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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

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

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Nehru_Amidala, Apr 13, 2017.

  1. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Ballad of the Winter Rose

    A SW Rebels/Doctor Who Romance

    Written by: Nehru_Amidala

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

    Characters: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Minerva Hektor (main), Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus, Eli Parck, Kanan Jarrus, Ghost Crew, River Song, Harriet Jones, others later on, Elena Cromwell (OC)

    Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Eli Parck- David Tennat, Elena Cromwell-
    Dame Maggie Smith, others to be announced in the following chapters.

    Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva (main), other pairing TBD.

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

    Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

    Author’s note: For this story, Sy Baustri is equivalent to Greek. Greek text will be translated into English in parentheses.

    Chapter soundtrack: Overture/Ice Dance from Edward Scissorhands- Danny Elfman, Waltz of the Swans- Tchaikovsky, Resilience- Thomas Newman, Fairy Tale- Enya

    Chapter 1- When Twixt Two Lovers Meet

    England’s northern county of Tyne and Wear was wedged against the Scottish Highlands and the North Sea, its ancient forests dotted with ominous, blackened ruins of days gone by and rolling expanses of farm land occasionally marked by riots against the Labour party backed government led by the current PM, Margaret Thatcher. It was out here in the hinterlands where UNIT (and occasionally Torchwood) would conduct secret experiments at the behest of M1-6 and sometimes it was whispered, by those with darker intentions. Locals, who were used to strange goings on, said that the IRA had aligned itself with the Autons and were preparing for invasion. Other argued that it was Russians in league with either the Imperial Empire or the Daleks- even worse. The local magistrates were in utter fear of the local landed noble, a cold hearted harridan by the name of Elena Cromwell.

    From her estate outside the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, she ruled with an iron fist. She had the appearance of a strict headmistress with no concept of warmth. Indeed, the locals referred to her estate as Lowood. Indeed, it was surrounded by thick forests strewn with Anglo Saxon ruins, and the servants she employed were all as detached from their emotions as she was. The only spark of life in this bleak house was Elena’s young ward, a bright and talented mapmaker by the name of Minerva Hektor.

    She was tall and underweight for her age, which was 15 or so. Minerva had dark brown hair that fell in curls down to the middle of her back, with the most expressive blue-grey eyes. Her skin was fair for winter, as she was often forced to wear long sleeves even in summer because she was often beaten with a whip by her aunt for not justifiable reason. Certainly, she fought back but nobody ever came to the girl’s reason, because Elena had a selfish reason to keep Minerva outside and away from society.

    The reason was this, Minerva Hektor could create maps better than anyone before her, and even computer assisted maps were nowhere near as accurate as Minerva’s, and then there was the fact whenever she bled, golden light would escape from the wound and it would regenerate and her reflexes were downright Jedi like. This lead to the rumors that she was some sort of Jedi-Time Lord hybrid, and this was actually the truth. Her mother was River Song and her father was a Jedi by the name of Caleb Dume.

    The events that led to Minerva’s abduction at the age of two years by none other than John Saxon were sketchy, but what was true was that Lady Cromwell demanded her ward continue to live under her thumb and create maps that would be of use to the highest bidder.

    By the year 1991 when Minerva was 17, and when our story begins, she was already dealing with severe bouts of depression. Because she held herself to such a high standard and never let anyone in, Minerva would throw herself into her studies and not stop to eat or drink until she had finished. She had already finished her secondary schooling, and was taking classes at the local junior college. She was so brilliant, but so tall (she had reached her full height of five foot eight) and dreamy the other girls chased her and called her “Ghost Princess”.

    You would think that the depression would affect her more, but Minerva was a fighter in deed and spirit. She never bowed to her aunt’s discipline and she loved reading and studying languages, Greek in particular. She adored books, in particular Star Wars novels and the novels of Leo Tolstoy. To her, the people on the covers became her surrogate family. It was these fictional characters she would confide in, with all her hopes and fears. She would converse with them in Greek, she would joke and cry when her aunt’s abuses became too much for her to bear. She was nothing but resilient, and she needed to be.

    One dull, grey afternoon when Elena was out of town in London to drum up support to squash anti-Thatcher protesters in her districts, Minerva decided to walk downtown to go shopping at her favorite place in the entire world, “Around the Den” books. She would spend whole afternoons there, sitting in a cozy nook devouring some obscure novel relating to Greek philosophy or another wonder Star Wars novel form the 1970’s. The store’s owner did not mind the lanky teen sitting there, Minerva was a good, kind girl who always put whatever she pulled out back before she left, and when she did buy a book she always left a good review and made recommendations.

    This particular afternoon, Minerva was feeling lonelier than ever. Overhead, the BBC Radio 4 was playing the score from Swan Lake and the layered, tragic leitmotifs tugged at her heart. Out of all the talented young people in England, Minerva felt so different. She highly doubted if anyone else had to deal with people badgering her about her maps, or her Greek lessons, or why she was always talking to book covers. Surely, there had to be somebody out there in the vast multitude of galaxies who knew how lonely it was to be a virtual exile within the larger society. The store keeper had noticed Minerva’s funk and smiled, knowing how to cheer up the girl.

    “Good afternoon, Miss Hektor. Got a new shipment from America this morning, there’s a new Star Wars novel out.” She smiled, that would cheer her up. As it was, she was looking for something new to read. Minerva smiled, “Really- oh that’s right! The new Timothy Zahn novel- his other books were fun reads!”

    Eager to try something new, she darted up the carpeted stairs to the second level, and into a right labyrinth of mahogany shelving Minerva began wandering around. It was apparent that the shipment was new, she could smell packing peanuts and bits of cardboard lay on the floor. Outside, rain splattered onto the streets and Tchaikovsky’s score continued to play on.

    Looking on the second most top shelf to find out which novel was the new one, a soft, ghostly touch tenderly brushed her shoulder. “Eh, who’s there,” she called out behind her. There was nobody there, and she whacked her head on the bottom of the topmost shelf, when the sudden movement of her body caused a hardback novel to fall to the floor with a plop.

    Leaving the book on the floor, Minerva craned her head to see who had touched her, but there was nobody there. Wasn’t there? “Hello, is anyone here,” she called out. She had a taste for the whimsical and was sort of hoping to meet a ghost. She walked around the aisles, but to no avail. Disappointed, she made her way back to where she had been standing, and there on the floor was the new novel. The back cover was up, and she quickly read the synopsis before sitting down in an oversized leather chair to examine the cover.

    She glanced at Han and Leia, when someone caught her eye. It was an Imperial, but he was an alien. She felt her mouth draw into a smile, an alien Imperial- this was new. Holding up the cover to get a better look, the man’s red, glowing eyes somehow met hers and somehow a deep flush rushed to her cheeks. Indeed, when her eyes beheld his, something odd happened. He smiled kindly at her, and bowed. Minerva blushed harder, what was going on? Shaking her head, the gentle smile did not disappear for several seconds.

    She smiled, “I don’t believe we have been introduced yet. My name is Minerva Hektor, but you can call me Minerva, if you like.” Her alien gentleman’s brow furrowed slightly, did he not understand English? Of course he wouldn’t understand, he is an alien. I wonder if they speak Greek in the GFFA, she thought to herself. It was worth a try, and thankfully nobody was around to tease her.

    Placing the book on a shelf so it was about head height, she turned around and curtseyed, before introducing herself in Greek. “Chairetismoús, kýrie. Epitrépste mou na systithó. Eímai onomázetai Minerva Éktora, kai katágomai apó ti chóra tis Anglías kai tou planíti pou katoikoún se aftí eínai gností os gi. Eímai 17 etón kai eímai mapmaker. Boró na écho ti chará na gnorízei ti légetai?” (Greetings, sir. Allow me to introduce myself. I am called Minerva Hektor, and I hail from the country of England and the planet I reside on is known as Earth. I am all of 17 years old and I am a mapmaker. May I have the pleasure of knowing what you are called?)

    To her great delight (and surprise), a voice came from the book, at least she was sure it did. It sounded not at all like a recording or something on a CD or an album, rather it sounded as though he were only a few feet in front of her. “Ekplíssomai, tous néous Minerva. Sy Baustri sas eínai téleia, tha prépei na me synchorísete os Galactic Basic den eínai i próti mou glóssa. Eímai kálese Mitth'raw'nuruodo, allá boreíte na mou tilefonísei Thrawn, kathós aftó eínai to pós eímai gnostós edó sto galaxiakó pyrína.”(I am surprised, young Minerva. Your Sy Baustri is perfect, you must forgive me as Galactic Basic is not my first language. I am called Mitth'raw'nuruodo, but you can call me Thrawn, as that is how I am known here in the Galactic Core.) His voice had a RP accent to it, and it was warm but also cultured and cool.

    Minerva blushed even harder, was this even possible? She stumbled over his full name, but she eventually got it. He had laughed quietly and asked if she was always this clever and charming? Turning away shyly, she admitted she rarely got compliments. Thrawn found this surprising, why shouldn’t she, a bright, beautiful young woman.

    It was here that the storekeeper came upstairs and queried about Minerva’s find. Minerva said that everything was fine and it was really time for her to go home. Thrawn had returned back into the formal pose on the cover, to her disappointment. As she walked home, Minerva couldn’t help but smile. She could not wait to introduce Thrawn to her literary family.
     
  2. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    This is highly unusual, but brilliant stuff as I found out when I started reading.

    I became a Doctor Who fan very late in life, when I was stuck in a hellish dimension called the Netherlands for 6 years as a Secondary school teacher. River Song is one of my favourite characters...

    Another reason why Minerva intrigues me: She knows hardships in life, yet does not give into depression.

    Then, very plain, I like owls and Greek goods. For very odd reasons, but I do. It goes deeper than my high regard of "Percy Jackson" books. My husband DarthUncle always curses when he has to hoover around "that thing" in our bedroom, overloaded with fragile stuff and candles...

    And, my main drive going for your story: when I held my first Timothy Zahn SW book in my hands back in the 1990ies, I got hooked on Thrawn, too. Since then I went to buy all the German SW audio books done on that novels. (A bow to Oliver Döhring for producing those audio books, that Cem_Fel cherishes, too!)

    I do wonder what MsLanna and Chyntuck (who will return from her holidays at one point!) will make of this story here! HINT! HINT!

    I certainly would like to see/ read more of Minerva and get tagged!
     
  3. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    @AzureAngel2-Thanks much for the kind review and feedback. Here is Chapter 2 for ya. :)

    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

    Characters: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Minerva Hektor (main), Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus, Eli Parck, Kanan Jarrus, Ghost Crew, River Song, Harriet Jones, others later on, Elena Cromwell (OC)

    Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Eli Parck- David Tennent, Elena Cromwell- Dame Maggie Smith, Margie Fowler- Catherine Tate

    Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva (main), other pairing TBD.

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

    Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

    Author’s note: For this story, Sy Baustri is equivalent to Greek. Greek text will be translated into English in parentheses.

    Chapter soundtrack: Wild Child- Enya, VFD/Concerning Aunt Josephine- Thomas Newman

    Chapter 1- Home Again, Home Again

    From the book store to the manor house, it took about 25 minutes to walk, and since the rain had let up considerably, Minerva walked briskly allowing the stiff breeze to redden her cheeks. She could not help but feel happy, of all the things to happen to her, meeting someone from the GFFA who understood where she was coming from. To top it all off, he was handsome, sophisticated and cultured. Good Lord, what luck!

