Beyond - Legends Fate, So Beautifully [Thrawn/Jaina Solo, time travel, darkfic]

Fate, So Beautifully


A Star Wars Romance


Written by: Nehru_Amidala


Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, Downton Abbey


Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar’alani/Paelleon, Thooraki/Thurfian, Eli/Vah’nya


Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded


Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon


Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar’alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Thooraki- Hugh Bonneville, Thurfian- Elizabeth McGovern, Eli- David Tennant, Vah’nya- Stephanie Sheh


Author’s note: I claim nothing, except this is probably the VERY FIRST fan fiction is Star Wars fandom history to pair Thrawn with Jaina Solo. Having read all the Legends books, I can say for certainty that everyone will be in character. Any naysayers will be fed to Moro no Kimi.





Stave 1: Bounty of the X-Wing


It had been only a matter of time and credits before the Bounty Hunters Guild decided to dare face the combined wrath of the New Republic and the New Jedi Order by brazenly attacking the Jedi’s main campus at the Massassi ruins on Yavin IV. The forty million credit bounty on Luke Skywalker’s head for killing Jabba the Hutt was still on the table, but with the simmering Cold War between the Republic coming to an end with the signing of the Bastion Accords five years prior, there were fewer higher hits and with the Jedi’s return to their former glory, the smart money (i.e. Fett) decided to lay low and wait for the right moment. He would collect the bounty on Skywalker and it would be glorious.


The time came when the Bounty Hunter’s Guild found Bokku the Hutt’s carbon frozen body in one of the myriad sub basements in Jabba’s now derelict palace, and he was just as nasty as a rattlesnake addicted to rat poison. He demanded to know what was going on, and when he had been informed of the details of the state of the galaxy and was enraged that the bounty on Skywalker had not been cashed in on yet. Bokku was clever for a Hutt, and this made him dangerous. Luke was Vader’s son, and he had soon outfitted the entirety of the Bounty Hunter’s guild with weapons and armor and from there they were off.


With communications over the HoloNet closely monitored for terror attacks in this time of galactic peace, Bokku had the foresight to keep everything encrypted and through dead drops. So, when 23 May 26 ABY dawned, EMPs dropped from the pre-dawn skies. The fires burned down, hitting the roofs and knocking out the electronics. Waking up, the younglings were in a frightened panic. Tionne and Kirani Ti tried to calm them, but that was difficult.


Scanning the skies, Luke Skywalker cursed, “Damn! They got the jump on us. Looks like Bokku’s taking a page from Thrawn’s playbook. Kam, get the older padawans organized and have their lightsabers ready, we can split up and prevent a ground assault. Artoo, get to the Jade Sabre- call Han and Leia! We need back up!” His pregnant wife, Mara came running up the steps.


Luke kissed her gently, How are you? Mara grinned, “We’re fine, farm boy. Kam and Jacen are leading a charge, Anakin, Tahiri, Lowbacca, and Tenel Ka are securing the gate. The younglings are safe. Where are you going?” Luke said he was heading for the hangar, Artoo was firing up the old X-Wing as they spoke. Mara yelled that he was crazy, Fett would be expecting this.


Luke agreed, but Bokku would not. That was what worried Mara, Bokku was playing this the way Thrawn would, and Luke knew that. As much he didn’t want to admit it, Mara was right. It was at times like these he was almost glad she was an ex-Imperial.

His comm beeped, it was Artoo. Han and Leia were calling. Racing to the ship, Luke turned on the holocamera. “Luke! Are you and the kids all right,” Leia queried frantically as Han pushed in and asked if they needed Wedge to scramble ships. Laser fire rocked the building, oh yeah. “Fire up the frigates, and head for Yavin,” Han hollered. From the other end, Luke and Mara could hear Wedge and Pash Cracken giving orders for Rogue Squadron to head out! Ackbar poked in, “Bokku will be stopped for certain. Can you hold out for a day or two?” Mara grimaced; they might be able to once the shield generators were booted up. Maybe Bel Iblis could spare a Dreadnaught?


In the middle of the heated debate, Luke was vaguely aware his X-Wing taking off and heading for the battle, aiming directly for the Slave 1. Wait a second, where was Jaina? “Jaina Luthien Padme Skywalker Organa-Solo, you get back here right now,” Leia shouted into the screen. Too late! Leia groaned, of all her children, why was it that Jaina had to be the most rebellious? Staring out the window of her window, Leia wondered how Jaina had grown away from her upbringing as she sipped her caf.


Jaina had been such a rule follower as a child, good at school, sociable, but after she turned 15, Jaina began to push back. She preferred delving into folklore and mythology, rhetoric and developed a slight crush on a certain Imperial Grand Admiral. It was really nothing noticeable, it was just that whenever his picture showed up in print, Jaina’s face would turn bright red and she would stare out into space. Jacen and Anakin had teased her relentlessly about it on end. Of course, Jaina argued they knew nothing of Thrawn’s past or his people.


Even now, there was a rift between mother and daughter. It was Jaina who acted as hostess to visiting Imperial officers, while Leia was cold and standoffish. Paelleon was concerned about Leia’s behavior, playing the role of Demeter to Jaina’s Persephone and had said as much. Leia had been about to go off on him, before Han and Luke intervened. Paelleon was making some good points, Leia needed to let go before she drove the wedge even further.


To be fair, Jaina admitted that some of it was her fault. She could be pushy and spoke too freely when she was angry, and there was a snarky air about her. She was rough and unpolished, refusing to spend time becoming the next Chief of State, like Leia wanted. Jaina liked politics, but wanted to debate in a small room, not the stadium of the Senate Chamber of the New Republic. Leia was still cold towards any and all Imperial senators, excepting Paelleon and that was only because he was a Corellian, like Dad. Why did her mother have to be such a hypocrite?


Uncle Luke’s rickety X-Wing had seen plenty of action during the Galactic Civil War and the number of crises in the following years. It was a persnickety piece of tech, and thus it required a gentle touch. Flying towards Fett, she called him out as a coward. Fett groaned, Solo’s daughter? He had heard of Jaina’s piloting skills, and she was


He decided to peel away, and Jaina gave chase. She kept up well and had just executed a perfect Marg Sabl maneuver when Fett moved in behind her, nicking one of the cannons. Bang! Jaina smacked her head against the console and gave chase. No matter how much Fett tried to shake her, Jaina was just too good of a pilot. Leading her into a thick asteroid field, Fett ditched Jaina.


The X-Wing lurched sharply as one of the pylons came loose, and nicked an asteroid. The resulting jump triggered a premature jump into hyperspace, and tearing into the fabric of space-time, jumping back in time…


Twenty six years in the past, two years before Endor and one standard month before the battle at Hoth, Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader were overseeing the Seventh Fleet carrying out battle maneuvers outside of Geonosis. For the most part, everything was satisfactory, but it did not live to the high standards set by either man. Konstantin was getting sloppy and at the rate he was going, there was a definite demotion back to Lieutenant sometime in the near future. Despite being only eight thirty in the evening (local time), neither man had slept well the previous night.


Today was Padme’s birthday and after everything on Mustafar, Vader had fallen into a vicious cycle of deep depression and guilt that plagued him, day and night. His lashing out further fueled his Dark Side powers, and this pleased Sidious to no end. For Thrawn, his predicament was a bit different. For the past five years or so, a mysterious and beautiful maiden kept popping up in his dreams and later in his art. She was quite beautiful, with long brown hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes that drew you in, and she intrigued him. As everyone on board knew by now, anything that intrigued Thrawn was going to get further study. Last month, he had made a sketch of his alluring siren and showed it to Vader.


Vader had been none to pleased with the sketch, but not for the usual reasons. Thrawn had a fine eye for art, and the charcoal picture had been gently rendered. What bothered Vader was the fact how much the girl not only resembled his beloved Padme, but Princess Leia of Alderaan a little bit. He did not know what it portended, so he soberly told Thrawn she was a phantom. Either way, it was she who was on Thrawn’s mind when he was assassinated. He had written on the back: To by beloved darling, I hope we meet in another life.



Vader was unsettled and Thrawn noticed, something small and silver skipped across the farthest line of vision. What was that? Thrawn’s best friend, Eli Vanto picked it up. “That’s odd, we have a bogey that just jumped out of hyperspace. Fire away?”


Thrawn raised his hand, something was off. “No, not yet. Let’s see what Lord Vader’s opinion is.” Both men turned to Vader. Vader pondered the anomaly, something was twisting the Force, and something was starting to unfold he could not yet comprehend. “It is a Rebel X-Wing, but it is not Skywalker. Something is off, though. I will deal with this, myself.” Nodding to Thrawn, Vader strode out and away, his cape bellowing behind him.


There was a deep tremor in the Force, it was in flux. Light and Dark fighting and straining and Vader was confused as his TIE Fighter pulled out of the Chimaera’s docking bay. He noticed the X-Wing, it was Skywalker’s but it was in worse shape than he originally thought. The pilot on the other hand… Force almighty! It was Thrawn’s mystery girl…and the Force was strong with her! Adding to that, she had the Skywalker aura! Luke’s daughter?


Vader was darkly thrilled at this revelation, if Luke would not join him, he could marry his daughter of to Thrawn, thereby challenging Palpatine’s claim to the Imperial throne. Emperor Skywalker had a nice ring to it. Reaching out with the Force, Vader learned her name was Jaina. However, he was going to have to change her surname. Antilles was a common enough Corellian name. Smiling darkly at the grand future of House Skywalker, Vader towed the X-Wing back to the docking bay.


Thrawn was informed that Vader had returned with the bogey, which turned out to be a rickety X-Wing, back into the docking bay. Pulling up the security footage, it was corrupted and there was no way to defragment it. Whoever it was, Vader was using the Force to hide the pilot’s identity, and this bothered him. He did not understand the Force, and it bothered him as a devout monotheist that he could not grasp the higher concepts of such an ancient religion. He was considering what his next steps would be when Vader commed him.


“Ah, Lord Vader. I see you returned with our mystery ship. Was it a Rebel X-Wing as we hypothesized?”


“Yes, it was. I wish to speak with you alone. I shall be joining you shortly.” Just a couple of minutes later, Vader and Thrawn left the command bridge and down the hall and into the lift. Vader turned to the Grand Admiral and told him in an undertone, “What I am about to say must stay between the two of us. It is of the highest importance that the Emperor does not learn of any of this.”


Thrawn nodded and was somewhat confused, what was going on here? They were walking towards the staterooms where visiting officers stayed during fleet inspections. Vader opened the door and lying in the bed was none other than Thrawn’s mystery girl. For the first time in his life, Thrawn felt a visible blush rise to his powder blue face.


“She’s lovely, Lord Vader. Who is she,” he breathed softly, barely stoic at all at this moment, before regaining his composure. He sat down on a chair near the bed and wove his fingers together, his glowing red eyes flitting between the girl and Lord Vader.


