Chapter 5
It came as a relief when the Aristocra only stayed at the base for three days. Chiara studiously avoided him for the remainder of his stay, spending most of her time with the Corellians and catching up on news on the Republic, instead. Despite the fact that she had left the Order and the Republic behind, it still grieved her to hear about the continued deterioration that was occurring. Of course, none of the humans could tell her much about the workings of the Jedi Order, but she deduced from what they did know that the Council was allowing itself to become more and more pulled into the political arena. It came as no surprise to her that Palpatine had been reelected as Chancellor and that he was continuing to draw the Jedi Council in, putting them under his own control.
One afternoon about a week into the humans' stay, Thrawn found her sitting alone in the hangar bay viewing room, staring out at the ships and maintenance crews that moved through the cavern.
"Did you finish going over the shipment manifest already?" Thrawn asked, sitting down beside her.
She nodded absently. "Everything was in order. Prard'saki'tal mentioned the nahn'bar is growing quite well, this year. He expects we will receive some in the next shipment, if things continue as they are now."
"Excellent," Thrawn said, studying her face in the dim light. "You seem disquieted," he observed.
"I am," she admitted. "Car'das and Ferasi were telling me about some of the developments in the Republic since I left and things have only continued to go downhill. The Trade Federation is getting more and more out of hand and the Senate is growing more corrupt than ever. Things just keep getting worse," she said sadly. "Even though I left all of that behind when I chose to stay here with you, it still grieves me to hear that the Republic is continuing to degrade. The Jedi Council is allowing itself to be increasingly bogged down with politics and at the beck and call of the Supreme Chancellor. This isn't what the Jedi are supposed to be; we are supposed to be servants of the people and, through them the Force. Not the Senate, not the Chancellor, the people. I know this is part of why I left the Order, but it still saddens me to see them falling farther and farther away from our true purpose."
"Understandably so," Thrawn told her, taking her hand. "You've dedicated the majority of your life to the Jedi Order and to serving the people of the Republic. It is a part of your life that you cannot walk away from and choosing to serve to the Chiss does not lessen the impact and importance of your prior commitment to the Republic. I can only hope it doesn't make it too difficult for you to stay here, rather than returning to try to help correct the errant tendencies of the Order."
Chiara looked down at their interwoven fingers, taking in the contrast of their skin tones, pale white against blue. When she met his fiery gaze again, there was a determined set to her mouth. "No, it doesn't," she assured him. "I spent nearly a century trying to redirect the Jedi Order and the Council to no avail. Why would it be any different now? I cannot save the Order from its own folly. What I can do is serve the Force on my own by serving the Chiss."
"I am glad that can separate yourself enough from the Order to be content serving the Force here. I know it took you a great deal of time to come to the point where you could walk away from the Order, rather than continuing to try to fix it. I am grateful that your path lead you here," Thrawn told her, stroking her cheek with his free hand.
"As am I," she told him, gazing into his glowing red eyes.
They sat together in companionable silence for a few moments. "I have a proposal," Thrawn told her, winding a strand of her hair around his finger. "We have not had a quiet evening since we returned to the base. Why don't we leave our guests to their own devices and spend tonight together?"
Chiara felt her mood brighten noticeably. "That would be wonderful! Is that permitted by rules of hospitality, though?"
Thrawn shrugged. "For one evening, I do not believe it would be objectionable."
"Then I would love to. Did you have anything specific in mind?" Chiara asked.
"My thought was to leave that largely to you," he told her. "What would you like to do?"
She considered for a moment. "Why don't we start with a game of ch'etecisci? I'm getting closer to being able to beat you; perhaps today will be my lucky day."
"I doubt it," Thrawn told her with a smirk. "But you can certainly try."
The weeks flew by and they fell into a comfortable rhythm of completing Thrawn's administrative and command tasks during the day, then spending an hour or so in language lessons in the evening. Thrawn made a point of insuring that he spent some time with Chiara each evening, as well, which she greatly appreciated. Given how busy his schedule was and how much work was involved in running a base, even with her help, she knew this took a great deal of conscious effort on his part.
A few weeks into the smuggler's stay, Thrawn and Chiara sat together on the couch with one human sitting on either side. "What is your profession?" Thrawn asked Car'das in Cheunh.
