Fate, So Beautifully
A Star Wars Romance
Written by: Nehru_Amidala
Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman's Stardust, Downton Abbey
Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar'alani/Paelleon, Thooraki/Thurfian, Eli/Vah'nya
Author's note: Please do not nitpick with the ideas presented here. I will not change my stories to make you happy.
Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded
Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon
Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar'alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Thooraki- Hugh Bonneville, Thurfian- Elizabeth McGovern, Eli- David Tennant, Vah'nya- Stephanie Sheh
Author's note: I claim nothing, except this is probably the VERY FIRST fan fiction is Star Wars fandom history to pair Thrawn with Jaina Solo. Having read all the Legends books, I can say for certainty that everyone will be in character. Any naysayers will be fed to Moro no Kimi.
(Batman Theme- Danny Elfman)
Stave 4: The Belly of the Beast
To say that Jaina was frightened about potentially meeting the Emperor would have been quite the understatement, and she forced herself not to think about it. She had more pressing matters at hand right now. Thrawn had requested Jaina go over his notes for the meeting (he was requesting more funding for TIE Defender production out at Kuat Shipyards), and he was sparring with his battle droids. Jaina was seriously impressed with the design capabilities, these would be so wizard to pilot one of those. I wonder how they handle compared to the Falcon, she had mused to herself as she went through Thrawn's notes. He made many good points about the fighter's strong points, but his wording and phrasing for his 'sales pitch' were rigid and pedantic. Military genius he may be, but he was a political nous all these years later. Luckily for him, Jaina had grown up around politicians and diplomats her whole life, so a few edits here and there made it palatable for even the most anal-retentive Grand Moff.
Jaina had finished her work and went looking for Thrawn, she had some concerns and as he was open and honest with her, she felt certain she could ask for advice. Leaving her bedroom with her datapad in tow, she walked down the hall when she heard grunts and the sound of metal clashing. What was Thrawn doing? She rounded the corner and got her answer.
Thrawn had his tunic off and was fighting battle droids. Wait a second, he was fighting security droids? They were HK series security droids, some of the best and toughest ever designed. The fact that Thrawn was fighting two at once with only a saberstaff was impressive and his breathing was barely heavy suggested years of excellent martial training, but he had a six pack. Jaina felt herself blush, oh holy Force! He was a physical god in human form.
Being a Chiss had its advantages, and one of them was heightened senses. He could hear Jaina's light footsteps walk down the corridor, an aftereffect of years of ballet classes perhaps? There was a natural grace to her, most likely from years of training as a Jedi. He could feel those lovely hazel eyes watching him, and it was tying his heart up in knots! How easy would it be to scoop her up into his arms and make out with her in the nearest linen closet. However, as much as he wanted lavish affection upon her, they were both still new to each other and a proper courtship was the best way to go. There was still so much about each other they needed to learn.
"Override code: Rukh. Oh, Jaina! I see you edited my presentation, thank you," he told her earnestly as he washed his face and cleaned up. Slipping his tunic back on and attaching his rank plate, his red eyes gazed over Jaina's notes with a meticulous eye. She had improved upon his argument and was proud of the effort she had put in. All things considered; Miss Solo was turning into a fine Imperial officer.
Jaina was still nervous about the whole meeting and explained to Thrawn why she felt that way. He listened to her and pondering what to do. "Are you at all familiar with ysalimiri?" Jaina told him she was, why? Thrawn told her he had a pet ysalimir named Odin and showed her the tank where the furred lizard was squeaking. Jaina felt odd and off, but considering she was also a Solo, she had a better handle on the temporary loss of the Force. She asked, "Could I hold him on my lap during the meeting?" Thrawn nodded, that was the idea, and should she have to meet Emperor Palpatine at some point in the future, she would have enough experience to properly shield herself. Jaina agreed, she was perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet to protect herself to the best of her ability.
Odin squeaked as he sat on Jaina's shoulder and purred, there was something of a cat about him. The conference room was brightly lit, but not so horribly that you were blinded walking in. Jaina suspected this was because Thrawn could see into the infrared spectrum (she was right) and was sensitive to lighting levels. Taking the seat next to his, Thrawn squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile.