“This is my granddaughter, Jaina. She is now under your care,” Vader intoned as used the Force to fill out all the requisite paperwork. With that tedious chore taken care of, Vader left Jaina in Thrawn’s care. The Sith Lord strode down the hall, back to his TIE fighter and back to his own flagship.


Vader could not but stare at Jaina as she slept, despite the nasty bruise developing on her forehead, she was a sight not seen in any of the art he had studied over the years. Part of him wanted to pull her close and kiss those petal pink lips and hold her close, she looked so soft. However, as a follower of stoicism, he decided he would take delight in watching her sleep. In the morning, they would finally speak. This was well worth a night of waiting.


Meanwhile and back in the future, Cracken and Wedge showed up with three cruisers and a Dreadnaught. They pushed back against the Bounty Hunter’s Guild until there had been a forced retreat back to Tatooine and Bokku the Hutt was slain in battle. Doing some clean up, Wedge got a call.


“This is Red One. Copy.”


“Hey Wedge, it’s Tycho. Has Stardancer come back to base yet? Mom and Dad are getting anxious.”


“Jaina? No, haven’t heard anything. Last I recall, she chased after Fett. Let me follow her last known trajectory. I’ll comm Solo when I get back. Over.”


Tracing Jaina’s path, Wedge called out and scanned the area for several hours. Darkness there and nothing more. Where was she? Had she made her way back to Yavin? Figuring this was the case, he hightailed it back to the Jedi Academy.


Back at the hangar, there was a flurry of activity. The older Jedi and Padawans were regaling each other with stories of how they proudly defended their home. Luke and Mara had to gently rein in Han’s hyperbolic tales and Leia’s laughter. It was into the merry group Wedge entered. Han grinned and waved him over.


“Hey Wedge, what’s up?” Wedge looked serious and told them that he could not find Jaina. It was as if she had disappeared. Leia fell to the floor in tears, where had her little girl gone to? Word of Jaina’s disappearance spread like wildfire, some pilots stayed behind and scoured the area. The hours passed and still no word.


Where could have Jaina Solo disappeared to?

 

Fate, So Beautifully


A Star Wars Romance


Written by: Nehru_Amidala


Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, Downton Abbey


Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar’alani/Paelleon, Thooraki/Thurfian, Eli/Vah’nya


Author’s note: Please do not nitpick with the ideas presented here. I will not change my stories to make you happy.


Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded


Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon


Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar’alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Thooraki- Hugh Bonneville, Thurfian- Elizabeth McGovern, Eli- David Tennant, Vah’nya- Stephanie Sheh


Author’s note: I claim nothing, except this is probably the VERY FIRST fan fiction is Star Wars fandom history to pair Thrawn with Jaina Solo. Having read all the Legends books, I can say for certainty that everyone will be in character. Any naysayers will be fed to Moro no Kimi.





Stave 1: Otome No Policy


Thrawn slept very little that night, even for a Chiss. The egg chair was passable for a bed of last resort, and at first, he thought he had been dreaming, but the young woman sleeping in the bed was real and as lovely as anything. Pulling himself together, Thrawn vowed to take it slowly. After all, she may not even know who he was. Above all, Thrawn was the poster boy for being an officer and a gentleman. This, of course, led to many discussions about his sexuality, which for Chiss a private topic. Humans just did not understand.


Jaina was vaguely aware she was lying in a warm bed, and hells! How her head ached, the last thing she recalled was Fett clipping Uncle Luke’s X-Wing and the rattling pylon short circuited (thanks to Dad’s infamous short cuts) and jumping into hyperspace to early. She flinched when she heard lights cut on, and a cool, accented voice softly asking if she was quite all right. Who was calling her? She slowly opened her eyes…oh no! Oh no!


Yelping in fright, she jumped back and was pinned to the plain wooden headboard in sheer terror. “Stay away from me,” she yelled. There was a wild, panicked looked to her lovely hazel eyes, and this confused Thrawn. He knew she would react badly waking up in strange room out of time and space (anyone who was sane would), however he could also read the fear and anger in her body. Her shoulders were hunched, the wideness of her eyes, the increased rate in her pulse. Her knuckles were white as chalk she was grabbing the sheets.


Thrawn knew he was going to have to talk her down, and that was not going to be a simple task. Sighing and composing himself, he spoke cautiously, “You are safe now, Jaina…” WHOOMPH! He not expecting a pillow thrown full force at his face. Now, that was quite uncalled for. “I am not going to hurt you,” he told her firmly. Jaina was fuming, but the bump on her head was aching and she realized she was not going anywhere. Goody.


“I know who you are, my parents told me all about you,” Jaina groused sourly. Thrawn’s curiosity was piqued, why was she so afraid of him anyway? Thrawn nodded, “So you have heard of me in the future. Why are you so frightened? I’m surprised you are not frightened of Lord Vader.”


Jaina could only balk at the audacity of Thrawn’s word, was he serious? Now that she was seeing him in person for the first, she grudgingly admitted to herself he was seriously good looking. Locking her traitorous thoughts away, she retorted, “I am not frightened of Lord Vader, I am more frightened of you.” Thrawn hid a ghost of a smile, she had spirit. He was however, wondering why she was so afraid of him, so he asked.


Jaina was incredulous at the question, did he really not know? “You kidnap me and my brother when we are infants to the dark Jedi, Joruus C’baoth, you send Noghri assassins after my mother, father and uncle, and you try to overthrow the government my mother was elected to run.”


Now that he had the answers he was looking for, Thrawn was shocked at the revelation, but his stoic expression belied nothing to the young woman sitting no more than four feet in front of him. He was a fascist, that was true. Was he a loyal Imperial officer? Of course! However, the very idea of handing over helpless infants to a crazed Force wielder was beyond the pale. Considering how much he still ached over the disappearance of his sister, Al’iastov because she had Second Sight. Did she not know that? From the way she was reacting, she did not.


He sighed sadly, “Did your parents tell you this?” Jaina nodded, and Thrawn collected his thoughts. Of course, Rebel parents would tell their children such horror stories, especially in peace time. If he did do these things in the future, he must have had some reason, but dealing with an insane Jedi? After dealing with the Bendu, he shuddered. That was something he did not to relive. Being a Chiss, he could sense through her nonverbal body language she was being completely honest with him.


Thrawn nodded, “I give you my word as a pilot, that I am a man of honor and would not abduct infants or deal with insane Jedi. Are you familiar with the battle of Atollon?” He shared his memories with her, and Jaina saw firsthand Thrawn’s confusion and fear. She also peaked into his early days as an Imperial officer, his brotherly friendship with Eli Vanto. Her fears of him not being a gentleman and officer were assuaged. However, she was still a little bit leary.


“You are an honorable person, but I myself am unsure of your trustworthiness. I wish to see for myself,” she told him finally. Thrawn agreed with her, considering the quarter century and two years she had jumped backwards, an Imperial fleet was a dangerous place for a young woman who also happened to be strong in the Force.


A compromise was needed, they both knew this. “Jaina, would you care to be my aide? You would be close to me and do anything I ask. I apologize in advance if you find it demeaning, but you are strong with the Force, and nobody besides myself and Lord Vader know your identity. You would have to shield yourself,” Thrawn informed her.


Jaina mulled her options, she had been hoping to be a pilot, but from what she had heard about the TIE Fighter Corp from Wedge, it was highly disciplined and regimented to the Nth degree. Her piloting talents were sure to lead to gossip, and it was best to stay close to Thrawn for right now. Stashing the lightsaber in her bag, Thrawn led her back to his quarters, there was a spare bedroom she could use. It was small and utilitarian, but it would work. Jaina noticed there were uniforms for female officers. Poking her head out the door, she caught Thrawn before he made his way into his office.


“Thank you!”


Thrawn nodded in response. He was pleased to see she was settling in well and was wondering how the rest of the day would go. Jaina stowed her lightsaber and took a quick shower and dressed herself in the outfit of a first lieutenant. It fit her well, and she considered using the Force to tie her hair up but caught herself. Instead, she used a hairbrush, and an army of bobby pins she brought with her (they were stashed in her trouser pockets). Thrawn had sent away for toiletries, and some make up, so Jaina felt more pulled together. She looked like any other female Imperial officer.


A few minutes later, she was walking alongside Thrawn towards the officer’s mess hall. Thrawn was meeting with Admiral Konstantin about the results of yesterday’s sloppy battle maneuvers. “We will of course, have to run them again, and when I ask your opinion, you are to give them, Jaina,” Thrawn told her. Jaina nodded, and in they entered.


To her surprise, there were some other female officers were there, taking breakfast together. They glanced at Jaina and went back to eating. Thrawn’s new aide was unusual, who was she? Sitting down together, they were passed trays of food and today’s menu included: oatmeal, nuna sausage links, toast, caf, and citrus juice. Thrawn and Jaina were sitting and eating in a comfortable silence.


It was about here Konstantin entered at sat down. He was a few years older than Thrawn, a month and a bit past his 40th life day. His skin was pasty, and his black hair and moustache appeared to have faded during the course of the Galactic Civil War. He was sitting in a hover chair because of the injuries he had sustained during the Siege of Lothal a few years ago. He glanced over at Jaina. “Your new aide is a girl?”


Thrawn shut his eyes as swallowed his café, “My aide is a maiden, I believe the term otome no policy applies here. This is Jaina Antilles, of Corellia.” Jaina nodded her head and greeted him with a crisp good morning, sir. She was well aware the philosophy of “the maiden’s policy”, an old way of conducting oneself as a twenty something from Mygeeto. It involved braving the pit and never giving up. Lovers invoked the blessings of St. Mamoru and St. Usagi under a full moon.


Konstantin turned to Jaina, “Well, Miss Antilles, I am guessing Thrawn has informed you of our battle maneuvers yesterday. I was running the simulations laid down by Admiral Ozzel.” At the mention of Ozzel’s name, Jaina tried not to choke. Ozzel was as sloppy as they came. Konstantin continued to say he was pleased by Lord Vader’s visit and was disappointed that the Sith Lord had to leave.


“I spoke to Lord Vader this morning; he was less than impressed with how the practice run went. He felt as I did, you led a sloppy campaign and demands that we run the scenario again, only this time we use the battle plans obtained from Republic archives dating back the Battle of Geonosis, which kicked off the Clone Wars,” Thrawn told him. Jaina pulled up the message on her datapad and showed it to Konstantin.


Konstantin’s brown eyes widened with shame and a flush rose to his cheeks, “Well… well! Of course it was sloppy, the pilots weren’t ready.” Thrawn cut him off, “The pilots were not sloppy, they were following substandard procedures that are unworthy of being carried out by the Seventh Fleet. We shall practice again until things are up to snuff.”


Konstantin balked, “Practice again? We need to be securing the trade lanes…” Jaina cut in, “You have direct orders from Lord Vader, who as I recall, is the Emperor’s right hand, and would you risk the wrath of both Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader?” Konstantin growled and lunged forward to smack Jaina across the table, he was not about to be told of by some little aide of a higher-ranking officer. However, he was unable to get very far as his hover chair had gotten wedged under the table.


