"I see your defeat. Like many arms surrounding you in a cold embrace."

Thrawn hadn't understood the strange creature's words that day on Atollon. He had pondered them, of course. For while he was not a man prone to superstition, he also wasn't foolish enough to dismiss The Force. He'd seen it in action enough times to know of the great difference it could make in battle, and not having the capacity to truly understand it was one of his few regrets.

And now, as he lay on the floor of The Chimaera's bridge, surrounded by the bodies of dead or unconscious troopers, Thrawn finally understood the creature's words.

Two troopers helped him to his feet, and the sharp pang of pain he felt told him that he had at least several broken ribs, and likely some internal bleeding and injuries. Ezra Bridger was sprawled on the floor, having been stunned by Commander Kyrma, The Death Trooper in charge of Thrawn's protective detail. A somewhat disheveled Captain Pellaeon rushed into the room. "Admiral! Are you alright, Sir?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I'll need some immediate medical attention, Captain." The Chiss said calmly with hints of pain in his voice as he glanced around the bridge. The emergency shields were down, for they had automatically closed after the transparisteel viewports had been breached by the Purrgils.

"And your orders, Sir?" Pellaeon asked with concern. He was fairly new to Thrawn's command, but the two had worked together before, and Thrawn knew the man to be both capable and dutiful. And He was going to need men like that in the following hours.

"It is too dangerous to shoot at the creatures now." Thrawn said. "We are going to have to wait and see where they take us. Once we've exited hyperspace, repel them at all costs. Then come find me in the medical wing."

Pellaeon nodded with semi-concealed apprehension, and Commander Kyrma poked Ezra Bridger with his foot. "Permission to execute the rebel, Sir?" he said with a hint of restrained anger.

"No." Thrawn almost snapped. "Take a squad and escort him to the brig. I will decide his fate myself." The Chiss said weakly, without a hint of anger or bitterness, before turning to his second-in-command. "Captain. Once we exit hyperspace, I need you to contact my people and explain what happened. You should find whatever data you need to contact them in the ship's computers, and they will come to our aid swiftly."

Pellaeon seemed even more apprehensive, likely because of the prospect of accepting aid from people he didn't know much about. After all, there was no official alliance between The Galactic Empire and the mysterious Chiss Ascendancy. "As you wish, Sir." The Captain said, and Thrawn simply nodded as he leaned on one of the stormtroopers, who proceeded to lead him down the hallways. And the Chiss couldn't help but notice how pale his blue skin was becoming. He knew that his injuries were serious.

The boy had bested him. Somehow he had managed to thwart an Imperial Grand Admiral in spite of the impossible odds stacked against the rebels. Thrawn had never been one to underestimate an opponent, and he'd always viewed the rebels with respect as worthy adversaries. But only now did he realize, that deep down, he hadn't believed that they could truly win or best him.

That was his first mistake.

His partial failure at Atollon had been unfortunate. The rebels had survived his attack due to Kassius Konstantine's folly, an honorable Commander's heroic sacrifice, and a not insignificant amount of ingenuity and competence. But there had been another factor that day, one he couldn't have predicted or perhaps truly countered. A Creature indeed beyond his ability to understand or truly kill.

And the creature had been right. Thrawn had been arrogant. For the Empire was arrogant. He'd been certain that the Lothal rebels would fail, until the boy turned the forces of nature itself against him through ways he had no ability to comprehend or counter. And for the first time, Thrawn wondered; Was The Empire truly as strong as it seemed? Was The Rebellion's cause truly that hopeless?

He had much contemplation to do. Although he likely wouldn't have the time for it soon.


"Captain Pellaeon." The hologram of the Chiss Admiral said weakly. "This message is only for your eyes and those of Admiral Ar'alani of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. I regret to inform you that my injuries are more severe than I originally anticipated, and that my survival is not guaranteed. As thus, I have deemed it prudent to record these instructions in case I cannot deliver them personally to you both.

"In your case, Captain, I must ask you to return to The Empire without me. If I have any hopes of surviving this, I must be treated by my own people's medics and doctors. You will report everything that has happened to the Admiralty, with the exception of one thing. What I'm about to ask of you is going to challenge the oaths and loyalties you swore your allegiance to, but I implore you to consider."

"I need you to deliver the prisoner Ezra Bridger to Admiral Ar'alani, and to mention his death in your reports. You and I have spoken at length about the dangers lurking beyond the Galaxy. Dangers to both The Empire and The Ascendancy. The Empire would have the boy executed, but I believe that he could be a valuable asset in the fight against our common enemies. However, I cannot, in good faith, ask you to go against your conscience. If you choose to bring Commander Bridger back for trial, I will not begrudge you that."

