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Eli stood near the back of the room, the reception was nice. They had good wine and nice food. He was happy to be in his uniform because he couldn’t have afforded the clothes to go to a party like this even on a lieutenant commander’s salary. They were celebrating the dedication of the new imperial fleet—it was a big to-do. Eli was mostly just eager to get back out in the field, after years in the service he found these kinds of affairs tedious at best and mind numbing at worst. He sipped his drink and looked around.
“Lieutenant Commander Vanto, what a pleasant surprise.” Came an unexpected yet thankfully familiar voice. Eli turned to see Thrawn. The tension in his shoulders relaxed slightly.
“Grand Admiral.” Eli said with a small bow. He saw the small smile on Thrawn’s face when he said it. Calling rank had become a bit of a joke between them since they’d been apart. “I thought you were on a campaign in the Outer Rim.”
“I was, we made quicker work of the affair then I imagined we would. I left some of the command force there in case anything should flare up again but I’m confident it won’t.”
Eli shook his head with a smile. “Your confidence speaks for itself, sir. What are you doing back on Coruscant?”
“I invited him.” Any tension that had left when Thrawn appeared returned tenfold. He turned to find they were now under the icy gaze of Grand Moff Tarkin.
“Your excellency,” Thrawn said looking unfazed. A look passed between them and Eli didn’t know better he’d say it was almost a playful one.
“Sir,” Eli said his voice nowhere near matching the confidence of Thrawn’s.
“I trust you’re both having a good time?” Tarkin looked between them. It took all Eli had not to shy away. Thankfully Thrawn was more than happy to do the talking. It was easy to fall back into old patterns.
“Quite enjoyable, the new fleet is impressive and the reception equally so. I’m just getting caught up with Lieutenant Commander Vanto here it seems it’s been a while since we’ve had the pleasure of each other’s company.”
Tarkin chuckled. “Well I won’t keep you. Oh and Grand Admiral if you can spare a moment tomorrow morning, I’d like to talk to you about something.”
Thrawn gave a small bow. “Of course, sir. I’ll be there first thing.”
Tarkin gave him a satisfied smile. “In that case I’ll bid you good evening, gentleman. Enjoy the party.”
They watched him go, quietly. Eli cleared his throat. “What was that about?”
Thrawn waved a hand. “Oh nothing just some business we’ve been working on. He’s acquired some interesting pieces he wants me to take a closer look at” Thrawn paused. “You’re still scared of him.”
Eli scoffed. “He’s got an intimidating presence.”
“I suppose.” Thrawn said. Now Eli just felt embarrassed. “You’ve gained quite a bit of muscle since I last saw you, I trust your new post is working out?”
“Commodore Sloane runs a tight ship. There’s never a dull day on the Ultimatum” Eli said matter-of-factly. Thrawn was quiet for a few seconds and he could feel him watching him with those glowing eyes. Abruptly though, he turned his attention to the rest of the room, looking around.
“She’s coming into her own.” Thrawn said almost absently. “But she’s a fine commander.”
A strange quiet settled between them for a few excruciating seconds before Eli couldn’t take it anymore. “How’ve you been, sir?”
Thrawn looked back at him. “Same as always. The rebels are getting bolder.”
Eli smiled a little. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were happy about that.”
Thrawn chuckled. “I like a challenge.”
“If everyone was like you this war would be over.” Eli said.
“No, more likely it would have just stalemated, lucky for us that isn’t the case.”
“Yeah, lucky,” Eli said. He looked back out at the room letting his gaze fall on a rather tall person of indistinguishable gender chatting with a few senators near the drink table. They had red hair and an expensive looking gown. He’d seen them earlier.
“Your temperature rises every time you see that one. You’re attracted to them,” said Thrawn. Eli nearly choked on his drink. Thrawn looked over at him.
“What?” Eli said. “No, I’m. No I’m not.”
“I was merely making an observation.” Thrawn said thoughtfully.
Their conversation was suddenly, thankfully, interrupted when someone not so subtly cleared their throat. Eli looked up. “Commodore Sloane,” he said eyes going a little wide. “Is there something you need?”
“An introduction might be nice, commander.” She looked Thrawn up and down appraisingly.
“Oh, yes. Ma’am this is Grand Admiral Thrawn. Grand Admiral this is—“ Thrawn held his hand out to her.
