Saga - OT Ballad of the Winter Rose- Doctor Who Crossover

Ballad of the Winter Rose

A SW Rebels/Doctor Who Romance

Written by: Nehru_Amidala aka FossilQueen1984

Genre: Gothic romance, drama, hurt/comfort, dark fantasy, slight horror

Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Mads Mikkelsen, Vortigern Slavin- Mark Hamill, Kanan Jarrus- Freddie Prinze Jr, Hera’Syndulla- Vanessa Marshall, Sabine Wren- Tiya Sircar, Ezra Bridger- Taylor Gray, Zeb- Steven Blum, Chopper- himself/Ben Burtt, Cham’Syndulla- David Ogden Stiers, Numa- Cote DePablo

Pairings: slight Kallus/Zeb, Kanan/Hera, Thrawn/Minerva

Rating: T/PG-13 for battle sequences, thematic elements, blood, snogging, SPOILERS for Thrawn

Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

Chapter Soundtrack: Cursum Perficio/Pax Deorum- Enya

Chapter 22: Fortes Fortuna Iuvat, Part 3



The ascent to the cliff-carved fortress that currently housed the Free Ryloth movement was crawling with security personnel, all staffed with the latest rifles and sniper guns, just in case. They needed to be ready at a moment’s notice, and especially now with the Imperials in complete control of Tann Province.

Because it was the beginning of the rainy season, the normally dry gullies were flush of water and any number of blurrgs and numas were crowded along the banks, and the further away one got from home base, the gullies widened into proper channels that turned into roaring rivers filled with silvery water that in turn powered the mills and factories on the fringes, far away and too unimportant for the Imperials to take notice.

Because the Ghost crew was far too large of a group, Sabine and Zeb had to ride blurrgs while everyone else rode in the speeder. However, it would have been better for Rex to have ridden a blurrg, because they were not two hours into the trip when he got speeder sick, and nearly passed out from fever. Zeb was annoyed because riding on the blurrg, while great fun, reminded him that this was the sort of thing Agent Kallus (possibly) liked to do, and he was starting to sigh dreamily whenever his thoughts turned to the ISB agent. Embarrassed that he was going to reveal his crush, he traded places with Rex, who turned out to be much happier riding the blurrg.

For the resident Mandolorian, Sabine was having a grand time. She enjoyed riding as much as she enjoyed art. As the daughter of the reigning family back on Krownest, from an early age she had been expected to do certain activities that upper-class Mandolorian women took part in. Riding was one of these activities, and she excelled at it. She started laughing in a carefree manner as she allowed herself to remember the happy memories of her childhood, before the Academy, before her father was imprisoned.

The whole jaunt was merry, except Ezra was filled with a strange sense of dread, and he didn’t like it. At first, he though it nothing but a remnant of his brushes with the Dark Side of the Force, first with Darth Maul, and then with the Sith Holocron. It had many days of perpetual meditation and lightsaber sparring to break the link.

In the end, all he had gotten for his hard work were migraines and images of a beautiful girl some years older than himself, in Imperial regalia, working on a map. There was something familiar and mysterious about her, in fact she reminded him of Kanan.

He had said something to Kanan about the girl, and his master, his surrogate father, had reacted in the worst way possible. His watery-grey eyes had widened in fear and disgust and he had exclaimed, “What do you mean, we’re related? There is no way in the whole firefekking galaxy I am related to that, that…harlot!” By now, his face was as red as Vader’s lightsaber blade and the string of obscenities coming out of his mouth was bound to set some new record that even Chopper couldn’t compete.

Ezra began to back away slowly, but decided to calm Kanan down. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he told his master to calm down, it wasn’t anything to worry about. “Not like you two are related or anything,’ he joked cautiously. Oddly, Kanan stiffened slightly at the last comment and at last let out a deep breath from his nose.

“I didn’t mean to react that way, Ezra. That girl… it’s nothing to worry about. Let’s get some training in, all right?”

Just like that, everything had gone back to normal in the blink of an eye. Dwelling on it as the speeder continued to the hide out, Ezra could not help but feel something dreadful was going to happen on this mission. He just hoped his new family made it out in one piece.

By the time everyone reached the base, they were hot, sweaty and tired. Numa greeted them and showed them to where they could freshen up and join her and Cham for an early dinner, and what a dinner it was. Blurrg cassoulet, bittersweet green salad with Fondorian dressing with jogan seasoning, spiced cider and honey cakes for dessert. The banquet table was set up in such an inviting manner that for at least the first hour, there was no talking but rather the feasting and quiet contentment of eating good food and being amongst good company.



While at table, Ezra’s head began to buzz and he realized he was making a connection in the Force. It was not to Kanan, it was to the girl he had seen. Across the table, Hera and Kanan were too busy playing boyfriend and girlfriend to notice anything else going on around them. Ezra smiled gently, he was happy that they were acting like a normal couple, he could use the Force to spy on the Imperials.

Reaching out with the Force, Ezra was able to see what was going on in the Syndulla clan palace. Storm troopers were on patrol, Thrawn and some human official were discussing trade policy with local Imperial occupied systems, and the girl… she was slowly making her way back from the kitchens, where she had apparently had the servants leave for the nearby chance. He decided to speak to her via the Force.

Hi there! Are you the map maker everyone keeps talking about?

Jesus Christ Superstar! Get out of my head!

I’ll take that as a yes, then.

What do you want? You’re a persona non grata, as far as my fiancée is concerned.

Fiancée? Wait a sec, you’re getting married to the blue thing?

How dare you call him that!

Fuming, Minerva severed contact with Ezra and flounced into Slavin’s office, where she was having dinner with Thrawn and Vortigern. Her face was still flushed and she was trembling when she walked through the double doors, and as soon as Thrawn observed his Winter Rose, he knew Ezra had used the Force to contact Minerva. Peeved to no end, he would deal with this matter after dinner.

