Title: Here at the Right Time (2/?)
Fandom: Star Wars
Rating: R for this part (some sex in the second section)
Pairing/Characters: Thrawn/Jorj Car'das, Kinman Doriana, some other characters
Summary: Jorj Car'das learns that life is more interesting with a Chiss than without one. An AU of sorts taking place after the events of Timothy Zahn's Outbound Flight.
Notes: Just about all the artwork mentioned is nonsense I made up based on the systems I looked at or based off of objects mentioned in Zahn's Thrawn trilogy.
Kinman Doriana did not seem particularly displeased or even distressed by Car'das' refusal. If anything a strange light seemed to enter his eyes when Car'das mumbled that he planned on returning to work for Thrawn. He patted the younger man on the shoulder, and eagerly offered him a ride to Courscant regardless.
"Your work with Thrawn could prove invaluable," the older man said over one of the overly long dinners they shared together. Dinners that Car'das couldn't very well decline, but didn't particularly enjoy since he spent them sitting on one end of the table watching the Kinman stare at him as if he was now an even more valuable asset than he would have been before.
"I don't think the Chiss as a whole are particularly eager to even sign up with the Trade Federation let alone the Republic."
Doriana dismissed this concern with a wave of his hand. "There is much we could learn from the Chiss, I suppose, but the commander would be of more immediate use."
"I don't think… That is, I doubt he'd be willing to completely abandon his people."
"All things considered, I think it unlikely that he will be the one to do the abandoning," Doriana mused. "At any rate, you will prove your usefulness just as easily circling around Crustai as you might at the capital."
"Gee thanks," Car'das said.
"There is more," the Kinman murmured after dinner plates were cleared. "You will be interacting with a hitherto unknown and undiscovered race. To that end, I'm willing to have a number of resources at your disposal. Although you and I are both aware of his intelligence and remarkable abilities, there is still much you can teach to the Commander.
"I don't know if that's such a great idea. He'll probably learn way more than you want him to."
"Why should I wish for him to remain ignorant when it is likely that all he learns will inevitably benefit the Republic?" Doriana asked before smiling. "That reminds me. He mentioned that he enjoyed art and you should bring some back with you as well."
"Don't make this into more than it is," Car'das argued, not comfortable with the idea of representing such a large organization or assuming some oddly political role.
He was strongly reminded of family get-togethers and the inevitable lecture about how Jorj was wasting his life consorting with criminals when he could have been a professor, a statesman, or an anthropologist studying intelligent winged creatures that lived off of lunar dust and communicated slowly through head bobs in a system far away for a week or two at a time before scurrying back home. Anything but a selfish kid who wanted to visit distant worlds and enjoy life. Maybe he should have opted to remain a smuggler.
"Honestly. I'm not going back to be an ambassador or some sort of cultural attaché. So I appreciate the offer but—"
The Kinman studied him thoughtfully with dark green eyes. He ran a hand over his balding head and smiled again. "Surely you do not mean to rely entirely on the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force for hospitality or transportation. Should anything go wrong, I think you will appreciate the invaluable assistance I can provide. Or the Supreme Chancellor for that matter. I realize Thrawn is… well, shall we say a new and intimate friend of yours?"
Car'das tensed a bit but the Kinman continued gazing benignly in the younger man's direction, sipping at his drink and leaning back in his chair.
"Ah, Jorj. Palpatine does not care why you go back and neither do. We only care that you are welcomed in places where the Republic is not. And that I remain informed."
Car'das pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "No. I can't spy for you."
"Calmly listen if you please," the Nabooian said. "However loosely informed is up to you. All I'm asking is that should Thrawn decide to seek us out, well, you will have already painted us in a positive light. And you would work to facilitate the meeting with the Senator. You will need contacts to fall back on, and you know just as well as I do that he will need contacts of any kind in the event that something goes awry."
"You make it sound like it is only a matter of time."
"It is."
For the rest of the trip, Car'das spent most of his time reviewing what little Cheunh he could pronounce and contemplating banging his head against the ship's hull as Doriana continued to prattle on about Thrawn. He wasn't sure how the Chiss had become some kind of new blue hope so quickly.
