boxofmisfits | Field Learning

Being a Grand Admiral known for having a brilliant tactical mind, it was just a matter of time before Prefsbelt Academy asked him to be a guest speaker. It was Moff Tarkin's old Academy, it seemed. So of course it had high standards when it came to guest lecturers, to say nothing of Thrawn actually knowing the Moff.

It was entirely possible he was the first alien to speak at this academy. Certainly he the first Chiss speaker. Thrawn entered the hall, pose as professional as ever, with good posture and his hands behind his back. He spoke to the students with that cool voice of his, with just enough inflection in his voice as to not be entirely monotone.

He spoke of tactics, strategy, and getting a read on one's enemy and using that against them.

"To defeat an enemy, you must know them. Not simply their battle tactics, but their history, philosophy, art." As he spoke, he brought up holos of artwork of various species, speaking of the cultures the art came from and what it said about them.

All the while he spoke, his eyes gazed out into the crowd of students. Some of them looked quite bored, or that they didn't entirely understand the Grand Admiral's lecture.

At least one of them, though, stood at rapt attention, hanging on to his every word.

When the lecture ended, and the holos vanished, Thrawn addressed the crowd of students, "Questions?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Quite the contrary. On the Chimaera, asking questions will be expected, especially for one such as yourself." After all, Luke was coming to learn and study. How did one expect him do to so if he simply followed orders blindly. Luke would quickly learn that on Thrawn's ship, things worked a bit differently. The Grand Admiral wasn't cracking the whip, demanding his crew be quiet and do as they were told.

From the cockpit, one of the Death Troopers announced that the Chimaera was in sight, and they would dock within shortly.

"I have a special project that you may be interested in."

Luke couldn't help but be relieved at that. He really didn't think all commanders were like what the instructors tried to impress on him. It seemed ridiculous that people weren't allowed to speak their mind; how were people supposed to prove themselves that way?

He brightened slightly at the call that they would be docking soon, and even more so when Thrawn mentioned he had a project he might be interested. He was torn in asking what that might be, but he had a feeling he would find out shortly. Instead...

"Sir, do you mind if I ask you about a rumor I've heard?" he asked, almost sounding shy. "I... heard an actual chimera was painted on the bottom of the Chimera. Is that true?"

And could he see? Please?

Given Luke's enthusiasm for ships and flying, Thrawn figured Luke would very much like his new model of TIE. Lukes marks showed that he had talent for flying, and would no doubt take to the ship easily.

The barest hint of a smile crossed Thrawn's lips.

"Indeed there is. I've always thought it was a nice touch."

Of course, Thrawn had a holographic model of the ship, where one could easily see the design on the bottom. But surely Cadet Skywalker deserved more than to see a replication.

"If you look out the front, you may be able to see it as we approach." Thrawn said it just loudly enough for the two Troopers in front to hear him as well, and let them know that he'd given Luke permission.

Luke perked up, glancing over at the troopers a moment to make absolutely sure it was okay, before quickly releasing himself from the crash straps on his seat. He hurried over to the front, DV beeping mildly behind him, mindful not to get too close to the troopers as he leaned toward the viewport and craned his head up, his mouth falling open at the sight of the twisting limbs that seemed to surround the Star Destroyer's docking bay.

"Whoa..." Luke murmured, DV peeping in agreement.

Thrawn's lips quirked in an amused smile. The Death Troopers kept to themselves, having understood Thrawn's implied orders. It was nice to see someone who appreciated art.

He beckoned Cadet Skywalker to return to the passenger area in as they neared the docking bay. With a hiss of released gases, the shuttle docked and Thrawn unstrapped himself. Beckoning Skywalker to follow him, Thrawn exited the shuttle, dismissing the two Death Troopers while he was at it.

"Allow me to show you where you will be staying. I'm certain you wish to get settled in."

Luke almost didn't hear the Grand Admiral; his attention was drawn to around the docking bay, taking in the ships that were currently there, and hit with a vague sense of nostalgia. This was only his second time on a Star Destroyer, and he couldn't help but smile softly to himself. This wasn't the Devastator, that much was clear just by looking around. Things here were a little bit relaxed by comparison to what he remembered, being all of eleven and clinging to Lord Vader's hand.

It still made him feel more at home than he had on the ground.

"Yes sir," Luke replied after a moment, jerking himself back to the present.

A few officers gave respectful salutes to the Grand Admiral. An observant individual would notice that the officers were much less tense around Thrawn, and any salutes and greetings weren't done out of fear of being reprimanded for not showing respect.

Once he and Luke, and the droid, were within the turbolift, Thrawn turned to young Skywalker. "Tell me, what planet did you originally hail from?"

Seeing the almost casual respect brought a small smile to Luke's face. He knew it wouldn't be this way with every commander, but the sight of it made him feel a little more at ease. Truly, there needed to be more commands in the Empire like this, more places in the Empire like this. Maybe then it would be a better place.

It was easy for him to slide in a similar kind of approach, standing respectfully at attention when addressed, but losing much of the stiffness in his shoulders.

"Tatooine, sir," he answered. "I lived on a farm on the outskirts of Anchorhead."

"Tatooine. Fascinating," Thrawn made a mental note to look up any artwork from Tatooine. "That is a desert planet, is it not? Darth Vader must have seen something in you for him to give you such an opportunity."

That Luke was set to serve on Vader's personal star destroyer upon graduation, to the point where the commandant feared Vader's wrath if Luke's were permanently assigned to the Chimaera instead, said a lot about how serious Vader was about Luke's career. Not many would take such a chance on a farm boy from an otherwise inconsequential planet. If Luke was indeed related to the late Jedi, Thrawn could certainly see why.

Field Learning

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