A/N Welp, here's another long chapter! (Hopefully)
And surprise! I've added some more problems for Ezra and Thrawn! Lol #ThisIsLife
*UPDATE: I changed Thrina's full name to make it look more original!
X
"Grand Moff Tarkin."
"Governor Pryce." The small holo-image of Tarkin glanced up at the raven-haired woman with irritation. "It is quite late. What is so urgent that it could not wait?"
"It is concerning Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Tarkin," Pryce hissed, gritting her teeth. "He had been interfering with my plans and accusing me of making mistakes with my assumptions,"
"Let me guess, it has something about the Rebel attack in the Lothal Factory?"
"Yes, and the Rebel Sympathizer at the factory as well," Pryce nodded.
"Did you interrogate the sympathizer? Did you capture any of the Rebels?"
"…no, I didn't," Pryce hesitantly shook her head. "I… Grand Admiral Thrawn had commanded the sympathizer to demonstrate the rigged speeder, and I… I had made sure that the sympathizer was to be punished for putting our troopers at risk,"
"So you have executed the Rebel Sympathizer?" Tarkin scoffed. "I can see why Thrawn had accused you of making mistakes. I recommend that you INTERROGATE your prisoners before a direct execution,"
"But Grand Tarkin, there's something in his accusations towards me that doesn't sound right," Pryce reasoned out with a low growl. "And I am sure that there is something in his Star Destroyer that he is hiding. Someone had contacted him in the middle of the chaos, and when I had questioned if it was Captain Palleon, Grand Admiral Thrawn had dismissed me so abruptly."
"Hmm, if what you are stating is correct then Thrawn might be holding traitorous plans," Tarkin spoke with a frown. "An ISB Agent is more suitable for these kind of cases, so I suggest that you send Agent Kallus for an investigation,"
"I… I do not approve," Pryce's eyebrows furrowed. "It seems that whatever Grand Admiral Thrawn is hiding, Agent Kallus is in involved with it. He had been called to the Chimera two weeks ago with a crate in his arms, which had been requested by Grand Admiral Thrawn himself,"
"Investigating this kind of matter is not your position, Governor." Tarkin sternly spoke. "And if Agent Kallus is involved in this treachery, I advise for you to send a trooper or two to be another witness,"
"Of course, Grand Tarkin," Pryce nodded with a bow. "As you suggest,"
She then turned off the call and faced the window of her office. She took a deep breath to ease her mind from the stress then she got her data-pad and looked through the list of newly-promoted stormtroopers from the cadets of the Lothal Imperial Academy. She spotted the Top 3 ex-senior cadets/newly promoted junior stormtroopers and hummed in thoughts, an evil grin slowly stretching across her face.
She knew exactly what to do.
X
Irritated wouldn't be the word he felt at the moment. There was irritation, but the feeling was mostly anger, annoyed, impatient, and a little hurt. It had been weeks since Thrawn had gotten a mission to take care of a group of Rebels in Lothal, and ever since his latest promotion from Admiral to Grand Admiral, he had gotten no contact from his Chiss husband.
Mitth'eli'vanto, core name Eli Vanto, was sitting in his and Thrawn's bedroom with his arms folded, a cross look on his face as he stared down at his data-pad. He narrowed his eyes at it, a low growl escaping his lips as he waited for something, anything, to pop out. A call, a message or any sign at all to reassure him that Thrawn was fine, that he was ALIVE.
"Eli,"
A familiar voice interrupted his concentration, and he turned to see Admiral Ar'alani at the door, with Thrawn's aunt, Mitth'rin'asuni, core name Thrina, standing behind her.
"Oh, greetings Admiral Ar'alani," Eli spoke, his Wild Space accent thick and revealing as he bowed his head at the two superior Chiss. "Aunt Thrina,"
"Still trying to find an update on Thrawn, Eli?" Thrina smiled gently at her nephew-in-law, moving to sit beside him.
"It's been weeks, Aunt Thrina," Eli sighed, letting his arms fall by his sides. "What if he got into danger? Rebels can be very unpredictable, and Thrawn doesn't have a lot of good fighters up there to help him,"
"Mitth'raw'nuruodo tucan'si himn'ah vatvo recklessness can ch'at ch'ap bah ch'a bicit, rab tah carcir en'catehan'co vim strategic rokes ch'at vacosehn out bah bin'tah'asi. [Mitth'raw'nuruodo might gain some recklessness in the middle of a battle, but he is intelligent and strategic enough to be out of danger.]" Ar'alani told the human in reassurance. "Ch'ah am sasco tah would nah let ren ch'ahn ch'uscehah csei easily. [I am sure he would not let himself killed that easily.]"
"Admiral Ar'alani is right," Thrina agreed with a nod. "But since you're worried so much, why don't you contact him, Eli?"
"I'm afraid that I might call at a wrong time," Eli frowned. "That's the reason he's the one who calls instead of me calling,"
"But he could not be in a battle that lasts weeks without a free time. Just try to call, Eli. It may just give him the surprise he deserves for not contacting you,"
"I… I guess…" Eli picked up his data-pad and took a deep breath. "But… I don't know what I should say. Thrawn always talks first…"
"I am sure you'll find the right words to say," Thrina patted his head then she stood up. "Admiral Ar'alani and I are needed elsewhere. Contact me when you need help, alright?"
"Okay, thanks, Aunt Thrina," Eli gave a small smile.
As soon as the door closed after the two left, Eli released a sigh and looked down at his data-pad again.
