Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn
"Penelope"
by Violetlight
Disclaimer: Star Wars was created by George Lucas, and is the property of Disney. I'm just borrowing this universe, and if a certain mouse is watching, don't worry, I don't have any of your money. My original characters are my property, however, and it's even more critical now that they're not used without permission.
Author's Note: It's been a long time - I last updated this story back in 2007. In the years since, I've been slowly developing some of the ideas from this series into an original novel, and my OCs feature quite heavily. However, as Neil Gaiman once said, "it's never too late to return to a story", and the half-finished third chapter sitting on my hard drive agreed with him. Please enjoy "Penelope", chapter 3!
Part 3: Telemachus
She knew it was immature, something an Empress, a daughter of the Aristocra of the Third Ruling House, and a Chiss most of all, really should not do. Nevertheless, Xelarra smiled to herself as she walked a lot more quickly than was necessary through the base, her four 501st guards and the one messenger stormtrooper practically having to jog to keep up.
Xelarra… she could almost hear Thrawn's disapproving voice, telling her to stop and wait for the troopers at the beginning of the escalator leading down to the lower floor, the stairs currently motionless due to damage suffered during the attack on Hand Base. It had annoyed her when he had addressed her in such a tone, like she was a disobedient child, which of course was why Thrawn had done it. His garnet eyes would narrow and his face would be stern, except for a tiny twitch of a smile at the corners of his azure lips, a subtle invitation for her to kiss his mock-annoyance away …
"I know …" she whispered, and halted just before the stairs, allowing the stormtroopers to finally catch up to her. She heard heavy breathing behind her, and for one unsettling moment, fear gripped her, the sound bringing back unpleasant memories. She turned around, her face fixed in a carefully neutral mask, not wanting her troopers to see the icy hatred that sound evoked in her.
It was only the base stormtrooper gasping for breath, having forgotten to turn his external speaker off. Xelarra wondered how the 501st troopers felt, amused by this or embarrassed? Imagine a stormtrooper so out of shape that a little jog would wear him out!
"Trooper, you may wish to visit the base's fitness facilities more often," she said.
"Sorry, Majesty," the stormtrooper composed himself promptly.
"Accepted. However," Xelarra added, stepping down the first few stairs. "Do not refer to me as 'your majesty' or 'your highness' or any other meaningless, pompous titles. Palpatine may have been one for such trifles, but I am not."
"Yes … My Lady,"
Xelarra continued down the rest of the stairs in silence, the troopers following like the obedient guard-nexu they resembled, right down to the white colouring. No, that was not fair. Stormtroopers, like all the citizens of her Empire, deserved her respect. She knew this, so why was she feeling so rebellious? She knew the answer to that question as well.
She reached the doors to the communications room, the same room where she had spoken with Thrawn so many years before, and the memories of the last conversation she would ever have with her love flooded back. She paused, and took a breath. Memories of the sort had been returning ever since she had arrived at Hand Base. When she worked at the computer stations, trying to put the confused data streams back in order, she would think she saw a familiar silhouette a few stations away. When she turned a corner in the library, whispers of him standing at a shelf, a book in hand, would be waiting for her. Everywhere she went in Hand Base, nearly everything she saw brought back memories of her beloved husband. It was almost too much for her to bear.
But she was Chiss. She should not be feeling so melodramatic. Thrawn was dead; he could never come home to her and all the wishing and hoping in the Galaxy would not change that. With a degree of self-control that a Jedi Master would envy, Xelarra forced her emotions down as she stepped into the comm. room, the troopers stopping at the door.
"The fourth comm. station has been reserved for you, my Lady," the messenger stormtrooper informed her. It would figure; it was the same station she had used years ago.
"Thank you, Trooper. You've been helpful. What is your name, so I may inform your superiors of your service?"
"EH-3254, ma'am."
Xelarra shook her head."I'll never remember that nonsense. What is your name?"
"My … name?" the stormtrooper through the electronic distortion of his voice, he sounded not so much confused, but surprised.
"I don't like numbers; they make one forget that there is a face under that helmet," Xelarra told him. "So I ask every stormtrooper who serves me for his or her callsign. My four guards here," she gestured at the 501st troopers, "are Squall, Acklay, Ender, and Stryke."
Even though the stormtrooper stood as straight as ever, to Xelarra, he seemed to relax. "My name is Ghost, my Lady, and it has been an honour to serve you."
"Thank you Ghost. You may attend to your other duties now."