"I am a fishing boat," the young man replied, clearly struggling to get the sounds out.
Chiara bit back a chuckle at the mistake as Thrawn lifted his eyebrows at Car'das; it was a mistake she had often made early in her time in Chiss space. Fissix had teased her so relentlessly about her pronunciation that she had spent three days straight working on differentiating between the sounds of the aspirated and un-aspirated consonants that were so common in Cheunh, yet so hard to pronounce. She still couldn't get them out correctly, but at least there was some difference between them now.
"You are a fishing boat?" Thrawn asked Car'das, changing to an almost flawless Basic.
Car'das looked at Chiara, as if for confirmation. "You did indeed say that you are a fishing boat," she told him. "It is such a subtle difference that it's an easy mistake to make. I've done the same thing more times than I would like to admit."
The young man gave a gesture that was probably meant to indicate frustration. "I am a merchant trader," he said in Minnisiat.
"Ah," Thrawn answered in the same language. "You're a merchant trader?"
"Yes. I really said I was a fishing boat?" Car'das questioned, a rueful expression on his face.
"Pohskapforian; Pohskapforian," Thrawn said, demonstrating the difference between the two words and the aspirated consonant that differentiated them. "Can you hear the difference?"
Car'das nodded. "I practiced that all evening, too."
"If it makes you feel any better, I had to answer everyone in Minnisiat for about six months," Chiara told him. "Well, everyone but Thrawn. I was surrounded by Cheunh constantly and I developed a good ear for it, but it took me a very long time to learn to approximate some of the sounds. I still don't do a terribly good job of a lot of the pronunciation."
"And I did warn you that Cheunh would most likely be beyond your physical capabilities," Thrawn reminded him. "Still, your increase in comprehension level has been quite amazing, especially after only five weeks. And your progress with Minnisiat over the same period has been nothing less than remarkable. I'm impressed." His gaze shifted to Ferasi. "With both of you."
Chiara glanced sharply at the other woman, who blushed at Thrawn's compliment. A wave of jealousy flooded over her as she watched Ferasi's reaction and sensed her pleasure at Thrawn's words. Despite his efforts at putting the slightest hint of coolness into his interactions with Ferasi and allowing Chiara to handle most of her tutoring, the Corellian had clearly retained her admiration for Thrawn. Much to Chiara's annoyance and Thrawn's chagrin, her esteem had only deepened as she had more exposure to Thrawn's brilliant intellect and high moral character. It was becoming a severe test of her patience and control to maintain a civil demeanor towards the Corellian.
"Thank you, Commander," Car'das said, drawing Chiara's attention away from Ferasi. "To have impressed you is high praise indeed."
"Now you flatter me," Thrawn warned the smuggler, a ghost of a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. He turned to look at Chiara in askance. "Is that the correct word? Flatter?"
"The word is correct, but I would argue the usage," Car'das answered for her. "Flattery implies exaggeration or even falsehood. My statement was the truth."
Thrawn inclined his head. "Then I accept the tribute as given." He turned to Ferasi, who had taken up a seat on the opposite side of him as Chiara. "And now, Ferasi, I'm ready with your special request."
"Special request?" Car'das asked, a frown creasing his forehead.
"Ferasi asked me to create a description of one of the artworks aboard the Vagaari pirate vessel," Thrawn told him.
"Oh?" The junior crewer asked, looking at Ferasi.
"I wanted some extra practice with abstract terms and adjectives," Ferasi said, a hint of frost in her tone.
"Okay, sure," the young man said hastily. "I was just wondering."
Chiara's eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them. Clearly Car'das was beginning to pick up on Ferasi's attraction to Thrawn, or at least to suspect. Chiara felt slightly vindicated in her own reactions towards the other woman, knowing that she wasn't the only one who held the opinion that Ferasi harbored feelings for Thrawn that were less than appropriate. She struggled to rein in her growing resentment of the other woman and jealousy at the attention that Thrawn was showing her. He's just being polite, she reminded herself. She knew he had been deliberately avoiding spending any time alone with the human woman to avoid encouraging her. She must have gone out of her way to track him down to make whatever request this was. Stretching out to the Force for calm and running through her Jedi relaxation techniques, she settled in to listen to Thrawn's description of whichever piece of art he had selected, focusing on him.