What would he say? How would Thrawn react to him calling? Would Thrawn be in the middle of battle while he called? What if he's in the battle field, and he dies because of trying to answer his call?!
Eli shuddered at the thoughts. Okay, maybe he was overthinking things, but the scenes were still possible, right?
He took another deep breath and turned on his data-pad. He went through his contacts and paused the moment he saw his husband's picture, his finger hovering over the 'call' button.
"It's now or never."
He swallowed the nervousness off his throat and pressed the button.
X
Agent Kallus wasn't exactly surprised when he was called to Pryce's Office, but he surely was nervous. He knew that the woman had been suspicious of him the moment he went to the Chimera two weeks ago to move his Fulcrum post, and he also knew that she was beginning to suspect something with Thrawn.
'Calm yourself, Alexsandr…' he told himself as he faced the door of Governor Pryce's Office. 'Breathe in… breathe out…'
He took a deep breath and let out a shaky one before entering the office.
"Ah, Agent Kallus," Pryce turned around to face the man as soon as the door slid behind him. "You're finally here. I have an assignment for you,"
"And what is it about, Governor?" Kallus asked, stepping forward to meet her gaze.
"Grand Admiral Thrawn has been acting quite suspicious and had been hiding something in his Star Destroyer," she spat out venomously. "Grand Moff Tarkin had told me that these kind of matters are suitable for those with ISB Training and had advised me to assign you to do an investigation,"
"How soon should I leave?" Kallus was internally panicking now, but he needed to keep his composure. He needed to warn Thrawn and Ezra about this immediately.
"The sooner, the better," Pryce replied solemnly. "You will be accompanied by three stormtroopers, and there is already a shuttle waiting for you. You are to return by the end of the day. Understood?"
"Understood, Governor Pryce," Kallus gave a bow then he turned and left.
As soon as he was far from the office and near the hanger, he let out the sigh he had been holding in while a shiver had crawled down his spine.
In his mind, he was already formulating plans to warn Thrawn about Pryce's suspicions and ditch the three stormtroopers, so they couldn't hear them. He could leave one of them in front of the shuttle to guard and leave the rest of them at the door Thrawn's office, but if Pryce had sent them, it would mean that they would do anything to know what's going on.
He shuddered at the thought of what might happen if Pryce found out that Ezra was in the Chimera and was hiding in Thrawn's office. She'd have all of them executed without hesitation.
He needed to find a way to warn Thrawn and Ezra and get rid of the troopers. He just needed to. For their sake.
X
"Hey, Dad,"
"Hmm?" Thrawn looked up from his work to see Ezra on the floor, playing with the dolls (the ones that looked like his parents) and Neko (his Loth-Cat toy).
"Have you… told Mom about me?"
Thrawn felt his heart stop while his body froze at the question. He knew Ezra was going to ask that question, and honestly, he didn't know how to answer it. He had thought of how Eli would react to their son being alive and had planned to tell his husband after tucking Ezra in to sleep every night, but for some reason, he couldn't.
There was that… fear and nervousness that got in his way. There were only two things that could happen; either Eli wouldn't believe him and would accuse him for lying to him, or he would believe him and would be so excited that he will rush out of Csilla and travel to Lothal with no hesitation.
"Dad…?"
Ezra's voice cut through his thoughts, causing him to turn back to the boy, who was now kneeling and holding onto his desk as he looked up at his father.
"Dad, you okay?"
"I… I am well, Ezra, yes," Thrawn cleared his throat and looked away.
"Are you sure?" Ezra didn't look convinced by the Chiss's answer. "You don't look okay,"
"I am. It is just…" Thrawn bit his bottom lip, hesitating before he gave a sigh. "No, Ezra. I have not spoken to Eli about you yet,"
"Why not?" Ezra frowned. He didn't understand why his father would keep the news about him being alive a secret from his mother. He thought Thrawn cared for Eli's mental health. Wouldn't the news about him spruce up his mother's health?
"Ezra…" Thrawn shook his head. "your mother is as emotional and as untrusting as you are. I am afraid that the news about you will either make him so happy that he will get himself in danger traveling here, or he will not believe me at all, and his trust in me will falter,"
"…oh," Ezra slowly nodded, understanding dawning upon him as he moved away and returned to sit on the floor near the wall.
"But I do want to tell him," Thrawn quickly added after seeing the sadness in his son's eyes. "I just fear his reaction. When he acts out of emotion, Eli tends to be… quite reckless,"
"Well, we are related," Ezra chuckled, his eyes glancing down at the human doll in one of his hands. "I just… I just wish I could meet him…"
As if on cue, a blinking light from Thrawn's data-pad lit up. Thrawn saw this and picked up his pad to check who was calling. His eyes widened in shock to see who it was.
'Eli…'
"Dad, who is it?" Ezra heard the call and looked up at the Chiss with curiosity.
"It's… It's Eli…" Thrawn let out a shaky breath. "Your mother…"
X
"Governor Pryce, ma'm,"
"Ah, good, the newly-promoted junior stormtroopers," Pryce let a wicked smile stretch across her face as the three entered her office. "I have mission for you all. Which one of you is Leonis?"
"Right here, Ma'm," Zare Leonis, the trooper in front with a yellow marking on his helmet, took a step forward with a salute.
"I am putting you in charge of your fellow troopers and make sure to keep an eye on Agent Kallus on your way to the Chimera," Pryce's eyes gleamed with mischief. "And do what you can to know what Grand Admiral Thrawn is hiding in his office. You have my permission for YOU to enter the office with Agent Kallus. He is forbidden to restrict you from entering. Is that understood?"
