Halfway to Martyrdom
Chapter Sixteen
Thrawn felt his first officer shift in the seat next to his. Commodore Hammerly was too professional a soldier to fidget, but she was nervous.
Seated across from them, the rebel Jedi Bridger showed no concerns for professionalism. He slouched in his seat while fiddling with his seat belt. He had begun their journey with glee, but doubts now collected on the horizon of the boy's mind.
Their doubts and nerves were not Thrawn's to share. Not only was Thrawn a more experienced soldier, but he was also a leader. Every human in the Rapacc system took direction from him. If he unveiled any sense of misgiving, his crew would amplify those senses into total disaster.
So Thrawn stayed discreet, moving a hand to his pants pocket. Not only did the pocket contain a comm capable of communicating with both the Chimaera and the transport passengers, but there was a second item behind it. One Thrawn had mused over many times since his last visit to Rapacc, yet not something he'd had much use for in the years since.
From his seat directly behind the cockpit, Thrawn could hear the exact moment the pilot left the Chimaera's hangar. Waiting for them was the Paccian security patrol with which Thrawn had recently spoken. There were three ships in total. The middle craft bore a clan marker on the hull, marking its pilot the patrol's leader.
It was not the Marcossa subclan. Rather, this craft had the claws of a predator mammal on the sides. To the unobservant eye, the markings could be mistaken for scratches.
As soon as the transport came into view, the leader craft opened a comm channel. Thrawn ordered the pilot, one Paul Naylaub, to answer.
The patrol leader spoke in Taarja. "Galactic Imperial vessel. Do you carry a team capable of brokering an agreement on your crew's behalf?"
"We do, Orbital Security Officer," Thrawn answered, his brow deepening. It had been over a decade since Thrawn had spoken to another living being in Taarja. His neglect of the language could not be allowed to endanger the mission. Once the Chimaera got closer to the Imperial border, he would be able to switch to Sy Bisti or Meese Caulf.
"Good. Fall inside our formation. We will lead you through the atmosphere towards a landing zone."
"Acknowledged, Officer." Thrawn repeated the order to Naylaub in Basic. Their transport flew inside the patrol's triangular formation. Were the transport not flying of its own power, theirs would be the position of a prisoner. Thrawn noted the rear shields on the leader's vessel were active, and the two ships behind them were capable of firing at any moment. It seemed that despite Thrawn's reassurances earlier, the Paccosh patrol remained wary of them.
Less than a minute into their descent, Thrawn heard Hammerly gasp. He turned towards her. She pointed to the sight in their rear viewport.
It was the Chimaera. The asteroid field had done extensive damage to their hull. The painted snakes that had once marked the flagship apart from other Imperial Star Destroyers could no longer be made out. All that could be seen was wreckage.
Hm. Thrawn had wondered why the Paccosh hadn't commented on their hull design. Now he had his answer.
The Paccosh had heard of the Galactic Empire in Lesser Space, at least. When Thrawn had explained to the security patrol where they were from, they had said, "we heard your navy possesses the legendary Chiss Mitth'raw'nuruodo. A shame you did not have him lead your forces in battle. Perhaps he could have averted your current crisis."
Thrawn declined to identify himself as Mitth'raw'nuruodo in the exchange. The word "legendary" had piqued his interest.
He found great insight from the legends people told about others in the Chaos, and it had occurred to him that his knowledge of the Paccosh was two decades old. The war against the Grysk evolved constantly in the Unknown Regions. While Thrawn had a patchwork of updates on the Chiss Ascendancy's progress in the war, none of them had mentioned where the Paccosh stood. Thrawn did not want the Chimaera's repairs process to become any more complicated than it already was.
Chaos. Unknown Regions. The terms switched interchangeably in his mind. Ever since the Jedi had confirmed the system his actions stranded them in, Thrawn felt his past folding in on his present, not unlike it had on Batuu.
The rest of the ride to Rapacc's surface passed in silence. They penetrated the planet's atmosphere a few clicks away from a major city. The patrol craft led them towards a sprawling military compound.
The compound's hangar lit up with activity at the sight of the Imperial transport. Translating orders from traffic controllers on the ground, Thrawn led his pilot through the landing process. The security patrol did not land at all, but took off once more for orbit around the planet.