The point Doriana stressed the most was that should Thrawn decide to leave or be forced to move on from his home world and her backward-thinking people behind, the Kinman was to be contacted immediately.
Car'das eventually accepted a small ship to take back to Coreilla and then back to Crustai, a large collection of art holograms, and various forms of contact information as well as devices to input the said information into. He told himself it was really just to get the man to give it a rest, although it was more than that. He could probably use the contacts and he certainly could use a human eye being kept on him in case things got dicey or in case he was wrong about Thrawn and was only going to end up in a similar situation as before.
But he made sure to stress that he couldn't make promises where Thrawn was concerned. Car'das didn't think he was in charge or control of anything at this point, a frustrating realization but a fact of life.
He was less anxious and irritated once he was off on his own again even if his task in Coruscant was hardly an enjoyable one. Lorana Jinzler had asked for a favor, and it was a promise Car'das was willing to keep.
All the same, he kept his conversation with Dean Jinzler as brief as possible and was relieved when it ended. The young man would tell his family, and Car'das could only hope the parents would care more than their son. Whatever their differences had been, he could not understand Dean's unwillingness to forgive. Perhaps it would just take time to heal the rift. Either way, it wasn't any of Car'das' business. He didn't know Dean and truthfully didn't care on too personal a level about Lorana's passing. He could not and would not lecture Dean on the way he was choosing to grieve. Car'das wasn't like Maris, and he had enough problems of his own.
He thought about Thrass instead as he got the ship ready for hyperspace and the trip to his home system. More than likely, Thrass was also dead and gone seeing as there was no reason to suspect that the young Jedi had survived whatever fate had befallen the Outbound Flight. Thrawn would take the news without Dean's hostile, warped rage, but even with a mutual love and respect between them, nothing would make Thrass' passing any easier to bear. It occurred to him then that Thrawn probably hadn't been looking for new threats or enemy activity while situated in Forward Visual. He'd been looking for his brother.
Once he arrived on Corellia, Car'das made an effort to speak to his family, because that's what good Corellians boys and girls did. He found himself keeping the conversation short and to the point. His mother seemed indifferent until the Chiss and art was mentioned. Then she kept reminding him about how well he used to draw. And urging him to write a book or somehow use this as field study for an actual degree, which was more embarrassing than anything else.
The grand conclusion to his lackluster smuggling career seemed to come as a relief to his father. They seemed disappointed that he was finding work out of the system and only marginally curious when he mentioned taking a position in Coruscant. It was the first time he had lied so completely to either one of them, but somehow he couldn't explain Thrawn. Not without explaining everything else.
How could he tell his aging parents that he'd met an alien race called the Chiss, been kept as a prisoner on a base in a system they'd never heard of, helped defeat the Vagarri, and then turned down at offer from Kinman Doriana himself to go back to his former captor?
He knew what they would say and just how angry his stoic father would become. Car'das could just picture the heartbreak on his mother's worn face. Not that his family argued. Corellians didn't argue. All the same, it wasn't worth it. In the end, it would be far better if they thought he was working far away and was simply too busy to ever return their calls on time. He could work something out to keep them from ever knowing exactly where he was. For now.
The more he thought about his experiences, the more he figured going back was a completely irrational decision. Even more so if he couldn't even tell his family where he was going, but it was one he planned on making without any lingering regrets. And if he hadn't been completely honest about missing Corellia, well, it was just one of the many necessary falsehoods he'd been handing out for the sake of other people. Thrawn hardly needed to know just how attached Car'das was to the place anymore than his parents needed to know about Thrawn.
After a few days, he found himself missing Cheunh or even speaking to others in Sy Bisti. He did not, however, find that he missed his crew too much. He could picture them fighting already over the pros and cons of smuggling enough to make a profit with Maris wanting to play hero everywhere they went.
He thought about Thrawn a great deal. Mostly, of course, about his lips and black uniform and what doubtlessly lay beneath it. As well as ways to get to the point of actually seeing Thrawn out of said CEDF uniform.
