So the Sith and the Chiss Found a Fleet of Warships

[kallig]

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and it would take longer to get that ship functional given that besides the Silencer, it was ancient, its tech beyond outdated.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.

Comments

[kallig]

"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.

[admiralchiss]

"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."

[kallig]

"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.

[admiralchiss]

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?"

[kallig]

"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."

[admiralchiss]

"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."