boxofmisfits | So the Sith and the Chiss Found a Fleet of Warships

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So the Sith and the Chiss Found a Fleet of Warships

It had been about a week since their visit to Iokath. Already Thrawn's people were hard at work checking the ships of the Eternal Fleet, and making sure the Doombringer wasn't leaking harmful radiation too, so that it could eventually be made useful. Altair had been working with a few volunteers on the Throne they'd found- figuring out how it was hooked into the machinery of the planet, and figuring out of alternatives if they couldn't move it. The GEMINI-frequency was necessary for Thrawn to control the ships after all, and making sure there was a connection regardless of where they went in the galaxy was important.

After all, the frequency was where the consciousness of the GEMINIs went when their bodies were destroyed, and where commands could be spread to all of them in an instant. It reminded Altair a little of the Killiks, really. A hivemind. Always connected.

At the very least though, and it was more than good enough progress for a week, the GEMINI Captains were responding to Thrawn's commands, meaning that Altair's own connection to them was gone- which was a good thing. After all, they were no longer a key to that which he sought, and so far as he was concerned, Thrawn's goal was also his goal- and thus he was more than happy to fall in line and let him take control. The only ship he was personally concerned with was the Doombringer, and it would take longer to get that ship functional given that besides the Silencer, it was ancient, its tech beyond outdated.

Thankfully though, its computers still worked, and he'd managed to get someone to get him information off of it to go through on his own time. Even if the past would remain the past, he wanted to see if he could find how the ship had come to be on Iokath along with the remnants of the Eternal Fleet.

The Sith was heading back toward his quarters after a day's work when another one of Thrawn's people jumped at seeing him as though he was a ghost and quickly bowed their head, before crossing the hall to put distance between them and powerwalking until they got around the corner, at which point he could hear their steps become quicker. The fact that so many people still feared that he'd lash out was starting to grate on his nerves- especially now that he was working closely with more of them, where before he'd more or less kept to himself.

Stopping in his tracks, he took a moment and sensing Thrawn's presence off in the distance, headed in that direction.

Whatever it was the Grand Admiral was up to, it could wait. They needed to have a chat.

And honestly, they were probably overdue one, anyway. Altair did actually have a few things to talk to him about, but had been putting it off. As he often did, when he didn't see the interaction as essential.

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Thrawn had studied the specs of the Eternal Fleet and Doombringer, and was still pondering if he could take the throne out of Iokath and install it on a Star Destroyer bridge. The longer they kept the fleet from Nuso Esva, the better. With luck, he would defeat the warlord without the fleet. He was so close to finding his nemesis again, and figuring out where he had set his new base of operations.

Stent had also sent him some news from the Empire. The rebels had won a major victory at Endor, the Emperor and Darth Vader were both dead. This did not bode well for the Empire. Thrawn would worry about that once he'd taken care of Nuso Esva.

The guard at his door announced Darth Nox, and Thrawn allowed him inside. Looking up from his datapad, Thrawn regarded Altair, "Did you need something?"

"It's most certainly not a social call," Altair responded, as though that should be clear even without him needing to say so. Thrawn was, quite possibly, the closest thing he had to a friend in this time, but that did little to change the fact that he was scared of him, and that their relationship was more professional than anything else.

Of course, they'd had a few decent conversations. So who knew how that would change in the future. If it ever did. Altair felt both a push and and a pull when it came to Thrawn, something that definitely showed every once in a while.

Nothing to ponder now, at any rate.

"There are a few things I've been meaning to talk to you about."

That revealed that he'd been putting it off, of course. But he didn't think he actually needed to say that for Thrawn to realize it, once he got to speaking.

"First thing's first though- there is a lie I wish you to tell your people."

Probably not the best way to start and there was probably a better way to put it. But it was part of what had prompted him to come see him in the first place.

Thrawn regarded Altair carefully, before putting down his datapad. "Very well, tell me what you wish for me to say and I will consider it." While he trusted that Altair wasn't going to ask him to lie to his crew about something that could endanger them or prove harmful, he still felt he should take things carefully. If he judged the lie to be harmless, then he would adhere to Altair's wishes.