As a result, Car'das spent most of his time in Kor Vella, visiting the tourist attractions and the library, gathering up more holograms of art and information on various planets for Thrawn. He wanted more than simply hand-me-downs from well-meaning politicians and mothers. Besides, they needed to understand one another a bit better since clearly Thrawn didn't realize how easily Jorj could be moved from location A to location B without a star chart, and art seemed to provide the Chiss with some strange insight into people. Car'das could hardly see similarities between himself and primitive flame sculptures, but perhaps the Commander would.
In terms of his own supplies, all Car'das had really needed was some furniture that hadn't been built with a Chiss in mind as its sole user.
Shortly before leaving, Doriana sent along more holograms of artwork. Shifting through them via remote control, all the Corellian felt was a great deal of announce. Statues from Alderaan, angry battle scenes dated back to before the fall of the Rakatan Infinite Empire, an oranate replica of an Ithorian floating city, leaf etchings from Kashyyk, Mandolorian skull-shaped vases made from the volcanic ash from the planet Tracyn… And every single piece of it would require days of explanations on Car'das' part.
The last gift or bribe or waste of time arrived in a crate: some rare sculpture that circled slowly around itself in small spirals. It had been stolen from another alien race the Republic knew little about. The vid accompanying the item casually hinted that the Senator would be very interested in talking about the item in question should Thrawn learn anything and care to share his findings.
The only satisfaction that Car'das could derive from all of the nonsense that he was expected to cart around was the knowledge that even if these politicians were going to try to manipulate Thrawn, they were more likely to find themselves manipulated in the end.
"Will you need anything else?" his mother had asked somewhat anxiously when it was time for him to leave.
He shook and kissed her cheek before shaking hands with his father.
"You could come home more often."
"I'll try."
And that was about all he was going to get from them until he did something worthwhile like settling down or earning some stripes.
While the ship was docking, a wave of uncertainly seemed to slam into Car'das and made his movements sluggish. He thought about leaving, but that required permission from the flight deck and probably Thrawn himself. Adding a level of embarrassment to his discomfort wouldn't help matters.
He found himself staring at all of the idiotic items he'd been given by the Supreme Chancellor via Kinman Doriana. What was he doing really besides being sent off to the middle of nowhere with distractions for a Chiss commander that clearly were meant to convince him to visit the rest of the galaxy and work for the Republic? And how was he any less of an incentive than the holograms he'd been instructed to bring with? Worse than that. He'd even brought additional samples of artwork without instruction or authorization. Hell, he'd even made taken a handful of the holograms on his own while visiting that one monastery in Kor Valla.
"Terrific," he muttered. "So the final verdict is that I'm brainwashed and paranoid. How does that work?"
He braced himself and walked down, back into the base. The Chiss warriors that greeted him weren't particularly unfriendly. One of them was even remotely familiar, but he'd been one of the two to overhear Thrawn's remarks about his translator and prisoner, which didn't endear him to the Corellian by any means.
Idiot, idiot, idiot. You are such an idiot, was Jorj's manta as he stalked down the corridors. Two men followed him at a respectful distance, used to his presence and not restricting his movements. You can't handle Hutts or politicians because they're slimey, but one Chiss gets you alone in a room and stares at you with compelling red eyes and you opt to be his pet translator for life.
"Is your commander even around?" he asked after awhile in Sy Bisti. He had already decided not to try asking for anything in Cheunh. He'd probably ask to be shown to the dungeon or an asteroid field instead.
"Yes," one replied. "You must come this way."
The other snorted in amusement but said nothing as they walked back the way they'd came.
To Car'das' extreme mortification, Thrawn was standing right next to his ship's platform. The Chiss smiled gently, perhaps trying to gauge whether Jorj had temporarily come down with some sort of space-related sickness or not.
"Hello again," Thrawn said in Basic and Car'das could have kissed him for that small kindness. His men could only remain at parade rest looking perplexed. "You seemed so determined to visit the southeast corridor that I didn't have the heart to stop you."
"Yeah. Um. Nice architecture over there. I guess."
An eyebrow went up as Thrawn switched to Sy Basti. "Really. Would you like your belongings to be unloaded now?"
"Sure."
