Chapter Three: Welcome to Peridia
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Ten Years ago…
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The young Jedi had pushed back Thrawn's loyal crew using the mysterious power of The Force and the giant space whales reached their long tentacles inside the ship and were squeezing him, making it difficult to breath much less move. If Thrawn's Chimaera crew followed standard protocol, this would be a time to abandon ship when facing such strange and destructive creatures. However, during their service together, his crew had relied on the strategic mind of Grand Admiral Thrawn and learned to see multiple options in a seeming impossible situation and not just to adhere to blind protocol. He'd personally saved the lives of almost every crew member at some point in time. Thrawn respected the individual person's intelligence, abilities, and willingness to learn.
Thrawn knew the crew's loyalty to him superseded any loyalty they felt to the behemoth that was the Empire. The other three ships in his armada— Stormhawk, Inexorable, and Nemesis did not share the same level of devotion, but they'd been under his command for the past three years. He hoped they also survived the attack and weren't scattered into different dimensions or parallel universes. Though, those Captains had rarely faced difficult odds. He wasn't sure their grit and determination would be enough to rally.
But, Thrawn knew both the Emperor and Vader— both men intelligent, determined, and both mentally and physically powerful. Thrawn had secured a position of respect with both Palpatine and Vader with his list of accomplishments, creative tactics, and notorious icy calm temperament. The Emperor had come to rule over the former republic legally, so Thrawn hardly understood the vehemence these Rebels showed. Though, Thrawn usually didn't understand short-sighted, selfish motivations. His lack of comprehension of such led to multiple conflicts within the Chiss Ascendency as he'd worked up the ranks in his youth.
Were there nefarious factions within the Empire? Naturally, they also existed during the Republic. Where was the concern at that time? Thrawn felt these ragtag rebels were a mass of hypocrites. Instead of wasting precious resources, they could work within the Empire to make it better — like he'd been doing. The space fleet had continued to improve in both technology and skills amongst the enlisted.
If the people of the galaxy would stop infighting, they could prepare for the Grysks —a more immediate threat than the planet devourers of lore that haunted his dreams. The Grysks could enslave beings to their will. Once you were under their control — there was no known way to regain autonomy. Was that not more important than taxes on your rice? Or recruiting different alien species to work harvesting resources throughout their Andromeda Galaxy?
But, none of that mattered now. The Space Whales transported himself, Ezra Bridger, and the Chimaera ship to unknown lightyears away from the Endor. And at first, Thrawn had thought he might at least have his ship with plenty of resources to rally However the Space Whale kept its tentacle wrapped around Thrawn and snaked another one across the distance for the young Jedi. The boy's violet eyes grew wide in surprise as he looked up and met Thrawn's own crimson gaze— both trapped by the mysterious creature.
Then, they were gone— no ship, no crew, no supplies, no food, no weapons. The Purrgil had dropped them off on the surface of a planet with a breathable atmosphere and a tolerable climate.
"Wait!" Ezra called out, but the Space Whale vanished, leaving the two of them behind with just the clothes on their back and each other. The Jedi didn't even have his lightsaber.
"I take it this wasn't your plan," Thrawn said calmly , running his hand over his chest. He'd have bruises, but his ribs were intact. He was relatively unharmed. He glanced around their new surroundings. It was a field with flowers scattered about, small rabbit like creatures frolicking. In one direction there was a forest that stretched into the distance, in another direction a large body of water, and behind them a mountain range. It was a diverse enough location — if the weather was temperate, it wouldn't be hard to set up a shelter and hunt. If the air was habitable, it stood to reason the flora and fauna would be non-toxic. Otherwise, they'd die of starvation anyway. Was the water drinkable? A quick look to the sky and a star for the current solar system provided a yellow light — that should provide enough ultraviolet to eradicate most harmful bacteria that might endanger them from water sources assuming the life here was compatible.
"They were just supposed to take you out of the battle. I don't understand why they stranded us on this planet." Ezra's shoulders slumped and he looked around with a defeated posture.
Thrawn was not surprised the boy hadn't thought out a full strategy. Jedi often reacted, rarely did they think through the possibilities— at least that was how it had been with Anakin Skywalker. "The Purrgil did not travel here by accident. Most planets are incompatible with life and yet here we are — this planet is teaming with life." Thrawn reached for his face and massaged his nasal bridge. The scent of the flowers was strong. "Since you were able to use your Force connection to commune with the Space Whales, perhaps you can do the same with the wildlife here."