Outside the viewport, Paccosh soldiers surrounded the transport. Beyond the ring of soldiers were anti-spacecraft guns the group had flown over on descent. In the distance stood a tall electric fence, a common design choice for military installations.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," the Jedi voiced his concerns. "Are they helping you or taking us prisoner?"
Hammerly and the others were not bold enough to speak their agreement, but Thrawn saw similar thoughts reflected in his first officer's eyes. He ought to address the issue directly. "Understand the Paccosh's concern. We appeared suddenly over their capital planet in a damaged warship from a foreign military. Do you know what the protocol would be if an unfamiliar warship appeared in Coruscant's orbit?"
"They would be taken a safe distance away from the planet via tractor beam, then immediately blown to space dust," Hammerly recited the protocol from memory. "The Empire doesn't tolerate threats to Coruscant. Not since the Clone Wars."
"Precisely. While I advise caution, do not mistake your ignorance for a threat. Be ready for trouble, yet do not cause it." Thrawn directed his last sentence at Bridger.
"Yessir!" The trooper escort on the mission spoke with one voice.
"Why do you look at me when you say that?" Bridger asked. "I'm getting away from you the first chance I get. I've broken out of military jails before."
"And that is the exact thing I am warning you against doing. The Paccosh are already wary of us. They see everyone on this transport as one group. The actions of one will speak for all." Thrawn fixed Bridger with a hard stare. "If you stir up unnecessary conflict, we will all face the consequences. Together. If you truly want a chance to separate from us, you must wait for the right moment."
"Ughhhhh." Bridger moaned. "I'm tired of you bossing me around."
As long as Bridger didn't cause any incidents, he could complain all he liked. Thrawn had more pressing concerns than the Jedi's feelings. Before the Paccosh boarded, he stowed his rank plaque away in his tunic. Hammerly moved to do the same, but Thrawn stopped her. "Keep yours on, Commodore."
A female Paccosh voice filtered through the transport's comm. "Galactic Imperial vessel. This is Base Command. Allow security forces aboard for a preliminary check. Present your whole crew for inspection. Do not draw any weapons. Do not hide any members. Security forces will escort you to a secure waiting area. Am I understood, Imperial vessel?"
"You are understood, Base Command." Thrawn repeated the order for everyone aboard. Naylaub lowered the boarding hatch. Six armored Paccosh climbed into the transport. They did not have their weapons drawn, but Thrawn noticed their clawed hands reach for them as they turned towards the standing Imperial crew.
The stormtroopers and Bridger all held their hands up at shoulder height. When Bridger turned towards the Paccosh, he took in their feathered headdresses with unfiltered surprise. "Wow. That is not what I guessed you people would look like."
The Paccosh soldiers showed no interest in Bridger. When their eyes landed on Thrawn, they froze midstep. The soldier's Taarja was stilted with a heavy accent. "A Chiss. Do you command the vessel above our heads?"
"I do not. I am the translator for Commodore Hammerly," Thrawn lied, gesturing towards his first officer. Her eyes widened slightly at the sound of her name. "I was serving as a guide for Imperials in the Chaos when their ship ran into trouble."
The soldier narrowed his eyes, but didn't question Thrawn's story. "It is not normal to see Chiss outside their Ascendancy. What is your name, Guide?"
"Kivu'ando'noro," Thrawn volunteered the name of his biological father. He didn't know how close the Chiss and Paccosh had grown in the past twenty years. Perhaps they would recognize if he used a non-Chiss name or a name from the Great Families. "You may call me Vuando… ah, may I have a moment to speak with my commander?"
Before the soldier could grant or deny his request, Thrawn turned to Hammerly. He spoke in hushed Basic. "I have told the Paccosh you are the commander of the Chimaera. I am your translator and guide in the Unknown Regions. My name is Vuando."
Hammerly knew better than to question Thrawn at the moment. "Understood, s- Vuando. Ask them what they intend to do with y- my men." She straightened, body language taking over the role of commander.
Thrawn repeated her question, to which the Paccosh answered, "you will remain on base while we wait for a negotiator to arrive. If you have immediate life needs like food or medicine, you may say them to the base commander, and she will see what we can give. Anything else will have to wait until the Paccian Governance approves your help."
Hammerly listened as Thrawn translated the response. "We should take them up on their offer for medicine. Yesterday, Nerric said stores were almost out. He's still treating a lot of battle wounds. Ask for medicine… if that's okay with you."