Dinner was an understated affair, Slavin was feeling sorry for himself and refused to acknowledge reports that the Ghost crew was heading right for them. In fact, as far as Slavin was concerned, all Twi’leks looked away, so one dead one was as good as any other. His blindness to what Cham and Hera actually looked like in real life amused Thrawn greatly.

“If what you say about all Twi’leks looking alike is valid, Vortigern, please indulge my curiosity. If one of the Free Ryloth partisans barged down the door, how could you tell it was truly Cham’Syndulla?”

“It’s his office, after all. He’s tall, sharp-toothed and red skinned. No wait, is he orange? Kriff! Stop making me look like a bloody fool in front of your wife.”

“I did no such thing, Slavin. I merely made an inquiry to satiate my curiosity, and in turn you fumbled over the gaps in your argument’s logic.”

Slavin dismissed them after this, wishing to save whatever remained of his pride and wounded ego. Thrawn took Minerva’s arm in his and escorted her back to the solarium, where they sat down in the window seat. Minerva curled into Thrawn’s lap and lay her head on his chest and let out a sigh. Kissing the top of her head, he inquired about what had happened before she came into dinner.

Minerva explained it as best she could, as she had never shared a Force Bond with anyone before. Also, she had no wish to associate with anyone connected with her father, of all people. Thrawn agreed that the conversation was unusual, and deduced that Ezra would be arriving at the estate in a misguided attempt to take it back.

As they sat there musing about it, Minerva asked her lover, “It’s likely that the droid will come along, since he’ll blend in after a paint job and Hera will come here disguised. It makes sense, Vortigern doesn’t notice anything right in front of him-“ She was cut off by Thrawn kissing her, hungrily and desperately. She was his whole world, and nothing would stop him from slaying anyone that lay a hand on her.

Breaking apart for air, Thrawn lay her down on the bed where they lay cuddling for the better part of an hour. The sun set and the hues of orange, purple, and red played out on the neutral tones of the wallpaper. The couple watched the display before Thrawn’s comm beeped.

“Sir, we have engaged the Rebels 20 minutes outside the compound.”

“Who is it that you have engaged in battle?”

“The Jedi, the artist, the Lasat thingy, and a few partisans. Shall we give chase?”

“Do that, and keep them away as long as you can.”


“Yes, sir.”

Slowly sitting up, Minerva shared a look with Thrawn. They were here then, Hera’Syndulla and Ezra Bridger, along with the droid.

Showtime!

 

Ballad of the Winter Rose

A SW Rebels/Doctor Who Romance

Written by: Nehru_Amidala aka FossilQueen1984

Genre: Gothic romance, drama, hurt/comfort, dark fantasy, slight horror

Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Vortigern Slavin- Mark Hamill, Hera’Syndulla- Vanessa Marshall, Kanan Jarrus- Freddie Prinze Jr, Sabine Wren- Tiya Sircar, Ezra Bridger- Taylor Gray, Zeb- Steven Blum, Chopper- himself/Ben Burtt, Cham’Syndulla- David Ogden Stiers, Numa- Cote DePablo

Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva

Rating: T/PG-13 for battle sequences, thematic elements, blood, snogging, SPOILERS for Thrawn

Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

Author’s note: Ryl is equivalent to French.

Chapter Soundtrack: You Know I love you- Coraline soundtrack, Thrawn’s Web, Kevin Kliner

Chapter 23: Fortes Fortuna Iuvat, Part 4



When Vortigern heard that Hera (the Hera’Syndulla!) was showing up at the front door, he was sweating bullets. He was about to order the front door to be heavily guarded, in case she tried to force her way inside, but as many of the stormtroopers who were out in that part of the compound were out fighting the Free Ryloth partisans and the Ghost crew, the everyday ground crew was on guard patrol that evening. It was a fine evening, the moon was full and it was clement outside. In fact, it was not yet eight o’clock.

As it was, he had taken three showers and two baths to calm himself down, of course that really didn’t do the trick until Thrawn commed him and told him that he had everything under control. He had no idea what the Grand Admiral had in mind, but this let him off the hook, or so he thought.

Thrawn explained his plan to Minerva as they walked along the corridors towards Slavin’s office. According to him, Hera, Ezra and Chopper would already be in disguise and come in through the back door as to avoid detection. From there, they would make it to the office and make off with the kalikori, as it was the one thing that Hera would want. Also, it was far easier to retrieve the family totem than the partially burnt portrait. Minerva had to agree with him.

“Of course, it all comes down to timing. We (you and I) will have to persuade Slavin to leave his office long enough for Captain Syndulla to take the bait.”

“Will that work?”

Thrawn chuckled at her latest comment. “Beloved, you still doubt me, even now?”

Minerva blushed, and Thrawn pulled her close for a heated kiss. After breaking apart, she rested her head on his shoulder and they walked together into Slavin’s office. He was unaware of any greater plan, and this was for sanity reasons. Among other things, Slavin would shoot to kill and the game would be over.

Thrawn had an ulterior motive for bringing Minerva along. With the revelation of Minerva’s proper offering at the Syndulla crypt and her recent Force conversation, Hera and Ezra would be under the impression that Minerva was the victim of a forced arranged marriage under Palpatine (which was a total falsehood) and was naïve when it came to matters of the heart. Also helping this façade was his military prowess, Minerva’s until now unknown status to the larger Rebel community, and the idea that Imperials were incapable of knowing what love and happiness were. By exploiting these inconsistencies, they would walk into a trap and the family unit would tear itself apart. Ergo, he had instructed Minerva to stay silent and take out Ezra.

So, they walked into the office, extracted Slavin (who was still drooling over the newly refurbished statue of Rhea’Syndulla) and went for a brisk walk around the perimeters to do a quick inspection. By the time they returned, Hera and Ezra would be just leaving the office, or close to. As for the droid known as Chopper, most likely he would either be escorting them or down in the basement with plans to blow the whole place sky high once they (the Rebels) escaped. Thrawn was betting on the former as this was supposedly a stealth mission.

