Eli peered over the man's shoulder, and he could feel Thrawn's presence behind him as they all looked in.
"We don't know," a new voice said from within the room, and Eli saw a man in a captain's uniform rising from where he had knelt beside two fallen bodies. One was a stormtrooper, and the other—
Eli heard Thrawn mutter a word he had never heard before, only just loud enough for him to hear. He turned to look up at him questioningly. Thrawn just gave him a microscopic shake of his head and straightened up, his expression carefully blank as he took half a step back.
"When Pont didn't show up, we came looking for him," the first stormtrooper said, waving his hand around the room. "We found them like this. They must have killed each other." Eli had never seen anything like the alien that lay sprawled beside the dead trooper. It was roughly humanoid, in that it had a head and a body and arms and legs, but that was about as close to human as the thing could claim. The lighting was poor in the room, possibly due to the struggle, so it was difficult to see details; but no one else seemed to know what it was, either.
Except Thrawn.
"But how did it get aboard?" the lieutenant asked. "And how long has it been aboard?"
"That is what we have to find out," the captain said. "And whether or not there are more." His jaw and fists were clenched in anger, clearly upset at being caught unaware and losing a member of his crew to this alien.
"I recommend a thorough scan of the exterior hull," Thrawn spoke up, startling both the captain and the lieutenant. "Search for anything unusual, including any potential entry points sliced through the hull itself."
The captain turned to Thrawn with a severe look, taking him in with a large dose of skepticism. Eli frowned. Surely everyone in the Imperial Navy knew who Grand Admiral Thrawn was. He wasn't exactly...easy to mistake. Then again, Eli realized as his throat tightened uncomfortably, Thrawn was the only other alien on the ship besides the dead one on the floor. Xenophobia was already a problem without having something like this to exacerbate it.
The captain and the lieutenant exchanged glances. "Do you know what this is, Admiral?" the lieutenant asked.
Thrawn's eyes flashed. "I have my suspicions." His gaze settled briefly on everyone. "I also recommend that no one travel alone. If another attack were to happen, two or three have a better chance of overcoming the attacker than one."
The lieutenant nodded, and then the captain did as well. "You heard him," he said to the others. "Begin the search. I will start a scan of the hull." The captain spun and left with two of the stormtroopers.
"Would you like our assistance?" Thrawn asked, turning his gaze to the lieutenant after they were gone. "Or are we to be locked in confinement?"
The lieutenant appeared conflicted. Clearly he wished to maintain the upper hand he had at first, but just as clearly he could see that he was losing his control of the situation. Eli was having a hard time feeling sorry for the man. "Do you really think you know what this is?" he asked, motioning with his blaster toward the alien body on the floor.
"I might," Thrawn said, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes slightly, as if studying the lieutenant himself.
The lieutenant squinted, pondering the situation and his options. At last, he turned to them and said, "Here's the thing: I still don't trust you. For all I know, this creature is one of your friends, and if I let you roam free on this ship, you'll just disappear." He shook his head. "I can't take that risk. You and your...companion," here he looked at Eli, "can stay in here." He held out a hand, inviting them into the bunk room.
"With the dead bodies?" Eli interjected incredulously, his expression twisted in horror.
"Hey, it'll give you something to do," the lieutenant said with a shrug and a sneer. "Perhaps you'll learn more about the alien if you study it closely." He raised his blaster. "Or you could join them in another manner."
Eli looked to Thrawn. Thrawn looked back, his face expressionless, but Eli caught the glint in his eye. There was nothing they could do at the moment but obey. Shoulders slumping, Eli stepped into the room. As soon as Thrawn was through the doorway, the lieutenant slid the door shut.
"Please tell me that thing really is dead."
Thrawn was crouched beside it, inspecting it closely, while Eli stood as far across the room as he could. "It is," Thrawn assured him.
Eli heaved a sigh, slowly making his way to Thrawn's side. The alien's eyes were wide and black, its lips curled back to reveal wickedly sharp teeth. From what Eli could tell, it had four arms and two legs, but there were so many tendril-like appendages that it was somewhat hard to tell. The hands had long, groping fingers, which it probably used to strangle the trooper beside it. Eli closed his eyes, turning away. He never liked the sight of a dead body.
"Do you think there are more on the ship?" he asked Thrawn.