"I'm not going to help you!" Ezra scoffed.
Thrawn stared at the boy momentarily. He needed time to calm. "Very well, Ezra Bridger." Thrawn began to walk, exploring the field, testing the ground's make up. The gravity was stronger than he was used to — he kept his space craft at nine and a half meters per second square. This was at least an increase of half a meter per second square. It made him feel slightly nauseated as it would take time to acclimate. The humans on his ship came from a less dense gravity than the Chiss home-world. Ezra's Lolth had a weaker gravity as well. The boy would start to suffer from gravity sickness if Thrawn didn't help him. "I'll be back," he promised, glancing over his shoulder at the boy and noting that he was already clutching at his belly.
Thrawn had visited many different planets over his career— first with the Chiss Ascendancy and later with the Empire. The Space Whales truly had been generous in this choice of location. Not a few meters within the forest, Thrawn recognized some of the plant life. It wasn't too dissimilar to the flora of Endor. In an area of dappled sunlight, he spied the familiar leaves of a ginger plant. Crouching over the long, skinny fibrous dark green stems, Thrawn reached into his pocket and pulled out his knife. He used the handle to dig into the soil and was relieved to see the familiar dark orange ginger root.
He could feel the boy's presence behind him. "What are you doing?" Ezra asked, his voice strained.
"Finding something for your nausea," Thrawn explained. He slid his knife back into his pocket and held up the herb. "Ginger. Your Space Whale friends were indeed generous in this location."
"How do you know it's ginger?"
Thrawn turned around fully to face the human. "Do you not know what ginger looks like? The gravity on this planet is around ten meters per second, it's more dense than standard gravity fields on ships and stronger than the gravity on most habitat planets. You'll need to be careful if you do not want the bones in your spine to compress."
"What about the bones in your spine?" Ezra asked, folding his arms over his chest and then bending over slightly under a wave of nausea.
"The Chiss home-world has stronger gravity than this," Thrawn explained. "Should I return to my home, it would take me several weeks to acclimate."
"Does that make you stronger than people from different worlds?" Ezra asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Thrawn didn't want to reveal too much personal information just yet. If his suspicious were correct, he and Ezra Bridge would get to know one another soon enough. "It's the reason your Lasat companion is both tall and strong." Thrawn held the ginger in his hand and pulled his knife back out. "I"m going to cut off a few slices. You should chew them slowly. I also am affected by the gravity sickness since I keep my ship at a level comfortable for humans. So you can see I'm not trying to harm you." He opened his knife and carefully, sliced off a few pieces. He put the knife away again and held his hand out to Ezra.
The boy took a few pieces and stared back. Thrawn picked up a slice and set it in his mouth, deliberately making a show of chewing it. "We will need water, food, and shelter. I have a knife and an understanding of the edible flora/plant-life of many planets. I'm also aware of several toxic plant-life and fungi that we should avoid. I will share my knowledge with you Ezra Bridger."
"Why? It's my fault you're here." Ezra's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Hesitantly, he chewed a slice of the ginger.
"You think you are defending your people," Thrawn reasoned. "I did read over your record at the Academy — yours and Sabine Wren. You are a very intelligent and resourceful young man. Your concern is for your planet and your friends. I am concerned with a threat to the entire existence of the Galaxy. We simply have different priorities."
"That threat is the Emperor," Ezra snapped.
"Is it? He was elected by the previous government legally. I don't care for politics, but he's the Emperor. If you have complaints it should be brought to his attention by the proper legal channels. They do exist. Little acts of terrorism merely serve as annoyances and it breeds contempt and people get hurt — unnecessarily."
"You speak as if you haven't engaged in slaughter," Ezra accused coldly.
"I never waste resources when it can be avoided. Sometimes, these things are out of my control. Subordinates disobey my orders or those of similar or high authority are foolish and seek glory and unnecessary casualties have incurred." Thrawn held his blue hands out with palms up in a sign of helplessness. "It seems many humans have prejudices against a blue-skinned non-human giving them orders."
Ezra chewed another piece of ginger. "It appears we are in this together," Ezra said with a sigh. "Let's go back to the field. I need to meditate. See what the local inhabitants can tell me about the place.." He gestured towards Thrawn's waist. "You have a knife."
"I do. I don't have a blaster — you disarmed me. It was on stun by the way," Thrawn pointed out.