With a couple of minutes to spare, Thrawn opened the holoprojector and phoned in. The first form to appear was Lord Vader, no surprise there. Vader was pleased to see Jaina had settled in well and asked how she was finding herself, to which she replied she was doing well. Vader had no need of an aide for his daily tasks, he was beyond that. He was Emperor Palpatine's right hand, enforcer of the Imperial Will. The next in was General Piett, who greeted everyone in a polite manner. He was skilled, competent man who only spoke when he felt he needed to say something. Because of this, he had Vader's confidence.
The next person to phone in was Moff Gideon, and Jaina knew all about him from what she had learned from Aunt Mara and history classes over the years. He had overseen the secret cloning facilities at Mount Tantiss on Wayland. He was a dedicated Imperial, cunning and ruthless. He was an intelligent man and had a respect for Thrawn that was mutual. There were plenty of intelligent men withing the Empire who grew drunk with power and lost their pragmatism. Moff Gideon was not that sort of person. He was also sneaky and a backstabber. You rose to Moff anyway you could, and Gideon prided himself on his Darwinist view of survival.
"Grand Admiral, I see you have a new aide. Greetings, Aide Antilles," he told her. Jaina bowed her head in a reverent manner and bid him good morning. Gideon nodded, looks like Thrawn finally found a girl to settle down with. He himself could not see himself get married, he liked fighting Rebels and squashing dissent too much. It was now the Emperor put in an appearance.
His countenance did not phase Jaina, and Thrawn was a little relieved. Palpatine appeared as a kindly old man at these meetings, and as he regular wizened self at meetings of the Tarkin Initiative, of which Thrawn and Vader were members.
"I see we are all gathered this morning to discuss our next moves against the incursions made by the Rebel Alliance. Grand Admiral Thrawn! I see you have a new aide. What are you called, girl," he rasped. Jaina introduced herself, and Palpatine found her hard to read, like most Corellians. Thrawn had chosen well, and hopefully there would be a wedding down the road. With introductions under way, business began.
He wanted updates, and they were given. Moff Gideon updated those present with the continued work on blood experiments with defiant Force sensitives (Jaina almost passed out from that but was able to catch herself) and making sure the cloning tests were going smoothly with the salvaged Kaminoan technology they were using. Nala Se was doing her job well, he said. Palpatine was cackling with malicious glee at this, Vader was not thrilled.
Piett gave his report, he had a few squads track down saboteurs and moles with old fashioned grit and detective work. Piett was a firm believer in using one's brain and being practical about executing search warrants and the like. His parents had been detectives, and he knew his skills well. "We sent three techs, an officer and a dozen pilots to their well-deserved deaths. It was painful for the families, I must admit. But justice had to be avenged for their fallen comrades." There were nods and murmurs of agreement from the assembly, except from Vader. All they could hear was his heavy mechanical breathing.
Finally, it was Thrawn's turn to speak. "Gentlemen, after the devastating loss of the Death Star and our unprecedented defeat at the Battle of Yavin, I move we start the production of my TIE Defender. As you can see, it has a navi-computer and shields. With thorough testing done, it can easily keep up with the Rebellion's Incom T-65 X-Wing fighters. We need to bring the fight to them, if we improve our small fighters, the outcomes of dogfights will go in our favour…" Palpatine held his hand up.
"You can stop your sales pitch," Palpatine pontificated psychotically, "the TIE Fighters we have now are fine." Thrawn acquiesced his argument, but Jaina could see his disappointment. The meeting continued, and Jaina laced her fingers with Thrawn in a sign of solidarity. It was now Thrawn swore his heart would give out. He felt warm, something melting in his soul slightly with her here. There would be more meetings, but he had made his point and was now understanding how much Jaina had helped him. If only he could have finished his spiel.
Satisfied with what everyone had said, Palpatine told them he would message them with follow up instructions within the next few weeks. Jaina stood to leave and was almost out of the room. "Jaina, wait!" Thrawn called to her. Heart racing, Thrawn pulled Jaina into his arms and gave her a sweet, gentle kiss. Pulling away, he whispered, "Thank you." He left her there with Odin in her arms.
What just happened?