"I need you to let them know that I am Pantoran. You know what I am. As do those who removed my armor when I was sick, I imagine. But everyone else? I want you to lie to them on my behalf, because I'd prefer to keep my true species hidden."

Thrawn was the only person he was scared of, of course. Thrawn and those under his command who were Chiss, though he wasn't around them nearly as much. But it was still a secret worth keeping- a lie he would prefer to hide behind.

"My hope is that when your people can see my expressions, they won't fear me as much. Fear is a useful tool, of course. But I terrorizing my allies with my presence isn't something I enjoy doing."

It wasn't new, exactly. People had feared him in his own time, too. Especially those in the Alliance who'd originally been with the Republic. But they'd overcome their fear of him quickly. Altair couldn't help but wonder if this was how the Chiss in his Alliance had felt though, considering how he'd never quite gotten over his fear of them.

If that was the case, he felt sorry for them now, even though it was much too late.

"Sensing their fear whenever I so much as pass by them is starting to grate on my nerves as well."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow at Altair, mulling over the request. It was a relatively harmless lie, though Thrawn wasn't sure why he didn't want to just tell everybody that he and Thrawn were of the same race. Why go through the trouble of pretending to be another race of blue-skinned alien?

"Very well. I will let my crew believe that you are a Pantoran, and you may then go about without armor while on my ship."

Looked at his datapad again, "On an intellectual level, many understand that you are not Lord Vader, but you are indeed still intimidating in your armor and you evoke the image of a Sith while wearing it. If you believe this may raise their comfort level, then so be it."

Perhaps it was an unnecessary lie. But it was a comfortable one. After all, he'd spent a lot of years pretending to be a blind Pantoran. He had spent a relatively short time being comfortable with being Chiss- if he ever had been comfortable with it. His choice to be openly himself hadn't been one he'd made for himself, after all.

That had been Arcann unknowingly revealing it to the entire galaxy when Altair had ceased to be simply Darth Nox and had become the Outlander instead.

"I assume you'll do the same when it comes to the Chiss who follow you."

Thrawn himself had said that had he known, then he would have approached him as a fellow Chiss back when they first met. Altair didn't know if that was how all Chiss felt about their own species, but he didn't want to find out, either. Or rather, he wanted to know, but also didn't want any unfamiliar Chiss getting anywhere near him and if this odd preference or loyalty or whatever it was was endemic to all of them, then if they knew, he could only assume they'd be curious at the very least.

Altair wondered if Thrawn realized that it was fear that held him back, or if he didn't realize. It was still difficult to know what Thrawn was thinking. He also wondered if any records or art had survived of how he liked to present himself in the past- though it was so long ago now that it was unlikely, he supposed.

"Theirs. And my own, as well."

His own was less important, but still.

"That brings me to the second thing I wished to speak to you about. That Stormtrooper Commander you brought along to Iokath. I believe he is a fitting candidate for the training we've spoken about before."

"I will them them as well." Though there was no guarantee that they would all buy it. Parck and Stent were clever men, and there was the chance that they would figure out that Altair was a Chiss like Thrawn. They would likely ask him about it, and Thrawn would explain why Altair asked him to falsify his species. He could easily convince them to go along with it.

"Commander Balkin, yes, and I agree." The Commander hadn't been too scared to speak up around Altair, after all. "I wish for Captain Dagon and Admiral Parck to train with you as well."

"Very well. Just warn them that the training will not be pleasant. Not because I don't want to go easy on them, but because- like I mentioned before- I can only teach them in the way I myself was taught."

He would of course go easy on them when giving them breaks. As easy as he could, at least. Altair didn't enjoy being cruel, and cruelty wasn't what the training was about, even though there were parts of it that could be taken that way. Honestly he found himself wishing he'd asked the Jedi in his own time for a few pointers about this sort of thing. But it hadn't been necessary.

