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While on Peridea do as the Perideans do?
“Hold your fire! We’re here with a proposal!”
Ahsoka glanced at the rest of her crew, them all nodding to her in agreement, the lot of them having discussed their options at length, argued even about it all to come to some decision.
And this was the best one they had come up with. A proposal for their nemesis.
Thrawn simply glared at the ragtag crew standing there, at his doorstep.
Or rather the hangar of the Chimera were the group had appeared without any warning. Not even the Nightsisters having been able to detect their arrival. Which was a surprise for them, true, but also a first. As the witches were usually on top of all things related to the Force, being able to predict events and all.
“What exactly am I listening to here?” Thrawn wasn’t a fool after all, not ready to throw any options out without assessing them first.
“Well, we figured since we’re all stuck in here, without any means of getting out…”
“Oh, we have the means…” Morgan Elsbeth interjected flat on.
She was trying to make a point of course, but Thrawn simply wavered his hand to stop her from countering Ahsoka. Morgan shutting up quickly enough.
“We have the Eye of Sion to power the Chimera. So why would we need your help?” Thrawn stated calmly enough.
Was he wrong? They had the means, right? So why even listen to these people, their enemy?
Ahsoka stood in her stance, never wavering. As two could easily play this game. And so.
“We know it is broken.”
Oh-kay. As to how they knew about the Eye of Sion being broken? Well, it wasn’t something Ahsoka was about to reveal. Not yet anyway, perhaps not at all.
Thrawn and Morgan exchanged glances, trying to be coy about it, their expressions giving nothing away. But Ahsoka could tell she had been right in her assessment. Her own bluff as it were. As clearly, Thrawn and Morgan Elsbeth were trying to bluff too.
They could see both Baylan and Shin on the deck among the three Great Mothers and the plethora of Thrawn’s hardcore troopers as well. The troopers with their weapons drawn, all ready to fire.
“If that was to be true, what you are saying…” He paused for the effect. “D you really think you have the means to help us?” Thrawn drawled, not even raising one eyebrow as he did.
“We have a very skilful engineer, a talented droid, plus the locals with skills of the more technical nature as well among us. And I have been known to take apart a ships engine and put it back again.” The last one meant as a joke, but Thrawn wasn’t laughing.
As it was, the tribe of Noti having joined Ahsoka and her crew as well, standing by and ready to help if and where needed.
“And you think that your engineer and these, natives, could be able to fix this complicated system which not even the original designer of it can?”
Thrawn glanced at Morgan again, the stare speaking volumes. As she was as of yet having been unable to pinpoint the real issue with the Eye of Sion’s drive and it’s relation to the Chimera’s multitude of issues. Not something he was going to mention to Ahsoka and her crew, but there were issues for sure.
“Well, I would suggest several heads are better than the one.”
Ahsoka was trying to be as polite as possible even if she had wanted to storm the ship and take it for themselves despite the overwhelming opposition from the others. Alas, they needed to work together, all of them, if they wanted to get off of this planet and the galaxy.
The conversation Ahsoka had had with her friends prior, both new and old alike and not even her past exploits with Anakin Skywalker had been enough to convince the other three nor the Noti they could do it. Take the Chimera for themselves. Overthrow Thrawn, the Nightsisters, the troopers and then fix the karking boat and fly out of there.
And so here they were trying to talk peace or at least a truce with their enemy.
Thrawn seemed to contemplate on his options for a spell. And despite Thrawn’s unreadable face and his rigid yet nonchalant stance, Ahsoka was able to read the leader. Well with a little help from the Force of course. As apparently, the Nightsisters, the Great Mothers, weren’t able to block her, for whatever reason there was.
Ahsoka having her own suspicions, something on the planet helping her, alas, there was no time to figure that one out now. But, Ahsoka had a sneaking suspicion she had been there before. Not the planet per se, but whatever or whomever in the Force resided on the plane of existence she had encountered in her past, had their effect there on Peridea as well.
Ahsoka wished she could explore it more, alas, they had more pressing matters at hand, like getting back home.
And so, in the end, the decision was made.
“Fine. We’ll work together. As you said, we do have a common goal.” Thrawn had made the call.
“Good I’m…” Ahsoka tried, but Thrawn raised his hand cutting Ahsoka off before she could continue.
“A fair warning though - if you or any of your crew, try anything, anything at all…” Thrawn paused for the effect again, something he totally loved to do to drive his point through. “My troopers here, will kill your were you stand.” His voice never wavering as he stated the very facts of the agreement.
“That’s… quite the insensitive. And I can assure you we won’t. Step out of line.”
Ahsoka glanced at her team them all nodding back at her.
“So we are in an agreement then?”
“We are. And... Welcome on board the Chimera.”
How polite of Grand Admiral Thrawn indeed!
They all did though, get on board.
Ahsoka and her team getting stares from Thrawn’s crew. But, clearly they were willing to try this out, the very delicate truce at least with the cooperation entailing. So that was better than nothing.
All of them being on the edge for sure. But guess there was incentive enough for them all to fix the ship and the Eye of Sion to get the ship and themselves back home to their own galaxy.