Marasha tried to activate her Vagaari comlink, as she had often done since she had been with the Jedi. Sometimes she wondered if it really still worked. It had electricity and Bearsh had told her everything she needed to know about it. But she still didn't get a dial tone. Disappointed once again, she turned the device off again. She again felt the urgent need to visit Dool Pundar in his detention cell. And this time she gave in to the urge. However, she also had an inkling that she couldn't do it alone. Her research on the Holonet had shown her that the so-called Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center on Coruscant was a huge high-security facility and without an official order, she didn't feel up to the challenge on her own. So she went to Ahsoka's room and knocked.
"In!"
The Togruta, a year younger, sat on the bed and looked ahead with an expression of sleepy dissatisfaction that Marasha recognized from long ago, but would not have suspected here, in the Jedi Order. But Ahsoka had been wearing this expression for at least three days now and so the young Vagaari thought she was on the safe side.
"Do I know him?" she asked frankly.
Ahsoka raised her blue eyes. "I hardly believe that."
At least the Togruta didn't deny it. Apparently she trusted her, who had only come to the temple later, in these matters more than the young people of the same age who knew no other life than the one in the temple.
"Are you going to see him again?"
"What do I know?" came it back angrily from the bed.
"I can't help it either," Marasha blurted out her request.
Ahsoka's blue eyes gained clarity. "What do you want?"
"It's about a fellow species of mine that I last saw a year ago. We had agreed to have messages sent to each other through an intermediary, as we did not have long-range comlinks at the time. And now this middleman is in prison and I don't really know how to get to him without it looking suspicious."
"Is the middleman a Separatist?" Ahsoka asked and Marasha was surprised that her question didn't sound like an accusation at all.
She shook her head. "He's a pirate."
"An ordinary criminal then," Ahsoka replied dismissively.
"There are certainly worse ones," Marasha said. "I would need an alibi to leave the temple for a longer time."
Ahsoka thought for a moment. "You can ask your master if you may accompany me on a scouting mission in the Lower Levels of Coruscant."
Marasha's eyes shone. "Are you coming with me? That's what I would have asked you next."
The Togruta grinned. "You know, I've been a Jedi a little longer than you; and, yes, I could imagine something like that. It certainly wouldn't be easy for me in there without authorization."
Marasha pulled out her comlink and dialed her master. It didn't take long for her to get his O.K. She and Ahsoka arrived at the maximum security prison and assessed the situation. There were four guards at the entrance and only one officer manning the registration desk.
"It's about questioning Dool Pundar about his contacts with Dooku," Ahsoka told the gatekeeper firmly.
To Marasha's pleasant surprise, the officer asked no further questions but assigned two guards to take them to Pundar's cell. Ahsoka remained outside with the guards while Marasha was alone with the prisoner.
Dool Pundar sat on a cot, the only furniture this cell had besides a chair and a table. Instead of his long, decorated robes, he wore a pajama-like blue and white striped two-piece suit - like an ordinary prisoner.
"You?" the Neimoidian blurted out.
"Who were you expecting? My cousin?"
"Actually already."
"Do you have any news from him?"
"Why don't you check with the Banking Clan?"
"I did, but I was told he was no longer employed there."
"I could help, but from in here…" He spread his green arms. "They took away my comlink. There are probably messages from him on there. He probably doesn't even know that I'm stuck here, unlike you. And that brings me to a question for you."
She understood immediately. "After the slaughter of Affa, Jedi came and took me away."
His red eyes widened. "A slaughter?"
"Dooku had sent an assassin who mowed down Noggox and his entire court. I was only just able to escape him."
"You said the Jedi took you from Affa," Pundar said meaningfully. "So you were on board their ship when they turned on me over Fondor?"
"I had no idea you were around," she insisted.
"Of course not," Pundar said, and Marasha had a feeling he believed her. "So Dooku sent the assassin to Affa and then sent the Jedi after me. This doesn't make any sense!"
"Unless Dooku wanted to blame the massacre on Affa on you too," Marasha concluded. "Dooku's plan probably didn't include any survivors for Affa."
Pundar smiled. "If the Jedi know about this, why am I still sitting here?"
"Perhaps we can arrange something for you to help the Jedi to reduce your sentence."
"I'm counting on you," Pundar said, raising his right hand. "And the sooner I'm out, the sooner you'll be reunited with your cousin. Because if he too has heard about the Affa massacre, he may well think you are dead."