A ghost of a smiled crossed Thrawn’s face, Jaina certainly had spirit. Interacting with the higher ups would keep on her toes, and he was beginning to enjoy her companionship. However, there were many more days ahead, and this was only the beginning, but he was confident Jaina would find her legs, so to speak.


As they walked down the corridor to the bridge to relay the orders, Jaina asked if she had been out of line speaking to him like that, but he was missing the larger picture. Thrawn told her she had been correct, but she also needed to be aware of the hierarchy that was observed on board. Jaina blushed slightly, Thrawn was pleasant company to keep. She agreed and kept close to him as they entered onto the main bridge.


Meanwhile and back in the future, the search for Jaina continued with frustrating results. Traces of her X-Wing had been found, but there was slight hyperspace anomaly that caused navi-computers to go haywire so getting any information was difficult. When Luke and Mara went up there, they realized they could no longer sense Jaina through the Force!


Utterly heartbroken, the Jade Sabre turned around and returned to the hangar. When the ramp descended, Luke and Mara were greeted by a crowd of fellow Rogue Squadron pilots, fellow Jedi, and Han and Leia. Jacen and Anakin were also there. Their eyes were red from crying and lack of sleep, but their body language cried out for some semblance of hope, that their little girl was safe!


Leia broke free from Han and into her twin brother’s arms, “Where’s Jaina? Did you find her?” Luke looked down, holding back tears, “I’m so sorry Leia… there was no sign of her. Jaina’s gone.”


Leia sank to the floor and shrieked in anger and sadness. Han knelt and hushed her, “It’s all right, Leia. We will keep looking. Hey, look at me, Worshipfullness. We will never stop looking, we will find our little girl and bring her home. I don’t know how, but we will.” Overcome with grief, Jacen and Anakin joined their parents as did Luke and Mara. The other Jedi stood vigil and also mourned.


Dismissed, Rogue Squadron returned to Coruscant with the bitter news. Lando, Bel Iblis and all of the dear family friends were heartbroken, they would also help in anyway they could. Jaina Solo would be found, one way or another.

 

Time travel and unusual pairing.. I like!
Intrigued to see how Thrawn and Jaina get on.
I wonder what the consequences of their encounter will be.

 

Fate, So Beautifully


A Star Wars Romance


Written by: Nehru_Amidala


Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, Downton Abbey


Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar’alani/Paelleon, Thooraki/Thurfian, Eli/Vah’nya


Author’s note: Please do not nitpick with the ideas presented here. I will not change my stories to make you happy.


Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded


Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon


Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar’alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Thooraki- Hugh Bonneville, Thurfian- Elizabeth McGovern, Eli- David Tennant, Vah’nya- Stephanie Sheh


Author’s note: I claim nothing, except this is probably the VERY FIRST fan fiction is Star Wars fandom history to pair Thrawn with Jaina Solo. Having read all the Legends books, I can say for certainty that everyone will be in character. Any naysayers will be fed to Moro no Kimi.





Stave 3: Moonlight Destiny


The command bridge of the Chimaera was a flurry of activity, officers hustling hither and yon to bring directions to their subordinates, or updates to their superiors. MSE droids wheeled and squeaked underfoot (they were so cute!) and stormtroopers stood at attention, ready to dispatch any punishment deemed necessary. When Thrawn entered with Jaina at his heels, hazel eyes focused straight ahead, more than a few heads turned before returning to their tasks in order for the reset on the disastrous battle maneuvers from yesterday. When it came to battle strategy, Ozzel was a blithering idiot. Of course, none of them would dare say it out of fear of retribution, but that didn’t stop them from thinking it!


Lieutenant Lyste and Commander Eli Vanto were the officers of rank on the bridge at the moment, and they turned around and greeted Thrawn and informed him of any updates, and right now they were on schedule. Thrawn turned to his side, “This is my aide, Jaina Antilles. She was put under my protection under Lord Vader’s orders.” Jaina introduced herself and the two men did so likewise.


Turning their attention to the task at hand (after much wailing and gnashing of teeth from both the Stormtrooper and Pilot Corps), the redo of yesterday’s battle maneuvers was carried out. It was exciting to watch, and Jaina observed Thrawn give orders. It thrilled her to see him command this many ships and execute the orders so gracefully. She was seriously impressed, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. Eli and Lyste exchanged a glance and nodded, someone had a crush on the Grand Admiral. Thrawn gave commands in a dulcet baritone, and Jaina would blush even brighter.


Jaina watched from the bridge and began tracing where the Dreadnaughts and transports jumped in and engaged in mock combat. Thrawn was taking notes and noticed Jaina making mental notes about how the Seventh Fleet executed the strategies. Of course, Thrawn knew full Jaina would have learned about this in history class, either at school or from historical records Skywalker kept at his Praxeum on Corsucant at the rebuilt Jedi Temple. The timing was tighter, TIEs flying closer together and moving as a unit, it was rather like a mechanical dance.


As he observed the goings on, Thrawn asked Jaina, “Jaina, what do you think of the maneuvers thus far? You are a pilot yourself; did you learn of the Battle of Geonosis in school?” His gaze was still steely, but Eli swore his attention was completely focused on Jaina. His posture had relaxed by a small fraction, his body position was slanted slightly, so their shoulders were touching. His tone of voice was quieter, all of the non-verbal body language screaming Thrawn had the hots for his aide, but his stoic demeanor was doing a really good job hiding it from everyone. Except Eli, who was Thrawn’s best friend, and had known Thrawn long enough when the Chiss was letting someone get close enough he could lower his shields, as Thrawn was quite a private person. He was genuinely interested in her, and it was plain to see Aide Antilles was quite interested in her Grand Admiral as well.


Jaina was watching all of this with great enjoyment, and this was when Captain Paelleon, one of the few other competent Imperial officers (excluding Thrawn, Jaina, Eli, and Lyste). He was still the gruff and taciturn military leader she knew him to be, but here he seemed in his prime, when the distant death knell of Endor was two years away. He had gotten the memo that Thrawn had a new aide, what he was unaware of that it was a young woman in her early twenties. There was something familiar about her, he just couldn’t put his finger on where he had seen her before.


“Admiral Thrawn, I see we have battle maneuvers underway again. Were yesterday’s exercises not living up to Lord Vader’s standards,” he queried cautiously. Thrawn turned around and nodded curtly. Paelleon nodded and inquired about Thrawn’s new aide. Jaina introduced herself, and Gillald now realized he was looking at Thrawn’s mystery girl. She was uncommonly pretty, and looked a hell of a lot like Han Solo? His illegitimate daughter, perhaps? If that was the case, why would Lord Vader leave her here, was Qi’ra her mother? That seemed to be the most reasonable explanation, he thought.


“Welcome aboard, Miss Antilles. I see you are observing our fleet exercises. What do you think,” he asked. Jaina explained while she thought everything went well, she explained that from what she had read, there were fewer capital ships and smaller everyday frigates and far more Jedi fighters coming in from short range distances. “Jedi fighters relied on hyperdrive rings as the ships lacked hyperdrives, and this left them vulnerable after coming out a jump. With all that congestion, there was a larger chance for collateral damage as the CIS leaders escaped in the melee.” Thrawn swore his heart stopped when he heard her explanation, her tactical skills were quite good, with time he could sharpen them. She had the raw talent; it just needed some fine tuning. He was very close to kissing her, but he stopped himself. Best to let Jaina find herself first and go from there.


The battle exercises continued, and they passed with flying colors. The pilots and stormtroopers were thoroughly exhausted when they reported back to the main bridge. Thrawn addressed them, “After today’s recreation, I am pleased to say today’s battle exercises were a success. We will continue tomorrow at 10 AM local time for ground exercises. Please note that sloppy battle exercises are inexcusable and will no longer be tolerated within the Seventh Fleet. You are dismissed.” They left and Thrawn turned to Jaina, instructing her to follow him and to please take notes during his conference with Vader, Moff Gideon, General Piett and Emperor Palpatine. Jaina gulped and paled. Thrawn suggested she shield herself and Palpatine would hopefully not pick up on her Force sensitivity. Jaina thanked him and kissed him on the cheek as they strode down the corridor together towards his office. She was feeling much more at home now, this was working well for her.


Meanwhile and back in the future, a week had been spent scouring the area where Jaina and Luke’s rickety X-Wing had gone missing. The wormhole had closed (courtesy of Darth Vader), but the time anomaly remained. It was chalked up to some sort of remaining tesseract in the Force, and there was nothing Luke nor Mara could do about it. It was with a heavy heart Ackbar and Pash Cracken called the ships back, there was nothing more to be done.


Leia and Han wore mourning for a whole week, Chewie was sadder, while Jacen and Anakin weren’t sure what to think. Jaina surely had to be somewhere, and with the Bounty Hunter Guild refusing to cooperate, it was a long shot at hope getting any sort of closure. Things soon returned to normal on Coruscant, but something inside Leia had died. Her eyes had a duller shine to them, she was combative with the Imperial senators, many of whom were nice people. Han spent more time piloting and evenings in with Leia.


“They are definitely depressed,” Lando observed one afternoon. He was catching lunch at Dex’s Diner with Cracken and Ackbar, with Reikkan joining them. Ackbar nodded, “I agree. It’s a tragic thing to lose a child, particularly a blood relation. However, I disagree with how Leia is lashing out. She takes too much after Anakin, and even the fact Anakin was Vader isn’t very well known.” The other men nodded in agreement, that was true.


In between taking bites out of his gyro, Wedge inquired, “Is it me, or am I seeing Leia play the role of Demeter to Jaina’s Persephone?” Cracken stared at him, what in space was Wedge blathering on about? “Wedge, are you insinuating Jaina time traveled to marry herself off to Grand Admiral Thrawn,” Lando hissed in disbelief. Wedge shrugged, he never said it was Thrawn, per se. The others argued he was implying it, and where was the logic in his argument? Wedge was far more practical than this, what in space had he been reading on the Holonet?


Wedge told them to meet up at his apartment later, he had something to show them. The afternoon dragged on, and the men showed up and were gathered in Wedge’s office with mugs of caf in their hands. Iella and the girls were out, they were college shopping that week. Making sure the doors were locked, Wedge swore them to secrecy. What he was about to show them could not be made public, not to Han and Leia. More information was needed first. Reaching into a folder, he produced a beautiful charcoal drawing with the words “To my beloved darling, I hope we can meet in another life.” written on it.

“Who is that? That can’t be Jaina, can it?”


“She looks so much like Leia, whoever drew this has talent.”


“Your wrong, Pash. She takes after Han!”


“Wait, wait, wait, wait! We all agree that the girl is Jaina, and we have all known her since she was a baby. Heck, she’s Rouge Squadron’s unofficial mascot. Who drew this and where did you get this, Wedge,” Lando question, preparing himself for answers he may not like hearing.


