Saga Pawn to Queen (Thrawn, Sev'Rance Tann)

Title: Pawn to Queen
Summary: A chance meeting between two renegade Chiss will change their lives ? and that of the galaxy?s ? forever. Follows them from their Chiss military academy to right before the attack on the Outbound Flight.
Characters: Thrawn, Sev?rance Tann, Kinman Doriana
Time Period: Ten years from before TPM to one year after TPM.


Author note: I was inspired to write this after I noticed that Outbound Flight takes place only one year after the Battle of Naboo. This means that Thrawn and Sev?rance Tann were contemporaries of each other and may very well have known each other. Thrawn and Tann are the only Chiss to pursue military careers outside the Ascendancy, and they achieved it with a great deal of success.

Some history: Thrawn became an Imperial Grand Admiral (the only non-human ever to achieve that rank), and Sev'Rance Tann became the head General in charge of Dooku's Separatist Armies. Ironically, the downfall of both can be attributed to Jedi influence (though Thrawn's death was more indirect while Tann died at a Jedi Master's hands.


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It began as a game.

He had been in his last year at the military academy, the star student in his class; a Nuruodo, he was destined to serve in the CEDF. She was a year below him, one of the younger recruits in the academy, sent by her colony to learn before she would return to serve her colonial phalanx.

It would be a mistake to say that it was her beauty that had drawn him, though he supposed she was comely enough. Nor was it her form, tall and well-built as all Chiss females strove to be. No, it was the expression on her face, the cool intelligence gleaming in her eyes, and the smirk shaping her lips, as if she knew something no one else did.

He had seen that expression many times before.

He saw it every time he looked at his own face.


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Mitth?raw?nuruodo had arrived at his advanced tactical strategy class when he saw Sev?rance?tann for the first time. Her beginner?s tactical strategy lesson took place right before his, and that day, he had arrived early enough to catch the end of her beginner?s class.

She had been defending her answer to Professor Chath?varan?bintrani?s hypothetical scenario, and though it was highly unorthodox, it was also brilliant.

From then on, Thrawn started coming to his strategy class early. He liked listening to her think and liked watching her speak; he liked seeing the cunning gleam in her eyes when she came up with a new way to crush the enemy opposition in the tactical scenarios her teachers came up with in class.

And at times, she would watch him, out of the corner of her crimson eyes, her gaze taking in his tall figure standing near the doorway. Her lips would quirk slightly as she acknowledged her unknown admirer, one that she had recognized immediately as a fellow genius.

So it only seemed natural that one day he stopped her with a soft touch on her arm and asked her to indulge him in a game of chess.


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Chess was the ultimate game of strategists, a clash of wills where Thrawn had always emerged as the victor. He had the uncanny ability to anticipate the moves of his opponents, and using a combination of bold moves coupled with his cool demeanor, he had become the undisputed master of strategy.

Sev?Rance sat across from him now, her face equally as unreadable as his, as she watched him move his queen to a different spot on the board.

?You would sacrifice your queen?? she asked curiously. Moving his queen had been a bold move on his part, especially when she had the tactical advantage.

?If the sacrifice is worthwhile, then yes,? he answered calmly, as he enjoyed both the thrill of the game as well as the pleasure in teaching her.

She killed off his queen with a move of her own. ?I hope you were right,? she said.

Thirty moves later, it turned out he was.

Thrawn moved his pawn

 

I've been wanting to see one of these or write one for the longest time! I knew I couldn't do it justice, but you have. This was a wonderful piece featuring a very often neglected character. Bravo!

 

Kudzu: I've been wanting to see one of these or write one for the longest time! I knew I couldn't do it justice, but you have. This was a wonderful piece featuring a very often neglected character. Bravo!

Thanks! Thrawn has always been one of my most favorite characters, and Sev'rance is certainly up there as well. When I read the summary for Outbound Flight and realized that it was likely they knew each other, I couldn't resist the temptation to write it. By the way, I read your story on Sev'Rance Tann and her final battle (I will review soon, I promise!), and I liked it! Who says you can't do her justice?


Sinrebirth: Please continue this into Count Dooku and so forth, it'll be good to see Sev'Rance be turned dark, and Thrawn to watch from the sidelines!!!

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. I haven't decided if I'll continue it, because as of now tihs story stands alone, though I may do another short piece of Sev'Rance. I kind of imagined her to be a really coll-headed Chiss, who even at the time of her death still thought she was suporting the good of the Ascendancy.

 

I have no idea who Sev'Rance is, but I thought this was brilliant anyway. The way you write Chiss culture always amazes me - all the little details, all the bits that explain why the characters act the way they do in the novels.

 

JadeSolo: Sev'Rance Tann was a Chiss Jedi Knight who was Count Dooku's head general. She led the Separatist armies to several victories until she was killed by Jedi Master Echuu Shen-Jon.

The way you write Chiss culture always amazes me - all the little details, all the bits that explain why the characters act the way they do in the novels.

Thanks! It's the highest compliment! I love the Chiss, and they deserve so much more attention than is given to them in both profic and fanfic. Hopefully others will join in my efforts to shed light on such a cool group of people.

