Summary: Thrawn is confronted with his past.
Notes: I loved "Thrawn: Alliances" even with the rather annoying amount of Padmé in it, and Anakin's complete obsession with her the entire time. I wish Obi-Wan would have been mentioned more than three times in the entire book (I counted), but I adored Thrawn and Anakin's relationship and I adored Thrawn and Vader's relationship even more. Thrawn kept trying to get Vader to remember that he was Anakin Skywalker; he admired Anakin Skywalker, which was mind-blowing.
Vader almost killed him so many times, lol, but Thrawn was able to appeal to his curiosity, his sense of honor and the Jedi concept of balance, and Anakin Skywalker's past trust in Thrawn. It was so subtle but beautiful and – the fact that Thrawn was written into the list of people who trickled away at Vader until he remembered he was Anakin: Ahsoka, Thrawn, Obi-Wan, Luke and Leia – it was something entirely unexpected.
Also, Anakin/Vader's authority kink was present throughout the whole book in his relationship with Thrawn. Anakin has complete admiration and trust for people who are calm, collected, brilliant and utterly certain in their beliefs, i.e., Obi-Wan, Padmé, Palpatine. And so his automatically falling in sync with Thrawn such that Thrawn came up with the strategy and Anakin executed the tactics was perfectly in character. Even as Vader he did this, almost automatically if begrudgingly. This bartender on Batuu noticed it immediately when they walked in and he called Vader Thrawn's bodyguard. Which was hilarious.
Unknown Chapter Four
The Jedi was meditating again.
Thrawn supposed the boy was actually a Jedi. His command of the Force to control these purrgil and successfully navigate the Chimaera through space showed at least some level of skill.
At their first drop back into realspace, Thrawn saw that Bridger had taken not just the Chimaera with him, but Captain Pellaeon's ISD-Krayt and Captain Derros' ISD-Memorium as well. All three ships were battered but serviceable, as far as the techs were able to ascertain from a quick scan.
The purrgil then dove into the Tibanna gas making up the atmosphere of the planet below them while the three ships made hasty repairs. Then the space-faring creatures re-attached themselves to the Imperial ships before Bridger jumped them all again. The boy didn't even seem tired
He still couldn't hold a candle to General Anakin Skywalker though.
Now, Bridger rested easily on his haunches, in the small crew quarters Commodore Faro had allotted to him. His eyes were closed, face relaxed, and his hands rested gently on his thighs. Obviously meditating, he didn't bother to acknowledge Thrawn's presence as the Grand Admiral stepped into the room, letting the door hiss shut behind him.
Kanan Jarrus' lightsaber rested on the bunk before him.
Academically speaking, Thrawn knew the benefits of meditation – a way to organize thoughts, process emotions, create distance so that you could objectively make the right decision without emotions – and what you wanted to happen – getting in the way. The Grand Admiral had never needed such methods himself. The study of art afforded more than enough clarity and distance for his purposes, but he had been told by Commander Tano once, many years ago now, that his mind was organized differently from other beings she had come across.
This also made it harder for Force-sensitive individuals to discern his motivations and feelings on a given topic. It was one of the reasons he had been confident in presenting himself to both Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader.
He wondered if Bridger faced similar problems and if this would prove to be a problem in their continued alliance with one another. It hadn't proved to be a problem with Anakin Skywalker, but Lord Vader had reacted differently.
Once more he glanced at Kanan Jarrus' lightsaber.
"I find it most…interesting that Governor Tarkin brought Kanan Jarrus to Mustafar – to Lord Vader – and that that was the place where the Rebel cells began to work together," he said at last.
It was a lightsaber for a Jedi who hid the fact that he was a Jedi. There was nothing special about it.
Ezra Bridger opened his eyes, unerringly finding Thrawn in the dim gloom of his room. There was no alarm on his features for the Chiss' blue skin or glowing red eyes, which seemed to disturb most humans he had met. At least at first.
Then again, all those years ago on Batuu, Anakin Skywalker had shown no alarm either. Nor had Ambassador Padmé. Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. Dead with their doomed Republic.