Wedge let out a sigh, “I won this of Paelleon during an undercover mission on Berchest during the Darksaber incident during a game of Sabaac. Didn’t even think of it until Bokku attacked Yavin IV.” There were murmurs of worry, Paelleon had seemingly vanished around the same time as Jaina had and it had gone unreported and now this. This was far too sinister of a coincidence. Who had drawn the picture?


Wedge whispered, “Thrawn. Thrawn drew this picture.” The bombshell shattered the silence, all the men gave cries of protest. From what they knew of Thrawn (or what they thought they knew), there was no way in the Nine Hells he would lust after Vader’s granddaughter. Had they been in cahoots, using the Force to arrange a marriage to solidify Vader’s grip on the galaxy? After all, hadn’t Anakin fallen trying to save Padme from death? There were too many questions left hanging in the air, none of the pleasant. The next right thing was to keep this quiet for as long as possible. Han and Leia were under too much stress right now, this would be a catalyst for Fey’lya and his cronies.


“Thrawn is still something of an enigma, we know next to nothing about the Chiss or why they allied with the Empire,” Lando told Ackbar as they left. The Mon Cal nodded slowly, “We must tread carefully with this.” In a moment, everything had shifted, and the immediate future was mercurial and unsettled.


Lando prayed Jaina was safe, that was all he and the others could do.

 

I would have gulped too at the thought of being in a meeting with Palpatine! And Thrawn earned a little kiss, yay!

I like that other people have spotted Jaina's feelings for the Grand Admiral.
Did not expect Wedge to produce that drawing so intriguing! Looking forward to the next update.

 

Fate, So Beautifully


A Star Wars Romance


Written by: Nehru_Amidala


Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, Downton Abbey


Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar’alani/Paelleon, Thooraki/Thurfian, Eli/Vah’nya


Author’s note: Please do not nitpick with the ideas presented here. I will not change my stories to make you happy.


Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded


Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon


Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar’alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Thooraki- Hugh Bonneville, Thurfian- Elizabeth McGovern, Eli- David Tennant, Vah’nya- Stephanie Sheh


Author’s note: I claim nothing, except this is probably the VERY FIRST fan fiction is Star Wars fandom history to pair Thrawn with Jaina Solo. Having read all the Legends books, I can say for certainty that everyone will be in character. Any naysayers will be fed to Moro no Kimi.





Stave 4: The Belly of the Beast


To say that Jaina was frightened about potentially meeting the Emperor would have been quite the understatement, and she forced herself not to think about it. She had more pressing matters at hand right now. Thrawn had requested Jaina go over his notes for the meeting (he was requesting more funding for TIE Defender production out at Kuat Shipyards), and he was sparring with his battle droids. Jaina was seriously impressed with the design capabilities, these would be so wizard to pilot one of those. I wonder how they handle compared to the Falcon, she had mused to herself as she went through Thrawn’s notes. He made many good points about the fighter’s strong points, but his wording and phrasing for his ‘sales pitch’ were rigid and pedantic. Military genius he may be, but he was a political nous all these years later. Luckily for him, Jaina had grown up around politicians and diplomats her whole life, so a few edits here and there made it palatable for even the most anal-retentive Grand Moff.


Jaina had finished her work and went looking for Thrawn, she had some concerns and as he was open and honest with her, she felt certain she could ask for advice. Leaving her bedroom with her datapad in tow, she walked down the hall when she heard grunts and the sound of metal clashing. What was Thrawn doing? She rounded the corner and got her answer.


Thrawn had his tunic off and was fighting battle droids. Wait a second, he was fighting security droids? They were HK series security droids, some of the best and toughest ever designed. The fact that Thrawn was fighting two at once with only a saberstaff was impressive and his breathing was barely heavy suggested years of excellent martial training, but he had a six pack. Jaina felt herself blush, oh holy Force! He was a physical god in human form.


Being a Chiss had its advantages, and one of them was heightened senses. He could hear Jaina’s light footsteps walk down the corridor, an aftereffect of years of ballet classes perhaps? There was a natural grace to her, most likely from years of training as a Jedi. He could feel those lovely hazel eyes watching him, and it was tying his heart up in knots! How easy would it be to scoop her up into his arms and make out with her in the nearest linen closet. However, as much as he wanted lavish affection upon her, they were both still new to each other and a proper courtship was the best way to go. There was still so much about each other they needed to learn.


“Override code: Rukh. Oh, Jaina! I see you edited my presentation, thank you,” he told her earnestly as he washed his face and cleaned up. Slipping his tunic back on and attaching his rank plate, his red eyes gazed over Jaina’s notes with a meticulous eye. She had improved upon his argument and was proud of the effort she had put in. All things considered; Miss Solo was turning into a fine Imperial officer.

Jaina was still nervous about the whole meeting and explained to Thrawn why she felt that way. He listened to her and pondering what to do. “Are you at all familiar with ysalimiri?” Jaina told him she was, why? Thrawn told her he had a pet ysalimir named Odin and showed her the tank where the furred lizard was squeaking. Jaina felt odd and off, but considering she was also a Solo, she had a better handle on the temporary loss of the Force. She asked, “Could I hold him on my lap during the meeting?” Thrawn nodded, that was the idea, and should she have to meet Emperor Palpatine at some point in the future, she would have enough experience to properly shield herself. Jaina agreed, she was perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet to protect herself to the best of her ability.


Odin squeaked as he sat on Jaina’s shoulder and purred, there was something of a cat about him. The conference room was brightly lit, but not so horribly that you were blinded walking in. Jaina suspected this was because Thrawn could see into the infrared spectrum (she was right) and was sensitive to lighting levels. Taking the seat next to his, Thrawn squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile.


With a couple of minutes to spare, Thrawn opened the holoprojector and phoned in. The first form to appear was Lord Vader, no surprise there. Vader was pleased to see Jaina had settled in well and asked how she was finding herself, to which she replied she was doing well. Vader had no need of an aide for his daily tasks, he was beyond that. He was Emperor Palpatine’s right hand, enforcer of the Imperial Will. The next in was General Piett, who greeted everyone in a polite manner. He was skilled, competent man who only spoke when he felt he needed to say something. Because of this, he had Vader’s confidence.


The next person to phone in was Moff Gideon, and Jaina knew all about him from what she had learned from Aunt Mara and history classes over the years. He had overseen the secret cloning facilities at Mount Tantiss on Wayland. He was a dedicated Imperial, cunning and ruthless. He was an intelligent man and had a respect for Thrawn that was mutual. There were plenty of intelligent men withing the Empire who grew drunk with power and lost their pragmatism. Moff Gideon was not that sort of person. He was also sneaky and a backstabber. You rose to Moff anyway you could, and Gideon prided himself on his Darwinist view of survival.


“Grand Admiral, I see you have a new aide. Greetings, Aide Antilles,” he told her. Jaina bowed her head in a reverent manner and bid him good morning. Gideon nodded, looks like Thrawn finally found a girl to settle down with. He himself could not see himself get married, he liked fighting Rebels and squashing dissent too much. It was now the Emperor put in an appearance.


His countenance did not phase Jaina, and Thrawn was a little relieved. Palpatine appeared as a kindly old man at these meetings, and as he regular wizened self at meetings of the Tarkin Initiative, of which Thrawn and Vader were members.

“I see we are all gathered this morning to discuss our next moves against the incursions made by the Rebel Alliance. Grand Admiral Thrawn! I see you have a new aide. What are you called, girl,” he rasped. Jaina introduced herself, and Palpatine found her hard to read, like most Corellians. Thrawn had chosen well, and hopefully there would be a wedding down the road. With introductions under way, business began.


He wanted updates, and they were given. Moff Gideon updated those present with the continued work on blood experiments with defiant Force sensitives (Jaina almost passed out from that but was able to catch herself) and making sure the cloning tests were going smoothly with the salvaged Kaminoan technology they were using. Nala Se was doing her job well, he said. Palpatine was cackling with malicious glee at this, Vader was not thrilled.


Piett gave his report, he had a few squads track down saboteurs and moles with old fashioned grit and detective work. Piett was a firm believer in using one’s brain and being practical about executing search warrants and the like. His parents had been detectives, and he knew his skills well. “We sent three techs, an officer and a dozen pilots to their well-deserved deaths. It was painful for the families, I must admit. But justice had to be avenged for their fallen comrades.” There were nods and murmurs of agreement from the assembly, except from Vader. All they could hear was his heavy mechanical breathing.


Finally, it was Thrawn’s turn to speak. “Gentlemen, after the devastating loss of the Death Star and our unprecedented defeat at the Battle of Yavin, I move we start the production of my TIE Defender. As you can see, it has a navi-computer and shields. With thorough testing done, it can easily keep up with the Rebellion’s Incom T-65 X-Wing fighters. We need to bring the fight to them, if we improve our small fighters, the outcomes of dogfights will go in our favour…” Palpatine held his hand up.


“You can stop your sales pitch,” Palpatine pontificated psychotically, “the TIE Fighters we have now are fine.” Thrawn acquiesced his argument, but Jaina could see his disappointment. The meeting continued, and Jaina laced her fingers with Thrawn in a sign of solidarity. It was now Thrawn swore his heart would give out. He felt warm, something melting in his soul slightly with her here. There would be more meetings, but he had made his point and was now understanding how much Jaina had helped him. If only he could have finished his spiel.


Satisfied with what everyone had said, Palpatine told them he would message them with follow up instructions within the next few weeks. Jaina stood to leave and was almost out of the room. “Jaina, wait!” Thrawn called to her. Heart racing, Thrawn pulled Jaina into his arms and gave her a sweet, gentle kiss. Pulling away, he whispered, “Thank you.” He left her there with Odin in her arms.


What just happened?

 

Oh looks like Jaina enjoyed seeing Thrawn exercise.. I don't blame her!
I'm glad she survived the Palpatine, Vader and Gideon meeting.
The ending of the chapter was so sweet, the kiss was unexpected! Look forward to the next update.

 

Chapter 5 is about halfway done and should be up later this week.

 

Fate, So Beautifully


A Star Wars Romance


Written by: Nehru_Amidala


Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, Downton Abbey


Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar’alani/Paelleon, Thooraki/Thurfian, Eli/Vah’nya


Author’s note: Please do not nitpick with the ideas presented here. I will not change my stories to make you happy. Also, big thanks to Darth Bernael for suggesting the idea for the ops mission.


Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded


Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon


Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar’alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Thooraki- Hugh Bonneville, Thurfian- Elizabeth McGovern, Eli- David Tennant, Vah’nya- Stephanie Sheh, Ochi of Bestoon- John DeLancie


Author’s note: I claim nothing, except this is probably the VERY FIRST fan fiction is Star Wars fandom history to pair Thrawn with Jaina Solo. Having read all the Legends books, I can say for certainty that everyone will be in character. Any naysayers will be fed to Moro no Kimi.