"There is a very real possibility," Thrawn said quietly, rising to his feet. Eli shuddered. "Are you all right?"
Eli shrugged. "I don't know."
"I saw blood," Thrawn said, and Eli turned back to him. Thrawn put a hand up to the back of his head and then pointed to Eli. "After the stun grenade."
"Oh yeah, that." Eli reached up and felt the dried patch of blood in his hair. "Yeah, I'm fine. Maybe a bit of a concussion, but that was sort of the point of it, right?" He gave a half-hearted laugh.
Thrawn's eyes narrowed slightly. "When we leave, you must receive some medical attention before you return to your post," he insisted.
"Yeah, yeah, I will," Eli assured him. He blinked, only just now realizing that Thrawn had been talking to him in Sy Bisti, and he had been replying in kind. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, his senses suddenly on high alert.
"This species is one I have only heard of in the past, not one I have ever encountered personally before," Thrawn said, touching his chin thoughtfully. "If it is the one I think it is, it is a highly parasitic species, specializing in stealth, from deep in the Unknown Regions. I was unaware, however, that they had hyperdrive technology." He frowned. "If they have obtained this technology and have made it out this far into the galaxy—"
The door hissed open. Eli spun in time to see the captain step inside and close the door behind him. He caught a glimpse of a stormtrooper in the corridor before the door closed. The captain looked around the room in surprise.
"The lieutenant isn't here?"
"He went with the other stormtrooper to search the ship," Eli said.
The captain frowned. "That stormtrooper is standing guard outside the door," he said.
Eli looked to Thrawn, his brow furrowing. "He went off alone? After your warning?"
"It would appear so," Thrawn said, his lips pressed into a thin line.
The three stood in awkward silence for a moment. Then the captain shifted nervously. "The preliminary scan showed nothing unusual on the hull," he said, addressing Thrawn with a sharp nod. "I have just set a deeper scan running. No one has reported anything else out of the ordinary, either."
Thrawn nodded in return. "Thank you, Captain...?"
"Captain Ullan, sir."
"Thank you, Captain Ullan," Thrawn said, holding the other man in his crimson gaze.
"I, um," Captain Ullan began, staring anxiously at the deceased alien on the floor. "Do you know what that is, sir?"
"I have never seen its like before," Thrawn said, glancing briefly at it as well. "But I have heard tales of creatures like these."
"Is it from beyond Wild Space?" The captain made an effort to keep his tone neutral, but Eli was familiar enough with the opinions of others to discern the man's thoughts. Thrawn was from the Unknown Regions, as was likely the case with this strange alien creature. Whether the man's underlying thought was merely one of lumping the non-humans into one unfavorable category or if it went so far as to imply collusion between the alien species, Eli couldn't quite tell. And frankly, it didn't matter. He felt his cheeks grow warm and bit his tongue to keep from saying any of the unsavory thoughts that suddenly flew into his head.
"It is," Thrawn confirmed.
"Then how did it end up here?"
"That is curious, is it not?" Thrawn responded, giving the captain an odd look. Eli frowned, looking between the two, getting the distinct feeling that something more was going on here than what appeared on the surface. "It must have come from another ship."
The captain's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked between Thrawn and Eli. "Your two ships are the only other ones out there."
"Indeed," Thrawn agreed. "And as mine came from an Imperial fleet closer to the Core, it is an unlikely source. The other ship, however, has come from Wild Space." Eli startled as Thrawn turned to him. "Or beyond."
"Wh-what?" Eli said, his mouth falling open as he stepped back involuntarily. "Are you saying I brought that thing here?"
Captain Ullan turned dark eyes on Eli, and Eli felt a shiver run through him at the openly hostile gaze.
"But there was no one on the ship but me!" Eli protested, raising his still-manacled hands defensively. "Surely I would have seen something—" He stopped, gazing down at the alien at their feet. Then he glared up at the captain, allowing the expression to pass briefly over Thrawn as well. "And if it was on my ship, then how did it get here? This happened before we were ever brought on board." He moved his hand in front of him, indicating himself and Thrawn. "And my ship never had contact with this cruiser. Something else is going on here. Don't blame me." If he could, he would have crossed his arms angrily over his chest. As it was, he had to settle with a disgruntled look.
"It might be wise to conduct a scan of the other ships as well, Captain," Thrawn said, not reacting to Eli's outburst.
