Eli had never really thought about Thrawn in a relationship. He'd never even caught the man casting a glance at a female – or male, for that matter.

When he found her - Nev - it struck him that she was just the sort of woman Thrawn would find intriguing. She had a regal air about her – something in the way she carried herself. Her hair was dark and wavy, much like her daughter's, peppered with grey from age and cropped in a short, asymmetrical artistic style.

He found her in the museum Thrawn suggested he check first. She owned the place, apparently. He made a point to go late, in hopes that the museum would be mostly empty and they could have a little privacy. He also dressed in civilian clothing, as to not give himself away right away.

He stood in front of a large, odd looking mural of paint splatters and tried to look like he was pondering the subject. Not that had to really try – it appeared to be just splatters of colors to him. What he was really wondering was why paint splatters belonged on the wall of a museum. He could make paint splatters pretty easily.

Art was really Thrawn's area of expertise, not his.

"This one always intrigues people."

It worked. She stood next to him, looking at the painting. "I find that most people stand here trying to figure out what it is." Her accent was somewhat beautiful, rhythmic and almost musical in nature. He recognized it from Oni. Her eyes were an icy grey color, like everyone else he'd seen on this planet.

"That's exactly what I was doing. I must be an amateur, all I can make out is a bunch of paint splatters."

She smiled at him. "Your perception is more advanced than you give yourself credit for. It really is just a bunch of paint splatters."

"Oh." That was disappointing.

"The piece is more an exercise in knowledge of the medium – it was the artist's way of testing their familiarity with the various viscosities of the paint they used."

"Ah… that's… interesting…"

"I'm always a little fond of this style of art. It takes a truly talented artist to render something beautiful when you remove recognizable forms." She turned to him, holding out a hand. "I'm Nev Sebai, the owner of this museum. We don't see many foreigners around here. Where are you from?"

It was painfully obvious he was a foreigner. Not just because of his accent, but like Thrawn had said, the population on Nivo was incredibly homogeneous, from what he'd seen. Everyone was similar to Nev – pale skin, grey eyes, black hair.

"It is good to meet you, Miss Sebai. I'm from a planet called Lysatra, it's maybe… three days travel from here." He paused and inhaled deeply. This was the difficult part, the part he'd been rehearsing in his ship the entire trip here. "This is going to sound very odd, but I am actually here to speak with you. My name is Eli Vanto…"

He didn't think she knew his name, but the second it rolled out of his mouth it was very evident she knew precisely who he was. Her friendly demeanor quickly dissipated, her arms crossing and her nose rising slightly.

"Eli Vanto. That is a name I have not heard in a very long time." She paused, her jaw tight. She was clearly not happy with the revelation. "I assume you are here on behalf of Thrawn. What does he want?"

"I hope that you'll hear out everything that I have to say, ma'am."

"Then do start talking."

"Thrawn is requesting your presence…"

She snorted. "He's requesting my presence? I was quite clear last we spoke that I had no desire to speak with him, or to see him, ever again. He's done a remarkably good job of respecting that for nearly two decades. What causes the change of heart all the sudden? Is he dying or something?"

"No, ma'am, he's not dying."

"I cannot imagine what else might be so important that he would defy my wishes. What is it?"

"I will not presume to know what happened between you and Thrawn, ma'am, but I implore you to consider the request. Something of a very important nature has come up and he needs your presence. I understand that you are not fond of him, and he understands that as well. He is not asking to rebuild bridges…"

She threw up a hand to halt him, her eyes narrow. "What is this you keep calling me? Ma'am?"

"Er… yes, it's a polite term for a woman where I'm from…"

"I do not like it. Don't call me that."

"Oh… okay." Direct. He supposed Thawn probably needed someone like that. "My apologies, I did not mean to offend you. Will you please listen to all of what I have to say?"

"Continue." She said it with a tone like she was granting him permission.