She thought about it in her head. "I'll do what I can. See you later."
"Well, how did it go?" Ahsoka asked after Marasha had left the cell again.
"He can't check on his comlink, which might have messages from my cousin on it. But he is willing to cooperate with us Jedi to reduce his sentence."
Ahsoka's blue eyes lit up. "Skyguy will be happy about that. This is exactly what he likes!"
They left the prison to see Skywalker outside. Ahsoka seemed just as surprised as Marasha, and the young Vagaari was slightly uncomfortable that the older Jedi knew of the true nature of their excursion.
But the human just smiled at her. "Well, woman without a species? "Successful?"
"She got Dool Pundar to cooperate with the Jedi when it came to later covert operations against Dooku," Ahsoka replied proudly on her behalf.
"I'll remember it," Skywalker said. "And now back to the temple with you. It's better for you if the three of us come back anyway."
Ahsoka grinned. "You probably think it's better for you, Master."
"You're being pretty snarky again today, little one."
"Aren't we all at times?" Marasha contributed.
Anakin nodded. "I'm glad that you got Ahsoka thinking better with this trip. Sometimes a suffering shared is a suffering halved only."
༺༻
Marasha felt a tingle on the back of her neck when her master called her the next day to ask her to come to the meeting room. In addition to her, there were Nuru, Ahsoka, the two humans Tallisibeth and Petro, and the Rodian Ganodi. Marasha didn't particularly like the way the Rodian smelled, but she was a good buddy and if they spent enough time together, Marasha's nose got used to her scent. Five minutes after Marasha's appearance, Master Fisto appeared.
"Dear padawans and younglings," the green Nautolan began his speech, "I have summoned you here because today we will be visiting a real admiral of the Army of the Republic. He will tell us firsthand about the work and organization of the Grand Army of the Republic and you can ask him questions."
"Who is it?" asked the red-haired Tallisibeth. "Wilhuff Tarkin?"
Kit Fisto smiled away her question. "Just get ready and be down on deck 2 of the temple hangar around eleven o'clock."
The Jedi Temple's yellow glider bus carried the band of padawans and younglings to a Venator-class star cruiser hovering in the orbit of Coruscant. He looked like any other Venator Marasha had seen. And inside they would be greeted by a person in gray uniform, just like all admirals looked.
They docked and a formation of clone troopers was already lined up to receive them, then the white-armored soldiers led the band of Jedi into the interior of the Venator. The young Vagaari was taken aback. Something changed from the capital ships Marasha had boarded so far. Something suddenly evaporated, disappeared - as if she were suddenly in a vacuum, even though she could breathe. She looked at Ahsoka to her right and she looked back just as surprised. So the Togruta felt it too, but couldn't identify it any more than she could. Master Fisto, who was leading the way, didn't seem to notice any change. The Nautolan headed toward a wall with three openings for turbolifts. One of the turbolifts took them up quite a distance and at a speed that Marasha had to swallow.
The elevator door opened with a quiet hiss and they walked down a fairly short hallway until they came to the door of their current host's office. Marasha's neck tingled again, but she blinked it away. The door slid open silently and they entered.
"Admiral, I offer you the greeting of the Jedi Order," greeted the green Jedi Master before moving his stately figure to the side so that the young people could also take a look at the owner of the office.
A hot wave washed over Marasha's body as she saw who her host was. His uniform was not gray, as she had previously suspected, but bright white, which contrasted much better with his light blue skin. She had seen his red eyes before, just like the green ones three days before. Both the red and green eyes had leaned over the transparent escape pod in the Crustai sector to retrieve the traitor. And the appointments with Chancellor Palpatine and now here were too close together for it to be a mere coincidence that so soon after her fleeting encounter with Kinman Doriana she also met the former commander and current admiral. Her eyes briefly scanned the office as if she could find an escape route there, then she forced herself to calm down. A Jedi knew no fear - neither did a Vagaari. She was a member of the Jedi Order, so untouchable by common soldiers - that's what Master Fisto had taught her.
She looked at Nuru to her left. The Chiss, four years her junior, beamed at her as if he wanted to tell her: Look, I'm not the only one of my kind in the Republic!
Marasha could understand his pride in his successful compatriot. But even if she were to find Bearsh again at some point, introducing Nuru to him would be impossible. She consoled herself with the thought that even this other full-grown Chiss couldn't hurt her now; This certainty brought a smile to both of their mouths, which she gave to Nuru.
