Chapter 11: The gift
Ayesha's bare feet pattered on the floor as she ran out of her workshop to answer the doorbell. Thrawn was standing in his straight-backed military stance just outside the doorway on the landing pad, despite the fact that it was wide open.
"I am sorry to turn up unannounced," he said. "I do not have your comm details. I hope I am not disturbing you."
"Not at all," she replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I have come to say my goodbyes. The Vengeance is leaving to the Outer Rim tonight. I should be back in seven months, when this tour of duty is over."
She pouted her lips. "Seven months?"
"It is not unusual for an Imperial Navy officer. But as I already told you once, it is nice to think that I will be missed."
She smiled. "Why don't you come in." She took a glass from the tray on the table of the Alderaanian conversation circle and waved him towards the workshop. "Let's sit in here. You don't mind if I work while we chat, do you?" She pulled a stool from under the table for him and wiped it with a piece of cloth, then poured two fingers of a thick white liquid in the glass and diluted it with water before offering it to him. "Wroshyr sap syrup," she said. "Ata' Messiri harvests it from the wall of our house." The questioning blue-black eyebrow inched upwards. "Our house on Kashyyyk is built inside the tree trunk. She just wedged a tap into the wall of the kitchen, and voila." He took a cautious sip. "Do you like it?"
"This is excellent. I must tell you that I have entirely reconsidered my view on Wookiees thanks to you. The description provided in the Navy Handbook on Species does not remotely do them justice."
She sat down on the stool in front of the potter's wheel. The Fijisi wood bust of the faceless woman was gone, replaced by a chromed metallic sculpture that looked halfway between a fish and a spaceship. There was a childlike cheerfulness to it. She took a pair of pliers from the table and twisted gently the fin on the top, then picked a microwelder and a pair of goggles to adjust the welding.
Thrawn's gaze travelled from her hands to the mess on the table. There were several preliminary sketches of the sculpt under the tools that were spread around, together with books about crystals and the Rathalayan firestone. "You have been researching the carving of crystals," he said.
The tip of her tongue was sticking out of her lips, her face twisted in concentration as she scraped the traces of scoring off the metal fish-ship. "Yes," she answered finally. "I don't have much experience with crystals, so I need to train myself. I don't want to waste the wonderful present you gave me." She swivelled on her stool to look at the shelf behind her and selected one of the carefully catalogued tools before returning to her piece.
He looked at the sculpt she was working on. "So you work metal as well."
"Not very often. I tend to prefer materials that most sculptors don't consider noble. My favourite is wood, of course." There was the eyebrow again. "Living on Kashyyyk will do that to you," she added with a smile before carving a last notch in the fish-ship. She flipped a switch under the wheel and rotated her piece for Thrawn to see it from all angles. "What do you think? It's what I made for Matt Ruud."
Thrawn examined the sculpt carefully. "I take it that you had a good time with him."
"I did, actually. He's a very nice man and he has a wonderful sense of humour. And the fact that he's really cute doesn't hurt," she added with a grin. "If the Emperor is going to be organizing my dinner dates for me, I'd rather it not be with ugly vultures like Zaarin." She ran the tip of her finger over the fin. "Captain Ruud is from Kuat and he told me that when he was a kid, he would mess up the words 'fish' and 'ship'. This is just a toy, really, but it kind of matches his personality. And it does fulfil the 'something-to-remember-you-by' contract. Do you think he'll like it?"
"I am certain he will," Thrawn murmured.
There was something indefinable in his voice that made her look up at him. His slightly embarrassed smile caused her eyes to sparkle with mischief. "You'd like to have a present too, wouldn't you?" His smile turned sheepish, making her laugh. "Who said you won't? It should already be waiting for you in your quarters on your ship." She got up and started putting her tools away before turning back to him. "Please don't tell anyone. Technically I shouldn't have done this. I'm sure the Emperor knows, seeing as he always knows everything, but I'd rather not shout it from the rooftops."
Thrawn nodded and stood up. "To my great regret I must be going. I still have some packing to do. Thank you for the syrup, it was most refreshing." She escorted him to the door. He stopped on the landing pad and looked at her. "I wish you all the best for the coming months. Please do stay out of the vultures' way."
She smiled. "That I will, Captain. That I certainly will."
The young ensign set Thrawn's bag on the floor and turned back to face the Senior Captain. "The update on the status of the Vengeance is in the datapad on your desk, Sir," he said. "Lord Jerec will be waiting for your briefing in his private office in one-and-a-half hours. And this came for you this morning." He handed Thrawn a large parcel.
"Thank you, Mr. Washeeya. That will be all."
The ensign gave a crisp military salute and left. Thrawn set about unwrapping the parcel carefully. The spicy scent of Fijisi wood wafted in the room as the fine tissue paper fell to the floor, revealing the bust of the faceless, screaming woman. It was now shined and polished to perfection. He ran a finger over the shoulder to the only irregularity in the smooth surface, a small circle protruding on the shoulder blade, then lifted the sculpt to examine the markings carved around the base. They read: 'Ayesha Eskari of clan Vos, of the tribe of the Green Vines of Rwookrrorro.'