Stave 5: Undercover on Berchest, Part 1


Jaina stood there for a moment in stunned silence with Thrawn’s pet ysalimir in her arms, and she was in a blissful daze. Thrawn had kissed her, he had actually kissed her! Oh wow! As happy as she was with this action, she washed her face and smartened up. She was still on her shift, as far as she knew. Come to think of it, what were her hours? As his aide, she was technically “on call” so that meant if she was needed for an ops at 3 in the morning, she needed to get up and be ready to do whatever it was Thrawn needed for her to do. The question lingering over her head was why he kissed her. Was Thrawn thanking her for her assistance earlier for the meeting with the other sector command staff? Did he have feelings for her? What was it? Ugh! Why was love so complicated?


She decided to ask Thrawn about it, and she knocked on the door to his office after putting Odin back in his cage. Thrawn was busy at his datapad typing up his report for Lord Vader and Emperor Palpatine about the battle maneuvers that had been enacted earlier that day, noting the improvements made after the crew had been dressed down about yesterday’s sloppy efforts that had fallen short of his and Vader’s high expectations. “The door is open, Jaina,” he told her without looking up. Shifting from one foot to the other, Jaina stood at the threshold. Nervous.


Thrawn knew without looking up what the problem was, it was the fact he had kissed her. He had done it half out of impulse, and the other half out of affection. He had been a bit to forward, he had to admit. Ignoring her was not going to help, it was only going to push her away. That was the last thing he wanted, so he invited her in and had her sit.


“It’s about the kiss you gave me a little while ago.”


“I know, Jaina. I was being rash and I apologize. I was being to forward with you.”


“Please don’t apologize, Grand Admiral. I..I just want to know why.”


Now, it was Thrawn’s turn to search for the right words, at the moment he was too flummoxed to even tell her he had slowly fallen in love with her over the last five years, how she had invaded his dreams, how he wanted to teach her everything he knew, marry her, see the galaxy and maybe have a family down the road. How did you tell that to someone who had only just time traveled to his time a little less than a full day ago? Even if he did, there was no guarantee she would accept him. He was going to have to have faith and hope she understood what he did next. Thrawn knelt and took her hands in his.


“Jaina Solo, will you allow me the honor of courting you?”


Jaina was blushing bright red, was he serious? Allowing her shielding to drop, she could tell he was being serious. She asked him, “Just how long have you been in love with me?” She asked him about all those times she had seen his picture, had she seen him? He said yes, and they both wondered how that was even remotely possible. They decided it was a mixture of Fate and the Force. After agreeing to remain professional during their shifts, Jaina happily accepted Thrawn’s courtship proposal. After hours, Jaina brushed up on her Cheunh and rhetoric, and she taught Thrawn about the tricksy inter-political movements of the Imperial Empire and how to best navigate the byzantine relations between the Moff Council and their subordinates.


In the two weeks that followed, it was noticed and commented on by just everyone that Aide Antilles had some sort of effect on Grand Admiral Thrawn. While he was still a pillar of ice and steel, he was finally hitting his stride with his relationships with the Imperial governors and those he needed to curry favor with them order to gain their patronage. He was better at turning their prejudices back at them and apply his usual psychoanalysis and making them squirm. Jaina was quickly picking up on reading people without relying on the Force, and she was soon sparring against his droids, and occasionally against him. They were quite the dynamic duo, it was said.


It was about this time Konstantin learned his extended family on Berchest had run into some trouble with the Imperial governor. What the trouble was, he was unable to say, but as the Konstantin’s were a well established and loyal Imperial clan and it bothered Kassius to no end. It had been the better part of a decade since he had seen his uncle, aunt and cousins. Considering his rank and he still had some clout among certain circles within the Imperial High Command. So, he called a meeting and asked for advice. It was decided to stage an undercover mission with a select few fellow officers.


The few officers he trusted were Thrawn and Eli, and they needed a girl to go along with them, so Jaina had to come along as well. He had called a meeting and when everyone had gathered, he informed them of the news, and it did not go over well at all. Why were they wasting time and credits on nothing but hearsay? At least that was what the gathered officers were thinking, but Konstantin argued while this was purely a family matter, he owed the Imperial governor of Berchest a favor, so he was stuck.



Eli asked why they needed to shlep all the way to the northern forests of Berchest for some family drama, “I think we can all agree this is a waste of time. We don’t have the manpower of the accrued time off for this. Besides, this is family business, why are we needed for?” He lowered his caf mug onto the table.


“For your information, Professor Whom- a recent soil study has revealed perfect conditions for manufacturing and storing glitterstim spice. Such a windfall could be used to line Governor Trenzalore’s pockets, money that should be going into the Empire’s coffers,” Konstantin informed everyone.


Jaina nodded and inquired, “Spice is used in some medicines, but the current export taxes between systems are unfathomably high, and there is always a chance the Bounty Hunter Guild or the Hutt cartels would try to cut in on the production business, which is strictly prohibited by Imperial law. So, why would your family get into such a sordid business?” Thrawn agreed, this was purely family business, but spice found on a familial estate was a slippery slope- it needed to be investigated.


However, the undercover mission needed to be cleared by a higher up, and this task fell on Vader’s desk less than a day later. The Sith Lord was grouchy, he had sent Boba Fett to track down the mystery Rebel pilot who had blown up the Death Star. So, when Konstantin’s inane request came in and he saw Jaina’s name attached to it, he hastily signed off on it. Better to keep Jaina off the radar for now. He could see it now, he as Emperor with Jaina as heir apparent, with Thrawn as her consort. They would bring peace to the galaxy, and Sidious would be dead.


He also sent a note to Thrawn to stay close to Jaina, something like this was sure to draw the Emperor. Train her to fight, was what he wrote. That taken care of, he got news from Fett.


The trip to Berchest lay ahead, and Jaina was excited for her first undercover mission.

 

Fate, So Beautifully


A Star Wars Romance


Written by: Nehru_Amidala


Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, Downton Abbey


Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar’alani/Paelleon, Thooraki/Thurfian, Eli/Vah’nya


Author’s note: Please do not nitpick with the ideas presented here. I will not change my stories to make you happy. Also, big thanks to Darth Bernael for suggesting the idea for the ops mission.


Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded


Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon


Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar’alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Thooraki- Hugh Bonneville, Thurfian- Elizabeth McGovern, Eli- David Tennant, Vah’nya- Stephanie Sheh, Ochi of Bestoon- John DeLancie, Justinian Konstantin (OC)- Peter Capaldi, Theodora Konstantin (OC)- Catherine Tate, Cassandra Konstantin (OC)- Michelle Dockery


Author’s note: I claim nothing, except this is probably the VERY FIRST fan fiction is Star Wars fandom history to pair Thrawn with Jaina Solo. Having read all the Legends books, I can say for certainty that everyone will be in character. Any naysayers will be fed to Moro no Kimi.





Stave 6: Undercover on Berchest, Part 1

Berchest’s main claim to galactic fame was the city Callus Saj Leeloo, wedged along the southern coast of the inland Leefari Sea. It was carved from one gigantic crystal that contained high amounts of iron and zinc, giving it a distinct orange glow to it. Over the past several millennia, people had carved roads, stores, and houses out of it, so the crystal was also a thriving small city of about 300,000 loyal Imperial citizens. Jaina had always wanted to visit, and Thrawn wanted to take her as he was keen on studying the city’s artisanal history.


However, there was no time to take a sightseeing tour with romantic overtures, there was a spice manufacturing rumor to investigate. The shuttle ride was something of a shlep, an 8 and a half hour at hyperspace speeds. So, in the interest of keeping everyone on the same page, Konstantin regaled them all with tales about his family and their estate, Grantham House. It was an older keep, having been sold to his family after the last owner lost his fortune in a series of bad sabacc games and drinking madeira wine under the table while his wife had affair after affair, ending with a botched suicide attempt in the sauna located in the basement, just off the scullery and weapons armory. Keeping in mind that when this was all going on, Count Dooku had just left the Jedi Order and returned to Serenno.


A lot of this was just rehash to pass the time, but it was only when he got on the subject of his family, Konstantin got his dander up. His aunt and uncle made their money in trade and family connections. They had the ear of the Imperial governor, who happened to away on a family vacation to Chandrila for a comic book convention. “Of course, you will have to judge them for yourselves,” he told them. The shuttle pilot told them that they were very close to landing, so Konstantin gave them the coordinates for the Imperial garrison.


When they arrived, they were shown to a speeder and driven further north, if such a thing was possible. The roof had to come up, and Jaina stared out the windows. For miles she could nothing but thick forests of black pine and stony ground, grass the only other color under a stormy sky. A large estate house the color of butter appeared, or rather the turrets of some provincial castle. Jaina was impressed, Thrawn was wondering about these people, and Konstantin was dreading this meeting.


At least twenty or so black clad servants in house livery were gathered in the midday gloom, with all the expression of a bowl of cold oatmeal. The stormtroopers on guard opened the doors, and Konstantin sneered as they were greeted with the loud tremolo of an electric bass. “Master will be down in a minute,” the butler informed them.


Indeed, he was, and he was a sour faced older man with curly white hair, and the brogue of someone from Wild Space. “Ah, ya couldn’t wait five minutes for me ta finish my solo, Cashus. I was in te middle of my set, you sorry sod.” Konstantin glowered, and it was only now his aunt and cousin came out. They were decked out in older finery that had not been seen since they heyday of the Clone Wars. They seemed more like hags under the veneer of gentility. Jaina knew people like this who ran around in her social circles, and Thrawn knew people like this back from when he been much younger, when the Nine Families argued over him, his future. His eyes were starting to glaze over, when Jaina took his hand in hers.


She comforted him the Force, but he was being stubborn, something he did not want her to see, not yet. She pressed her face into his back, and this very act brought him back to reality. Such a simple kindness, and it was breaking his heart he had found her. He would kiss her, but later. The older woman, her red hair bright as a beacon stared at the guests in a way that made them feel unwelcome, small. Konstanin introduced them. “We are here under Lord Vader’s orders to investigate the spice production here on the grounds.”


At the mention of the battle tank that was Lord Vader, Justinian went bone pale. Why would Lord Vader send his reprobate nephew here…unless they had been sent here by the Emperor himself! That would be the end of everything! Doing a quick turnaround, he invited everyone in. “Apologies for that, not every day we receive such high-ranking guests.” It was here he showed everyone to their rooms, and Thrawn and Jaina were sharing a room. What?


Thrawn was sitting in the window seat, staring out the glazed window. The wind howled outside, buffeting the shutters back and forth. It was breaking Jaina’s heart to see him like this, how much had silently suffered? Sitting down across from his, she took his hands in hers and leaned over to kiss him softly.