Thrawn’s theory was correct, because while they were finishing the inspection, Hera, Ezra and Chopper had successfully broken into Cham’s office. Hera smiled brightly at seeing her father’s office mostly intact, and she nearly teared up looking at her mother’s statue. Ezra looked at it, he could tell Hera took after her mother in many respects. “Your mother was beautiful Hera, it’s too bad she, you and my mom never got a chance to meet,” Ezra said thoughtfully as he studied the mosaic portrait.

Hera walked over to it, and allowed herself to gently trace the outlines of her mother’s face, tears nearly coming to her eyes. Hugging Ezra with one arm, she sighed, “You know something, Ez? I get the feeling they would. She would spoil you rotten.” Laughing, she gave her adopted son a loving hug and the Force bond sang harmoniously. It was moments like these that Ezra was glad he had taken a chance with them. In a way, they were his new family.

It was here Hera let out a cry and picked up a wooden totem. Ezra walked over and squinted at it, what was that thing? “What is that thing, anyway,” he queried curiously. Hera explained to him that is was a kalikori and it was passed down from one generation to the next. “We’ve gotten what we came for. Ezra, Chop, let’s go.”

“That’s it? We came for a child’s plaything?”

“Bwap, bwha, ba?”

“Listen here, boys. A kalikori is not a child’s plaything,” Hera scolded as Ezra popped his Stormtrooper helmet back on. Something in the back of his head was tingling… a familiar presence in the Force. KRIFF!

Before he could say anything to Hera, the doors leading from Cham’Syndulla’s office whooshed open… and in stepped three imperials, Thrawn, Slavin and the girl! Ducking behind the decorative panels, Hera assumed the role of a Twi’lek slave as Chopper quickly wheeled off to the opposite side of the room.



Upon entrance, Thrawn and Minerva recognized Hera for who she was immediately, but Slavin, being the boor that he was, marched right up to her and began berating her. Hera lowered her eyes, when Minerva decided to intervene, to Thrawn’s surprise.

“Madame, pourquoi êtes-vous ici quand vous devriez être à la maison? (Madam, why are you here when you should be home?)”

“Je ... je n'ai pas reçu de salaire ... et ma famille a faim ...( I...I was not paid wages...and my family is hungry...).”

It was here Hera found herself looking the young woman in the eyes. The female Imperial’s impossibly blue eyes were clear, and unclouded by hate. Something about this young woman reminded her very much of Kanan, that much was true. Was it possible that they were related somehow?

Hera did not have much time to think it over because Thrawn pulled her up and placed a finger on Minerva’s rose petal lips before chiding her gently. “Now Minerva,” he scolded gently, “she is not a ladies maid.” Minerva nodded, and stepped quietly back at his side. Hera was taken aback, why was Thrawn telling her how to act? Was she unaccustomed to being around slaves?

Of course, it was here that Slavin took the reins. Scowling at the Twi’lek, he growled, “Out of the way peasant. You are not to leave the kitchen levels, where your people belong.”

Adopting her native accent, she apologized profusely, “Sorry sir, I will be on my way.”

Of course, Thrawn noticed Hera clinging to the kalikori and decided to halt the extraction. Turning to Hera, he inquired gently, “Excuse me, but my wife and I are visitors to your world. I would like to know what you think of our Imperial occupation.”

“I don’t think I would be of much help, I am a poor refugee…”


“Interesting. Then why may I ask do you have that? Guard, please bring her into the office.” Thrawn instructed. Minerva sensed where this was going, and she quietly followed behind him, acting meek and obedient. Ezra followed warily as did Slavin. The door shut, and Slavin forced her into the chair.

Hera was frightened, and yet managed to keep her composure. They couldn’t have figured out the plan already, could they? Examining the kalikori, Thrawn asked her in a surprisingly conversational tone about why she had grabbed the kalikori and not something she easily could sell for rations.

No sooner had Thrawn finished his question, that Slavin opened his big mouth, “It’s nothing but a primitive trinket. Who cares if it’s sold for food, and why she grabbed it?”

“Ah, Vortigern, you fail to see the larger picture for what a kalikori is. This particular kalikori belongs to Clan Syndulla, and it passed down from generation to generation. It is a way of passing on family history, and I will tell you know, our guest is not who she seems.”

As Thrawn started to explain what the kalikori meant, dread began to gnaw at her psyche. The way he pronounced everything correctly, he knew who she was and was merely playing her to get an answer. She and her family had walked right into a cleverly disguised trap.

“Sir, she’s just a peasant, not a guest,” Slavin sputtered angrily. It was here Thrawn played his trump card while leaning into the Twi’lek pilot, just enough to put her on edge. “War, it’s all you’ve ever known. You were so young when you survived the Clone Wars. War is in your blood, whereas I study war as an art to perfect it. Vortigern, Minerva, may I introduce Hera’Syndulla, freedom figher, Rebel pilot and daughter of Cham’Syndulla.” Thrawn bowed, revealing the portrait and it finally dawned on Slavin that Thrawn had been correct as usual.

It was here that Ezra pulled his blaster to attack Thrawn, but Minerva was quicker. Activating her blade, she slit his back armor and as he stumbled forward, Thrawn stunned him. Hera’s jaw dropped as Thrawn gave her a dark look as two stormtroopers hauled her to her feet.

Slavin was astounded, “But, how did you know there was another Rebel?”

Minerva replied, “Because Rebels always bring back up.”

Thrawn smiled at her, there was the Minerva he knew and loved. Hera was taken aback by all of this, how in the blinking galaxy were Imperials capable of understanding what love was. By now, Thrawn had thrown them into a holding cell on the other side of Cham’s office. As Hera and Ezra landed on the floor, Thrawn addressed her while holding onto the kalikori.

“It is unfortunate that we could not meet under different circumstances, Captain Syndulla. I will be keeping your kalikori in a place of honor, I assure you.”

