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Chapter Text

Six years since the formation of the Galactic Empire
Pantora

Golden eyes stared up at the Star Destroyer that rested in orbit. Even from here she could see the black snakes coiling up the bottom. The design foreign to her but unmistakable in the firelight as the echo of blaster fire went throughout the city. As she passed a reflective glass wall she stared at her face. Blue skin, long white hair, bright golden eyes. She looked like everyone else on the moon except for the obvious lack of golden tattoos on her face. It had been more of a personal choice for Kieya to not get the tattoos. She had been taken from the planet to be a Jedi. She had no memories of this place as an infant or toddler. She had no reason to come back to the planet of her birth. Not until the Clone Wars had happened and the power in the Galacy shifted. She could feel them rush through the city and her memories faded to the sound of blaster rifles. The Stormtroopers that were the current incarnation of the Clones. The Republic had fallen in fire to the machinations of the Sith.

A flinch left her lithe form as she set her hand on the cylindrical object that was a death sentence to even carry. Kieya Ravok had hoped that disappearing into the planet of her birth would save her. Enough so she could regroup and plan where to go from here. She supposed it was lucky she had never fought in the Clone Wars though a lot of her fellows had been called back into service. The Exploration Corp and that of the other corps were considered secondary under the weight of one of their own becoming a Sith. Another flinch left her as she felt and heard the explosion near where she hid. The open fighting in the streets was not what they had wanted when the debates began. Or when Kyber crystals were discovered on Orto Plutonia. That had been the beginning of the end as the Empire took notice of such a resource. It seemed only a matter of time till the tension snapped and fighting broke out. She had tried to help as well as she could but this fighting was not going to go the way they wanted. "Senator Chuchi," she whispered to the woman whose only response was to flinch as she approached.

The finery of an Imperial Senator gone as the Empire invaded their planet to back up the Imperial minded of the Patorans. Kieya never should have come here or ended up under Riyo Chuchi's protection but the girl had been convincing and kind. "I am not a Senator anymore," she whispered as the gold marks on her face twisted with her revulsion. Kieya had thought the younger Pantoran was a naive and innocent beauty in their first meeting. Now such thoughts faded with each explosion of the Empire's weapons and each death the rebels had taken. "At least I will not be by the end of this," the Senator added with a sigh as she looked out at the city. The icy marshland surrounded more and more by the smell of spent blaster cartridges. The innocence fading to a cold certainty twisted by the realities of life. The realities of death.

"You could surrender?" She advised with the wisdom of the Jedi Order in her tone but it was false. "The Empire is too fresh and powerful to fight directly. Even with my help." Though her help had faded more and more as exhaustion warred on her spirit. Her ability to inspire the resistance a foolish effort under all the weight of the forces under the Empire's control. But she had grown close to all of the members that made up the Republican leaning faction. Kieya never wanted them to die. Though Force inspired morale could truly only go so far. She saw their defeat and perhaps that inspired the resistance fighters to turn pessimistic. Their names painted in the same light as the Confederacy years ago. "Give me up?" She added and Riyo's eyes blazed the color of the Sun.

"Never!" She hissed as her hands tightened into fists. "You are one of us and I would never give you up." The Senator's thoughts, in increasing regularity when dealing with her, went always to the Togruta Jedi Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. She knew her more through reputation and Republic stories than in person which was not a surprise considering her path in life. Kieya had been resolved to always be a Jedi Seeker and traveling distant stars with others. To care for the children not good enough to become Jedi Knights though their recruits faded with the war. The Jedi needing numbers to hold back the Separtists. But the Force was silent with any hope of the future or her path in it. Choking her sight as if she was surrounded by a blizzard and miasma. "I cannot submit to these...," Chuchi hissed and finished with a swear that was decidedly not meant for polite conversation. Her feelings raw and filled with a burning hatred that made Kieya flinch at it.

Kieya looked back up at the snakes under the Star Destroyer as it stopped any and all retreating vessels. The second one after tensions had heated up and exploded. The added numbers and tactics hard for her to keep up with in her meditations. She hated the Force was so silent but the Empire was closing in. "I cannot offer any advice on what to do," she whispered with a sad smile at Riyo who stood grimly like a veteran. Her purple hair tied tightly to the base of her skull in a bun while her eyes hardened like durasteel. "The Force is silent and dark. Do what is best for your people, Senator."

"Our people, Kieya," Riyo said with a smile that was all teeth and fierce determination. "You are one of us. Can you use the Force to inspire us one last time?" Kieya considered the request and the Star Destroyer in orbit. It was a losing struggle and pointless in the long run in the face of such numbers. Not helped by the increasing number of Pantoran's who wanted the Empire here. Pantora was divided between multiple different leaders and ideals. It was suffocating under it. "Kieya?" Riyo Chuchi asked her at her silence cutting off her darker thoughts.

"Riyo," she answered and looked at the younger woman full on. "I am unsure how well I can help now but I will do what I can." She heard the blaster shots and the yells as the echo of armored feet went throughout the frozen marsh. It was a pointless struggle but she would do what she could for them. Her people Riyo had called them and for the first time she could almost believe it. These people that had seen her Pantoran features and took her in. Even with the lightsaber hidden under her clothes but in a place she could reach it. The mark and symbol that was a target for death or capture. She had never found her mother and father. Riyo had offered but she had refused. What would they do with the child they had given up. "Do not make yourself a martyr," she advised at the end in a faint whisper. "You can help more of our people while alive."

"Even behind an Imperial cell?" Riyo Chuchi asked as she reached for the blaster pistol that rested on her hip. Another necessity that had been hard to learn but was now easy to keep. She had her own blaster pistol but it was more for her disguise. Being a Jedi was illegal after all. Again the Senator's thoughts went to Ahsoka and it felt rude to intrude on that. Riyo deserved her peace and how she was going to honor her friend. Even if it would lead to death or prison. "I made a promise," she added and Kieya followed her back into the headquarters that had quickly sprung up for this rebellion. A rebellion that would last one glorious week before they would be crushed under the foot of tyranny. All to take the crystals from the Talz on Orto Plutonia.

Kieya sat down in the darkness of the room as Riyo Chuchi and the biggest leaders of the rebellion set up. They were pushed back into a cage and that was when animals struck back. Her golden eyes slipped shut behind blue lids as she sank into the murky depths of the Force. It was easy to grasp the strands of those who were fighting. Their desperation sang into the Force as she latched on to them to inspire their victory. Though it seemed hopeless she would inspire them to fight. To fight this losing battle as the Empire and the traitorous Pantoran's pushed to stamp it out. The Force fought her and so did her exhaustion or losing belief in victory. With half an ear she heard the explosion of the door in their base.

"Senator Riyo Chuchi," a voice called with a strange accent but well-spoken basic. She heard him clearly through the door and could feel the force outside the door. She also felt a nascent dark side energy that could only be one thing. "You are wanted for Imperial questioning for inspiring rebellious activity," the voice continued even as the Pantorans pointed their blasters at him. Grim determination to fight and die. "Please lower your weapons before more people die," the voice added and Kieya felt that dark presence latch on and feel her. The cold presence of the dark side abruptly ending her meditations. She grasped the threads before it faded sending one last wave of comfort. The advice to hide and plan instead of going down in a blaze of glory.

"Where is the Jedi?" A voice called with a sibilant hiss of a Coruscanti accent. It seemed the game was up and the ending notes would be played. Her lightsaber was a comforting weight and so was Riyo's defiance to the end. Smoothly, Kieya stood and left the door as she approached the meeting place. Riyo's lips were turned down into an almost snarl as the four Pantorans echoed her fiery rebelliousness. Her gold eyes met glowing red first. His blue skin marking him as Pantoran until she glanced closer. The white officer outfit and combat helm fitting him well along with those glowing eyes. Her second notice was the red robed Inquisitor whose eyes glowed a soft yellow. The Dark Side corrupting him as a toothy smile was sent her way. His tendrils seeking her decidedly held at bay. "I felt you and your disgusting influence inspiring these fools," he hissed with a victorious grin as his hands held the black cylindrical object she knew well.

The kyber crystal within crying in pain and broken. "I will never give into tyrants," Riyo Chuchi called and the others answered. Rebellious fervor increased by the heavy handed Imperial might at their door. The man dressed in white, who was not Pantoran even with the skin, only scowled but his eyes trailed to her's interested. Her hands holding her lightsaber with the means to activate it as the explosive feeling of combat came through.

"What do you mean 'inspired', Inquisitor?" He asked with his decidedly exotic accent even if he held a high rank in the Empire. The Inquisitor's dark side corrupted eyes flickered to the Imperial commander even as a red blade snapped to life. His smile dark and promising pain as he pointed the blade down.

"She was using the force to inspire the rebellion to victory," The Inquisitor said with a smirk. "It was why I was sent here to apprehend her, Grand Admiral. Come quietly, Jedi, you have an appointment." The threat, as it stood, served to send that chill of fear down her spine. What the Inquisitor did unintentionally reveal was that her presence was what brought them here. On top of the numbers and the corruption of pessimistic realization of loss. The threat of said 'appointment' with the Sith had her blade igniting in a blaze of yellow light. With that the combat and battle was started. The Stormtroopers started to shoot at the Pantorans as they dived but feared to shoot towards their lightsaber dance.

Five years of no practice seemed to be a detriment along with her exhaustion but Kieya fought the Inquisitor with all she had. For a couple minutes they sliced and danced their blades across each other before a shot echoed in the room. The scream and pain of Riyo bringing her up short as she paused to look that way. The Grand Admiral stood over the Senator kicking the blaster out of the way before aiming at the Senator's head. "Lower your weapon," the voice was cold and ruthless but she felt his obvious desire to crush this rebellion without spending more lives. The stunned forms of the other rebellion fighters laying where they had fallen. Stunned but alive except for the pain echoing from Riyo's shoulder as gold eyes met her own. The begging look sent behind gritted teeth.

The red blade pointed at her along with the Inquisitor's smirk as the blade matched the Grand Admiral's eyes. They about glowed the same hue. "Kieya," Riyo whispered and she flinched at the sound and her chaotic swirl of emotions. She knew Riyo wanted to fight until the very end but she could not. She was weak but after six years Riyo was right. These were her people and she could not let yheir deaths sit on her mind. With a flinch her thumb hit the button to turn it off and the lightsaber was quickly yanked from her hands. With a nasty smile from the lean human Inquisitor he ran his fingers over her lightsaber. The comforting song of her crystal faded as the binders were quickly slapped over her wrists.

"I am sorry, Riyo," she whispered to her. "This is all my fault..." Riyo shook her head but the blue skinned Grand Admiral approached with a tight smile. Though, 'smile' was generous considering the small uptick of his lips. He looked at her with an inscrutable look as if she was a puzzle he needed to figure out. She watched as all the people she had learned to love were pulled and dragged away. The gold eyes of her friend the last she saw as everyone was pulled away till she was the last.

"Prepare the Chimaera," he ordered the man on his left dressed as an officer. His brown hair shaggy against his tan skin. A datapad in his hands as he sent off the orders as the Inquisitor stepped close like a really proud child. Glowing red eyes met her's before he sharply turned and a gloved hand shoved her forward. The white clothed Imperial Admiral and the black and red Inquisitor all she could see as they pushed her along. The echoes of fighting starting to fade as they lost her direction and the overwhelming might of the Imperial forces.

I.S.D. Chimaera
Three hours after Rebellion on Pantora

"And why should I give up such a valuable asset from my Inquisitors?" The raspy voice of the man on the hologram broke the silence from where Thrawn had set it up. His office quiet except for the hum of the holoprojector and the human next to him. His whispered request had echoed in the room as the Inquisitor's hands had tightened. His breathing had increased and his eyes had widened in obvious surprise. Or was it fear? Considering who they were talking to and the question he had asked it could be both. Beneath his heavy black cloak the Emperor raised his head so his scarred face could be clearly seen. Even beneath the electronic colored pattern of the projector he could easily see the yellow and red eyes that marked the Emperor as different.