"Thrawn left me in the dark as to the details of your relationship, but he directly asked that I make it clear to you that this is not his attempt to rebuild whatever you had. He will respect the space you've asked for, as he has for some time, but wishes for your presence regarding an important matter."

"What is this important matter?"

"I'm unable to disclose the exact nature of it; however he wanted me to place emphasis on its importance as he feels it directly affects you."

"It is important, it is urgent, and he is not dying? I cannot imagine what it could possibly be. Nothing other than death seems important enough for him to defy my request. Maybe you should return to your boss and tell him if he allows you to divulge more detail I might be more inclined to accept his offer."

He wasn't expecting her to be so adamant, or to be so forceful. He's not sure why he didn't expect it, though. Of course Thrawn would have been with a very strong willed woman.

"Uma, did you need help closing down tonight?"

He heard the voice from behind him, distinctly male, and distinctly Chiss. When he turned to look, his mouth fell open.

The boy looked almost unbearably much like Thrawn when he first met him, only slightly younger.

"Oh." The boy smiled politely. "You still have a guest, I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

Okay, the smile was different. Thrawn didn't smile in a friendly fashion. Ever.

"He was about to leave, we can start closing shortly." Nev said flatly.

The boy walked over holding his hand out with a smile, "Baz Sebai, it is good to meet you. Take your time, I don't mean to rush you out."

What really caught Eli off guard was that the boy didn't look even remotely human – he was distinctly Chiss. Both Oni and his daughter were human/Chiss hybrids, and neither looked remotely Chiss, other than the under-eye markings. Baz had the skin and eye color, even the blue-tinted hair.

Eli shook his hand, "Baz… it's good to meet you. I'm Eli Vanto."

"Oh? We don't see many outsiders here, where are you from?"

"Lysatra… small planet, pretty far from here."

"Really? What brings you to Nivo?"

"Just… here on vacation."

"Interesting. Well, do enjoy your stay. As I mentioned, don't feel rushed because of me." He turned to his mother, "I'll be in your office, let me know when you're ready."

"I think I can take care of closing down myself tonight. You can go home. I'll be there shortly."

"Oh… are you certain?"

"Yes."

He paused, then nodded. "Okay." He made his way back to the exit, waving to them, "It was good to meet you, Eli Vanto. I hope you enjoy your time on Nivo."

Neither of them spoke until the exit door closed.

She looked at him with a tight jaw, an eyebrow raised.

"He's… er… very well mannered."

"Thank you." She blinked a few times. "That's it, isn't it? This is a ploy to try and meet my son?" She looked at him sharply, "You will stay away from my son. And return to your boss with this message: I was very clear that we did not need him in our lives, and that has not changed, and it will not change."

He held up his hands to stop her, "Nev… no. That's not what this is at all. He actually wanted me to address the matter of his son…"

"My son." She looked at him with the sort of will that could topple empires. "Baz is my son. Thrawn has had nothing to do with him."

Eli frowned. "Would you… listen to yourself? Do you know what he called Baz? "The boy". The man doesn't even know the name of his own son. Speaking as a father, I can't even imagine how painful that must be. He clearly cares about the boy, but he's respected your request to the point that his son is nearly an adult now and he still doesn't even know his name. But if you must know: no this doesn't have anything to do with him meeting his son. He specifically told me to not press you to allow Baz to come along, that whatever your wishes were regarding the matter should be respected." He paused. "Though to be honest, I don't respect your insistence on keeping the man's own kin from him. I'll honor it, if that's your wish, but I cannot respect that." He shook his head, "I'm not even certain right now why he's requested your presence, considering how cruel you're behaving toward him."

"You did say earlier you wouldn't presume anything in regard to our relationship. Clearly that was a lie."

"You're making a very foolish mistake."

"And you, Eli Vanto, are about to leave my museum, and then you will leave Nivo, and you will not come back and you will not bother me or my son, ever again." She flung a hand toward the exit, then turned and walked away from him. "You may leave now. The exit is right there."