The Admiral rose from behind his desk to approach the Jedi.
"I'm Admiral Thrawn," he introduced himself. "I have been serving the Republic in this role for four years. Most of the time I'm in the Outer Rim or in the so-called Unknown Regions maintaining order and security, but today I'm here to tell you about the organization of the Grand Army of the Republic. But first, please introduce yourself with your name and world of origin," he smiled at the group and finally his gaze rested on Marasha, "because I already know your species."
"I am Tallisibeth and I come from Vorzyd V," began the redhead, who was three years younger than Marasha.
"I am Ahsoka Tano from Shili."
"I'm Petro and I come from Onderon."
"My name is Ganodi and I come from Rodia."
Marasha listened as the rest of the younglings introduced themselves until everyone had finished and Thrawn's gaze rested on her again.
"I am Marasha."
Thrawn took a step towards the band of Jedi. "And? Your homeworld, Marasha?"
'You destroyed it!' she thought. "There aren't any," she answered instead.
Thrawn leaned toward her in ostentatious kindness. "But there was one once, wasn't there?"
Her brown skin was covered in a light red glow. "With all due respect, Admiral, I don't want to say anything about it."
The Admiral smiled. "A strange answer, but what creature could serve the Jedi better than one that no longer has any ties to any world, for whatever reason."
"You have to forgive Marasha," Kit Fisto chimed in, "She's just protecting her endangered species."
"Of course," Thrawn replied conversationally, as if it were the most obvious thing in the galaxy. "How did you become a Jedi, Marasha?"
She thought about the best thing to say. "I was discovered by Jedi during one of their missions."
"When was that?" Thrawn asked.
She felt uncomfortable at the question. "Six months ago."
"You must be very good at the so-called Force when the Jedi accepted you at such an advanced age for the Order," the Admiral praised her. "But it's always comforting to see that new forces are coming in, even though more and more Jedi are falling in this war."
She thought she sensed sarcasm in Thrawn's melodious, yet cool voice. But how could that be different for a man who had massively quarreled with the Jedi just six years ago?
"How many admirals are there in the Republic?" Petro asked, freeing her from her uncomfortable position.
"About three hundred, plus twelve grand admirals," the Chiss replied.
"And the others are all human and you know them?" Nuru wanted to know.
"From meetings, yes, but only four in person," Thrawn calmly answered the two questions. "We mostly see each other via holo-conferences."
Tallisibeth spoke up. "Are all grand admirals equal or is there another senior grand admiral?"
"We are all equals, but in controversial cases, Admiral Tarkin has the final say," Thrawn explained.
The Rodian Ganodi took her turn. "Why aren't there more admirals from species other than humans in the Republic? The Separatists have the Kerkoid General Loathsome, the Harch Admiral Trench..." she paused, "... and all the Neimoidians. You are the first non-human admiral I have met."
"An interesting question," said Thrawn. "I guess that's because the clone army is also made up of humans and the current admirals, even if they aren't clones, tend to prefer their own species for promotions." He gave her a small, encouraging smile. "But you can see that there is another way. And I am sure that there will still be one or two non-human admirals or even grand admirals in our army in the future."
"What are those brown animals in the trees over there?" Ahsoka asked.
Marasha looked in the direction the Togruta was pointing. The brownish, salamander-like animals were just half a meter tall and hung almost motionless from the trees arranged in a group of three at the back of the office. A strange outfit indeed for an admiral's office, but she had completely missed the unusual ensemble due to Thrawn's frightening presence.
"These are Ysalamiri," Thrawn explained to the young Togruta. "It is in their nature to neutralize the Force that you Jedi wield so well. The numbers of the Ysalamiri form huge bubbles of Force vacuum, which protects them mainly from the beasts called Vornskr, which hunt them mercilessly on their homeworld of Myrkr using the Force to help them. For my part, I use these animals to protect myself from attacks by Dooku or his Force-sensitive minions."
Ahsoka looked down for a brief moment, then said, "That's a very interesting approach, Admiral."
Marasha looked at Nuru and saw recognition in his red eyes. So that was the emptiness they had felt when they entered the Venator. The Force vacuum permeated the entire ship! She concentrated on the other questions and otherwise tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Thrawn turned to a holo-screen to show the younglings and padawans a map where they could see the area of operations of the fleet that was under his command and had launched an attack against Cato Neimoidia some time ago.