"Loud and clear, Governor Pryce, Ma'm," Zare gave a nod with another salute.
"Good. Now go. Agent Kallus is waiting for you all in the hanger,"
"Yes, Governor Pryce, Ma'm," the three simultaneously spoke with a bow.
"Excellent…" Pryce smirked in satisfaction as the troopers turned to leave.
As soon as they were out of this office and heading to the lift, the trooper behind Leonis with a green marking on his helmet gave their 'leader' a punch in the arm.
"Hey!" Leonis stopped in his tracks and turned to glare. "Oleg, stop that!"
"Just because you're in charge of us, doesn't mean you can boss us around, Leonis." Nahzros Oleg hissed.
"Actually, he DOES have that right," the other trooper commented.
"SHUT THE KRIFF UP, ROOKIE." Oleg growled, causing the other trooper to tense up and back up against Leonis.
"Oleg, language," Zare rolled his eyes at the older boy. "And please, can we NOT have a fight today? All you've been doing is fight me since our graduation…"
"I have my rights!" Oleg argued.
"Your 'rights' don't include arguing with the head junior stormtrooper," Zare pointed out as he stepped into the lift. "But if you don't want to follow me in this mission then I can go by myself,"
"I'm with you, head junior stormtrooper Leonis," the other trooper saluted before entering to stand behind him.
"Oleg, you coming in, ready to obey whatever I order you to do, or do you want to stay here and guard a room or two because you're too much of a chicken to follow orders?" Zare challenged the last trooper with a smirk.
"Is that a challenge, Leonis?!" Oleg snarled, stomping towards the other with a glare from inside his helmet. "Because you know how I will NEVER back down from your damn ass challenges!"
'Thank the galaxies for that.' Zare snickered in his helmet as the door of the lift slid shut.
X
"It's… Mommy?" Ezra stood up, gripping the dolls in his hands as he looked over at the data-pad.
Indeed, the picture of the brown-haired human showed in the screen. Thrawn looked as if he had seen a ghost as he stroked his fingers over his hair in attempt to fix it up.
"This is strange…" he muttered, even if Ezra could hear him. "He never calls first… He always waits for me to call… what if there is something wrong back in Csilla…? No, no, that cannot be… can it? Or maybe it is because I have not contacted him in a long while now…"
The boy looked down at his father with pity and worry, sensing his anxiety, nervousness and fear through their bond in the Force. He set a hand on his shoulder, causing the Chiss to look up at him.
"Dad, are you okay?"
"Barely…" Thrawn sighed as he broke eye contact with his son. "It is just… I have not contacted your mother since I have been assigned to Lothal to aid Pryce. I never got the free time until after the occupation in Ryloth, and even then, I have been spending my free time on you than Eli, so I am quite… afraid of how he'll talk to me after all these weeks,"
"Maybe… you should finally tell Mom the truth," Ezra gave him a gentle smile. "And I'll be here… as your proof,"
"Even with you as my proof, his emotions of happiness will result to a reckless action," Thrawn shook his head.
"Well, it's still better than ignoring his call now," Ezra shrugged. "He might worry more, and his worry might be another good reason come here,"
Thrawn pauses to think for a moment, looking down at the blinking call before he nodded in understanding. If he knew Eli well then he knew acting out of emotion was definitely something he was the best at, and it definitely didn't have equally-great results.
"You're right," he sighed and hovered a finger over his data-pad. "It IS time to tell him,"
He took a deep, shaky breath then he pressed the button to answer. The screen changed switched from a grey screen to a bright blue room with a brown haired man at the end of the call who looked just as nervous as Thrawn. Ezra took a step back, a hand on his mouth as he let out a silent gasp.
'M-Mom…?'
"Thrawn! Finally!" the man's voice was mixed with joy, worry and relieved.
"Hello, Eli," Thrawn tried to act as casual and as calm as he usually does. "My apologies for not calling, my love. I have been quite… busy here in Lothal. Pryce does not give much free time, so I cannot find the right time to contact you,"
"A text or a call 'goodnight' would have been fine." Eli growled, his emotions switching up rage in seconds as he glared over at the Chiss. "HOW CAN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT WITHOUT EVEN CONTACTING ME?! EXPLAIN, THRAWN!"
Ezra's surprise turned into amusement as he choked his laughter and watched as his father stutter for a reply.
He had to admit, the other man sounded worse than Hera when she got mad at him, Zeb or Kanan. Enraged or furious would be the right word for it. He can sense it radiating off his mother, even if he was far away from him.
"E-Eli, calm yourself, please," Thrawn soothes his husband as much as he could, but deep inside, he knew he was in trouble. "I intended to call you every night, believe me, but my attention had been redirected… elsewhere,"
"And what could be more important than reassuring me of your safety?!" Eli scowled. "I've been waiting for WEEKS, and I'm already imagining scenes of your death!"
"Eli, please," Thrawn sighed. "Calm yourself and hear me out,"
A couple of grumbles and curses were heard on the other side of the call, making Ezra place his hands on his ears. Thrawn had done it to him plenty of times whenever Hera, Kanan or Rex swore through the Fulcrum Transmissions, and that's when Ezra learned that his father wasn't a fan of letting his 'innocent ears' hear curses.
"Fine." Eli finally sighed, his voice calmer and free from rage. "What is it?"