Bridger looked like he wanted to speak up, but he kept his mouth shut. Perhaps Thrawn's warning had gotten through to him after all.
Noticing his concern, Hammerly added, "and tell them that Bridger was a stowaway on our ship. He shouldn't be with us and wants to find his own way back to the Empire."
After Thrawn relayed everything to the Paccosh, they invited the group to follow them off the transport. They insisted no one stay behind and the Imperials be escorted by base crew at all times. "Not from a lack of trust, but… a lack of knowledge. We have never had meetings with the Galactic Empire before." The soldier accompanying them winced. "The Chiss Ascendancy, on the other side-"
"We are not here with the Chiss Ascendancy. I represent the Commodore and the Empire here on Rapacc. No one else." Thrawn hesitated, then made his advance. "I have not been in contact with the Chiss Ascendancy for some time. What is the last you heard of them?"
A huff. "Your kind is as stuck up as ever. The Marcossa subclan was wrong to bet on good friendships with blueskins. They've lost all their seats in the Clan Hall."
Thrawn kept his expression neutral. "What is the significance of Hall seats, if I may ask?"
The soldier hesitated, searching for the right words in Taarja. "It starts with the government, but touches the military too. Without seats in the Clan Hall, the subclan's members cannot be ship commanders. Only foot soldiers." The soldier snorted through his beak. "A shame. One of our best warriors is Marcossa. He still hasn't returned from his time of shame."
Thrawn suspected he knew the warrior to which the soldier referred. He chose not to share this knowledge. One of the items on his person declined in value from the revelation.
"Are you a soldier? You travel with soldiers in this Lesser Space Empire."
"I travel alongside soldiers, yes. I can fight if I must, but I prefer to speak. Not every conflict must be solved with a battle." Thrawn evaded the question. "I often watch the Commodore lead her ship through hostility. She is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield."
The soldier respectfully deferred his gaze from Hammerly. Paccian society favored females, after all. They commanded positions of political and economic authority, with the military being the only branch in which men could reach top leadership. Thrawn had brought Hammerly along specifically because she was a trustworthy female officer capable of projecting authority. Had Thrawn felt he could trust Xoxtin with the job, he would have preferred to bring her. Hammerly's talents were better served tending to the ship.
Thrawn, Hammerly, Bridger, Naylaub, and the stormtroopers followed their escort out of the hangar. As they walked across the open field, Hammerly chanced a look upwards. They could still see the Chimaera watching over them. From the surface, the ship's damage was not as apparent. Its sharp triangular silhouette remained largely intact.
Deciding the crew deserved a status update, Thrawn motioned towards the comm in Hammerly's pocket. "I suggest you update Woldar on our situation. Make sure he knows to call me Vuando as well. My true name has a reputation on this planet."
Hammerly did as she was told. When she got off the comm, Bridger gave voice to his thoughts. "So you're allowed to lie about your identity, but I'm not allowed to 'cause trouble?' What's up with that?"
"I chose my course of action specifically to avoid trouble. I have neither the time nor the need to explain my reasons to you. The Paccosh understand you are a stowaway on our ship. I will petition for your release when the negotiator arrives." Thrawn looked forward to parting ways with Bridger. If he had believed anyone else was capable of navigating them out of the asteroid field, he would have ended Bridger's life weeks ago.
Now that the Chimaera was above Rapacc, they had two options for future navigation. If the Paccosh were willing to share their maps, they could feed the information into the ship's navicomputer and reach Imperial territory without external assistance. If the Paccosh refused to share that information (or their maps were not complete), then they would need to hire a navigator from the guild. They could use the navigator to reach a part of the Unknown Regions on the navicomputer's map, dismiss the guide, and enter Imperial territory with neither rebels nor navigators aboard.
When the group stood in front of an empty barracks at the edge of the base, the Paccosh urged them to stop. "You may rest here until the negotiator arrives. I suspect Base Commander Onsala foar Tigrees will visit you soon. You may speak to her about food or medicine for your commodore's crew." The soldier bowed before Hammerly, then departed. He left four guards behind, all stationed next to entrances to the barracks.
After a moment of hesitation, Thrawn led the humans into the building. They entered a common room with a door on each side. The doors to the left and right led to beds while the door across from them hosted the latrine. The building was devoid of personal belongings, but not dusty. It had been recently prepped for Imperial use.