"Yes ma'am," the stormtrooper saluted, then turned with military precision and disappeared into the base.
Xelarra sighed. Even after so many years as Empress, she still was not used to the way some people, especially veterans of the Old Empire, acted around her. She could worry about it later. Right now, more important things needed her attention. While politicians in the New Republic might be content to let others raise their children for them, Xelarra did not tolerate nonsense. She such put her daughter and son first, and the few Members of Parliament who had complained about her attending to her family obligations had quickly learned not to. Chiss considered the raising of children to be a duty, to be taken as seriously as any other, and Xelarra was no exception.
She sat down at the comm. station and activated the flatscreen display. Droids, bacta, holograms and some other technology the Core regions of the galaxy took for granted were still in short supply in the Empire of the Hand, so civilian communications used flatscreens, similar to those used in the neighbouring system of Adumar. Empress or not, Xelarra made no exceptions for herself, especially with Hand Base in the state it was in. After all, back on Csilla nobody would have thought to waste energy using holograms for something as simple as a comm. call.
A familiar image flickered onto the screen. Xelarra recognized the walls decorated with family flat-portraits, the well-used furniture and the inevitable scattering of toys on the floor of the Fel family living room. "Shran?" she asked. It must have been her son that had called her, as he was staying with the Fels while Xelarra was on the opposite side of the world, but the living room was empty.
"Fraggin' kids, would it kill them to tidy up once in a while?"Xelarra heard as a pale human hand appeared near one corner of the screen, reaching down for a plas doll, its pale pink skin partly painted blue, left near the comm. panel.
Before Xelarra could remind her friend the comm. was on, a familiar, smiling toddler appeared and pointed happily at the screen."A'tie El Lala!"
"No, Wynnie, Auntie Xelarra's not here right now."
"Actually, I am. Hello Wynssa."
"See Momma? A'tie El Lala!" Wynssa Fel said, in the cheerfully proud way of young children who had bested their elders.
"Ah! Xel! Don't sneak up on me like that!"Syal complained jokingly. "Don't tell me Shran left you on hold?" she guessed, and gave Wynssa the doll to play with.
"Actually, it took some time to get to the comm. station. I was in the library."
"I understand Xel.'Tir told me what happened …".
"Has Shran been behaving himself?"Xelarra cut her off.
"Come on, Xel, this is me you're talking 't try to change the subject."
Ever since the Fel family had first come to the Empire of the Hand, Xelarra had slowly become friends with the former holovid star, the first real friendship she had with another woman, with anyone outside hers and Thrawn's little family really, since leaving Csilla. Syal was a stubborn woman, she had to be to put up with Soontir and their "squadron" of children, but kindhearted. Her very human concern for her friend was still something Xelarra had trouble understanding at times.
"Shran's been behaving as much as he usually does, no better and no worse than my own kids, but you know I can handle him just fine. I know what's really bothering you and I understand if you don't want to talk about it over the comm., but I'm taking you out for caf as soon as you have some free time when you get back."
"Syal, you don't have to do that. I know how busy you are with the kids and Hand Intelligence doesn't run itself…"
"That's for sure! My agents have been running around like headless Gungans getting to the bottom of these rumours - hey! I said no changing the subject!"
"And you have been watching Shran for me as well …" Xelarra continued, heedless of Syal's objections, but the blonde human was not dissuaded.
"No arguments, Xelarra. It's not good for you to keep things bottled up, and besides, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't look out for you?"
Even after so many years, Syal's kindness could still surprise Xelarra. "Thank you, ail'eras," said softly, the Cheunh word for "sister".
"No problem, Sis," Syal smiled in return. "Now, where is that kid? Chak!" Syal yelled as her 16-year old son practically ran by, carrying an unstable-looking pile of data cards in his arms.
"Chak!" Wynnie parroted, holding her doll out to her brother, who ignored her.
"Have you seen Shran?" Syal asked
"No, Mom," he said distractedly.
"And weren't you supposed to take your brother and sister tobogganing?"
"Which ones?"
"You know very well which ones! Cherith and Cem."
"I've got homework, Mom! Davin said he'll take them, if he ever gets his butt off the comm!" Chak yelled over his shoulder as he stomped up the stairs in that moody way teenage humans had.
"I'm sorry Syal; I didn't know you had the whole squadron there," Xelarra started. The older two Fel boys were usually away on duty tours and field studies, following in their father's footsteps as fighter pilots. "I should have taken Shran with me."