“It’s not a collector item, Thrawn or something to put into your child’s nursery once your concubine bears you a son…” No sooner had these poisoned words left Hera’s mouth than she was met with a truly angered Chiss. She did not know that in Chiss society, to denigrate one’s spouse among the aristocracy was a faux pas one did not recover from. Hera found that the hard way as Thrawn viciously threw her back against the wall and hit her head so hard, her lekku were ringing loudly and the back of her skull was bruised.

“I came to world to study your art, and you denigrate my wife. You have sealed your own fate,” he seethed. Managing to pull himself together, he ordered troopers to throw them into a cell. That chore finished, he returned to the office and addressed Slavin, “See to it that the kalikori is sent to my private office aboard the Chimaera.”

Slavin was stupefied by this, why? “But sir! It’s just a piece of Twi’lek trash,” he sputtered. Thrawn turned on him in an instant, baring his teeth and hissing angrily while lifting Vortigern by his tunic. Minerva backed up in fear a little bit, it bothered her to see him act this way. Within a heartbeat, he had regained his normal stoic demeanor. Lowering Slavin, he apologized and left with Minerva.

Once they were out in the corridor, Minerva confronted Thrawn about his behavior towards Slavin. After making her feelings known, Thrawn snogged her hungrily, not caring who saw. She was his wife, and nobody spoke ill of her. After they broke apart, he explained what had happened and Chiss societal taboos. This gave her something to think about as they prepared for the next steps.

 

Ha, I have to re-watch that particular "Rebels" episode now. But with Minerva it works pretty good.

 

Seeing Azure's comment I realised that I probably haven't advanced enough in Rebels to know which episode you used in the last chapter, but the scene worked anyway.

I enjoyed the Rebel POV in the last two entries and the fact that Ezra first, then Hera, have begun to see the connection between Minerva and Kanan even though they don't have much to go on. Thrawn had them cornered real good in the last chapter – although, where did Chopper go? Because I didn't see him in that prison cell.

And Slavin. Ugh. He's really an idiot in addition to being a perv.

 

^ Thanks much for the review. Chopper is elsewhere. Don't worry, he's in the next chapter.

 

This is another great story Nehru - I love it!

And with Minerva being one of the central characters, I feel you have fleshed out this particular episode of Rebels a lot more, and also made it a lot more descriptive.

 

Thanks!

 

Ballad of the Winter Rose

A SW Rebels/Doctor Who Romance

Written by: Nehru_Amidala aka FossilQueen1984

Genre: Gothic romance, drama, hurt/comfort, dark fantasy, slight horror

Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Vortigern Slavin- Mark Hamill, Hera’Syndulla- Vanessa Marshall, Kanan Jarrus- Freddie Prinze Jr, Sabine Wren- Tiya Sircar, Ezra Bridger- Taylor Gray, Zeb- Steven Blum, Chopper- himself/Ben Burtt, Cham’Syndulla- David Ogden Stiers, Numa- Cote DePablo

Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva

Rating: T/PG-13 for battle sequences, thematic elements, blood, snogging, SPOILERS for Thrawn

Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

Chapter Soundtrack: I am the Doctor!- BBC Radio Orchestra, Once Upon a December- Deanna Carter cover

Chapter 24: Fortes Fortuna Iuvat, Part 5



As Hera and Ezra were led away towards the holding cells located on the main floor, Chopper whirled away, frightened and confused. He knew what he had to do, he had been assigned to blow the Syndulla clan manor sky high. However, the buildings power source was located directly beneath where Hera and Ezra were being held currently. Surely Hera had a backup plan, he hoped.

It was here Hera commed him, he had to go through with the plan, as she was unaware of Thrawn’s next plan. He was also ordered to take out any stormtroopers guarding the Twi’lek slaves who needed to be freed. Confirming his mission, Chopper gleefully went about his business, placing chargers everywhere he could reach. He also took out as many stormtroopers as he could.

As he wheeled towards the kitchen, he hacked through the security codes and let out a squawk of confusion. Where were the captives? There were no bodies, had they all been killed or taken elsewhere? Frantic about not upsetting Hera further, the droid rolled about but to no avail.

Giving up, he wheeled out to the corridor that led from the kitchen back to the power generators when his optic sensor picked up on something. It was the pretty Imperial and she was walking towards him, comepletely calm. She was either very brave, very foolish, or maybe a mixture of both.

Kneeling down so that she was eye level with him, Minerva grinned cheekily at the droid, very well aware of what Hera intentions were. As a matter of fact, so was Thrawn. “This was your home, must be sad you have to destroy it. I suppose it’s the only way to keep sleemos like Slavin away.”

Chopper stared at her. “Bwop, bwop, bwah beep?”

“I have no idea what a Dalek is, and my name is not Sarah Jane Smith.”

The droid made a gesture towards her knife, and Minerva retorted she knew nothing about the Time Wars, the TARDIS or the Doctor for that matter. The droid replied no Imperial had eyes like hers, clear and unclouded by hate. He wished her luck, and rolled off. He made it back outside into the front yard where he hid behind the shrubbery, alerted Hera and waited for further instructions.

Minerva returned to Thrawn’s side when he ordered Slavin to put a call through via the Holonet frequency that the Free Ryloth movement and the Ghost crew were using. Time to introduce Minerva to the Ghost crew and get Slavin blown to smithereens in the process.

The staticy blue image of the Imperial Empire showed up on the datapad Kanan had. It was Slavin, and it was urgent. Halting all at once, everyone gathered around the screen as the holographic form of Grand Admiral Thrawn appeared. Slavin gasped, Kanan glared and everyone else grew angry. What had he done with Hera, Ezra and Chopper?

“Good evening, Governor Syndulla and company. I don’t believe we have been properly introduced-”

“I know very well who you are! You are Grand Admiral Thrawn, and you have captured my daughter, Hera and her companions. Where are they, you bastard?”