"May I ask which piece you've chosen?" Ferasi asked.
"Certainly not," he admonished her, raising one eyebrow. "You'll have to deduce that from my description."
"Oh," Ferasi said, seeing a bit disconcerted. She glanced at Car'das and set her jaw. "All right. I'm ready."
Thrawn's glowing eyes defocused as he gazed across the room, staring out into the hangar bay without really seeing the activity of the maintenance crews prepping the clawcraft for their next patrol. "The changing of colors is like a rainbow's edge melding into a sunlit waterfall..."
Chiara felt a jolt of unpleasant realization from Car'das, distracting her from Thrawn's description. The young man was staring intently at Ferasi, a distinctly uncomfortable look on his face. She followed his gaze to Ferasi's face, watching as the other woman's eyes lingered on Thrawn's handsome face, her lips occasionally moving as she worked through some of the more complex compound words. Chiara felt a surge of anger as she took in Ferasi's expression; it wasn't the sort of look that a student should be giving her teacher and definitely not one that any woman should be giving a man who was already in a committed relationship.
"...with a deep sense of disconnection and strife between the artist and his people," Thrawn finished.
"Beautiful," Ferasi murmured, her gaze still lingering adoringly on Thrawn's sculpted features. "That was the flat with the carved edging, wasn't it? The landscape with the darkness growing upward from the lower corner?"
"Correct," Thrawn confirmed, looking to Car'das. "Were you also able to identify it?"
"I- no," the young man admitted, looking embarassed. "I was mostly concentrating on understanding the words."
"One can concentrate so closely on the words of a sentence that one thereby misses the meaning, as can happen in any area of life. You must never lose focus on the larger landscape," he admonished the younger man. Thrawn glanced at Chiara as he said this, his expression and sense clearly communicating to her that he had caught on to her reaction, as well as Ferasi's attention. He gave her an apologetic look before his gaze drifted upward to a series of lights over the door that indicated the Admiral's ship had begun negotiating the launch tunnel into the base. He got to his feet and made a point of offering his hand to Chiara to help her up, as well, turning his back to the Corellian woman. "Today's lesson is over," he informed Car'das. "I must see to my guest."
"Guest?" Ferasi asked, matching Thrawn's movement.
"An admiral of the Chiss Defense Fleet is on her way to take possession of the Vagaari vessel," Thrawn told her evenly as he started for the door.
Chiara was only a step behind him. "It is nothing you need to concern yourselves with," she informed Ferasi, the words coming out a bit more sharply than she had intended. The Corellian started as if she had forgotten Chiara's presence while she fawned over Thrawn. She stared at Chiara, a decidedly uncomfortable expression on her face. So you know that your feelings for him aren't appropriate, Chiara thought as the other woman flushed. At least you have the good grace to be embarrassed that you were swooning over him in front of me.
"May we observe the welcoming ceremony?" Car'das asked, clearly missing the tension. "This time we should be able to understand what's being said."
Thrawn didn't miss any of it. He glanced at Chiara, searching her face for a clue as to her preference. She could feel his concern through the Force as she tore her gaze away from the smuggler woman and met his glowing eyes. She could sense his discomfort at the situation and at seeing for the first time just how far Ferasi's admiration had gone. Her gaze flicked back to Ferasi. This infatuation of hers is entirely one-sided, she reminded herself, redirecting her gaze back to Thrawn and giving him a fractional shrug.
Thrawn studied her for another pair of heartbeats before turning back to Car'das. "I believe that will be permissible," he told the Corellian, leading the way out into the corridors. "Admiral Ar'alani will certainly have heard of your presence from Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano and will want to see you for herself."
"Are they both from the same family?" Ferasi asked.
"Senior officers of the Defense Fleet belong to no family," Chiara informed her, striving to keep any frost from her tone as she addressed the woman. "They are stripped of family rank and privilege and made part of the Defense Hierarchy in order that they may serve all Chiss without deference or prejudice."
"So military rank is merit-based, and not something that comes from Family connections?" Ferasi asked.
"Exactly," Thrawn confirmed. "Officers are taken into the Hierarchy once they've proven themselves, just as the Ruling Families themselves select merit adoptives."
