Chapter Text
Lieutenant Yogar Lyste was freed from prison shortly after the Battle of Atollon.
He should have been angry.
Not only was Lyste wrongfully imprisoned, but once the High Command discovered Agent Kallus was the traitorous rebel spy, Fulcrum, they kept the lieutenant in prison to allow Kallus to believe he was safe!
It did little good...
Still, Lyste had a hard time staying angry.
After all, his imprisonment ended up saving his life.
While he was locked up on the Chimaera , Admiral Konstantine’s Interdictor cruiser was destroyed, killing everyone on board; Lyste too had he been on duty.
Thrawn personally came to Lyste’s cell to release him, giving him a full pardon, a commendation and a reinstatement as a Lieutenant and Supply Master, this time aboard the Chimaera itself.
Now that Lyste found himself to be a significant cog on the flagship of the greatest Fleet in the Empire, it was impossible to stay resentful.
And so he spent his days doing the very best he could for his Empire, ensuring the grand admiral’s decision for taking him in would not be in vain.
Perhaps it was that sort of determination that Thrawn entrusted him with the highest honor: Being part of the Welcome Committee to receive Thrawn’s former protege and aide, Eli Vanto, a hero of the Empire in his own right at the Battle of Batonn and so many other legends at Thrawn’s side.
Lyste arrived promptly ten minutes early in the hangar bay and...found himself alone.
There were stormtrooper guards lining the hangar as usual, but there were no additional officers to receive the Thrawn’s former protege.
Did Thrawn trust this task to me, and me alone? Surely others will come!
They didn’t.
As the small shuttle landed in the hangar bay Lyste stood at full attention: chin held high and hands clasped behind his back, narrow chest puffed up as best as he could do.
The transport opened and there was Eli Vanto - a man of broad shoulders and slender waist - striding smoothly down the ramp. He wore a finely-tooled leather jacket, deep brown to match the trousers tucked into his freshly shined black boots. His shirt was cream with a bit of filigree around the high collar in a design Lyste didn’t recognize and wondered if it was of Chiss design.
The most impressive thing Lyste found about the man was his hair: dark brown, shaggy on top, and short around the neck. It certainly couldn't have been standard issue while the man was a Lieutenant Commander.
It suited him though...
As did that easy smile. It split his face when he saw Lyste standing at the base of the ramp.
Lyste blinked and look behind him to make sure Grand Admiral Thrawn was not present. He wasn't.
“Well, hey there,” the man said with a surprisingly thick Wild Space accent. “Thrawn didn't tell me I was gonna have a Welcoming Committee waitin’ for me. I figured I'd just show myself to his quarters.”
“Well,” Lyste said, clearing his throat. “It is required to have someone in the hangar to receive ranking officers. Usually there are more officers here, though. My apologies.”
Eli laugh. “I wouldn’t worry. I’m not longer a commander, so that protocol wouldn’t apply to me. In fact, I should be saluting you, lieutenant. Sorry about that. It’s been a long while since I've been around any proper Imperials.”
Eli’s relaxed posture vanished as he drew himself up into a crisp salute.
“Eli Vanto,” he said formally, “at your service.”
Lyste gave a quick and uncomfortable salute if only to get Eli out of that pose.
Eli Vanto may no longer be a commander, but he certainly did outrank the lieutenant even if he was a civilian. He was Thrawn’s protege ; one does not get a more worthy existence than that.
“Greetings, Commander Vanto. I am Lieutenant Lyste, I will show you to your quarters.”
“That'll be mighty fine, lieutenant, thank you very much. And you can just call me Eli.”
Again with that wide smile…
Lyste had never seen a “disarming smile” before, but seeing the way Eli’s grin dazzled his entire face, the lieutenant found it difficult to find any defense against its charm.
I will not be calling the commander “Eli” however, Lyste thought, firmly.
-----
Eli Vanto talked a lot.
He asked questions about the Seventh Fleet, he asked about the changes in the High Command, but most of his questions were about the crew of the Chimaera itself.
Lyste wished he could be of more help, but he had only met a handful of the ship’s crew so far as his assignment to the Star Destroyer was still very new.
Eli asked about that too...
Lyste certainly didn't want to tell Thrawn’s former protege about his embarrassing debacle of accusing Governor Pryce of treason, when Agent Kallus was the traitor all along.
And yet somehow, Lyste found himself telling Eli everything .
The whole embarrassing story poured from Lyste’s lips.