Thrawn held his gaze.
"Why is that strange?" the Jedi asked.
"The Rebel cells came together, Governor Tarkin's ship was destroyed, and the Grand Inquisitor was killed, all within full view of the Galaxy and above Lord Vader's own home."
Bridger dropped his eyes to the lightsaber again, and after a moment he smiled. It was a wistful smile, not full of triumph or malice, but almost melancholic and yet strangely happy. "Mustafar was the place where Master Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker…" He trailed off before looking up.
"Kanan said that time seemed to slow down for him in his fight against the Grand Inquisitor. That he could see exactly what he needed to do. The Force guided him, and he listened. The ship was destroyed because Kanan was where he needed to be. And the Rebel cells came together because Chopper called for help and Ahsoka was where she needed to be."
Thrawn processed this, the boy's furious protestation that the Force wasn't a power to be wielded ringing in his ears. Vader – and Anakin Skywalker before him – had always wielded the Force like a weapon, not some sort of spirit guide. And the Chiss Navigators used it as a danger sense, to steer vessels along safe hyperspace lanes.
Perhaps, just perhaps, the Chiss Force-sensitives could only use the Force as a danger sense because they only saw it as a danger sense. Perhaps Anakin Skywalker could only wield it as a weapon because he saw it as a weapon?
Perhaps he was jumping to a conclusion without enough information.
"And you are now where you need to be?" he surmised.
Bridger glanced down at the lightsaber again. "Perhaps," he shrugged, and Thrawn wondered at the echo of his own thoughts. "But I think – and Kanan would probably agree with me – that the Force is trying to get you where you need."
Thrawn felt an uncomfortable prickle of unease at that. The Force had never been his ally and it had never brought him anything but grief.
It had only brought grief to Anakin Skywalker as well.
His commlink pinged. "Admiral?"
Commodore Faro's voice. Her voice was calm and certain and, perhaps, expectant. "Yes, Commodore?"
"It looks like we're coming out of hyperspace, sir."
Thrawn looked over to Bridger, who nodded. "We will be with you shortly," Thrawn informed the Chimaera's commander, and ended the communication. He stood up from the bunk across from the Jedi's meditation mat. "Where, precisely, will we be?" he asked, a hint of warning in his voice. If Bridger thought to drop them out in the middle of a battle-ready Rebel cell, the boy would see exactly how much damage an Imperial star destroyer could deal out.
The Jedi stood up, clipping Jarrus' lightsaber onto his belt and meeting Thrawn's gaze unflinchingly. "Where you need to be, Admiral," he said quietly.
Thrawn studied his face; calm with a hint of nervousness perhaps, but no guilt or betrayal. "Then lead the way, Commander," he said formally.
When the stars finally contracted, and the ship dropped suddenly into realspace, Thrawn and Ezra Bridger were standing on the Chimaera's forward view bridge, side by side. The Grand Admiral watched as the purrgil detached themselves from the ship. Bridger reached out a hand and one of the big creatures floated over towards him, its enormous, intelligent eye fixed unwaveringly on the boy.
"Thank you," the Jedi said. His voice was sincere and grateful. "If there is anything I can do for you…"
The creatures called to one another, or perhaps to Bridger. Based on the vocal intonations of other creatures of similar size and type, it appeared to be a farewell call to a member of the…tribe. Perhaps pack?
There was a flicker of pseudo-motion and then the purrgil were gone.
The crew on the bridge were silent in the way they had which said they clearly wished to be talking amongst themselves, but the presence of senior officers made them bend their heads to their stations. The Grand Admiral could feel their attention though and form the small smile on Bridger's face, the boy could too.
Thrawn surveyed where the Jedi had led them with his hands clasped loosely behind his back. A typical binary star system with several small, rock-type planets and orbiting moons. None looked to be inhabitable.
"Commodore?" Thrawn called softly.