    She was still unsure if it all hadn’t been a dream, but then again she had felt his hand on her shoulder while she was looking for the novel with him on the front cover. “I wonder if would speak to me again,” she mused to herself as she entered through the front door. Not surprisingly, the housekeeper, Margie Fowler was standing there and when she saw Minerva she broke out into a big grin.

    Of all the servants employed in the Cromwell household, Margie was the only one who felt sympathy for Minerva and did her best to spare the young woman from her aunt’s wrath. Looking at the book, she inquired, “Oh, is that the new Star Wars novel? I hear it’s a good one, Han and Leia finally start a family.” Margie was a huge Han and Leia shipper and wrote fanfiction in her spare time. Her stories were very popular on the internet and one of them had even won an award and had been mentioned in The Economist. Elena thought it distracted from the job, but Miss Fowler was the best housekeeper within 100 kilometers so her writing was done as a downtime activity.
    Minerva nodded, a gentle smile on her face, “Yeah, I was reading it earlier.” Just as she was about to head upstairs to her bedroom, she called back down, “Margie, have you heard from Aunt Elena?”

    “As a matter of fact, I have. She wanted me to tell you that you’re not to go out tonight, as there’s going to be a rally and that your map of IRA camps was greatly admired.”
    Minerva thanked her, and darted off to her bedroom, her precious novel nestled in her arms. Once the oak door was firmly shut, a bright smile graced Minerva’s face. Placing Thrawn on a shelf that was shoulder height, Minerva busied herself pulling over numerous volumes so that the front covers were facing each other and the new arrival. Thrawn was soon face to face with a dozen or so books, each one with a variety of people. Who were they, anyway?

    He didn’t have to wait long, as Minerva (who had taken off her trainers and socks) curtseyed to the covers and made an introduction, “Kalispéra se ólous, elpízo óti tin iméra sas ítan mia chará sta ráfia. iméra mou ítan arketá kalí. Óloi sto MI-6 árese chártes mou kai Aced exetáseis mou sto scholeío to proí. Miló sta elliniká, giatí écho kápoion, tha íthela óloi sas na antapokritheí. Kyríes kai kýrioi, aftó eínai Mitth'raw'nuruodo, allá boreíte na anatréxete se aftón os Thrawn, an thélete. Eínai énas Imperial ... kai aftós eínai sostí.” (Good afternoon everyone, I hope your day was fine up on the shelves. My day was rather good. Everyone at MI-6 liked my maps and I aced my exams at school this morning. I am speaking in Greek because I have someone I would like you all to meet. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mitth’raw’nuruodo but you can refer to him as Thrawn, if you like. He's an Imperial...and he's proper.)

    Thrawn made mental notes about each of the literary characters and ancient Greeks as Minerva introduced each one and explained their backstory. He listened to the lilt in her voice, such an interesting human. There was something in her eyes that intrigued him, and anything that intrigued him begged further exploration. At the same time, there was something mysterious about her, and he didn’t have to wait long to see what was going on.

    Heavy footfall echoed outside in the corridor, and Minerva paled slightly. Who was it that could make her tremble so? Quickly putting her books away, Minerva placed her hands at her side and in strode a tall, thin woman with her red hair pulled back in a bun. Her eyes were completely dead and in her hands was a black leather whip covered in dried blood. He felt his heart sink…THWACK!

    Blood spattered all over the cover, saturated the tops of the pages… and somehow permeated through his datapad and on his uniform. How was this possible? His datapad screen was acting like an open window, and he observed Minerva bravely stare down her aunt, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. All the same, he observed a fierce determination in them. Such a fascinating young woman, and this made his heart yearn for her.

    Keeping silent, he watched from where Heir to the Empire had been placed on the bedside table, as he felt Elena’s icy gaze fall on the book. Reproaching the girl in a sharp voice that sounded vaguely familiar, Elena barked, “Speaking to your covers again, you stupid little whelp. Another Star Wars novel? Margie’s work, no doubt. Stop glaring at me, you brought this yourself.” Thrawn’s ire was raised now, how dare she treat Minerva so shamefully.

    Elena spun around, she swore could feel someone’s eyes boring into her back. Smacking Minerva savagely, she sent the girl into the wall, where she hit her head on the wall and fell to the floor in a dead faint. Thrawn felt his heart drop to the very pit of his stomach. This madness had to stop, before Minerva died at her guardian’s hands.
    Alas, he was unable to do anything as Elena took the book and wedged it between a volume of Socrates and a collection of works by the famed playwright Euripides. It just happened to be here that Eli Vanto, Imperial officer, Thrawn’s only real friend and aide-de-camp walked in with a confused look on his face. He was convinced he had heard a heated argument, and when he saw the blood he inquired as to what had transpired.

    “Thrawn, ti égine edó? Poú eínai i kopéla pou ítan milóntas me? Eínai óti to aíma tis? An afísoume tóra, boroúme na ti vrei kai na párei to kátharma pou to ékane aftó se aftín.”(Thrawn, what happened in here? Where's the girl you were speaking with? Is that her blood? If we leave now, we can find her and get the ******* that did this to her.)

    “Eínai mia megáli istoría, Eli. Gia na to thésoume aplá, gnorimía mou Minerva Hektor déchthike epíthesi apó ton kidemóna tis gia aplós vgeíte éxo se éna vivliopoleío gia to apógevma. Eímai vévaios óti aftí eínai mia pragmatikí gynaíka, allá se éna makrinó kósmo.”(It's a long story, Eli. To put it plainly, my aquaintance Minerva Hektor was assaulted by her guardian for merely going out to a bookstore for the afternoon. I am certain that she is a real young woman, but on a distant world.)

    “Makriní kósmo? Den simaínei óti ... to sýstima Gi tóra, tha sas? Aftó tha ítan endiaféron, mia Earthling pou tha boroúse na cheiristeí tesseracts étsi. Eícha tin pepoíthisi móno o chrónos Lórdon tis Gallifrey tha boroúse na to kánei aftó, kai kaneís edó tous échei dei edó kai penínta chiliádes chrónia. Pistévete óti tha boroúse na eínai énas chrónos kyría?”(Distant world? You don't mean... the Earth system now, would you? That would be interesting, an Earthling who could manipulate tesseracts like that. I was under the belief only the Time Lords of Gallifrey could do that, and nobody here has seen them for fifty thousand years. Do you think she could be a Time Lady?).

    “Doubtful, if that. Móno dýo chronikón Lórdon diéfygan ton pólemo tou chrónou me ta Daleks, kai o aftokrátoras anéfere óti synantíthike me ton énan gnostó os The Doctor, enó o Dáskalos paraménei éna aínigma. Nomízo Mis Éktora eínai i misí óras Kýrios, kai pithanós to ímisy Jedi, kathós kai.( Only two Time Lords escaped the Time War with the Daleks, and the Emperor has mentioned he met the one known as The Doctor, whereas the Master remains an enigma. I think Miss Hektor is half Time Lord, and possibly half Jedi as well.)

    Thrawn described how he was able to touch her when she was in the bookstore, and only someone who was Force-sensitive would react like she did. Now, the real question was what was a Jedi-Time Lord hybrid doing on Earth and how did they extract her from her murderous aunt?

    Meanwhile, back in Merry old England, Elena had taken dinner at the country house of the local MP, Harriet Jones. Margie, worried sick about Minerva, found the girl prostrate on the floor and covered in dried blood. Her wounds had already healed due to her Force sensitivity, Margie placed Minerva in a clean nightgown and pulled the golden and grey patterned duvet over her. Finding the Star Wars novel wedged in between Euripides and Socrates, she very carefully placed the book on the pillow next to Minerva.

    Glancing at the book cover, and eyeing Thrawn, she whispered, “I know you’re not real, but if you were, you could protect Minerva from that witch of an aunt.” Turning out the lights, she silently closed the door before returning to the servant’s lounge to watch the latest episode of East Enders.


    In her fitful sleep, Minerva’s blood covered hand brushed the cover, and sure enough her beloved Imperial materialized. Pulling her close, Thrawn stroked her hair and made a silent promise he would find a way to take her away before fading back into the book. Before fading, he noticed something sticking inside the back of the book. It was a map… a map with coordinates leading back to the estate. Smiling, he kissed the top of her head. When he was back on Coruscant, he told Eli he had a plan. A plan to bring the greatest map maker to Coruscant.
     
  4. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    To me as a German the idea of talking books, or better to say of books that have persons coming out of them is very familiar: "Die Unendliche Geschichte" (= The Never-ending Story) by Michael Ende (1979) and "Tintenherz" (= Ink Heart) by Cornelia Funke (2003).
    So I am afraid, I will continue to stick to your story. :p

    I hope Thrawn can be her white knight and rescue her from the Whovian Earth scenario that includes a bad aunt/ care taker with a violent streak. (Part of me thought immediately of a young girl being forced into a space suit and having to learn how to use a fire gun. What an coincidence! ;) )
     
  5. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    I
    I am quite familiar with Herr Ende, I LOVE Die Unendliche Geschichte, that's my favorite book of his! When I was visiting Austria around my 21st birthday, I got a German copy that's now in my room. Yes, Thrawn will be her white knight, and expect Chapter 3 to be up sometime on Monday.
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  6. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    AzureAngel2


    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

    Characters: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Minerva Hektor (main), Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus, Eli Parck, Kanan Jarrus, Ghost Crew, River Song, Harriet Jones, others later on, Elena Cromwell (OC)

    Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Eli Parck- David Tennent, , Margie Fowler- Catherine Tate, Emperor Palpatine- Ian McDiarmid

    Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva (main), other pairing TBD.

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

    Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

    Author’s note: For this story, Sy Baustri is equivalent to Greek. Greek text will be translated into English in parentheses.

    Chapter soundtrack: The Reptile Room/VFD- Thomas Newman, Fairy Tale- Enya, Drive Away- Thomas Newman

    Chapter 3- The Hektor Extraction

    Now that Thrawn had a plan in mind to rescue Minerva from the clutches of her reviled guardian, he and Eli had to hammer how exactly to get from Coruscant to Earth in as little time as possible. As Thrawn had himself witnessed, Minerva was brave but at the rate her aunt was beating her, she was not long for the world of the living, and he fallen completely in love her (if such a thing in a short time span was even possible).

    Eli postulated that it was possible, Thrawn was an alien tactician, the finest in the Empire but his Chiss heritage set him apart and Minerva was a Jedi/Time Lord hybrid who just happened to be the greatest map maker ever produced. That shared knowledge gave them a deep, emotional connection and Eli (who was something of a hopeless romantic) was all too eager to get the courtship under way. However, if they were going to extract the lovely Miss Hektor, they would need clearance from Palpatine. Any attempts to get in sooner were delayed by heightened Rebel subterfuge and it was closer to three months later when Eli and Thrawn were able to finally sit down with Palpatine. By now, Thrawn could speak basic perfectly, and all the better to woo his beloved map maker.