Grand Admiral Thrawn had to be one of only a few that knew the truth of the Emperor's identity as Darth Sidious. A fact that he knew about and worked around just as much as he knew that Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker. The Emperor was curious and amused at his request he could tell since he was asking questions. That meant his request for the Jedi would be approved. "Her talent in inspiring the rebellion on Pantora was enough to summon my forces as well as the planetary ones," he reasoned as his hands rested behind his back in a stance of respect. The Inquisitor stayed blissfully quiet with his head lowered in obvious deference to his Master. "Under my command that skill could increase my strategies by a considerable margin. Her skill is better spent as an asset under my control."

He watched the scarred and broken lips of the Emperor raise as he finished his points as succinctly as possible. The Jedi's skill had let the rebellion on her planet grow to a considerable margin. Not enough to fully stop him with his combined forces but enough they lasted longer than was natural. The Senator and the other Pantorans caught under his command as well as the fighting died down. Other assets to be used and controlled as needed. "And how will you ensure she stays under control?" The raspy voice asked but he took it to mean the Emperor saw strength in his argument. He had enough broken Jedi after all. What was one who only had a skill in, what the Emperor called, Battle Meditation?

"Simple, Your Highness," he answered with a small uptick of his lips into a smile. "I will keep her friends in answer and will kill them if she disobeys." A ruthless answer he knew a Sith Lord would enjoy. He would not enjoy such a ruthless task but he would accomplish it to keep the Jedi under his control. Already his mind was going through multiple different ways to test the extent of her 'battle meditation'. The Emperor leaned back with a huff of a laugh before rubbing his chin. The black cloak covered his face in shadow, even in a holocall, as he considered his request. Thrawn slipped his eyes from the Emperor to the red and black robed Inquisitor. His yellow eyes only on the Emperor waiting for his determination. His lips twisted into a frown but he said nothing to show his irritation at the request.

"Very well," The Emperor finally said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You are responsible for her...obedience. I look forward to your reports of how much she increases your strategies." Thrawn bowed his head even as excitement settled across his mind before it was banished under pragmatism. First, he had to break the Jedi into agreeing to serve him and then he had to test the extent of her powers. "Inquisitor, you will come back to Coruscant," the Emperor commanded and then the room went silent as the call was disconnected. He watched the human move up from his long sweeping bow at the Emperor's command.

"Her lightsaber," he said as he held out his hand. The Inquisitor gave one faint sneer before the cylindrical object was set in the palm of his hand. The object itself was a work of art. Slim silver metal edged in black and leather cord with symbols carved into every side in neat orderly rows. He would need to ask her about them after he got her to serve him. Such a power would benefit him quite well and one day, perhaps, he would win her loyalty. All in good time. First, he had to secure her obedience to him and only him. "Inquisitor, It has been an enjoyable time," he added meeting the eyes of the man.

The Inquisitor only snorted before shaking his head. "Sure you do not need help in breaking the Jedi?" He asked with an oddly hopeful edge to the question. He knew the Emperor and his force sensitive subjects enjoyed causing pain but such rampant sadism served no one. He also found such delight to be distasteful and a waste of valuable time. It was a tool to be used and nothing more. Though, he knew he would have to be ruthless to his new asset he would take no pleasure in it. Results were all he was interested in and the power it would bring. Her battle meditation would serve his troops and his strategies well. He knew exactly what to say and do to get her to be obedient.

"Somethings I would rather handle myself, Inquisitor," he answered with a nod towards the man before stepping out of the room. A dismissive statement that was as polite as he could make it. He would be happier once the Inquisitor was off his ship and they were headed to Wild Space. Eli Vanto quickly took his place by his side as Thrawn felt another half smile come to his face. "Have them prepare to leave the planet, Lieutenant," he said as his hands wrapped behind him as he walked. His black boots echoing on the well polished floor of his ship. "I will be in my office."

"Yes, Grand Admiral," Vanto said with a nod and a muted twang of his wild space accent. After six years in the Imperial Navy it had started to temper into a more Core World's accent but it would never fully disappear. Just like his accent never would. A mark of what made them different. With a wordless sigh he sat into his office chair to look at the lightsaber in his grip. A relic of an order and time that had passed but it was a work of art. He could easily picture her blue hands at work making the lightsaber into something one of a kind. The care and love she had spent on the design. She had all but danced while fighting the Inquisitor even with a skill that was rusted from time.

Chapter Text

I.S.D. Chimaera

It had felt as if she had not slept in days as she sat in the cell of the Star Destroyer. She had felt the planet disappear as she sat in the shuttle with the white clothed Grand Admiral. The Inquisitor, dressed in red and black, was brimming with barely disguised malice. She would like to believe she would have won the fight if she had not been threatened with Riyo's death. If the blue skinned Grand Admiral had not shot her in a non-fatal spot so all she felt was her pain. A whispered threat to drop her weapon as she felt Riyo's pain in the Force. Within hours the fighting had stopped and Pantora fell quiet as the rebellion was pulled into the shadows to die. The Empire setting up patrols for 'public safety' while she was quickly packed off to one of the Star Destroyers in orbit. The darkness around her was ever present and unknown but what rest she did get was fitful.

Kieya expected to be dragged off with the Inquisitor for interrogation but nothing happened. She had no way of telling time but it felt like hours or even days but she was left alone. The bed was hard and she had a fresher to relieve herself but that was it. The silence of her cell was unnerving but she could just barely feel Riyo and the others on the planet. This far she could not feel their emotions or maybe she did not want to. They were no doubt being tortured for their crimes. Perhaps even executed. The words of her masters entered her skull but she could not follow their faceless commands to surrender her emotions. They were dead and the Jedi were destroyed. The children were dead or twisted into terrible servants. Kieya expected to be sent off to the Emperor or Darth Vader. The silence of her cell was wearing on her and the force was still silent. Silent and cold.

The humming of the ship continued and life aboard the Star Destroyer picked up. She could vaguely feel them move as the ship was prepared. When it jumped into hyperspace and her connection to Riyo vanished she felt a part of her leave her heart. Such care for them would not serve her and it was better to bury it. White eyelashes on blue skin closed over her golden eyes as her heart beat against her breast. Fear. That was the oily and disgusting feeling twisting her organs in a fist. Why did she stop? She never should have hid on Pantora. But after the Clones killed the children where else was she to go? An old wound that was still sensitive. The murder of all the Exploration Corp except for her and probably a few others. How quickly Palpatine set up the Inquisitors to hunt down the rest of the Jedi made them hide.

The Dark Side rose and smothered the light. Her fate would now be to join his Inquisitors or to die. Kieya would like to say she would be strong and defiant enough to refuse and die. She was not. The door opened with a rush of air as she looked up at the three men in front of her. The Stormtrooper on the Officer's right holding a pair of binders. "On your feet," the Coruscanti accent of the officer barked with a sneer on his face. His eyes dark and so was his hair. The ship had just gone into Hyperspace and she was being pulled into an interrogation? She stood and held out her wrists as was expected. They tightened it too tight and she was pushed away from the brig. The way silent except for their boots on the pathways.

A hand roughly pushing on her shoulder if she seemed to be slow. The metal of the binders pressed against her pale blue skin as an extra irritant. The Star Destroyer moved on and the fear was pushed back. Not in anyway to surrender it to the Force as her Master taught her. It was enough for her to focus on the torture to come. They stopped suddenly in front of a black door as the officer cleared their way. It was no cruel torture chamber awaiting her with a darkly smiling human. The quiet of the office in front of her was stark with that realization. The Grand Admiral who had blue skin and glowing red eyes glanced up before standing smoothly. Smoothly, like a predatory animal he stepped around the desk to approach her. Behind him her lightsaber glimmered on his desk like a beacon. Kieya could not tell if this was better or worse than her expectations of torture by a Dark Side practitioner. "Remove her bindings," the breathy and oddly accented voice of the Admiral cut through her shock. "And leave us."

"Sir?" The officer asked though he did not say his full question. The troopers grabbing their rifles and their defensive posture clear enough. She was a Jedi. To leave her alone with their commanding officer right where she could collect her weapon. Or use her strange powers. Their wariness and thoughts were well telegraphed for her to pick up even as exhausted as she was. "The Jedi..."

"Will do nothing," he cut off the officer as those red eyes met her golden. Kieya's lips closed after her small show of surprise but she said nothing. Even as the closest trooper removed her bindings and blocked her sight of the man in white. "Even if she could harm me there is no way she could pull the ship out of hyperspace or escape," he added and his head tilted as his eyes swept over her body. It was piercing and uncomfortable but she held back the desire to squirm. "Leave us, Lieutenant," he added and the officer snapped to attention. Kieya stood her ground as the last of her escorts disappeared through the door but she met his gaze with as much willpower as she was able. It felt more like an ill fitting mask than actual truth. "Sit," he whispered motioning to the chair across from his desk.

She had considered, for a moment, refusing the command to sit. To show some rebellion and defiance towards the man who, so far, held her life in his hand. The office was darkly furnished like most of the ship in hues of black and white. Militaristic in its splendor with yellow electric lights covering his room. It would be a pointless fight to be defiant over something so small. Kieya sat down in the uncomfortable chair as he spine refused to relax in his presence. She read nothing from his face and even his emotions in the Force were muted. In the midst of the fighting and the chaos she had never been able to observe him. She had a chance now but exhaustion still warred at her spirit. The Force would be no help to her at this point in time. "I expected the Inquisitor," she murmured to banish the quiet intensity of his stare and the silence around their observations.

"He is on the way to Coruscant," the man answered promptly though he offered nothing else to the conversation. Kieya drew the conclusions from what he did not say. If the Inquisitor was on his way to Coruscant but they were not then that meant the ship was headed some place else. Where were they going then? Why was she spared a fate worse than death? Kieya watched his blue hand wrap around her lightsaber and toy with its construction. His fingers rubbing over every etch she had carved into it's design and pressing against the song she missed. An echo long past raised her hackles.

"This lightsaber is a symbol and a tool to show what you are, padawan."

"A place we are not headed to?" She asked a tad brusquely and with a defiance she could not temper. The Grand Admiral looked at her and then to the lightsaber in his hands. A blue finger ran over the marks carved into the silver skin again tracing a symbol. The desire to summon her blade was all encompassing. To have that blade back where it belonged. It jumped in his hand and he reflexively tightened on it. A look sent her way that was one part chiding and the other amused before it stilled.

"No, we are not headed to Coruscant, Miss. Ravok," he said finally as crimson hued eyes rested squarely on her golden orbs. The ship still hummed underneath her feet with the evidence of them going through hyperspace. Away from Pantora but hurtling through space to someplace else. "The Emperor has graciously agreed to give you to me," he added with the same amount of emotion one would have talking about the weather. The casual bluntness of the statement made her feel as if a rancor stood on her stomach. That he just said she was traded around like a package or a slave.

"As if I am a package to be passed around," she answered sharply now in full defiance. Hackles and pride rising that was unbecoming of a Jedi. The Jedi were dead and she had expected to join the Sith. Or to die. She had expected torture and death. Kieya mainly felt offended that her life had been knocked down to something so simple. The Grand Admiral shifted to lean forward over his desk as the left side of his lips went up into a smile. His show of emotions just as fake or muted as the mask of her defiance.

"You are no mere package," he answered as those eyes swept through her. They did pierce with a singular quality that was uncomfortable. As if he had power in the Force but he was just a man. A man with shifting thoughts and feelings that were alien to her. "I am not so crude to be that small minded," he added as he smoothly stood from his desk. His steps silent even with his military boots and the hard floor. Her lightsaber set back down on the desk in front of her as he stood now looking down at her. His back to her lightsaber and his red eyes looking her over. She could feel his intentions even if the strands of his mind were infinitely complex.

