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."
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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."