship's fighter contingent would appreciate a worthy opponent like yourself," informed the Admiral.
"Yes sir!" cheered out Luke with a happy expression on his face.
Well there we go chapter two. The reason this took so long was because I was researching different things to add into the Unknown Regions species wise. The other reason is that I wanted to figure out how much of Canon and Legends I was going to blend for this story. Anyway this chapter is done, hope you enjoyed it.