"See to it," he said to the row of men behind him. They were dressed in burgundy instead of the black uniforms Car'das had gotten used to, but since he wasn't a prisoner, his stuff probably didn't require much of an investigation.
Once they'd moved on, Thrawn put an arm around Car'das' shoulders. "Come. I might as well show you to my quarters while they finish working on yours."
A few turns later and they were alone. Car'das sighed heavily before rubbing his forehead. "Sorry about that."
"I find your inability to come to terms with any given situation to be quite charming."
"That's great."
"I also find it remarkable that you only panicked after you returned to my base and even so the first person you went looking for was me."
"Yeah, well… That's me. Cute and clever with all the worldly charm of a little lost bantha."
"I have no idea what that means," Thrawn calmly observed.
Car'das laughed. "I know. That's what I like about you."
The Chiss smiled ever so slightly. "It pleases me to see you, Jorj."
"I told you I'd come back."
"That you did," Thrawn agreed, giving Car'das' shoulder a meaningful squeeze. They stopped outside of a large door, and the Chiss tugged him closer before kissing him as it slid open.
"I imagine humans are eager to let others know about their interest or claim to a particular person," Thrawn said as they walked further into the room. "Quennto, for example, seemed to dislike anyone noticing Fersai and failing to take him into account as a potential threat."
There were a large number of consoles, some sort of elaborate table with either a puzzle or game in progress, and a decent amount of furniture. It was excessively large for one Chiss and had dimmer lighting than any other place on the ship that Car'das had seen outside of Visual Forward.
He wasn't sure what to make of the art on the walls. All of it tasteful, Car'das thought it all seemed strangely drab and relatively dull. Dark blue and shades of grey on a carbon black canvas.
Maybe it did more for a Chiss than it ever would for a human.
"I don't mind who else knows as long as I know you're interested."
Thrawn considered this and tilted his head. "Should I have kissed you upon your arrival?"
Car'das tried to picture the reaction of Thrawn's subordinates. He eventually gave up on it, and shook his head. "No. Although it might have prevented me from wandering around sulking."
"I myself prefer discretion. It has nothing to do with shame, you understand. I simply do not enjoy being stared at nor would I care to subject you to the ignorance of my subordinates."
"Honestly, it's fine. I wouldn't want to get you into trouble."
Thrawn laughed. "I do not mind trouble. All the same, it would not be prudent for me to go out of my way to alert others to my relationship with you at this juncture."
"What's going on?"
Thrawn shrugged, before sitting down on a long couch near the door. "I am continuing to support my ideals and my people are continuing to dislike it. Conflict is regrettable but inevitable."
"There's no chance of them coming to understand or appreciate your perspective?"
"Doubtful," Thrawn said. "The other Ruling Families will likely visit from time to time hoping to catch me behaving in some unseemly fashion in order to demote or exile me."
"About that."
"You needn't worry about Kinman Doriana's overzealousness. He believes that I would never consider leaving my people without the proper incentives, and I am quite content to let him go on believing this to be the case."
Car'das wasn't sure how Thrawn had figured all of that out, but he supposed there was no point being surprised. The Chiss was very, very perceptive and quite intelligent, after all.
"Okay, but what if you get exiled?" he asked.
"I will be placed on an uninhabited world. As is the custom."
"This happens often?"
Thrawn shrugged. "I am not the first to reject the need for such enforced isolation or reluctance to engage enemies in battle."
"Why can't you just leave?"
"That would not be possible."
Car'das frowned.
"Or rather," Thrawn murmured, "it would not be honorable. I cannot forsake my people outright. They would never forgive me. If this decision seems cowardly… well, I will not make excuses for myself. It is how I feel."
He touched Thrawn's arm briefly. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."
Thrawn nodded stiffly, and Car'das went back to looking back around the room. "I realize the artwork does little for the human eye, but do you like the layout at least?" the Chiss asked.
"Sure. It seems like the sort of room you'd have."
"We can make whatever necessary judgments that you deem fit."
Car'das smiled. "Aw. You don't have to change your room for me."
Thrawn returned the smile. "It seems only fitting since this is where you'll be staying."
