Chapter Six
Sunset Alliance
Warning: The following contains several spoilers for both Thrawn and Thrawn: Alliances. Expect chapters from here on out to reference both novels heavily. If you have not read either, it is recommended that you do. Beyond being helpful to this story, both are truly wonderful books.
"Oh, it's beautiful," Sieve had whispered to himself upon first viewing of Chiss corpses. A few of his colleagues (none of whom he knew personally) stared, but he'd been too engrossed to notice. Instead, he'd ripped out his datapad and typed furiously.
Their decaying alien bodies, their thick blue skin succumbing, their once-bright red eyes gone dead… this disease wasn't just any illness. Not according to his observations. No, it was a parasite, one which fed on organic matter. Looking at the way it contorted itself over the host, watching how it targeted the nerves and brain area, Sieve had concluded within the hour that the creature undoubtedly took control of its host's body even as it fed. Only when there was too little left to control would the parasite lay down to merely consume.
Sieve was delighted when updated reports came back and his theories were confirmed. Such a design indicated great intelligence on the parasite's part. There was something almost artistic about the way it must have moved to achieve such a pattern on its host. If only the field crew had sent back video. Perhaps he could've watched it move in real time.
By then, Sieve had been vibrating in excitement. His vision blurred and sharpened all at once. The last time he'd seen a plague so well crafted and clever, it had been buried in the files connected to Project Blackwing. The aging scientist flew out of his chair, a bounce to his step setting in.
He'd had to get his hands on some samples. He'd needed a way down to the surface. And for a few extra lab tests on some, ah... controversial subjects in exchange, the former Commandant Hux had helped him do just that. It was a deal the scientist had made in an instant.
And now here he was. Planet Csilla. So close to what he desired, but kept away from his prize by the arbitrary maneuvers of politics.
"Keep up, Doctor." Sloane's words held an unforgiving bite. Perhaps she was cold from walking around so long in the Chiss city. Sieve, had least, had been smart enough to bring an outer-coat up to the Aristocra chamber door. "I want this meeting over before dark."
The party of humans had been following a Chiss woman for the past fifteen minutes. Her attire and demeanor suggested pomposity, but Sieve wasn't even sure he recognized her from the council meeting. She had taken them to the edge of their city into what looked like an abandoned shipyard. Despite the lack of any other life around, the alien had yet to slow her march.
Sieve did his best to obey the grand admiral, though his joints now protested. "AP-9, could you ask this female where they keep their sick? I brought along a few test tubes with me and thought that I could-"
"Not now." The grand admiral cut him off. "I was going to oblige you, but I'm afraid we won't have time. Sorry, Doctor."
So this was the problem with being brought along out of appeasement: it meant no research actually got done. Sieve sighed, hanging his head. A breeze hit, and his hands were forced to retreat into his coat.
"I'd rather not go near any of the victims, myself," AP-9 added. "Seeing those corpses back at the town was harrowing enough. Especially for a droid with my programming!"
Above everything else holding the field of science back, what Sieve despised most were comments like those. People (and droids) could be so... soft stomached, so queasy about the unknown that they would back away from progress. Progress! How could this great empire ever advance into the world beyond if it stayed beholden to such frail sensibilities? The time had come to let old reservations go. Sieve would not have come on this journey if he did not believe that was true.
Well, that and he'd face some degree of inquiry into his previous research, should the New Republic have gotten a hold of it. Instead, Sieve had brought everything he could with him on his journey into the Unknown Regions, continuing life as normally as he could aboard the Eclipse. Being with all his notes and tools gave Sieve a cheer that few other passengers possessed in these days.
Caught in his thoughts as he was, Sieve failed to notice when the rest of his group had stopped walking and ran right into the Stormtrooper in front of him. "Gah! Pardon me, soldier. My, where did the rest of this Chiss party come from?"
"Quiet, you," came the snap of the grand admiral. "You shouldn't have spoken at all before the Aristocra today."