"When I had volunteered to help with an occupation in Ryloth, I had apprehended the Lothal Rebels and their captain, Hera Syndulla," Thrawn began. "The Rebels escaped, yet I managed to capture and contain the youngest of them, a teenage boy. While interrogating the boy, I had learned something about… Mira Wren and her family,"
The name itself turned Eli's mood more sour than it already was. "What… about her and her… krayt spit of a family?"
A glance from Thrawn made Ezra cover his ears again at the cuss. On the bright side, Ezra was learning new curse words, but he knew that using them would lead to an angry Chiss.
"Her husband is Ephraim Bridger, a Jedi of the Republic," Thrawn went on. "And they had hidden all the gifts we had given to our son in the blue and golden chest we gave them years ago,"
Eli flinched at the reminder of their son and his 'death'. The tears came on it's own, causing him to cover his tearful face with his hands.
Thrawn frowned at this. "Eli… please, calm yourself… you know that it aches me to see you cry like this…"
"Thrawn… our son…" Eli sniffled his tears, trying to wipe the flow of tears rolling down his cheeks. "I… I miss him so much… I… I want to SEE him… and EMBRACE him s-so badly… b-but… I… I know I can't…"
"Do not be so sure, love," Thrawn gave a small smile.
"Wh-What?" Eli's eyebrows furrowed at his husband.
Thrawn turned to Ezra and motioned him towards the screen. Ezra took a deep breath and went over, so his image could be seen. Eli's eyes widened as his chocolate brown eyes met the boy's reddish-brown ones.
Familiar reddish-brown eyes…
"Eli," Thrawn spoke up. "meet Ezra, our son,"
X
Kallus held his breath the moment he saw the three stormtroopers enter the hand her and approach him. They were junior troopers, sure, but if they were good enough to graduate from senior cadet to junior stormtroopers in less than a year then they should not be underestimated.
"Agent Kallus, Sir," the troopers stopped in front of him with a salute.
"Troopers," Kallus nodded in acknowledgment then he turned and entered the shuttle.
One of the troopers manned the steering wheel while the other two stood by Kallus's side. The shuttle's ramp shut before it slowly hovered up from the planet's surface and into it's sky. It went up into orbit and headed straight for the Chimera. As it did, Oleg took a seat beside his piloting comrade, leaving Zare with Kallus.
Zare was doing his hardest not to quiver as he stood beside the agent.
He had recalled his first direct encounter with the ISB agent. It had been when he had first met Dev Morgan, whom he later learned as Ezra Bridger. He had distracted Kallus, so Ezra could get the data he needed. In return, the blunette was constantly updating him with information about his sister Dhara Leonis. Even if he hadn't found her yet, he was thankful that he had the some help from Ezra and the Ghost Crew to get some clues about where she might be. Kallus didn't recognize him, thankfully, but that didn't mean he should lower his guard.
Kallus, on the other hand, was trying not to squirm himself.
There were three stormtroopers too many in the shuttle, and that's when he realized that he was playing the game Pryce was setting up, and she was using these junior troopers as her pawns.
'That woman is sacrificing three CHILDREN just to prove her point and have me and Thrawn both executed…'
Kallus internally hissed at the thought.
If Thrawn were to find out, he'd have the troopers interrogated then (possibly) executed. Kallus would have to come up with an excuse to NOT execute them, something that he would need to take note of later on.
X
"Our… Our son…?" Eli's voice had trailed off into an oblivion of inner thoughts and questions.
Ezra held his breath at the tone of his mother's voice. It was the sound of disbelief and shock mixed together. He knew that the man didn't believe (or even want to believe) that he was alive.
Thrawn also held his breath, awaiting for his husband's next reaction. It was either good and happy or bad and angry. Either way, it was hard to handle any of his actions that always came with his emotions.
Time seemed frozen as neither of the three moved nor did they speak. Even the data-pad's screen seemed frozen (even if it was active) with Eli's bewildered face on the screen.
Finally, there was a sigh, and Eli's wide eyes retracted.
"Thrawn… I…" he swallowed the lump of fear and guilt his throat as he hugged himself. "How are you sure…?"
"Eli…" Thrawn frowned, knowing that his husband was getting emotional again, but before he could say anything, Ezra came closer to the screen.
"Mom…" he spoke with a tone that was so desperate that it broke Eli's heart. "I… I know that it hurts to know if I… if I'm alive since my… my…" The words couldn't get out right, so he let out a sigh and took out the dolls with a small smile. "I really love these, Mom. They reminded me of you and Dad. And I… *Ch'ah ch'acah vah, ticsen'i,"
Eli's eyes widened once more as he stared at the boy in surprise. Those eyes… That hair… The spoken language… it all came together like a forgotten puzzle. His heart melted, and realization dawned upon him, feeling his maternal instincts return as he let a smile escape him. He reached out a hand on the screen, a tear threatening to roll down his cheek.
"Ch'ah ch'acah vah too, ch'eo en'tisan'sasi'at vn'ini,"
Ezra was going to break down all over again, the tears pricking the edge of his eyes as he reached out his own hand on the screen.
After so, SO long, he finally got to meet his mother, his REAL mother, the one who had been caring for him, even from far away. Sure, Hera was like a mother to him during his life with the Ghost Crew, but this was different. It FELT different. He felt so happy that he was balling his eyes out.
Thrawn smiled as he watched the two reunite. He felt so happy that both his husband and their son had seen each other.
Their family was complete. All they needed now was to get out of Imperial Space for a proper reunion.
(A/N
*Ch'ah ch'acah vah, ticsen'i - I love you, mother
*Ch'ah ch'acah vah too, ch'eo en'tisan'sasi'at vn'ini - I love you too, my baby boy)
X
The Imperial shuttle entered the lower hanger of the Chimera, and it landed on the surface with a thud. The ramp opened up, and Kallus exited with the troopers right behind him.