"It's okay, at this point one more doesn't make much of a difference," Syal assured her, "and besides, imagine the trouble he'd get into at Hand Base." Xelarra had to nod in agreement, as Syal yelled randomly into the house, "Shran! Get your little blue behind in here!"
"Shwaan!"Wynessa laughed, echoing her mother, and toddled out of the room, repeatedly yelling Shran's name as loud as she could. She almost bumped into two of her older siblings, as Cherith and Cem ran laughing across the living room, dressed in their cold-weather gear, leaving a trail of snow behind them.
"Cem! Cherith! Boots off at the door!"Syal yelled futilely after them. "Great, yet another mess to clean up. That s it! You and I have a date with a lot of caf and Soontir can watch the kids for once!" Syal announced resolutely just as Wynessa toddled back in.
"Shwan mama on comm!" Wynessa said proudly, then turned around in annoyance."Shwaaann! Com'on!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming on a sec," Xelarra heard a very familiar voice complain from out of her view. "You'd better stay paused while I'm on the comm, Jag!"
"Yeah yeah, don't keep Mommy waiting!"
"Shut it, Pink Skin!"
"Go blow your horn, Blue Boy!"
"Jagged!"Syal yelled.
"What?! He started it!"
"Did not!"
"Did so!"
"Did not!"
"Did so!"
"Did not!"
"Did so!"
"Did so!"
"Did no – hey!"
"You suck like the Maw!" Xelarra heard her son laugh, as the 10 year old Chiss boy slid up to the comm. casually, an untamable starburst of blue-black bangs hanging half-hazardly over his left eye.
Xelarra moved her hand a centimeter, out of a habit of trying to smooth her son's hair down, despite it never actually working, "Shran, you know better than to start fights with Jagged, especially when you're a guest at the Fels'. Apologize to 'Aunt' Syal," she scolded.
"Sorry Auntie," Shran said, with just a hint of sarcasm, exactly as much as he knew he could get away with.
Syal shook her head, "Brat," she said affectionately, and tousled the young Chiss' hair, despite his attempt to dodge the onslaught. The human picked up her daughter, and turned back to the comm. one last time. "We'll talk later, Xel. Good luck with everything, and don't worry, this one will behave, whether he wants to or not."
"I don't doubt it. Thank you again Syal," Xelarra said in goodbye. She then turned her attention back to her son, who was sticking his tongue out as his honourary aunt's retreating form, "Shran …" she sighed.
"Hey Mom, I almost forgot I called," Shran said.
"Evidently."
"I … um … well, me and Jag –"
" 'Jag and I'," Xelarra corrected.
"Jag and I," Shran repeated, again with a hint of sarcasm, "we were just playing 'TIE Simulator' when he said he heard something stupid on the holonet, and I told him he was a bantha-breathed liar, and he said 'am not', and then –"
"Shran, Bright Star, I've been very busy at the base," Xelarra interrupted. "You didn't call me just because you got in a fight with Jagged, I hope. You're better than that."
"Agh! Moooooommm," Shran whined, stretching "Mom" out into five or six syllables. "That's why I called! Everyone's always saying they expect so much of me, just 'cause I'm your kid. I'm his kid!"Shran stood up and paced back and forth across the Fel's living room, kicking toys out of his way. "Son of the Empress, and the oh-so-perfect Grand Admiral! 'Spoiled little prince', that's what they call me! Jawa-brained idiots!"
"Shran …" Xelarra began, feeling helpless. She sympathized, being the daughter of an Aristrocra herself, her childhood had not been any easier. It was part of the reason why when Thrawn had unexpectedly contacted her after his exile from the Acendency, the decision to join him in the Galactic Empire had been an easy one. Unlike her uncaring parents, however, she treasured her children, and she was sure Shran knew that.
Shran sat back down at the comm., calmer, but now his ruby eyes shown with a thoughtful, yet devious look. "Sorry Mom, I didn't mean to yell, but don't worry, I came up with a way to fix everything! I know everyone thinks I'll be joining the Imperial Navy Academy when I turn twelve, but I don't have to do that, right?"
"…no, it's not 'set it stone', as the humans say," Xelarra affirmed quietly.
"Good. Mom," Shran leaned forward in his chair, his elbows on the table, and laced his fingers in front of face, in an unknowing, almost-perfect imitation of Thrawn when he had been about to reveal one of his plans to her. "I want to join the Explorers instead."
"The Explorers?"Xelarra echoed her son.