Throughout the tale, Eli continue to ask questions - Not incredulous questions filled with judgement, but questions of curiosity. How did Kallus managed to frame Lyste? How did he managed to escape? And most surprisingly: “Why do you think he defected, lieutenant?”
No one had actually asked Lyste’s opinion on...well really anything let alone his thoughts on Agent Kallus’ great betrayal.
Why would they? He was a just lieutenant.
“He changed after he crashed on the Geonosian ice moon, I think,” Lyste said quietly. He had never voiced his thoughts on the matter aloud before and he tilted his head down, letting the brim of his officer’s cap hide his face. “Kallus had never been the friendly sort, but he was always kind to me. After the ice moon crash he seemed...distant, not just towards me, but to many of the officers he was civil with. Whatever happened on that moon, it seemed to give him a different outlook on the Empire…on all of us, I suppose.”
Lyste should have left well enough alone, but he continued, and surprisingly Eli didn’t stop him. “I...am ashamed I accused Governor Pryce of treason. I was gullible and she was undeserving.”
At this, Eli did respond. “I...don't think you should judge yourself too harshly on that one, lieutenant. She may not be a traitor, but she ain’t exactly a model citizen of the Empire either. She's been accused of a lot worse and has gotten away with a lot more than we could ever prove.”
Eli didn't elaborate on that curiously pointed statement and Lyste decided not to press him.
Moments later they arrived at the door leading to Thrawn and Veers’ private quarters on the higher level of the Chimaera . Lyste had never been on this level as most of it seemed to be dedicated to the High Command’s quarters and temporary accommodations.
“You will be staying in HC-12, sir,” Lyste said, handing Eli a temporary rank cylinder. “Now if you'll excuse me.”
“I won’t,” Eli said, buzzing the door comm.
Lyste froze. “Pardon me, sir?”
“I won’t excuse you,” Eli said, with an impish grin. The door slid open. “Come on, Thrawn’s waitin’.”
“He is not waiting for me, sir,” Lyste objected, but Eli had already headed inside.
-----
“Commander Vanto,” Thrawn greeted walking into a wide living room lavishly decorated with deep blues and black oak and an array of fine art on the walls.
Lyste stood by the door, waiting to be dismissed. Thrawn came up to Eli and held out his hand. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”
Eli’s easy posture straightened in a respectful manner, but it did not seem stiff. “Good to see you too, sir.”
“Eli!”
Lyste jumped as from the next room came General Veers. Lyste had only seen the general in an official capacity, providing supplies for him and his AT-AT squad, the Thundering Herd. Seeing Thrawn in just his white pants and a black turtleneck was not nearly as disconcerting as seeing “Iron Max” come out of the kitchen wearing dark slacks, a tight olive green shirt and a greasy, bloody apron.
And...does that apron say “General Sears” with an AT-AT blasting a slab of nerf ribs?
Veers came over to Eli and clapped him hard on the back. “How are you, my boy?”
Eli almost blushed and his eyes flicked to Lyste almost helplessly. “Hi, Max. I’m fine, thanks."
"Are you two done with your heartfelt reunion?" Veers teased, wrapping a thick arm around Eli’s neck playfully.
Thrawn smirked. “Yes, I believe we are.”
“Good. I just got the grill up and running.”
Eli blinked. "How’d you manage to get a grill here?"
Veers’ grin occurred simultaneously with Thrawn’s eye roll. "With copious amounts of engineering and a lot of push back from the commanding officer of the Chimaera ."
"He created a long, extremely elaborate maze of ventilation tubes and filters that lead to the hangar bay," Thrawn explained.
"The only negative effect is the occasional smell of succulent reek sneaking through the filtration system."
Eli laughed, “I reckon on those days, the officers request more barbecue in the mess halls.”
Veers’ grin was cheeky. “Well, I don’t like to brag but-”
"You do, in fact, enjoy bragging," Thrawn interjected.
Veers only winked. "Come on, I’ll show you my ingenuity at work."
Lyste felt dizzy. A light banter between the grand admiral and his partner, the general of the Imperial Army in an apron donning a terrible pun, and both of them treating Eli Vanto like family rather than an Imperial hero. He was relieved when Veers and Thrawn began to walk into the next room.
Eli, however, did not follow them. He looked back at Lieutenant Lyste who straightened, waiting for dismissal orders.
"Hey,” Eli called after the officers, “would either of you mind if Lieutenant Lyste joined us? He was by far the best welcome wagon I've had in ages."
Thrawn and Veers paused in the doorway, collectively studying Lyste for a moment.