Thrawn’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at the insult, “That’s going a bit far, don’t you think? After all, you were the one who attacked my fiancée who was trying to defend herself.” It was here the holocam zoomed towards a beautiful young woman with dark brown and clear blue eyes, and Hera (who had been brought in to observe) let out an audible gasp. Why had her father attacked this young woman?

Thrawn continued, “I have all three of them scheduled for execution first thing tomorrow morning, including the droid. I don’t suppose you would be willing to discuss terms of surrender, would you?”

Cham swallowed, “No! Don’t kill her, please! If I offer myself in her place will you let them go?”

Thrawn considered it and recalled that Cham’Syndulla was an honorable man, and decided to hold the Twi’lek to his word. “The leader of the Free Ryloth movement in exchange for your daughter… I accept your deal. You and the Rebels will come alone, no partisans for the exchange.”

Cham nodded, “Agreed.”

As soon as the transmission was nixed, Thrawn gave orders for Slavin to be in charge of the prisoner exchange. He quietly explained to Minerva that in all likelihood Cham would commit suicide to free everyone, and Ryloth would be a lost cause. However, the two of them would be returning afterwards back to the Chimaera to resume their assault on Phoenix Squadron and ensnaring Agent Kallus in a trap to prove he was committing high treason under Imperial law.

Kissing her, he sent her to be while he informed the troops to be ready for the morning prisoner exchange.

Meanwhile back on the Ghost, Cham and Kanan were planning what was going to happen when they rescued Hera. When Hera and Cham had crossed exactly halfway towards their intended destination, Chopper would detonate the charger, taking the fortress out. With all of the chaos, Sabine, Zeb and Rex would charge in with blasters and grenades and then they would make their escape in all of the chaos. Kanan liked this, he would finally be rid of his biological daughter and her alien fiancée.

It was a restless night for everyone, Imperial and Rebel alike. The sun rose languidly over Ryloth’s desert horizon, and everyone prepared for the morning ahead. Thrawn and Minerva wore their summer uniforms and so did Slavin, who was letting all the power go to his head, as usual. Minerva brought the prisoners their breakfast, and she mentioned that she had been the one to free the captives, which confused Hera and Ezra to no end. Neither of them could detect any guile or deceit on her end and after she left, Ezra commented Minerva had a pure soul and was honest with them. So, why was she in love with Thrawn?

After they had eaten, Slavin barged in and cuffed them. “Move quickly, Rebel scum,” he hissed disgustedly. They were forced outside into the front courtyard, where Thrawn and Minerva were waiting. Vortigern gazed at the sky impatiently, he was too eager to have his cake and eat it too.

The minutes passed slowly, and Slavin was beginning to complain when the familiar shape of the Ghost materialized and landed on the pavement. The flight hatch detached with a loud whoosh, and ever so slowly Cham’Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus moved down the ramp, followed by the Ghost crew.



Slavin’s eyes widened in delight as the defeated figure of Cham’Syndulla strode towards him. “Praise Palpatine- at long last I am triumphant. I, Vortigern Slavin, have triumphed over the Free Ryloth movement once and for all…” He was gloating until Thrawn shot him a dark look. Hera’s eyes widened when she saw her father submit to Slavin, but she and Ezra were pushed forward and they made their way back to the ship, as had been planned.

No sooner were Hera and Ezra no more than 10 feet from the ship, Cham’Syndulla immolated himself and ran headfirst into Slavin, burning the Imperial horribly. Taking this as the signal, Chopper detonated the charges, and the whole of the Syndulla estate went up in flames. Eager to avenge their friends, Zeb, Sabine and Rex charged into the melee… only to meet fierce resistance from Thrawn and Minerva.

The retreat back to the Ghost was short, but painful. Everyone had cuts, bruises and strains and even Chopper had a few dents to his back. As the Ghost pulled into hyperspace, Hera and Chopper gazed out of the windshield in a melancholy silence. So many memories, both good and bad played out at the estate, and now it was all gone. Cham’Syndulla’s sacrifice would not go unheeded, the Free Ryloth movement would continue and honor his name and memory. That was all they could do.

Back on Ryloth, Thrawn and Minerva emerged unscathed, as Minerva’s shield had protected them from the ensuing blasts and the currently raging inferno. Nestled in Thrawn’s arms as the shuttle entered hyperspace, they both knew they were returning to the dragon’s lair. However, they were united and slowly, but surely the Rebels would tear themselves apart with the revelation of Kanan’s maiden sister. Then, and only then, would the Rebel threat on Lothal truly be dead.

 

Wow, great update, spiked with Doctor Who AND Rebel references!

It does not look good for the rebels, does it?

 

Not in the long run, anyway.

 

Lovely fanart of Chapter 13 by @LilRebelArt

 

So glad you like it!!

 

Disney would love that, too.

 

More fanart from @LilRebelArt

 

Cute Disney noses!

 

More fanart before Chapter 26 goes up on Saturday!




Imperial Wedding, New Year's Day 1996- @LilRebelArt

 

Impressive, most impressive.

 

Ballad of the Winter Rose

A SW Rebels/Doctor Who Romance

Written by: Nehru_Amidala aka FossilQueen1984

Genre: Gothic romance, drama, hurt/comfort, dark fantasy, slight horror

Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Yogar Lyste- Daniel Radcliffe, Admiral Konstantine- Mark Hamill, Governor Pryce- Cate Blanchett

Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva, Lyste/Konstantine

Rating: T/PG-13 for battle sequences, thematic elements, blood, snogging, SPOILERS for Thrawn

Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

Chapter Soundtrack: It’s Hard Work!- Spirited Away OST, The Days Between- John Williams, Cursum Perficio- Enya

Chapter 25: Interlude I



As the Imperial shuttle entered hyperspace to reconnect with the Seventh Fleet, Thrawn took some time to admire his lovely fiancée. The fresh air and battlefield experience had done wonders for her. Her skin tone had taken on a healthy glow, her weight was where it should be and he could make out the amber highlights in her chocolate hued hair. In other words, she was positively radiant.