"Yeah, while Jag went back to blasting virtual X-Wings, I looked them up, annnnd …" Shran started, excitement growing in his voice. "I found out what Dad had to say about them!" Shran pulled out a data card from just out of sight of the comm. and started reading.
One of the many failings of the Old Republic, the Empire, whatever one wishes to call the government that claims to 'run' the Galaxy, is the arrogant assumption that everything and every place of note was already discovered shortly after the invention of the hyperdrive millennia ago. Although the Chiss Ascendency has been exploring the space around ours for centuries, we have never had the galactic-wide resources of the Old Republic or their Jedi Order at our before the Jedi became so hidebound that they could barely see beyond the 'ivory' towers of their Temple, some would utilize their skills in a practical way, for once, and send ships and liaisons out to explore the galaxy at limitation, however, was in sending only their own people, and only those not deemed worthy to be "real" Jedi apprentices at that, with the only alternative to be used as breeding stock for their corrupt Order.
I propose to resurrect this idea, though in a much more efficient manner. A volunteer Explorer Corps, adjacent to but separate from the military, composed of professionals who will take the mission to seek out uncharted worlds seriously, not see it as a punishment or personal failing. If we crewed our own Imperial Explorer ships with those who would study candidate colony planets and moons extensively, we could reduce the chance of unforeseen problems with those worlds, and potentially find overlooked benefits, such as the ysalamiri of Mykyr. Perhaps we may even find new allies among the civilisations deemed not worth the Republic's or the Empire's time. Conversely, we will be able to locate those likely join with our enemies, and eliminate the possibility preemptively, though our own diplomatic methods preferably, but by force if necessary, for the safety and security of the Empire of the Hand.
"Mom? What do you think?"
Xelarra blinked as her son's voice brought her back to the present. She remembered that very conversation with Thrawn only too well. They had been together during her visit to the Chimaera, discussing their plans for the new empire they were creating, as well as the old he would soon bring back under his control, for long into the night, his hand placed gently, protectively over her pregnant belly …
The Explorer program was one of Thrawn's most ambitious ideas, and it was something she had fought to make a reality following his death, firstly as Governor of Nirauan, then as Grand Moff of the Unknown Regions (at least those sectors her husband had charted and claimed for the Empire), then finally, at both Parliament and the Admiralty's insistence, as Empress of the Hand. It was part of her duty, after all, to continue her husband's legacy.
However, seeing another aspect of his legacy insisting on joining them had not been something she had expected.
"Shran, the Explorers follow a different path than the navy, but it's not an easier one. Their ships go out – alone – for months at a time."
Shran scoffed. "Not that much different from a tour of duty on a Star Destroyer, and it sounds waaaayyy more interesting."
"It can be dangerous, even more so than the military in many cases, since the Explorer ships are lightly armed, only enough to deter criminals, and are facing the unknown with every mission," she warned.
Shran nodded. "I know that, Mom. I'm not a little kid anymore." He sighed, "in the navy, all anyone will ever see when they look at me is Dad. I'm … I'm not him. But in the Explorers, I'll still be helping the Empire, but I can do it my own way. I can be me."
"Your father would have been so proud of you, my Bright Star," Xelarra said with a small, sad smile. "As am I. However, I want you to do more research, and make sure the Explorers are what you really want."
"Sooooo, that's not a 'no'?"
"It's a 'we'll discuss it more when I get home.'"
"Yes!" Shran cheered, "thanks so much Mom! Hey Jag, you owe me five credits!" he yelled into the Fel house. "Okay, I gotta go tell Jag my job's gonna be way better than his! Love you Mom! See you when you get home!"
"Wait, Shran, that's not what I –" Xelarra cut herself off as the comm. link went blank.
Xelarra stayed at the blank comm. terminal for an extra few minutes, rubbing her forehead absently with stress. "Bloody kids," she sighed, the Core World expletive seemed apt.
First Mara, then Thrawn, and now Shran … what more will this insane galaxy demand from me?
She shook her head, and tried to banish such got up, and left the comm. room, her four 501st guards wordlessly taking their positions around her in seconds from their posts outside the door.
"Lieutenant Squall, any word on the progress with the main databanks yet?" she asked her lead guard.
"Commander Stent reported progress with accessing the main banks, but most of the data itself is still corrupted, Ma'am." he reported.
"We'd best get back to the main command room then, and I'll see what I can do."
"Yes Ma'am," the stormtrooper clipped, as professional as always.
Neither Xelarra nor her guards noticed a not-so-professional trooper watch as they left for the Command Room.