"Then… But aren't these… What about seeing your quarters?"
Thrawn laughed. "These are my quarters."
Car'das blinked. "Oh."
"Don't look so scandalized. You can hardly expect me to want you and yet to have you remain out of reach at the same time. I did explain this to you before you left."
"Uh. Not really."
The commander simply smirked and held out a hand. "I can work to clarify the matter later, if you like. Officially your rooms will be adjacent to mine and certainly there is no need for you to ignore the suite completely. You'll have access to the same computer privileges as before to begin with, but I will not monitor your communications. I hope that you speak freely with the Kinman and with the Supreme Chancellor as well if that is your wish."
Car'das couldn't imagine that either man would want to talk to him about anything outside of Thrawn's activities. But he nodded before accepting the proffered hand and letting himself be dragged over to the couch.
Thrawn moved his legs to accommodate Car'das between them. The Corellian let his mind wander a bit, closing his eyes. He felt the Chiss' fingers carding through hair and when Car'das eventually looked up at him, Thrawn was staring somewhat wearily at one of the pictures across from them.
"What do you see when you look at one of those?"
"Not enough," Thrawn murmured before looking down. "I meant to ask what kept you from arriving earlier. I certainly hope it wasn't merely political overtures from the powerful figures on my behalf."
"Nah. It's a Corellian thing. You can't go home and rush away. And it's been awhile since I went home."
"And what is K'rell like? What are other K'rell'ns like?"
Car'das smiled, still amused at Thrawn's inability to pronounce the planet's name properly.
"Oh, well, Corellians are mostly small business owners and entrepreneurs. We like to defy the odds and do all sorts of stupid reckless things. Geographically, Corellia's a combination of land and water. Rolling hills, forests, some snow-covered mountains… Nothing too thrilling."
Thrawn ran the fingers of one hand over Car'das' right thigh. "What else?"
"It's the biggest planet in the system. The Elder Brother."
"How many suns?" Thrawn murmured, lightly kissing his way down Car'das neck. His fingers stopped moving, and came to rest splayed out over Car'das' leg in a proprietary fashion.
"Just one."
"How many other planets are in your system?"
"Five."
"You're certain?" Thrawn teased.
Car'das grinned over his shoulder. "Please. Everyone knows that. Back home, I mean. They're the five brothers."
"Mm." Thrawn worked his other hand under Car'das' shirt. "Name them."
The Corellian couldn't see any point in protesting, but he wasn't sure why they had to keep talking.
"Is this really the right time for an astronomy lesson?"
"Just name them."
"You're some kind of information junkie, aren't you?"
"I love to learn new things," Thrawn agreed. "I want to learn about you."
"No worries there."
"Oh?"
"I'm pretty easier to figure out. Besides, you're all into art. So I brought you some. You can figure me out that way."
Thrawn's fingers languidly made their way up and down his chest. "A thoughtful gesture on your part, but I have you right here, Jorj. What sense is there in learning about you through other means?"
"Well. That's true."
"But don't despair," Thrawn added. "I will be only too pleased to view it all. With you. Later."
"There's a lot of it. An embarrassing amount, really."
"We have time." Thrawn gently pushed Car'das up back onto his feet before steering him away from the couch. "For now I should be a better host and give you a tour of our room. You will, of course, be unfamiliar with its contents but familiar with their purposes. Let's start with the bed."
Car'das let himself be shoved lightly onto his back, pulling Thrawn down on top of him. It made it easier to get the uniform out of the way. Once they were shirtless, the Chiss caught his hand and began kissing every one of his fingers.
"You still want the planet names for the Corellian system?"
"I'll get them out of you soon enough. Let me look at you," Thrawn insisted. His red eyes seemed to study every inch of him while blue fingers worked on removing the Corellian's trousers. They made sort work of the fabric and went back to exploring, cool fingers cupping and caressing before stroking Car'das' length.
"And you'd have me stare at art instead," Thrawn murmured as his fingers kept moving.
Car'das fought back the blush that began slowly creeping up from his neck towards his face and ears.