 

My little friend,

Wonderful!

You should be made into an honorary Chiss. Really. I think you are one because you write them so well.

Thrawn was great here, and so was Sev'rance. There wasn't emotion, exactly, but a lot of understanding between them. I liked that.

I also liked how you compared physical anticipation to the mental kind. Great!

This fic was Thrawn to a T. And the line where he asks Sev'rance if he's cruel...sigh.

You make me so happy when you write this stuff.

 

summerdaisy: Thrawn was great here, and so was Sev'rance. There wasn't emotion, exactly, but a lot of understanding between them. I liked that.

Thanks, M! It's how I always pictured both of them...they aren't sentimental people, that's for sure

 

You know, I don;t think I told you that I really like this piece. I've always found Thrawn interesting (but you know I'm not as well-read as you, especially when it comes to him!) and you really let him shine. Seriously, this is better than SOOoo many fics out there...and of course, it involves an obscure character and a basically blank space in SW.


Saweet!

 

I'm officially a groupie of yours now. I read something off the Beyond the Saga board.

So awesome! I think Thrawn is definitely one of the best characters in the EU, and the sad part is that the vast, vast majority of us in Star Wars fandom cannot possibly do his character justice in a story. But since you manage to channel Timothy Zahn, I get my Thrawn fix and am therefore happy.

 

JediTristan: ...you really let him shine. Seriously, this is better than SOOoo many fics out there...and of course, it involves an obscure character and a basically blank space in SW.

Thanks, Tris. That means a lot! And as for obscure characters and blank spaces...you know me.



TheCrazyRodian: I'm officially a groupie of yours now.

*Hands out an Inara button*

Seriously, though, thanks! I feel even more inclined to writing when I have such a good reviewers like you.

I think Thrawn is definitely one of the best characters in the EU, and the sad part is that the vast, vast majority of us in Star Wars fandom cannot possibly do his character justice in a story. But since you manage to channel Timothy Zahn, I get my Thrawn fix and am therefore happy.

That's the ultimate compliment, as Zahn is my favorite SW author. And yes, Thrawn is definitely one of the coolest characters, and there aren't enough fics about him.

 

I'm a new groupie too!

Inara, how do you do it? You write such amazing stories, and they are all different too.

Thrawn is great, and though I only know vaguely of Sevrance, I'm interested enough in her now to do some reseach on her.

I loved the way you wrote these two...they are so Chiss, and you're the resident expert on their culture, I think.

 

Hello Inara!

I'm posting like crazy this morning. I've been lurking the past two weeks hunting up good Thrawn stories, and today I've finally gotten enough courage to post at these boards.

Though I read your fic last week, I read it again this morning and I love it. Thrawn and Sevrance are wonderful. I like the interaction between them. It's professional but you can tell they still respect each other a lot for being ruthless and aggressive.

Great job and please write more of Thrawn.

 

Fascinating story. I really like how you explore the characters and relationship between the two. You don't make them seem too human but they still seem very real. There's a definate connection between them, but it's not much like a human sort of romance or close friendship.
For both of them, chess had become more intimate than sex, more tender than a heart-to-heart conversation, more challenging than any of their classes, and more addictive than any drug. I loved the inclusion of them playing chess together.

 

Oh wow, more reviews. All of you doth spoil me.


ImperialSpy: Thrawn is great, and though I only know vaguely of Sevrance, I'm interested enough in her now to do some reseach on her.

That makes me so happy. I love it when I can inspire someone to appreciate a new character.


I loved the way you wrote these two...they are so Chiss, and you're the resident expert on their culture, I think.

Well, I love the Chiss.



Thrawn3333: I've been lurking the past two weeks hunting up good Thrawn stories, and today I've finally gotten enough courage to post at these boards.

Thrawn is a very fascinating but oft overlooked character. But I've found that though there are few Thrawn stories, the ones that are available are are all amazing and well-written. I guess he demands that.


It's professional but you can tell they still respect each other a lot for being ruthless and aggressive.

It's always been my biggest fear. As much as I love them, I don't want to mischaracterize them by making them nice.



Lovely-in-Orange: You don't make them seem too human but they still seem very real. There's a definate connection between them, but it's not much like a human sort of romance or close friendship.

It's how I see the Chiss, and more especially, how I see Thrawn. I can't imagine a Thrawn romance, but he's a magnetic man, so...


I loved the inclusion of them playing chess together.

It's always the minor things that connect people, and for those two, it would have to be the game of geniuses.

Thanks for the review!

 

Nice! we don't see this, the hands-down coolest character in the EU, featured enough around here. Good to see someone taking up the challenge. And you do so well at it! I'm floored by the sheer amount of knowledge you have of the Chiss. Not to mention your solid grasp of Thrawn's character. I was especially impressed by the conversations on strategy. They didn't just sound like something a Chiss would say, they sounded like they'd actually work. I now wish I had a rag-tag army to train, so I'd have an opportunity to try out that kill-the-general tactic. ...

Speculative it may be, but with your kind of knowledge base, I wouldn't doubt the veracity of your account for a second.