"But crude enough to turn me into a weapon," she hissed feeling at once on edge and raw from terrible emotions. Kieya found she missed Riyo and the others all the more. Kiotsey with his dry humor and obsession with photography. Diolrali as he learned every weapon he could and had a personality to match the hardest war veteran. He had been a Senatorial guard for Riyo since she had been elected. He had taken his job seriously. Then the last of her newfound family was Ayo who was always sarcastic. Sarcasm she had taught her. She tightened her jaw, swallowed her feelings, and met the red eyes of the Grand Admiral.

"Yes," he said finally setting his hands on the desk. "You will be my weapon. The Emperor has explained to me this power of...Battle Meditation." His chest leaned closer as her eyes caught the shine from her lightsaber from where it sat. The symbols etched into the silver casing all the more eye catching in his office. At the same time his rank plaque also shined in the light. The Rank of an Admiral. The white outfit edged in gold was what denoted a Grand Admiral. The most powerful men in the galaxy under the Emperor with only the Grand Moffs stepping on the same. She had learned all of this by Riyo's side. While the Galaxy descended from Chaos and into tyranny. Her blue lips and cheek twitched at his piercing stare. "You will use it for me," he added meeting her stare.

"And how will you ensure I do not turn it on you or refuse?" She asked with a tone she bet Ayo would be proud of. Or Diolrali since she was seeking out information. They had been stunned and loaded away from her sight. Her missing them felt so keen it was going to cut her. The Grand Admiral smiled again as if she was a child. She almost felt as if she was stuck in the temple again with chiding masters. A pleased and smug thing that told her she was walking the path he desired. The only way she could go it seemed since she was packed off here instead of delivered to the Sith. Kieya could not tell which was more preferable at this point in time.

"Good," he answered with a soft exhalation of breath. "Very good. The answer to that is simple, Kieya." Familiarity with her name but less formality than her family name. The Imperial database most likely? Though Riyo had been able to hide her identity for the most part she did not doubt the Emperor kept a list of every sentient trained in the Jedi Arts. Even those who were devoted to the secondary corps like she was. He did this to unnerve and it did unnerve. "Riyo Chuchi, Diolrali Rheril, Kiotsey Nitaval, and Ayo Shila will die," he said meeting her eyes unblinking. "Your friends, the ones you care about the most, will die if you disobey me."

That oily disgusting feeling of fear slid down her spine like a trail of mucous before tightening its grip. It tightened on her stomach and destroyed any appetite she had. "They are alive," she whispered before she could stop herself. "With how much the Empire enjoys shows of violence I expected their execution." A deflection that was only avoiding the inevitable and her rushing mind. Her friends and her people were still alive but now their fate was held in his grip. She hated Riyo was right about that her caring for her people. Thrawn knew exactly what she was doing but only tilted his head. One long finger tapped on his desk as she sat in the hard chair she had taken. She was tempted to stand but stayed still.

"All of them are sent to an Imperial prison and alive at my order," he said finally. "They will stay there for their crimes..." Kieya could not stop her reaction to such a statement. Her emotions getting the best of her as she made a face at the Grand Admiral. A white eyebrow twitched as his eyes swept over her face. "Something to say?" He asked in a tone that told her to stop. Her Jedi Master had used the same tone and she avoided it as smoothly as a rampaging Gundark.

"It is not a crime to defend yourself," she hissed and his own blue eyelids narrowed at her statement. His lips pressing down into a thin firm line for a moment. She had irritated him just briefly in this moment and took that as a small victory. A step forward and he moved from leaning on his desk to stand over her. An intimidating tactic that made her desire for defiance heighten.

"It is when it inspires rebellion and discontent," he answered with a voice that lowered in pitch with his obvious irritation. Kieya met his stare with a hard cast to her shoulders even as her insides quivered still from the feeling of fear. At the threat of their lives and her own.

"The Empire moved in to steal resources," she snapped at him as anger rushed through her veins. The same defiant fervor her fellows had embraced with both hands. The rush that brought about their downfall. "It is not..."

A blue hand was raised to show his palm. A symbol for silence that she hated for not ignoring. "We are escaping from the point," he cut her off with a tone that brooked no refusal. A quiet and deadly thing that showed parts of his irritation at her. "Back to the matter at hand," he continued with another step close to where she had stayed seated. His intimidating posture making her sit straight as he leaned over. "You will now serve me or I will kill them. This part is not up for debate." Though his muted emotions stayed out of her reach she did sense his determination. A seriousness Diolrali would appreciate. Her eyes glanced at the lightsaber on his desk before he smoothly stood in the path. A glare came from her that was answered with a black eyebrow raising in his seriousness.

Kieya felt her lower jaw and lip quiver as her mind and heart warred with herself. They would have rather died a martyrs death for their people but instead they were alive. Imprisoned but alive. Same as she and she was not given to the Emperor. If she refused and her friends were executed where would that leave her? One step towards broken and two steps to being taken by the Sith? Another silent step and his shadow covered her as he looked down at her. Kieya felt a shiver leave her as she lowered her gaze from him in defeat. "Do you agree?" He asked as his hand rested on the back of her chair before leaning closer.

"Yes," she whispered not looking up at him as her back slid back to touch the cold back of her chair. Cold fingers lifted her chin to force her eyes to meet his. His body dwarfing her own as she huddled against the back of her chair. Kieya felt small and with no hope of ever seeing freedom ever again.

"Yes, what?" He whispered with another twist of his lips. A truer smile than his half ones he had given previously. "Finish it," he ordered with a rough voice. "You will say it." Kieya wanted to look away from his awful red eyes and the cage she was now all but shoved into. A weapon. She was to be a weapon for him. His fingers tightened on her chin as she tried to slide away from him. Away from the admittance that she truly did not want to say. If she said it then it would be true.

"Yes, Grand Admiral," she said softly with a voice devoid of any of the conflict she felt. An urge to cry or hide fought with her desire to fight. Kieya was selfish. "I will serve you in return for their lives," she finished and his hand finally released her chin. The hand on her chair moved as he stood straight up. A pleased look on his face as his eyes glanced away from her towards the door. She watched him from behind a shield of her white hair as he moved from her. One hand gripping the other behind his back as he stepped around his desk as fluid as a dancer. Her golden eyes looked at her lightsaber before up at him as he sat back down. The ship came out of hyperspace suddenly as the hum in the ship quieted to a soft whirling. Where they were she had no idea but she had no desire to say anything. She was selfish. She had surrendered for them.

She gripped the sleeves of her long black jacket as she looked at the floor away from him. He left her alone to her thoughts as she reorganized herself and kept from interrupting her though she felt his eyes on her. The feelings of the Force needed to be surrendered into it. Her mental well-being was off kilter now but the fact remained. She had agreed to this. She was to be Thrawn's weapon as he used her Battle Meditation to his own ends. A beep went off that was quickly answered by a press of a button. A click and a crackle of coms went through the office. "Report, Captain," the Grand Admiral ordered cutting through the silence as she looked up at him.

"We have the fleet ready, Grand Admiral," a voice rough with age spoke into his office. "I have the TIE's standing by. Your orders?" Red eyes settled squarely on her as he gave a tight lipped smile. He stood from his spot with a small exhalation of breath.

"Wonderful, Captain," the Grand Admiral said and he stepped to her in two quick steps before a blue hand unfurled for her. "We shall be on the way to the bridge. Keep the pirates here. Come, Kieya, it is time to test your ability." Her gold eyes rested on the long fingered blue hand before ignoring the offer to stand on her own. She moved back instinctively but as he turned she had no excuse not to follow. She was tired. So very tired as she followed him through the Star Destroyer in a path she could not dare replicate with all the twists and turns. Her eyes only on the white clothed Grand Admiral as they walked down the black burnished hallway.

Chapter Text

A silent thrum as the yellow blade sliced through the air. The ship under her feet vibrated with the feel of the air scrubbers. The giant ship was surrounded by a flotilla of other smaller ships. Her hands raised above her head bringing the lightsaber to point towards her opponent who did not exist. A step with her left foot and her white sleeves twirled with her pulling it around. "Again," a soft voice called as her golden eyes opened. A man with golden tan skin and a wide smile met her glance. He stood taller than her by a considerable margin but she was still young. She stepped back, evened her stance, and went through the repetition again. A focus on her foot placement until her brown boots slipped on the floor. A grunt left her as she flew into a defensive posture at the feeling of free falling. She felt his brown eyes on her as her blue hand tightened on her lightsaber.

Time seemed to slow down as she used the force to get her feet under her with a twirl. A readjustment and her lightsaber rested in a backwards grip. Her blue cheeks blushed a soft indigo at her messup. "Points for creativity, padawan," her Master's voice was warm as his chuckle buoyed her embarrassed emotions. The blade made a noise as the smooth silver handle rested in her hand. "I suppose we should work on your nervousness in being observed first," he added setting his bigger hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him even as her blue cheeks stayed a soft indigo from her embarrassment. Her white hair rested over her face with the left half shaved close to her scalp. Except for the leather cord and the beads slipped in between the twine. It ended at a fang that was mirrored in her Master's own hair. The sister fang resting by his left ear. "Let me see your lightsaber, Kieya," he said and she handed it to him.

"It is...hard to perform such things feeling everyone's stare," she said to him as his thumb rand down the sides of her unmarred silver sheath. "I am sorry, Master." The man smiled with a presence that was warm and bright as the Sun. A splendor that helped ease her as the ship hummed with life. The warmth of all the Force Sensitives as they moved as one through the Galaxy. Always on the move and with only their giant ship as home. The Exploration Corp was her home now and her path went with them. Explorers, archeologists, mechanics, pilots, and navigators. It was not the Jedi Temple and she had cried at first. Thrown away to not become a Jedi Knight because she was too old. A fear every youngling had in the Temple that they would never be picked as good enough.

"We will work on it," her Master said and tightened on her shoulder in a comforting weight. "You must block out all but your own feelings, Padawan." Her lightsaber was held back to her and he nodded his head. From this angle she could see the slight bend to his nose that signified a break. A break that had no bacta and had to heal naturally. "Start again," he ordered and stepped back to the black circle around the training salle. Her blade snapped to life as she took the first stance of Shii-Cho that she had learned since she could walk in the creche. She had never been very good with a lightsaber but she had learned. To block out everyone but her own. Her eyes slipped shut as she moved to the next stage. Her Master's stare, comforting though it was, faded as she slipped away.

The bridge was silent as the Grand Admiral took his place in the midst of his command. A place that he belonged in by the way his shoulders slipped back. Dominating and in control as every officer stood at attention at his approach. Then she felt their stares as one. Humans, every one them, stared at her with bald curiosity. They never questioned her presence or why she followed at the heels of their commander. Whispered threads of disgust and fear undercut such curiosity as she felt their buried thoughts jump out. Witch. Rebel. Traitor. Pet. Her head lowered at the mental abuse as her steps only faltered a second before she moved to follow the Grand Admiral like a lost deer. She had agreed to this choice though it felt like no choice at all.

Red eyes glanced at her as they made their way to the viewport before focusing on the scene outside the viewpoint. Golden eyes catching on to the shaggy haired Imperial that seemed to follow Thrawn. A datapad rested squarely in his hands as he looked at her. Golden brown eyes curious before he gave her a faint, polite smile that she thought she hallucinated. A soft mind and emotions yet an undercurrent of durasteel. A kindness that should have been impossible. The second person they met was what she expected of an old war veteran. Stern and aged with an impressive black mustache edged in grey. His eyes as grey as his mood. Tempered like steel and just a gruff. "Grand Admiral," he said standing at attention. His voice, the one who had reported the situation, had cut into the silence of her thoughts. Though it was more an agonizing rush of what had happened. Those steel grey eyes looked at her, small and subdued by Thrawn's side, before dismissing her.

Red eyes glanced at the fleet assembled before him but 'fleet' was being generous for the rush of turbolasers. A pirate corsair ship was badly wounded and limping through space. Boxed in by a Star Destroyer and an Imperial Light Cruiser. "Ah my targets," the Grand Admiral whispered as he looked at the stream of fighting. The Corsair seemed to stutter and pause at the Star Destroyer that came out of Hyperspace. Dead in the water as the ship listed lifelessly. "Have the Illustrious pull back its fighters," he ordered without looking at his crew. All of their focus now on following his orders like a well oiled machine. Loyalty is what she felt. Unshakeable loyalty to their Commander and Grand Admiral. "Are our fighters ready?" He asked and received an affirmative.