"The Neimoidians are not exactly known for their bravery," Thrawn explained disdainfully. "So you have to suggest a way to get them to do a maneuver that was supposedly as cost-effective as possible, which ultimately led them into exactly the trap that I laid for them three days ago over their own home planet."
Marasha thought this through. At that time, Thrawn had sent Car'das to her father and given the droids to the human as a poisoned gift. No doubt Thrawn had known her father would delight in these technological toys.
"Well, unfortunately my presence is needed somewhere else," the blue admiral began the farewell to his guests. "Thank you so much for being here."
He walked toward the padawans to gesture toward the exit. They had already reached the door when Thrawn stopped abruptly.
"It just occurred to me that, unlike all the other Jedi, you, Marasha, didn't ask me any questions. You can do that now."
Red eyes burned into purple ones, and suddenly Marash actually thought of something that interested her and, what's more, she could ask publicly.
"All right," the young Vagaari began. "You said that you have only been serving the Republic for four years. What happened that made you leave your home?"
Thrawn smiled. "A very good question, Marasha. Let's just say I got an offer I couldn't refuse. And perhaps our two fates are not as dissimilar as it might first seem."
She smiled mockingly. "I highly doubt that."
The Admiral looked at Marasha's padawan braid, then turned to Master Fisto. "Who does Marasha report to in the Jedi Order?"
Kit Fisto smiled sheepishly. "She's my padawan."
"May I borrow your Marasha for an hour or two, Master Jedi?"
Fisto's black eyes looked surprised, but before the Nautolan could say anything, Thrawn continued talking. "I need Marasha's advice on an extremely tricky strategic matter in which she can specifically help me. I'll have her brought back to the temple on a Republic ferry with an escort, if that's okay."
The Nautolan blinked. "Good," he said to the Admiral, and Marasha felt a pang in her heart. "Marasha, I'll see you at the temple for dinner," Kit said to his padawan, patting her on the shoulder. "I didn't think you would impress the Admiral so much."
Marasha watched as the Jedi left Thrawn's spacious office one by one. The door slid shut behind Petro with a hiss, leaving her alone with the admiral.
"Well, young lady," the Chiss turned to the Vagaari, "we both know exactly what species you are, don't we?"
Her fine eyebrows furrowed. "What do you want from me?"
Thrawn put on an innocent expression. "What I already told Master Fisto. Come with me, Marasha."
Following his gesture, she walked up to his desk and sat down in the chair that was standing there. Thrawn calmly sat down in his chair opposite her and folded his hands on the polished black material of the completely empty table.
"You know, Marasha, so far I have seen only dead Vagaari. You, however, are the first specimen of your species that I have seen alive."
After saying these words, without taking his eyes off her, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a mask - not just any mask.
Her eyes widened as her lower lips began to tremble before she pressed them tightly to her upper lips to hide that expression of weakness.
"You know this mask, don't you, Marasha?" said the Admiral as he looked into Marasha's wide purple eyes, which seemed to be completely lost in the turmoil of a turbulent past.
"If you ask like that: Yes, I know it."
"And you also know who wore it, am I right?"
She stared at the red, gold and black pattern that adorned the mask in jagged lines.
"Of course you know him," Thrawn stated. "And you certainly know the hall in which he wore it, don't you?"
She didn't say anything, just stared at the mask. How could Thrawn know...?
"Quiet, Padawan," Thrawn said so kindly that it sounded like mockery to her little ears. "A Jedi knows no feelings, but a Vagaari does, doesn't he? I took this mask from the throne room of the last Miskara of your people before your flagship was destroyed."
She flinched at the word Miskara and realized that Thrawn noticed that too.
"What do you want with the mask?" she asked angrily.
"It is a valuable souvenir of the fight with a dangerous but not invincible enemy and now it adorns my art collection."
He placed the mask over his face, leaving only his mouth exposed. Now Thrawn, who she had previously estimated to be about six feet tall, was almost a standard meter taller when sitting than her now five foot four feet. She stared in disgust at the enlarged and masked Admiral.
"Put it off! This is ridiculous!" she protested.
"Such a mask makes you bigger, more frightening - but certainly not ridiculous!" Thrawn lectured. "And yet that mask lay carelessly discarded on the deck of the bridge of your flagship. So I took it with me."
"But it's not yours! It will never be yours!"
He laughed. "And I have to hear something like that from a Vagaari - when your people have the most lax attitude towards other people's private property that I have ever come across."
