Chapter 11: Ceasefire (1/2)
An awkward silence followed after Parck and Stent had marched out of Thrawn's office in unison; they both remained standing behind the closed door, each of them lost in their own musings.
Parck's mind went back to the time his life path had crossed with Thrawn's for the first time in his life.
Chancellor Palpatine had proclaimed himself the Galactic Emperor, the Galactic Republic had been reorganized into the Galactic Empire, and Parck had just assumed command of the Strikefast, one of the very first models of the latest class of warships, a Victory-class Star Destroyer.
He had been a very different person back then. Arrogant. Ambitious. Like the rest of the wealthy, conservative Corulagi eating straight from Palpatine's hand, he had been convinced in the human race's superiority above all others, fully embracing the New Order.
With one exception.
Parck had wanted to beat them all, to show the rest of his uptight, conservative family that he could make it to the top, telling his father that one day he would return as a governor and then he would screw the entire House of Citizens, the governing body of Corulag.
Parck hadn't needed a Jedi General to oversee his activities during the Clone Wars. Oh no. He had been so fierce that the destruction he had left in his wake equaled the damage inflicted by the Jedi sorcerers.
And he had been so looking forward to painting the walls of the House of Citizens with blood that he hadn't realized he had been a puppet of a Jedi sorcerer all along:
His Imperial Majesty, the Glorious Emperor Palpatine.
Parck shuddered.
Even after all these years, the malice in the yellowish eyes gave him nightmares.
He had lost the count of how many times he had woken up in sheer horror, with the memory of the heavily disfigured, wrinkled-old face laughing at him from the shadows.
"What about my reward, My Liege?"
"Your reward, Captain Parck?" The Emperor had laughed. A sound which had made the hair stand up on the back of Parck's neck.
"Your reward will be leaving the Throne Room in one piece… Which is more than most people in your position would get for being so daring in the first place. It seems that Mitth'raw'nuruodo isn't the only unlimited resource of confidence around. Dismissed."
So much for Parck's reward.
His cousin had been promoted to the rank of a Vice Admiral for bringing a race of alien assassins to Darth Vader's attention, and bringing the cunning blue-skinned warrior to the Emperor was supposed to be Parck's way of evening the score.
"What are you staring at, Myth'raw'etcetera?" Parck had snapped at the oh-so-proud alien who had the gall to stand tall even in the Emperor's presence, talking to Palpatine like a leader to another leader, not like a mere servant to his master.
The red-eyed fiend had averted his glowing eyes, finding a sudden interest in the Imperial Palace's tapestry.
Good.
At least the subhuman scum had realized that his life would lay in Parck's hands from now on and it wouldn't be in his best interest if he had as much as snickered at Parck's dismissal.
Parck had been tasked with finding private tutors for the alien, giving him a brief orientation run in the Imperial Navy, and then sending him off on his way. Hopefully once the cocky bastard had left Parck's ship their life paths would never cross again.
Parck shook his head, bringing himself back into the present with obvious effort. The universe had a weird sense of humor.
Just how in the blazing fires of Mustafar he was supposed to make peace with an alien whose mindset probably rivaled Parck's from back then?
[Can you operate a shuttlecraft?] The Chiss asked hesitantly in Cheunh.
"Uhhhh…" Parck spluttered, the sudden question taking him completely by surprise.
"Can you drive TIE?" The Chiss tried again, this time in Basic.
"Oh, I understood you earlier," Parck admitted, "it just totally came out of the blue. That's an expression, not a racial slur." He added, seeing the glowing eyes dangerously narrow. "If something happens out of the blue, it is completely unexpected."
[I see. How well can you understand Cheunh, then?] The Chiss tilted his head to a side, evaluating him. He had the same body language as Thrawn, they all had, but their personalities were drastically different.
"I can follow general conversation but no matter how hard I try, I end up saying different words than I intended."
[Yes. It seems to me that you are physically unable to pronounce the words themselves but Syndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo insists that it merely requires more practice.]
Parck grimaced. "I only hope it won't take years."
[It might.]
"Wonderful." Parck said sarcastically. "Hopefully I'll master it sooner than you can learn Basic grammar."
He expected Stent would come with another dry retort but to his surprise the Chiss let out a long-suffering sound. [It is a nightmarish language.]
The pale blue wonder wouldn't take it kindly if Parck pointed out that the Basic was considered the easiest language in the Galaxy, hence the name.
"You need a teacher." Parck said instead.
[So do you.] The Chiss pointed out.
A long, pregnant pause followed.
[Perhaps I could help you with Cheunh pronunciation if you taught me Basic grammar.]
It took all Parck's acting skills not to openly gape at the overly proud alien. The Chiss had got to be kidding him!
