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. Also, big thanks to Pashatemur for the song recommendation! I was thrilled to hear my story was the first thing you thought of when you heard it.
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, Ochi of Bestoon- John DeLancie, Justinian Konstantin (OC)- Peter Capaldi, Theodora Konstantin (OC)- Catherine Tate, Cassandra Konstantin (OC)- Michelle Dockery
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.
(Until from Kate and Leopold- Sting)
Stave 10: Maintaining the Masquerade
1 July 26 ABY would go down as a first for the Skywalker family, for the first time in recorded family history (that anyone was aware of), triplets were born after a record of two generations of twins. While it should have been a happy time, Jaina's lingering disappearance still weighed heavily on everyone's mind. The official investigation had stalled for lack of evidence, and everyone who assisted found other things occupying their free time, to Han and Leia's consternation. A month and a few days on, they had not given up. One way or another, they would find their little girl and bring her home.
Looking through the untold pages of intelligence reports taken from the New Republic's investigation into the attack at the Jedi Temple, Mara could find no mention of Jaina or what they were planning with potential hostages. She groaned, another karking dead end. "Great, just great," she groused sourly as she threw her datapad into the garbage bin, again. She had been taking it easy, when her stomach lurched uneasily, and something wet burst onto her leggings. It was time!
Mara was wheeled into the delivery room, where Leia, Tionne and Kirani Ti were assisting the childbirth as emotional support. 2-1B had been flown in at Luke's request, and in between the usual threats and yelling at or for her husband, Mara was doing well. When the first baby started crowning, Luke walked into the room…only to faint and be brought round by his laughing brother-in-law.
"Smooth, farm boy, smooth."
"Hardee har har, very funny, Han."
From the other side of the door, came three tiny cries! Excited, Luke rushed into meet his children. They had been cleaned up and were snuggled in Mara's arms. She smiled at him, "Say hello to Ben, Owen and Padme Skywalker." Luke smiled as he cuddled them, they were finally here.
Once they were given the go ahead. Kirani and Tionne ushered in Han, Leia, Jacen and Anakin. Han and Leia, as experienced parents, congratulated Luke and Mara, awesome names. Anakin was amazed at how little they were, and kinda squished. Jacen teased him, saying his brother was like that when he was born. Anakin said it was too bad Jaina wasn't there to share their joy. Jaina loved the little ones.
Later on, at dinner, the boys told Tenel Ka and Tahiri how they felt, and the girls knew while this was a time of celebration for new life, it was also melancholy because Jaina was not there. Where was she?
Back in the recovery room that had once housed recovering X-Wing pilots, Mara was in the middle of a post-natal nap. Ben, Owen, and Padme had been fed, diapered and were napping under the watchful eye of their Aunt Leia. As she dreamt, her mind flittered back to the heyday of the Empire, when she was a faithful servant of Emperor Palpatine. The more she focused, some things seemed to shift, Vader was more taciturn, aloof. Thrawn was there as well, in the shadows, like always. A sudden lurch sent her (past) self to floor- what had that been? Walking along a hall, she caught Thrawn with a very familiar young woman in his arms. Wait a second!
Was that?
Couldn't be?
Mara woke up in a sweat, how was it possible? Jaina had time traveled? Calming her racing her heart, Mara had to clear head. Reaching out with the Force, she picked up on a conspiracy being covered up by Ackbar, Pash Cracken, Lando and Wedge. What did they know Han and Leia did not?
Picking up her commlink, she phoned Lando. It was late evening on Coruscant, so Lando picked up at once.
"This is Calrissian."
"Lando- it's Mara."
"Hey Mara, congrats on the little ones! I hear Luke fainted in the delivery room."
"I know about the sketch."
"Sketch, which one?"
"The one Thrawn drew of Jaina. She time traveled, didn't she?"
There was a long pause on the other end, followed by an even longer sigh. Lando pinched the bridge of his nose. Sooner or later, somebody else was going to find out, and better that it was Mara, than Han, Leia, or Luke. Calrissian confirmed that this was the case, and why they were keeping this on the downlow. Mara agreed, Leia's hatred of Imperials didn't sit well with Jaina, and for intents and purposes, the Force wanted Jaina to be the Persephone to Thrawn's Hades. With Vader's blessing, Leia was going to be hard pressed to get her daughter returned, and that depended on if Jaina wanted to return.
"Consider me your numero cinco compadre for ye olde conspiracy," she finalized. They both agreed not to say anything to Luke until they had a definite plan of action.
Back in the past at his imposing fortress on Mustafar, Darth Vader was meditating, as he was accustomed to. He had felt the shift in Thrawn and Jaina's relationship, the broken hearts and words left unspoken. Of course, emotional angst was an open psychic buffet for anyway halfway decent Sith Lord. This was different.
