Thrawn was feeling better a few days later. Not great, but better. He began to think, to study. The trajectory of their hyperdrive jump, the length of their time in hyperdrive, the stars… they should all lead him to a general idea of where they are, and an idea of how they could get off this hell forsaken planet of perpetual rain. He scribbled math equations in the dirt, and watched the stars at night and stoked the fire while the others slept. He was their only chance, and he wasn't going to die a slow death on a random planet. Not now.

After a few days, he knew they were on an uninhabited planet just beyond the outer rim. They weren't beyond hope. Patrols of many different species passed, and a basic pinger would catch their attention. All they needed was a ship. Even if it was unfriendly, they could work with that. They just needed to get off the planet and he could handle the rest.

In the morning Thrawn tore the escape pod apart, trying to put together a pinger… a very simple piece of machinery that would ping ships within a particular radius of them. If he could adjust it in the direction of Csilla, the Chiss homeworld, a patrol ship should pick it up within the month, if another didn't find him first. He worked on it for a few days, Linnia and Ezra focusing on finding food and rationing what they had left from the pod. Thrawn didn't try to stand, instead sitting just in the entrance of the cave, Ezra force retrieving pieces of the pod at his request.

The thing was, he wouldn't know for certain if it worked. It didn't give any external indication it was working with the pieces given, but the signal it sent should make a patrol ship investigate.

Not knowing what to do with himself now that the pinger was finished, Thrawn made a point of trying to wash up, knowing he smelled like a corpse. But the color of the water in the brook was far stranger than that of the rain the collected in the bucket, so he did his best to rinse his clothes on his person with a bit of water and call it done. He wasn't comfortable removing his clothing as Ezra did, who had been shamelessly sleeping in his underwear each night. The Chiss were reserved… and Linnia's presence didn't help either.

He was self conscious of this scent when Linnia knelt next to him, unwrapping his leg. He'd vomited, sweat, and as only Thrawn knew, urinated on himself when he was too weak to move. All of those scents had time in the moisture of the atmosphere to ruminate and he absolutely smelled like such. He flinched away from her, his pulse picking up with his embarassment, but she didn't seem to notice. She changed it so much that formalities had gone out the window, changing it whenever it came to her mind. It'd been a few days since the pinger had gone up, and tensions were high.

"How does it look?" He asked, watching her for signs of disgust.

"No infection, thankfully."

"So I may walk again?"

"You might." She said, exchanging one worn piece of cloth for another she'd washed and dried.

"Ezra's ill." She murmured, looking worried.

"He is?" Thrawn questioned quietly. "He doesn't seem-"

"When he leaves he's going off to… be sick. He's weak."

Thrawn stared at her. She'd lost weight as well, thin and fading, slowly. It was as if the planet was claiming them, making them part of the strange forest around them. Two weeks ago he would've put his money on his own demise being the first, now, it looked like he may be the last. They'd put too much of their resources into saving Thrawn, and would now pay for that.

"Linnia I-"

He heard a loud hum, the foliage of the canopy spreading and blowing around the clearing and into the cave. They backed up into the cave, taking cover under the stone, but Thrawn's heart pound. It couldn't be…

A small shuttle touched down in the clearing they'd originally crashed in, and Thrawn stood. His leg and back burned in response, but he ignored it, dragging his broken leg behind him slowly.

"Thrawn! Thrawn you've done it!" Ezra cried, leaping into the mans arms. "You blue genius, you've done it!"

Linnia had tears streaming down her cheeks, squeezing his arm. Four Chiss descended the ship, one taking Thrawn's arm in greeting before offering him assistance.

The patrol lead them onto the ship, holding out light shackles. Linnia looked up at Thrawn, her joy turned to fear.

"Its a precaution, just do as they wish." He told them both. They complied, allowing the patrol to shackle them and lead them to seats before the transport lifted off. He took one last look at what was left of the pod, before taking off into the atmosphere.

"What ship will you bring us to?" Thrawn said, the Cheuhn still felt odd.

"The Vigiliant."

Thrawn could've sobbed. What were the odds? He knew the Vigilant was hanging around looking for more Grysk, but this long? The ship, the crew, the language. It was home. The suffering, the fear, the loneliness, it was all for this, and he was finally, finally, home.

At dock, a guard took each of his arms, and helped him down the ramp. Before he even had a moment to breathe, a stretcher was being rushed toward him, medics yelling. What exactly did he look like?

"Thrawn?" Linnia cried, tears in her eyes.

"You're safe, I swear on it." He said and turned to the guard. "They cannot speak Cheuhn, Ivant, get Ivant-"

"Of course," the guard said, turning toward Ezra and Linnia and pointing in the direction of the brig. Thrawn rolled his eyes. He needed Ar'Alani, and fast. But there was already a tranq in his neck, the room growing fuzzy.

He woke, the bright lights of the exam room blinding and piercing. He still felt foggy.

"You're awake."

He looked over, Ar'alani sitting by his side. He looked back at the ceiling.