"You trooper," He pointed to the one at the wheel. "stay here and guard the shuttle. You two," He motioned to the other stormtroopers. "come with me to Grand Admiral Thrawn's office,"
"Yes, Sir," Zare and Oleg nodded with a salute then they followed the agent out of the hanger and into the halls of the Chimera.
The new environment made Zare tense and uncomfortable, but he managed to keep a straight face on as he held tightly to his blaster. Oleg noticed this and snickered in his helmet.
"This place too creepy for ya, Leonis?" the older boy whispered/mocked.
"Not THAT creepy for me, Oleg." Zare hissed. "Now hush."
Oleg rolled his eyes before continuing to walk in silence. The agent soon stopped in front of an office door with a trooper guarding it, prompting the two to stop behind him.
"Troopers, stay here," Kallus ordered as he handed over his cylinder pass to the guarding stormtrooper.
"Actually, Sir," Zare spoke up. "Governor Pryce had given me permission to enter Grand Admiral Thrawn's office to assist you, and she insists that I enter along with you, Agent Kallus, Sir,"
"Of course she does…" Kallus grumbled under his breath, letting out a low, angry growl. "Understood, trooper, but you will stay outside of the main office,"
"Understood, Sir," Zare was now curious of what was going on.
'What are Agent Kallus and Grand Admiral Thrawn plotting in there…?'
Kallus cursed under his breath. He needed to lose this trooper soon, or else Pryce was going to find out their treachery.
The door slid open, and the agent entered with the trooper. Zare overheard a scowl from Oleg, but he ignored it and followed behind his superior. After the door closed behind them, they walked a couple of steps forward before Kallus held a hand out to stop him in his tracks.
"Wait here." He sternly commanded.
"Yes, Sir," Zare nodded then he watched as the door opened to let in Kallus, but as soon as the door slid shut again, he went near the wall and removed his helmet then he pressed his ear against the metal to listen.
It wasn't Governor Pryce's orders that was making him eavesdrop. Part of it was his curiosity, and another part of it was his promise.
If the Governor was suspicious of Agent Kallus and Grand Admiral Thrawn, and if the two were up to something then Zare might have found two more Rebel Spies or possible-Rebels in the Empire. He had sworn to Ezra that he would help any endangered Rebel in the Empire, and he intended to keep that promise.
X
"…and then Zeb's confession was SO poetic that it was SUPER sweet and unusual and…"
Thrawn watched as Ezra went on and on and on, telling his mother everything that had happened in his life. The boy had started from his terrible childhood with Mira and Ephraim and on the streets, which made Eli so mad that Thrawn had to calm him down. After the man had calmed down, Ezra continued, starting with his life with the Ghost Crew.
"AW! I wish I was there to see it!" Eli giggled through the screen. "And when Thrawn met this Zeb guy, I bet he became an overprotective ass—"
"Eli. Language." Thrawn hissed, pressing his hands quickly yet briefly on Ezra's ears.
Eli blinked at his husband's words before bursting out in laughter. "Oh, Thrawn. Ezra is almost 16,"
"Yes, and you had revealed many cuss words to me when you were 18," Thrawn spoke with a stern expression. "an age that you had stated marks the manhood of a male. Until this debut, I prevent him from hearing any curse words from anyone, even from myself,"
"Alright, alright, sweetheart, whatever you say," Eli chuckled, crossing his arms with a smirk then he turned back to the blunette. "But be honest, Thrawn gave Zeb 'the talk', didn't he?"
"Yeah, he did," Ezra sighed, sending his father a dark glare. "He sent me to bed then he gave Zeb 'the talk'. I knew it since the next day, Zeb was too shaken up to talk, and when Dad came into the room, Zeb looked like he'd seen a ghost,"
"My father, your grandfather, Ezra, had done the same thing, and Thrawn looked like he was going to have nightmares for weeks!" Eli recalled with a laugh. "But if you're going to ask for my opinion, I just want to meet this Zeb, so I can make sure he's right enough for ya,"
"Eli, you cannot travel here to Lothal. It is too risky." Thrawn opposed to the idea.
"Dad's right, Mom," Ezra nodded in agreement. "Security's gone pretty tight in Lothal, and Governor Pryce doesn't have the nicest welcome committee…"
"Pryce never had the 'welcome' aura around her, anyway," Eli cackled before his smile faltered. "But what are YOU going to do, Ezra? If Pryce or Tarkin were ever to find out that you were hiding in there…"
"They won't, as long as I keep Ezra hidden in the room behind the training room and keep Pryce off-track," Thrawn reassured his husband. "For the moment, we are safe from Pryce and her vile ways,"
"Not so safe, I'm afraid,"
Thrawn and Ezra nearly jumped at the voice as they both turned to see the door slide open to reveal Kallus. He entered quickly and locked the door behind him, a worried expression on his face as he went towards them.
"Kallus?" Ezra peeled away from the screen and went towards the agent. "What's going on—"
"Shh!" Kallus immediately shushed them, motioning them to lower their voices. "Not so loud. There is a trooper at the door, sent by Governor Pryce, and these walls are not built to hold in sound,"
Thrawn held his breath. He turned back to his data-pad to see Eli frozen with fear.
