Chapter 10. Turning tables
"If you could, would you? Come back to Csilla, or wherever your actual home was?"
What in the name of Starts prompts her to ask the question, she doesn't know. She has never seen Thrawn caught off guard, somehow he is always a few steps ahead of everyone else, herself included, yet tonight seems like she has done it – thrown him off balance. Without warning, the Chiss's face goes suddenly rigid, a faraway expression settles somewhere deep in his glowing eyes that focus on a non-existent spot behind her. Possibly he is not accustomed to people being so blunt with him, but Starts know, she has had enough of roundabout conversations for one day. Maybe he didn't expect her to have this particular bit of knowledge (underestimating the New Republic intelligence gathering seems to be a theme with the Imperials). Or, perhaps, he is not used to answering personal questions, for lecturing tends to be safer, one of his favorite tactics, from what she can tell… From their first accidental meeting in this very hall, when he dissected the Alderaani traditions, to their run-in in the Pinnacle room, when he cautioned against certainties and preconceived notions, to a few evenings since – Leia has noticed Thrawn doing it time and time again. The fact that she remembers each and every one of these conversations brothers her more than she's willing to admit. He has managed to hit home every single time, calling her out (as if he has any right for moral high ground) in this measured and captivating cadence with the slight accent.
Still, she has learned his pattern and now it's time to counter the ploy. He seems to be dumbfounded by such a direct, personal question, it turns the imperturbable Chiss Grand Admiral into… well, not a human per se, but a normal being.
"It is not possible."
"Unless your planet is no more, everything is possible."
"Suffice it to say," there is a pause, not of a dramatic, theatrical kind, designed to underscore and emphasise whatever comes after, but a real, honest one, as if he is thinking through, tasting his answer before it slips from his lips, "that I am not welcome there. Even if it weren't the case, if I were to come back to the Ascendancy now, it'd mean I failed."
His voice doesn't change, not really, same calm tone, same fascinating cadence, same depth, yet the words taste of regret and deeply buried longing, not for the first time making her wonder, just who is the man behind the title.
"No consequences, would you?"
Leia pushes, honest to Stars, she probably shouldn't, there is nothing to gain here, but she just cannot let go, it's curiosity mixed with a childish desire to have her payback for his "Tell me, Senator, whose example are you so afraid to follow?"
"I prefer not to deal in hypotheticals."
"Would you?" It still rings in her ears, his question, for it mirrors her fears perfectly, threatening to tear away a safe, familiar, comforting veil offered by the Organa name, replacing it by something much more sinister.
Whose example are you so afraid to follow, whose example are you so afraid to follow, whose example are you so afraid to follow.
So, again, she pushes just to make him feel something, to turn the tables at least for once.
"In a heartbeat."
And just like that, he turns the tables again, out of the two of them, he is more honest and, probably, courageous than she is. It's not lost on her that he has enough self-awareness to answer her direct question, whereas she has preferred to hide under the Old Alderaani myth about Revenge and Justice.
Leia holds his gaze, loosing the sense of time and place in his unsettling eyes that for some reason have a familiar nostalgic expression that she can relate to all too well, and feels no satisfaction at cornering him, at making him admit a weakness. Instead, she is overcome by… kinship and understanding. She's wondering if a wistful look in his eyes is mirrored in her own, for she can feel the same infinite yearning for a part of her life that is lost forever.
Thankfully, Thrawn has enough common sense to break the loaded silence and navigate them both away from this newfound shared vulnerability. Slipping back to comfortable patterns is easy – their banter is relatively safe, already familiar and entertaining, last adjectives she has ever expected to use in relation to Grand Admiral Thrawn.
The next day of the talks goes in a full bargaining mode, ironically, no one brings up Kashyyyk, as both sides focus on further dividing worlds, trade routes and military zones. It's an intricate balance, for as much as they all would've preferred just to split, it's impossible, the delicate economic fabric of the galaxy is dependent on maintaining a semblance of cooperation, even with the two completely different regimes in respective sectors. For all their drawbacks, the old Republic and the Empire managed to tie millions of worlds with a blood-system of trade, supply and manufacturing routes, cutting them off now would mean crippling the galaxy and too many issue groups, trade and banking federations. Somehow Leia suspects that it's the latter rather than the former that weights on the minds of most sentients in this room, save for a couple of exceptions.