"I-I will be silent from now on, Grand Admiral." So silent, Sieve hoped nobody would notice if he slipped away in search of a morgue.
Bringing that scientist along had turned into a lot more trouble than it was worth. Why in the stars did an old man need to be babysat? What about 'no samples this time' did he not understand? Could she not focus on her meeting without distractions? Josef Sieve was now being restrained by a member of their guard. He was none too pleased with the development.
"Back to your war with the Grysks," Sloane wanted to make sure she had the story straight. "You were fighting them, they had stolen your children-"
The woman from the Aristocra protested. AP-9 translated her objection as: "Not mere children. Our Skywalkers. Their third sight makes them great for pilot's help."
Sloane blinked. Now there was a name she wasn't expecting to hear in this sector of space. It must mean something different in these parts. "Yes, I see. You say the Grysks were the ones keeping our forces out of these regions?" She would have to do a database search on these Grysks later. Nothing the Chiss had told her gave any indication about who these aliens were. "They might be the cause of our ships' disturbances?"
A sharp nod. This time from a man named… syllables containing the shorter name of Kenitt. If Sloane remembered, this was the man who'd rescued her men. "They had many devices set up along the borders of our battlefields. No flanking, no calling for help. Until then, so the tales go-"
"This was several years ago that Mnggal-Mnggal appeared. It first took Grysk worlds, then ours." Arin scrunched her steep nose. "The Aristocra say the evil Grysk threw Chiss traitor bodies back at loyal soldiers. The traitors were infected to betray one more time."
"And in time, you lost all contact with your colony worlds," Sloane summarized. "You stopped interplanetary travel, but accidentally brought the disease back with you."
"Yes. It is our only comfort that the Grysk suffer like us."
Sloane stiffened at the bitterness of those words. She could not stop her mind from placing herself in Arin's situation. It was all too easy to imagine such a disease taking hold in the height of the civil war. What was the point of domination if every race was on the brink of extinction?
Such thoughts only steeled her resolve. "We will fight Mnggal-Mnggal. Just like you fought the Grysk. This enemy fights with different weapons, yes, but it is still an enemy that can be fought. And you have already discovered its weakness." Sloane pointed to the small campfire lighting their alcove. They were situated behind an old warship of some kind. "My Empire has flamethrowers."
"You plan to toss flame at the enemy? In your hands?"
"What? No." Then Sloane realized the problem. Translation had been going so well up to that point. "We have guns that shoot not blasts of energy, but fire. We will shoot Mnggal-Mnggal with flame and retake the oil fields."
The Chiss (a mid-sized group which Arin seemed to lead) whispered among themselves, then turned back. "Will that not be dangerous? You may burn the oil away as well."
"That is a fear. We will need help in knowing which areas to target." Sloane was careful with her words. "We seek an alliance with your people. That is what we wanted to ask your Aristocra. Your people know this area of space. Not just your planet, but your former colony worlds. Lost trading outposts. Hospitable moons. All of it."
"And it all has been lost to Mnggal-Mnggal. I am sorry, Ra'sloane."
But just as Arin said that, Kenitt intervened. Sloane listened with interest as AP-9 translated their dispute as: "or so the Aristocra tells us. But none of us have left Csilla in several years. We must believe there is a place we are free."
"You want us to fly off with these humans?"
"You want to stay on Csilla? You want to die of disease or no food? Chiss will not have more child in these days. Our race will be gone if we do not try." He paused, a new fire to his eyes. Or so Sloane thought. Chiss facial expressions were less pronounced than those of humans. "I thought you were here because you agreed. Are you still in the step of your father, Ari'nitan'colgrana?"
A defensive stance, followed by a glance at the spectating humans. Arin balked, waving the conversation away.
The pair had revealed more than they'd meant to in their brief argument. Interesting.
A third Chiss, one who had not spoken before, entered the fray. "Our group wishes to work with your Empire. We are soldiers. The Aristocra has been made weak. We follow them no more. It is hard for us to say, for Chiss are loyal. But we are made desperate."