"Let me call you back, my love. I have things to sort out," the Chiss spoke then he dismissed the call and turned to the agent. "We need to be rid of that trooper,"
"It is rather difficult," Kallus hissed. "He is merely a junior trooper, and as a young man, he will fight and resist interrogation,"
"What are we going to do?" Ezra's eyebrows furrowed, turning to his father as he questioned in a whisper.
Thrawn stared at the worry and fear in his son's eyes. He let out a sigh and set his data-pad down.
"Bring him in." He spoke, solemnly and stern. "As a junior trooper, he will listen to a person more superior than his superior, no matter what the consequences are,"
"Let us hope so," Kallus swallowed then he turned and began to walk out.
"Dad," Ezra looked up at the Chiss with a frown.
"We will get rid of this problem, do not worry," Thrawn reassured him, a hand on his shoulder.
X
He knew that voice ANYWHERE. It was EZRA'S voice.
Zare felt a chill run down his spine at the fear that suddenly came. Why was Ezra here? How did he get here? What were they doing planning to do to him? The fear and worry bubbling in his guts began to mix, and it was making him tremble.
Oh, how he wished Kallus didn't tell them to tone down. He could barely make out what any of them were speaking anymore, and it was making him anxious.
It took a couple of minutes until he heard footsteps moving towards him. He began to panic and place his helmet back on then he stood stiff, gripping tightly to his blaster just in time to see the door slide open.
Kallus exited the office and turned to him, making eye contact. Zare felt like he could shudder at how… threatening the agent's eyes were as they stared down at him, but he managed to keep his composure.
"Trooper, Grand Admiral Thrawn requests of you," Kallus spoke, biting down a hiss of uneasiness. "And I recommend that you do WHATEVER he tells you to do. For your life's sake."
"Understood, Sir," Zare had to tell his fast-beating heart to slow down as he bowed his head.
"Good." Kallus went behind the trooper and pushed him forward.
Zare almost walked off-balance because the surprising push, but he kept his posture steady to balance himself before proceeding to walk forward. The door slid open, and the sight of what, or WHO, was inside prompted him to stop in his tracks.
'Ezra…'
"Trooper." Thrawn had removed his hand from Ezra's shoulder and had stepped forward to face him, snapping him from shock and replacing it with fear. "State your business here."
Zare unconsciously tightened his grip on his blaster. Before he could answer, however, he caught a glance of Ezra but noticed something… different.
Ezra's eyes were one of the first that caught his attention. The younger boy's sapphire blue eyes had been replaced with reddish-brown ones; red in the light, brown in the darkness. Another that caught his attention is Ezra's hair, which was now a lighter shade of blue and was a perfect contrast to the dim room. It was strange to see his friend looking so different, yet for some reason, it seemed to fit Ezra well, better than how he previously looked.
"Trooper." The Grand Admiral's voice brought him back to reality, causing him to turn back to the Chiss. "Answer my question."
"O-Oh, right," Zare cleared his throat, thankful that his new helmet could disguise his voice. "I… I was tasked to keep an eye on Agent Kallus and find out what you are hiding in the Chimera, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Sir,"
"By Governor Pryce, I assume?" Thrawn was now studying the trooper, and so was Ezra. There was something about the trooper that felt… familiar…
"Yes, Sir." Zare stiffened when he felt Kallus move to stand behind him. He was cornered.
"I see…" Thrawn narrowed his eyes at the trooper.
Ezra did the same, looking at the older boy up and down for some kind of weak point. He looked back up and noticed the familiarity of his helmet. The yellow tinted on the white color was starting to trigger a memory in him, as if he had seen him before…
Suddenly, an idea came to him. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, raising his hand in front of the trooper before waving it.
Zare noticed this and was confused until he felt a vibrating tingle echoing in his ears and mind. He remembered Ezra doing this before to get the data disk from Kallus's desk.
'Damn Jedi thing…'
"You will drop your weapon and remove your helmet." Ezra commanded.
With that, Zare felt his mind go blank and his body go numb. He couldn't stop his next actions as he dropped his blaster and removed his helmet.
Ezra was dumbfounded the moment he saw who was underneath the bucket head. His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened, his concentration breaking as he took a step back.
"Zare…?!"
With the mind control broken, Zare found his mind again. He let out a gasp, a hand on his head as he blinked his eyes repeatedly in surprise.
"What. Was. THAT?!" He cried out.
"Sorry, Sorry!" Ezra's shock turned into guilt when he realized the mind control's unpleasant aftermath. "I just… your Force Signature felt so familiar that I thought… but I didn't have prove so—"
"Force Signature?" Thrawn raised an eyebrow on his child's claim. "Are you saying that he is force-sensitive, Ezra?"
"Well… no, not really…" Ezra sighed and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "You see… we all have those signatures, but Force-Sensitive people have a… stronger signature compared to others. But that's not the problem now, is it?"
"No, I suppose it is not," Thrawn nodded in understanding. "I assume that you know this boy?"
"Met him when I went undercover as a cadet," Ezra grinned at the memory.
"Yeah, last year when you disguised yourself as Dev Morgan," Zare smiled, his shock leaving and being replaced with relief. "I see that you haven't changed much,"
"And I see that YOU have been promoted yet again," Ezra chuckled.
"Not just me, and I'm not just talking about the promotion," Zare frowned as he set down his helmet beside his blaster and crossed his arms. "What's going on, Ezra? And what are you doing here?"
Ezra held his breath, briefly glancing at Thrawn then at Kallus before looking back at his old friend. He let out a sigh.
"Zare, I'm here because… Thrawn is my father. My biological and real father,"
Zare's eyes widened so much that they looked like they were going to pop out of his face. He repeatedly glanced at the grand admiral and the blunette as the similarities of their appearance suddenly clicked into place.