    As it turned out (and this did not surprise Thrawn in the least), Palpatine had sensed Minerva’s presence in the Force the day she had been born and was quite impressed with her map making skills when Thrawn presented the map of the Earth system and where it lay in regards to the GFFA. “She’s brilliant, how soon can you get her here,” was the first comment out of his mouth when Eli and Thrawn pitched their mission plan inside the Emperor’s office overlooking Imperial Center.

    “Two or three days at the most. According to Miss Hektor’s map, Earth sits at the edge of a spiral galaxy three hundred thousand light years away. We would need a 1.5 hyperspace engine to get us there in about 18 hours, which would leave about 6 hours to retrieve Minerva, and another 12 to get back to an outpost somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories,” Thrawn explained as Eli demonstrated their trajectory for the mission.

    The Sith Lord’s yellow eyes gazed at the troublesome blue and green planet, too bad they weren’t more technologically advanced. He could invade them and make them write all new science fiction serials that made the Imperials into the real heroes of the story. He nodded gravely, “I grant you permission to extract the Hektor. However, when she arrives, what are your intentions towards her, Captain Thrawn?”

    “I intend to make her my bride in a few years’ time. She is still very young, and I wish to court her first,” Thrawn replied smoothly. Palpatine could sense the bond between the Chiss and the Jedi Time Lady was strong and pure, far more than the one between Vader and Padmé had ever been.

    As they made their way down towards the landing bay, Eli commented to Thrawn, “That went well, I’m surprised that he’s letting us go. Let’s just hope we don’t meet that salt ***** of an aunt.” Thrawn was inclined to agree with him, he just hoped they weren’t too late.

    The ship they took was a standard Imperial shuttle. Once they were cleared for takeoff, the brothers-in-arms made the jump to light speed, and they were off. Once Eli had set in the coordinates, he turned towards Thrawn, who was gazing out the windshield, a faraway look in his eyes.

    “Thrawn…Thrawn! Come in, Captain!”

    “Huh? Oh sorry, Eli. I have a question.”

    You have a question? What do you have there in your hand, is that a courtship gift?”

    Thrawn nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. It was an exquisite piece of jewelry, two serpents intertwined with one another with small pearls set between the open parts of the bracelet. The bodies of the serpents were wrought rose gold and silver. The two heads bit the tails at either end and served as clasps. Eli had to admit, Thrawn knew what Minerva liked.

    Back on Earth, it had been a very long three months. Elena’s whippings had become more frequent and the violence had escalated dramatically. Minerva still held on stubbornly, but when Thrawn did not answer her one day, she had become frightened and morose. So, it had been nothing more than a dream then. That August had been warm and sticky, so she threw herself even more into her work, the days and nights blurring together.

    The morning of the Ides of August brought clear skies and Elena was dragged out of town by MP Harriet Jones to Norway for two weeks for a summit on dealing with anti-government fringe movements. With her aunt out of the way, Minerva would go out around town and do general shopping because Margie thought it would help Minerva focus better. Indeed, the outdoor market was a treat to explore.

    Of course, lunch time drew near and Minerva decided to return her precious novel. Back in her bedroom, she tearfully picked up the book and tenderly kissed her beloved Grand Admiral. When she reached the bathroom, she shook the book out… when a small note fell onto the bathroom floor.

    Eyes widening in realization, she dropped to the floor and hastily opened the note. In stiff, formal writing were the words “Wait for me, beloved. I am coming for you.” Minerva just couldn’t hold it in anymore, she was being rescued. It was here Margie found her- the poor dear. She knelt on the floor, embraced the crying girl, and soothed her.

    “There, there- it’ll be all right.” She stroked Minerva’s hair, when she saw the note. “That note, does that mean you’re going to be leaving?” Minerva nodded, “Yes, it does. I finally know where I belong. I belong with the Imperial Empire, as a cartographer.” Margie nodded and blew her nose. She did not approve of the Empire, but it was plain to see that by leaving all of the behind, Minerva could truly thrive and live as the person she was meant to be, not the cloistered pawn of a power-hungry harridan.

    Standing up, Minerva decided that she would need to pack, but what to pack? Logically, she would be getting some sort of uniform is she served alongside Thrawn on a Star Destroyer, but didn’t they have fetes and other formals events? Best pack some formal gowns then. She had at least two that fit that description, and some ballet flats that matched. Undergarments were a much.

    She had finished packing everything when she heard the front doorbell ring. Excitedly, she made her way downstairs, when she thought she saw someone familiar making their way around towards the back door towards the main floor gallery off of the dining room. Be still her beating heart, could it be?

    Thrawn managed to make his way inside, and for the first time in his life, he thought he had never beheld such beauty, even in his studies of galactic art. Minerva’s raven locks were pulled into a simple braid and she was wearing a peplum tunic over skinny jeans and red canvas flats. Her skin was still that lovely shade of vanilla and her impossibly blue eyes were starting to tear up.

    Letting out a shaky breath, Minerva stammered out, “Wel…welcome to Earth, Thrawn.” She could hardly believe her luck, he was more handsome that the book cover made out, in her opinion anyway. He was much more human looking that she had previously thought, his human like eyes were still a deep red, and he quite tall, at least 6 foot 4. Blushing harder, she could not bring herself to look into his eyes, for fear of embarrassment. Chuckling, Thrawn strode over to her, and took her into his arms and whispered, “Thank you for welcoming me, Minerva.” Gazing down at her softly, he pulled her close for a sweet, soft kiss making his feelings for her quite clear.

    In happiness, Minerva returned the kiss with equal passion, and when they broke apart, she smiled at him. It was here Eli found them, and he grinned. Minerva gazed at him, “Who are you?” Eli introduced himself, and was quickly followed by Margie.

    Since it was close to tea time, Margie insisted that the two Imperial gentlemen stay for tea. Thrawn and Eli were rather peckish, and fresh food sounded better than the rations back on the ship. Margie whipped up ham and brie sandwiches, watercress salad and Earl Grey tea. The meal was delicious and Eli and Thrawn were able to assuage the good woman’s trepidations about Minerva’s joining up with an alien government.

    Two hours in and they were still in the dining room when the telephone rang. Margie answered it and when she finished she dashed back into the dining room, a wild look in her eyes. “If you’re going to escape, you had best do it now. That was Elena on the phone, and she’s taking the train back from Heathrow and she’ll be here in about 2 hours.”

    Minerva and Thrawn shared a glance, it was now or never. Standing, Thrawn told the housekeeper, “Miss Fowler, I thank you for your generosity and kindness. I promise you, Minerva will be in good hands.” She nodded, that was all she needed to hear.

    Eli had parked the shuttle a quarter mile away in the back garden under the cover of a spinney of pine. Waving goodbye, Thrawn led Minerva towards the shuttle, followed closely by Eli. Once they reached their ship, Eli asked, “Aren’t you going to look back, Minerva?”

    “No, I’m not. I’m ready to face my future.”

    Thrawn smiled, and carried her bridal style on board as Eli got the coordinates ready. Once everyone was strapped in, Eli hit the pedal to the metal, and they were free. Having never seen hyperspace before, Minerva eagerly looked out the window until Thrawn coaxed her to look away long enough to accept his betrothal gift. She did, and she spent the rest of the time nestled in his arms. For once in their lives, the galaxy was at peace.
     
  7. SergeyX2017

    SergeyX2017 Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 14, 2017
    Very nice. Well written. Lots of good dialogue.

    But where is my beautiful cover I spent two days making?! I am outraged! :D jk doesn't matter, I did it all for fun not glory lol
     
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  8. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Thanks for the review, and more chapters will be coming. I whipped up Chapter 3 last night, but since today is Easter I am taking a break.
     
  9. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Yeah, an escape! Finally!

    Sometimes it is not worthwhile to gaze back as Lot´s wife found out in the Old Testament. :-B

    Only when an weeping angel is concerned one should look back... constantly and without blinking. ;)

    Dang, I winked and out of a sudden my husband is inside my old room at my parents´ place.

    Anyway, I look forward to her arrival in the SW universe and to the cover that SergeyX2017 mentioned! [face_batting]

    And in case you wonder, when the Easter holidays are over I will just be able to be on the boards once per week, hopefully on a weekend day. My new job position costs me a lot of energy and time.

    Which reminds me: happy Easter!
     
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  10. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    AzureAngel2, MsLanna, Chyntuck

    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

    Characters: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Minerva Hektor (main), Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus, Eli Vanto, Kanan Jarrus, Ghost Crew, River Song, Harriet Jones, others later on, Elena Cromwell (OC)

    Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Eli Vanto- David Tennent, Margie Fowler- Catherine Tate, Director Krennic- Mads Mikkelsen, General Yularen-

    Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva (main), other pairing TBD.

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

    Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

    Author’s note: For this story, Sy Baustri is equivalent to Greek. Greek text will be translated into English in parentheses.

    Chapter soundtrack: Mononoke Hime (instrumental)- Joe Hisaishi, The Swan- Camille Saint-Saens, Imperial March- John Williams

    Chapter 3- Tatooine Ho! Part 1

    Sometime before the shuttle exited hyperspace, Minerva broke out of her restful slumber nestled in Thrawn’s arms to use the fresher. Force, he’s even more handsome when he’s asleep, she mused as she stumbled towards the sink. Washing her face off, she padded towards the co-pilot’s seat. Eli was snoring loudly and she snickered, there was something adorable and childlike about his manner.

    As the lines of space-time swirled around the ship, Minerva began to think about her own future. Certainly, the very idea of being presented before Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader filled with trepidation and for a very good reason. She knew what was going to happen to the Empire (eventually) and about Anakin Skywalker’s fate. Would they get that out of her? Then there was the daunting process of becoming an Imperial officer, that wasn’t going to be a cake walk either.

    She had always thrived when it came to academia, she had graduated summa cum laude, for crying out loud. She had braved 15 years of abuse and hardship and was about to embark on a new chapter in her life, with her true love by her side. She was no longer alone, she let someone in. While she trusted Thrawn completely, her feelings about the whole affair were conflicted and this was putting it mildly.

    “So much has happened and here I am at the threshold, and I’m too much of a coward to move forward,” she mused sourly as the hyperactive swirls of light speed continued to perambulate around the shuttle. She was so lost in thought that she failed to notice Thrawn standing in the threshold, silently observing her.

    He had noticed her leaving, and had heard her musings and it was understandable. She was so used to being on her own and afraid of the very contact she yearned for, and now that she had not only gotten her heart’s desire but had effectively taken charge of her destiny, self-doubt had started to take hold. She was rejecting it, but at the same time there was a certain anxiety about her, and he knew very well why.

    According to Miss Fowler, Earthlings had a serial all about the family of Anakin Skywalker, and the three films dictated the eventual redemption of the current Darth Vader by the hands of his son, Luke. If the stories rang true, then Vader would be staring redemption right in the face at some point in the near future. Who knew what Palpatine would do with the knowledge? Certainly, she was mentally prepared to deal with whatever came next, and he admired that. Brave in the face of danger, and knowledgeable about her own shortcomings to find ways to counteract them. In short, Minerva Hektor knew the ways of the warrior, and she was his perfect match in every way possible. He knew it in the depths of his soul when they had first locked eyes those many months ago.