Out the window, Thrawn could see the crackling green light of the base's electric fence. Their building was the furthest it could be from the rest of the base without leaving the compound entirely. Whatever the base's main function, it wasn't one the Paccosh wished to share with their visitors from Lesser Space. Despite that, their hospitality far outstripped anything the Empire or Ascendancy would have offered.
"So we're just supposed to wait in here?" Bridger asked. He paced the length of the common room. "For how long?"
"Unknown." Thrawn sat down in one of the common room's chairs. Hammerly sat next to him. Naylaub and two of the stormtroopers inspected the latrine for potential use.
"The Chimaera is sitting tight in orbit. Condor is still directing repairs. Once we have enough fuel to leave the system, Condor wants to make sure we can fly in one piece." Hammerly repeated the update she'd received from Woldar. "Our three mutineers haven't caused any more trouble. Yet."
"Acknowledged, Commodore." Thrawn hoped the lack of fuel would prevent mutineers from making a second attempt in his and Hammerly's absence. Even if a character like Commander Barron managed to take over the ship, it would do them no good. They couldn't fly it anywhere. Not even Sergeant Jeffries was reckless enough to engage a foreign force of unknown size. Not with a single ship, a battered crew, and no reinforcements. An attack from the Empire on Rapacc was inconceivable.
Just as Thrawn had that thought, he heard the telltale boom of an explosion in the distance. He sprung to his feet, checking window after window for the direction of the sound.
Could this be a training exercise? Had the Paccosh been planning a weapons test when the Empire interrupted their plans? The sound could be a scheduled demolition for all they knew.
…No, not a scheduled demolition. Thrawn's ears caught the panicked braying of Paccosh fleeing an area. No functioning society scheduled demolitions on occupied spaces.
Hammerly's comm chimed. "Commodore, our sensors are detecting a ground attack on your location. A major attack party is emerging from the wilderness to the south of the base. What is your condition? Do you require evacuation or reinforcements?"
"We are safe, Commander. No need for evacuation. Do not send any more men to the surface, but keep the secondary transport on alert." Thrawn answered on Hammerly's behalf. "Our situation may change rapidly."
"Yes, Grand Admiral." Woldar ended the comm channel.
As the comm turned off, another shout took to the air. This one was closer. Right outside their barracks, in fact. This time, Thrawn knew the cause for the alarm right away.
The fence encircling the compound. It had been deactivated.
More attackers were coming.
Naylaub ran out of the latrine. "Grand Admiral! What do we do?"
The stormtroopers formed a circle around their group, blasters raised. They may not know the nature of the fight, but no one wanted to become a casualty in a foreign war. They had enough wars to fight at home.
"It seems we arrived in the middle of an internal conflict of Paccian society," Thrawn surmised. "I wonder why this base is a target."
"It's not us. Right, sir?" Hammerly asked. "These people know your name. Your full name. Before you joined the Empire, did you…?" Her question hung in the air, incomplete in its asking.
Thrawn shook his head. "I did nothing warranting an attack on our forces today. I suspect we are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The guards at their door shouted in their native language as intruders climbed over the gate. Thrawn looked for a place in the building to take cover, but found none. The closest thing they had to cover were the chairs and beds. Their best option was to stay under the conflict's radar. The Paccosh he remembered were more than capable of fending off a raiding party.
That said, the actions of their guards didn't inspire much confidence. All four fled from the intruders for the safety of the base's main building. They did nothing to warn or protect the Imperials in the attack. They didn't even run inside to join their defenses
"Screw this." Ezra ignited his lightsaber. "I'm getting out of here."
"Where are you going?" Naylaub asked. No one made any attempt to stop Ezra.
"What's it to you? I'm not your problem anymore." Ezra ran for the doorway. He turned back to give Thrawn a parting salute. "Looking forward to our next battle."
Thrawn watched through the window as Ezra cut a doorway through the deactivated fence. The Jedi ran off into the Rapacc wilderness. The boy didn't speak a word of the language, he knew no one in this region of space, and he wanted to travel to a place no Paccosh had ever visited. If Bridger made it back to the Empire in one piece, it would be proof the warrior's fortune really did smile on some people's efforts.
Less than a minute after Bridger fled, raiders found the hole he'd cut in the fence. As they ran through it, Thrawn got his first look at the raiding party.