Captain Ullan's gaze shifted between the two of them, and Eli thought he caught the barest twitch of the man's lips. "I am going to find the lieutenant. You will be summoned if needed," he said, backing up and reaching out to open the door. He kept his eyes on the two of them the entire time, as if concerned that one or the other of them might try jumping him the moment his back was turned. Once he was out in the hallway, the door closed again. Footsteps retreated down the hall.
Eli ground his teeth, taking a few a deep breaths before turning to Thrawn. "I assume you have a reason for throwing me under the transport?" He reverted back to Sy Bisti.
"The captain has been compromised," Thrawn said, his eyes still fixed on the door. Eli recognized the look on the other's face. He was piecing things together.
"What do you mean?"
"Did you notice anything unusual about him?" Thrawn asked, turning his glowing gaze to Eli.
Eli frowned, thinking back. "Not particularly, sir."
"There was a moment when his façade slipped." Thrawn folded his arms, touching a finger to his lips.
Suddenly it hit him. "His eyes!" At the time, Eli had thought it was merely a trick of the lighting and the captain's emotions. But now that he thought about it, there had been something eerie and unnatural about the look he had given him.
Thrawn nodded. "If you recall, I mentioned that this species was parasitic. What does a parasite do?"
"It attaches to a host," Eli said slowly. He could hear the rush of blood in his ears, and his chest tightened. "Are you saying that the captain isn't really the captain?"
"The stories say that these beings can control their hosts." Thrawn looked down at the dead one in the room, and Eli followed his gaze uneasily. "How much of that is true, I cannot say. But they may exert at least some level of control."
Eli shook his head. "But they're nearly as big as us. The captain definitely didn't have one of those attached to him."
"No, he did not," Thrawn agreed. "But perhaps the manner in which they attach to and control a host is more subtle." He shrugged. "Or perhaps this body itself was a host."
Eli suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "You don't—you don't think I'm—I have—"
Thrawn looked up at him, his eyes narrowing a fraction. "No. I have not noticed anything unusual in our time together."
Eli swallowed, wishing the overwhelming fear that had just fallen on him would have lifted at Thrawn's words. "How can you be sure?"
Thrawn tipped his chin. "As surprising at it is to find these creatures here, I do not think they have ventured this far into the galaxy as a species," he said. "There would be more information on them otherwise, real or exaggerated. I believe this encounter to be an accident—unfortunate, but limited, and therefore easily managed." He dropped his arms, shifting his hands to clasp them behind his back. "As such, I believe they are finding themselves stretched beyond their boundaries. They are not familiar with humans and thus may have some difficulties adjusting to this new kind of host, hence the earlier slip with the captain." His mouth flattened into a grimace. "Parasitism is their nature, however. I cannot imagine it will take them long to make those adjustments. We may not be able to catch the subtleties next time."
Eli felt his stomach knotting up at Thrawn's observations. "How many do you think there are?" he asked. "And do you think anyone else might be compromised?"
Thrawn shook his head. "Without further information, I could not say."
A heavy sigh escaped Eli. He stared down at the two bodies at their feet and was silent for a moment. "Do you really think that this thing—these beings—are here because of me?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "That they traveled on my ship?"
"Unfortunately, that would seem to be most likely given their origin and your own point of origin for this flight."
"But if you're certain I haven't been touched, then how is it that they would have left me alone for so long?" Eli asked.
Thrawn did not answer right away. "Remember their nature," he finally said in a low voice.
"Parasites," Eli said with a nod. Then his eyes widened. "You think they attached their ship to mine? Is that why you had the captain do a scan of the hull?" He chewed the inside of his lip, his brows drawing together as he frowned. "But surely there would be a noticeable drain on the system if they did that."
"Do not forget that this is their nature, and stealth is their specialty," Thrawn said, tilting his head. "They may have found a way to do so without any significant evidence of their presence."
Eli huffed quietly. "I suppose, but that doesn't explain why they would have left me alone. They had plenty of time to come aboard."
Thrawn nodded thoughtfully. "As I stated earlier, I was unaware that they had discovered hyperdrive technology. However—" His bright eyes caught Eli's. "If they merely tag along with someone who does have that technology, they wouldn't need to have it. Not having developed the drive themselves, it is quite possible that their ship was not prepared for such travel. They may have been too busy repairing their own ship to bother with boarding another. At least, until now."