"What are merit adoptives?" Car'das asked.
"Merit adoptives are Chiss brought in from outside a Family's bloodlines to enhance or diversify or vitalize," Chiara explained. "Every warrior is made a merit adoptive when they're accepted into either the Defense Fleet or the Expansionary Fleet."
"That's why every warrior wears the color of one of the Families," Thrawn added, tapping the burgundy patch on his shoulder.
"Which one is yours?" Maris asked, again with that all-too interested look on her face.
"The Eighth," Thrawn told her. "My position is actually different from that of most warriors, as I've been named a Trial-born of the family. Most warriors' positions automatically cease when they leave the military, but mine carries the possibility that I will be deemed worthy and matched permanently to the family. I may even be granted the position of ranking distant, which will tie my descendants and bloodline into that of the Family."
Not that they were ever likely to have descendants, unless they adopted. Chiara doubted they would ever even do that, as neither were willing for her to leave the base to raise a family. And that he would be permanently matched to the Eighth family was still a matter of doubt. Aristocra Mitth'osks'anik was decidedly on their side in this matter, but the rest of the Familly seemed to be split fairly evenly.
"Sounds complicated," Car'das commented.
Chiara shrugged. "It's not as complicated as it sounds, and it is far better than the way things are done in the Republic, with titles always going straight to bloodlines or the highest bidder."
"Mm," he answered noncommittally. "And you said there are nine of these Ruling Families?"
"There are nine at present," Thrawn said. "The number fluctuates with events and political fortunes. At various times over the centuries there have been as many as twelve and as few as three."
Chiara ran her eye over the welcoming chamber as she stepped in, checking to be sure that everything was configured properly for someone of the Admiral's position. One of the first things she had done when they arrived on the base was spend time familiarizing herself with the welcoming ceremonies required for different officials. Her eyes flicked up to the banners and panels that dropped down from the ceiling, confirming that everything was in place. She nodded to her approval to the two warriors who stood flanking the doors. As always, they had performed their duties competently and thoroughly.
"The ceremony will be considerably shorter and less formal than the last one you witnessed," Thrawn told the humans as he gestured them into positions flanking him but two paces back. Chiara took up her place at his right hand, even though she technically had no standing and no right to that place. For most visitors, she would not have dared to presume to stand on equal ground with Thrawn, but she knew Ar'alani well enough and knew that the Admiral had accepted her as part of Thrawn's life and command. It had taken time for the Admiral to shift from her initial opposition to acceptance, but the risk she had taken with Thrawn to rescue Mitth'osk'sanik's mate and children from a blizzard had seemed to finally win her over.
"The Admiral's appearance may surprise you a bit, as well," Thrawn added, turning to Car'das. "I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts later."
He turned his attention to one of the warriors who stood flanking the door in an honor guard position and gave a small nod. The warrior keyed a switch and, with a melodious chiming to announce the admiral's presence, the door slid open. Four of the admiral's warriors stepped through in smart, military movements and took up flanking positions on either side of the door. In answer, Thrawn's warriors gave up their guard positions and moved to a covering position in each corner, their exactly timed movements an impressive display of coordination and cohesiveness. Thrawn took great pride in having such highly trained and competent warriors, a pride that those under his command picked up on and strove to fulfill to the best of their abilities. It was yet another subtle example of how Thrawn's command style cultivated a desire to perform above and beyond his exacting standards and brought about impressive results.
Admiral Ar'alani appeared in the door and strode into the room, coming to a halt at exactly the center. With her shoulder-length, blue-black hair pulled back into a tight braid, she looked just a severe as Chiara remembered from her initial meeting with the Admiral. Chiara knew from experience that the Admiral wasn't nearly as strict as she seemed, but she and Thrawn seldom saw eye-to-eye on things, which meant that this was likely to be a very interesting visit.
Thrawn took the proscribed step forward to meet the Admiral. "In the name of all who service the Chiss, I greet you, Admiral Ar'alani," he said formally.
"I accept your greeting, and greet you in return, Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Do you guarantee my safety, and the safety of my crew?" Even as she gave the required response, Chiara could see that the admiral's eyes were not on Thrawn, but rather on the two humans that stood behind them.