"As for Admiral Ar'alani, I merely ask that you respect the Captain's decision on the matter, and that you render aid by helping in the restoration of The Chimaera, so that it could return to The Empire. Should the Captain choose to surrender the boy to your care, I implore you to do everything within your power to recruit Bridger to our cause. If the boy resists, I ask that you keep him prisoner until further notice. I leave you both with this message and my hopes that we get to speak once again."

Pellaeon stood stiffly in the hanger and stared at the stars through the magnetic field, while quietly pondering how utterly bizarre the last few hours of his life he had been. What had begun as a somewhat standard engagement with a local insurgency had suddenly turned into the complete devastation of their forces at the hands of a pod of space-faring animals. And to make matters worse, they were now stuck in the middle of nowhere and reduced to relying on the kindness of some reclusive race of aliens.

The Purrgils had dropped them somewhere in the middle of the unknown regions, like the admiral predicted, and had thankfully fled back into hyperspace after a few rounds of turbolaser fire. As per the Admiral's instructions, Pellaeon had then managed to contact the Chiss Ascendancy and reach that mysterious Admiral Ar'alani, who'd promised him aid with a mixture of politeness and professionalism, although she'd also been somehow even more unsettling than Thrawn.

"An unidentified ship has just exited hyperspace space, Sir." Commander Kyrma said in his heavily modulated voice. "It identified itself as The Steadfast. A small shuttle is also approaching us."

"Well, Let us hope that Thrawn's people are as efficient as they are quick." Pellaeon half-muttered. "Clear the shuttle for landing, Commander. And keep your men ready." He ordered the Death Trooper, who acknowledged his instructions with a nod and a "Yes, Sir."

Staring at the Chiss Warship, Pellaeon found himself studying the design. It was an impressive vessel, and one that would clearly be a formidable opponent in a fight. Shaped vaguely like an elongated head of a Gungan, it had a gleaming silver hull and rather impressive flankside weaponry. It didn't take long for the shuttle to arrive at the Chimaera's hanger, and Admiral Ar'alani descended the ramp accompanied by several Chiss officers.

A tall humanoid woman in a white military uniform that looked vaguely imperial, Ar'alani had striking blue skin and unsettling red eyes that left Pellaeon slightly mesmerized. She approached Gilad with great poise and grace before firmly shaking his hands. "It is an honor to meet you, Captain Pellaeon." She said in heavily accented basic. "Admiral Thrawn's trust in you speaks highly of your character."

"Thank you, Admiral." Pellaeon said stoically. "And thank you for coming to our aid so quickly. The damage to The Chimaera is not as extensive as we'd initially feared, but we could use some help in getting her back to travel readiness."

"My people are well-equipped. The repairs should not take long." The Admiral said professionally while Pellaeon and his troops led her out of the hangar. "How is Admiral Thrawn?" She asked with only the slightest hint of concern.

"According to our medics, his condition is critical, but stable." Pellaeon said somewhat dejectedly as they entered his sparsely decorated office. "He has multiple broken ribs and internal bleedings. Currently, he seems to be in a coma. It is frankly a miracle that he managed to record that message I'd forwarded you. I can only hope that your people are more capable of helping him than we are."

"I hope so as well, Captain." Ar'alani said with some tightness as they both took their seats. "Have you made up your mind regarding the boy's fate?"

'Direct and to the point.' Pellaeon noted internally. "I have obviously given it some thought." He admitted. "Grand Admiral Thrawn is perhaps the most brilliant officer I've ever known. And while he was often bold and unorthodox, I have often found his loyalty to the Empire to be unquestionable. I've always been willing to follow his orders to the letter, even when I didn't fully understand them."

"But this particular order represents a challenge." Ar'alani noted.

"A challenge? It is nothing short of treason." Pellaeon said. "This rebel is responsible for the deaths of countless imperials in the Battle of Lothal alone. And he likely has important intelligence that we might use. It is my duty to bring him back for questioning and trial."

"Your duty is the protection of The Empire." Ar'alani noted. "The Unknown Regions have a thousand threats that could spill over to harass the Empire you serve. An Empire that is already fighting a war, may I add. It may not be our intention, but the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet is the last line of defense between your Empire and those threats. If you bring the boy back, The Empire gains nothing from his death. But if we weaponize him against those evils, he will serve both of us, directly or not."

Pellaeon snorted softly. "And I'm supposed to believe that he'd be that valuable of an asset to you?" He said, and regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. The boy was a Jedi. Gilad remembered his days in the GAR well enough to know what that meant. Even today, Bridger had proven once again what those blasted sorcerers were capable of.