"I know, but I didn't feel like taking an involuntary nap on an enemy's ship," Ezra said. He glanced around them to both the left and right. "Though, it would have been helpful to have a blaster now. We're going to need to set up traps or use spears."
"I have done both before," Thrawn assured him.
"I can't quite picture that," Ezra said, with a faint smile. "Not with that uniform and slicked back hair."
"When I was a child, I grew up in a very low ranking family with few financial resources and often went hunting and tracking with my father to find food for our family. There was no shame in being self-reliant. I didn't realize that such a skill was regarded as barbaric by those with self-inflated egos who had inherited countless resources. Later, when I first left my world to interact with the Empire, I had been living in the wilds of a jungle planet for several months." Thrawn ran his fingers through his short, military style haircut. "My hair came halfway down my back, was constantly getting into my eyes. It was much less efficient than a standard crew cut."
"Well, it sounds like those skills are coming in handy now. Honestly, I respect people that are scrappy. So, what sort of things should I ask?" Ezra sat in the clearing, crossed his legs and braced his hands over his knees. "Food, shelter, water?"
"Weather, seasons, frequency of ships," Thrawn added. He stared up at the sky. They'd been on the planet for at least a couple of hours and based on the change of position of the sun compared to the horizon the days would last at least fourteen hours. "I think a typical sol day here will be somewhere between twenty and twenty-four hours."
"I guess we'll find out and then you can explain how you figured that out," Ezra said.
"Simple math — physics, trajectories, a general internal clock on the passage of time," Thrawn explained. "I'll leave you to your meditations, Ezra Bridger." . . . OoO . . . Thrawn and Ezra had obtained with make-shift bamboo spears a couple of medium sized fish and an eel, grilled them over a fire with a spit for rotating the meat evenly. They had a seaweed salad and a few ounces of berries from the woods. The extra meat was wrapped in the husks of a corn-type grain. Ezra had managed to learn quite a bit about the environment in his meditation. The space whales had truly been generous in their selection of a planet.
"I don't want to jinx us, but this doesn't seem so bad." Ezra took a bite out of the fish and grimaced. "It could use some spices."
"I'll work on that," Thrawn answered drolly. He took a bite of his own fish. It was bland, but satiated his hunger. The worse part about living in the wild was spending so much time hunting and gathering food. There was rarely time for much else. "We'll need to work on creating a system to improve our efficiency or we'll spend all day hunting and cooking and eating."
"I'm willing to follow your lead on this, Thrawn. You're the one with experience and I feel I know you well enough to realize I'm more valuable to you alive than dead," Ezra said. "How far away do you think your ship is?"
"I cannot possibly have any better idea of where the Chimaera is than you, Ezra Bridger," Thrawn pointed out. "The Space Whales are your friends, not mine."
"We aren't exactly friends, but they did seem friendly," Ezra said. "But then again, what do I know, I thought Darth Maul was friendly."
"Darth Maul?" Thrawn asked, he chuckled. "He is not one I would have confused for friendly."
"You know him?" Ezra asked. "He'd tried to trick me into being his apprentice. I actually opened a Sith Holocron for him."
"I know him only be reputation," Thrawn confessed. "I learned more about him from a few conversations from Anakin Skywalker. I do not hold the same prejudices against Sith as the Jedi. I always felt they were more powerful, not allowing themselves to be confined by such a regimented code. Though, I should have liked to have known Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am not familiar with a Holocron. What's that?"
"It's a Jedi/Sith thing," Ezra answered vaguely. "I'm not sure I understand it all too well."
"The Force tends to cause just as many problems as it solves," Thrawn murmured. He thought about his sister —- stolen away from his family when he'd been a toddler because of her use of the The Force. Both his sister and sweet Thalias had been navigators for the Chiss navy — Sky-Walkers. "Taking young children away from their families to serve as a military power has always felt wrong for me. They are too young to make decisions and yet have such responsibility thrust upon them."
"I don't know much about the Jedi schools, but it did sound that way," Ezra confessed. "I don't think Kanan could even remember his family."
"Ah, the Jedis, right." Thrawn smothered the flame. He would't risk a fire to the landscape. "I was speaking about my people. Young children that can sense the Force were often taken from their families — never to be reunited."
"To do what?" Ezra asked. "Are there Chiss Jedi?"