She watched the TIEs scream across the port and starboard of ship like locusts leaving a rotten corpse. Their engines bright against the starlight as she watched it all. Kieya could almost feel as if she was a ghost observing this. Unimportant in the long run as he slipped into his command like a glove. Pragmatically, she knew he had skill to attain such a high rank in so little time. Even as a near human and alien. The crimson eyes of the Grand Admiral turned to her along with his whole body. She glanced up at him and she knew the command before he said it. "It is time," he said as his hand raised to the fleet in invitation. Kieya stepped close on shaky steps as the eyes stared at her in consideration. The feel of them now watching in curiosity on her purpose on the ship. Why the Grand Admiral had brought a Jedi of all things to the bridge.

A pink tongue ran across dry blue lips as she looked out at the battle field. This would be her first naval battle to inspire in such a way. It had felt different on the ground but this was what she had been sold for. Would Palpatine have wanted to nurture this skill or would he crush it to make her an Inquisitor? The what if questions circled and struck against the whirlwind that was her brain. Kieya focused on the battle at hand and at what she needed to do. A test is what he called it to see her abilities in action. In a way he could categorize and codify to fit him. The threads of his mind and the bridge crew faded as she slipped to her knees. It was safer to surrender to the Force this way as she pressed against the energy. Her own ragged emotions would hamper her but fear pushed her onward. If she failed then her friends would die and she would suffer. Focus. "There is no emotion, there is peace," she whispered as her hands rested together.

The cold of the bridge floor was quickly set aside as was the whispered thoughts of the bridge crew. They did not matter as she cast out her senses outward to the battle happening ahead. The rush of the flight beneath her hands. The resistance of the throttle and the taste of victory. An undercurrent of fear and failing the Grand Admiral. To fail the Imperial Military on such a simple task. The adrenaline and high of fighting that was tempered by training. The pilots of the TIEs were fresh and new to such a situation. The threads of their fear was quickly wrapped around her as she whispered into their ear. "You have trained for this. You have ran exercises after exercises. You are prepared to fight such a threat. They are no match for Imperial might." All things they desired to hear and to feel that bolstered feeling of morale.

An ephemeral substance every army fought with and had to maintain. Emboldened by the Force the TIEs moved through space in perfect formation. Kieya moved from them in a sweeping ethereal way as she slipped behind the defenses of the Pirates. That insidious presence that did the opposite as she did the men and women aboard their fighters. "What hope is there against the Empire? They are well organized. They can cut us to shreds. Everyone next to you is useless. Your Captain led you to your death." The words no army wanted to hear even in their heart. The skirmish was decided from outset even with her use of the Force. Her whispered presence tied everything together like a disjointed quilt but she did what she could. The whispered orders of the Grand Admiral lost into her meditations as the last pass of the fighters slipped through. She felt the fire and the death sweeping through as the corsair splintered into a thousand pieces of firelight. Their lives crushed into the void of space and fiery oblivion.

Slowly, the world came back to her in sensations. Her world aboard the bridge of a Star Destroyer decorated with twinning snakes. Her breathing was harsh in her ears as her heart beat raised against her sternum. Blood rushed through her body in a fast quantity as tingles echoed from her bottom. The cold had made her legs go numb and her body still. Mild inconveniences that added up to an uncomfortable life in reality. Her emotions had been pushed aside returned with full force nauseating her already exhausted form. "Very good," the oddly accented Basic of the Grand Admiral said as he looked down at her. She had not moved from her spot at his feet and could see the shine of his boots. Nausea fought for a grip but she pushed it back along with her desire to sleep. "Lieutenant Vanto do you have the numbers?" He asked turning his head to stare at the man in question.

The shaggy haired human next to her looked concerned at her as his eyebrows furrowed before he gave the Grand Admiral a look. "Yes, sir," he answered with a respectful nod. "Do you want them now or in your office?" The grey eyed Captain glanced once at her before ignoring her again. He did not believe in her worth like the Grand Admiral did. Perhaps it was a silver lining in an already dark sky that she was ignored in such a way. Her body felt sluggish as she focused on her breathing and the feel of her clothes on her skin. The clothes that she had not been able to change yet.

"My office please," Thrawn said before he stepped close. A hand unfurled again towards her face with an invitation to stand. To accept the gesture for what it was. It might have been polite but for her it was only a mocking testament for her new life. A weapon. A servant. A slave. All to test her usefulness. A bitter look and she pressed against the well polished walkway to stand on her own two feet. The rushing of blood to her lower extremities made the tingle evolve to pins and needles. It hurt and so did the explosion of lights against her eyes. The lights exploded in a halo of colors as the world beneath her feet shifted.

"Grand Admiral!" The soft voice of the Lieutenant called and she felt the world fade into blessed darkness. A arm caught her as she sagged into blissful nothingness as the explosion of pain behind her eyelids faded. She had fallen forward was all she could remember. Along with the feel of someone breathing beneath her palms with a steady heart beat.

A reflexive action as he brought her closer. A look at her asleep told him she was unharmed. A little dirty but healthy as her face eased from the grimace of pain and discontent. It was soft now as he readjusted her body to lay on her side against him. "Is she alright?" Vanto asked with a concerned look as he lead her lower half to the ground. White hair went over his sleeve as he checked over her face. Her face was still and even except for a few twitches of her eyebrows to show pain. Captain Pellaeon stepped close to look down at her as well before his grey eyes sweeped the room. Without words his crew focused their attention elsewhere. Slowly, he set his fingers over the pulse point in her throat.

"Slightly elevated," Thrawn answered with a slight scowl as she leaned against his chest. "Have medical meet me in her room." His hand dived under her knees to pull her into his arms. He could feel the eyes on them but as he stood they went back to their positions. Kieya's head rested on his chest as he moved. She was lighter than he expected considering her training. "Lieutenant Vanto with me," he ordered and glanced at Captain Pellaeon. "Captain finish the clean up and send your report."

"Yes, Grand Admiral," they both said as Vanto stepped in line with him. He needed to go over the numbers to find how much use she would have. Her face stayed in the semi calm state of sleep as he left the bridge with a gait that barely faltered with the added weight. Two Troopers came to help but he waved them off. Some conversations were meant for privacy and he did not trust them with her care.

"The order is sent, Grand Admiral," Vanto said as soon as they stepped into the elevator. The door snapping closed and them alone without any listening ears. Such gossip seemed to always spread in any vessel. "Would you like me to carry her, sir?" He asked and he looked at the man who would be the closest thing he had to a friend. His most loyal supporter now aboard the Chimaera and the one he trusted above all others. Skilled with numbers and a polite demeanor that hid something surprising. Care and concern. His eyes flickered down over Kieya before slipping back up. A break in the proper decorum of an officer before covered by a mask of impassivity.

"I have her, Lieutenant," he said finally and glanced at the lights to show their location before readjusting her in his arms. She did not even stir. "The numbers?" Vanto shifted from staring at her as heat spread across his cheeks. Embarrassment. Eli Vanto was an exemplary officer and he had learned much by his side but he cared. Sometimes too much to make any harder decisions but he followed orders. He trusted him and that was worth more than the inherent softness in his character.

"The new recruits psychological debrief will be underway in two standard hours, sir," Vanto answered with a tone he equated to handling business. Though his eyes drifted to the Pantoran female in his arms by reflex. "Their response times to orders is increased by twelve percent," he added as he scrolled through the reports. "We will need more evidence but something happened."

"Do you belive in the Force, Lieutenant Vanto?" He asked as the elevator finally stopped at the deck they needed. Where her quarters would now reside along with the guests aboard the ship. They were just above the rooms for the Officer's with his room above both. Kieya was not part of the Imperial Military but she would serve him thus she needed better accommodations than the brig.

"I know the stories," he answered walking with him into the dark hallway. The staterooms around them a height of luxury aboard a military vessel. It would serve his purpose. "Jedi have all kinds of powers but..." he added and Thrawn felt his lips twist in some form of dry amusement.

"You thought the Chiss had magical powers if I recall," He stated as they stopped in front of the room he had picked out for her ever since the Emperor had agreed. It had a window, a fresher, closet, and a bed. It was also easily lockable and had no access to any computer terminal. Whether or not she would be bold enough to attempt escape or not. It was wiser to deny her the opportunity. As she was alone and was able to calm down many things could happen psychologically.

"Did you just crack a joke?" Vanto asked with a raised eyebrow. "Sir?" Then he remembered himself and the proper decorum expected. Even while alone. Vanto's smile was amused and watched him set her down on the black blanketed bed. Thrawn looked at her for a moment before standing to meet the approaching medical officer as she appeared. Out of breath the woman approached with red hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"Sorry, sir," she exhaled with rapid breaths before pulling out a scanner. "Came as soon as we received the order." If she faltered at seeing her patient being an alien she hid it well as he took his place by Vanto's side. Twelve percent increase for a small easily handled skirmish. After sleep, a meal, and acceptance of her new place he wondered how the numbers would approve. Perhaps he had been too impatient to force her to perform so quickly after swearing her service? It had been by design. To keep her surprised and unable to regret her decisions. He had time to get her used to the idea. "Physically she is fine," the medical officer said as she stood up reading a blood sample. "Increased Cortisol, Epinephrine, and Norepinephrine levels along with pain."

"Heightened stress response," he summarized and glanced at her. "Give her something for pain and for sleep then report back to your post." The woman saluted and he turned to look at Lieutenant Vanto. "Once the psychological evaluations are done send the reports to my office," he ordered and glanced one last time at the Pantoran asleep in the bed. She would rest for awhile to heal the body then he would deal with her psychological responses. "It occurs to me, Lieutenant," he added with a soft hum. "We should capture prisoners the next time we use her."

Ten standard hours later

Kieya awoke slowly only aware that the bed she was laying on was soft. Her fingers twirled and twitched over the soft blankets as she kept her eyes shut. The room was dark she knew that but it felt stifling. Way too hot for her to sleep comfortably even with the feeling of fogginess subjecting her brain. The after effects of being drugged she realized as she took stock of her body. Her memory coming back slowly of her meeting with the Grand Admiral. Her forced service and her use of battle meditation for his fighters. All of it easily controlled and planned since her capture. She opened her eyes as sweat slicked the white hair on the back of her neck. The room was blissfully dark but too hot on such a bed. She moved, slowly, to slide to the edge and put her feet to the ground. Her shoes were still on and so were her clothes.

It did not help the disgusting feeling on her skin of sweat and the smell of battle. Golden eyes glanced down and could only feel that foggy feeling of drugged sleep as she glanced around her room. It was silent and it was no cell. She tried the door to her left but it stayed locked. No sensor activated at her approach. This must be the exit to the rest of a ship. A place she had no access to apparently though it was no surprise. The feel of sweat twirling down her back had her removing the black jacket. It was the jacket Diolrali gave her when she had accepted a job for Riyo. A symbol of a time when she was adrift trying to figure out a way forward. A button rested across from the door that she hit more in curiosity. The stars reflected back at her teasing her as the giant capital ship moved onward through space.

The heat in the room was too much as another flinch left her at the feeling. The Force could help but she could not focus with her foggy mind. Kieya scowled and moved to the next thing of interest in the darkened room. A fresher was behind the next room with a wardrobe next to it. A shower? That would cool her off from how stuffy the room felt. She grabbed one of the pants and undershirts in the closet for kicking of her boots to climb into the cold fresher as icy water hit her skin with a shiver. The sweat running off and she tried not to focus on the things she had gained for this. It was easy with the foggy feeling left behind in her brain but soon enough she would face the truth of her actions. Her body calmed as she washed off the smell of the battle for the scent less Imperial soap she had been gifted. The feeling of everything was stifling but under the icy water she could almost think she was back home in the icy marshes with her family.