The Sith and the Jedi and Force users who were neither had been plentiful back then, after all. And thus a lot of people had developed ways to deal with them, ways to get around them. But Altair couldn't recommend most of those ways either, given that they all came with their own unique risks.

"I'd say you can tell them to come talk to me if they have any concerns before we get started on this training, but I think we both know that none of them would."

"Dagon may be reluctant, but I feel that it will be good for him to go through it. Perhaps you may train Commander Balkin first, and then he may inform any others who I send to you that you will not harm them." Thrawn could reassure them all the wanted, but hearing it from someone lower ranking than him wouldn't hurt. Balkin was trusted among the other Stormtroopers.

"Very well."

That worked for him. And really, the sooner they started, the better. Altair wasn't sure if there was anything to really worry about- there were less like him around these days, after all. But better safe than sorry. And better if any possible enemy ended up being the ones being sorry than them, too.

The possibility of it happening was most certainly there, even if less likely than back in his own day.

He hesitated then, as those were the two things he'd wanted to talk about. But turning on his heel and walking back out would... Well, it didn't feel right. That strange push and pull again. His fear of Thrawn versus his desire for companionship.

"When I arrived you seemed," Busy? That seemed to be a Thrawn thing to be, he supposed- he couldn't imagine Thrawn putting his work down other than to sleep, "... Like you were preoccupied with something. Anything I should know?"

Ideally, Thrawn would want all his crew to learn to shield their minds from invasive Force-users, but they didn't have the time for that, and some might resist Altair. Therefor, Thrawn felt that it was important for two high-ranking officers like Dagon and Parck to obtain such a valuable skill.

"I received troubling news from Imperial space. The rebels have recently won a major victory over the Empire at the moon of Endor, resulting in the destruction of the second Death Star, as well as the deaths of both the Emperor and Darth Vader." He didn't sound too torn up, either because of his natural stoicism or because he honestly thought rebuilding the Death Star was a bad idea. "I fear that the Empire will not survive this loss."

"That is troubling indeed. Though this is hardly the first time an Empire has fallen. Nor do I think it will be the last."

That wasn't him being callous, though his words could certainly be taken that way. After all, his own Sith Empire had fallen time and time again. His people had been a persistent lot, of course. That hadn't necessarily been a good thing for the galaxy, but Altair had loved the citizens of the Empire. Wanted to see them succeed. It was why he had willingly bowed to Acina, and taken back his title, why he'd been filled with wrath at seeing the less forward-thinking Anathel in his seat upon his return.

Of course in this day and age he had little connection to the Empire. And the Emperor and Vader would hardly be missed.

Still, there would be a power-vacuum, and the scum of the universe would seek to take advantage, as such people were wont to do upon smelling blood in the water. He'd seen that time and again too.

"Is there anything in particular you wish to do about it? Or is it best to merely observe for now?"

Altair felt bad for the ordinary citizens, of course. Though he was sure there were planets that would hardly feel the Empire's absence, and also those that would improve for a time without its shadow looming, though who knew how long the rebel victory would keep some spirits high.

"If you have need of me for anything as well, you know you need only say the word."

Thrawn wasn't one to say 'I told you so', but he had tried to make the Emperor see that making the Endor base impenetrable would have ensured a victory, and Palpatine hadn't wanted to listen to him. He felt more disappointed than sad regarding the Emperor and Vader. Disappointed that the Emperor hadn't listened to him and had suffered the consequences. Not to mention that Palpatine would have assigned several high-ranking officers to the Death Star and Executor, and they were all dead now. Palpatine had gotten them all killed for the sake of his ego.

Worse still, the galaxy was now woefully unprepared for the inevitable invasion of the Far Outsiders.

"I have a plan, yes. Once I have defeated Nuso Esva, I will return to Imperial space and rebuild the Empire." And in the process, prepare the galaxy for what was to come. "I think I will leave Parck and the Vengeance with the Empire of the Hand, so that this part of the galaxy is not left defenseless. As for you, you are certainly welcome to accompany me when the time comes."

"I see."