"Hardly." Thrawn toyed with the idea of explaining to the young man about the navigators. It was a secret of the Chiss Ascendancy and while he didn't think Ezra Bridger would be a threat to the Chiss— he couldn't violate his own code of ethics. "I don't suppose you know how to weave?'
"Um, no."
"Bamboo stalks are extremely versatile. As by the ease we caught our dinner, they make effective spears. I'll teach you some other uses. We'll need to make packs, hammocks, clothes, blankets," Thrawn said.
"You know how to do all that?" Ezra asked, surprised.
Thrawn smiled faintly. "Believe it or not, but it is often hard for me to make friends. I have spent a lot of free time reading and learning about art, crafts, skills. Textiles are a common form of art in many societies. I am not overly talented, but I believe my rudimentary skills will suffice."
"You're a very convenient person to be stranded on strange planet with," Ezra pointed out.
"Feel free to contact your space whales. If they'd like to drop us off with my ship — I would ensure your safety Ezra Bridger," Thrawn assured the young man. "It does me no good to harm you."
"How about you just call me Ezra? And I wouldn't hold my breath on the space whales— I cannot sense them at all right now."
"And you may call me Thrawn."
Ezra closed his eyes and fell into a deep meditation. Thrawn watched over him, ensuring that there were no immediate threats while he sharpened a few more bamboo spears.
"You know?" Ezra said, breaking the silence. "You might not have access to The Force, but there is a lot of positive energy within you."
"I shall take that as a compliment," Thrawn mused.
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OoO
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Present…
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"I wonder if the Purrgil brought their ship here on purpose or if the crew hitched a ride in the wake of the annual migration and ended up in Peridia by accident." Ezra glanced over his shoulder at Thrawn. "What do you think?"
The Space Whales had a habit of visiting the planet twice annually. Ezra had managed to communicate with them a few times and when he'd asked if they would be so kind as to bring him and Thrawn to some of their allies— they'd flat out refused. They did occasionally drop off random space debris. It had helped them survive. Thrawn suspected that the Purrgil had grown fond of both Ezra and him and enjoyed keeping them out of the conflict between the Empire and Rebels.
The situation had made Thrawn feel a bit like a kept pet.
"We shall have to ask. Speculation in this case would lead me to think they are either very resourceful or the Space Whales have finally heeded your request to allow us to leave this universe. Though, without the Purrgil direct involvement we wouldn't get far with our current technology." Thrawn shifted the pack over his shoulders. "Though, if you knew how to Sky-Walk I suppose it might be possible."
"Let's hope we can get out of here soon then. Winter is in a few weeks. We have plenty rationed for ourselves, but with this many more people it would be difficult to prepare," Ezra pointed out.
Thrawn smiled faintly at his student — for he'd come to view Ezra Bridger as an apt pupil. No doubt, the Jedi Knight Kanan had felt the same as had the Sith Lord Maul. "All very good points."
As they drew up close to the crash, for the trees were broken and the ship was in poor shape, it became obvious they would be the rescuers, not the reverse. Ezra raised his hand and indicated the location of the visitors — two in the trees, three closer to the wreck.
"That's close enough," the muffled voice of a man called out from a tree high above.
Thrawn looked up and spied a man in silver Beskar armor with guns trained on them and a smaller creature in armor standing near his feet on the same branch. The smaller figure did a somersault and landed on the ground in front of them and both Ezra and Thrawn were lifted several feet into the air.
"We saw your crash. I'm Ezra Bridger. My friend and I have come to offer aid," he explained.
"Ezra!" A colorful suit of Mandalorian armor came crashing towards Ezra and leapt up into the air.
"Sabine?" Ezra cried out, hugging the armored female for all he was worth, holding her against him as he floated three feet off the ground. "Am I glad to see you!"
Thrawn kept his attention focused on the green Force user. It had no helmet and its face made him think of the stories he'd heard of Yoda— a centuries old Jedi Knight. This creature seemed to be of the same species. "There is no need to expend more energy than necessary. You may put me down," Thrawn said calmly.
"No! Don't trust him!" The familiar feminine voice of Hera Syndulla piqued Thrawn's interest. The two had clashed before, but he respected the intelligence, talent, and determination of the Twi'lek pilot. "That is Grand Admiral Thrawn!"
"Thrawn is my friend and ally. I would have died within days on this planet if not for him," Ezra protested.