    According to the on ship chrono, it would be about 90 minutes until they reached the agreed meet up point with General Yularen’s fleet, which was stationed currently at Tatooine. He walked over to Minerva, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him and gave a soft smile. “We’re making for the Outer Rim planet Tatooine,” he explained to her. Minerva nodded, “I figured we’d be returning to the fringes, but Tatooine? What’s here to take care of, besides the Hutt cartels and smugglers?” At the mere mention of Jabba, she mentally gagged. Thrawn chuckled softly, and pulled her close.

    They stood together watching the swirl of colors when the shuttle lurched out of hyperspace, sending the couple into the co-pilot’s chair and Eli lurched forward and landed flat on his face, mid snore. Minerva could not help but snicker, it really was too funny. Eli was of a differing opinion.

    “Come off it, Minerva! It’s not that funny.”

    “I’m sorry, Eli. It’s just that you were asleep and we exited lightspeed before you were awake.”

    It was hear that a holographic Imperial symbol popped up, and the voice on the other end was none other than Director Orson Krennic, superior officer to Thrawn and Eli and a complete enigma to Minerva. “Greetings Captain Thrawn, Lieutenant Vanto and Miss Hektor. I have been expecting you, please proceed to the Nightswan.” He quickly ended the transmission, and left the trio in a contemplative mood, for lack of a better term.

    Minerva didn’t know who Director Krennic was, but her interest was piqued. If he was a higher up like Grand Moff Tarkin, she was prepared to watch herself. Thrawn thought Krennic was a decent leader, if not too ambitious. He was certain Krennic would get Force choked one of these days, whereas Eli had never liked him and wished the bloody fool would die in battle as a coward.

    Eventually the Nightswan came into view, and for the first time in her life Minerva was speechless. “Never knew they were that large,” she whispered. Kissing her softly, Thrawn murmured, “You’ll get used to the size fairy quickly.” Minerva’s eyes widened as the Star Destroyer enveloped them and Eli eased the ship into the docking bay.
    Her two hearts were beating rapidly as they made their way down the ramp, her right hand intertwined with Thrawn’s. Eli walked along the young couple as Krennic walked towards them to acting as the welcoming party.

    “Welcome back, gentlemen. It appears your trip to the Earth system was successful. Now, who is this?” he inquired as her took Minerva’s free hand and kissed it. Minerva blushed and replied, “I am Minerva Hektor, Director Krennic.” She also curtseyed, but did not dislodge her hand from Thrawn’s. Krennic and Yularen had been informed by Palpatine that Thrawn and Minerva were not only eventually getting married, they were to be allowed to court without any interruptions. Seeing the lovely brunette laying her head on Thrawn’s should and the two sharing tender looks made Krennic want to vomit. How could such a lovely, young woman think of demeaning herself by hooking up and consenting to marry that thing of a tactician? However, Palpatine demanded the relationship flourish and he did not want to lose his head, so he swallowed his distaste.

    Nodding to the trio, he gestured for them to follow and as they did Minerva finally felt as though she had finally come home. As they left the landing bay, she boldly moved her left arm around Thrawn’s waist, and likewise he did the same. A contented sigh escaped her lips, and Thrawn smiled. He could very easily get used to this.
     
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  11. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    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

    Characters: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Minerva Hektor (main), Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus, Eli Vanto, Kanan Jarrus, Ghost Crew, River Song, Harriet Jones, others later on, Elena Cromwell (OC)

    Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Eli Vanto- David Tennent, Margie Fowler- Catherine Tate, Director Krennic- Mads Mikkelsen, General Yularen-
    Patrick Stewart, Officer Harkness- John Barrowman (FTW!)

    Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva (main), Eli/Harkness (for the next 2 or 3 chapters), eventual Eli/Liszt

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

    Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

    Author’s note: For this story, Sy Baustri is equivalent to Greek. Greek text will be translated into English in parentheses.

    Chapter soundtrack: Mononoke Hime (instrumental) - Joe Hisaishi, The Swan- Camille Saint-Saens, One of Us- ABBA, Glory to the Empire- Rebels OST, Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra- John Williams, Pas De Deux/Waltz of the Flowers- Tchaikovsky

    Chapter 3- Tatooine Ho! Part 2

    Making their way towards of the numerous elevators, Krennic rattled off a monumental list of statistics with regards to the manpower and technical capabilities of the Imperial Fleet. Thrawn and Eli already knew all of this, but this was new to Minerva who was taking everything in stride. Of course, it helped that she had read every last Star Wars novel that had been published up until this particular date.

    Her grey-blue eyes were always straight ahead, focused on what was to be expected of her. Thrawn knew this and eventually they would be separated, and this did dampen his spirits somewhat. However, Minerva would need to be schooled in galactic history, piloting, and various other in sundry topics in order to become a top tier Imperial officer. Hopefully, he would be stationed on Coruscant during her studies. He had sworn to protect her, and as a human/Time Lord hybrid she would susceptible to the intrigues regarding the ISB or worse, Vader’s Inquisitors. Hopefully, she would never fall prey to their vampiric whims, at least he hoped so.
    It was only now that the elevator had made its way towards the main bridge, where General Yularen was waiting for them. Having worked with Thrawn and Eli for nearly two years now, he held them in high regard and when he heard tell of a talented mapmaker from the obscure backwater world known as Earth, well he thought he had seen now everything. When everyone entered, and he espied the young woman on Thrawn’s arm, Yularen hid a smile. He never had seen someone (or two someones in this case) so obviously in love with one another. This was a fortuitous match, in his opinion.

    He walked over to the group and introduced himself to Minerva. “Greetings, Miss Hektor and welcome aboard the Nightswan. I am General Yularen, and I have great things about your maps.” She blushed and admitted that she was proud to serve the Empire in any way. Thrawn was pleased with the way everything was going, and if there was going to be a mission on Tatooine, that meant more time with Minerva. Eli just grinned, Thrawn and Minerva were so into one another he wondered if they were aware of anything really going on.

    As it turned out, they were because it was at that exact moment a young, bright faced officer came running into the room, top speed. His breathing was heavy and his face was flushed. Whatever news he carried must have been important because he collapsed at General Yularen’s feet, out of breath.

    Minerva edged out of the way so the youth could breathe. “Must be some news, if he’s in that much of a hurry,” she commented to Thrawn in a sotto voice. Yularen ordered, “Up on your feet, Officer Harkness. What is the meaning of this?” The young man got up on his feet and glanced around him as he felt the gaze of these higher ups, and the pretty young girl in Captain Thrawn’s arms. Who was she, anyway?

    Pulling himself together, he stood up and informed everyone that there had not only been a Rebel strike on the Imperial compound in Bestine, and there was also the matter of the 6 failed assassination attempts on the Prefect’s life. Minerva found this rather hard to swallow, how could you let a Rebel sniper walk around free if he/she tried murder 6 times already? Something was rotten in the state of Tatooine, that much was certain.

    He was still drooling and Eli whacked him upside the head, “Knock it off, Harkness. Thrawn’s courting her.” Harkness nodded, and he then turned towards Eli, who looked away, a blush spreading across his face. When it came to his sexual preferences, Eli was private on the matter. Thrawn had read Eli like an open book when they had first met back about two years ago, when Thrawn mentioned his sexual preference for women and inquired to Eli as to why he looked like a love-struck teenager when they first met. Eli stammered he had been thinking about his ex-boyfriend back on Corulag. Eli had stammered something about the inappropriateness of being an open homosexual in the Imperial Navy.

    While anti-homosexual laws weren’t on the books in most Imperial systems, there were still cultural pockets of conservative values, and Corulag just happened to be one of the more conservative areas of the galaxy. Thrawn said it didn’t matter so long as he made it clear that any longlining glances made at him would be ignored and unreturned. Eli was startled, was Thrawn accepting him as who he was fully? Thrawn pointed that one’s sexual preferences did not make them a bad person, per se but rather it was how one acted in the presence of others- being true to yourself in matters of the heart and all of that. Eli would be reminded of this in four years’ time, when Thrawn and Minerva were exchanging their wedding vows on Coruscant.

    Yularen and Krennic had trying to decide on a course of action to find who the mystery assassin was and also destroy a local Rebel cell that had foolishly claimed responsibility for. Yularen thought they should strike abandoned warehouses so when the cell came back to survey the damage, they would be trapped and could be arrested. Krennic vehemently disagreed, that would be too far generous. They would need to raze Bestine’s slums and interrogate suspicious beggars. If they worried about their families, then there would be extra incentive to cooperate.

    Minerva cleared her throat, and inquired, “Excuse me gentlemen, but is it possible that this had nothing to do with the Rebels, but with a Hutt cartel or disgruntled smugglers? Laying the blame on the Rebels would be convenient.” Thrawn could not help but smile with where she was going with this, clever girl. Eli was inclined to agree, the current Imperial prefect threw his weight around too much and his home life was a total wreck. Four marriages, eight children in high placed positions but all too power hungry, whispers of affairs and racketeering, spice addictions and other skeletons that may or not be exposed to the planet’s twin suns.

    Krennic burst out laughing at this very idea, and patted Minerva on the arm in a friendly manner. “You poor, naïve young woman. This is not a costume drama where those sort of things happen. An excellent theory, as I am sure your fiancée would attest. This is the work of a lone Rebel sniper, I assure you.” Krennic stopped to blow his nose, and it was here Yularen interjected that it was a viable theory, just not very likely.

    Harkness, in the meantime, had gone back to his duties as a deck officer, but he was still stealing gazes at Eli every five minutes. The ISB officer was handsome, he would have to ask him out while they were here. He could hear Krennic, Thrawn and Minerva discuss a plan to go planet side for an intelligence recon. The prefect was holding a soiree that evening, all the better to see if the sniper would show up and then to ensnare the prefect in a web of murder. Minerva was suddenly glad she had packed some formal gowns, she would at least get good use out of them.

    All three were shortly dismissed and it was now Minerva was at a loss on what to do next. Did they have a set ETA, was she to prepare some sort of map? Before leaving her for a briefing, Thrawn kissed her softly and informed her she would be the first to know when a firm plan had been set up. Minerva nodded, and Harkness was able to show her to an empty cabin meant for a mid-level officer for her to occupy while aboard.

    Someone had left her suitcase laying at the foot of the bed, and she began stowing her belongings in the utilitarian dresser next to the bed. She also had an attached fresher, as well as a desk and a chair. Not too shabby, if she did say so herself. Lying on the bed was a comm with a note from Eli which read, Thought you would find this useful. Just click the button at the bottom and it’ll turn on. – Eli. Smiling, she placed it on the bedside table and continued unpacking.
    The unpacking did not take as long as she thought and after taking a much needed shower, Minerva figured she could take a quick nap in her skivvies. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep. She dreamt of nothing in particular… except for a sharp pair of blue eyes that gazed upon her with disdain. She woke up with a start, who had that been? Nobody she had met yet had those eyes. Somebody from her past perhaps, maybe her birth father?

    “Too late for his disapproval,” she mused to herself as she gazed at the 24 hour chrono on the nightstand. Its red digits read 16:03 or shortly after 4 PM back in England. Rummaging through what she had brought with her, Minerva settled on a fine grey empire waisted dress with a thin yellow ribbon under the chest. It had a square collar that showed a small bit of cleavage and the collar had lace detailing around it. She pulled her hair into an elaborate bun with curls sticking out towards the world. Elegant was the word that came to mind.