Chapter Text

Her new clothes fit well but she refused to dress in any overcoat of the supplied clothes she had been given. It was nothing like Officer's clothes but it had the starchy scent of their soap all over it. She kept only the trousers and a white undershirt on as she considered the room that was now her own. Stifling and a fanciful cell that irritated her. Kieya paced as the fogged feeling of her drugged sleep disappeared along with the pain in her head. Her mind was clear and so she paced like a wild animal stuck in a cage. No hope of escape and hunger started to gnaw on her stomach. Her last meal had been a cup of cold water and nutrient paste in the brig of the Star Destroyer yesterday. Before that it had been a warm soup surrounded by her friends. A sharp pain went through her chest as her foot paused half way through her fifth line.

Her friends. The companions she had sacrificed herself for. A slim chance of them surviving because she was selfish. Kieya is selfish she knows that. After surviving the Jedi purge she had been adrift with no way forward and then Diolrali had appeared. Riyo, Kiotsey, and Ayo following with happy smiles and understanding hugs. As they buried her identity into the one of Thayi Ita. A name that had never been her's but she had accepted it. She had wished in her new apartment that it had been her birth name. That Kieya Ravok had never been given to the Jedi and had lived her life on Pantora. Learning to play in icy marshes and being gifted the golden tattoos. An ephemeral dream that burned like the Exploration Corp. Watching up at the ship as it burst into flames and explode in orbit. Her hands moved to grip her white hair as her shoulders shook.

Her eyes felt hot and misty as she realized that she would never see her friends again. She would never see Pantora again. That her life was now bound into service to a man that was as cold and ruthless as the winter. If not him then it would be the Sith. Her breathing was harsh as a riot of differing emotions surged through her chest. It constricted her heart and her lungs quickly followed. The whispered words of the Jedi Code were useless as she sank down to cover her face with her forearms as the warm tears overflowed. The sticky heat of the Star Destroyer not helping her state but she covered her face and wept regardless.

With a press of a button he turned off the screen that showed her room in detail. Her kneeling down to cry the last thing to be shown but he would give her the privacy required. The introduction of a security camera in the staterooms were not a new feature. Only one room by design had no such security camera installed but those rooms were blocked from every single person aboard his ship. Even the Grand Moffs were not allowed to step foot into the rooms devoted to the Emperor if he decided to ride aboard his ship. So Thrawn used the tools available to watch her to understand her exact state of mind. It was through no abject cruelty or desire to see her suffer. He was no cruel Sith Lord or ISB agent that desired such things. He needed to know where she was psychologically and how to use it for his own ends. Her pain was regrettable but necessary.

Any sentient being would respond in similar ways to such a situation. Confined and forced to serve those who threatened loved ones. The realization of her new circumstance and life would sink in slowly over the next coming days or weeks. Slowly, she would acclimate and after that was when a more workable stage would come through. Kieya would end up accepting and making the most of her new life aboard the ship. She would start to empathize with her captors and understand them. Simple psychology and his guilt at using such tricks was secondary to what he needed. Thrawn was thinking too far ahead. First he had to get through her anger, desperation, fear, and depression. He had to set himself up as the one figure to be obeyed.

Such violent emotions would make it hard for her to forget her place so he would need to be patient. He leaned back into his chair before picking up the lightsaber that sat on his desk. He had laid it out in front of her as a test. To see how well she could contain herself when presented with means and opportunity. She had not disappointed him with her responses. Even the slight rise of defiance was tempered by fear. He considered keeping the tool near by to check her responses but her emotions the next couple of days would be unpredictable. He needed to keep all variables on his side. Besides, the blade was a favorite now in his collection. The blade of a Jedi Knight. It was a work of art. The construction telling him much about his new asset. He ran a finger down a symbol of two lines perpendicular to each other. Flowing inward but not touching the other two lines.

Every symbol carved into the silver sheath told a story and it told him that his Jedi was a sentimental one. Sentimentality that he could use to his advantage. His red eyes glanced at the computer screen as he considered his next steps. He tapped a button on his desk after tapping the arm of his chair. "Bring me Kieya Ravok," he ordered into the com before standing up to put the lightsaber away. No need to tempt her with the life she had before now. Her emotions would be raw and her ability to regulate would be woefully restricted. He could have just left her locked away till he had use for her but he needed her to understand her role. As well as his own and he needed her mostly stable. A dance between two sides as both her captor and her future commander.

She followed the officer that she had seen on the bridge with the Grand Admiral. The one who had ran the numbers and had called out as she fainted. He had come into her room after a faint trio of knocks. Though her room was locked from the outside and Kieya did not understand why he showed such politeness. "Lieutenant Vanto right?" She asked and the brown eyes faced her with a small shy smile before he nodded.

"Yes, ma'am," he said and this close in the quiet hallways she could hear the echo of his accent clearly for thr first time. The things ones will focus on to avoid their emotions. It was no Core accent and it was nothing like the ones she had heard in the Outer Rim from her travels. Wild space? Her lips twisted down into a scowl at the bone deep fatigue she felt. She had cried on the floor until nothing else came out. Huddled against the side of her new bed and enjoying the chill the floor gave her. The desperate hot tears eventually faded into cool tracks on her unmarked blue skin. No one was there but then he had appeared knocking politely on her door. "The Grand Admiral requests your presence for dinner," he had explained to her.

Fighting seemed pointless and the offer of food made her stomach growl. Kieya needed to eat and her body let her know it craved it. After such an explosion of stress and ceaseless tears she needed food. The officer did not even bind her hands and his politeness was more than a simple trick. Eli Vanto was genuine and polite. Almost soft with a serious countenance that only reminded her of Kiotsey. She quickly banished the sharp stabbing feeling the name summoned to focus on the path before her. Her hands pulled the jacket close over the white undershirt she wore. She was clean and presentable but she refused to give up this jacket to wear the one they wanted. "Here we are," Lieutenant Vanto said with a slightly wider smile before opening the door. "Grand Admiral."

She stepped in on unsure steps into the office she had been forced into before. Though this time there was a tray on the desk across from her intended seat. The blue skinned Grand Admiral sat with a datapad in hand while two more rested on the desk in front of him. Those red eyes moved over to them before he set the one in his hands down by the others. Gracefully, he stood before stepping closer and she jumped as the door shut behind her. Before she forced her eyes to the ground to ignore his stare. Kieya was proud she was more put together than she was hours ago but it left her feeling raw. Emotionally frayed and weak but she did not know how to act around the Grand Admiral. The rules of her 'service' vague. "Leave us, Lieutenant," the measured voice of the Grand Admiral washed over.

Her blue fingers twitched and grabbed to sleeves of her jacket to push back the feeling. The instinctual feeling of not wanting to be alone with him. Vanto had been polite and quiet. Almost unassuming but he was loyal. Everyone on the ship was loyal to the Grand Admiral and they never questioned a thing. Vanto saluted and the door opened again before closing leaving her alone with him. Slowly, she glanced up at him. She saw the white pants and his officer jacket. She glanced over the rank plaque and golden epaulets of his flawless uniform. The tightened collar to look into the crimson eyes. He was observing her with the same quiet intensity and she could see his eyes closer. The two tones of red that separated his iris from his sclera. It was unnerving. "Sit," he ordered as his hand swept towards her chair.

It was the same tone of the one he used the day before. It brooked no disagreement and told her she had no choice but to obey. Obey she did as she sank into the hard chair across from his desk. The feeling of being so obedient and subdued irked her. He glided back to his spot behind the desk and sat down with nary a sound. "Eat," he told her motioning to the tray. "You must be hungry and while you eat we will talk." The idea of talking to him did not help her obvious anxiety but her body's needs came first. She pushed back her hair and grabbed the tray of food. Military rations she had to guess but it smelled delicious.

"What exactly do you want to talk about?" She asked after a couple ravenous bites though she made sure to not be messy. It was impossible for her to stop the slight defiant tone in her voice. The anger and disregard for the man who turned her into a weapon of all things. A rhythmic tap draw her attention as a long finger tapped against the arm of his chair. His eyes stared at her with a piercing intensity she found to be a normal state. Intense. The Grand Admiral was intense if she had to summarize him in one word. She was also reminded without words that her life was in his hands. So were the lives of the people she cared most about.

"How do you feel?" He asked finally and she only fumbled with her fork for a second. Out of all the questions he asked that one? Incredulously, she shot her eyes to him to observe his reasoning for asking such a question. Did he desire the truth? Why did he even care? She had not thought to use the Force and she actively denied its insight. She would rather not know the truth of his reasoning for such a question. He met her stare with same impassive look he had given on the bridge.

"Emotionally raw and exhausted," she answered bluntly. "How did you expect me to feel?" The last bit was unintentional but her sour feelings needed an outlet. He had asked after all but she had regretted it as his eyes now narrowed at the disrespectful tone she had given off.

"I suppose it is to be expected," he answered with that same even tone. "We are going to talk rules and I needed to be sure you were of mind to listen." It never raised in pitch from that same calm tone that it unnerved her. Falling back on the Force to read his emotions, though it would only be surface level, was tempting but not a wise idea. Kieya was emotionally raw and drawing on the Force in such a way was dangerous. She forced her glare to her tray of food before starting to eat again. It seems her nervousness about her place would be explained though she chafed at it. She was only his latest asset after all.

"What kind of rules?" She asked him even if she should have bit her tongue to be silent. The caustic tone she could not stop even if she desired it. Her friends were now imprisoned and her life depended on his whims. It was an uncomfortable place to live in with him being so intimidating.

"Simple ones for now," he answered with a slight nod. "As I demand of everyone on my ship and of my crew you will answer me honestly and you will call me by rank or sir. Do I make myself clear?" A question he demanded an answer to. Kieya wanted to fight against the command just to enjoy the feeling of being rebellious. That she was worth more than just as his latest asset. That she was a threat but her lightsaber was now gone and she was alone with him. Emotionally comprised and so very tired. Not a physical exhaustion though it played a part. Her chest ached at rememberance of her sobbing on the floor like a child.

"Yes," she answered keeping her stare at her lap before feeling him shift. "Sir." Respect and honesty was what he commanded and so she would obey. For now. Though it raised a good point she felt she should ask. She held off and finished her meal before setting the tray back on his desk. Her body sated though her mind was not. "Am I allowed to ask questions as well or do you want me silent?" She asked feeling brave enough to gamble. She met his eyes and his lips quirked slightly at her responses. What he was reading from her amused him it seemed like.

"When alone like this or not on the job you may ask me questions," he answered softly relaxing back into his chair. "While on the bridge I expect you to follow orders like any other officer." She stared at him a moment and her reflexive desire to snort at such an answer. Something showed on her face or her body language for he leaned forward again. A sign she also recognized as well as the fact he was taller than her even while sitting down. "You have permission to say what is on your mind, Kieya," he added and that 'permission' raised her ire even more. Unsettled was what she was.

"I am not an officer aboard your ship," she snapped out in her irritation. Kieya almost expected to be punished or reprimanded but the red eyes stared out at her from glacially cold face. No emotion was shown but he kept her stare before nodding.

"Indeed you are not but I expect you to follow my orders," he stated with the same even tone throughout the whole conversation. His voice never moving from the oddly accented raspy Basic. "How is your room? Serviceable?" He asked moving on from the other conversation. She felt as if she was in a whirlpool with his questions. Or his fake care. He did not truly care how she felt. He just wanted her to be serviceable as a weapon at his control. Kieya debated calling him on it but only crossed her arms across her chest. What good would it do. He knew what he was doing.

"Better than the brig," she answered and her body reminded her of the stifling heat she had felt in the room. "It is too hot." The Grand Admiral paused in his nod before granting her a pensive look. She refused to look him in the eye and instead looked at the strange sculpture behind him. The lizard like creatures interesting her more than the look he was giving her. She felt the heat of his stare.

"Is this office a comfortable temperature?" He asked raising his hand and waving it around them. She had expected him not to do anything about it. She met those red eyes and nodded before she saw his jaw twitch. A slight raise in his eyebrow as she felt him waiting for her to answer him as his rules ordered.