"I guess we're… I mean…"
Thrawn chuckled, nuzzling at the spot right behind Car'das' ear. "Compatible? You really are remarkable. Of course we are, Jorj. What else could we be?" He kissed his way down the Corellian's chest before glancing up again. "You're turning bright red."
Car'das rolled his eyes before lightly gripping Thrawn's slick hair. "Yeah, well, you're wearing too much."
Thrawn smirked, kissing Car'das' hip before moving back taking his hands with him. At the foot of the bed, he set about removing his boots before working on the rest of his uniform. "Better?'
"Sure. You can go back to staring now."
"Tell me what you want properly. Practice your Cheunh."
Car'das frowned. "Kiss?"
"Very well."
They kissed and Thrawn's hand went back around his cock.
"I don't know…"
The Chiss smiled, stroking slowly. "Use the vocabulary you have."
Car'das couldn't decide what to do. His face felt like it was on fire and eventually he let an arm fall over his eyes.
"No?"
"I feel stupid. I can't say anything right."
Thrawn gently moved the Corellian's hand away and kissed him. He hadn't stilled his fingers though, unwilling to stop all together simply because Car'das was overly anxious about his pronunciation. "I don't care. I will not correct you. I will understand what you mean, Jorj."
If nothing else, Car'das believed that Thrawn would keep to his word. "Stroke me faster then."
Thrawn did so.
"Come here."
Kissing would keep him from having to speak. Thrawn's cool fingers moved over him, increasing his grip as Car'das' lips parted. His tongue explored every inch of the Corellian's mouth.
"I need you. Faster. What do you want?" Car'das found himself breathlessly asking when Thrawn's tongue withdrew.
"Five planets," Thrawn purred, leaning down to kiss Car'das ear. "One at a time," he added, fingers stroking to accent each word.
"Corellia. Selonia. Drall. And Tralus and Talus."
In between each planet, Thrawn murmured his approval and encouragement. Once Car'das worked on the twin worlds, the Chiss' blue lips wrapped around him.
He whimpered a bit, arching up and groaning. "Thrawn." His hands sought out the Chiss' jaw before moving up to his hair.
After Car'das came, he lay there panting, staring down at Thrawn. The commander merely swallowed, looking fairly tranquil despite the fact that he had to have been uncomfortably hard. He leaned over the bed, biting down on Car'das lips and tugging them apart in order to kiss him again.
"We will have to run a few more experiments," Thrawn mused, "to assuage your concerns, of course. But I think this only confirms my suspicions in regards to our compatibility."
Car'das snorted as he played with a loose strand of hair. "If any of that means seeing you out of uniform," he said, switching to Sy Bisti, "it's fine with me."
"Cheunh," Thrawn chided, swatting at his backside. "We're not done."
"You now?" Car'das asked, wishing he could form more complete sentences in Thrawn's native tongue. His pronunciation was impaired by vocal range and modality though. He probably never speak it with the ease in which the Chiss spoke Basic in spite of Thrawn's best intentions.
"Sweet boy," Thrawn replied, red eyes glittering with unchecked amusement. "If you like."
"Yeah I do."
Thrawn's hands grabbed at Car'das' hips and pulled him down the mattress. "On your knees," he instructed.
Car'das sank down to the floor fairly and kissed Thrawn's stomach. "What else?"
Thrawn leaned down and kissed him. Afterwards he was pushing Car'das towards his erection saying,
"Your mouth right there."
He let his lips copy Thrawn's previous actions and shuddered as the commander's nails ran down his spine. He switched between sucking and using his tongue, groaning when Thrawn had soft hissing sounds of pleasure.
Thrawn's hands moved up, kneading lightly as Car'das' shoulders before raking nails over his neck, ears, and scalp.
The Corellian swallowed greedily, smiling as Thrawn pulled him up into another satisfying kiss. The Chiss thoughtfully supported the brunt of his weight during the initial seconds it took for Car'das to find his balance.
"Not bad," Car'das said, licking his lips and moving away. He dropped down and stretched out on the mattress, which thankfully was far more comfortable than the chairs and couches the Chiss seemed to design.
"Not at all," the commander agreed. "I can't wait to learn more about you."