"And we will accept your help. Our main ship is large, meant to carry far more than what is currently on board. Tomorrow, we will coordinate an attack so that we may refuel. After that, any healthy Chiss who wishes to may bring their ships, food, or weapons along with us."
Arin shook her head. "We will not all come with you. Many of us want to save Csilla even still."
"Don't you get it?" Sieve burst out for the first time since being caught. Sloane couldn't tell if he looked exasperated or delighted. "You can rid your planet of Mnggal-Mnggal by leaving in our ship. If your disease has no life left to feed on, it will die out on this planet. The best course of action is to let it rot away."
He just had to stick his nose in, didn't he? "I understand your logic, Doctor, but we do not want to leave valuable resources behind with no one to maintain the wells. We may oft find ourselves refueling here in the future."
"As you said, our ship is mostly empty. We can store enough fuel in tanks to last us for months on end."
"How long do you think our endeavors are going to last, Doctor? Only a few months?"
With that comment, his face fell. It seems the reality of their situation had yet to set in for most people. The Empire would not be returning to their homes within the year. Depending on how much support their cause still had in New Republic territory, their military would take at least a decade to rebuild back to even a marginally acceptable size. Longer, if Sloane could not get this plague problem under control.
AP-9 had the sense to not translate their last remarks to the Chiss, thankfully. Sloane nodded at him when she was ready to continue. "We will arm any remaining Chiss we can trust with the necessary weapons. We may have to recycle items of your dead to make more."
A series of nodding followed her words. "We understand the necessity, Ra'sloane."
So this group, at least, knew when to let go of tradition and sentiment. That would help them moving forward. Humans could use more of that attitude. As could the Aristocra, if her meeting with them were any indication. Though, if she were being fair, perhaps they were less stubborn than resigned.
Speaking of recycled items… that was one thing Sloane could put civilians to work doing, if Hux's statements were correct. She could use them to construct more flamethrowers and armor at least until they conquered another people to do it for them. In addition, they would have to see to cultivating food while on the Eclipse before they found a reliable base, that way her empire would not starve when rations ran out. Maybe she could ask the scientists aboard if they-
But alas. She was getting ahead of herself.
Sloane turned to the setting sun, shivering despite the body heat surrounding her. "I will return to my people above and tell them of what we have discussed here. Meet us here again at dawn. Bring as many skilled forces as you can. I will do the same."
A final nod, first from Kenitt, then Arin, then the rest. "We will do as you say. We trust you to do the same."
Sloane wasn't sure she would call this alliance a trusting one. More like a bond out of necessity.
"I'm telling you all. Joining forces with the remnants of the Chiss Ascendancy is our best opportunity at seizing their planet's resources." Sloane addressed the crowd gathered around her bridge. Her words were being played in all parts of the ship for anyone who wasn't invited out.
"What? Just because we could trust Grand Admiral Thrawn-"
"-as if we could even trust Grand Admiral Thrawn. His 'disappearance' was quite timely, if you ask me."
"-you want us to band together with a group of battered aliens? You want them on our ship with us?" The protesting woman wore a moff's cape, though Sloane was quite confident she'd never seen this moff before. "Why do we even need to ask to take from their oil fields? They clearly can't defend them!"
All this chatter and protest… one would think they hadn't all ceded exclusive leadership to Sloane before ever leaving the rendezvous point. Sloane had made it clear when she'd taken over: anyone who did not truly want to come on this journey should leave while they had the chance. No one had taken the chance, nor had they known what they were agreeing to implicitly by the nature of staying aboard.
It seemed Sloane would have to remind them. "If it were only oil we were after, I might agree. But we need navigators, people who know this galaxy in areas where our data doesn't. People who might know where we can get the resources we need to get started, and how to communicate with local populations. Right now, all they need are flamethrowers and a reason to try again. If we don't give those things to them now, I have no doubts those Chiss will figure it out for themselves. Either we band together as allies for now, or we are competitors from the outset."