"Yes, sir," she answered quickly and saw his shoulders relax. He never mentioned what awaited her if she disobeyed and she was too much of a coward to ask that question. It just depended how creative he wanted to be since she was not part of the military. Then again if she was too much work he could throw her at Palpatine or Vader's feet. Or kill Riyo and the others. She considered the feel of his office, even under her black jacket, and realized it did feel less stifling than the rest of the ship. Marginally more chilled than the outside.

"A simple fix then," he said as if they were having a normal conversation. Her knuckles turned lighter blue from the Force she gripped her sleeves and her trousers tightly. "I should have realized that you would be more comfortable in colder temperatures. Pantora was an icy planet after all," he added in an almost murmer that told her he was lost in thought. It raised a question she had not expected to want to ask about the man who held her life in his hands but she was always a curious sort.

"What species are you?" She asked him. "You are no Pantoran." The blue skin seemed to be the only thing tying them together. The red eyes were not natural on Pantora or by any of their species. Black being the rarest eye color but even then. She could tell he was no Pantoran more than from his eyes. It was from his demeanor and the lack of golden tattoos on his face. She may have lacked them but not all Pantoran's added them. They showed loyalty to a ruling family or chosen by the child to represent themselves. As a Jedi she had felt no claim to such a practice.

The Grand Admiral hummed softly as the left corner of his lips raised in amusement at her question. "A species from outside this Galaxy," he answered without truly answering. "But it stands to reason that both of our species lean more towards colder temperatures." A hint but her curiosity was not sated. He had not fully answered but she noticed when someone was reticent to actually answer. Instead she nodded and let the matter drop as silence surrounded them. It raised the question of what she was going to do now. What exactly would happen now? The rawness of her emotions frayed along with her full stomach that left her tired. "Come I will escort you back to your room," he said and stood with his hands resting behind his back.

Kieya felt no reason to disobey and so she stood. Her fingers still gripping the sleeves of her jacket as she considered the blue skinned Grand Admiral. In the light of his office his hair shined more blue than the black she had noticed previously. The ridges on his forehead another clue for the difference between their species but she bit her tongue. They stepped out into the hallway by his side as she considered the next day. Or, rather, exactly what was expected of her the coming days. A nicer room than the brig but such things should not be considered a positive. Even his care was just a manipulative tool. Her psychology class had been a decade ago but she remembered a few things. "The next day will be spent getting acclimated," he said finally as they stood outside of her room. "I have meetings to go to and food will be sent to you. Do not try to escape."

She wondered, briefly, if he meant escape her room or his ship. She considered the answer to be both and looked at the door to 'her room'. A cell no matter how plush. With a hiss the door to her cell was opened and she stepped in. She looked up at him as the door slid shut and quickly locked. A strange dinner but it told her enough of what her new life would entail. Her shoulders shrugged to remove the jacket at the stifling heat in the room before looking out at the stars. Except now they rested in front of a planet that was a blue-green jewel surrounded by obsidian. Kieya sighed and closed her eyes as again her shield on her emotions shattered. A prisoner and a weapon. Any form of rebellion would be punished and she closed her eyes while leaning on the cold metal of the view port.

Slowly she could feel the ambient temperature lower to a more comfortable temperature. An easy fix indeed but she only sighed. She was in a plush gilded cage of Imperial splendor aboard a military vessel. While Riyo was no doubt suffering in an Imperial prison. A fact she would need to make peace with. Kieya kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed. Sleep was a good thing. The colder temperatures making her curl into a ball and fall asleep. She could almost dream she was free and away from everything. Back on an icy planet only caring about her survival. Everything was simple then but now...tomorrow was another day.

Chapter Text

A Year after the Birth of the Empire
Pantora

This was the planet of her birth? As she stepped off the passenger transport and walked out into the city proper she had paused for a moment. Golden spires drew her eye first atop white stone buildings. Even the color of more modern buildings near the Galactic transport could not cover up the natural beauty of Pantora. For a moon orbiting a frozen planet she had expected the ground to be colder. For it to be surrounded by ice and snow but it was tolerable. Better than most of the planets she had stepped foot on for the last year. Kieya, no Thayi, that was the name she had chosen and the one she would keep. With a shrug of her shoulder she readjusted her bag before moving on to the streets. What tourists there were moved about either enjoying the windy chill or were rubbing their hands breathing into them.

For Thayi it was tolerable and close to being enjoyable. The images she had seen in the archives did not do the world justice. Though Pantorans were the majority she saw humans as a second majority. Followed by Aqualish, Bith, and a few other disparate races. The murmer of voices and excited chatter carried over the market place as she continued moving. She had a vague clue of where to go for some lodgings but after that she was as lost as when she started. A year it had been. A hellish and scarring year of not knowing where to go or what to do. A year of survival and different drifting jobs. The shortest lasting a couple days with the longest lasting two months. She was always on the move grabbing information and learning. The Force was dark and any Temple frequency she used carried risk.

"This is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi...."

Thayi dodged a crowd of celebrating humans with a fluidity and ease that was well honed. Even if she had to hide her lightsaber. Sometimes as spare parts and many times sewed into the bottom seam of her grey coat. A necessity in the Outer Rim as she traveled from Nar Shaddaa to many outlying planets. It was the week celebrating the death of the Old Republic. Or, as the Imperials considered it, the formation of the Empire. The end of the disastrous Clone Wars and the fall of the corrupt Jedi Order. It left her in a sour mood but there was nothing she could do. The day was starting to fade into afternoon as she finally slipped past the tourists. The market faded to the more quiet backstreets of the city. The other races disappeared to only Pantorans and they glanced at her.

They saw her blue skin, white hair, and casual gait and ignored her as one of them. Thayi had disappeared into the multitude in a way she could not in the Outer Rim. Here she was just another of the whole. She just followed the Force until she came across what she was looking for. A cheap hostel that would be cheaper than any hotel in the richer market district. Thayi had advantage with the fact she was home amongst her race. It just did not feel like her home. An old Pantoran sat at the old desk, that she noticed was made of rough white stone, and glanced up at her with blue eyes. Her purple hued hair and faded to a grey similar to her white. Wrinkles rested near her eyes but there was a vitality in her spirit. "A week will cost thirty five credits," she rasped out with a voice that reminded her of some of her oldest tutors.

Before responding she reached into her trouser pocket to pull out the required amount. "Thanks," she whispered setting them into the old hand of the older woman. Her blue eyes stared at her sharply for a moment as if suspecting her of something. Thayi did her best not to bounce from foot to foot. It had been difficult to switch from being a Jedi devoted to exploration to an Outer Rim drifter. She had learned and she had survived. The hard blue eyes softened suddenly and the old woman sighed.

"You need a job, kid?" She asked her pocketing her credits. "Got a few credits I could give you for odd chores." Pity. It was a strange thing to be on the receiving end of. The old lady seeing her one bag and obvious displacement to draw conclusions. Conclusions she refused to dissuade and let her eyes meet her with a little bit of hope. She nodded and the woman sighed again. "Old Viezi will help you," she said with a burgeoning smile. She sensed no deceit from the lady or anything underhanded. She relaxed her shoulders with a sad smile. The fact of it should not have been so warming. Hope was a dangerous thing to cling to in this time. "What is your name?" She asked her.

"Thayi," she answered with a small smile. "I don't mind helping you out for some credits. At least till I find a more permanent job." Viezi grinned and grabbed an electronic key before motioning her to follow. The building was not exactly the cleanest or the most put together but it blocked out the darkening chill. It also had a bed and a fresher. Though a sonic shower was not her favorite it was better than nothing. To Viezi she was a displaced kid and that fit her just fine. Thayi sat on the bed before shrugging out of her jacket. She had enough credits to last a couple weeks if need be. Food hopefully would not be much more to strain her finances. At least she did not have to navigate on a spice freighter anymore. She was back to the planet of her birth.

Kieya awoke to a knock as the memory or dream faded. In her sleep she had pulled the black blanket over her to cuddle into a ball. The downside of being on a ship in space was the lack of a normal way to keep track of time. The Empire based their time keeping off Coruscant's clock as the Republic did before them. She did not know the time in this place but reality slowly crashed in on her. It was the morning of the third day while in Imperial custody. Another knock, sharper this time, echoed off the metal of her door. The Grand Admiral's words were summoned from the soup of her mind still foggy from sleep. "Come in," she called even if it was a pointless gesture. The shaggy haired human from the night before came in with a tray of food.

His smile still honest and kind for an Imperial Officer. "I brought you some food," Lieutenant Vanto said cheerily. "I'll set it down over here." The small desk that she had ignored in the room since it was just an empty space. A sight left her as she pushed back her white hair which stuck up at odd angles. It was tangled from her fitful sleep before she set her arms on her stretched knees. It was another tray of military rations though meant for a breakfast. The idea of eating made her feel nauseous but she stared at Lieutenant Vanto. "I will be back to bring you lunch," he added in a cheery tone. "I must report back to the Grand Admiral."

"Thank you," she whispered and he gave another bright smile before giving her a salute. The door shut with another swishing sound before locking. Kieya did not understand how someone like that could exist in the Imperial Military. She thought for sure such kindness was killed out of people for serving the Empire. The ship was still orbiting the jewel of a planet but the reasons was unknown to her. Meetings is what the Grand Admiral called it. Her body needed food so she dragged herself out of the bed to look down at the tray. It did not smell appetizing in the least but she sat down to eat it. Food was needed to keep her strength up but after the fifth bite she dropped the fork. Her appetite was nonexistent and she was tired.

Her lips turned down with a sneer as she considered taking a shower. What was she going to do anyways? She was stuck in this room for the day. She was stuck on the ship forever. Kieya sighed again and left the food to curl back under the black bed. She would try to eat more later but all she wanted to do was sleep. It was an escape. She knew this but it did not stop her falling into the trap of the empty feelings in her chest. She had felt this before the day after the ships of the Exploration Corp were blown up but survival made her focus on more than this lost feeling. The planet she had been marooned on had been both a blessing and a curse in that moment. She closed her eyes as she fell again into sleep.

Pantora

Thayi had fallen into a simple schedule the first week she had spent on the planet of her birth. Viezi was a great guide and filled with wisdom only elders seemed to gain. She had never left the planet and had spent her life outside the main city. A simple life on the outskirts that had eventually led to her marrying a merchant. Thayi listened patiently as every morning she helped the old crone get supplies and send messages. Every evening she had dinner with the old woman and she realized they had both missed having other people in their life. Viezi missing everyone else in her family who had died and Thayi missing the connection. A connection she had never forged since the destruction of everything she knew. "Never raised on Pantora were you?" Viezi asked with a crooked grin.

Old and absolutely wicked in her sense of humor. If she had been raised here would she have had a grandmother like this? More and more at night she wondered what life would have been like here. Dwelling in the past or what could have been was dangerous for anyone. Especially for a Jedi. "No,"she answered with a small smile as she sipped some spicy and sweet drink that was a childhood staple on the planet. During the chill of winter months, when the marshes fully iced over in the city, the drink was shared to warm the spirit. "The one who raised me was a Human. I never met my biological parents," she added thinking of her Master. After a fashion he did become a father figure. "Part of the reason I came here."

"You fit mostly in with us but I can tell," Viezi said with a wink and another wicked grin. They were both lonely and it was starting to feel more and more like home. Not perfect and she lied to the old crone about most of her life. Along with her true name but it felt nice to finally relax her guard. No more smuggling in the Outer Rim or meeting crime bosses. "Still not many humans would adopt an alien child," Viezi murmured. "Your father was a good man."

"He was," she whispered before sipping the spicy drink. The two flavors should have contrasted each other but she found she loved it. "He taught me many things," she added and smiled at the old hostel owner as they sat in her room. Not very big but it was warm and that was about all she could ask for. They never said anything else about it but the old crone worked her way into being like family to her. Surrogate though it was and awakening a desire to hold onto this. Attachment was forbidden from the Jedi but the Jedi were dead and she was alone. Thayi would do what she could to survive. Even if it was to bend the rules of what made her a Jedi Knight.