“Commodore Sloane, yes. Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I’ve been following your career for some time now.”
“Have you?” She looked surprised.
“Yes. There are many who would call your methods reckless or brash.” Eli knew that Thrawn was testing her to see how she’d react. He could see the anger behind her eyes but she kept her composure.
“And what would you call them, Grand Admiral?” She said her words sounding much tighter than before.
Thrawn paused for a moment. “Effective.” He said finally, much to Eli’s relief. He could hear the smile in Thrawn’s words, though he doubted Sloane could. She brightened up hearing them.
“Coming from you that is a great compliment, sir.”
Thrawn bowed his head slightly in agreement. “I believe credit should be given where credit is due.”
Sloane nodded. Her and Thrawn chit chatted idly for a few minutes before she decided to excuse herself to go mingle. “Well it was a pleasure, Vanto, Grand Admiral.”
“Likewise, Commodore.” Thrawn said.
Sloane took her leave and went to go talk to some of the senators. Eli let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in.
“She intimidates you,” Thrawn said thoughtfully. “But not in the same way Tarkin does.”
Eli shrugged. “Well if you’d made her mad I’m the one that would hang for it. Sir.”
Thrawn chuckled. “She’s impressive to be sure. She’ll be up for promotion at the end of the cycle. I suspect they’ll give it to her.”
Eli was quiet for a few seconds. The revelation didn’t surprise him. “Have you really been following her career, sir?”
“Yes,” Thrawn said. “If only to make sure I left you in good hands.”
Eli shook his head. “I still don’t understand why I couldn’t have stayed on with you.”
“No I suspected you didn’t. You’re a great friend to me Eli Vanto but there was nothing left I could teach you and someone with your skill deserves the chance to prove it.”
“I couldn’t have proved it with you?” There wasn’t any venom in Eli’s voice just a general curiosity.
“You could have I imagine you would have continued to excel in my ranks but given the nature of our relationship, I didn’t want anyone to assume you got to your position with anything less than your own merit.”
“Our relationship, sir?” Of course he knew there were rumors about what exactly the nature of their relationship was—not that anyone would dare say it to his face. It had never bothered him much and it didn’t seem like the type of thing that would bother Thrawn either.
Thrawn looked over at him. “It’s certainly not usual for a commanding officer to have such a…close relationship with his subordinates,” he said. “People talk,”
“To much if you ask me,” Eli mumbled. He felt his face heat up thinking about it.
“Why haven’t you chosen a partner yet?” Thrawn asked. There was a hint of curiosity in his voice.
“Sir?” Eli said.
“In my experience men your age have generally already paired off and yet you remain alone.”
Eli rolled his eyes. “Now you sound like my mother?”
“I don’t understand.”
“My mother, now that I’ve got my rank she’s always looking for grandchildren.”
“Ah this is—a human thing then.” Thrawn said.
Eli looked over at him. “So it’s not that way with the Chiss?”
“Where I’m from relationships are more a functional opportunity than an obligation.” Thrawn said, with only the slight ere of superiority that Eli had grown accustomed to when talking to Thrawn about human customs.
“The empire always needs more able bodies.” Eli said with a casual irony. “And for the record I don’t feel obligated.”
“No,” Thrawn said. “But for either your mother or your emperor, you certainly feel pressured.”
“I guess I can’t argue that.” He took a large gulp of his drink mostly to distract himself. He’d rather be talking about anything else.
“I’ve made you uncomfortable. That was not my intention.” Thrawn said looking back at the crowd.
“I’m not uncomfortable.” Eli said.
“Your change in demeanor suggests otherwise.” Thrawn said.
“I hate when you do that,” Eli mumbled.
Thrawn smiled a little. “Do you want an excuse to leave the party early?”
Eli looked up at Thrawn. “What are you suggesting?”
Thrawn nodded toward the exit and started walking that way. Eli followed without a second thought. It was instinct now, to follow the man, and it was a pleasant sensation to fall back in that line.
“How long is your shore leave, Commander?” Thrawn said as they walked. Eli wasn’t sure exactly where they were going.
“The Ultimatum sustained some pretty serious damage recently and on top of that they’re upgrading our guidance and weapons systems. I reckon it’ll be about a month maybe two at best.”