"I'm astounded you're alive. You wouldn't believe your chart, it's as long as the bandages around your leg."

"I'm sure." He said quietly, wracking his memory for how he'd gotten where he was.

"Why arent your companions in similar shape? Did they attack you?"

"I ejected an escape pod with the three of us in in. I was unsecured."

Ar'alani stared at the side of his face. "She's a good doctor."

"Very."

He looked down at his leg, closing his eyes. "Where are they?"

"Dr. Remda and the Jedi are at the Mitth compound."

He stared at her. "The Mitth compound?"

She nodded. "You need time to recover and regroup. You've returned to quite a mess, and brought one with you as well. Thalias is preparing your transport. Vanto, Linnia, and the Jedi shall accompany you."

They packed Thrawn onto a transport, still attached to all his medical machinery and mechanisms, and shipped him to the mitth compound. He was met by staff, who lead him to the east wing, typically reserved for guests.

They lead him back to his room, the mobile iv hydrator attached to his bicep. Monitors were attached to his chest and back, flimsy and silent to allow him to sleep and move comfortably. But he also knew they were tracking him.

He sat on the edge of the bed, watching the blinking red light of his hydrator. He'd never really had a traditional home, he'd had a room and jumped ship to ship with his belongings, making the ship itself his home. But the chimera had been his for many years, he'd made his quarters his home. His crew, his peers. He'd lost everything… potentially even his crew.

He closed his eyes. Back to square one.

He looked around. His bed was quite large, the ornate wallpaper framing the floor to ceiling windows lining the balcony that overlooked the courtyard, its delicately shaped topiaries dotting the walk. There was a sofa, primarily decorative, and storage for clothing with fresh flowers on it. It had its own refresher, a lush carpet before the soaking tub.

There was a knock.

"Enter." He called in basic.

The door opened, and vanto stood before him.

"Enter?" He smirked. "You'll have to slip back into cheunh if you hope to convince them you're still loyal to the chiss."

He sighed, and Eli's smile fell. "Are you alright? Linnia told me about the Chimera and your injury."

"I suppose I am." He said, gesturing to the wearable machinery.

"How is she?"

Eli clenched his teeth. "She's certainly been better. She's not thrilled to be here but I think she's finally starting to come around. A bit."

Thrawn sighed. "And Bridger?"

"With the Skywalker's. They couldn't keep him in a cell and he made a beeline to Vahnya."

Thrawn smirked. He knew he would.

"Is Linnia around to meet with me?"

Vanto checked his datapad. "She's meeting with Lakytta until lunch. I can send her by then."

"Lakytta?"

"He wasn't here with you? Ah, well, he's the head of medicine. She agreed to work with him on chiss anatomy and terminology. Even if she can't speak cheunh she can work in cheunh." He chuckled.

"His name?"

"Uhhhh… Stybla'kyt'taruni I believe. He's in high demand I'm surprised Thalias was able to get him here. He invented some sort of medication…" Eli trailed off, checking his datapad.

"I have to run, Thrawn, but I'll be on the compound with Linnia and you for a while. Playing translator again." He smirked and turned to leave. "See you soon!"

Thrawn lay down, the twinging of his knee making it difficult to fall asleep, but before he knew it a knock was waking him up.

"Enter."

"Linnia." He breathed. Shed lost weight and clearly hadn't been sleeping, dark circles around her eyes.

"Thrawn." She said quietly. "Are you ok?"

"I'm well, are you faring alright?" He asked. He wanted to pull her into his arms and never let go.

She rocked on her heels. She looked so small, her eyes wide but the rest of her withdrawn, her arms clutched together over her chest.

"What worries you?"

She shook her head. "I am alright."

He looked out the window. Night was falling, and he swallowed. It would be breaching every wall he put up, every fear and warning he'd woven between them. He took a deep breath.

"Why don't you stay here? We can take on this new situation together."

She stared at him and his heart leapt into his throat. He'd said something wrong. "Linnia I-"

"Are you sure you want me to?" She asked quietly.

"Very."

She half smiled, "I'll get my things."

He nodded, his jaw still clenched, and watched her go. It wasn't until she shut the door behind her that he let out the breath he'd been holding, his hand over his chest.

He held it again. What was he supposed to do with himself? He looked back at the bed, and at the balcony. If he put himself out on the balcony the ball would be in her court…

He dragged his leg behind him, using the wall to keep his balance as he pushed the doors open and plopped into the chair, the sun setting just beyond. Perfect. Now she would have to initiate any interaction with the bed. Yes. Thrawn nodded to himself. Keep the ball in her court.

The door opened and he turned to watch her. She dropped the handful of Chiss clothing given to her on the table before the sofa, a questis on top of the pile.

Thrawn sat up. "Could I see that?"

She nodded and brought it out onto the balcony with her.

"I am surprised they gave you this."

"Its for learning chiss anatomy. Honestly I'm quite curious after treating you what differences do in fact lie between our medical practices and anatomies."