    She had no sooner finished putting on some makeup when her come rang. About time! Picking it up, she pressed the button and spoke. “This is Minerva.” It was Thrawn on the other end, asking if she was ready to leave for Tatooine. She confirmed and there was a knock on her door.

    Opening the door, Thrawn thought his jaw was going to drop to the floor when he caught sight of Minerva in a grey gown, her dark hair pulled into a bun. She glanced up and blushed, “Good evening.” Offering her his arm, Thrawn escorted her to the main bridge and explained the plan. They and several others would be going to the fete as guests and once there they would go undercover and hopefully catch the sniper in the act.

    Eli was exiting the elevator when his brown eyes fell on Thrawn and Minerva, looking like newlyweds. They were so comfortable around each other, they meshed. Eli couldn’t help but smile, no two people were more meant for one another. However, at the same time he was also melancholy. Why was it that when his best friend got the girl and the accolades, he was left behind? While he was happy for Thrawn, he still felt he was missing out. Life wasn’t fair and he silently mused on this as Yularen took the shuttle towards the desert planet.

    The trip down to Bestine was an easy commute that took about an hour or so, not counting the evening commute. Minerva was eager to see everything and her eyes were taking everything. As they trekked from Mos Eisly towards Bestine, she felt a tingling sensation in the back of her head. Could Obi-Wan Kenobi sense her? She hoped not, that would make things a lot more complicated then they needed to be.

    The Imperial compound reminded Minerva of the old estates of England’s landed gentry. The protective outer walls were made of adobe, and valet droids were parking shuttles. Thrawn escorted Minerva indoors, and inside was a well-lit corridor with numerous couples walking together and speaking to other guests.

    Every so often, other couples would greet them warily, and Thrawn and Minerva would greet them in a polite manner. No doubt they were seen as an odd couple, the Chiss captain and his human girlfriend. Eli was flying solo, that is until Harkness slipped in behind him.

    “Harkness, what are you doing here?”

    “I’m here to have some fun. How about you, Vanto?”

    Eli smiled, at least the night wouldn’t be a total bust. Already, the local orchestra was playing waltzes that sounded suspiciously like something out of a Tchaikovsky ballet. Thrawn was about lead Minerva in a sultry waltz when the planetary governor appeared, with his fourth or fifth trophy wife dressed in a hideous neon orange tunic that seemed several sizes too small. Raising a wine glass to salute the Emperor, everyone remained standing as the orchestra played the galactic national anthem.

    To Minerva’s surprise, it was none other than the Imperial March! Unlike the version she was used to hearing, this version had been transcribed in the key of G Major, had a triumphant fanfare and was much more upbeat sounding. At this point, she wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. Thrawn, who already heard about this from Margie, gently pulled her close and rubbed her back.

    When the anthem ended, the waltzes started up again and Thrawn led her onto the dance floor. Kissing her hands, he inquired, “May I have this dance?” She smiled and replied, “But of course. I could never say no to you.” That was all he needed to hear.

    For the next several hours, Thrawn forgot about the politics and concentrated on wooing his beloved map maker. That night, they never left each other’s arms. This was noticed and commented on but the couple did not notice, or if they did notice they did not care. Eli eventually dragged Harkness onto the dance floor when the band struck up a tango. They really did make for a nice couple, as Minerva observed as she and Thrawn watched from a second floor interior balcony. Thrawn told Minerva that while Eli was a good friend, he had horrible luck in the dating department.

    They were sitting on a recliner by now, when Thrawn gently lay her down and pulled her close. Minerva blushed and moved her arms around his shoulders as he began peppering her neck and lips with hot, sharp kisses. She moaned softly, where had he learned this? She started to kiss back with as much passion and the snog session went on a good long while.

    Meanwhile, the sniper arrived wearing the uniform of a parlor maid and had just set down her blaster to set up the stand when she stumbled upon the snogging couple. Letting out a sigh of relief, she went back to what she was doing when Minerva opened her eyes- it was the sniper. Nudging Thrawn, he sat up immediately and shot the sniper without provocation. Her body went limp and fell over the railing, landed on the crystal chandelier and then plummeting to the floor.

    Eli and Harkness, who were back from their own snog session, went wide eyed at the sight of the dead body on the floor. Stormtroopers were already cleaning up the body when Eli shrugged, “At least that ties up loose ends.” Harkness eagerly agreed and led his date back onto the dance floor. The fete was winding down and Thrawn and Minerva were also back on the dance floor.


    There was something beautiful and sad about the last waltz for the evening, but for both couples all was right with the universe and the future looked very bright indeed.
     
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  12. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Sorry that I was not able to comment until now. Too much on my mind these days! So much work!

    But here I am and I am very excited that you have Director Orson Krennic in your fic as well as a "superior officer to Thrawn and Eli and a complete enigma to Minerva". I have a huge crush on Ben Mendelsohn that drives my husband DarthUncle crazy and is reflected in my latest story "Rage, rage against the dying of the light". So I am curious how you will write Krennic and what he is up to.
    :)

    Then I must congratulate you on your bravery mentioning a subject that most people cringe around, also in their writing.

    While anti-homosexual laws weren’t on the books in most Imperial systems, there were still cultural pockets of conservative values, and Corulag just happened to be one of the more conservative areas of the galaxy. Thrawn said it didn’t matter so long as he made it clear that any longlining glances made at him would be ignored and unreturned. Eli was startled, was Thrawn accepting him as who he was fully? Thrawn pointed that one’s sexual preferences did not make them a bad person, per se but rather it was how one acted in the presence of others- being true to yourself in matters of the heart and all of that. Eli would be reminded of this in four years’ time, when Thrawn and Minerva were exchanging their wedding vows on Coruscant.

    (I still remember watching the kiss that John Barrowmann and James Marsters share in the "Torchwood" series. That was hot!)

     
  13. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    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

    Characters: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Minerva Hektor (main), Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus, Eli Vanto, Kanan Jarrus, Ghost Crew, River Song, Harriet Jones, others later on, Elena Cromwell (OC)

    Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Eli Vanto- David Tennent, Director Krennic- Mads Mikkelsen, General Yularen- Patrick Stewart, Officer Harkness- John Barrowman (FTW!), Mara Satine Jade (Kenobi) Karrde- Karen Gillan

    Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva (main), Eli/Harkness (for now), eventual Eli/Liszt, Talon/Shada (next chapter)

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

    Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

    Chapter soundtrack: Mononoke Hime (instrumental) - Joe Hisaishi, While My Guitar Gently Weeps- Regina Spektor cover, VFD- Thomas Newman, Dance of the Swans- Tchaikovsky

    Chapter 6- The Blade of Rassilion

    The body of the sniper had moved away as quickly as possible by Stormtroopers to the local morgue for identification and already the guests were in a tizzy. Were their servants at risk of becoming Rebel saboteurs? Minerva thought the whole thing was ridiculous, the very idea was too simple. She may not have had her lover’s insights into art and galactic history, but she had read a few Agatha Christie novels. As per usual orders, the local law officials had all the guests stay in the mansion until they could finish questioning.

    Having never drunken alcohol before, Minerva was a little tizzy and nearly broke her neck walking up the marble staircase, so Thrawn had to carry her bridal style into one of the spare bedrooms where they wound up falling asleep nestled in each-other’s arms. When Eli came looking for them two hours later, he poked his head in the door, and a million watt smile crossed his face. Just like newlyweds, can’t wait until I promoted to Uncle Eli, he thought to himself as he headed for an empty bedroom. Just as he closed the door, he let out a surprised. Harkness was stripped down to his underwear and eyeing him in a suggestive manner. Eli blushed, but joined Harkness on the bed, kissing him passionately.

    The following morning was overcast, with the forecast calling for a gravel storm later in the afternoon rush hour. The guests were all interviewed over the course of the day, with Thrawn and Minerva as main witnesses gave their story, but were still confined planet side until everyone was cleared.

    With all of the house staff going on as business as usual, Minerva decided to take a break from the murder investigation and have a look around. The layout on the mansion was similar to the one she had grown up in, except that it was cluttered with all sorts of nick knacks and odd reproductions of landscapes one would expect to be sold at an overpriced, kitschy store catering to tourists. The larger ones covered the walks of the library, and as she entered Minerva felt a strange tingling sensation run up her spine.
    She quickly spun around, halfway expecting someone to be standing in the room with her, “Hello? Is there anyone here?” There was no answer, except for the faint crackle of the fire place. Frowning, she made her way over to a sofa where a coffee table book lay open. It was open to a fresco showing an ancient philosopher speaking to an open air audience in an amphitheater overlooking the wine dark sea of the Aegean.

    She knew who it was at once- it was Socrates! How was this even possible? Picking up the book, her eyes scanned the picture when her eyes fell on something. Seated in the left hand corner was a young couple that seemed familiar somehow. The moment her hands ran over there forms, a sinister crack of electricity shot up her arms, pricks of black swam in front of her and she fell to floor, where she sliced her forehead on the millefiori inlay…

    All around her it was black and bitter cold. Forcing herself to stand up, Minerva could hear the sounds of waves. All around her, a series of steps had been carved into the mountainside. She could hear the echoes of someone orating, so she slowly made her way down the path. Rounding a corner, she came across the uppermost row of the very same amphitheater in the picture.

    Wanting to observe the couple, she very quietly sneaked down when she felt a pair of dark brown eyes gaze up at her. They were filled with disdain, but also disgust and revulsion. She also noticed that he was wielding a lightsaber.

    “How are you a Jedi,” she asked shakily, when she heard the crash of oceans waves and nothing more as her body was restrained by thorny vines…

    When Minerva came to, she quickly shut the book and shuddered. That had been so strange, and that man staring at her like that, why would he hate her so much? Those thorny vines, what had that been all about? Refusing to waste another minute, she slammed the book shut and made her way for the door. All that time, her forehead wound glowed with regeneration energy and had healed when she closed the door.

    Krennic had arrived on Tatooine to see what the holdup was, he needed Thrawn, Minerva and Eli back on the ship as shore leave wasn’t scheduled for another two months. After arguing with the prefect’s widow via Holonet, Orson made the trip himself to wrap up the investigation. He had made his way upstairs when he saw Minerva Hektor quickly leave the library. He grinned, now was his chance!

    Clearing his throat, he leaned against the wall and inquired to her, “There you are, Minerva. Last night must have been a shock for someone from your background. What in space happened to your forehead?” Minerva, who had been lost in thought up until now, gazed up at her senior officer, a slight flush rising to her cheeks. Was he hitting on her?

    Quickly, she thanked him for her concern and dashed down the staircase, her skirt rustling with each ballerina-esque step she took. Krennic sighed, such a beauty that one. It really was too bad Thrawn got to her first. Of course, Eli had witnessed the whole thing, and from behind a corner he contacted Thrawn about what had just transpired.
    Meanwhile, Minerva made her way outside and was wandering around the walled garden, when she noticed something wedged in a potted plant. It was an old wooden box and the words Rainy Day Fund were chiseled into the lid. Opening it, she came across a good amount of Imperial credits. Apparently, someone had stashed away funds in case something happened. Now, what to do with all these credits? She could go out and buy something, but that was far too cliché. On the other hand, she would need to have a weapon on her so she would be more at home. As an added bonus, it would hopefully keep Krennic away.