Lieutenant Eli Vanto stared down at the blue skinned girl as she huddled under the blankets. His knocks and calls ignored as she slept. His teeth bit into his lower lip as he looked back at the tray of uneaten food. This was now the second one and she had not moved from her sleep. Not that he could blame her in the least. She was a Jedi and on top of that embroiled in a rebellion that had threatened Imperial and Pantoran lives. At least that was what was reported on the holonet. By the time the Chimaera came into orbit the fighting had been raging for at least a week. The Imperial forces that had been there were steadily pushed back by some rag-tag group. It drew attention and that attention reached Emperor Palpatine.

He had not been privy to that meeting between Thrawn and the Emperor but within two hours they had left Coruscant. The black and red robed Inquisitor left with him. It was the first time he had seen the shadowy mysterious order in the flesh. Every Imperial was taught what to do if they saw a Jedi. The rumors swept through crew quickly about what they were walking into on Pantora. He had watched her fight the Inquisitor in awe when they finally found the Senator. The four Pantorans were grim faced and refused to surrender. Eli had watched the lightsabers twirl and hit each other like a child remembering stories. Jedi were the enemy of the Empire after all. Even before the Clone Wars had started he remembered his parents telling him the Jedi had never gone out to Wild Space. That they were the arm of the rich and politicians. Controlled by a corrupt senate and nothing like the stories.

He was not one to judge someone based off their past or their affiliation. He knew she would not survive and he made his peace with it until the orders changed. The Jedi was delivered to Thrawn who saw her skill and decided to make it his. Forcing her to serve the people she had fought against. Who had killed the only family she had all because she was a Jedi. It irked the part of him that was grown up in Wild Space. Where his parents taught him he was only as good as his word. His loyalty was to Thrawn though. At first he had hated the Chiss but now they had a rapport. Thrawn was a damn good commander who made sure all of his crew could succeed. Only if they were skilled enough to be worth it. Eli knew the Grand Admiral would not like the fact she was not eating. "Miss. Ravok," he whispered as his hand reached to shake her blue shoulder.

Jedi had strange powers he remembered even if he wondered the extent of it. Wary he stepped closer and decided it was better to actually wake her. She needed to eat. Bleary gold eyes looked at him from a tangled mass of white hair. She jumped slightly but only burrowed deeper in the blankets. "I brought you some lunch," he called louder and she unclenched her eyes to look at him. He swore he could almost see her eyes mist and his chest gave an uncomfortable yank. It wasn't right but he would follow orders. His loyalty was to Thrawn and he would follow his orders. "Come on, ma'am. You need to eat," he cajoled her with a soft smile. "I would hate to report you are not to him."

"Then don't," she mumbled out as she pushed off the blanket before running slim fingers through her hair. She tried to even it out but it was a lost cause with how bed wraggled it is. He gave a soft chuckle and shook his head.

"You know I can't do that," he said looking into the golden eyes. The color was bright but the spirit in them was dull. Could he even blame her for it? He was not privy to how Thrawn got her to agree to serve him but he knew it wasn't nice. He knew how ruthless he could be but still he had his orders. "Lying to him would be impossible," he teased and she gave a soft chuckle. It still lacked warmth but was a start. "Come on. You should eat to keep your strength up." He was happy she took his hand then and let him lead her to the tray of food. He felt he was still going to have to report her mood to his superior officer.

Pantora

Thayi felt the Force tingle as she walked through the market. A bag of supplied gathered for old Viezi which had become one of her chores. The other Pantorans in the neighborhood recognized her now and let her pass. Many of them were like her and without the golden tattoos. It was a common practice back when Pantora was split off into tribes but now it wasn't unheard of for the poorer population to go without. To claim no loyalty to any of the richer families that ruled Pantora. Her hair was pulled back into a band as she glanced around the market. Something was going to happen she could feel that. What it was she had no idea only that something stirred in the market. The thermal bag was set down as she heard a ruckus behind her.

The crowd around the market dived out of the way as a cacophony of sound followed. The man running through the crowd was quick. Out of the corner of her eye he jumped over someone who had tripped while holding tightly to a datapad to his chest. He was being followed by a man double his size in height and muscle. "Stop him!" The man yelled and many refused trying to get out of the way. The chaos in the market was not a normal occurrence. It was also hard to tell who was right or wrong with the bigger man charging looking like a wild Gundark. In two seconds, maybe less, they would run past her but the force answered. The lithe man running with a datapad was bad news. With instincts honed from training and the force she stuck her leg out at the last moment.

He hit it full force and in a moment she had him pinned to the ground. His arm behind his back and a pistol to his head. The taller man ran up with glowing gold eyes and white hair that was held in a bun at the top of his head. Twin golden tattoos rested perpendicular down his face as he panted. "Good instincts and quick moves," he said as he stormed over to the fallen datapad to grab it. Even though he moved with force and power she could feel the respect he had for her actions. She could not help but observe him more as he stepped closer. She noticed now that the back and sides was shaved close to his scalp to make his appearance more rugged. "I owe you one," he said with a tilted head as he observed her in kind. What did he see when he looked at her? Some poor peasant with good fighting skills?

"Take it he stole it?" Was her only response as she nodded towards the datapad in his hands. The thief under her tried to twist away but the strange man quickly wrapped binders behind his wrist. Thayi could tell she was right about that at least. The Force did not lie as his gold eyes met her own with a slight nod. His demeanor screamed military or probably the defense force for the planet. The way he stood drew attention to that as well as a military smile he had with a thousand yard stare. She had seen some visiting Jedi with that look when they came back from the war. It was an aura that had been taught. "Glad to be of service," she added and moved to grab her things.

"Wait," he said moving closer as two others ran up dressed in the same uniform to pick up the thief. "I am Diolrali Rheril. What is your name?" He bowed his head in greeting and she found herself copying it. His hand dropping of where he held it out in beseeching her to stay.

"Thayi Ita," she answered him. "I should get back to my..." She was about to say home and paused. It was still a cheap room that she paid weekly for. Basic enough to survive but nothing extra. She shrugged and moved to leave again when he stopped her by stepping in the path.

"With instincts like yours we could use it," he said with a faint smile. "My boss would like to thank you as well for helping me get the datapad back." Thayi considered the offer and his earnest face. If she refused he would probably just track her down. He looked the serious and determined sort. The Force also told her to trust him. That it was fine to follow him. She could not afford anyone looking into her life and figuring out that Thayi never actually existed. "What do you have to lose?" He asked her holding out a blue hand. Thayi looked at his hand and then to his gold eyes. Before a nod came from her as a small smile twisted his lips.

"How is she?" Thrawn asked his aide-de-camp as he finally came back to his side after countless meetings. Irritation crawled up his spine at the fact he had to sit through so much. He had decided to sacrifice the much needed Eli for the Captain. Eli could offer him another layer of insight into his Jedi that he would not be able to consider. A more emotional side that he lacked the understanding of. It carried risks for Eli to get too regretful over the part he would no doubt play in brainwashing the girl. It was all necessary and it was a better fate than what the Emperor would have given her. The idea of her twisted into some evil form like the Inquisitor was sickening.

"She is not eating, Grand Admiral," Eli said with a scowl and a lowered head. That ever present polite concern he had. Eli Vanto never would have made it in such a position as this without meeting him on the planet of his exile. He would have stayed with his numbers and never grown to what he truly could be. The answer made him scowl as he leaned back in his chair. His reports ignored for now as he considered the problem that was his Jedi. Depression was not unheard of but it surprised him she leaned more towards it than anger. It was a positive and easily handled.

"We cannot have that," he said with a hum and looked at his aide for a moment. "Not at all."

Chapter Text

The ship was humming underneath her in a comforting whir that signified hyperspace. She had always enjoyed the sound and feeling of it after she had stepped off the transport ship from Coruscant. Back then she had considered it the end of her life to be kicked out of the Jedi and to the Youngling Corp. She had found her niche there and been comfortable with her life after the fear of not being good enough had passed. With a soft exhalation of breath her golden eyes opened at the twisted feeling in her stomach. Where they were going was lost on her or even where they had been. The Grand Admiral had not told her what the next step was after two days ago. Only that she had been left locked in her cell to get 'acclimated' to what had come to past. All she had wanted was to sleep though now she was losing focus on which day it was.

Her stomach gave an uncomfortable growl and she glared down at the slim blue skin. The white shirt had ridden up from her sleep but she stayed where she was. With no desire to move or get up as she debated the time or day. This room being so far away and unattached she could not stand not knowing. What day was it? What time? What was going to happen to her now? Another growl pierced the silence as her lips thinned to pull down into a scowl. She had spent the day only sleeping or staring off into space. A few times she meant that quite literally as she stared down at the planet beneath them. Or at the little lights that twinkled in the distance. Never once did she consider trying to force herself out of the room. Or to threaten the aide of the Grand Admiral as he delivered her food. At one point he had cajoled her to eat in a way that could almost be confused as care. The cynical part of her wanted to say that he was being fake.

A glance at the brown eyes and his gentle Wild Space twang of an accent she knew he was being nice. Truly nice just because he could or that was how he was raised. Or, very likely, because the Grand Admiral ordered him to be. It felt false even as she thought about it. He could have thrown her care to anyone yet he made sure only his most loyal could touch her. Or even talk to her. He truly thought she was not a threat. If she had more of a wild streak she could discount his threat about her friends as false. She had no proof after all that he would leave them alive in Imperial custody. They could have already been dead but a major part of her refused to even think like that. Kieya had fallen prey to attachment just as the Jedi advised against and even thinking they could be harmed was disgusting.

The idea, no matter how small, that they might be alive was enough to keep her docile to be his weapon. To use battle meditation against all of his enemies. A lot of unknowns still remained in the end. Another sigh left her as she laid back against the black sheets before her hand ran over it. Should she try meditation? She hadn't touched the Force since that skirmish with pirates. That was something to be grateful about she supposed. That the first enemies he used her for were people who had killed others in cold blood and stolen. They were sentient though. She could feel their emotions and their determination. Or lack there of. The Pirates had been half defeated as the Imperials boxed them into a firing line. The recruits had also been an interesting find. He was testing the limits of her ability.

It stood to reason he would test it again and this time against a bigger threat than one pirate corsair. Would she help put down other rebellious souls? Doom a species to lose their natural resources like Pantora lost Orto Plutonia? The thought sickened her to her core. With a sudden start she peeled herself out of her nest of black blankets to stand. She needed a change of clothes and to do something. Her stomach answered her with another cramp of hunger that she ignored. Either Vanto would drop off food again or another Imperial under his control. The desire to pace made itself realized but she ignored it as well. First she was going to take a shower with their scentless soaps and change her clothes. Then she would try and meditate. "There is no emotion, there is peace," she whispered as she gathered up clothes and a towel.

As she came back to the room with damp hair a shiver answered her at the chill in the room. The temperature still stayed comfortable for her but she missed the icy marsh. The golden spires and hills. She stared at her jacket resting hung up on the corner of her desk. Her fingers itched as she considered it a meter away from her. How long had it been since she had used the Force in such a way? Not since she had revealed her skills to Riyo after an assassination attempt on the young Senator. She had refused to let her die and held her hands up to blast back the exploding rubble. Instinctual in nature but she had expected to have to run but Riyo had surprised her. Even with her thoughts forever taken over by a Togruta. The love deep and unmistakable but Riyo had buried the knowledge. Had hidden her from her enemies until that first kyber crystal was found on Orto Plutonia. The death knell. Golden eyes slipped shut as she tapped into the Force. Her feeling surrendered to the depths of the Force as best as she could. Moving things with her mind was one of the first skills trained to younglings.