"Oh?" A female in blue Beskar armor drew closer, gazing up at Thrawn's levitated stance. She had an authoritative air. "I've heard stories about you, Grand Admiral. I didn't expect you to be so handsome." She glanced towards the small Force user. "If you do not sense any mal-intent, then please set the gentlemen back on their feet, Grogu."
Thrawn and Ezra were set on the ground, the small creature jumped back onto the shoulder of the silver Beskar armored man. He was obviously tired.
"The gravity on this planet will be greater than you are used to," Thrawn explained. "You need to either take shelter in your ship or return with us to our shelter. What is the status of your ship's functionality after that coarse landing?"
The woman in blue ripped off her helmet, blond hair spilling over her shoulders. "It was a perfectly good landing! You catch a ride in the wake of a Space Whale and see how much finesse you can maintain!"
The man in silver chuckled. "Come now, Bo-Katan. You can admit it was rough. And he's right about the gravity. We've all got the classic symptoms of gravity sickness." He directed his attention to Thrawn. "I saw you once pilot a tie fighter. You weren't a Grand Admiral then, but your talent impressed me. We were actually looking for the two of you."
Thrawn felt the earth back beneath his boots. He had intended to ask the man's name when he noticed the blood seeping through the bandage on Hera's head, she wobbled very slightly, and Thrawn rushed forward and caught her before she could tumble to the ground unconscious. "Head wounds are especially dangerous with gravity sickness."
"Our ship isn't functional and won't be until I have time to work on it. It won't keep us warm if it gets too cold. Fixing it could take days or weeks," Sabine said. Ezra looped an arm around Sabine's waist to help hold her up as the gravity sickness began to sap away her strength.
"Then by all means, Grand Admiral, we would like to take you up on your generous offer of hospitality," Bo-Katan declared. She turned towards the other Mandalorian. "Din let's get some supplies and follow our hosts."
"I cannot get the gear and carry Hera," Din said, apologetically. "I don't want to tire Grogu out either."
"I am no longer affected by the gravity," Thrawn pointed out. "As Ezra and I know the way, I can carry Captain Syndulla."
"General Syndulla," Sabine corrected.
"General Syndulla," Thrawn acknowledged. It made sense that a woman like her would rise through the ranks. Had she been under the banner of the Empire their previous interactions would have been more favorable. He laid her gently on the ground. "I brought medical supplies, if you'll allow me to change her bandage."
"As the Jedi I keep hearing stories about has vouched for you," Bo-Katan said. "You can carry her, Grand Admiral." She gestured towards the small, green Grogu. "And if you try any funny business then you'll have my son and partner to deal with. They aren't people you want to cross."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Thrawn assured her. He opened his medical pack and removed the dressing. "She will need stitches. Ezra do you want to start? I'll catch up."
"Sure thing, Thrawn. I'll see you back home," Ezra said.
"Home?" Sabine asked. "This planet isn't your home, Ezra. I'm here to get you home."
"Of course, Sabine. I cannot wait to hear of the adventures you've had since we last saw each other! I've missed you terribly!" Ezra pulled out his flask. "This is ginger water, it will help with the queasy stomach."
Thrawn looked back at the new arrivals. "I assume since everyone else is wearing a suit of armor that General Syndulla is the only injured party?"
"You assume correct," Bo-Katan answered. She secured her helmet again and ducked into the craft and a few moments later she and Din were loaded down with gear. "Let's go."
Thrawn worked on cleaning the blood from Hera's laceration and then he began to suture the wound. Hera had always been a beautiful woman and it would be a shame to mar her pretty face with a jagged scar. And if nothing else, Thrawn prided himself on preserving art in all its forms. She whimpered at the tugging sensation and he was grateful for her unconscious state— stitches weren't pleasant without any numbing agents.
Satisfied with his work, Thrawn applied a medicinal salve and then re-wrapped the injury. He put away his supplies and shucked back on his pack and lifted the woman into his arms. While her weight was solid, it wasn't any trouble for Thrawn to carry her. Ezra had asked him long ago about about his physical strength, but he'd never truly answered the boy. The Chiss as a species were strong — not quite as strong as a Wookie— but certainly stronger than humans. And amongst his kind, Thrawn's self disciple had him as stronger than most. Hera whimpered in her sleep, saying something that sounded like 'Jason.' Thrawn filed away the name for later evaluation.
The Twi'lek was very pleasant unconscious. Though, Thrawn suspected her hostile attitude towards him would quickly sour his disposition towards her. Maybe he was just desperate for female company after so many years stranded on this planet.