Thrawn wasn't sure why but he blushed, turning on the chiss data pad.

He scrolled through her medical files, looking for a backdoor. What was going on here? Why did Ar'alani say he'd returned to a mess?

"How's your knee?"

He shook his head. Her questis was hardlocked. They knew she would go to him with it. He'd have to get Vanto's.

"Painful," He admitted, handing the questis back to her.

She looked over at him. "A cold soak would help with the swelling."

"I am alright."

She looked away, and he fidgeted with his hands. What was this tension? He knew his social reading were inept at best but he could not find the purpose for this strange wall between them. Had they said something to her?

She stood, stretching. He let himself appreciate the line of her torso, the curvature of her hips. "I'm going to shower, do you need help getting to bed?"

He shook his head. There was his queue. She disappeared into the fresher with some of her clothes and he dragged himself to the bed, climbing in. His heart raced. They were alone, intentionally sleeping in a real bed. Together. He adjusted his position, taking up less of the bed. He closed his eyes, evening his breathing. He needed to relax. Humans weren't this taboo about such things. He would create a problem if he was hyperventilating when she returned. He focused on his breathing.

Thrawn woke to a screaming pain in his knee, sending him shooting up and clutching it, a groan escaping his lips. It was dark and he wasn't entirely sure where he was, groaning again. The light turned on and Linnia was in the bed beside him, momentarily startling him before remembering.

"What is it?" She asked, pulling the covers from the bed.

"Sharp," he groaned, "Sharp pain- ahhhh…"

Her fingers found his knee, poking and feeling, and he cried out between clenched teeth.

"You've got a little fluid pocket, can you call someone? Ask them for some medical supplies for me?"

He nodded, pointing to the questis. She retrieved it for him and he punched Thalias' contact.

"Thrawn? Its late, I'm sorry-"

"Thalias," he ground out, "I have Linnia, she needs medical supplies… my knee…"

"Do you need a medic?"

"No, just supplies." He did not want to go back to some med bay and leave her alone again.

"Ok, I gotcha."

He tossed the questis onto the bed and nodded, "She's coming."

Linnia didn't know who he was referring to and he knew it but the pain was blinding him.

"Let's get you into the bath, get the swelling down around it. Its pressing on a nerve."

He nodded, and she hefted him up onto his good leg. She was stronger than he'd thought, but he figured she threw people around at the med bay all day, she had to be strong.

In the fresher she turned on the cold water, and Thrawn readied himself. They lowered him in and he sucked in his breath.

There was a knock and a droid dumped a med bag onto the floor and rolled out, shutting the door behind it. Linnia shook her head and rose, grabbing it.

"Nice." she murmured and dug through it. "Couldn't send a medic?"

Thrawn flushed. She didn't know he'd specifically asked for no medics to come.

She pulled out a needle and Thrawn tensed.

She sterilized it with a steri-pad and took his knee in her hand, squeezing. He pulled away, his eyes wide.

She quickly put it out of view. "Its not going to hurt the way you think."

"You're inserting a very large needle into my knee." He stated incredulously.

"Trust me." She said and he looked up at her. "Can you trust me?"

He nodded.

"Look at me, not at your knee, and trust what I'm telling you. It's not going to hurt, not compared to what you're feeling now."

He nodded, and she met his eyes. "Look at me."

He tore his eyes away from his knee and with a quick squeeze and a pinch she inserted the needle into the pocket, releasing the pressure. His mouth fell open, shock and relief flooding him.

"Breathe."

He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath and released it as she squeezed the fluid and blood from his wound.

"It seems I'll only ever field treat your wounds." She smirked.

He nodded, "it appears so."

They'd first met under similar circumstances, pulling glass from a wound with limited resources in his flat.

Once the wound was drained she helped him out of the cold water, grabbing a towel from the shelf. His medical issue sleepwear was soaked.

"Do you want help changing?" she asked and he shook his head a little too hard.

"Thank you."

"Ok, I'll be outside the door."

She closed the door and he changed into the only other set of clothes they'd left him. She helped him limp to the bed and lay down beside him. She turned out the light.

"Thank you," he said quietly into the dark.

"Of course." She returned, and he felt her roll closer to him, the warmth of her on his bicep.

"I'm afraid," she admitted, and he rolled to face her.

"I know. But I'm with you." He could smell her shampoo the warmth of her body just out of reach, and held his arms at his side, resisting the overwhelming desire to reach out to her.

"What if you leave? What if they take you?"

He closed his eyes, her whispering voice almost too much for him. "Trust me, as I do you."

There was an empty moment, nothing but the sound of their breathing between them. But her hand was on his arm and he sucked in a breath. He put his arm around her, pulling her against him. He enveloped her warmth in his arms, ducking his face into her hair. It was as if a wall was broken down, unable to hold back the flood of emotions it once held back.

She did the same, her arms wrapping around his midsection, her fingers gripping his shirt. The sensation that came over him like a wave took his breath away. How hungry he'd been for her touch, all these years, and it was a simple embrace…