Turning around in her chair, Minerva inquired to him what he happened to be looking at. Thrawn smiled at her, and she melted. The pilot rolled her eyes at the PDA, newlyweds! YEESH! Trips back to home base always seem to take less time, no matter where you are in the universe. Minerva reflected on this and Thrawn agreed that it was an interesting paradox.

By the time the shuttle reached the Chimaera’s hangar bay, it was about half an hour until the second lunch break, or about 1:30 pm. Lieutenant Yogar Lyste, newly promoted from Major, was on patrol duty and he took his job seriously. As the only competent Imperial on Lothal (excluding Kallus and Pryce), he was promoted by Moff Tarkin only two days ago. When he received word that Imperial shuttle 1138-311A was returning, Yogar felt as though he might faint upon learning who was aboard. It was Minerva Hektor who had sent his heart aflutter, and not for the usual reason.

Plenty of cadets had crushes on the Chief Map-maker, but Lyste was not one of them. First of all, he was gay, and more importantly, he had been one of the cadets on Coruscant whose life had been saved when Minerva stopped that awful brawl four years ago. Since then, he had worked hard to prove himself worthy of working on ship, with the ulterior motive of possibly seeing her again one day. Her kind and selfless act had stayed with him, and he wished to thank her. In a way, it had been a self-confidence boost.

The shuttle landed and ground crews leapt out, ready to clean and refuel. Thrawn and Minerva walked out and down the front ramp, where they were saluted by a clean-shaven black haired man a couple of years younger than Minerva. “Welcome back, Grand Admiral Thrawn and Officer Hektor. I take it your trip went well?”

His tone, while cheerful and friendly, had a tinge of nervousness to it. It took Minerva a minute to put two and two together, he was one of the cadets she had saved! She smiled at him and acknowledged him in a kind, sisterly way. Thrawn silently observed them as they made their way towards the bridge, and thanked Lyste for his warm welcome and praised his reliable service. He was also thinking Lyste might be a good match for Eli. However, he would have to observe Yogar longer before playing matchmaker for his human brother.



As they entered the large, open space, they were greeted by Admiral Konstantine, head honcho of the Seventh Fleet. Although he was the ranking officer of the whole fleet, everyone more often than not deferred to Grand Admiral Thrawn because of the higher rank, and it bothered him greatly. It was time to let Imperial High Command know that he was in charge of what went on, and he intended to stop the Grand Admiral and Map Maker from sharing a room. It was inappropriate, he said. Moff Tarkin and Yularen had told him to stop being a prude and since Thrawn and Minerva were consenting adults, why did it matter?

Konstantine had argued about impropriety, and given his terrible track record against the Specters at that moment, it was agreed to let him at least have this victory. It would prevent future tantrums. So when the double doors whooshed open, he was expected to dress the couple down, but that was before his brown eyes fell on Yogar Lyste. As they did, a noticeable flush rose to his cheeks and the entire room became unbearably hot. The new officer was boyishly handsome, tall with some muscle, soft back hair and twinkling eyes. His lips looked soft, and Konstantine found himself wondering if the rest of Lyste was just as soft and inviting.

He addressed Thrawn and Minerva, “Welcome back, Grand Admiral and Lady Thrawn. As much as you two are in love with one another, as the de facto commanding officer, I am ordering the two of you to start sleeping separately.” He gave them the sharpest look he could muster, but even that was difficult because Pryce had just entered the room to see what was going on.

Thrawn replied this was fine, he and Minerva had discussed their bedroom arrangement on the trip back, and she was looking forward to having her privacy again. When Thrawn had said this, Konstantine looked defeated, but puffed himself up by boasting about the latest stats relating to the battles against smugglers leaving Lothal to aid the Rebels.

“We have lost more troops than necessary because you insist on space battles rather than ground assaults,” Pryce interjected harshly. Konstantine retorted it was no business of hers how he ran things with the Seventh Fleet, and she stood stick with Lothal, as it was her jurisdiction. Pryce glowered at him, and stormed off.

Minerva told them, “I have some maps I need to make for Captain Palleon, so if you excuse me, I will take my leave.” She kissed Thrawn goodbye, and left for her office. Thrawn was called into conference with Pryce to discuss the next move for Lothal and the eventual implementation of the TIE Defender. The bridge was empty now, except for Konstantine and Lyste.

Lyste saluted his superior, “Please excuse me, Admiral. I am needed in the armory to start taking inventory of the latest shipment of blasters, laser carbines, and thermal detonaters.” Bowing in a reverent manner, he was about to leave when Konstantine grabbed his shoulder suddenly, causing both men to blush.

“Lieutenant, I would be remiss in my duties as Admiral not to give you a tour of the Chimaera…”

“But my duties, good sir!”

“Duties be damned! You are a good looking young man of a certain sexuality and Pryce is a notorious homophobe. Please let me explain how to stay on her good side.” He said this last phrase with a sincere, pleading look so Lyste gave in and they went for the tour and ate lunch together discussing the best was to be openly gay while avoiding Governor Pryce’s wrath.

May slowly turned into June, and it was during the duration of the month Minerva finally got to see Lothal, at least the industrial center of Capital City, anyway. The factory campus Thrawn was overseeing was constructing speeder bikes and walkers, and now would be building TIE Defenders. Security was tight, but Thrawn felt that with the forced conscription of locals, sooner or later word would leak out to the Rebels.

Thrawn had learned that workers were sabotaging speeder bikes and walkers, and death tolls for stormtroopers were rising. Adding to the problems was that fact Kallus, aka Fulcrum, was leaking details about the mechanical weaknesses and all across the Outer Rim Territories, Rebel cells were using this information to their advantage. One afternoon in early June, Thrawn took Minerva to section A-2.