He stayed in a small hotel, a sort of quaint, bed-and-breakfast type place that was in the heart of the small city. The owner was curious about having a foreigner stay. Eli ignored the odd looks and whispers and made his way to the café on the floor level of the old building the next morning.

This mission was a dud. He wasn't one to give up easily, but he was familiar with the sort of person Nev was. She'd made up her mind, and was so dead set in it there was no amount of logic or reasoning or even emotional pleas would get through to her.

For the sake of his friend, he would give it one more try this afternoon. He wasn't hopeful.

He didn't recognize anything on the menu, so he told the waitress to bring him the best thing they made. The young woman disappeared to the back and he seated himself at a small corner table, looking out the window to the snowy street. He could see why Thrawn liked this place. The climate was very similar to Csilla, though not quite as cold. Outside the wind blew the snow around in circles.

There were a few people on the streets, but this time of morning most of them were likely already at their jobs. One person, bundled in a coat and scarf, made their way into the café. The door swung open with a gust of cold air rushed in with the person, along with a reasonable amount of snow.

Unexpectedly, the person slid into the seat across from him.

It wasn't difficult to realize who it was – blue skin and red eyes. Baz smiled at him, nervously, as he pulled the scarf off. "Eli Vanto. It is good to see you again. I was hoping to speak with you."

"Er… Don't you have… classes or something?" This was a bad situation; he needed to defuse it immediately.

"Hm? No." He paused. "Well, yes, but this is slightly more important." He flagged the waitress down and asked her for two cups of caf.

"Oh… I didn't know you all had caf here…"

"On Nivo? Yes, of course, I take it you have it where you're from?"

"Er… yes. Thank you for ordering one for me, I was a little… overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar items on the menu."

"Oh… It wasn't for you, but that's okay, I'll order a third." He motioned for the waitress again.

"Uh… is your mother joining us?" He tried his best to not sound somewhat frightened by the prospect.

A crooked smile fought onto Baz's lips, "Ha... no. Sorry. I just drink a lot of caf. They make them sort of small here so I order two."

"Oh. I see."

It was the eeriest thing he'd ever seen, and he'd seen many eerie things in his lifetime. It was like talking to a young Thrawn with human mannerisms. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it.

The waitress was quick, bringing over their three cups of caf, along with his plate of food, which he was starting to sincerely regret ordering. The last thing he needed to do was have breakfast with the boy.

"Look… Baz… I don't know…"

"You know my father, don't you?"

The look on his face was so sincerely curious; it tore Eli apart a little.

"I thought my mother was acting odd around you last night, but when I shook your hand I noticed…" He tapped his wrist.

Damn it, he should have been better about hiding it. When he and Thrawn had officially been committed to the Seventh Fleet he'd made a rash, young-minded (and alcohol fueled) decision to get the emblem tattooed on his wrist.

The boy dug into the bag he'd brought with him and pulled out a familiar looking old comlink. Thrawn's old comlink, likely long dead now, but with the symbol engraved on it.

"My mother doesn't like to talk about him, but I found this in a box of things she tried to throw away several years ago… I assumed it was likely his."

He hesitated. "Listen. Baz. I really can't discuss this with you. Your mother made it clear that she doesn't want me speaking with you, and Thrawn made it clear I was to honor her wishes in any matter that involved you."

The boy looked at him quietly for a moment. "Thrawn? Is that his name?"

Fuck. That was crushing. Nev hadn't even bothered to tell him his father's name.

"Look, I'm not asking you to relay messages or anything of that sort. I just… I don't know anything about him. I'm just curious, I'd hoped you'd be willing to speak with me a little. Please?"

He inhaled deeply. Was there really any harm in telling the boy a few stories about his father? "What do you know about him?"