Jaina reminded him too much of Padme, and while this was not unexpected, he could not help but think back to when he and Padme had been married, when Rush Clovis and his slimy manners, moving in and forcing himself on Padme like that. Ugh!
As he stewed about this as he sat in his bacta tank, he thought more about. Although the two situations were completely different, the emotional resonance was the same. He was determined to see them as a happy couple again (even if it was only for his benefit as future Emperor), Vader decided to set them both straight. As far as blame was to be placed, Thrawn would get 80% and Jaina would get 20%.
Reaching out with the Force, he confirmed he had nothing to interfere with his meeting, and went ahead with his call.
At the same time on the Chimaera, it had been a long week, and the frozen relationship between Thrawn and Jaina was noticed by everybody. It was as though a wall of ice had built up between them. Paelleon and Eli had tried talking to them both, but no dice. Of course, talking about what's wrong can lead to other doors opening.
That night and the night after that, Jaina and Thrawn dreamt about each other, more specifically their pasts. They saw what choices had been made, friendships forged, arguments and battles won and lost for the sake of maintaining the status quo, all of their faults laid open to one another. It was quite the eye opener, to say the least.
The third morning, 4 July 3 ABY saw Thrawn wake early, he and Jaina had to speak. Heart trembling, he knocked at her door. Jaina answered, she looked like she had not slept well either. She bid him a good morning and was keen to the idea of talking out their problems when there datapads buzzed. Vader was calling them!
The two of them were sitting down when Vader's holographic mask popped up, his heavy mechanical breathing starting long before he began to speak. The Sith Lord first addressed his granddaughter. "What happened on Berchest, Jaina," he bellowed.
Mentally preparing herself, Jaina explained, "We had just wrapped up the investigation into Justinian Konstantin producing spice on his estate, when the garrison commander tried to blast his wife and daughter before they could give evidence. I stepped in to stop him, but Thrawn pulled me and slapped me before forcing a rough kiss on me."
Vader did not mince words with her, "You are not a Rebel, young lady. You are an Imperial officer, it's time you acted like one and not a damn Jedi like your father! Start acting like one. There are also more productive ways to vent frustration, I highly recommend looking into them." Trembling like a leaf in the wind, Jaina gave her solemn vow that she would. Satisfied Jaina would obey Imperial protocol from here on out.
His attention turned to Thrawn, who gave a similar account. A small curl of the finger, and Thrawn found himself choking in front of his heart's half. URK! "If you were anyone else, my aim would be lower," Vader thundered. He demanded to know why Thrawn had struck Jaina in that way, what sort of Imperial officer was he anyway, for stooping so low?
Once Thrawn got his breath back, he explained he deeply regretted striking Jaina, however he had to stop her from (accidentally) outing herself as a Rebel sympathizer, ergo he had to act the part of an Imperial Grand Admiral. "I am not the only one maintaining the masquerade," he stated.
Pleased that the impasse had been cleared, Vader left the two of them alone. He had probe droids that needed to be sent out to scour for the new Rebel base, wherever that may be. A pot of tea was steeped, and the couple decided to talk. "Thirty-six years ago, I was born on the planet, Csilla," Thrawn explained to Jaina. He spoke of his adoption into House Mitth at age 3, his happy childhood growing up alongside his older brother, Thrass, and later, his little sister, Al'iastov. He also spoke of the Outbound Flight disaster, his career with the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, and his faked exile. He spoke how he missed his home, his adoptive parents, the few friends he kept in contact with.
Jaina could feel herself cry, how much had he gone through that had made him into the man he was today. When asked about herself, Jaina felt it was time to explain everything. She started from her parent's marriage, what had happened when Thrawn originally went after her parents and uncle, how a cloned Emperor tried to possess her newborn brother, her abduction at age 5, her adventures at the Jedi Academy, and the signing of the Bastion Accords five years ago.
Hearing her words and the actions he would take (or rather not take now that she was here), Thrawn felt himself feel angered, sickened, and dismayed. He was angered knowing that he would have handed his heart's half over to a crazed Jedi who did not deserve someone so wonderful. He was sickened by the fact the Moff Council would allow a low-level actor to impersonate him just to keep a war running, and he was dismayed learning that Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were twins. It was obviously a well-kept secret if someone of his intellect (and security clearance) could not have figured this out.
"I guess we're more alike than we thought," Jaina mused thoughtfully as she finished her tea. Thrawn helped her stand and for the first time in over a week, they shared a heartfelt, tender kiss. The drama was behind them, and they were stronger together going forward.