Unexpectedly, they do make progress on a political prisoners exchange, Commandant Hux, of all people, proposes to arrange the first in a series of events three days before the wrap-up of the talks on Coruscant, prior to leaving for a signing ceremony on Chandrilla. Seems like wonders would never cease.
When a question of mutual disarmament is brought to the table by one of Mon's aides, Leia fights hard to hide a wince, she vehemently opposed this point in a cabinet meeting few days before, but her objections were overruled.
"Not in a million years."
"Absolutely not."
Their voices – hers and Thrawn's - cut in simultaneously, even before the aide has a chance to finish. Hers – just a mutter under her breath… His – loud and clear, inherently calm but leaving to room for an argument. Ironically, this is the first time he has spoken up today, having been mostly silent during trade disputes, when he preferred to focus on his datapad.
"The New Republic definitely can do as it pleases, I do not believe in interrupting my adversaries while they are making a mistake, but the Imperial forces will not follow suit in any way, shape or form."
Inwardly, Leia is applauding him, for his comment will be seen as a veiled threat, and with the Imperial territories still fully armed, the New Republic will never pursue unilateral demilitarisation. Leia heaves a sign of relief and makes a point to move on to another topic.
At least she gets a modicum of tranquility that evening, when Luke swings by after his training session.
"Not that I am complaining, but it feels like Hoth." He dramatically sinks into a sofa and she cannot suppress a smile, oh, the great master Jedi who braved the Emperor, Darth Vader and Hoth itself, now defeated by an out of order climate control system.
"It's not that bad," well, a jacket hidden deep inside the closet tells a different story, Leia makes a mental note to discreetly return it later.
"I'm from Tatooine, remember?"
"Next time just go to the East wing hall, they seem to be welcoming visitors." She tells him in jest, recalling the chess match she witnessed a few days before. "A fully armed master Jedi among the Imperials would be a sight to behold."
"You do want me to get in trouble."
"Not more than usual." Leia shrugs her shoulders.
"Have you heard from Han? Grand Moff Tolruck is dead, amazingly, seems like it was an inside job."
"Is Han safe? Chewie?"
"Shouldn't you ask him yourself?"
"Luke, please…"
Please don't push me. Please let me do it on my terms when I am ready. Please just answer the kriffing question. She broadcasts the last part through their bond, and judging by Luke's raised eyebrows, he hears it loud and clear.
"They're fine, just trying to guess what the Imperials are after. So far there has been no movement, but the fleet is still nearby."
Actually, this is a really good question, she hasn't stipulated anything while asking for Thrawn's help. Leia inwardly curses, such an amateur mistake on her part, dad would've been disappointed.
Three days. The Kashyyk liberation makes it to the HoloNet news three days after the event occurred. It merits only the last spot of news bulletin, after a step-by-step description of the talks, growing turmoil amongst banking clans and rising interest rates and latest gossip about holo stars. So much for the sanctity and value of all sentients' lives…
Not surprisingly, she can feel that the Imperial delegation fuming, not that any of them regrets Grand Moff Tolruck's death, the man did refuse to acknowledge the Shadow Council after all, but it increases Thrawn's influence, given that some ships of the Seventh fleet have been spotted in the vicinity of the planet, there is no doubt as to who may lay claim on the world. Clearly it is not something anyone in the room wants.
However, Thrawn remains absolutely unperturbed, preferring again to focus on his datapad.
This impossible man!
This scheming, secretive, has she already mentioned impossible? Well, outrageous then.
Evening news reports leave Leia torn between exasperation and amusement, but the former is definitely stronger now. He did it in her name! Used her comlink frequency to arrange a call to the Coruscant Today! Leia grips her datapad so hard her knuckles turn white, as she strides through the hall.
"Wookies are not wildlife!" With her own call to him left unanswered, Leia storms into the East wing training hall, not caring to knock at the door, not even caring if she gets in a way of DT training droids again. "They are sentients, they are…"
She freezes in the doorway. For the second time in a few days overcome by an irrational impulse to blink, count to ten and then backwards, for the picture facing her, while different, is no less surreal than the last time.
Luke and Thrawn, both in training gear, Luke with his lightsaber and Thrawn with a new fighting stick that she cannot quite place or name. They parry, divert each others' strikes, moving in a pace that is deliberate and intense at the same time.
"Good evening to you too, Senator," Thrawn doesn't miss a beat as he says it, and blocks Luke's lightsaber – his fighting stick not only survives the contact, but makes the light blade short out. Then Thrawn turns around and nods to her.
