boxofmisfits | Reluctant Allies

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Reluctant Allies

Thrawn thought he was going to die. He was going to die, never to see the people he cared for again, and never bring the Empire's resources back to the Unknown Region to fight the threats facing his people. He had his share of regrets, and all of them flashed through his mind right before the purrgil had dragged them into hyperspace.

To his surprise, he wakes up hours later, no longer in the grip of the creature. By some miracle, he's still alive. Disoriented and sore, but alive.

Opening his eyes, Thrawn props himself up and looks out the broken window. There's sunlight outside, and the ship isn't moving. The purrgil had deposited them somewhere. Where it was they'd landed, has to be determined.

Looking around, he spots the young Jedi. All his plans, carefully laid out, have been torn asunder by this boy. Bridger doesn't understand what he'd done, how could he? The rebellion didn't know that there were larger threats besides Palpatine's Empire, or that Thrawn's always had his own motivations outside of the Emperor's.

There's just the slightest hint of a groan as Thrawn sits up fully, still regarding Bridger.

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"We were lucky that we recently restocked." Star Destroyers are often out in space for months at a time, and thus are well supplied. With careful rationing, they should make those supplies last for some time. It's with a heavy heart that Thrawn figures that not everybody on the Chimaera survived the jaunt.

"Of course. Your Jedi abilities will be far more useful if you accompany me."

The crew will be safe so long as they stay near the ship, with more than a few combatants to defend them.

Waving Ezra along, Thrawn makes his way back over to the Star Destroyer.

Ezra follows, making sure to slow his pace to keep with Thrawn's.

"Wait, you wanna go out there with me? Are you sure? Aren't you still recovering?"

It almost sounds like he's concerned for him, but if asked, he'd probably say it's only because he wants his time alone.

"Of course I am to accompany you. My injuries will not take long to recover, and we will use that time to plan. We will decide which direction we will go, how much supplies we will need, and what other gear we will wish to take."

Thrawn's practical side says that he and Bridger are to go together so that he can keep an eye on the boy and make sure he doesn't run away. Not to mention that as the leader of these people, Thrawn feels that it's his duty to see what's out there. Putting himself in the line of danger is what a good commander does.

He won't admit that Ezra is proving to be interesting company.

A senior officer greets them and hands Thrawn a datapad. Some of the crew give Ezra dirty looks, while others try to ignore him. "The Chimaera can serve as our shelter, though we may want to think about setting up some huts, depending on how long we find ourselves here."

"Guess I should have had the purrgil throw you a little harder..." he says under his breath, though it's still closer to a joke than a threat. He's not serious about it, at least.

While Ezra tries to ignore the looks the crew's giving him, eventually he can't help himself and he ends up smirking back, still proud of himself. At least he knows he accomplished something. It's reassuring, especially when compared with what else he has to consider now.

"It's weird. I never thought I'd go back to living like this."

"Nor did I,"

Thrawn thanks the officer and moves past him. Honestly, ranks don't really mean a whole lot in their current situation, but everybody here is still used to being under his command and counting on him to lead them. He's still their leader to them, for it's the kind of loyalty that Thrawn earns.

He also trusts that they'll be fine without him while he and Ezra do some exploring. The crew of the Chimaera know how to function on their own, rather than wait around for their Admiral to give the orders to be blindly obeyed.

"Tell me, Bridger, what survival skills do you possess?"

He's kinda curious about Thrawn's response, but it doesn't feel like now is the time to ask. Or maybe if he waits long enough, Thrawn will do some villainous monologue about his past.

"Uh... depends on the kind of survival. I mean, you know I'm good in a fight. And I can jump pretty high and land easily. And sometimes I know when things will happen before they happen. Jedi stuff."

Ezra talks about it casually, as if seeing the future is like knowing how to ride a speeder bike.

"Aside from that? I don't know if my other skills are of use here. I used to depend on stealing to survive, but I don't think ownership is a huge concept on this planet."

"All of which will prove useful, no doubt." Thrawn's not entirely surprised that precognition is one of Ezra's powers. He's always figured that all Force-Users can do that much, Jedi, Sith or otherwise.

"Not unless we find that there is civilization on this world after all. The Imperial Academy has a course on basic survival skills that students usually take during their education." In other words, a fair amount of his crew have at least some skill that will come in handy during their stay. "I myself learned survival skills before I came to the Empire. It may be of benefit if you expanded your own skills while we are here."

"I remember some of the stuff from my few weeks at the academy. And I know basic things, like how to start a fire," he says, his tone a little bit defensive. Of course, he knows he need to brush up on his skills, but he did survive for seven years on his own. Only that was in Capital City, and not the middle of nowhere.

"... what do you think I should focus on learning for now?"

Ah yes, Thrawn had an ID photo of Ezra from when he infiltrated the academy once. It proved quite useful as he gathered information about the Spectres.

"I suggest you learn how to catch fish, set up temporary shelters, and some first aid skills."

Thrawn waves over an Ensign, and instructs him to give Bridget a datapad with the information he's going to need.

"Thanks," he turns to say, but the Ensign's already gone. Ezra might be a rebel, but at least he's not rude! Is what he thinks, anyways.