"I guarantee your safety with my life and the lives of those of my command," Thrawn said, bowing his head low. "Enter in peace, and with trust."
The Admiral returned Thrawn's bow. "Who are these who stand behind you?" she asked, her tone shifting as they left the rituals of welcome behind.
"Visitors from a distant world," Thrawn said, gesturing the humans forward. "Car'das and Ferasi, may I present Admiral Ar'alani."
"We are honored, Admiral," Car'das said in semi-passable Cheunh, trying to imitate Thrawn's bow.
The Admiral's eyebrows shot up. "Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano didn't tell me they spoke Cheunh."
"Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano spent didn't know. He spent little time here, and showed no more interest in learning about my guests than he has in Chiara," Thrawn told her, his tone polite but with a hint of annoyance coloring his sense as he recalled the Aristocra's conduct towards her.
Ar'alani's eyes flicked to Chiara, back to the Corellians. "Are these of your species, Jedi?"
"They are not," Chiara told her. "They are similar, but not the same."
The Admiral seemed to consider this for a moment, studying the differences in appearance between Chiara and the smugglers. "The report said there were three of them," she said after a moment.
"The third is otherwise occupied. I can summon him if you wish," Thrawn said.
Ar'alani lifted her eyebrows. "He is allowed to roam freely through an installation of the Chiss Expansionary Fleet?"
Thrawn shook his head. "All three are under constant surveillance."
"You are studying them, then?"
"Of course," Thrawn said mildly.
"And what have you learned that you didn't already know from your Jedi?" Ar'alani asked.
"A great deal," Thrawn assured her, glancing at Chiara. "But this is neither the time nor the place to discuss it."
Ar'alani's eyes flicked to Thrawn's warriors, still standing at perfect attention against the welcoming chamber walls. "Agreed."
"I presume you'll wish to tour the captured vessel before you take it in tow. I have a shuttle waiting," Thrawn told her.
"Good," the Admiral said, reaching to her belt and touching her comlink. "Let me summon my passenger, and we'll go."
The flicker of surprise that Chiara picked up from Thrawn matched her own; apparently, he hadn't known about this visitor, either. "No passengers were mentioned."
"His presence is not officially sanctioned by the Defense Fleet," Ar'alani said. "I brought him here as a favor to the Eighth Ruling Family."
Behind the Admiral, a familiar Chiss stepped into view, sending a fresh wave of astonishment rippling through Thrawn. "Thrass!" He breathed, breaking into a smile as he moved to meet his brother. Thrass gripped his arm in greeting, returning Thrawn's enthusiastic smile. "Welcome," Thrawn greeted the other. "This is a surprise indeed."
"An achievement I have rarely achieved," Thrass said, amusement creeping into his tone. His gaze shifted over Thrawn's shoulder and he moved to greet Chiara. "It is good to see you again, Chiara," he said, offering her his hand in greeting.
She gripped his arm in return and smiled warmly. "The pleasure is all mine, Thrass. Welcome to Crustai."
Whatever issues they'd had when they first met had dissipated quickly after they sat down and talked. Since then, he had accepted her fully into the family and put considerable effort into mending the rift he had opened with Thrawn over his initial reaction to his brother taking an outsider under his protection. They seldom saw him now, but that was mainly due to the many lightyears that lay between Crustai and Csilla.
Thrass's gaze shifted to the humans and Chiara could see lines of tension appear around his eyes. He may have accepted her, but he clearly hadn't quite gotten over the Chiss xenophobia yet.
"My guests," Thrawn said, obviously noting the shift and gesturing to the Corellians. "Car'das and Ferasi, Corellian traders from the Galactic Republic."
"The same Galactic Republic that you are from, I presume?" Thrass asked, glancing at Chiara. She nodded. "Hmm. Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano's description didn't do them justice," Thrass commented, looking them up and down. "Particularly the clothing."
"Their regular shipments of style-design from Csilla must have been delayed," Thrawn said drily. "Car'das and Ferasi: this is Syndic Mitth'ras'safis of the Eighth Ruling Family. My brother."
"Your brother?" Ferasi repeated in surprise.
"You've taught them to speak Cheunh, as well?" Thrass said, his tone darkening a little.