Baz shrugged, "Nothing. I didn't even know his name until you said it. I've pressed pretty hard for information over the years. She told me he was in the Imperial navy, and that he wasn't human, that he was… a Chiss? Is that the right word? But that's about the extent of it. I've run across a few photos that have him in them. He looks like me. I mean… I always sort of assumed he did since I… obviously… look nothing like my mother. And I've found a few language books that she tried to throw away, they were children's books, I guess he'd given them to my sister. I assume that must be the Chiss language. There were also a few recordings of the language, I sort of taught myself what I could from it, it seemed sort of interesting to me."

Eli didn't even know where to begin. That left an ocean of blanks to fill in.

Baz played with the old comlink, running his fingers over the insignia. "What is this? It's not the mark of the Empire, I've never been able to find records of it anywhere."

"It was the insignia of your father's Imperial fleet. The Seventh Fleet."

"Oh. You were part of the Seventh Fleet as well?"

How could he even begin? Thrawn wasn't part of the seventh fleet, he was the foundation of it. Maybe it was best to not let him see the full scope of it. It would be like telling the kid his father was a celebrity. It was too much to start with. "I was… and still am… your father's assistant. Wherever he went, I went."

"So… he's alive?"

"He is."

"When did you meet him?"

Eli sighed. This was a story to tell. "Thrawn was in his mid twenties when we met. I was about your age. I was stationed on the Outer Rim, investigating unknown planets. We came across your father on this uninhabited planet, he was stranded there…"

His breakfast went cold while he related the story.

Nev's face dropped when she saw him. He'd waited until it was late again, so they had some privacy.

Unfortunately, Baz was there as well, looking sheepish. Eli had spent nearly four hours relating stories to the boy before he had to cut the conversation short. He would have loved to tell him more, but he did need to maintain some semblance of honoring Thrawn's request.

"What are you doing back here?"

"I had one last…"

"You have expressly violated my instructions that you leave my son alone." She looked furious. Baz mentioned he wouldn't say anything to his mother about their conversation, but evidently she'd gotten it out of him somehow. "And by in part, I believe that means you have violated Thrawn's request as well. Leave now. You will not convince me that I should go see that man…"

He inhaled loudly, "Yes, I'm not here to convince you of anything. I was going to try again, but after speaking with Baz this morning, I decided I'd already achieved the most good I could here. You are too stubborn to change your mind about something like this. At least now, your son knows his father's name. And a little about him."

"Ah. Very well then. Congratulations. Please leave."

"There is one more thing though. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, but Thrawn asked that I return something to you." He motioned to the main entryway, where he'd propped a large, wrapped canvas against the wall. "He said this was yours, it belonged with you."

She frowned at him for a moment, then went to the canvas. She tore the edge of the wrapping, exposing a brightly colored painting beneath. Her son stepped next to her, "Is that one of yours?"

She held up a hand sharply, cutting him off. "You are not to speak. I'm still quite upset with you."

He looked like he wanted to suck the words back into his mouth.

Nev scowled at the painting quietly for several moments.

"Right. Well, I'm off then." Eli made his way to the exit. "Baz, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'm really happy we had the opportunity to speak."

"You leave tomorrow morning, you said?" Nev asked, looking at the painting with an expression that made him wonder how it hadn't spontaneously combusted yet.

"Yeah. Don't worry, I won't ever be back to pester you again." Oni could make her way here when she was ready. It wasn't worth fighting this woman.

She turned to him, her arms crossed. "We will be there. How long should we expect to be gone?"

He froze, caught completely off guard. Why had she just completely changed her mind so quickly? "Er… both of you?"

"Yes. Thrawn did say that was entirely at my discretion, correct? We will both accompany you back."

Next to her, the boy had his hand over his mouth. His eyes couldn't hide the expression though – excitement.

"Ah… right. Great. Okay. It will take us three and a half days to reach our destination. I'm not certain how long you will want to stay, but I'm certain you will be welcome as long as you want."

She nodded stiffly. "Very well. We will see you tomorrow, Eli Vanto. Baz, come help close the museum."