Rebuilding the Empire would be better than letting the Republic rise again, Altair supposed. And an Empire led by Thrawn- or led by someone chosen by Thrawn- would be better than the Galactic Empire led by Palpatine. And while Altair had loved the Sith Empire, realized how much good it could do with rational leaders, perhaps Thrawn would create something better than that too.

Only time would tell. At the very least, while Thrawn was many things, needlessly cruel was not one of them. Altair could see potential there, too, should he choose to unite the galaxy under his own banner.

"I might. It's not as though I have anywhere else to be."

Thrawn's crew would hopefully not remain terrified of him, of course, so he could stay if that was the case. He could also go back to the planet where he'd been welcomed for a time, settle down there again until Thrawn had need of him. That wasn't very productive, though.

And he was getting used to being of use to someone again.

"You'll likely have more need of me than anyone else, at any rate."

He didn't think not having anything to do with one's time was necessarily a bad thing, he just... Didn't think it was the life for him. He needed to be doing something to keep from getting restless.

"Your help will be graciously appreciated. What the Empire needs to do is retreat and rebuild their forces, though sadly they may simply launch attacks that they cannot win simply to salve their own egos." Such was the way of many Imperials, sadly. They would sacrifice their own troopers and pilots in the name of vengeance, resulting in many losses. Thrawn could only hope that he wouldn't be too late by the time he got there.

"You are, of course, welcome to bring the Doombringer as well. I myself will take command of the ISD Chimaera when the time comes. It is commanded by a man named Giled Pellaeon, who seems to have more sense than most."

"I know a thing or two about prideful men and women, believe me. They will confuse lashing out for taking control of the situation, and end up losing more than they can afford to, and then scratch their heads and wonder why they're utterly ruined at the end of it all."

Pride wasn't a bad thing, but when pride outpaced one's abilities, when it burned away reason, then it could be disastrous. And the higher up the food chain prideful fools got, the worse for anyone under their command.

Altair felt sorry for all those whose lives would be wasted due to their idiot superiors. Not much they could do as of just now, of course, but hope that there would still be something to salvage when they got there. The common people probably wouldn't notice much difference as of just now, but if left alone for long enough, the situation could get dire.

"Assuming it's up to the current standard for ships by that time. It's still some ways off from actually being useful. I'm still going through all the information that's been pulled off of its computers, too."

Not to mention that it still needed an actual crew. Loyal to Thrawn first and him second. All in good time, of course. And he did actually need Thrawn's input there.

"I still haven't figured out how it ended up on Iokath. Back in my own time, I last saw when assisting in turning the Meridian Complex to slag on Corellia. It was on its way back to my Alliance's headquarters after that, but..."

Well, he'd disappeared soon after.

"Perhaps I should just be happy we found it, but I can't help but be curious. Maybe I should just be happy that it probably means Krovos didn't get her claws on it after my... Unfortunate second disappearance that I never returned from. It might be the past, but thinking of it in the hands of a woman happy to bomb civilians as a diversion makes me sick."

However long ago it was, he was glad that the galaxy was spared that, at least.

"Depending on how quickly we are able to defeat Nuso Esva, we may not be able to venture into Imperial space for months, possible even years." Nuso Esva had eluded him for many years already, for the warlord knew Thrawn all too well and could predict what he was about to do. Hopefully with Altair now at his side, there was an edge and a chance to defeat him soon.

"Attacking civilians is a sign of a weak tactician and leader. Better to avoid them if at all possible, and not risk them turning on you later." Which was yet another flaw with the Death Star.

"It's too bad I haven't sensed his mind before. If I had, I could probably pick up a trail and separate him from the countless people like him out there."

Darkness just felt like darkness when he touched up against all the different minds out there, after all. There were different levels of depravity, but Altair doubted Nuso Esva was the greatest evil this time had to offer. And he knew a thing or two about evil, too, considering how often it had stared him in the face.

And invaded his mind too, for that matter.