"I know a little first aid. And I kinda wonder if I can use the Force on fish..."

"If you could, it would be most helpful."

Thrawn looks at the surrounding jungle, contemplating which direction they should start their journey in. Without a map of this planet, and no natives to guide them, this will be a very dangerous trip indeed.

"I have work to do. You may rest, and contemplate our expedition."

"You first."

It's a childish response, so he covers it up with something resembling concern. "You're the one who's hurt. So you should rest."

Really, despite everything, he doesn't feel safe resting around a bunch of Imperials, especially Thrawn.

"You need not worry about my crew, Bridger. They have all been instructed not to harm you, remember?" Even the Death Troopers have agreed to this, because much as they'd like to hurt Ezra, they're also very loyal to Thrawn. Death Troopers tend to be loyal to those they're assigned to serve.

"Yeah, I remember."

He sighs a very dramatic teenager sigh.

"Fine. I'll go rest. But you should too. Eventually. Probably."

Ezra turns to head further into the remains of the ship, and along his way he does have a few run-ins, but... no one hurts him. He tries his best to seem non-threatening himself, not sure what these people might have heard of him. Before he rests, he explores the Chimaera a little, looking for the quarters with the biggest and comfiest bed to claim as his own. It's probably Thrawn's, but oh well. He's gonna take advantage of their alliance.

"I shall, Bridger. I will want to be in good shape for when we venture forth."

Thrawn turns back to the gathered officers, telling them of his intentions to go exploring with the Jedi. Some of them urge him to reconsider, that he can bring a platoon of his remaining Death Troopers or even just some Stormtroopers instead. They fear Ezra will use the opportunity to hurt him. Thrawn tells them to trust him, and that Bridger's powers will be useful for exploring unknown territory.

The crew accept this, even as it's clear that they still worry about Thrawn.

Once everything has been explained and Thrawn has some ideas of what they'll do tomorrow, he makes his way back inside the ship, heading for his quarters. Rest will do him some good.

When Thrawn enters his quarters, he'll find a teenager sprawled across his bed, fast asleep. He's also snoring loudly and doesn't seem to stir at all. Truth be told, everything during the Liberation of Lothal had taken a lot out of him, especially the whole purrgil thing.

He hadn't realized just how tired he was until he lay down and immediately knocked out. That, and you've got to be a pretty heavy sleeper to make it through sharing a bunk with Zeb for years.

Thrawn wasn't expecting the Jedi to get into his office again. There's no guard outside the door anymore, but he didn't think the Jedi wouldn't be so bold.

Going over to the small table beside his bed, Thrawn pushes a button on the chrono. Immediately, the alarm goes off. Normally he doesn't need an alarm to wake up, because he's got a regular sleep schedule he keeps, so he keeps it off most of the time. But he can't have his bed occupied without his permission like this.

Okay, that gets him to wake up. He groans, turning his body but not opening his eyes yet.

"Zeb, come on," he mumbles, "I'm still sleeping..."

Thrawn assumes he's talking about Garazeb Orrelios. If Orrelios is the first person he mentions when waking up, that must mean the two used to share quarters on the Ghost. Not surprising, since Thrawn has seen specs of VCX-100 light freighters and they tend to have limited living space.

"It's not polite to sleep in another's bed without their knowledge, Bridger."

"... Thrawn?"

And then it hits him. Where he is, everything that's happened, whose bed he's sleeping in. His eyes shoot open and he sits up quickly.

"Oh. Yeah. Well now you know. Goodnight."

"I think not, Bridger. Unless you with to sleep on the floor, I suggest you vacate my bed."

And because Thrawn's not cruel, he makes a suggestion, "You may have the room next to mine. It should serve your needs."

The room next to Thrawn's is where an aide would normally live, with the idea being that this way the aide can stay close to their assigned officer. It's been vacant since his first aide left, for reasons that make sense to Thrawn.

"How nice is the room next to yours?"

Because he's not just going to accept it without a second thought.

"Oh, or do you guys have some like royal suite in case the Emperor visits? I'll take that one."

"I assure you, it is quite nice." Thrawn wanted Eli to live in comfort, after all. Only the best for the man he considered his friend. Obviously not as nice as Thrawn's, but Eli never complained.

"Fiiiiiine."

He moves to get up, then thinks for a second about using the Force to toss a pillow at Thrawn, and then decides against it. Maybe another time.

"Night," Ezra says as he leaves for the other room. It is nice, probably nicer than a lot of the places he's slept. It doesn't take him long to fall asleep again, the pure exhaustion of it all outweighing any anxiety.

Thrawn was about ready to toss the Jedi over his shoulder had he not relented. Bridger just spared his own dignity. It feels strange to let another use Eli's old quarters, especially since he considered Ezra his enemy, but these are strange circumstances.

It doesn't take long for Thrawn to fall asleep either. Come the morning, he goes into his usual morning routines, even though he knows full well his hair is likely to get messy. He leaves the rank plaque for now, since ranks don't really mean much so long as they're stranded.

Once he's done, he walks down the hallway to Bridger's borrowed room and raps on the door. "Are you awake, Bridger?"

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