"I see no reason why not,” Thrawn said.
Veers shrugged. "We have plenty of reek steaks. How do you like yours cooked, lieutenant?"
Lyste’s eyes widened. "I...uh...rare, sir."
Veers nodded approvingly. "Good answer," he said and walked into the next room.
Thrawn followed Veers, mumbling where he opined that rare meat hardly constitutes as being cooked.
“Hey, you okay?” Eli asked, putting a hand on Lyste’s shoulder.
Lyste jumped at the sudden contact and looked blankly at Eli, who just smiled reassuringly. “They’re just people, lieutenant,” then he hesitated. “Well, not Thrawn, he’s somethin’ else entirely, but Max is a good guy. I think you’ll find them much less intimidating once you’ve shared a meal with ‘em. Come on.”
-----
Lieutenant Lyste cut into the beautifully seared reek steak. This was the best steak he had ever experienced and he was eating it in the company of three of the most well-known men in the Empire.
With his last bite devoured, Lyste sank into his chair comfortably and listened to General Veers recall a less-than-heroic tale of the time he and his Thundering Herd accidentally disturbed a large den of nexu while attempting to return to base.
“The problem was that once a nexu bites into something, they do not plan on letting go until that something is dead. We did not have a choice, but to continue on, with a few dozen Nexu gnawing on our AT-AT’s ankles as we traveled.”
Lyste covered his mouth as he giggled, but Eli let out an open, honest laugh.
As Veers launched into another story, Lyste found he was just as as engaged in Eli’s reactions to Veers’ stories as he was to the stories themselves.
Eli was listening attentively, but mostly he was glancing at Lyste at key moments. If something humorous occurred, he’d join in on Lyste’s giggling. If something shocking was revealed, he’d gasp at Lyste.
It all made the Lieutenant feel...included.
Even if he didn’t have much to say, Lyste didn’t feel ignored, nor pressured to jump in and be engaging. He was a comfortable spectator, and specifically, he was comfortable with Eli sitting beside him.
When Eli spoke of some of his own adventures with the Chiss, he made sure everyone was getting equal eye contact. When his glittering dark eyes fell on Lyste, a certain ache existed in the Lieutenant’s chest. He found that, although he was very much invested in the former commander’s stories, he also was waiting desperately for Eli to look at him again during each tale.
And Eli never left Lyste disappointed.
After dinner, Lieutenant Lyste excused himself as he truly did have work to do. He was not sure how many times he thanked General Veers for dinner, but after a while, Eli said, “I think he gets it, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, Grand Admiral, for allowing me to eat with you.”
“Thank you for joining us,” Thrawn said, his voice was cool, then again it was always cool, but the words were genuine. “Have a good evening, lieutenant.”
“I’ll walk him out,” Eli offered.
Lyste blinked. “N-no need, sir. I know the way.”
“Eh, Wild Space etiquette applies no matter where ya are in the galaxy. I’ll be right back.” Eli tossed down his napkin and walked Lyste through the long rooms of Thrawn and Veers’ substantial quarters.
“I had no idea the grand admiral and general’s accommodations were so...accommodating.” Lyste breathed as he past a tall marble statue of a Rodian archer then another of a twi’lek blasterslinger nearby.
“Yeah, well, he and Max have earned all this. Those two have more medals between them than there are star destroyers in the Empire.”
Lyste chuckled at this. “Their uniforms must get pretty heavy during ceremonies.”
Eli laughed. “I reckon they do.”
Lyste liked Eli. He liked everything this evening. He could not remember a time when he felt so...wanted. Even if it was just Eli who wanted his company and even if it was just a temporary feeling on Eli’s part.
“Are you staying on the Chimaera for long?”
Eli shrugged. “For a while. Haven’t sussed that out yet.”
“I see,” Lieutenant Lyste replied as he approached the door. He turned and held out his hand, locking his elbow. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner, sir. That was very kind of you.”
Eli took the lieutenant’s hand and gave it a few gentle shakes. “Thanks for staying. And really, please, call me Eli.”
“Eli…” Lyste bit his cheek to keep from smiling. “I am...Yogar.”
“Yogar,” Eli said his name with a subtle twang that sounded like “yaw-grr” rather than the Imperial “yo-garr”. Eli nodded, “It’s a fine name.”
Lyste didn’t have the heart to tell him he was mispronouncing it. In fact, Yogar Lyste found his name to be more pleasurable on Eli’s tongue...
-----
“May I ask why you invited the Lieutenant to dinner?”