So unless it was someone familiar to him, he couldn't differentiate one mind from another in such a way. And there wasn't time for them to systematically follow up on every subtle tug in the Force, either. There was more for Altair to do than sit endlessly in meditation, and better ways for Thrawn to find his foe.

"Acina seemed to find her to be a decent enough tactician and leader to put her on the Dark Council... Though honestly, I think Admiral Ranken was the brains behind most of Krovos's victories. Not that Acina would know that given that she herself was barely fit to be Empress."

Had it not been for the state the Empire had been in. Had he not disappeared, had Marr not died. The only thing Acina had going for her was being in the right place and at the right time, and having just enough charm to win people over. And at least she had been an Empress willing to listen to his input, which had limited the amount of damage that could be done, as Krovos obeyed her Empress for fear of what would happen if she didn't, if nothing else.

"Not that I think you're wrong. I am a Sith, so perhaps I shouldn't speak of monsters, but anyone who's so... Indifferent to the lives of others, to their suffering... I can't understand it. Don't want to, either."

"You would not have gotten along with Darth Vader or the Emperor. They did not value lives as we do, as evidenced by the very existence of both Death Stars." Thrawn briefly entertained the idea of Altair replacing Palpatine as the new Galactic Emperor, but dismissed the idea, as Altair didn't seem to desire such a position. Palpatine made the galaxy more stable, but at the cost of freedom and the well-being of its citizens.

"I may know where Nuso Esva has gone. He tried to throw me off his trail, but I saw through him. He will be going to a planet many light-years away from us, and will no doubt try to lure me into a trap." He sounded so casual about it, as if this wasn't a new occurrence to him.

"I imagine not, no. Though not getting along with other Sith could be argued as being part of our code. Peace is a lie and all."

It wasn't his personal interpretation of that line, but could recognize that it could be used as a justification for hatred of others, and he could see Palpatine and Vader using it as justification for all they did. Unlike the Jedi and the code that set them on their narrow paths, the Sith code was more a set of vague guidelines rather than rigid rules to follow by the letter.

He also recognized that the galaxy was a lot less stable, but stability won through fear, through robbing people of their freedom, would always be frail.

Of course he was sure he could find many more reasons to dislike those two rather than only the obvious, and without the code needing to justify it. But they were dead, and there was no use in dwelling in hatred of dead men, nor in worrying about whether or not he would have been able to get along with them. It wouldn't be an issue, going forward. Whatever their plans had been, they didn't matter now.

"I see. I've wandered my way willingly into a few traps before and lived to tell the tale, but... What are you going to do?"

Altair wouldn't say that Thrawn necessarily seemed to be so much more careful than him. But he would say that unlike himself, Thrawn seemed like he'd try to plan ahead before rushing into the unknown, something that Altair rarely had done. Whatever it was Thrawn was planning though, Altair would offer his support.

"I will need to gather more data before I make my decision. However, if it turns out that falling for his trap is the best course of action, I may still be able to surprise him." Thrawn began to pace, his hand going to his chin in thought. "He knows that I do not sacrifice my crew and troops and would never send them to their demise by having them go into a trap in my stead. Therefor, he will expect me to go into his trap. What he will not expect is you."

He wanted to keep Altair's presence a secret from Nuso Esva for as long as possible. But if the best course of action was to send Altair into action, then they could plan for it.

"Why do I suddenly feel as though I'll have my work cut out for me in the future?" Altair asked, though it was a comment made mostly in jest. After all, wandering into a trap willingly was something he had just said he had done too. Of course, unlike Thrawn, he was Force sensitive, and could survive much that most could not.

But then, where the Force was Altair's blade to cut through anyone stupid enough to try and trap him, perhaps Thrawn's intelligence was his armor that allowed him to stand victorious even in the face of his nemesis' trap.

"But if you wish for me to walk into this trap with you, you only need to say the word. It is, after all, what I am here for."

Being a weapon for Thrawn to use against his foes was, at any rate.

"That is not your only reason for being here, Altair." Thrawn also considered him valuable because he provided a window into the past, which was just as valuable. He also valued him for his advice and council, just as he valued it from Parck and others.