Thrawn shrugged. "After a fashion. Admiral Ar'alani and I were on our way to visit the captured pirate vessel. Would you care to accompany us?"
"That's the main reason I'm here," Thrass said.
"The main reason?" Thrawn asked.
Thrass's lip twitched. "There are others."
"I see," Thrawn said, studying his brother's face. "But we'll speak of them later. If you'll come this way, Admiral?"
The trip to where the Vagaari ship had been anchored on the far side of the base was a quiet one. Chiara was too busy flying to try to strike up a conversation with Thrass and Thrawn merely pointed out a few technical details of the captured vessel as they approached. Predictably, neither Thrass nor the Admiral seemed particularly interested in Thrawn's commentary on the vessel. Their answers were mostly monosyllabic, if they said anything at all. Chiara could sense Thrawn's disappointment at the disinterest of their guests and his brother in particular, but he let none of that show. She caught a flicker of something else from him, too, but it wasn't anything she could pinpoint. She suspected that it had to do with whatever was on the datapad that one of the techs had presented him with just before they left. He had nearly passed the datapad over to her, but apparently thought better of it and returned it to the tech instead, leaving her utterly in the dark about the contents of the message. She didn't like being in the dark, but Thrawn always had a reason for everything he did and she had learned long ago that it was best to trust him. She would just have to stay tuned to his emotional state and follow his lead.
Once they reached the ship, Thrawn was able to point out quite a few more details and deductions as he showed the Admiral and Thrass around the ship, with Chiara filling in any bits that he left out. Thrass and the Admiral maintained their stoic silence until they reached the treasure room.
"Ah- there you are," Qennto's deep voice greeted them in Basic from one corner of the room.
"What's this alien doing here?" Ar'alani demanded.
"He's helping catalog the items for me," Thrawn replied evenly. "Some of the systems plundered by the Vagaari are in the outer edges of Republic territory, in areas that Chiara never visited. Captain Qennto has some knowledge of the origin and value of the items from these regions."
"What did he say?" Qennto queried, looking to Ferasi.
"In Sy Bisti, if you please," Thrawn told Ferasi in answer to her questioning look, switching seamlessly to that language. "We don't want to leave the Admiral and Syndic out of the conversation."
"Yes, Commander," Ferasi answered. She turned back to Qennto and translated Thrawn's comment.
"Oh, I'm helping catalog, all right. I'm also picking out the items I'll be taking home with me," Qennto said in a mildly belligerent tone, eyeing the two unfamiliar Chiss suspiciously.
"What items are these?" Ar'alani demanded in Cheunh, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the Captain. "Commander?"
"In Sy Bisti, if you please, Admiral," Thrawn requested.
"This is not an interspecies conversation circle," Ar'alani countered sharply, disregarding the request. "What exactly have you promised these aliens?"
"They're merchants and traders. I've offered them some of the items in compensation for their weeks of service," Thrawn said stiffly. It seemed to Chiara that his sense didn't match his tone or posture, though. She carefully
The sense Chiara was getting from him didn't match his tone or posture, though. He almost seemed pleased with how things were going, but that made little sense.
"What service?" Ar'alani demanded, glaring at the humans. "You've provided them with food and living quarters, taught them Cheunh- and for this they deserve compensation? Do you intend to make a habit out of collecting aliens?"
Chiara felt her cheeks warm. Apparently, even the Admiral still considered her to be an outsider here, however gracefully she typically treated her.
"We're also helping the Commander practice our language," Ferasi offered, blundering naively into the conversation.
"You will not speak to an admiral off the Chiss unless first spoken to," Ar'alani corrected the human brusquely, eyes flashing.
"My apologies," the Corellian woman said, reddening.
Chiara felt an odd mixture of satisfaction and sympathy at seeing Ferasi put in her place. Now that's not a very Jedi-like reaction, she told herself sternly.
"There's plenty here for both our visitors and the Ascendancy. If you'll come with me, there are some details of the engine room I'd like to show you" Thrawn said, stepping smoothly into the gap and redirecting the conversation. He took one step toward the door-
"A moment," Ar'alani said, halting him in his tracks, her glowing eyes on Qennto and the decorative shield he was gripping. "Who will decide what items your humans will be permitted to take?"