    Making inquiries, she learned that the box belonged to the long dead previous owners of the estate. Taking the box with her, she placed it into a pack and taking the nearest speeder, Minerva drove towards downtown Bestine. It was bustling with activity, and once she parked in a public lot, she began looking around for a store that sold blades. It really didn’t matter what kind, so long as she could keep it on her during waking hours. After exploring several side streets, she stumbled across a stall selling bracelets of all things, and there was one that caught her eye.

    It was cobalt blue with alien looking gold circles intertwined and where the clasp should be was an ancient sonic screwdriver core. It had all the appearances of a steampunk piece, and she wanted to know more about it. “Excuse me, but what do you know about this piece?” The stall keeper was a young teen, slightly younger than herself, with red-gold hair and sharp green eyes. She was wearing a black, rectangular eyepatch over her left eye. She nodded and glanced at the piece Minerva was talking about.

    “That piece? The Gallifreyan artefact? That’ll cost you 450.”

    Minerva frowned, out of all the planets she had heard and/or read about, Gallifrey was one she was unfamiliar with. However, she was drawn to the trinket and tried it on. This turned out to be a bad idea, because as soon as she slid it onto her right wrist, the sonic screwdriver core whirred loudly and bit into her tender flesh, binding blood to it and golden regeneration energy to it. As it did, a fine silver blade no more than three inches long materialized.

    While all this was going on, Minerva was in excruciating pain. Her soul felt it was being bound in thorn covered vines with dew covered red roses about to come into bloom. Anything illuminated gained haloes, her mouth was dry and she could barely stand up. Shoving the box forward, Minerva awkwardly lurched off towards the borrowed speeder as her stomach lurched in full rebellion. She managed to hold the vomit down until she was back at the estate, where she promptly returned the half cooked hawkbat omelet and collapsed in one of the numerous antechambers used for small gatherings.

    As Minerva recovered on the leather day sofa, Thrawn was settling things with Krennic. He hadn’t been surprised about Krennic wanting all three of them back and en route to Coruscant, but hitting on his girlfriend? How desperate was he anyway? The sparring session was over in 10 minutes flat, Thrawn went easy on Krennic and Krennic underestimated the younger officer. Orson would up with three fractured ribs, a slight concussion and a broken nose.
    Krennic limped off to get medical attention, while Thrawn cleaned up and decided to check up on the object of his affection. He found her curled up on the setee knees close to her chest, a strange bracelet on her right wrist, underneath the one he had given her. She was paler than usual, had something happened?

    Knocking the door, Minerva turned towards him and she smiled when he entered. Sitting down next to her, he gently took her hands in his and kissed them. Pulling her close, he stroked her hair and asked, “Are you all right? Eli told me what happened.” Minerva shivered and proceeded to tell Thrawn what had happened.
    She had his rapt attention when she mentioned the bizarre flashback and the weapon with the strange backstory. “I’ve read so many novels regarding this galaxy, and there’s no mention of Gallifrey… not to mention what a Jedi was doing in Ancient Greece,” she groused as they cuddled. Thrawn wondered if the flashback was a repressed memory, it was possible. By now, Minerva had started to tear up, would she never be free of the demons that stalked her day and night?
    Thrawn held her close, when he noticed the Gallifreyan blade. He recognized the script, he had seen a museum exhibit once when he was about 11. The script read “Blade of Rassilion”. Minerva had finally stopped weeping when her blue eyes (those eyes!) met his, a flush rising on her face. Kissing her sweetly, he pulled her closer so that her head was resting on his chest. There they remained for the rest of the afternoon, until a servant summoned them to dinner.


    On the way down, Thrawn told her what the script said and Minerva was puzzled. So was he, but it was another mystery that would solved by them, together. His arm was around her waist and her head was on his shoulder and when everyone saw them, the snarky comments were kept silent.
     
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  14. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    I try to comment with something witty now, because I had a horrible day at my new work & a lot of my private life goes down hill at present. But I did not want to give you the impression that I don´t care for this story any longer.

    “I’ve read so many novels regarding this galaxy, and there’s no mention of Gallifrey… not to mention what a Jedi was doing in Ancient Greece,” she groused as they cuddled. Thrawn wondered if the flashback was a repressed memory, it was possible. By now, Minerva had started to tear up, would she never be free of the demons that stalked her day and night?

    I indeed hope that Thrawn & Minerva are able to solve the mystery together.

    As for flashbacks, I also hope that they also stop for her.

    Flashbacks have the power to mix the past & the present, something that threatens to destroy your future.
     
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  15. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    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
    Characters: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Minerva Hektor (main), Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus, Eli Vanto, Kanan Jarrus, Ghost Crew, River Song, Harriet Jones, others later on, Elena Cromwell (OC)

    Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Eli Vanto- David Tennent, Mara Satine Jade Karrde- Karen Gillan, Talon Karrde- Tim Curry, Shada Du’kal- Karen Allen, Darth Vader- James Earl Jones, Emperor Palpatine- Ian McDiarmid

    Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva (main), eventual Eli/Liszt, Talon/Shada

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

    Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

    Chapter soundtrack: Resilience- Thomas Newman, Emperor’s Theme/Imperial March- John Williams, Dark Sky Island- Enya

    Chapter 7: Until We Meet Again, Beloved Winter Rose

    While star destroyers overhead were a common sight on Tatooine, there was something frightening about the proximity of it over Bestine’s slums that worried Shada Du’kal as she haggled with an elderly stall owner about the best price for Sullustian potatoes. The spuds were finger length, a rich green color and when thrown into shepherd’s pie- they were delicious. She shelled out the credits and made her was making her way back to the petite bourgeois townhouse she had called home with her smuggler husband, Talon Karrde and their adopted teenage daughter Mara Jade.

    When she walked in the door, she could hear Talon speaking sharply to Mara in the den. They must have been going at it hammer and tongs, because Karrde was standing with his arms folded against his chest, giving his daughter a sharp look through his glasses, and Mara’s face was red from yelling. “I don’t care, Dad. The girl who bought that bracelet paid good money for it.” Spinning on her heels, she walked right past her mother, up the stairs and slammed the door.
    Talon got up and crossed over to wear his wife of twenty years was still standing in hallway, a bag of potatoes in her arms. She was still pretty for a woman in her early fifties, dark haired, dark eyes that smiled and a witty rapport that had won him over many a time. He let out a sigh, “It was so much easier when she was two.” Karrde smiled at her gently, he loved his family.

    Making their way into the kitchen, they started preparing and cooking dinner and discussed what had happened earlier. Apparently, Mara had been rummaging through some old crates and decided to sell some of the pricier pieces down at the open air market, including an unusual piece from the Time Lords. When Mara had described the buyer’s reaction, Karrde had nearly dropped his mug on the floor. She wasn’t supposed to sell that piece, much less let anyone buy it.

    “It’s coming true then, the Winter Rose prophecy,” Shada surmised as Talon popped the casserole into the oven. He nodded, “Seems like it, and with the Imperials overhead, we’re going to need to haul jets.” Shada sighed sadly, so much for a peaceful life. When Mara come down to dinner, she apologized and commented she didn’t see what the big deal was. “It is a big deal, young lady. Bigger than you’d even expect,” Karrde explained. Shada nodded in agreement as Mara mentioned her secret Force training with a manual she found in the trash one day. Shada scolded her, “Don’t do that, dear! Do you know how hazardous that is?” Mara rolled her eyes as she dug into her serving. She knew the risks of being Force sensitive and while it did help that her parents were smugglers, there was always that chance she would be caught.

    It was after dinner, Shada shared her concerns about the star destroyer looming overhead. Karrde glanced out the window, and indeed the shadows grew more sinister with the setting suns. “Hmm, your right. Time to leave.” He called up to Mara, who was packed within the half hour. No sooner had all three boarded the Wild Karrde and headed for Lah’mu when the razing of Bestine’s slums began in force.

    Meanwhile back on the Nightswan, Yularen was pleased to see that everything had been wrapped up, more or less. He was curious about Minerva’s exotic bracelet and she said she picked it up at one of the open air markets, and it was also a blade. The marching orders were now in from Coruscant, Minerva was to be presented to the Emperor and Lord Vader with Thrawn and Eli as her escorts. Three days later, Thrawn and Eli were shipping out back to the Mid Rim to deal with a rise in piracy targeting Imperial convoys. Minerva knew full well that her beloved would be going back out into the field, but she comforted herself with the fact that she was about to embark on the phase of life’s journey.

    It took two days to reach Coruscant and Minerva’s anxiety level was reaching the roof when Thrawn escorted her into Palpatine’s office overlooking Imperial Center. He must have sensed their presence, because he chair spun around and they were greeted by his gravelly voice, “Ah, Captain Thrawn and Officer Vanto, so good of you to come. This must the map maker I’ve heard about. Miss Hektor, you truly have a gift.” He rose and Minerva curtseyed, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

    Bidding them forward, they discussed the next steps regarding Minerva and her maps. Certainly, Miss Hektor would make an outstanding officer and once she and Thrawn were wed, they would be an unstoppable couple. The courtship of course, would be a few years long, but the both seemed fine with that. During her tenure on Coruscant, she would be schooled in galactic history, piloting, etc.

    The meeting ended and Minerva, while feeling more confident about the whole situation. She would be housed in one of the many suites meant for mid-level officers who were getting advanced degrees. Once she unpacked, she gazed out the window at the city spread out before here. Never had she seen such a city. London was large, but this blew any comparison she could make out the window. “This is it, my new home,” she said to herself. When she turned for the night, never before had she slept so well.

    The next two days, Thrawn was Minerva’s personal tour guide and showed her everything of interest within Imperial Center. They toured historical building and monuments, art galleries and open spaces. In the evenings, they ate out at fine restaurants, despite the odd looks they got. On their last night together, Eli snagged some tickets for Coruscant Opera. Minerva spent the evening with her head on Thrawn’s shoulder as he contented lay an arm around her shoulders as they both lost themselves in the display in front of them.

    When he dropped her off, Thrawn kissed her long and hard. Minerva was still blushing about it the next morning when she made her way to the docking bay where Thrawn and Eli were waiting. Eli pressed his hands to Minerva’s, “Guess it’s time to say goodbye. I’m awfully glad to have met you.” She smiled and gave him a sisterly hug.


    Thrawn took her hands in his and kissed her as had the night before when he told her, “I’ll wait for you, my beloved Winter Rose.” Minerva nodded, and when the broke apart she saluted them and walked off, a smile on her face. Now, she was ready to face whatever the Empire could throw at her.
     
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  16. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Talon Karrde has an adopted teenage daughter named Mara Jade. [face_idea]

    Now this is a very clever idea! Simply loved it.

    I also like the fact that they go to art galleries. (For I love them, too.) But that would be the most logical thing that Thrawn would like to share with a lover. (If you ever feel like it and have no jealous nature concerning Thrawn, Chyntuck wrote some amazing stories on that subject.)

    Oh and there is Enya mentioned as your muse. (I am still mad that my former Irish Au Pair mother would not let me go to a photo shooting with the Brennan family. An Italian house guest & musician wanted to take me along. Sigh! After 20 years I am still grumpy for having been denied meeting Enya & her siblings in person.)
     
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  17. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Thanks much for the feedback. Chapter 8 will be up later this week.
     
