"I see," Thrawn had gained his brother back, but Altair would probably never see his again. There was some sad irony about that. He knew what it was like to lose a bond like that. "Such feelings are not easy."

Altair was opening up to him, just as Thrawn did. It really said something about how comfortable they had become around one another, when before Altair hadn't even wanted Thrawn to know they were of the same species.

Of course, Thrawn knew that there was a chance that Altair would return to that planet, use the time travel magic again, and return to his own time, so that he could reunite with his own brother. If that happened, Thrawn wasn't sure how he would react.