"My intent was to leave that decision largely to Captain Qennto," Thrawn answered. His sense in the Force tightened and Chiara could almost feel his concentration as he- did what? She still didn't even know where he was going with this. "He's been working on this inventory for some weeks now and has an extensive knowledge of the contents. I can provide you with a copy of the complete listing before you leave."
"A listing of what's in here now? Or a listing of what was here before he removed his chosen items?" Ar'alani asked.
"Both lists will be available," Thrawn promised, taking another step toward the door. "And my spot checks have shown the lists and descriptions are accurate enough. At any rate, you'll have time on the voyage home to examine both the lists and the treasures themselves."
"Or I could examine them right now," Ar'alani said. She gestured to one of her warriors. "You- get the listing. I think, Commander, that I'd prefer to take my own inventory."
She could feel Thrawn's satisfaction at that; clearly, this was what he had been attempting to maneuver the Admiral into. The why was still a mystery to her, though. "As you wish, Admiral. Unfortunately, I'll be unable to assist you in that task. There are administrative matters that require my attention."
"I can make do without your assistance. Make sure I have a shuttle with which to return to my ship when I'm finished." Her eyes flicked to Thrass. "And I think it would be wise if Syndic Mitth'ras'safis remained with me. With the Syndic's permission, of course."
"I have no objections," Thrass said, looking rather troubled by the whole conversation.
"Then I'll look forward to conversing again with you at your convenience," Thrawn said, catching Chiara's eye. He cocked his head almost imperceptibly and glanced from her to the treasure and back again.
"I'll stay and fly them back to the Admiral's ship when they are finished," Chiara offered, picking up on his cue.
Thrawn hesitated for a moment inside the door, his glowing eyes lingering on her. "Very well," he finally said. Clearly, there was something else he wanted to tell her, but could not risk saying in front of the Admiral. He dropped her gaze though and caught Car'das's attention, nodding toward the door.
Chiara watched his receding back, wondering what he was up to. Much to her annoyance, she noticed that Ferasi had invited herself along as well, following Car'das out of the treasure room. She thought about calling the woman back but thought better of it, not wanting to draw any more attention to Thrawn's departure and spoil the game - whatever game that was.
Chiara waited until the door slid shut behind Thrawn before she joined Thrass beside one of the baskets of multi-colored gems that he was examining.
"Why did you do this?" Thrass murmured, letting a handful of the gems slip through his fingers and fall back into the bin. They made little pinging sounds as they struck the other gemstones, almost like pieces of glass glancing off each other. "You and Thrawn both know this cannot be justified under the rules of engagement."
"Actually, it can," she told him. "Their fighters fired at the clawcraft that spotted them first."
"That clawcraft had no cause to be out there in the first place," Thrass told her pointedly.
Chiara raised one eyebrow at him. "The pilot was running a patrol of the system. Are you really implying that we shouldn't run surveillance to insure the safety of the base and the many who live here? Or the scientists on the planet?"
Thrass sighed. "Chiara, you do not fully understand our politics. The other Families have been clamoring over Thrawn's actions for months, now. The Fourth Family in particular has been pointing their finger at you and pushing to have you banished from Chiss territory. It is only because you have Aristocra Mitth'osks'anik so firmly on your side that you are still here, but even that hangs by a thread."
Her heart sank. "Let me guess, Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano is the one leading in that suggestion," she said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
"He is not the only one, but he is one of the most vocal," Thrass admitted. "It's not only this, though, Chiara; the Eighth Family has made it clear that they will release Thrawn before they allow his immoral attacks to damage their standing. If this happens, I doubt any of the other Families will be willing to take him, not given-" Thrass paused and glanced at her. "Not given the fact that he has bound himself to an outsider," he said almost apologetically.
"And a warrior cannot serve in either of the Fleets without a Family," Chiara finished for him. "I know, Thrass, and that is the last thing I want."
Thrass gave her an appraising look. "You aren't pushing him to make these strikes of his, are you?"
She sighed and picked up a handful of gems from the basket beside her, watching them slip through her fingers and fall back into the basket when she opened her hand. Even Thrass suspects me of instigating. "No, Thrass, I'm not," she assured him. "He is the one decides whether or not we should make an attack, not me, and he knows that I will support him either way. I will help him with planning the assault once he has made up his mind, but I do not try to sway his decision one way or the other before that point."
