AN: When Thrawn says "15 year old," keep in mind that Chiss years are different than Galactic Standard! This would be roughly equivalent to a 20 year old in Galactic Standard years.

Chapter 9

Chiara stood on the bridge behind Thrawn's command chair as the Springhawk dropped out of hyperspace and the starlines coalesced into individual stars. A single planet hung in the bridge viewport, swirled with brilliant colors of blue and green and the mottled white of clouds. From the reports, Chiara knew there were other planets in the system, as well, but they must have been concealed behind the bright yellow sun that burned at the center of the system.

"So this is Crustai," she murmured.

"Indeed. Helm, take us in to the observation team's camp site," Thrawn ordered.

It didn't take them long to land, putting down beside the two scientific vessels that had been on this planet for some months, now. Chiara descended the ramp with Thrawn as he went out to meet the leader of the survey team. She could feel the planet teeming with life through the Force as she walked through the camp at Thrawn's side. He opened the door to one of the temporary structures and gestured her inside.

A middle-aged Chiss male who sat at a cramped desk glanced up as they entered and quickly scrambled to his feet. "Commander, welcome to Crustai. I didn't realize you were here already or I would have arranged a more proper greeting. You weren't scheduled to arrive for a few more hours."

"No need to apologize, we were running a little ahead of schedule. May I present Jedi Master Chiara Matao," he said, gesturing to her. "Chiara, this is Brast'ankl'ithin, leader of the survey team."

Brast'ankl'ithin regarded her for a moment. "I've heard quite a bit about you, Jedi Master Chiara Matao. Welcome to Crustai."

"Thank you, Brast'ankl'ithin," she told him. "I'm looking forward to seeing this new world. Your reports look quite promising."

If Bast'ankl'ithin was surprised by the fact that she had been reading classified material, he didn't let on. "Please, sir, allow me to show you our camp," he said.

They spent several days on the planet, gaining some familiarity with the local terrain and the maps. Thrawn was glad to see that Chiara dove right in and started volunteering to help the survey team with tasks that would have been difficult or downright impossible without her. It made him rather uncomfortable when she volunteered to scale a relatively sheer cliff face to investigate a cave and rig some rappelling lines, but the survey team seemed to truly appreciate her assistance. In some ways, Thrawn felt that low-born commoners did a better job of accepting her than the upper-crust descendants of the Ruling Families or even the Merit Adoptives and Trial Born did. Thankfully, Brast'ankl'ithin, the only member of one of the Families present on the survey team, didn't seem to mind her presence, either.

Thrawn spent his time poring over maps, trying to find a suitable place for his base. He didn't want to construct it out in the open as Commander Inat'in'scalin had with his base - it left them far too open to enemy attack, as he had learned the hard way. He was considering the practicality of trying to find somewhere concealed in the mountains to build it, but the density of the rock that made up the tall, grey peaks was such that this didn't seem a plausible option.

On their third day on the planet, Thrawn made plans to take Chiara out to a particularly nice beautiful and secluded place that Brast'ankl'ithin had told him about. She seemed much happier here and every trace of underlying tension or sadness had vanished entirely. He knew that she enjoyed being able to contribute both to the survey team and to his efforts at planning his first command. She will never be one to sit around and watch others work, he thought to himself. She needs to be doing something.

After the evening meal, which consisted of an interesting variety of local vegetables and game, Thrawn quietly took Chiara's hand and lead her into the forest instead of back to the Springhawk.

"Where are we going?" she asked as the camp vanished behind them, swallowed up by the tall trees.

"I thought we might spend an evening under the stars before we go back to Csilla," he told her. "I know you always miss them, and I've been told there is a very comfortable meadow not far from here."

Her sapphire eyes sparkled. "That sounds wonderful. I know you probably think I'm a bit odd for enjoying the stars, but when you grow up on Coruscant..."

"I don't think it odd, at all. I enjoy watching them as much as anyone else, but I seldom took the time before I met you. How does growing up on Coruscant affect your enjoyment of them?" he asked.