To push and pull as a form of games to train the discipline needed. She had never been strong in it but she had been decent. She breathed in the recycled air of the Star Destroyer as she tried to focus on it. All of her worries and fears surrendered to the Force as she pulled at the fibers of her jacket. The emotions that were attached to a simple piece of a cloth. So far away that she did not hear the door open until the jacket rested in her palm. A gasp broke her concentration as she turned sharply to see Lieutenant Vanto. His brown eyes wide in awe and surprise. "Sorry for just barging in but you did not answer, ma'am," he mumbled out with his tan cheeks warming slightly. Embarrassment.

Kieya opened her mouth to say something then thought better of it to pull her hands through the sleeves of the black jacket. It's oversized but comforting weight making her shoulders relax as she turned fully to face him. The first thing she noticed was the lack of food tray. Perhaps it was a good thing considering she had surprised him so much with telekinesis. The idea of her meal on the ground was amusing but unappetizing. "What is it?" She asked him and met his eyes as he stepped more into the room. The door staying unlocked and opened. Could she run past him? Maybe push him back against the wall hard enough to knock him unconscious and steal his pistol. Pointless fantasies.

"You will have breakfast with the Grand Admiral, ma'am," he said finally and she considered the fact it was not a request. The respectful title and tone getting under her skin as again she considered refusing. To fight against it but again her body made its demands clear. She doubted fighting at this time would be worth the effort. Perhaps if she had not spent the time sleeping with a lack of appetite she would have a reason to refuse. Or he would drag her to the Grand Admiral between Stormtroopers with her hands bound. It would not be worth it for this to be her play of defiance even with her confusing mass of emotions.

"You act as if I have a choice," she muttered out as she gifted Lieutenant Vanto a truly sour look. His smile dropped slightly as he gave her a nod but said nothing else. His embarrasment obvious or he truly did not want to hurt her feelings. His hand shifted down to his belt where a comlink rested next to his service pistol. A chill went up her spine but his politeness held steel. She also recognized the ultimatum for what it was. He was loyal to the Grand Admiral first and foremost even with how polite and kind he had been. The sour feelings mixed with hunger and a healthy amount of fear made her stomach curdle at the thought. Her jailor and the one who would use her as his weapon. Kieya knew that would be a pointless battle and she was not sure how the Grand Admiral would respond to her show of defiance. A lot of unknowns she had to contend with.

She said nothing as she stuck her hands in the pockets of the jacket and stumbled up to him. Eli visibly relaxed and released a breath at her going along with his order. She noticed that he felt relief at not having to stun her or force her in line. "This way ma'am," he said and motioned to the hallway with a sunny smile. "I am to escort you to him." Kieya walked without a word and refused to say it was sulking. Though it definitely was. As she started walking with him she realized that she should have left her jacket back in the room. It was hot and uncomfortable as to be expected on a human ship.

"Why do you call me that?" She asked him as they stepped into the pristine elevator. "I am still a prisoner technically." His brown eyes blinked before looking at her. A small nervous chuckle leaving him as his hand toyed with his hair which was almost too messy for an Imp. She guessed his connection to the Grand Admiral allowed him to get away with a few things other officers could not.

"It's a reflex," he answered cheerily. "Ma taught me good manners. Besides...technically you are an Imperial now." He did not mean for it to be insulting. She knew that but it did not help her mood. Which plummeted so fast she was surprised the elevator did not drop. Or that she did not. Her almost good mood evaporated with her hunger.

"How insulting," she muttered out as her nose wrinkled. "I think I preferred being called 'rebel scum'." Lieutenant Vanto paused and looked as if she had slapped him instead of spitting vitriol at him. "How would you feel if you were imprisoned with the lives of your friends threatened if you did not obey?" She asked him but forced her emotions back. He was sweet and polite. He had not meant to insult her. His quiet look and lowered head almost made her feel bad but she could not find it in her to apologize. Her feelings were also valid and even if she was overly blunt she was not cruel to him. The door opened and in tense silence she followed at his heels to the office she knew well. Though this time coupled with the tense feeling was the echo of fear. Of her forced claim of loyalty as his weapon. A slave to the Grand Admiral's orders.

"Grand Admiral," Vanto called as the door opened in greeting of his superior officer. Red eyes glanced up at her and again she saw a food tray directly across from him. Her food and she refused to glance at the man behind the desk. Though she felt his stare as a physical weight on her skin before he glanced at the man at her side. His office was a blessed relief from the heat in the hallway but it was not safe.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Vanto," the calm voice of the Grand Admiral washed over the room. Kieya could not bring herself to meet his eyes or see his face after her day yesterday. The wear of emotions and memories pressed at the self-control of her mood. "Please leave us," his order had her glancing up but she avoided those red eyes to rest her gaze on his nose. A brief feeling and desire wanted the nicer officer to stay but he saluted before leaving. Her feet felt welded to the polished floor of his office as he rested behind his desk. She could feel his eyes and refused to consider what this meeting would be about. "Sit," he ordered simply and coldly. A word that was short and to the point while also being an order. An order she reflexively knew to obey.

Her feet moved mechanically until she sank into the chair across from his desk. A glance at his face showed calm and collected but his eyes were staring at her. A consideration in them as he took her measure. What did he see when he looked at her? Her burnished gold slipped from his eyes to the tray and then back up at him as the tension in the room increased. "Eat, Kieya," his voice issued an order just as strict as the one to sit. "You will eat. I cannot have you starving yourself after all." There was no condemnation or mocking in his tone. Just clear cut facts that were strongly recommended she obey. She said nothing as she dragged the tray of food closer though she did glare a little at him.

The food was not the most appetizing thing but the smell of it was enough for her body to remind her of its desire. It should not surprise her that Vanto had told him of her refusal to eat. He had hinted he would not lie to Thrawn about it. "And if I don't?" She asked him before she could stop her mouth from responding. He froze for a moment as he looked at her and then he smiled. It was not a good or happy look as his head tilted in consideration of her defiance. Half the plate had been eaten at this point but Thrawn kept her gaze unblinking and unruffled by her perceived defiance.

"There are answers for that," he responded finally leaning forward so he leaned over his desk even sitting so casually. "The severity of the correction will depend on you but I have already decided the first stage." Kieya could tell already that she would not like what he would say next. His crimson eyes made sure to catch her gold with a serious countenance that made her hold her breath. She could not stop the instinctual feeling of fear his very presence subjected her to. "You will now share every meal with me," he ordered and her knuckles turned light blue from how hard she gripped her tray at that order. "Am I understood?"

Kieya schooled her face to the calm and collected mask she in no way felt. A copy of Thrawn's calm and cold demeanor but her irritation at the order was too much for her. Regulating her emotions seemed an insurmountable task after the last couple days aboard the Chimaera. "Why? Your own schedule..." Thrawn only stared at her for a moment and leaned closer onto his desk to keep her gaze. It had already left her mouth so she steeled herself to face whatever came next.

"How quick you forget my rules, Kieya," he stated with a slight scowl though his face never shifted. It was unsettling how cold and emotionally withdrawn the Grand Admiral could be. Or she still had no capacity to read the interwoven web that were his thoughts and feelings. "I will excuse it because of the situation but next time I will not be so generous," his voice was a cold and commanding thing that made her stomach go cold. What was it he had said? She must always refer to him with respect. As if she was a loyal Imperial. A fit of pique descended on her suddenly that was very sharp. She was not an Imperial. "As for my schedule," he added breaking into her disorderly chaotic thoughts. "I have already made the necessary arrangements. Every day you will be escorted here for mealtime. Where I will ensure you take care of yourself."

"Such care you have for your weapon," she muttered out in her reflexive sarcasm that had been learned. Through life drifting and wandering amongst the filth of the sky and dirt. Kieya knew she should stop. That she should shut her mouth and play the obedient little slave but she could not. The memories and crushing weight of what was to come would not allow her to regulate her emotions. For his credit, Thrawn's face barely shifted in response to her disrespect.

"You were a gift granted to me," he answered simply. "It would be remiss of me not to see to your care." Silence rested again and tension lingered between them. His red eyes glowing in the light as he looked down at her. Enough she felt small in his presence and regard. A gift. That was what she was. Nicer than being called a slave she supposed. Or a pet. Still, Kieya had been sold into Imperial property no matter who had the leash. "Finish your meal," he ordered with his voice as unbreakable as durasteel. A fine line she was pressing against.

"And if I don't?" She found herself asking again feeling childish but no desire to back down. Pride making her react to this stimulus as her body cried out for a release from all the tension. Thrawn never showed anger she realized suddenly. A small twitch of his lips downward and a twitch in his eyebrow the only tells to his anger. It fit the blue skinned Grand Admiral like a glove and it was terrifying.

"I doubt you want to experience the next stage, Kieya," he responded as soft as normal though an undercurrent of anger struck through. Sharp as a vibroknife. "There are ways to force someone to intake nutrients. I doubt you wish to experience it." As threats went it was a good one. Eat or I will medically force you. That was what he did not say but the hint was there. The hint that was a threat and a promise. Defiantly she gazed at him but his stare never wavered as he met her stare. "Now I will ask again," he added as his fingers folded against each other. "Am I understood?" Tension and an unwavering stare but she did not need the Force to sense it. Or to understand it. She had reached the end of the tether and now it was up to her how it went from here.

Kieya felt her hand shake slightly as their eyes stayed on each other. A battle without words but she knew she would never win. He had the means and power to force her in line. He was also correct she did not want to be forcefully fed what she needed to survive. Even if it was possible to starve herself to prove a point. Logically, Kieya knew that her livelihood was dependent on performing well enough. The Emperor graciously allowing her to be Thrawn's tool in weaponizing Battle Meditation. She scowled but her eyes flicked down as her shoulders caved in defeat. "Yes," she whispered and saw his eyebrow raise. His unspoken order obvious in the tense air. "sir," she added with as much vitriol as she could muster. He nodded once, sharply, and motioned to her food.

She choked down the rest of the food but made sure to stay steady and to not make a mess. Even if her hand still shook and her appetite was not very strong. A glance up showed him reading a datapad, no doubt checking reports, and a few perusing glances making sure she was being obedient. Sour and irritated she set the empty tray down and wondered about her new schedule. A schedule that would now include her sharing meals with the man who held her leash. Annoyed, she leaned back in the chair as silence followed and she still refused to touch the Force. "Explain something to me," his voice cut the silence as she glanced up at him startled. "What was it you said before slipping into your meditation?"

"Do you wish to know the words or the reason for them?" She asked instead of answering. The Grand Admiral laid down his current datapad with a slight slap of the electronic's shell meeting his polished desk. His red eyes watching her every action and micro-expression she showed.

"Both," he answered with his normal piercing stare. "Explain it to me."

"There is no emotion, there is peace," she said after a heartbeat and no reason to reject him to say it. Kieya was tired of trying to fight against his control right at this moment in time. "It is the first line of the Jedi Code," she added but bit back on any other explanation that wanted to come out. He did not ask for a philosophical debate and she very much doubted she could. He waited to see if she would continue but he gave a small little smile when she did not. His own micro-expression of amusement even if he did not emote that well. So tightly controlled that the Grand Admiral was.

"Very well," he said pressing against his desk to stand smoothly. She watched and heard his boots click against the polished floor of his office. Her eyes tracked him but looked towards the strange lizard relief behind his desk as he approached. He did not feel angry at her reticence in answering but she could not feel any deeper. "I will escort you back to your room and will see you in a couple hours for lunch," he continued standing over her. "We will discuss the Jedi Code in detail. I am quite curious on Jedi philosophy now." Kieya only stared at him and swallowed her suddenly dry mouth. It was an order she knew that. A blue hand unfurled in front of her in invitation to stand. Just like at the bridge and similar to that situation she stood on her own with a glare.

"As you command, Grand Admiral," she responded both despondent and sarcastic in equal measure. He only motioned for her to move and so move she did to go back to her well furnished cell to stew into her feelings again. She would need to meditate at some point to find her center again. Her emotions being so frayed and distorted would make her usage of battle meditation useless. It was the only thing keeping her alive and undeliverable to the Sith. She followed at his foot in silence as she considered her new schedule with no thoughts that truly went anywhere.