Work Text:
It took a while for the signal to connect.
Several hours passed during the night cycle while Thrawn waited for Admiral Ar’alani to activate the connection on her end, several hours Thrawn should have spent sleeping, though he rarely did anymore.
He didn’t need as much sleep as many of his peers, but he was admittedly sleeping less than even what he needed.
Lately he’d found that when he lay down to rest, he could not shut off his mind, could not turn off the worries that plagued him.
And he knew it would only get worse.
Thrawn’s transmitter chimed, indicating that the signal had connected.
“Mitth’raw’nuruodo,” said the woman on the other side, and Thrawn marveled at how long it had been since he last heard her voice, “I admit I was surprised to see your communication request.”
Many years passed with nothing more than brief mission reports sent on encrypted frequencies. Even the sound of Cheunh had become unfamiliar to him.
“Indeed,” he said, “but this is a matter that necessitates a conversation.”
“I see,” Ar’alani said, her voice tight. “Have you finally realized it is time for you to come home?”
Home. Thrawn did not know what that meant anymore. Surely the Ascendancy was his home? And yet he couldn’t remember the precise color of the sky on Naporar, or what the accents on Rentor sounded like. The Empire wasn’t his home, he knew that.
He couldn’t help wondering if perhaps home wasn’t a place at all, but—no that line of thought was not constructive.
“My mission is not yet complete,” he said. There was too much he still needed to do. More power he could amass. Power he could bring to the aid of the Ascendancy when they needed it. And they inevitably would.
Ar’alani hissed out a breath. “I suppose not,” she said, and Thrawn was sure he did not imagine the bitterness in her tone. “What is it you need?”
Thrawn swallowed. “I cannot return. However I would like to send someone to you, someone who I believe can be of great use to you.”
“What?” Ar’alani asked, her voice surprised. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn’t that.
“My aide,” Thrawn said, feeling an odd tightness in his throat, “he has served with me for many years, since the beginning of my time in the Empire. He is a mathematical savant. He could be the key to solving the problem of our sky-walkers losing their sight.”
Ar’alani was silent for several moments. “Your aide,” she mused. “A human?”
“Yes,” Thrawn confirmed. “Though I trust him with my life.”
It was indeed true. Eli Vanto had saved Thrawn’s life on countless occasions. But it was more than that. Of course it was.
Ar’alani hummed. “And you think his mathematical skills could solve a problem that the Ascendancy has been unable to for centuries?”
“I do.”
Ar’alani seemed skeptical. “This is the only reason you wish to send him to me?”
Thrawn considered her question. He could confirm, of course, and it wouldn’t be a lie. But it had been so long since he could be truly honest with another living person. “I believe his presence on my ship will soon constitute a threat to his safety. And to mine.”
“So have him promoted. You are an admiral now, are you not?”
Thrawn said nothing for several moments, and finally, Ar’alani nodded.
“But you do not want to promote him within the Empire. You want to send him to us.”
Thrawn dipped his head in affirmation. “I do genuinely believe his skills can be put to great service in the Ascendancy. His presence could perhaps in some way make up for my absence.”
Ar’alani scoffed. Thrawn knew where she stood on the issue of his prolonged stay in Lesser Space. In many ways he agreed with her. But he could not leave yet.
“Please,” he said softly.
“This human,” Ar’alani said, her voice soft, “is he worth it?”
He thought of Eli, one room over, asleep soundlessly in Thrawn’s bed, and his chest ached. “Yes,” Thrawn confirmed. “He is.”