Only he wasn't.
Corulag moons, out of all stupid ideas in the universe, this one had to make it to top ten.
"I… It'd be a real honor." Parck mentally congratulated himself on recovering so quickly. He couldn't turn the pale blue wonder down, not after the Chiss had swallowed his own pride.
Still, taking him up on the offer had be one of the top three stupid ideas. The Chiss vigilante was a proverbial ticking thermal detonator and it was only a matter of time before he would blow up in Parck's face.
Stent made a series of small nods. Presumably in acknowledgment. Or gratitude.
This was getting absurd.
"Why did you ask if I could operate a shuttlecraft?"
[Because it is where my primary talents lie. I am not particularly skilled at diplomacy or negotiation. When Syndic Mitth'raw'nuruodo mentioned that he leaves it to our discretion as to how we settle the dispute, I assumed I could perhaps take you on a ride in my clawcraft. I'm sorry but I couldn't think of any other way to make myself more … approachable.]
And the award to the best human male actor goes to…
"It's been years since I needed to, but I can fly a TIE or even a Lambda shuttle on my own." Parck replied nonchalantly. It could have been worse, he supposed. The pale blue wonder could have suggested a martial arts practice session. While he could still easily pass the physical requirements for a Navy officer, Parck's build was light-years from an Army soldier.
And based on their physique, the Chiss warriors were well versed in both space and ground combat.
Stent would have wiped the floor with him.
[Then follow me.]
TO BE CONTINUED
I've always written Parck as a kind, open-minded soul. However, that doesn't exactly correspond with the typical Imperial Corulagi in Legends, such as Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel. Finally, I had the chance to write my thoughts down. I'm so proud of Myth'raw'etcetera by the way :-P
In my headcanon, Parck has changed thanks to Thrawn. And since Thrawn got stuck with Eli Vanto in Canon, it's possible Canon!Parck might become a boring villain who would eventually join the First Order (if he lives that long) :-/ What a waste...
A little review bonus:
Parck's nightmares featuring the Emperor. As usual, nothing explicit.
(setting + 20 years from now)
"Is it the Emperor again?" Stent's soft whisper into his ear released Parck from the Sith devilry.
"Yes."
"Go back to sleep," the Chiss murmured, pulling him into an embrace. "Palpatine has been dead for nearly two decades. He cannot hurt you."
"You know, compared to Pellaeon's nightmares, I gladly prefer the Emperor." Parck sighed. "He mentioned that he's been having nightmares of Grand Admiral Thrawn, reproving him in a calm but bitter voice for allowing what he'd created to slip away." (*)
The Chiss's embrace tightened.
"I'm surprised that he openly admitted to such weakness in front of a complete stranger." Stent added thoughtfully after a moment.
Parck chuckled. "Pellaeon is too old to care what others think of him anymore. So am I. We both belong to the home for elderly."
Stent tsked, an highly undignified action by the Chiss standards. "You are not that old."
"You know damn well that I am. There is no shame in admitting the truth." Parck countered.
Stent planted a soft kiss at the base of his neck. "Go back to sleep. I do not care about such superficial things as age or wrinkles."
(*) src: Hand of Thrawn Duology: Specter of the Past
Also, I think I should add that a simple look into Palpatine's eyes didn't result in life-long nightmares. In my headcanon, the evil son of a bitch used the Dark Side of the Force on him.
I've been fascinated by Palpatine's POV ever since I first read this:
"This one is constantly thinking, analyzing, strategizing. He showed no fear, but was curious, studying me in turn."
―Emperor Palpatine about Grand Admiral Thrawn [src: The Essential Guide to Alien Species]
Does he really keep a diary? But more importantly, do the entries start with "Dear Diary"?
Anyway, let's try Palpatine's POV, in the first person, naturally:
(setting - 20 years from now)
"What about my reward, My Liege?" Captain Park asked once I had assigned him with the task of giving Mitth'raw'nuruodo a brief orientation run in the Imperial Navy.
So daring!
"Your reward, Captain Parck?" I laughed, repeating the little worm's words. There was so much anger in the man; he was full of hate and self-loathing. Unfortunately, he had the Force sensitivity of a rock. What a shame. He'd have made a fine apprentice otherwise.
And he needed to be taught manners.
I looked directly into his eyes, drawing on the Dark Side of the Force. The deathly cold, invisible touch of a Sith Lord's mind should be enough to give the little worm nightmares for the rest of his life.
"Your reward will be leaving the Throne Room in one piece… Which is more than most people in your position would get for being so daring in the first place. It seems that Mitth'raw'nuruodo isn't the only unlimited resource of confidence around. Dismissed."