"…oh," Zare felt his breath leave him at the realization that dumped over him like an ocean's tide. "Wow… I… now that I look it that way… I… I guess you two do look similar…"
"Yeah…" Ezra rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"So… that's why Governor Pryce was so suspicious of Grand Admiral Thrawn, but what does it have to do with Agent Kallus?"
"Oh, he's the Rebel Spy Fulcrum," Ezra shrugged. He's gotten used to that fact that he barely paid attention to it.
"Another Rebel Spy, Huh?" Zare raises an eyebrow at the agent. "That feels unbelievable, especially at the fact that I helped you steal a data disk behind his back the last time we met,"
"Wait, what?!" Kallus stared at the two in shock.
"Yeah, good times," Ezra snickered then be turned to his father, whom he knew was patiently waiting for an explanation and a proper introduction. "Dad, this is Zare, Zare Leonis. He went to the academy to actually find his sister Dhara, so it was easy to recruit him when he caught me trying to steal the data disk,"
"Another Rebel Spy, then?" Thrawn questioned.
"Something like that, Grand Admiral, Sir," Zare nodded then he turned back to the blunette. "Ezra, you might want to be careful. Someone at the academy that REALLY hates you is right outside the office door,"
"Who? Oleg?" Ezra frowned. "I thought he was killed at the Lothal Post Office…"
"Wait, you knew what happened to him at the post office?" Zare gave a look of bewilderment. "Troopers found him tied to a tree without a uniform or a helmet, and with blood and wounds all over…"
"I tied him up. My comrade Zeb did the beating," Ezra cackled.
"Meh, maybe he really should have died. He's a pain," Zare hissed. "At least I've ranked up to be a few points superior than him, or he'd be the one in my place,"
"That's luck, alright," Ezra beamed.
"Not that much luck because Governor Pryce is still on to Agent Kallus and Grand Admiral Thrawn," Zare shuddered. "And I need to make up a fake report since she's expecting me to have news by the end of the day,"
"Not to mention, Grand Moff Tarkin seemed to be hearing out her suspicions," Kallus added with a flinch.
"Yeah… you three really need a plan to escape if you're going to survive, Ezra," Zare gulped.
"Well, if you put it that way…" Ezra bit his bottom and turned to his father. "Do we have any plan, Dad?"
"I am formulating Plan A at the moment, but just in case, we would need to formulate a Plan B, as much as a Plan C and a Plan D," Thrawn replied, turning away with a hand on his chin as his mind went into the air.
"I can distract Governor Pryce, but I don't know for how long," Zare spike up.
"It might be risky, Zare," Ezra's eyebrows furrowed. "What if she gets suspicious of you too?"
"I'm surprised she isn't already, judging by how many times I was caught looking through data disks to find my sister," Zare gave a shrug.
"Still… we need an escape plan for you too, just in case," Ezra insisted.
"I agree," Thrawn nodded before turning back to them. "It is quite difficult the next actions of that vile woman. It is better to be safe than sorry,"
"But… I still need to find my sister," Zare frowned.
"We will get more information about Dhara Leonis before we leave," Kallus reassured him. "Lothal's security is getting too tight for any of us to escape separately,"
"I… I guess," Zare sighed in defeat, though he was internally grateful that he wasn't the only one undercover.
"That settles it then," Ezra smiled.
"Not quite," Thrawn shook his head. "The plan for escape is as risky as staying for too long. We need right timing. I will have to discuss the matters will Captain Syndulla and Commander Tano,"
"And I will help you prepare the report you need for Pryce, Leonis," Kallus placed a hand on Zare's shoulder. "I myself need a report,"
"Right," Zare nearly forgotten about the report, and now that he remembered it, his panic spiked up.
"Good luck, Zare," Ezra gave the older boy a grin.
"Yeah, I need luck," Zare nervously chuckled as he picked up his helmet and placed it on before grabbing his blaster then he and Kallus turned to leave.
Thrawn watched the two exit then as soon as the door slid shut, he went over to the Kallus's device for Fulcrum transmissions and turned it on. Ezra, on the other hand, picked up his father's data-pad to call his mother to update him about the situation.
X
"Has Agent Kallus's shuttle returned yet?" Pryce questioned one of the stormtroopers at the hanger.
"Not yet, Ma'm," the trooper shook his head.
"Has there been any word from the shuttle or from the Chimera?"
"No, Ma'm. Should I contact their shuttle?"
"No." Pryce snapped, cursing under her breath. "Wait for them here, and contact me when they arrive."
"Yes, Ma'm," the trooper bowed in reply as Pryce turned tail and left the hanger.
She entered the halls and went up the lift, internally brooding.
Honestly, she had expected word from the trooper she had assigned. Aresko and Grint had spoken highly of Leonis before their execution. Apparently, he had fended the academy off of the Rebel Insurgents after the betrayal of two of his fellow cadets, who had run off with the Lothal Rebel Cells. Even the Inquisitor had interrogated Leonis about his traitorous comrades. As a trusted cadet of the academy, Pryce had expected the boy to comply with her demands.
But then again, she had given him until the end of day, and it was still in the middle of the afternoon. Her impatience was irritating her.
She soon reached her floor and had exited the lift. She went straight to her office and locked the door to give herself privacy then she turned to her window and rubbed her nose ridge.