"I'm not sure if I find that reassuring or even more disturbing," Thrass muttered, moving on to another bin and fingering the coins it contained. Still, he seemed at least somewhat relieved.
"Thrawn and I have been discussing that perhaps I ought to go somewhere else for a time and hopefully let some of the controversy die down a bit. Do you think that would be a good idea?" She asked.
Thrass picked up one of the coins and examined the markings on each side, deliberating over his answer. "It certainly would not be a bad idea. Where would you go?"
"My thought was that I could go visit Anisi. It's a six day trip just to get to her base, so I would easily be gone for three weeks or more," Chiara told him.
"That seems like a good plan," Thrass said. He arched one blue-black eyebrow at her. "As long as she doesn't develop a sudden penchant for unprovoked attacks," he added.
Chiara glanced sharply at him. Was he still trying to imply-? She caught the barest hint of a smile tugging at one corner of his lips and relaxed. No, he was just teasing her. Their relationship had been so rocky in the beginning that she wasn't quite used to him feeling comfortable enough with her to make any jokes. She chuckled. "I'll make sure to restrain her if she shows any such tendencies," she promised drily.
They continued moving around the room in silence for a few moments with Thrass occasionally pausing to examine one of the items. The Chiss paused in front of the sculpt that Thrawn had regretfully brought back from their quarters that morning. "I'm surprised you could pry my brother away from all the art in this room."
Chiara snorted. "Barely. He brought that piece in front of you to the base so he could study it. It has been sitting in our quarters for the last month."
Thrass gave her an amused smile. "That sounds like my brother. Tell me, what sort of wondrous deductions into the artist's psyche and origins did he come up with, this time?"
"You shouldn't doubt his abilities to discern things from art, Thrass," she told him. "Every thing he has ever come up with from studying another species' art has turned out to be true. I have had interactions with several of the species whose art is represented in this room and every last characteristic he inferred from their art fit them completely. The Corellians knew about even more of them than I did, and he was right about those species, too."
"Perhaps," Thrass said, sounding unconvinced.
Chiara decided to let it go. "Thrawn was able to learn quite a bit about some of the species and, by extension, the Vagaari. He was even able to make an educated guess about what sort of tactics the Vagaari might have used against them, based on what he learned of the different species fro their art and what we have already learned of the Vagaari's tactics," she told him.
Thrass opened his mouth to reply, but a chirp from the Admiral's comlink broke into their conversation. They both turned in unison to watch as she pulled the curved device from her belt to answer. Her expression darkened as she listened to the voice on the other end and she shot a piercing glare at Chiara. Chiara didn't even have to try to sense her emotions with the Force as the Admiral jammed the comlink back onto her belt and strode over; she was exuding white-hot fury.
"Where has Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo gone?" the Admiral demanded.
Chiara blinked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"He took the Springhawk and six clawcraft. I want to know where he is going," the Admiral snarled.
So that was what he had been up to; he had been trying to get away from the Admiral to go- where? "I have no idea," Chiara told her evenly, meeting her blazing eyes.
"You expect me to believe that you don't know? What attack have you not had knowledge of and been an active part of since you first set foot in Chiss territory?" Ar'alani pointed out icily.
"This would be the first one," Chiara admitted. "I assure you that I know nothing of what is going on. I suggest you check the report that he received just before we boarded the shuttle, if you want to know where he went. He didn't show the datapad to me, but I suspect whatever it contains is the cause of his sudden departure."
"And he said nothing of this to you?" The Admiral pressed, clearly still not believing that Thrawn had left her in the dark.
"You were there the entire time, Admiral," Chiara said coolly. "He didn't say a single word to me from the moment we left the welcoming chamber until he left a few moments ago."
"He didn't communicate with you in some other way?" The Admiral asked suspiciously.
"None at all," Chiara told her. "I will swear it on my honor as a Jedi."
The Admiral eyed her for a moment. "Let us return to the base then and find the contents of this report." Her glowing eyes flashed. "Let us hope that Commander is not about to make another unwise strike."
I am fairly certain that is exactly what he is about to do, Chiara thought.