Sloane paused. When she didn't receive an immediate response, she turned to her right."Vice Admiral Canady."
"Yes, Grand Admiral?"
"The briefing you received from our search team. Have the relevant details shared with a force of fifty ground soldiers. Keep the numbers modest but the skill level high. Have more on support networks and in TIEs. We will bring them into Csillan atmosphere so they may back up the Chiss airships."
"Yes, Grand Admiral. Your negotiations with the Chiss Aristocra were sufficient in coordinating our plan of attack?"
"My negotiations with the Aristocra were a waste of time. My discussions with those willing to fight were more than enough to begin drawing plans. We rest and strategize tonight, then meet their forces at dawn to put the final pieces together."
Murmurs, some she could make out. "We're working with rebels?"
Sloane saw it best to address their concerns directly. "We are working to install a useful ally who is ingratiated to us. If the Chiss's governing body has given up on its people, we will set the example for a government that will not. This part of the galaxy brings its own chaos, but with us we bring a new force of order to this uncivilized realm."
And before she forgot. "Starting tomorrow, all civilian residents aboard the Eclipse will end their practice in idleness and be assigned a new occupation to the benefit of this order. Attempts will be made to match each individual to a job similar to their previous line of work, but training shall be provided in the cases where that is not possible. Anyone who does not comply with the new standards will be denied food for however long it is deemed appropriate.
"Any soldiers not participating in tomorrow's battle will be put to work collecting and storing fuel for the ship to refuel with. When refueling processes have finished, more shall be stored away in cargo areas for future use. Anyone left without a job to do in two days' time must be in contact with either myself or Vice Admiral Canady. From here on out, all idle behavior is against our rule of law." She waited to see if anyone would try objecting to her orders again. Luckily, these Imperials were trained better than that. "That is all. You may disperse."
As everyone was leaving, Graven took his time in moving toward the grand admiral, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Grand Admiral. A word."
Sloane took a moment to consider, then motioned the old pilot along. They walked into her declared office before she permitted Graven to speak again. "What is it?"
"You don't know how we were able to find Csilla, do you?"
Sloane took a step back, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean, pilot? Grand Admiral Thrawn helped the Empire fill in many of the chart paths existing in the Unknown Regions. I imagine his home planet came up in one of those sessions."
"It did not. Thrawn never revealed the location of his home to the Empire. But he did tell his most trusted aide. Spies tracked Commander Vanto from the moment he took his extended leave onwards. I didn't discover this information until my crew and I were already out here."
Sloane tilted her head, unsure of how to react. And not just because this was the longest string of words Graven had given voice to in years. "Why are you telling me this, pilot?"
"After the spies followed Vanto out to this point, they lost him in the scene of a great battle. Then the logs the spies left behind stop. We -the rest of the original crew and I- thought you might have found more humans down there. Did you?"
She took a moment to process, then shook her head. "No, we didn't. None of the Chiss mentioned meeting other humans, either."
Graven let a swear word loose. "Then they're dead too, huh? Just like the rest of my guys."
"You never told us. What happened to most of your crew?"
And in that moment, the tight lipped pilot was back. "...Long story. Let's focus on tomorrow."
A/N's: I know, long break between chapters. But in case it isn't evident, I got some reading done since I last updated. Not just more SW books, but also some history I want to use for inspiration. Now I feel a lot more prepared to tackle this story and its future arcs.
Speaking of future arcs... fitting Sieve's character introduction was hard to do, but he and his actions here are vital (or should I say, vial?) to the next arc of the story. That next arc is also the reason I featured little Armitage there in the first chapter. I haven't forgotten about him.
So yes. Sorry for the long absence, may not update much in the nest month, but trust me to get back to this once the summer comes along. Then this project and I (plus another long term in another fandom) will be inseparable. Until then, thanks for reading, don't forget to review, and I'll see you on the far side!