His office was similar to the one on board, but this office was slightly larger and had a commanding view of the industrial complex. From the window, Minerva watched as the derecho moved in from the northwest and began raining so hard and fast she could barely see anything a foot from the window. Pulling her close, Thrawn kissed her sweetly. “There is a reason I brought you here, I promise.”

“Why would I ever doubt you? I love you, Thrawn,”

“I know, and I return the sentiment. Truly, I do.”

Breaking apart, Thrawn handed Minerva a small, silver key. Minerva was puzzled, what was the key for? Thrawn smiled in amusement as Minerva tried it on all the doors, and at last she figured it out! The door led to a small apartment meant as a hide-away.

Thrawn explained that the previous magnate had used the apartment to have affairs some 40 years ago, but it was refurbished a few months ago. Minerva was confused about this, until Thrawn told her what had gone on in his meeting with Pryce. She wanted them separated, so Thrawn agreed to have Minerva work planet side for a while. This was to be a safe haven for her! The only other people who knew about it were Doctor Thales and Kallus.

Overwhelmed, Minerva burst into tears and kissed the daylights out of the Chiss tactician. He was not one to complain, so they spent the better part of the afternoon making out and planning what to do next.



Meanwhile, Pryce had been lurking in the shadows planning her next move. Konstantine’s insistence Thrawn and Minerva sleep apart helped her, but sneaking around the ventilation shaft was sure to get noticed at some point, and in all likelihood, Thrawn was expecting her to do something like that. It rankled her to no end that he was always one step ahead of her. Not this time! Feigning illness one morning in the first week of June, she stole away to Coruscant and made her way to the ISB’s Deep Cover archive. This is where ISB and all the other related government offices stashed away their arcane, dirty, subversive experiments Palpatine did not want his loyal Imperial citizens knowing about, for some reason or another.

She had been toiling around one of the various sub-basements for nearly an entire business day, when she finally found what she was looking for. It was a non-descript vial that contained a living jellyfish, neon hued and less than an inch long. It looked harmless, but the words written on the label in Palpatine’s own handwriting showed the creature’s true potential:

A nettlefish for the express purpose of torturing meddlesome Time Lords and Force-sensitives. Guaranteed to cause hallucinations, profuse bleeding, and the inhibition of any Force healing and Time Lord Regeneration energy. Useful next time I run into Nine.

 

You are continually making Thrawn much more likeable. Also, I am guessing that them sleeping apart is to to keep Thrawn on track with the Defender programme without any distractions? Finally, that living jellyfish that Pryce uncovers in the ISB archive piqued my interest and can't wait to see it in action.

 

The nettlefish will see action in the next chapter, and the reason Thrawn and Minerva are sleeping apart is for several reasons:
1. He is jealous of the relationship.
2. He has not had sex in a very, very long time.
3. There is an actual rule in the Imperial Navy that prohibits engaged couple from sharing a room, but they have been flouting it.
4. Most importantly, Konstantine is the ranking officer of the Seventh Fleet, so here he is flexing his muscles to reassert his leadership.

 

He was also thinking Lyste might be a good match for Eli. However, he would have to observe Yogar longer before playing matchmaker for his human brother.

Awww, Thrawn regards Eli as a brother. You make it hard for me to show sympathy for the rebels.

 

Well, Kanan is an out-and-out liar in this story, and the Rebels aren't nearly as pure as they say they are.

 

Spoilers ahead for The Dark Crystal, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, A Wrinkle in Time, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Coraline, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and The Beatles’s “Blackbird”

Ballad of the Winter Rose

A SW Rebels/Doctor Who Romance

Written by: Nehru_Amidala aka FossilQueen1984

Genre: Gothic romance, drama, hurt/comfort, dark fantasy, slight horror

Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Yogar Lyste- Daniel Radcliffe, Admiral Konstantine- Mark Hamill, Colonel Yularen- Patrick Stewart, Dr. Thales- Brian Dietzen, Kallus- David Oyelowo, Palpatine- Ian McDiarmid

Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva, Lyste/Konstantine

Rating: T/PG-13 for battle sequences, thematic elements, blood, snogging, SPOILERS for Thrawn

Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

Chapter Soundtrack: Cursum Perficio- Enya, Cocobeetles/You know I love you- Coraline OST

Chapter 26: Interlude II



Being on Coruscant away from Minerva always worried Thrawn somewhat because she would be at the mercy of Governor Pryce, and what made it worse was that while Kallus was loyal to Minerva, he was also a traitor and head over heels for Zeb Orrelios. However, the week-long meeting of the Tarkin Inititive (which Minerva would join once she and Thrawn were married) on Coruscant justified him being away for a week. He had not been there a half day when he heard news that made him angry, frightened and heartbroken all at the same time.

The morning of 11 June, Imperial Year 17 (or Earth year 1995) had been pleasant enough. He and Yularen hand taken lunch at Dex’s Diner, where the older man had sat down with the Chiss and began discussing wedding arrangements. This threw the Grand Admiral for a loop, why was Yularen so interested in talking about his and Minerva’s upcoming nuptials.

As it turned out, Yularen explained that since Minerva had no father in her life, and he was intending to adopt her as his own. In a way, Minerva and Yularen did have a healthy father-daughter relationship and in a way Minerva was less nervous around the other members of the Moff Council. Wulff also explained that since Minerva was from British aristocracy, a dowry would need to be provided as a bride price. Thrawn disagreed, her maps were dowry enough and so long as she brought a copy of Heir to the Empire with her next time they visited Margie, he would consider that the bride price.

Yularen’s curiosity was piqued, why in the blinking galaxy would Thrawn consider a mere book as Minerva’s bride price? It made no sense! Smiling gently, Thrawn decided to regale his future father-in-law with the tale of how he and Minerva had met. Yularen listened and was about to disagree with the series of events, until Thrawn produced a small, yellowed map. Written along the borders of the paper were the words, “Around the Den Books- Newcastle, Tyne-on-Wear. Estb. 1945.”