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  18. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    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
    Characters: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Minerva Hektor (main), Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus, Eli Vanto, Kanan Jarrus, Ghost Crew, River Song, Harriet Jones, others later on, Elena Cromwell (OC)

    Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Eli Vanto- David Tennent, Shada Du’kal- Karen Allen, Talon Karrde- Tim Curry, Colonel Yularen- Patrick Stewart, Officer Harkness- John Barrowman, Governor Pryce- Cate Blanchett, Kallus- Mark Hamill

    Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva (main), eventual Eli/Liszt, Talon/Shada

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

    Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

    Chapter soundtrack: The Days Between- John Williams, Book of Days/Wild Child/Flora’s Secret/Cursum Perficio- Enya, Dance of the Swans/Waltz of the Flowers- Tchaikovsky

    Chapter 8: Snippets of a Courtship

    From the get go, Minerva Hektor was an odd fish of a future Imperial officer. She already had taken tertiary level courses in mapmaking, and her skills were first rate. She tended to keep to herself, buried in books and happily ignoring the looks she got from all of the other male officers in her classes. She had always known she was good looking, but with all of the guys ogling her- Minerva felt like she was one of those unobtainable cheerleader types who always had guys drooling over them.
    In a way though, she was unobtainable- she was betrothed to Captain Thrawn, who she loved with all her heart. So, she very gently turned down her comrades asking her for dates. They were bummed, but were for the most part understanding. Because she was the Empire’s official mapmaker, ISB Agent Kallus was assigned to be her mentor on her first day of class.

    He saw her one autumn afternoon two months later, sitting under a tree in one of the many green spaces around the campus. She was writing down notes on her datapad, when she heard him call to her. Kallus was a bit of a stuffed shirt but he was a decent fellow.

    “Good afternoon, Kallus. What brings you out here?”

    “I was sent to take you on a driving lesson.”

    “A driving lesson? Let’s go then!”

    Kallus was a bit surprised, he knew she was from a backwater planet but was unaware she knew anything about piloting. Minerva did know how to drive, Margie had taught her how to drive Elena’s prized cobalt blue Jaguar X6 roadster.

    Kallus was expecting to tell her how to handle the steering column, but Minerva treated it as she would an automatic transmission- and Kallus was impressed. One they hit
    the road, Minerva let out a carefree laugh and Kallus was starting to relax. She was quite different from there other female students, Minerva knew what she wanted and was not afraid to go about getting things done.

    They had been zooming around for about half an hour, when Minerva flew by a street brawl. A couple of thugs were harassing some low level Imperial officers, and Minerva put the ship in park, sending Kallus forward. “What are you doing,” he demanded as Minerva pulled into a nearby spot and unsheathed her knife. “I’m going to help, that’s what,” was her reply. Kallus groaned, she was going to hurt herself. Grabbing for the blaster he left in the backseat, he muttered how much of a pain she could be under his breath.

    Minerva made her way through the gathered crowd, the cadets were bloodied and bruised. The thugs were non-descript humans with matted hair covered in what looked like seeds, there skin was sunburned and their hands were slathered in blood. She called out, “Hey- what are you doing?”
    The taller of the two, and the mastermind of the duo, spun around and found himself face to face with a tall, pretty young woman with a knife. He smiled, “Hey there, dollface. What’s a nice thing like you running around with this outfit?” Minerva rolled her eyes, the last thing she needed was to be hit on by some lowlife thug.
    She took a running leap, moved the blade into her right hand… and left a large, shallow gash on his breastbone. Doubling back, she sliced the shirt of the second thug and elbowed him in the stomach, relying on her Jedi-like reflexes. She next turned to the cadets, who were more nervous than injured. They were quite thankful but somewhat embarrassed at being rescued by a young woman, and the chief map maker at that.

    By the time Kallus entered the fray, the thugs had been arrested and the cadets were being escorted back to campus by Stormtroopers. He could only stare as she blithely waltzed over to him, “That was fun. I’ll need to do that again sometime soon.” Kallus smacked his forehead, she was supposed to be under lock and key focusing on her studies, not waltzing around Imperial Center as some sort of independent Action Girl bringing villains to their knees and rescuing the oppressed. That was the sort of things Stormtroopers did, not refined young women who were training to become Imperial SD officers.

    He kvetched about it loudly to his superiors when he got back to ISB headquarters, but it fell on deaf ears. She was Thrawn’s fiancé and if she got injured, let that be on her head. That still didn’t make Kallus feel any better, Minerva was a huge asset to the Empire and as far as he was concerned, she needed to be well guarded and under constant supervision.

    Thankfully, Kallus did not need to worry about Minerva as she decided to keep closer to campus, because after Thrawn found out about the incident, he asked her what exactly had happened and advised her not to worry Kallus like that, as he was supposed to be her minder and was also Eli’s ex-boyfriend.
    In between sending letters to one another, Thrawn had his hands full with pirates raiding Imperial convoys en route to the skeletal frame of the Death Star and keeping tabs on Eli’s fragile emotional state. Eli and Harkness had been an open couple for the last couple of months, and this time the relationship seemed to be going well. However, the relationship quickly deteriorated one late night during an undercover operation at Sluis Van where Eli caught Harkness in a closet with another man.

    Before Harkness could explain, Eli yelled at him, “Is that all I ever was to you, a quick fix? I loved you, you inconsiderate *******.” He had then sauntered off to the bar to drown his sorrows in Corellian whiskey and this is where Thrawn found him, slumped over and in a foul mood.

    “Time to go, Eli. I spoke to Harkness, he’s been reassigned.”

    “Thanks, Thrawn- you go on ahead. I’m going to have one more…”

    “Eli, you’ve had enough,” Thrawn insisted and gingerly led his honorary brother back to the Chimaera where Eli slumped over on his bed and began openly weeping while Thrawn sat with him and offered emotional support. By the time Eli crashed, Thrawn had managed to assuage Eli’s angst and began to wonder about how Minerva was getting on with her studies.

    Shore leaves came and went and every time, Thrawn and Eli returned to Coruscant. Thrawn and Minerva spent all of their time together, sneaking kisses and doing whatever they felt like doing- usually this was going to art galleries or to the theater. Occasionally, Eli would join them and they would do things as a trio. Always, the separation was bittersweet and as the years passed the latent heat between Thrawn and Minerva grew.

    Shortly before Minerva’s 20th birthday and her commission aboard the Chimaera, a series of events would radically alter her and Thrawn’s relationship. The day had started off normally, but Minerva was running a little behind for a meeting with the Moff Council and had accidentally cut herself rounding a corner when who should she bump into… but the Grand Inquisitor himself.

    Minerva blanched, “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She bowed her head in a reverent manner when the Utapauan grabbed her bleeding hand and his cold gaze met her eyes. She shivered, never in her life had she felt so cold. As he held her hand, he allowed himself to feed off of the psychic energy of her regenerative powers. Such power in her blood, it’s intoxicating, he thought to himself.

    Instead of replying, he hissed at her and she darted off, frightened and confused. When she had left, the Grand Inquisitor liked the blood off of his hand in an animalistic manner, savoring the taste of Minerva’s Gallifreyan heritage. He could taste the power that flowed through her veins, surely it would be easy enough to taste more of her. It didn’t matter she was already in love with someone else, he could prey off of her in the shadows.

    Indeed, that very night was when the nightmares began. In them, she was in a snowy forest at night, a full moon looming overhead. Always, he would stalk her in the shadows and she in a nightgown and without a weapon was at his mercy. The Grand Inquisitor would slowly kill her as she helplessly and tearfully begged for her life and called out for Thrawn to save her. Minerva would wake up screaming, and no amount of sedation stopped the nightmares.

    Eventually, word reached Thrawn that the Grand Inquisitor had started preying on Minerva, and to say that was livid about the whole affair would be the understatement of the decade. He had recently gotten promoted to Vice-Admiral and had every intention of whisking Minerva away to keep her safe when a routine raid on Ach-To revealed some disturbing information.

    He stumbled across a fresco showing a rose in full bloom in the depths of winter with a poem written around the border. The owner, Talon Karrde explained that it depicted an ancient Rakatan prophecy that foretold the coming of the Winter Rose, a warrior maiden who sat in the middle of two great lineages and who would only be wed to her true love after going through great trials on her psyche. Thrawn knew immediately this was referring to Minerva, and paid Karrde to keep it under wraps. He had to get his beloved of Coruscant before she was lost to the Grand Inquisitor.

    When they were reunited, it was raining like Victoria Falls and Minerva had sequestered herself in a side gallery off of the Imperial Palace’s main ballroom. She was wearing a cap sleeved gown that was cream colored and fell at her ankles with handkerchief hemming. Her hair was held up in an elaborate bun with a red ribbon, her slender frame pressed against a wall, hoping to avoid the gaze of the Grand Inquisitor.

    Thrawn noticed her body language and ran to hold her in his arms. Minerva let a gasp if surprise when she realized who was holding her. Softly moaning, she turned around to face him, her blue eyes tearing up. Kissing her passionately, Thrawn was able to soothe her and led her onto the dance floor, daring the Inquisitor to see if he would claim her.

    Spending the evening in Thrawn’s arms was wonderful, Minerva never felt more safe and secure than she did at that moment. When they sat down at table to eat dinner, Thrawn asked her to join him on the Chimaera. Blushing bright red, she answered yes and peppered him with kisses until they broke apart when the salads were served. Across the room, the Grand Inquisitor scowled at them. How dare the Chiss come back and waltz off with the map maker- she was his!

    It was here that Darth Vader sensed what was going on, and decided to show his utter disapproval at the Inquisitor’s actions. Using the Dark Side of the Force, he choked the Grand Inquisitor and thought at him; I gave you specific instructions to leave the Winter Rose alone, but your insistence on preying on her like some damned vampire has cost you your life. Leave her alone. Leaving the agent gasping for air, Vader was glad the point had been made.


    Noticing the Grand Inquisitor gag, Minerva let out a sigh of relief as Thrawn led her back on the dance floor, their eyes never leaving each other’s. Never in the Imperial Empire had there been such a devoted couple, Vader could sense the strong, tender bond between them and he wished them well. They would need it, if the prophecy of the Winter Rose was to come true.
     
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  19. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Official fanart, courtesy of Kaleesh-Cyborg![face_love]
    Sixth sketch, requested: Minerva and Thrawn share a romantic moment.
    [​IMG]
    Nehru_Amidala , I know your request was an actual kiss, but I had this really good look going in those moments before lips touch lips and I just went with it. I really like the look and pose of Minerva, plus drawing a kiss often obstructs the view of facial features on characters and I really didn't want to lose what I had with Minerva's look. I can draw it again if you like and draw the actual kiss. Just let me know.
     
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  20. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Cool, you have people doing fanart for you. And Kaleesh-Cyborg is right, to draw the moment before the kiss sometimes has more dynamics than the actual kiss.

    In this update I really feel for Agent Callus. Trying to protect a very stubborn, young lady for her own benefit is not an easy task. And certainly not rewarded all the time.

    The Harkness episode make me grin. You caught his capricious ways very well.

    It was also nice to see Thrawn acting like a friend to Eli.
     
