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1.
A single word changed Eli’s life forever. Culper’s offer had been too good to pass up; she had given him a day to consider and a comm address to send his confirmation to.
He hadn’t needed the full day.
He felt slightly guilty, but it wasn’t like Thrawn really needed him. And like Culper had said, it wasn’t like the Navy was interested in his future. That had been made blatantly obvious.
His parents had encouraged him to take the position - they weren’t happy that he would be moving further away, but the potential to have his own ship to command at some point, and to be out of the influence of the Chiss, made up for it.
Thrawn himself hadn’t cared. He just told Eli that it was an interesting opportunity, and that he wished him well if he took it, and returned his attention to his datapad.
That had hurt.
Eli returned to his quarters after that conversation and commed Culper with one word - Yes.
2.
Culper said it was going to take some time to get everything finalized. Eli received a package, filled with datacards containing information on his new position, a new, high end datapad, the key for an apartment as well as information on the city he would be living in when not off planet, and a bottle of Toniray.
The pale teal shade of the wine made him think of Thrawn, and he decided to offer to share a drink with the Captain after their shift was over, a peace offering of sorts. If Eli didn’t know better, he’d say Thrawn was upset that he had accepted the position. The Chiss wasn’t acting in any specific way he could pinpoint, but there was a distance now that there hadn’t been before.
Well, Eli thought, if he wanted me to stay, he should have said so.
Thrawn accepted the offer. In his quarters that evening, he raised his glass and toasted Eli’s future. Eli toasted both of their futures. Thrawn smiled, the corner of his mouth ticking up, but his eyes looked almost sad, locked on his as they drank.
I’ve made a mistake, Eli thought.
3.
Eli struggled to open his eyes. The loud tones from the medical monitoring devices alerting staff to an emergency were silenced with the click of a button next to his head. It was hard to breathe and his veins were on fire, he was confused and cold and hot all at once. Blinking to try to focus his vision, Eli tried to speak, but all he could manage was a slurred ‘Wuhh’ sound. A figure stood next to the other occupied bed, a syringe in hand. The patient on the bed seized for fifteen or twenty seconds, then lay still with a final rattling exhale.
Culper turned and looked down at Eli, surprised to see him awake, pausing for a moment before pulling the IV line from his arm.
“Well well, Vanto. We expected the alien might survive the poison, but we didn’t think you would. Wild Space stock must be hardier than Core worlders after all.”
Eli’s eyes rolled as he gasped for air; Thrawn was unmoving on the next bed over, medication dripping on the ground from the IV that had been in his arm. His eyes were open, blank, dull. His chest wasn’t moving. He was dead.
He tried to scream out but only managed a high keening sound; tried to fight the woman off but couldn't lift his arms. Culper reached and silenced Eli’s monitoring equipment, then stuck the syringe in the hole left behind in his skin by the IV.
“Moff Ghadi sends his sincere thanks, Vanto. We couldn’t have removed Thrawn without you.”
Eli felt a fresh wave of horror, but before he could form a cohesive thought he seized, then went limp as the non-diluted poison in the syringe coursed through him and finished what the wine had started.