Thrawn nodded. “Well it will be the better for it in the end I’m sure.”
Eli nodded and looked around. “Sir? Where are we going exactly?” They’d made it out onto the grounds and Thrawn appeared to have a very specific location in mind even though he hadn’t shared it with Eli.
“Somewhere away from prying eyes and ears—the walls tend to listen at events like that.”
It was a good enough excuse as any and Eli was grateful for the opportunity to get away. Especially with Thrawn.
“Have you heard from your parent’s recently?” Thrawn said in a tone Eli recognize as one that was just making conversation.
“I got a holo from them on Empire Day. But we don’t talk as much as we used to mostly because every time we do they badger me about settling down.”
Thrawn nodded. Eli looked around they were coming close to the ruins of the old Jedi temple. It was mostly fallen and slowly being taken back by nature. Thrawn showed no signs of stopping and Eli followed vaguely wondering if they were even allowed to be here. They walked up a series of crumbling stone stairs some of which were still scorched from the battle. Eli had only seen the place in official imperial propaganda. He looked around and he could feel Thrawn watching him.
“What do you know of this place?” Thrawn said finally. They’d walked through the main hall and out to what might once had been a garden. Eli felt a shiver. Like the ground was humming here, it was odd.
“It’s where the battle took place—when the Jedi turned against the senate they made their stand here.” Eli said trying to remember the series of events correctly. Thrawn hummed looking around.
“And yet until that moment they seemed to follow a doctrine of diplomacy over violence whenever possible.” Thrawn said.
Eli scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know much about the Jedi, sir,” he said.
“No I suspect you don’t.” Thrawn said flatly. He took a seat on a bench overlooking a small pool. The water shimmered in the star light. Eli realized then that it was, quiet here and dark for the most part—both rare sensations in the city. “The emperor has done a good job of eliminating them from general knowledge. It’s strange how something just within memory can turn into myth.”
Eli took a seat in the grass near Thrawn. He ran his fingers through it and tried to remember the last time he felt wild grass. He was struck with a sudden pang of homesickness.
“Why did you join the Navy?” Thrawn said after a while.
It was an odd question and Eli mulled it over before answering. The official answer was because he wanted to serve his emperor. The unofficial answer was his parents wanted him to have a good career and a name to be proud of. Neither really felt like a personal truth.
“I wanted to see the galaxy,” he said finally. He looked over at Thrawn to see if that was the answer he’d been looking for. Thrawn simply nodded.
“I was sent to gather information. On whether the Empire was a more viable ally to the Ascendency than the republic had been and I’ve come to a few truths on the matter.”
Eli wasn’t completely surprised to hear Thrawn say it. He always knew that Thrawn put his own people before the empire. He wasn’t like most officers he cared about civilian loss. He put on no pretense about his distaste for methods to the contrary.
“What have you concluded, sir?”
Thrawn looked over at him. “That yes, the empire is stronger and better organized. I would not call them a friend though. For all their power, they are rampant with corruption, greed, often prone to irrational decisions because of personal feeling or prejudices. They are better than the rebels in only that they are more put together.”
Eli listened to him carefully. In any other company Thrawn’s words could be taken as treasonous but Eli knew the truth behind them. Thrawn had grown much more acquainted with politics in the years since they first met.
“There is an evil gaining strength in the Unknown Regions. I’ve felt it. The emperor has too but contrary to what he says he has no desire to stop this evil. He wants to harness it for his own good. Something was confirmed for me when I was given my promotion.”
Eli listened quietly. “What was it?”
“That they’re building a super weapon something with amazing destructive capability and something that will most certainly be their undoing.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Eli said.
“Because this is what I’ve reported back to my people.” Thrawn said. He paused. “And I’ve told them you would serve as an amicable ambassador of sorts in the years to come. They’ve agreed to host you.”
“Me? Why me?” Eli said genuinely surprised.
“Because I trust you to do what you have to. You’ve grown into a fine leader in your own right.” Thrawn said.
“Will you be going with me?” Eli said.
Thrawn shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’m in a position now that I can do more good here.”
“But you said it was all going to fall apart.” Eli said.
“Yes, I believe it will and when it does I intend to remain here to help reshape what comes next into a practical ally and a stronger power.”