Thrawn’s mind was years and a lifetime away, when he felt Jaina kiss him. Thrawn broke out of his melancholy, and returned the kiss as he pulled Jaina closer, craving her soft warmth. His fingers wove into her hair, Jaina curled into his lap. Thrawn came back to his senses, and stroked her cheeks, so lovely. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. How had he lived without her? “Never leave me, my heart’s half,” he whispered fiercely. No matter what happed now, he would never let her go. They spent the rest of the evening holding each other, watching the rain move in and fall hard and thick as a waterfall.


Dinner was served promptly at eight p.m. and it was a lavish affair; suckling pig with a fat pear wedged in it’s mouth, drizzled in a glaze garnished with figs and winter squash. Potatoes carved into camellia blossoms, stained with expensive chardonnay, and polenta trimmed with parmesan rinds. It was delicious and Jaina was going to give her compliments to the chef when Theodora cut in.


“Kassius, it has been far too long, now who are our guests,” she asked half interested, her voice oozing with honey. Thrawn felt his teeth were going to fall out, “I am Grand Admiral Thrawn, and this is my aide, Jaina Antilles.” Closing his eyes, he swallowed his wine before taking Jaina’s hand and placing it to his lips, kissing it gently. This action made it quite clear she and Thrawn were seeing each other exclusively. Cassandra snorted haughtily, “You’re courting that little girl?” Jaina shot her fellow brunette a dirty look.


Cassandra stirred her polenta, “Wouldn’t catch me serving on one of those death traps. I would much rather stay here; girl has to have a social life.” “Feh! Your social life? How many men have you turned down,” Konstantin snarked back.


Well, this is going well, isn’t it?



This is nothing! You should hear my dad and Prince Isolder snark at the dinner table whenever they visit my parents.



You have a lovely inner voice, my heart’s half.



Jaina was blushing when she realized she had been having a Force conversation with Thrawn, oh no! Rising from the table, she excused herself and ran into the bedroom. How could she have been so foolish, letting her guard down like that, letting herself use the Force like that? She really was an idiot.


She was sitting in the window seat, when Thrawn entered the room. He crossed the room and took her hands in his. Jaina blushed and looked up, Thrawn helped her up and they both shared another deep kiss. Jaina asked, “Was it wrong that we had a conversation with the Force?” Thrawn stroked her back, relishing her soft warmth. “It wasn’t wrong, but you should be careful,” he told her softly.


When they did fall asleep, they were snuggled in each arms, holding each other in a sweet embrace.

 

Enjoyed the past few updates!

Oh what a sweet moment!

They're so in love already!

The end with the Force conversation was a great surprise, I liked how it happened naturally and even took Jaina by surprise.

Look forward to more!

 

I am enjoying your unabashedly tender tale. Kudos on your crisp, well written, and tender story. Your economy of style is evocative and direct and I applaud you for respectfully rendering the quiet, sweet connection between the Jaina and Thrawn.

Best,
Pash

 

Stave 7: Undercover on Berchest, Part 3


The night was long as the storm raged overhead, dark clouds doing battle with each other. Even though Thrawn was holding his beloved Jaina close, he tossed at turned with every clash between the thunder and lightning. He was breathing hard, and Jaina rolled over and opened her eyes. “Thrawn, are you all right,” she whispered. Placing her hands on his face, Jaina kissed him softly. Thrawn broke out of his nightmare and returned to himself. “Jaina, what happened,” he whispered. He seemed ashamed of how he acted, but Jaina kissed him and let him know that there was no shame in how he felt.


Turning on one of the lamps, Thrawn pulled her close. Jaina was pressed against his chest and let Thrawn collect his thoughts. It must have been one heck of a nightmare, and the way he had been thrashing, there was some trauma he wasn’t keen on talking about. Was there some taboo in Chiss culture with regards to not speaking about mental health issues? She certainly was not going to use the Force to pry into his life prior to being found by the Empire. Thrawn had been dreaming about his early years before being adopted into House Mitth at the age of 4. He had been offered the chance to see a therapist, but had been turned down, not wanting to be perceived as weak. Even as children, Chiss children were quite perceptive of how others saw them, especially adults. How could he explain it to Jaina? Thrawn did not want to burden her with this, she had enough on her plate at the moment. One day, he would tell her, after they were married. It would be safer then.


Thrawn kissed the top of Jaina’s head, “Go back to sleep, Jaina. I am quite all right, it was just a nightmare,” he told her calmly. Jaina knew he was lying so she would leave him alone, but this really was not worth the argument. Thrawn was a difficult nut to crack, so to speak. That was making in roads with him was saying something, both of them needed more time before Thrawn felt confident enough to discuss the state of his mental health with her. Jaina was soothed back to sleep from the curtains of rain drenching everything outside. Thrawn turned the light off and went back to sleep, dreaming of dancing with her back on Csilla after she had been presented to his mother.


Considering that droids did nearly all of the dirty chores around the Solo household, Jaina had to pretend she was still sleeping when the scullery maid came into the room to get the fireplace going. The girl, managed to get the fire going, and slowly backed out of the room…only to trip over the luggage she and Thrawn had stowed. Bang! Over the suitcase the girl tumbled, spilling ashes all over the place. Flustered, she left and came back with a suction vacuum and cleaned up her mess as quickly as she had entered the room.


Jaina had read quite a few books about families who employed dozens of servants to carry out the myriad tasks that were needed to keep a grand house fully functioning. Leia had thought while being ‘in service’ did provide jobs, the good pay only went to the upper servants, spending time on Coruscant as a young teenager had revealed that to her. However, the Solo family and the New Jedi Order back on Yavin IV were far more egalitarian. Ergo, Jaina grew up doing chores like anyone else. It had been the same with Thrawn when he had been growing up, but she had not been informed of that yet. Jaina lay on the bed as the door closed, and it was only now she let her eyes open as she lay on the bed. She let her hands smooth the silken duvet, and thought it was an odd shade of red for sheets. What was it? Puce? Burgundy?


Thrawn had waken up and chuckled as he noticed Jaina study the sheets. “The shade of red you are looking for is something you won’t see in a hardware or art supplies store,” he told her. The maids had put the duvet on the bed upside down so that the tag naming the brand and the store’s official shade were listed, along with washing instructions. Sitting up, he turned the lamp on so Jaina could see what he was talking about.


She examined the company, “Respighi and Gottschalk Ltd, Royal Rum Red.” The name was less than inspired. It sounded like nail polish you got when you went sightseeing, not something from a mid-range home goods company that catered to the Inner Rim’s expanding middle classes. Surely, people had better taste that right? Didn’t they?


Thrawn smiled, “To many, the brand sells itself and too many are happy to claim a product based on that alone, not considering anything else. The allure of brand culture and mass consumption by the galactic populace alone is a major economic factor, one businesses are more than happy to cater to. If they can profit from loyalty to the Empire, then that’s just an added bonus.”


Jaina thought about what Thrawn had said as she began to get ready for the day. Because this was an undercover mission, uniforms were to be put aside in favor of civilian clothes. For Thrawn, it had been years since he was worn civvies, and his choices in clothes were rather old fashioned, but were well cut, given his station within Imperial society. Black frock coats, white trousers, riding boots, dark linen shirts and cravats, he made for a dashing gentleman from genteel society, however you defined that. He was certain he was going to make Jaina blush, and this cheered him.


Jaina had any variety of frocks and day jackets to go over them. A few pendants of simple rose gold and amber had been left, along with some bangles. A quick application of make-up, and her hair in a bun, Jaina met Thrawn in the hallway. When she saw him, she blushed! Heavens! She curtseyed, “Good morning.” Thrawn bowed and kissed her hands.


“You look beautiful this morning, Jaina. May I have the honour of escorting you to breakfast,” he asked. Jaina affirmed he may, and they walked down the main staircase into the breakfast room just off of the main dining room. Konstantin was wolfing down scones and tea like he had been starving to death. He waved to them, “I had Eli figure out what to do. It’s hunting season here, so my uncle will want to take us hunting all day. If there is one thing I can’t stand it’s going out on a faither to go shooting at wild boar. How do I get us out of this?” He looked to Thrawn, pleading to get out of this. Thrawn responded the better approach would be to take the time to play happy houseguest for Justinian to let his guard down, and if such a proud man let his guard down, he was more apt to boasting. Surely, two weeks of being around family would be worth gathering intel, wouldn’t it?


Konstantin agreed and offered everyone scones and tea. Jaina suggested she go into town and see what the locals thought of the landed gentry. Small Force suggestions aside, I am curious about the town. Maybe a good idea to see if anyone could be considered a potential suspect, she thought at Thrawn.


Thrawn agreed, but he cautioned that she needed to be careful. She squeezed his hand under the table, of course she would be careful. Hairpins could be a nasty weapon if utilized correctly. It was now Justinian, Theodora and Cassandra all waltzed into the breakfast room, preening and posing for their guests. Taking seats, Justinian asked Eli (who walked in at the same time) if he would be joining them for the day’s hunt. Eli said he would, although he had never been on a hunt before. Thrawn also expressed interest, he wanted to study Justinian closer so he could get a profile going of the man. Cassandra and Theodora were going to spend the day watching soap operas, when Jaina said she was going to explore the nearby town of Bishkek.



Theodora and Cassandra just stared at Jaina, why would she waste time going into town? Jaina replied she was curious and wanted to see the sights. The rain had moved north, and the weather was going to be nice. According to the maps on her data pad, it would be a good 20 minute walk. Why not? Cassandra shrugged, “Suit yourself.” Jaina was finding it difficult that Cassandra and Theodora had nothing better to do. Surely there had to be something. What about the household accounts? Writing letters? Calling on friends? Riding around the meadows and estate grounds? Charitable outreach? One thing was for sure, Konstantin’s relatives were self-centered, selfish and lazy. Of course, everyone was entitled to be lazy sometimes, but to be like that all the time, neither Jaina nor Thrawn could wrap their heads around that way of life. It would get boring and suited neither of them.


Once breakfast had been eaten, everyone went their separate ways. Thrawn kissed Jaina goodbye as the men were shown to the stables by two footmen and the valet. The lady’s maids escorted the ladies of the manor to the sitting room, and Jaina was left on her own. She left the door and told the butler to please expect her back shortly before lunch.


The gravel crunched under Jaina’s heels as she walked down the long, circular driveway and onto to the sidewalk which led into a large town of about 20,000 residents. The houses were red brick, with thick glass windows that had been lead treated to act as protection from storm debris. Graceful little trees and streetlamps sat on either side of the road. It was a pleasant sight, and Jaina felt happy. The business district Jaina was exploring was more on the petite bourgeois side, mostly family owned and supported by the locals and maybe the Konstantins when there was a need.


So many things to see, and Jaina delighted in them all. In an electronics store, there was a rerun of the Boonta Eve podrace on Tatooine, and Jaina recognized Grandfather! It was plain to see where Uncle Luke inherited his piloting skills from. Other screens were airing trashy talk shows, along with some convincing propaganda. One of the screens was airing a cooking show, and today’s recipe was for puffer pig rolls. She would have watched longer, but more stores were waiting. She ducked into a couple of boutiques and examined the clothes- good quality but the prices were a bit high, she thought. A woman was reading palms, and was quite eager to read Jaina’s fortune, but Jaina declined. The antique stores were hit and miss, most of it junk and not a lot better. She would have gone into a garage to watch them fix speeders, but the employees only leered at her, so she left.