"Yes, Admiral," Faro said immediately. "Preliminary sensor scans coming in now. We appear to be somewhere in the Unknown Regions given the position of the stars the Nav computer was able to recognize. No known hyperspace routes or habitable planets were identified. The scanners aren't able to pick up any large settlements, satellites or probes denoting intelligent lifeforms. For all intents and purposes, this are of space looks to be completely deserted."
"Indeed," Thrawn murmured. He held out his hand for a copy of the report and quickly scanned through to find the location of known star systems. There was a faint feeling of unease growing in him. The position of the star was somewhat familiar, but not enough for him to place when he had last seen it.
The Jedi shifted beside him. "Commander Bridger, any ideas?" He asked.
"Hey, you would know this place more than I would." The young man shrugged in what Thrawn would have thought insolence if he didn't feel those intense eyes fixed on him. There was something unsettling in his gaze when Thrawn looked up to meet it. Understanding? No, compassion perhaps. But why.
Thrawn looked back down at the star map and then, between one thought and the next, it hit him.
He didn't recognize this place because no one had ever known the exact location. The Ascendancy had sent out numerous scout ships, but no trace of the doomed vessel had ever been found.
"Scan for Republic-era world ships," Thrawn said, his voice cold and precise.
Commodore Faro looked like she was going to ask why, glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, and then relayed the orders to all three Imperial star destroyers.
Thrawn stared out the viewport again and he could feel the Jedi's eyes on him, inescapable.
It had been a relatively low-level assignment but then again, Thrass was still young. He would scuttle the badly damaged ship, detaching his own, one-man clawcraft at the last moment, and return to the Ascendancy. This way, if anyone came looking, no one among the Aristocra would be untruthful in claiming they did not know the location of the Republic craft. What had happened was a regrettable accident, no more.
"I can do this, Thrawn. I'm old enough now. There's no need to protect me and this will bring honor to our family."
And Thrawn had let him.
"Thrawn?" His brother's face was distorted over the communication signal. "It's all gone wrong." There was a figure standing next to his brother; young, human and female. "There are people aboard. Some of them survived!"
The woman looked as tired and injured as his brother did. A simple metal cylinder hung at her waist. Just as it had at Jorus C'baoth's. And just as it had at Anakin Skywalker's.
"This is a Jedi." His brother intimated the woman and there was awe in his voice that Thrawn had no heard since they were boys. "Lorana Jinzler. She says that at least fifty people survived the destruction. The ship's stuck in forward position and we can only steer it from here. I can't slow her down!"
There was panic in Thrass' voice, ruthlessly held in check.
"Where are you?" Thrawn had asked, but Thrass hadn't known and the bridge was too badly damaged to take an accurate reading.
The communication became erratic then.
"…no one's ever going to know…"
And the Jedi had placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It does not matter. All that matters is that we save them."
"Your life is not worth theirs," Thrawn had told his brother, coldly certain. And it was true. Thrass was rising fast in the ranks of the Aristocra. He would help Thrawn prepare their people for what was coming.
"All life is sacred," the Jedi girl reproved him, but her eyes were as scared and lost as Thrass'.
"Their lives is not worth yours, either, Jedi," he told her, which was also the truth. The civilians on the ship had turned against all Jedi after C'baoth's madness and megalomania were revealed.
"They were scared," Jinzler said. "I don't blame them."
"…I have to do this, Thrawn. I'm sorry…."
"May the Force be with you, Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo…."
And they were gone. Thrawn never heard from either of them and he knew that they were lost.
Bridger's eyes were the same as Jinzler's; the utter certainty of a martyr. Thrawn refused to meet them.
"Admiral?" Faro's voice. "We've picked up the wreckage of six Dreadnought-type heavy cruisers and a central fuselage." Her voice sounded awed. "Forgive me, Admiral Thrawn, but how did you know it was here?"
Her voice came from very far away and Bridger's eyes were blending into those of Jinzler's and Skywalker's and even his brother's.
Kanan Jarrus' lightsaber, able to be hidden until the time was right, hung at his belt.
Thrawn turned to face the bridge. "Welcome to Outbound Flight," he said.
End Notes: Are their survivors? Stay tuned.