Yularen chuckled, of course Minerva would make a map showing where her home planet was. Be that as it may, he felt she needed her own trousseau of semi and formal wear, not to mention jewelry. Thrawn told him that it was possible that Margie had squirreled away a few pieces for life after they were wed. Yularen asked if he could borrow the map so he could go arrange everything. Thrawn smiled, of course he could!

After they parted ways, Thrawn made his way back to the Imperial Palace, when he noticed the unusual presence of ISB agents and stormtroopers. Apparently, someone had stolen a nettlefish from under Palpatine’s nose and he had been throwing Force lightning ever since! When Thrawn heard the word nettlefish, everything came to a stop!

It all made sense, how could he have been so blind? By leaving Minerva alone on Lothal, Pryce had pulled a fast one over on him and Palpatine! He just hoped he could contact Thales and Kallus in time! Of course, a Royal Guard motioned for Thrawn to follow him. The Emperor wished to speak him. Alone.

When Thrawn entered Emperor Palpatine’s office, the Chiss could smell the reak of dead bodies struck down by the wizened Sith Lord. Palpatine’s eyes were glowing, and you could hear him seething. A dangerous situation to be in, but Thrawn was in no danger.



“Good morning, Your Highness.”

“Finally! I see you are aware of the current situation.”

“I was expecting Governor Pryce to openly assault Minerva sooner, but that nettlefish…”

“…is a holdover from the Time Wars. From what you have told me about your people’s long history interacting with not only the Time Lords, but also using Earth as a language laboratory and a former colony, I sense Anihdra will do something foolish and out Minerva to the wider Lothal Rebel network. What is your next step?”

“I will contact Dr. Thales and Agent Kallus. I have had a contingency plan prepared for this sort of situation. They will know what to do. Do you still wish for me to attend the conference?”

“Yes, I do. I need someone besides Lord Vader and Tarkin to keep Krennic and Isard from going at each other’s throats over Project Stardust.”

Bowing, Thrawn left the room and alerted Kallus and Thales.

Meawhile, across the galaxy and back on Lothal, Minerva was finding herself running errands for Governor Pryce, and she was suspicious. It was time for her yearly evaluation, and seeing as she had garnered commendations galore from her time on Ryloth, Minerva was due for a major promotion. As it was, her official rank was that of Commander, with Officer being used as a catch all phrase. Moff Tarkin decided to raise her rank to General, so the rank plates sat on Pryce’s desk.



Eerily serene, she smiled brightly as Minerva entered her office and greeted her superior with a crisp salute. “You wished to see me, Governor Pryce?” she queried curiously. Pryce nodded and beckoned for her to sit down. Minerva sat down uneasily, what was she planning?

“So quiet today Minerva. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, thank you. Something seems off.”

“Really? Would you like some tea?”

“Please.”

As she returned with the silver tea service, Pryce carefully took the dormant nettlefish and placed on the inside of Minerva’s collar, and served the tea. As she drank her tea, Minerva was vaguely aware of something sliding down her back. Just as Pryce had affixed the new rank plates, sirens began going off! Rebels were attacking the base!

Jumping up and upsetting the tea service, Minerva dashed off for the speeder bike yard, and grabbed one of the bikes that had been sabotaged (Pryce had seen to this herself). A bloodthirsty smile cross her lips. It was done.

Meanwhile, Thales had loaded up bags of donated blood and plasma and was shimmying through the ventilation systems and commed Kallus.

“India golfer, niner niner. Do you copy?”

“Loud and clear. Has the blackbird flown into the cold, dark night?”

“Yes, and on a faulty bike.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you have the ysalimir?”

“Sure do! We’ll be in the bathroom on standby.”



Kallus acknowledged and finished up his Fulcrum broadcast. Looking around the broadcast tower, he thought if he could clean it up, he could carry on a clandestine affair Zeb up here. He had done it before with Eli back on Corulag, so how hard could it be? He was not counting on the fact Thrawn already knew he was Fulcrum.

Back outside the industrial complex, the small band of Rebels was making a run for it on the main drag running through town when all of a sudden a young woman waving a small blade riding a speeder bike began the pursuit. As the pursuit continued, Minerva’s head swam as disembodied voices called out to her as well as the fact her speeder bike was beginning to overheat. On top of that, she felt something painful bite down on her upper spine. Standing up, she prepared to jump onto the fleeing speeder, when the speeder bike exploded from under her, sending her flying over the Rebels and onto the ground in a pool of blood.

Not thirty seconds later, the malfunctioning bike exploded, sending shrapnel the Rebels way! Skidding and veering to avoid getting hit, they were soon face to with a horrible sight. It was the Imperial officer, and she was standing, her small blade now a proper vorpal sword, it’s blade at least two feet long. Eyes watery and struggling to stand, Minerva lurched forward with her blade, and as she engaged the Rebels in close combat, the voices came to life:

Thrice times six once were the UrSkeks… Only by a Gefling hand, or by none at all.

Trial by stone!

Are you a daughter of Eve?

My mum’s name is Helen.

By the way, there is such thing as a tesseract.

Be a warrior, Meg!

Who’s Lord Voldemort?

You’re a wizard, Harry.

Harry Potter.

You’re not my mother! My mother doesn’t have buh-buh

Buttons? No silly, I’m your other mother.

Ohm! Go back to your valley!

Minerva raised her blade to deal a death blow, when she collapsed to the ground, nearly out of blood and unable to regenerate. The Rebels saw Kallus coming to the rescue and were able to escape. Minerva began to seize violently. Horrified, Kallus stabilized her with his armor and rushed back to base where Thales was waiting for them.

 

@Nehru_Amidala - Wow!

This is a new low for Governor Pryce in my eyes. And I hope that Thrawn catches on and finds her out, before dealing with her in his cold and calcuating manner.

 

Believe me, he will!

All things in due time.