Eli's shoulders slumped. "And now, if they take this ship back, they can learn to develop their own hyperdrive system from it. Not to mention having access to data about the galaxy at large. And the people who live there." He brought his hands up and buried his face in them.
"We will just have to prevent that from happening."
Eli lifted his face to look over at Thrawn. "Do you have a plan?"
The corner of Thrawn's mouth turned upward. "I will."
Darnell had no idea what he was doing here, what they were doing here. He had overheard the others talking, saying that Captain Ullan and Lieutenant Corma had known each other in the Academy, which was why they had worked together to capture a suspected rebel spy in the ranks. If Darnell had any inkling that they were going after a Grand Admiral, he would have pushed for a different assignment. This was not worth it.
Especially not now that Pont was dead because of some freak alien from the Unknown Regions. The whole thing made his back crawl. But what could he say? What could he do?
He had to follow orders and hope beyond hope that he would make it out of this alive.
The corridor was empty. The room behind him was silent. The captain had left probably twenty minutes prior, heading back to the cockpit. There was no sign of Henley or Rekkitt, nor of Lieutenant Corma. His ears strained for any sound, familiar or not.
Muffled voices behind him, in the bunk room. He turned, lifting his blaster and leaning closer. It almost sounded as if one of them was panicking in there. Probably the human, whatever his name was. He could not imagine the stone-faced Grand Admiral panicking in any situation.
The pounding on the door startled him briefly. "It wasn't dead!" he heard the terrified voice through the door. "Get us out of here! Now! Hurry!"
Darnell hesitated. He had been ordered to keep the door shut unless the captain or the lieutenant said otherwise. But if the alien was still alive, it couldn't be good to let it have its way. Who knew what it could still do? Readying his blaster, he opened the door.
He did not expect his feet to be swept out from under him, and he fell back with a loud grunt.
Eli had started drifting off when the captain finally returned. He scrambled to his feet as the door slid open.
Captain Ullan came to an abrupt halt, staring around the room in disbelief. The stormtrooper in the hallway, noticing the captain's sudden stop, turned and stepped forward, standing in the doorway to see what was wrong.
"Where is he?" the captain demanded, his eyes darting to Eli with an accusing glare. "And where are the bodies?"
Eli gave him his most innocent look. "We just decided to clean up a bit—"
Blue fire erupted from the blaster in the stormtrooper's hand, and the captain fell gracelessly to the ground, unconscious from the stun blast.
"You're right. He didn't notice," Eli commented as he and the stormtrooper dragged the captain's body to the nearest bunk. "Now, you said he might have keys for this?" He lifted his hands, still bound together.
Reaching up, Thrawn took the helmet off. "It is a bit small, but one would only notice if one was looking carefully. He had no reason to suspect." Minutes later, Eli was finally free, and the captain was now bound and locked to the bunk.
"How long do you think he'll be out?"
"It doesn't matter," Thrawn said, picking up the helmet again. "We need to take care of the others so that we can—"
Without warning, Thrawn stumbled back, dropping the helmet and blaster. At the same time, Eli cried out, dropping to the floor as his muscles suddenly tensed all at once, burning with electric shock. "What the—" His words were cut off as another wave slammed into him, and he curled into himself, torn between yelling and gasping in agony. Thrawn fell back against the wall, his own breath hissing with pain.
Eli caught something out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see the captain glaring back at him, a malicious smile spreading wide across his face.
"You think you have it figured out," he gloated, contrasting strangely with the fact that he was effectively restrained and tied to the bunk. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."
Then another movement drew Eli's attention, and his heart felt like it was trying to escape his chest. The dead alien really wasn't dead! It was rising to its feet now, its eyes fixed on Eli. Eli struggled desperately to push himself up, but his body wasn't responding. He only managed to lift himself onto his elbows before the creature reached him, bending down and lifting him up as if his weight meant nothing. Tendrils wrapped around him like thin ropes, and his breathing quickened as the panic set in. His voice wouldn't work, so he shot a desperate look to Thrawn.
"No!" Thrawn ground out, and Eli could see him straining to regain his feet. But he fell back again, his brilliant red eyes widening and his jaw clenching tightly. The alien carried Eli to the doorway. Eli could hear the captain laughing, but he couldn't tear his eyes off of Thrawn. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
And then they were gone.