That… treacherous grand admiral and that…annoying ISB agent was going to be the end of her, or at least be the cause of anxiety and paranoia until she had found proof of their unfaithfulness to the Empire and expose them to Tarkin and their Emperor. She needed a way to outsmart them (Thrawn, more specifically), and she needed to do it quick.
Suddenly, there was a blinking light on her desk, and she looked over in horror to see
Tarkin calling her. She swallowed the fear and answered it, the holographic image of her superior appearing before her.
"Governor Pryce," Tarkin looked at her from head to toe, seeing the stress and irritation in her eyes. "I take it that the investigation is not going as planned?"
"Not entirely," Pryce sighed. "I sent Agent Kallus to the Chimera to investigate. I sent three troopers to keep an eye on him, but up to now, I have gotten no word of the shuttle or any of the troopers,"
"Patience, Governor Pryce." Tarkin sternly told her. "I myself am not a man of patience, but if you would like the investigation to proceed with no trouble then you must have patience. If your suspicions are correct then Grand Admiral Thrawn would be playing games with you. Games that you must learn to outsmart,"
"Of course, Grand Moff Tarkin," Pryce had to admit, the elder had a point.
Thrawn was always 10 steps ahead of her, so she needed to be better, smarter, and more tactical. Before he escaped because of his intelligence.
X
"Captain Syndulla, Grand Admiral Thrawn is requesting your presence,"
"I'll be there shortly, Ahsoka," Hera spoke through the comm.
"No, no. Rex and I will be at the Ghost shortly. Better for the discussion to be opened to the rest of your crew, as well,"
Hera sighed with a nod. "Alright. We'll see you soon,"
The comm went off, and the Twi'lek laid back on her seat. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she tried to ease her mind.
Three weeks. Ezra had been with Thrawn for THREE WEEKS. Hera knew she shouldn't worry. Thrawn was his father, after all. She knew that the Chiss wouldn't imagine hurting Ezra, but… it wasn't the grand admiral that stressed her mind up, and it wasn't Kallus either. The agent had proven himself to be trustworthy. Both of him and Thrawn have, so they aren't the source of her worries.
It was Pryce.
Thrawn had distracted the vile woman, and Kallus was helping, but Hera knew that Pryce wasn't going to give up that easily. The governor was smarter than she looked (not as smart and wise as Thrawn, but still). She was also quite determined and quite trusted by Tarkin, so Hera knew that it wasn't going to be long until Ezra gets discovered in the Chimera.
"I hope Thrawn's calling, so Ezra could escape…" she muttered under her breath before standing up to leave the cockpit.
She reached the common room and sat down on the chair then she took out her comm.
"Zeb, Sabine, meet me in the common room. Ahsoka and Rex are about to come with a transmission from Kallus,"
"On our way, Hera," Zeb's voice echoed through the comm.
"What about Kanan?" Sabine questioned.
"I'll fill him in later." Hera scowled. "I swore it last time that if he and Rex were to argue again, I'd make them get along, and I've got a pair of Force-inhibitor cuffs right now that I'm not afraid to use,"
"Are you talking about them bickering last week when Thrawn was trying to tell us something about his husband not knowing that Ezra's alive?" Sabine wondered.
"Heh, that was fun," Zeb chuckled. "Has to smack their heads just for them to shut their mouths up,"
"Not so fun if YOU were interrupted by their blabbering mouths," Hera shook her head.
"Kanan's in his room, last time I checked," Sabine pointed out.
"Keep him in there. Once Rex gets here, I'll drag him Kanan's room, and their punishment will begin,"
"How long do you plan to keep them in there?" Zeb asked.
"For about… the whole day," Hera shrugged.
"THE WHOLE DAY?!" Both Zeb and Sabine were taken back. They knew that the Twi'lek was a disciplinarian, but they didn't think she'd go THAT far.
"Yes, the whole day," Hera grinned at their reaction. "For now, lets just wait for Ahsoka and Rex. Common room, NOW."
An interesting discussion this was going to be.
X
"Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus's shuttle is approaching,"
"Understood, Trooper," Pryce nodded before she shut off her comm then she headed out of her office and into the lift.
She went down to the lower hanger and saw the shuttle as it lowered down on the surface to land. She stood in front of it as it successfully made a landing. The ramp opened, and Kallus came out with the three troopers behind him.
"Agent Kallus," Pryce gave him a stern yet acknowledging look.
"Governor Pryce," Kallus returned the look, but it was a little more reserved than the woman's.
"Anything interesting found at the Chimera?"
"No, everything was in order,"
Of course, Pryce expected that. She had to bite down a scowl as she held her head high.
"I see. That is all I need to know. You are dismissed, Agent Kallus,"
Kallus nodded and took his leave, passing the woman without sparing her a glance as he headed to the building.
Zare watched him leave, and panic rose up to his throat the moment he saw Pryce walking towards him. He took a deep breath and kept his posture, his grip on his blaster tightening.
"Leonis, follow me to my office for the report." she commanded then she turned to leave.
"Of course, Ma'm," Zare nodded before following after her.
Oleg angrily watched as the 'superior' Trooper left. He scowled and glared daggers at his back.
From the moment Leonis had stepped out of the office with Agent Kallus, Oleg knew something was amiss. The agent seemed to be helping him with the report he needed, which was something that set off a red flag. Oleg knew that their mission was to keep an eye on the agent. Why was he helping Leonis then?
Something was afoot, and Oleg was going to get to the bottom of it.
X
A/N I am honestly out of off-script ideas, like Rex and Kanan being locked in Kanan's room later on (For some reason, there's a part of me that's telling me to ship them…). Welp, see ya next chap!