Eli and Thrawn sat in the chairs in the grand admiral’s study while images of Denon artwork floated lazily by. Eli looked over some of the colorful abstracts while he considered Thrawn’s question. “I feel like he needed a win, sir.”
“A win…Explain.”
“That man lost pretty much everything when Konstantine’s SD went down at Atollon. All his friends, everyone’s he’s ever worked with since he joined the fleet are now nothin’ but space dust. That does somethin’ to a man I don’t care who ya are. Now here he is, starting all over on a new ship, new crew, under the most intimidating superior officer in the Fleet.”
“I am not intimidating.”
“Yes you are, love!” Veers shouted from the next room as he continued to scrape the grill clean.
Eli suppressed his grin at Thrawn’s look of mild distaste. “The point is, sir, is I wanted him to see you and Max without the uniforms. Let him know that he isn’t in a den of wolves, but among people he can know as allies.”
“Familiarity among subordinates often risks a lack of respect of one’s leaders. There always must be a certain distance between them.”
“I think in Lyste’s case it’s exactly something he needs.”
“Perhaps,” Thrawn said, but Eli could tell he was chewing it over well.
“I grabbed a bottle of Chiss Je’uur for you before I left,” Eli said, welcoming the distraction.
Thrawn’s eyes glittered for a split moment. “Did you? That was generous. Also, I must note you pronounced the second “u” in Je’uur most skillfully. Are you fluent in Cheunh now?”
“Mostly, but your idioms make no sense.”
“Ah,” Thrawn’s smirk was subtle. “Not as eloquent as Wild Space idioms then?”
“Not so much, no,” Eli snickered.
Thrawn hummed in amusement. “It is good to have you back, Eli.”
“Yeah, I’ve missed this.”
“Stop! I am getting -how do the Wild Spacemen say it- ‘misty eyed’!” Veers shouted from the next room.
“Max,” Thrawn called. “Eli brought Je’uur for us.”
There was a noisy bang, a shuffling, and several strings of Denonian curses before Veers came forth with three glasses.
With the lilac liquor served, the three of them settled into Thrawn’s plush, leather chairs.
“Your lieutenant seems charming.”
Eli waited for Thrawn to say something, before realizing Veers was actually speaking to him .
“He’s not my lieutenant. I’m not a commander anymore.”
“I do not think that is what he meant,” Thrawn replied.
“Oh?” Eli asked Thrawn, still eyeing Veers. “And what did he mean?”
Veers’ only response was to take a sip of the lilac liquor and giving a noncommittal shrug.
-----
The next day Lyste possessed a bounce in his step for the rest of his shift...right until Grand Admiral Thrawn walked into the loading bay.
“Lieutenant Lyste,” Thrawn greeted.
“Sir!” Lyste saluted.
“Did you enjoy General Veer’s reek steak?”
“Oh yes, sir! It was amazing. I had no idea reek could taste so...so...buttery.”
That might have been a smile on Thrawn’s lips. Maybe...was it possible?
“And are your needs being met here on the Chimaera , lieutenant?”
Lyste blinked. “Sir?”
“Do you find serving aboard the Chimaera to your liking,” Thrawn clarified.
“It...it is wonderful, sir. I truly appreciate you taking me in after…the loss of...” Lyste swallowed back an ill-timed lump in his throat. Stupid, he didn’t want to think of the loss of his star destroyer, the loss of his crew, the loss of his admiral in front of Grand Admiral Thrawn. “Th-thank you for taking me in,” he said finally.
Thrawn’s eyes seem to bore into him, scanning his face, for who-knows-what, but it made Lyste nervous.
Thrawn eventually relaxed his posture.
“Come to dinner tonight. Veers is trying to replicate a dish I have never heard before. I, for one, would prefer to have witnesses there in case he is trying to poison me.”
“Sir?!”
Thrawn’s lips thinned. “That was a joke.”
“Oh, yes, of course!” Lyste laughed nervously. He had no idea his entire body could sweat from every pore. “Thank you! Truly…”
Thrawn nodded, curtly. “We shall see you promptly at 1900.”
“Of course! Thank you, sir! And...will Commander...ah...will Eli be there?”
“Eli?” Thrawn arched an eyebrow.
“Mr...Vanto?”
Stars it was hot in the docking bay today.
“He will,” Thrawn said, mildly. “It seems he has taken a liking to you.”
The moment Thrawn left the docking bay, Lyste returned to his duties with renewed enthusiasm. He wondered if perhaps someone had messed with the gravity on their level or it was just the bounce in his step.