"Nonetheless, I will weigh my options once I have more information. I would prefer to keep your powers a secret from him for as long as possible. Sometimes the key to defeating an enemy is not just their lack of information, but their unawareness that they lack vital information." Though if Nuso Esva found out about Altair and what he could do, they still had the Doombringer, Eternal Fleet and Iokath, things he was also unaware of.

"Isn't it? What else am I here for? To look pretty?" Altair asked, with just a little bit more snark to his voice. He knew, of course, how he was valuable. A window to a past that barely existed any more- all that he'd once known crumbled to dust. The particularly opinionated voice of a former leader, too, though Altair didn't think he usually shared anything that Thrawn hadn't thought of himself.

The man was, after all, exceptionally clever.

Altair had asked him once before, if anything would truly have been different had Thrawn known he was Chiss from the start. Perhaps if he'd met him as a Chiss first, they wouldn't be here talking like this. Perhaps Altair would have spun a lie had things been different, and they would have gone their separate ways.

"You know where to find me when you figure it out. For now, I should meditate."

There was still more to do, of course. But he needed a bit of downtime before returning to work.

"... And I'll leave it to you to inform Commander Balkin about the training."

Altair thought that among Thrawn's people, Thrawn was the only one who was currently able to have him show up unannounced without having a heart attack. So it was better if Thrawn took care of that bit.

"Of course. I will inform you when I am ready to send him to you for training," Thrawn nodded at Altair, watching him leave. Once he was gone, Thrawn called Balkin into his office. Balkin was wary of Thrawn's proposal, since speaking his mind to a Sith was one thing and accepting training from one was another thing. Thrawn assured him that it was going to be worth it, and he was going to send others to Lord Nox in due time for the same training. In the end, Balkin agreed to it.

Thrawn brought up Altair on the comm, "My Lord, I am sending Commander Balkin to you. When you have finished, please inform me."

"Understood," Came the short reply, the sound of his voice suggesting that he wasn't wearing his helmeted mask.

Two hours. The first training session took two hours. The training wasn't gentle, and Balkin was pale as a ghost by the end of it- though while the training wasn't gentle, Altair very much was. After each unsuccessful attempt the man made to fight off Altair's control, Altair let him have a breather.

He gave him water, soothed him best as he could, for he knew that the training was akin to a waking nightmare. To have a Sith control one's fear was a terrifying thing. But the man stuck it out, and at the end, Altair could at the very least feel him trying to resist his control, trying to lash out and regain his senses.

It would take more training- but Altair had been correct in that he was a good candidate. At the end of it, he sat with the man- taking him through breathing exercises that would help him find his center. When Balkin left, Altair sensed tiredness in him, but no fear of him.

How interesting.

He took an additional ten minutes to himself, before calling Thrawn up, as had been requested.

As Altair trained Balkin, Thrawn looked at artwork. Nuso Esva was very careful to never let Thrawn see any artwork he collected, knowing full well how Thrawn's mind worked. But he could still look at the artwork of worlds he had previously targeted and even conquered, to look for patterns in what sort of world the warlord would next target.

At Altair's comm call, he replied, "I trust the training went well?"

"It did. More sessions will be necessary. But I was right that he's a good candidate for it. By the end I could already feel him trying to fight off my control."

Not quite there yet- it would likely take several sessions more- but it was promising. Altair had no doubt that Balkin would be able to master keeping a Sith from controlling him through fear, and perhaps he could even be taught to keep a Sith out of his head completely. Only time would tell.

"He should be allowed some rest for now. When Captain Dagon and Admiral Parck are ready to start their training, you only need to let me know. Though I assume they'll want to have that chat with Balkin first."

"Very good. Indeed, I will have Balkin speak with them, and they may be more willing to see you then. Balkin will also speak with his Stormtroopers and ask if anyone wishes to undergo training with you. Until then, he will doubtless need rest." He couldn't imagine the training was gentle or pleasant. "You may have the rest of the afternoon off until then."

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So the Sith and the Chiss Found a Fleet of Warships

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