"Wookies are not wildlife…" she can only repeat, for her brain is still trying to make sense of what she's seeing.
"I see…" Thrawn feigns confusion, of course, he cannot say anything in front of Luke. Leia inwardly curses, well, now she needs to find a way to get out of this debacle without blowing their cover. Thrawn continues, "I am not sure how I can help with it, but possibly you may want to choose your words more wisely next time you send messages the holo press."
She grips her datapad tighter. This impossible man!
"Although I do congratulate you and your… acquaintances on gracing the galaxy with the presence of yet another wildlife reserve."
Making the Imperial territory G5-623, also known as Kashyyyk, a neutral zone under this pretence is a master strike, she has to admit. It takes the planet out of a possible power struggle between Moffs, allows Thrawn to claim that the Seventh fleet had nothing to do with Tolruck's death for he officially has nothing to gain now, and bring his fleet back wherever he needs it.
To top it all, given the fact that the leak came from her comlink, given everyone in the cabinet knows that Han and Chewie are in the system, given she pushed for the wildlife protection pledge in the first place… it paints her as a mastermind behind the entire liberation effort. Oh, she agrees with the plan, wholeheartedly, whether it was sparked by insight, genius or insanity. It's just… a small part of her is bothered by the fact that Thrawn didn't warn her. Leaking things to the press is her speciality, not his, he should have gone with morning news, not evening, to have a full effect of coverage.
Leia switches her attention back to present.
Why in the name of Stars is Luke here? Her rational mind helpfully reminds that she herself sent Luke to train in this hall a couple of days ago. Is Thrawn suicidal? Fighting with a force user, who is wielding a lightsaber…
"Hi Leia, we're training here." Luke comes to greet her.
"I see that much." She crosses her arms across her chest.
"Forgive us, Senator, but I haven't had a chance to try my new melee stick, made using a cortosis weave, and master Jedi gracefully agreed to put it to test."
Now it makes sense, Thrawn is not fully suicidal, just partially, for he was still up against a force user as proficient as Luke. Leia rubs her temples.
"Luke, if you insist on killing people, any chance you can start with other Grand Admirals? I may need Grand Admiral Thrawn's signature to finalise the Kashyyyk status tomorrow."
"Glad to see I can be of service."
Leia shoots Thrawn a glare, but he remains as calm and unperturbed as ever. Luke frowns, looking back and forth between them.
"I am sorry to be cutting your training session short, but we need to align in a few details…" She makes a show of logging into her datapad, as if searching for a document, hoping that Luke will take a hint. He does, bless him, and bids them goodnight.
Once the door shuts behind him, Leia lets out a frustrated sigh.
"You could've warned me, you know."
"Perhaps, but there is a chance you would've decided against the plan, fearing it'd look as if you were publicly challenging the Chancellor's decision."
Oh, Mon.
Leia squeezes her eyes shut and rubs her temples again. Yes, he's right, while she allows herself to challenge Mon in private, or behind the closed doors like during the disarmament proposal, doing it in public is another matter all-together.
"Have you always been that annoyingly all-knowing and calculating, or is it an acquired quality?"
"I think those who used to know me would vouch for the former." He places his cortosis-weaved stick in the corner and adds pensively. "You may be surprised, but I was once considered unpredictable and reckless." He chuckles, "Or, more precisely, somewhere between dangerously inspired or merely criminally insane."
Yet there is an irony in his voice, as if it's a fond memory.
"Not a surprise, it's common to consider things one doesn't understand unpredictable or dangerous." There it is again, a shadow of expression on his impenetrable face, as if she said something incredibly right and unexpected at the same time. "You know, in another life, you would've fit quite well in the Rebellion."
"Thanks Stars we've never had a chance to test this particular theory."
Author's note
Thrawn recalled one of the conversations with General Ba'kif, given the role Ba'kif has played in his life, I do believe it's a fond memory, the man had his back more times than once can count… yes, as you can clearly tell, I've been re-reading the Ascendancy trilogy recently ;))
So, the new Canon tries to persuade us that Mon would be willing to push for demilitarisation, I personally see quite a few issues with it, but for the sake of the story I am rolling with this, like whatever, will leave it here together with space whales.
We will see the first meeting between Luke and Thrawn in the next chapter, Leia sort of interrupted already the second one…