"The entire world is one giant city. No one even knows how far down the surface is, anymore, they just keep building more on top of the old structures. There are so many lights and ships coming and going all the time... I suppose it has a beauty of its own, but I prefer the stars." She frowned a bit. "I think I must have grown up on a more traditional planet, before, well, whatever it was that lead me to Ka'asar."

"I don't think you've ever told me the story of how you were found and how you came to be part of the Jedi Order."

He caught just a trace of bitterness in her laugh. "There's not much to tell, really. I was found wandering around the estate of the Senator of Ka'asar. At first, when they couldn't find my parents, they were just going to send me off to some orphanage in the mountains. He was in the middle of running for re-election, though, and was in the middle of some scandal over conservation efforts and the factory that one of the corporations wanted to build. One of his political advisers suggested that he adopt me to help distract from the negative press he was getting."

Thrawn frowned. "So it was purely a political ploy?"

"Yes. There are still plenty of pictures out there of us. They would put me in fancy outfits and brush my hair and tell me to pose with him and pretend I liked him, but I hardly knew him. Once the election was over, I don't think he ever even looked at me again. It seemed like he was relieved when one of his aides told him I was exhibiting signs of being Force sensitive and recommended having me tested. When the Jedi came and ran their tests, he seemed all to happy to send me off to the Temple and get rid of me." Thrawn could hear a subtle note of old pain in her voice.

"And what did you think of being sent to the Jedi?"

"Honestly, I think it was the best thing that could have possibly happened to me. I didn't have any strong attachment to Ka'asar and I was just excited to have other children to play with and not be hushed all the time."

Thrawn shook his head. "The Ruling Families can be cold and calculating, but I can't even see any of them using a child for nothing more than political gain and then throwing them away. Especially one like you, you had to show signs of being exceptional even when you were so young. I'm sorry you had to experience that."

She smiled at him, her troubled expression clearing. "It was a long time ago. Long ago enough, in fact, that you weren't even born."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow at her. "I still forget how much older you are than I am. And yet you still look and act like a reckless 15 year old." His locator beeped in his hand. "Ah, we're nearly there. It should be just around this boulder."

They rounded the corner and suddenly found themselves in a lush meadow full of long grass that was studded with flowers. A small waterfall thundered gently at the other end of the open space. The trees that surrounded the small clearing were blooming with exquisite blue flowers and gave off a sweet scent. "This is... incredible!" Chiara told him, taking his hand. "How did you ever find out about this place?"

He smiled at her. "I have my ways." He lead her over to a relatively flat section of ground and they sat down together. She leaned back against his chest as she gazed around and sighed in contentment.

"I wouldn't complain about the way my adoptive father treated too much," she told him after a moment, turning her head so her lips could reach his jawline. "If he hadn't sent me off to the Temple, I wouldn't have become a Jedi and I probably would have never met you."

"There is that," he conceded. He ran his fingers through the grass and plucked one of the flowers that dotted the meadow. The deep blue shade of the blossom reminded him of Chiara's eyes. He twirled it between thumb and forefinger for a moment before tucking it behind her ear. She smiled at him.

"You're not allowed to build the base anywhere near here," she told him.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want anyone else finding this place," she explained, reaching one hand up to stroke his cheek.

"Too late, the survey team already knows about it," he told her with a chuckle.

"Okay, but we're not telling anyone else," she said with a smile.

They passed the evening together in quiet conversation and watched as the sunset painted the distant mountain peaks in brilliant shades of blue, red and purple. As the stars came out, they lay back in the grass together and watched, neither speaking. Thrawn almost felt unwilling to go back to the camp, wishing that they could stay here, away from the demands, expectations and prejudices of his people. When Chiara started to drowse against his shoulder he looked down at her peaceful face and her eyelids drooping half-closed. He stroked her cheek with one hand and kissed her forehead.

"We should probably head back," he told her.

"Do we have to?" she mumbled sleepily, echoing his sentiments.

Thrawn smiled at her in the pale moonlight. "Yes, we do." He stood and gently picked her up and set her on her feet. They walked back to the camp hand-in-hand.