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  21. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Happy Memorial Day, and more art from Kaleesh-Cyborg:

    [​IMG]
    I'll be honest. This is the first time in the history of ever that I have drawn a scene like this. It was a challenge because I had to get past my own qualms with certain facial features being obscured, but I think overall, it turned out kind of okay.
     
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  22. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    It certainly shows us a very passionate Thrawn.
     
  23. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    He's absolutely besotted with her, and she is with him. The
     
  24. Nehru_Amidala

    Nehru_Amidala Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2016
    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

    Characters: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Minerva Hektor (main), Governor Pryce, Agent Kallus, Eli Vanto, Kanan Jarrus, Ghost Crew, River Song, Harriet Jones, others later on, Elena Cromwell (OC), Lynette Kaic’kul (OC)

    Cast list: Minerva- Jenna Coleman, Thrawn- Lars Mikkelsen, Eli Vanto- David Tennent, Governor Pryce- Cate Blanchett, Lynette Kaic’kul- Pauley Perrette

    Pairings: Thrawn/Minerva (main), eventual Eli/Liszt

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

    Universe: Doctor Who and AU! Rebels

    Chapter soundtrack: Concerning Aunt Josephine- Thomas Newman, Dreaming/Mechanical Lullaby- Bruno Corlais, Cursum Perficio/Lothlorien- Enya

    Chapter 9: Of Heroes and Martyrs

    In thirty five years of serving the Old Republic and now the Imperial Empire, Anihdra Pryce was a cold-hearted, empty souled husk of a middle aged woman. Her ice blue eyes were dead mirrors, dull and revealing nothing. Her thin lips were drawn into a perpetual scowl or a bloodthirsty smile that would make even the Grand High Witch quake in fear (if she actually existed, that is). She had taken over the governorship of Lothal at an early age, when she thought her father had done a poor job handling labor disputes involving city garbage collectors. Instead of wiping them off the map, he had brokered slightly higher pay and benefits for the family members. She had informed Chancellor Palpatine of this turn of events, and he had given her permission to kill him! Familial love meant nothing to her, all that mattered was the collection of power and the patronage of those she could use to further her owns goals.

    Part of this was why she had employed Vice-Admiral Thrawn in dealing with the constant uprisings and pirates in and around Lothal and the surrounding systems. He really was the best tactician the Empire had to offer, but he was only a stopgap until she rose to Moff. Then, she planned on having him assassinated. However, there a problem with that plan and that was young map maker to whom Thrawn was engaged, Minerva Hektor.

    In her leathern heart, Pryce could not understand what in the blinking galaxy had brought those two together and why they were so content to be in each other’s company. If there was one weakness she had, it was the fact she could not understand what love was, in its myriad forms. She had no love for her fellow Imperials, her remaining family members (of which there were very few) or her fellow officers. All she cared about was herself and securing enough power to rule over her own little galactic fiefdom.

    As it was, she was expected to meet the map maker when she arrived on board the Chimaera after the first breakfast shift, at about 8:45 am. Pryce had seen holopics of the young woman, and she was infuriatingly idealistic. Doe eyed, dark haired with her optimistic gaze towards the heavens, Minerva Hektor was a breath of fresh air that the Empire was in dire need of. However, Pryce felt otherwise.

    Such a pretty little girl deserves a martyr’s death, Anihdra thought evilly to herself as she left her office and made her way down to the docking bay as the Star Destroyer sat parked in orbit above Lothal’s polluted surface. Her dead eyes locked on the gunmetal colored door and it opened with a loud whoosh as she strode into the docking bay, followed by two Stormtroopers from the Seventh Squadron.

    She sneered as Thrawn escorted the woman down the landing ramp and introduced her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Governor Pryce,” Minerva bowed her head reverently, and Pryce nodded curtly. It was now Minerva recalled the dream she had had on the Nightswan, it was Pryce who had been gazing at her with disdain. With Thrawn there, her gaze was strangely unreadable. She showed Minerva to her quarters, similar to those on the Nightswan. Before leaving for a meeting, Thrawn took Minerva’s hand and kissed it and gave her a soft look.

    Pryce gagged at the interaction, the sooner Minerva died a martyr’s death, the sooner Thrawn committed suicide, all the sooner she could move on. When Minerva did present her maps at a meeting later that afternoon, she had everyone’s warm praises and accolades. Pryce forced herself to commend the young girl, Thrawn noticed the visible strain and found this unnerving. What was she planning? He would figure it out, he was sure of it.

    Hours later, when Minerva turned in for the night, so rolled over on her side and attempted to contact Margie via the Force. After all, she was Force sensitive and she felt it would comfort her mother-figure to learn she was doing well. Are you there, Margie? It’s me, Margie- Minerva. I’m doing well. Good night.

    She had never used the Force to project her thoughts before, and she used every last bit of strength that she had to broadcast her thoughts before she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Unfortunately, her broadcast was picked up by the last person she would have imagined possible- her biological father, the ex-Jedi Caleb Dume aka Kanan Jarrus.

    He woke with a start, he had heard an odd Force broadcast. The voice and that face- it wasn’t possible, was it? Meditating, and to his untold horror the identity of the enigma was his daughter, Minerva! How in the blinking galaxy had she gotten to Lothal? Hadn’t he handed her over to John Saxon when she had been all of two? He grumbled as he shielded his thoughts from waking Ezra. Looks like her would have to nip the problem that was Minerva Hektor in the bud. The sooner he killed her (quietly, through the Force and away from the prying eyes of his fellow Rebels, especially Hera and Ezra) the sooner his life could get back to normal. As he fell asleep again, he wondered about the best way to murder a young woman on the other side of the galaxy, as the Ghost crew were stationed outside the Corellian system at the particular moment.

    The months seemed to fly by for Minerva, and in the three years she been on Coruscant. She had blossomed into a confident young woman who command troops with a regal authority that was gentle but firm. She quickly won admiration from the Seventh Squadron and quite a few of the officers. She taught the female officers how to defend themselves against unwanted advances with nothing but a standard dinner knife. As busy as she and Thrawn were with a war going on, they still found time to nurture their romance. They would dine together at least once a day, and more than once they would hold hands during meetings.

    It would be after New Year’s at the beginning of her twenty-first year that her true potential as a Force-sensitive would be unlocked. It had started innocently enough, she was leading another female officer’s only sparring session. The girl she was sparring with was Lynette Kaic’kul, a communications officer and a particular friend of hers. Lynette towered over everyone as she stood at nearly 7 feet tall and was known to sneak up on friends and give them bone crushing hugs. Minerva liked her a lot as a friend, and when Thrawn was too busy doing something, Minerva and Lynette would make a girl’s night of it.

    Today, they were showing the other girls how to spar using the martial arts. It had been a good match, neither woman giving an inch until Lynette pulled back and snuck around behind Minerva, jumped onto an unused chair. She silently leapt, and when Minerva spun around to face her, she let out a startled yelp and a frail, wispy shield of regeneration energy formed around her. Everything seemed to slow down around her as Lynette’s weight broke the shield and the sound of shattering class left the audience wondering just what had happened.

    Suddenly, Minerva sprang up and charged Lynette, bowling into her and when her hands grabbed Lynette’s arms to throw her, ice flowed from Minerva’s hands and slowly Lynette began to freeze! Minerva began to panic- what had she done? Lynette touched her shoulders, they were cold- but not frigid. “Minerva- it’s okay. What you did- that was wicked awesome. Could you teach me?” Minerva was still unsure, what had just happened?

    The whole room was spinning, and voices sounded far away. The wall chrono rang 13:00, Minerva had a meeting with Thrawn, Pryce and Agent Kallus. Assuring everyone she was fine, Minerva struggled to pull on her grey tunic and made her way down the mazelike halls towards Thrawn’s office. When she got there, she nodded politely to the gathered higher ups before nearly fainting to her knees.

    Thrawn noticed Minerva’s pale face and dazed look, had she fallen and hit her head? He knelt down and helped her up, “Are you all right? You seem ill.” His red eyes met hers, filled with sincere concern. Minerva felt herself flush bright red and was about to melt in his embrace when Pryce snapped, “Goodness, Officer Hektor. Stand up and pull it together.” Her dead eyes gazed coldly at the young couple and they pulled apart.

    Thrawn shot her a dark look, it was obvious something was up and Minerva most likely needed some sort of medical attention. As the meeting progressed, Minerva struggled to pay attention, the voices became blurred and difficult to make out. The lights grew haloes and her head throbbed painfully. On top that, she felt frightfully cold and boiling hot at the same time- was she suffering from a concussion?

    She didn’t have much time to think it over because the meeting was over and everyone had left, she turned to leave when a shockwave of pain shot up from the soles of her feet, up her spine and into every part of her body. Kneeling to the floor, she forced back a sob (she didn’t want to be perceived as weak) when Thrawn scooped her up into his arms and kissed her forehead. He reeled back in surprise, Minerva was burning up!

    Before slipping into unconsciousness, Minerva was vaguely aware of Thrawn laying her down on a bed, pulling her tunic off and applying cold, damp washcloths to her forehead and chest to lower her raging fever before everything went black. In her dreamless sleep, she could neither detect sound nor light as everything surrounding her was like a thick blanket, deafening her senses. Never in her entire life had she felt exhausted and worn out, did it have something to do with her newly awakened powers? That has to be it, she thought to herself.

    Days and nights blurred together, and it seemed an eternity when her fever finally broke when in actuality it had been closer to a week. When she did open her eyes, it took her a few minutes for her to recall everything that had happened. She was lying under a patterned duvet and silk sheets, the walls were covered with original art… holy Force! She was lying in Thrawn’s bed! Not wanting to be a burden any longer, she struggled mightily to get out from under the sheets, but to no avail.

    It was at this moment Thrawn walked in the door, and noticed his girlfriend floundering to get out of bed. He chuckled at her valiant exploits and quipped, “Leaving so soon?” Blushing, Minerva admitted defeat and rolled over on her side, embarrassed to say the least. He walked over to Minerva, and brushed the sweaty bangs away from her forehead. Pulling her close, Thrawn found Minerva’s lips and gave her a deep kiss while lying her back down on the bed.


    Once she was nestled in his arms and flush against him, Thrawn informed her about what Lynette had said, and they discussed at length what her powers meant. Either way, Minerva was coming into her own and she would need more training if she were to use her gifts on the battlefield. After she dozed off, still in Thrawn’s warm, safe embrace, he added silently, Together, we will bring the Rebellion to its knees, Beloved. Afterwards, he fell asleep with his beloved in his arms.
     
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  25. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    In her leathern heart, Pryce could not understand what in the blinking galaxy had brought those two together and why they were so content to be in each other’s company. If there was one weakness she had, it was the fact she could not understand what love was, in its myriad forms. She had no love for her fellow Imperials, her remaining family members (of which there were very few) or her fellow officers. All she cared about was herself and securing enough power to rule over her own little galactic fiefdom.

    I fear that the lack of feelings is a problem most villains have. It makes me sad that Minerva comes into her evil focus now.

    But to kill of Thrawn? That is more than Pryce will be able to handle, I would say. She may have the guts, but not the wits. And I do not expect him to commit suicide when his lover dies. He is too much of a fighter.

    You are right, it is a dark update as you warned me in your update PM. Especially your Kanan Jarrus aka Caleb Dume is scary.