Eli’s heart was racing. This was all sudden—what Thrawn was asking him to do. What was he asking him to do? Leave everything behind? Go to live in a place he’d never been with people he didn’t know for what? It was treason he could be brought up on capital charges for defecting or abandoning ship he—
“You’re in distress,” Thrawn said shaking Eli out of his own thoughts.
“You’re trying to uproot me, again,” Eli said.
“I’m trying to protect you,” Thrawn said. “I believe that you and I can do great things for our respective peoples.”
Eli had no doubt that, that was exactly what Thrawn believed but he never seemed to grasp the whole picture, everything seemed so easy from Thrawn’s point of view.
“I’m not forcing your hand Eli,” Thrawn said. “But I would encourage you to think about it.”
Eli sighed. He knew he shouldn’t question Thrawn’s methods after all they were the only reason he’d gotten this far in the first place. He was quiet for a long time thinking it over. Listening to the quiet.
“If I decide to say yes, what then?” Eli said after a long time.
“Then I leave you with transport and coordinates and whatever else you require for your journey.”
Eli shook his head. “No I mean what happens when I get there? What good could I possibly do there?” he said. It was hard for Eli to imagine a race of beings like Thrawn could have any use for someone like him. Despite what Thrawn said he didn’t feel like a leader.
“You can teach them. About the intricacies of your culture, how things work outside Chiss space. My people have a vast knowledge of many things but the practicality of that knowledge is limited, as you saw when we first met. You can teach them basic, beyond just the mechanics and help organize military maneuvers.”
Eli sighed. “Will they even listen to me?”
Thrawn nodded. “You’ll be in your element there. I have great faith in your abilities.”
“To much faith, you sure your personal feelings aren’t making you biased on the subject?” Eli said it mostly joking but Thrawn looked almost taken aback by the comment. Eli cursed himself for saying it.
“My personal feelings for you have little or nothing to do with it. You’ve more than proven yourself in the field—”
Eli cut him off. “It was a joke.”
“Oh,” Thrawn said. An oddly quiet moment passed between them. Eli looked at him carefully.
“What are your feelings for me, sir?” Eli said in a quiet voice. “You’re real feelings not just the diplomatic ones.”
Thrawn sat back. He hesitated a few seconds. “Highly inappropriate considering my station I think,” he said and the response almost sounded strained like he was fighting saying it.
Eli got up quietly and moved to sit next to him. “But if I do what you’re asking me to…You won’t be my commanding officer anymore.”
Thrawn looked at him as if he hadn’t considered that before. “Is this your way of saying yes?”
Eli’s heart was racing and he knew he shouldn’t but he leaned up and kissed Thrawn. He pulled back after a few lingering seconds. “I guess I’m saying yes.”
“I think that is the right decision—” Thrawn said, sliding his hands to Eli’s hips. The tone in his voice sent a shiver down Eli’s back. Thrawn pulled Eli into his lap with force enough that Eli couldn’t stop the small gasp that escaped his lips. While embarrassing to him it only seemed to encourage the other. Thrawn leaned down to kiss over his throat. The Chiss’ skin was cool to the touch and Eli let his hands roam the other while Thrawn kissed him—
---
When Eli woke the next morning he was curled up in the grass with Thrawn’s coat around him. He was vaguely aware of the dew that had settled in his hair and he pulled the coat closer around him. Thrawn was gone but that didn’t surprise him. He remembered the other had an early meeting. After a few more minutes just laying with his eyes closed he pulled himself up and looked around for his clothes. He found them folded neatly nearby with a satchel that most certainly was not his.
He redressed quickly keeping Thrawn’s coat around his shoulders. It was a chilly morning. When he was feeling moderately more put together he sat down again and picked up the bag. It was heavy, well made, with intricate leather work designs that Eli was sure bore some meaning, he made a note to himself to ask Thrawn about it later. Inside he found three things a civilian datapad, a note, and a smaller case containing several datacards. He set the cards and the datapad back in the bag and opened the note. It was short, written in Sy Bisti in Thrawn’s near perfect script. Coordinated and instructions on where to find his transport. He wasn’t even mad that Thrawn had known him well enough to plan all this out ahead of time.
He put the note back in the bag and put the bag over his shoulder before making his way down to one of the lower levels where his transport would be meeting him.