She stumbled across an art gallery next to a used bookstore that smelled of old cabbage and gym socks. It was situated in a townhouse atop a flight of stairs, perched thirty feet above the sidewalk. The town was mostly flat, a few gentle hills here and there, but the ground seemed to rise the further she moved away from the estate. It was gently lit, and soft music was playing in the background.


The walls were a warm beige and the shade reminded Jaina of bagels for some reason, a bagel shade of beige? The walls were covered with framed art, and there was a long central table with cardboard boxed filled to bursting with matted minitures. The clerk was an older woman who told Jaina to please take her time, business was slow today.


Jaina perused the miniatures, admiring the detailing and colors when she saw one that caught her eye. It was an old castle, overlooking the indigo and azure ocean, the sky peppered with stars. It was such a lovely piece, Jaina thought Thrawn would like it. Maybe as a Life Day gift? She smiled at this, and purchased the picture, and made her way back to the manor house in high spirits.


Back on the forest path, the men were riding along and engaging light conversation, when a boar crossed their path. The hunt was on!

 

Fate, So Beautifully


A Star Wars Romance


Written by: Nehru_Amidala


Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, Downton Abbey


Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar’alani/Paelleon, Thooraki/Thurfian, Eli/Vah’nya


Author’s note: Please do not nitpick with the ideas presented here. I will not change my stories to make you happy. Also, big thanks to Darth Bernael for suggesting the idea for the ops mission. Minor references to Monty Python: Life of Brian and Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall.


Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded


Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon


Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar’alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Thooraki- Hugh Bonneville, Thurfian- Elizabeth McGovern, Eli- David Tennant, Vah’nya- Stephanie Sheh, Ochi of Bestoon- John DeLancie, Justinian Konstantin (OC)- Peter Capaldi, Theodora Konstantin (OC)- Catherine Tate, Cassandra Konstantin (OC)- Michelle Dockery


Author’s note: I claim nothing, except this is probably the VERY FIRST fan fiction is Star Wars fandom history to pair Thrawn with Jaina Solo. Having read all the Legends books, I can say for certainty that everyone will be in character. Any naysayers will be fed to Moro no Kimi.





Stave 8: Undercover on Berchest, Part 4


Berchestian boars were about one- and one-half times the size of the average puffer pig, standing about two feet at the shoulder, muscular and covered in wiry, grey fur. The tusks were three inches long, yellow and smelling of undergrowth and rot. Thrawn noticed this particular boar had ingrown hooves, and the way it snarled and pranced over the fallen leaves indicated this creature was not long for life. If he could just graze it, it would make for a fine dinner.


However, the boar had lived through many hunting seasons, and when it smelled the humans mounted on the faithers, it squealed loudly like a dying balloon, darting wildly in between the bushes and the faithers’ legs, shooting the damned this was next to impossible. There were several close calls, and Thrawn got off a few shots, and as the chase continued, he and Eli agreed it was a fine day for a hunt, even if the skies were overcast.


As the men continued down the path, Eli caught up with Thrawn, the wind tousling his brown hair. “Woooohooo,” he hollered in a manner most unbecoming of an Imperial officer, but then again how often could one really let their guard down. Thrawn shook his head and grinned at his human brother’s antics, Eli could be such a child sometimes. Pulling at the reins, he pulled up alongside and commented, “Having fun?” Eli nodded; it had been too long since he had been able to cut loose like this. It was about now that Konstantin caught up with them. His face was red, he was panting, and his trousers were covered with mulch and mud.


“I am so done with boar hunts! I have no idea what my inane idiot of an uncle is doing, but we need to get evidence of spice manufacturing,” Konstantin complained. The three of them rode along as Justinian eagerly running his faither hard, shooting at everything that had four legs. Thrawn raised his hand in order to stop the argument. “As random as this seems, your uncle is showboating, and the longer he keeps this up, he will let his guard down. Once he does that, the rest will follow.” The others agreed, this seemed like the best course of action.


Justinian caught up to them, laughing. “There you are, you sorry sods. Lost the little bugger in the bushes, and I think it’s time we made for the hunting lodge. Come on, let’s get to in then.” The other men nodded, what else was there to see? The path led up a rocky incline and towards a luxury cabin advertised on the Holonet. It was the size of a house, hardly the rustic hunting lodge they had all been imagining.


There was a chandelier made entire of antlers hanging from the blood red ceiling, a grand staircase leading to at least four rooms on the second floor, two on either side of the cabin. They were large rooms, and upstairs was a billiards room, a library, a home office, and a bedroom. Justinian locked himself in the office, Konstantin poured himself some scotch and began shooting some pool.

Eli and Thrawn wandered down the basement, where they found a full sauna. Thrawn hadn’t seen a sauna in years, at least not he left Csilla. Ten minutes later, the men were wearing towels around their waists, discussing the case and the lack of evidence.


“If you ask me, the soil here can barely grow grass year-round, and there have been reports of active geologic schisms within the last millennia, and the soil content has only changed within the last year or two. I mean, how much of the local economy is wrapped up in exports. Could we be looking something akin to Delta Source,” Eli inquired.


Thrawn stared into the coals, and he poured more water onto the them, steam rising in tendrils from the crate. Staring into the steam, Thrawn collected his thoughts. When he brought Jaina back with him to Csilla, they would sit together in the sauna, swapping stories. “Justinian did surveillance work for the Republic in its waning years when Finis Vallorum was newly elected Chancellor. If he is smuggling spice, as we suspect, it would be via an unusual method law enforcement would not think to check otherwise when it passes for smuggling checks at the local spaceports.”


Eli agreed, it would be difficult to prosecute a case without any solid physical evidence. It was here Konstantin joined them on one of the wooden benches running around the wall. “Well, if it isn’t Biggus ****** and Commander Little*****, move over.” He was a little unsteady on his feet, and as Kassius sat with them, Thrawn updated him with what they had so far. Konstantin was annoyed they had so little to go on. They would have to wait, as that was all they could do.


In the two weeks that followed the sauna powwow, Jaina had taken up riding around the lush grounds and surrounding trails, when she wasn’t exploring every nook and cranny of Bishkek she could, being a young, single woman armed with only a holdout blaster. From what she could gather, the locals had no loyalty to the landed gentry, and why should they? Just another rich family in a big, drafty house who were lazy about the local economy, and were more concerned with currying favor with the planetary governor. They liked him, so it was plain to see while they were salt of the earth Imperial citizens, they had no love the Konstantins.


She was riding in the back garden on sultry afternoon, musing about Delta Source and how Konstantin’s family was smuggling out spice. There had to be some way, maybe the crops? When she had gone into the to explore the kitchen garden, she had been chased away by the kitchen servants. This was their domain, not hers. After a week, she gave up when a butcher knife was thrown at her and thankfully missed. Thrawn, being her white knight, insisted the assailant be sacked and arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. Justinian refused on both ends, gardening was such a bourgeois pastime.


That evening, she and Thrawn were cuddling on the window seat, looking at reports taken for seized crops that had been injected with glitterstim spice. From what they were reading, the crops rotted internally before reaching their destinations. Jaina was in her nightgown and sitting in his lap. Thrawn’s tunic was off, and his arms were around her shoulders. Jaina put down her datapad, her head hurt from reading scholarly papers.


Putting it down, she gazed out the window, she needed a break. Thrawn kissed her softly and asked if she was all right. Jaina groused, “We have to be missing something. We know, at least we suspect that the Konstantin family is producing, much less shipping it out…Wait a second, none of those reports mentioned fungi- mushrooms!”


Thrawn looked up, mushrooms? Berchestian mushroom season would be beginning soon, and he kissed her again. “Heart’s half- you are brilliant!” The next day, Eli and Konstantin were brought up to date and they brainstormed, not letting their hosts know the sharks were circling.


The week passed, and with it Midsummer’s Day came closer, and with it a great ball was to be held in order to celebrate the successful harvests. This would be Thrawn and Jaina’s first public event as a couple. Jaina really didn’t have anything to wear, so Cassandra and Theodora decided to take Jaina to spend the day at a spa and have a dress fitted for the event.


The last time Jaina had visited a spa was before her Uncle Luke married Mara Jade, and that had been when she was 13. She took care of her nails with an emery board and clippers, but a full spa day? The spa her hostesses dragged her two was in a well-kept stone building. It was unlike anything Jaina had experienced.


To start, Jaina spent half an hour in a hot bath of bantha milk so her skin would soften, and her hair was given an herbal rinse, combed and brushed until it shined. Once she was wiped down with hot towels, she was given a fluffy robe and got a facial, complete with mud mask and cucumbers over the eyes. Jaina was so relaxed she fell asleep on the massage table. It was too bad she couldn’t eat the cucumbers.


When the arrived at the dress shop, Jaina was poked and prodded- gown after gown given to her and torn off, until they found a bone white Regency gown and a petal pink sateen sash. It fit like a glove, and her hair was carefully braided into a bun. Jaina stared at her reflection in a mirror, was that really her?


The hour grew late, and Thrawn arrived back at the bedroom, to escort Jaina downstairs, and when he saw her, oh gods! He bowed and kissed her hands, “May I have the honour of having you as my date tonight, heart’s half?” Jaina curtseyed and blushed.


As they walked down the circular staircase, all eyes turned to the young couple. Unlike many of the other young women who had their marriages arranged, the amount of love, affection and mutual respect and friendship Thrawn and Jaina. Those two were destined for a fairy tale wedding at some point. They made their way onto the dance floor.


Justinian and Theodora waved to the crowd, and the hired musicians played the Imperial Anthem, and Jaina wasn’t sure to laugh or cry, as she was used to hearing the Army theme her whole life. As the crowds cheered, Thrawn pulled Jaina closer. A waltz started, and Thrawn led her onto the dance floor.


Thrawn gently held her close as they danced over the tiled floors, loosing themselves in the moment. As they danced together, Konstantin found himself gagging, all that love was making his teeth rot. Eli was handed from one young woman to another, and he was grinning at Thrawn and Jaina. He could already hear wedding bells.


The waltz ended, and Thrawn gently kissed Jaina, and she happily returned it. A perfect Midsummer’s Eve. Eli nudged Konstantin, “You owe me 50 credits, I said they would come out as couple during this outing, come on- pay out El Cheapo.” Grumbling about it, Konstantin paid up.


What an evening!