"You only partially understand this mask!"
Thrawn took off the mask and handed it to her. "Then explain it to me."
Her right mouth made a mess. "Why should I?"
"Because I'm asking you to," his sharp voice answered, mocking the word "ask".
Her fingers gently stroked the mask, then she raised her gaze to stare coldly into Thrawn's red eyes. "No! As a Jedi, I rank above you also as a Padawan. I don't have to explain anything to you!"
Thrawn froze for a brief moment before regaining his composure.
"Get up!" he ordered, leaving his comfortable chair behind the desk and walking towards her.
She stood up. "I want to go now," she said and went to the door.
Thrawn followed her and after three long, sweeping steps stood directly in front of her to cut off her path. "There's still time until dinner in the temple and you haven't helped me with the question why I asked Master Fisto to ask you in the first place."
He took a small step back toward her, and when he reached the invisible line in front of her that separated propriety from impropriety in the distance between two strangers, he began to circle her.
"Do you really think I'm going to play these silly ranking games, Marasha? Do you really think Master Fisto would have given you up to me if I hadn't been convincing enough? Have no illusions, Vagaari. The kind Nautolan will loan you to me whenever I wish."
Now it was she who froze.
Thrawn's eyes moved from the mask in her hand up to her face and back again. "So you not only know the wearer of the mask, but you also had a closer bond with him – a familial one, I assume," the Admiral continued chatting. "There are certainly still genetic traces on this mask, because I treated it very carefully, you know. Should I arrange for a genetic analysis or will you tell me yourself?"
He had completed the round and came to stand in front of her again.
"Yes, it's true," she replied quietly. "I am the daughter of the Miskara."
"What an honor," he replied, indicating a bow.
She still stood there in her frozen position, her father's mask in her stiff hand, trying to breathe calmly and relaxed. She saw his light blue hand come towards her to touch her brown, gold marbled cheek. "Hmmm, very special! I don't know of any species that exhibits this type of pattern in nature."
She turned a half-turn away from him and stared back at his desk, her brown fingers gripping the mask as if it could protect her. Her turning away forced Thrawn to withdraw his hand from her cheek and he began to make a second circle around her.
"Marasha, do you really think that your master or anyone else could stop me?"
"Jedi sense many things - and they will find out about you," she replied in calm defiance.
"It's one thing to get on someone's trail - it's another to act adequately without sacrificing your essential principles," he said, leaving an artistic pause during which he completed the second circle around his victim. "But now you will explain to me the colors and shapes of this mask."
"What if not?"
Thrawn leaned down to her left ear and she stiffened again. "Then I will inform Master Fisto about your species and its evil reputation. I will ensure that the Order casts you out, so that you will also lose this home."
"What's in it for you?"
Thrawn laughed a melodious laugh. "What's in it for me? I have once again humiliated a defeated enemy. I can rise above him. That's something all Vagaari know all too well, isn't it?"
He began to spin a third circle around her. "The question is, who benefits from this? You will be expelled from the Order, but you are still too young and inexperienced to serve as Dooku's new henchwoman instead. It's true - you'd be lost to me too, but I'll keep my position - find someone new for my purposes - while you won't just have to stop your Jedi training. No, you'll have absolutely nothing left – no one at all!"
She laughed artificially as he completed the third circle around her. "I have – you?"
Thrawn smiled. "Ah, we're starting to understand. Every kind of relationship is two-sided, no matter what the disparity in ranking may be, Marasha."
Her eyes narrowed. "I guess I'm not hearing right - are you talking about a relationship? Jedi are not allowed to have any relationships!"
Thrawn began pacing along her left side again to begin the fourth circle. "What a vivid imagination you have, Marasha. This isn't about some sentimental heart-break relationship like you might know from some cheap holo-dramas. And by the way: What the Jedi Order thinks about relationships, regardless of their type, is completely unimportant to me."
"I still don't really understand what you want from me," she replied angrily.
"Unless you're completely stupid, you'll have it figured out by the end of this session," Thrawn explained as he stopped in front of her after the fourth round. "You should first explain to me the colors and patterns of this mask. This shouldn't be too difficult for you as a Vagaari. You'll find out more after that."
The Admiral slowly started moving again to begin the fifth lap around the young Vagaari.
"So the red represents the blood of our slain enemies," she began.
"Our slain enemies!" Thrawn interjected, amused. "If Master Fisto would hear that."