"We both know that a Jedi is always a powerful ally, Captain." Ar'alani said, as if she could read his mind. "You trust Admiral Thrawn, and Admiral Thrawn trusts me greatly." She said as she opened her datapad. "I won't pressure you into giving us the boy. but at least allow me to show you what we deal with on a daily basis, and why it must be dealt with."


Ezra Bridger was afraid.

He knew what was coming next. Interrogation. Torture. Likely execution. But he wouldn't break. Kanan hadn't broken on Mustafar, and he wouldn't insult his memory by doing less. Perhaps Ahsoka would come for him, and perhaps she wouldn't. But he still drew on every part of his training to prepare for the coming hours. He was afraid, but he wouldn't let his fears rule him. He'd saved his friends and his homeworld, and he was willing to meet his end content in the knowledge that they lived on.

Ezra's last memories following the battle over Lothal were of him holding back bucketheads while the Purrgils attacked Thrawn. One of the stormtroopers had obviously managed to stun him, and now he was in captivity on some strange ship that had an unusual amount of Chiss, which was rather strange considering how rare of a sight that species was.

Most people mistook Thrawn for a Pantoran with an eye condition, but Ezra knew of the Wild Space legends describing the Chiss; a proud and noble race from the Unknown Regions. Although the Chiss were known for being capable warriors and astronomers, Thrawn definitely hadn't lived up to expectations in the nobility department. The Question was; what was Ezra doing on what was presumably a Chiss warship instead of on an Imperial Star Destroyer? What was Thrawn planning for him?

Just as he was about to further ponder his circumstances, an impressive looking Chiss female entered his cell, strangely with no one else in tow. She wore a white military uniform that wasn't imperial, and opened her mouth to speak in strangely accented basic. "I'm glad to see that you are doing well, Commander Bridger." She said with no animosity whatsoever. "My name is Admiral Ar'alani of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. I am an old friend and accomplice of Admiral Thrawn."

"Then I'm guessing we won't be friends." Ezra said with a glare, his instincts already making him defensive.

"I would hope that you are mistaken." The Chiss said almost with congeniality. "Rest assured, we are not The Empire you fight against. You will be treated well during your stay with the Ascendancy."

"Was that Thrawn's call or yours? Because I really don't think that your friend is gonna play nice for long." Ezra probed, trying to figure out his situation more.

"Considering the Admiral is currently in a coma, I would assure you that you have no reason to fear his retribution." Ar'alani said, and Ezra raised an eyebrow in skepticism. Strangely enough, he sensed no deception. "I can also tell you that Thrawn does not believe in petty revenge against foes who defeat him, and neither do The Chiss. Nevertheless, the Admiral did leave a message asking his second-in-command to relinquish you to us."

"And his Captain actually agreed? Ezra said with blatant skepticism.

"It took much convincing." Ar'alani admitted. "But we eventually managed to convince Captain Pellaeon that it was for the greater good."

"The greater good of who, exactly?" Ezra said, smelling the propaganda from a parsec away. He'd seen the 'greater good' the imperials stood behind.

"Of both the Unknown Regions and the Galaxy proper, Commander." Ar'alani said. "Before falling into the coma, Admiral Thrawn instructed me to show you what it was exactly that The Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet fought against. He had hopes that once you understood our cause, you'd be willing to help it."

"So Thrawn had me sent to his people because he wanted me to help them, right after he bombed my homeplanet?" Ezra said bitterly "And I thought Imperials couldn't get more delusional."

"Like I said, Commander, we are not the Empire you fight. I believe that you will find our cause to be very different from theirs." The Chiss noted.

"I'm already fighting a cause." The Rebel reminded her. "And if you expect me to fight for your cause while you hold me prisoner, then you're as delusional as your comatose friend."

Ar'alani pursed her lips at the mention of her friend's state. "I understand your anger and situation, Commander. But I can't let you leave until the Admiral wakes up or until the ruling families say otherwise." She said coolly. "We are fighting a hundred different evils every day. You can either honor the ways of your people and aid us in protecting the innocent, or you can stay in our cells for who knows how long. But if Thrawn was right about you, then I think I know what choice you're going to eventually make."

Ezra smirked. "Do you think you can wear me down, Admiral?" He asked.

"I've recently managed to convince an Imperial Captain to give you up, Commander." The Chiss noted with a surprising smirk of her own. "You will find that we Chiss can be very persuasive."


Author's Notes:

This story is an interlude in my current book, "The Call of Power", but I felt that it was accessible enough to be enjoyed as a standalone. I ended up tweaking canon a bit with Pellaeon being on The Chimaera rather than on another ship. I Hope you guys enjoy it.

Please let me know what you think! Likes/Dislikes/Thoughts. It will mean the world.