They were also Paccian soldiers. If it hadn't been for their guards' alarm, Thrawn could have mistaken them for the base's crew. Their uniforms looked almost exactly like soldiers who had led Thrawn's group into the barracks. The only difference Thrawn noticed was the clan markings.
Twisting snakes.
The Marcossa subclan.
Hammerly noticed it too. Careful not to make any noise or movements that could catch the raiders' attention, she whispered to Thrawn. "Why do the raiders have the Chimaera symbol on their backs?"
"The design's history does not begin with me."
More raiders ran by. Despite the crouched Imperials squinting through the window, no one had looked directly at them yet. It was as if being still made Thrawn and his companions invisible.
Thrawn saw more raiders pass through the hole in the fence than he'd seen in the entire base beforehand. In the distance, he expected to hear the sounds of battle. The soldiers of the base defending their territory against civil insurgency.
Thrawn couldn't hear a single fight going on. No shouting, no shooting, no clashing of weapons. Only running and the occasional grunt. Curious.
Even curiouser to Thrawn was the raiding party's appearance on the base. How had such a large group reached the base undetected? Did the Paccian base not have sensors in place to monitor the area around their base? Thrawn saw no point to erecting a secure perimeter if it was breached so easily.
He had two possible solutions to the puzzle at hand. Either the attack on the base was being abetted by a large fraction of the crew, or the battle itself was fake. Both possibilities had disturbing implications for Thrawn and the Chimaera.
If the base was cooperating with their attackers, it meant that the terms promised Thrawn earlier were no longer in force. The cautious hospitality they had received minutes ago could evaporate. Thrawn had no reason to believe the conquerors would be more likely to help his crew.
If the battle was being faked, it was natural to wonder why. The first purpose to come to mind was that the Paccosh wished to frame the Empire for the attack, thus sabotaging any hopes they had of securing aid. That possibility was the worse of the two by far.
How should Thrawn respond to this development? If he and his men fled like Bridger, that could cast even more suspicion on them. Right now, they were in no immediate danger. If they ran for their transport, the raiders were sure to find them. Thrawn knew nothing about their goals or motivations. He didn't know if the raiding party could be reasoned with or even if they spoke Taarja.
Thrawn received the answer to one of his queries when a raider burst through the door. An older male voice shouted in perfect Taarja, "where is the Chiss in admiral's white?"
In an instant, the intruder had three blasters trained on him. The stormtroopers in the common room may not know what the man had said, but they were ready to eliminate any alien who posed a threat to their safety.
…One moment. Something about the man's voice struck Thrawn as odd. And the words he used. Admiral's white? Thrawn had seen what Paccosh ship commanders wore in battle. Their admirals didn't wear white. Only Imperial grand admirals wore that uniform color.
Imperial and Ascendancy admirals, that is. Whoever this Paccosh was, he had worked with the Chiss Ascendancy.
Just then, Thrawn made the connection in his mind. The man's voice stuck out to Thrawn because he had heard it before!
Peeking around the corner to make sure there was no danger, Thrawn rose to his feet. Hammerly started with alarm, but chose not to break her silence. He shared a reassuring look with her before turning to the man who'd just arrived. Seeing that the man had his weapon down, he waved for the stormtroopers to do the same.
Thrawn reached into his pocket and removed the ring he'd received as a token so long ago. A memento he'd believed he would never have a chance to return.
"I believe I have something that belongs to you… Uingali foar Marcossa."
A/N's: I should probably explain why I took seven months to update.
So... the last time I posted, I said I needed to reread the Ascendancy trilogy to plot the next arc of this story. I did that.
What I didn't tell you was that I was also in my last semester of college. It was a busy time for me. Luckily, I graduated in May with both my degrees. I even celebrated by traveling abroad and meeting some fandom friends in person for the first time. That was amazing!
I was motivated to get back to writing this story by the Ahsoka show. I want to get as much of this story written as possible before Filoni offers up his version. I said in my summary I want to write a Rebels sequel before canon beats me to it. The canon blast is coming for my wall, y'all.
Lucky for y'all, I am using this fic in Camp NaNoWriMo. My goal is 30K. Fingers crossed that means I have about eight chapters coming out this month for y'all.
Thank you everyone for waiting so patiently, hope we are all practicing good cybersecurity, and I will see you in a few days with another update.