"The black represents the ruin we bring upon our enemies. But it is also the darkness that makes everything possible."
"Sounds familiar," Thrawn replied with a knowing expression. "There are people here who are well versed in that darkness, but it is clearly not something intended for Jedi ears."
Marasha assumed Thrawn was referring to the Sith, but they were already known to the Jedi. What was the guy actually imagining?
"And the gold represents the wealth and the splendor of the Vagaari Empire."
"Would you like to have a Vagaari Empire again?" Thrawn's silky voice enticed from the left.
"A Jedi does not seek an empire. That goes without saying!"
"But I'm not asking the Jedi, I'm asking you!"
"No, I don't want an empire at all."
"Why not?" he asked behind her and she felt his breath on the bristling hairs on her neck. "You come from one. You are even the daughter of a ruler."
"But this empire has fallen. In an empire you also have to constantly watch out for other people, control them instead of them learning to control themselves."
"Do you think everyone could learn that eventually?"
Marasha blinked. She had never thought about that before. "If they are well guided, why not?"
"And who should lead the people?"
She looked to her right, where her interrogator now stood. "Should I say 'you' now?"
"Do you really think I'm so vain?"
"I consider you to be the butcher of my people – and that's all I have to know about you."
He had completed the fifth circle and stood in front of her again. "How do you actually know that? There was no official declaration of war from our side or yours when it happened."
"Why bother with an official declaration of war when you have traitors at hand who will arrange something like that for you?!" she replied acidly. "Besides, you were on our flagship. I saw you!"
He touched his chin. "Interesting. I assume you were in the fighter that fled from us on the quarterdeck of your flagship. You even remembered to activate the tail shields before taking off. That was truly a mature achievement for your age at the time."
He reached out his hand again to pat the gold marbling of her left cheek. "How far you've come with your escape, little Vagaari!"
She narrowed her eyes at his renewed touch and sarcasm and otherwise stood stock still.
"But enough of that," he said, pulling his hand away from her face to point to a table off to the side. "Sit there!"
She awoke from her torpor, sat obediently on the chair behind the table and looked at him in eager anticipation. She hesitantly placed her father's mask on the table in front of her.
"You know, Marasha," Thrawn began, "the good thing about your species is that you Vagaari learn early on to follow orders correctly. As an admiral, I value something like this extremely. A good friend once told me how melodious your language sounds. I've never heard it before."
He walked over to her and placed a text in Basic on the table. "Read this to me in your language!"
She leaned over the paper and began to translate into their language. "Czukurrizzziim turaccatiiiziti... karrramash purrutuuith Geonosisssiiiiim... icriillittoosh."
Thrawn went to his large desk and relaxed behind it. The text was a report he had requested, in which Admiral Tarkin had informed him of a mission over Geonosis. However, now that Marasha was telling him in the Vagaari language how four Jedi had managed to lay waste to the subterranean empire of the Geonosian Queen Karina the Great, everything sounded much more colorful and melodic. No doubt this report must have brought back bad memories in the Padawan, but that was a side effect that he had consciously taken into account.
"Well, here you have it in black and white what your new brothers and sisters are capable of," he said after she finished her translation. "You might be surprised to hear that the Jedi do this sort of thing more often."
"Are you trying to drive a wedge between me and the Jedi?"
His expression remained relaxed. "I merely presented you with the truth. And military reports don't lie."
He turned on his computer and pulled up some files. "Now sing something to me."
She swallowed, then began to sing as requested. Thrawn looked up from his display to let his gaze rest on her singing face for a few moments, then delved into computer work. She paused and stopped singing.
"It's all wonderful, just keep singing," he said without lifting his eyes.
Thrawn's fingers danced across the keyboard in the same rhythm that Marasha sang. She remembered the time she sang to Noggox the Hutt. Back then she was annoyed when people were busy doing other things while she was singing. Now, however, she felt that no one was as involved as Admiral Thrawn, who apparently appreciated her singing in her native language as background music to his desk work.
Marasha had already been warbling for an hour when Thrawn stopped writing. He sat for a while behind his computer, which had already been shut down again, listening to her with half-closed eyes.
"Thank you, that was beautiful!" Thrawn finished her performance.
Marasha immediately stopped singing but remained seated behind her table awaiting further instructions.
Thrawn activated his comlink. "Captain Pellaeon, prepare shuttle Z5 for a flight to the Jedi Temple! And send word to Master Kit Fisto that his padawan is on her way back to the temple and will arrive in fifteen minutes!"
"Yes, sir!" came back from the person on the other end of the connection.
Thrawn gestured for Marasha to stand. The young Vagaari looked at her chrono. Yes, she would be back at the temple in time for dinner - just as the Admiral had promised her master.
The lump in her mind dissolved the closer she got to the temple. She wondered what and whether she should tell Master Fisto anything. Of course, it would be best to just wait and see instead of worrying unnecessarily now.
When Marasha came to the cantina of the Jedi Temple, she was the first of the young people with whom she usually had dinner. After about five minutes, Ganodi and Petro arrived, followed by Tallisibeth and Nuru. Ahsoka wasn't there this time, which saddened the young Vagaari. But she wasn't sure if she could tell the Togruta something like that. So perhaps it was a good thing that she wasn't there now until she came up with a sensible plan to prevent further meetings with Thrawn and thereby shake off the fear that the very thought of this eerie meeting gave her.
"How was it with Thrawn?" Petro asked unsuspectingly in the fresh yet old wound.
"Good," she replied curtly, but with a smile.
Nuru's red eyes looked at her curiously. "What did he want from you?"
"He wanted me to read something to him in my language. Then he showed me some of his artwork and wanted me to interpret it."
Tallisibeth giggled, a strand of red hair falling into her face. "He showed you his artwork? Does he paint?"
Marasha twisted her left mouth. "No, he just collects."
"So, were you able to explain the artwork to him?" Ganodi asked in disbelief and in a way as if rather she would have stayed with Thrawn.
"He was happy," Marasha replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Master Fisto came to their table. His black eyes shone.
"Marasha, I'm sorry I couldn't come to the terminal to pick you up in person. The Admiral just spoke to me and spoke extremely highly of you."
She smiled, as she thought necessary. "That pleases me."
"And because you helped Thrawn so well, he asked you again next week for exactly the same time."
"Oh," she said. "What an honor."
She forced herself to eat a few more bites so that it wouldn't become apparent how this information upset her.
When she was alone in her room again, she collapsed onto the bed. Her thoughts were on a merry-go-round, her emotions an inextricable tangle of expectations, fears, and the Jedi principles she tried so hard to internalize, to adapt, to understand better. She lay there like that for maybe half an hour, then she had enough of this torn state. She went to her drawer and pulled out the diamond-shaped Vagaari comlink, which no one in the Jedi Temple even knew it was. She dialed the connection... and got a dial tone.
"Hello cousin!"
"Hello Bearsh!"
"Where are you?"
"Here over Coruscant. Dool Pundar was released from custody and called me. He told me you asked about me."
"What did you think?" she asked in mock indignation. "Of course I asked about you."
"I had heard about the massacre on Affa. However, it was also said that there was a survivor. I knew straight away it was you."
She grinned. "How well you know me."
"Are you coming up to my ship?"
"It's hard for me to leave the temple now, but I'll make arrangements... How long will you be here?"
"So you did that too," she heard Bearsh's impressed voice. "I'll wait up here until we meet again."
Author's Note: Thrawn usually comes into office as an admiral and later grand admiral during the time of the Empire. There is a short story by Timothy Zahn "Mist Encounter" which describes how Thrawn comes to the Empire. This short story was originally published in Adventure Journal 7 by West End Games on August 1, 1995. Twenty-two years later, it was adopted with slight modifications by Timothy Zahn in his first recent Thrawn novel, "Thrawn" (2017), which introduces the second Thrawn trilogy. However, it doesn't really make sense to me why someone like Thrawn would be pissed off on some backwards world until Palpatine realizes that there's someone else he could use. So in my story, Thrawn is allowed to work with Jedi and clone troopers before the twilight of the Empire occurs.
I have to say about Thrawn that I don't yet know the newer Zahn novels that were published in connection with Star Wars - Rebels. So please don't be surprised if my story differs here too and, for example, an Eli Vanto doesn't play the important role that he does in Zahn's more recent Thrawn works.
The Ysalamiri first appear in Timothy Zahn's first Thrawn trilogy, but also later in the Darth Plagueis novel by James Luceno, which is set much earlier. In my head canon, Darth Sidious took this knowledge of the Ysalamiri's power-absorbing effects from his master to Thrawn.
The Geonosis mission can be seen live and in color in TCW Season 2 Ep. "Legacy of Terror."