 

Fate, So Beautifully


A Star Wars Romance


Written by: Nehru_Amidala


Inspirations: the myth of Hades and Persephone, Sailor Moon, Edward Scissorhands, The Nutcracker, The Thrawn Trilogy, Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, Downton Abbey


Pairings: Thrawn/Jaina (Main!), Luke/Mara, Han/Leia, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Anakin/Tahiri, Ar’alani/Paelleon, Thooraki/Thurfian, Eli/Vah’nya


Author’s note: Please do not nitpick with the ideas presented here. I will not change my stories to make you happy. Also, big thanks to Darth Bernael for suggesting the idea for the ops mission. Minor references to Monty Python: Life of Brian and Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall.


Tropes used in this story and trigger warnings: time travel, true love conquers all, earning a happy ending, grey vs gray morality, miscarriage, premature birth, abandonment, redemption, rising to meet your fate, to see with eyes unclouded


Timeline: Mix of Legends and Canon


Voice cast list: Thrawn- Benedict Cumberbatch, Jaina- Anne Hathaway, Luke- Mark Hamill, Mara- Karen Gillam, Han- Harrison Ford, Leia- Carrie Fisher, Jacen- Elijah Wood, Tenel Ka- Renee Felice Smith, Ar’alani- Angie Harmon, Paelleon- Joe Spano, Thooraki- Hugh Bonneville, Thurfian- Elizabeth McGovern, Eli- David Tennant, Vah’nya- Stephanie Sheh, Ochi of Bestoon- John DeLancie, Justinian Konstantin (OC)- Peter Capaldi, Theodora Konstantin (OC)- Catherine Tate, Cassandra Konstantin (OC)- Michelle Dockery


Author’s note: I claim nothing, except this is probably the VERY FIRST fan fiction is Star Wars fandom history to pair Thrawn with Jaina Solo. Having read all the Legends books, I can say for certainty that everyone will be in character. Any naysayers will be fed to Moro no Kimi.





Stave 9: Undercover on Berchest, Part 5


The following morning found Jaina and Thrawn once again entangled in each other’s arms, with the chrono blinking at them. Had the power gone out? From where they were, all they could hear was the light patter of rain, and the occasional gust of wind. One of the power stations must have blown a fuse or something, or maybe there was a power surge. These things did happen, to cut power to areas that were seen as seditious. Thrawn blinked at the glowing holographic numbers, only 3:22 AM? Too early, he decided, and thought it best to go back to sleep…if he could convince Jaina to get some sleep.


“Heart’s half, go back to sleep.”


“I can’t sleep.”


Thrawn rolled over and gently kissed her brow, no fever. Rolling over so Jaina was nestled in his arms, Thrawn stroked her soft hair. Jaina went back to sleep, and so did Thrawn. A couple of hours later, they were awakened when a lightning strike hit an ancient oak not thirty feet from the house! Jaina and Thrawn ran to the window and watched the tree burn. The outdoor staff used sand hoses to control the flames and keep it far away from the main building.


Eli was already awake; his mind had been ruminating about how the spice had been shipped off world. All the reports he had scoured in academic circles and ISB seizure logs stated the same fact: Spice infused produce rotted from the inside out well before reaching the desired destination. It didn’t matter the produce: Kuati tomatoes, Erebor golden potatoes, Nubian spring pears, oranges, celery, fractal broccoli (commonly known as fractoli), basically every fruit and vegetables known to galactic civilization. Oh, come on, I have got to be missing something. For kark’s sake, I’m a numbers man, he thought to himself. He watched the orange glow of the now smoldering flames, the shapes reminded him of mushroom spores for some reason…


Mushrooms? Fungi? AHA! Beaming, he retyped his search into the ISB seizure database, and set clearance result records to “Top Secret Clearance Level 2”. The results came back negative, Jaina’s hunch had paid off! He was embarrassed he had forgotten the discussion regarding mushrooms and Delta Source so soon, but if a search of ISB seizure reports related nothing, these results could be read one of two ways. The first was that the ISB agents in the report had been bought off, but they were held to such a high scrutiny since Kallus defected three years ago- so that was least likely. The second option was that the spice was shipped in mushrooms genetically modified to look like another fungal variety, one that matched the forged manifests and would only make sense to whoever was getting the shipment. Thrawn and Jaina had to know! Allonsy!


Looking for a dressing gown, he threw one on and made a hasty dash for Thrawn and Jaina’s room. He found them asleep on the window seat and gave a soft cough. “Do that again, Eli, and you are officially disinvited from the wedding,” Thrawn groused as he gave his best friend a cold side eye. Jaina yawned and bid him good morning. Once they were more awake, they all sat on the floor by the carved marble fireplace. Had Eli found something?


Eli handed them his datapad and explained how he had run with Jaina’s suggestions about the spice being smuggled via mushrooms, albeit genetically modified. Jaina read the reports and speculated that Justinian would be just as likely to smuggle the spice out whatever parts of the mushroom were not used in cooking. Considering the climate was cool and somewhat dry year-round, that would limit the species of edible mushrooms they were looking for. Thrawn added that with Justinian putting out the fire, he would be holed up in his bedroom, trying to sleep. That gave them enough time to narrow down what kind of fungus they were looking for, and then they could update Kassius and Lord Vader.


The kitchen staff was severely pressed for time to get breakfast on at a decent time, and they were so busy doing a slap dash job of making bangers and mash, they failed to notice Eli wander into the garden to get soil samples. There was a mass spectrometer in the basement, off of the butler’s office, and this was noted in the reports that would later be sent to Darth Vader. The machine beeped, the soil was good for growing one particular species of mushroom, the mycelium anorexia.



Mycelium anorexia, more commonly known as the skinny maiden, was one of the longer mushrooms seen at the local grocery store. The cap was a flat triangle, resembling the body of a skate, with long, feathery tendrils hanging from the edge, a strange mix of deep lavender and silver. Directly under the cap was a bulbous dome, and under it a rapidly thinning stalk. The odd shape had given the fungus its moniker. Only the cap and the tendrils were edible, the bulb and the stalk were poisonous, and inexperienced chefs made fatal mistakes serving the stem and dome along with the cap. As a result, Imperial Customs put warnings in every cookbook, and the bulbs and stems were always destroyed before being sold. The only thing they were good for was plant food and fertilizer.


As they walked down to the breakfast room, Jaina said they needed to let Kassius know sooner rather than later. This was his mission after all, and Thrawn was inclined to agree with her. As they sat down, Kassius was complaining he had been contacted by Lord Vader that morning. “I do hope you three actually have something- my head is on the chopping block,” he protested as he drank some tea. Thrawn said they did have something, and passed him the report they had been drafting. Konstantin nodded, this was it! “At least we have something, will be eating them with luncheon today?” Considering it was the beginning of mushroom season, Justinian would be eager to flout local cuisine in haute style to such privileged guests. Cassandra waltzed in, and said she was playing hostess this morning, and out came a lackluster breakfast. Putting out the fire took more manpower than was being let on, it seemed.


A plan was formed, they would split up and gather evidence, and once they had enough, Konstantin would contact the local garrison, simple as that. However, plans have a way of going awry, and it did. For starters, Jaina found that the spice was being smuggled out in the fronds, and they were being packaged as off market mung daal noodles. She had to use the Force to find the ones she was looking for and was almost caught! She had to hide for almost an hour in the industrial freezer before she could get back upstairs. Thrawn hacked the comm calls, and found recorded messages about shipping to the Hutt cartels and the Crymorah syndicate, and followed up with the real tracking numbers and a list of ISB Customs agents who had been either blackmailed or bought off. Eli was able to contact the garrison, and everyone was ordered to meet them at the gatehouse.


Once they were outside, the garrison commander was there with some shock troopers. “I see you all have the necessary evidence, well done,” the commander told Thrawn. “It’s my case, you should be thanking me,” Konstantin cut in. “Of course, it was your idea,” the commander retorted sarcastically. He turned to Jaina and winked and made her blush. “Oy you, she’s engaged,” Eli cut in. The commander nodded, he was only joking. They walked up to the house, where the blood covered corpses of the servants were laid out like firewood.


“Did you have to kill them all? What about witness evidence,” Jaina protested as they walked towards the front door. “There was no need, Lieutenant Antilles, we have all the physical evidence we need,” the commander informed her, suddenly all business. Cassandra and Theodora were dragged out in binders. They were yelling that they were loyal Imperial citizens and knew nothing about the smuggling. The commander was about to shoot them, but Jaina stood in front of them!


“Grand Admiral, tell your aide to return here! Listen girl, or I shall have you stripped naked and flogged publicly,” the commander shouted, turning as red as a Sith’s lightsaber blade. Thrawn’s eyes turned dangerously cold, he stepped forward…Thwack! His gloved hand struck her cheek, and he forced her into a deep kiss. Breaking apart, he forced to stand by his side. Jaina was too much in shock, what had that been about?


“Haven’t broken her in yet, have you,” the commander jeered, turning his attention to Thrawn. “No, I have not. I am waiting for our wedding night for that,” Thrawn replied smoothly, his voice still cold. Eli was glaring daggers at him, what had that been all about? It was here that Justinian was dragged out, roughed up. The jig was up!

“Cashus, this is how you repay my hospitality?” Cashus shot him point blank, no more loose ends to tie up. He ordered the troopers to scour the house for additional evidence, Jaina was to be locked in the brig until sunrise the following day for “cheek”. The Konstantin family was flown away for interrogation, and Kassius went to comm Lord Vader to boast, as well as give his report in the findings.


Left alone, Eli was fuming. He was seeing Jaina as his little sister, and he felt he needed to defend her honour. He poked Thrawn sharply in the chest, “What was that all about, you are a two-faced, slimy *******! You beat Jaina and forced a kiss on her!” His dander was up, and if he had to report Thrawn for domestic abuse, he would. Thrawn shoved Eli into a wall and got into the other man’s face.


“Eli Vanto, you will do no such thing! You know as well as I do that, I love Jaina dearly, but she crossed certain lines and as such I had to act as the disciplinarian. Actions have consequences, and she must learn them, for her continued survival. I will apologize for being harsh, but Jaina must learn to play the masquerade,” Thrawn explained stoically. Eli felt the anger burn in the pit of his stomach. Imperial officers were still a mostly boy’s club, and Jaina as a junior officer would have been under much worse if Thrawn were not her superior.


Alone and angered, Jaina could feel herself feel the lull of the Dark Side, velvety soft, a melancholy tune on a piano playing in the forefront of her mind. No stars, just a darkness that started warmly, then got progressively colder and tighter. She pushed it away, and practiced her deep breathing, and gave thought to what had happened. She knew how regimented the Imperial Navy was, but she had never thought she would be treated like that, as a pretty doll for Thrawn to show off and take notes. “I guess everyone has to play the game,” she said to herself.


Not the best way to get noticed, young lady.



Grandfather?



Yes, I felt your anguish. You do have to play the role as set by Imperial society. Learn your place and thrive.



Jaina nodded, if she had to fly further under the radar, she could. It was here Thrawn entered, and she stiffened. “Are you here to gloat,” she questioned sharply. “You needed to stay quiet,” Thrawn chided her. Letting out a sigh, he applied a bacta patch to her cheek, and explained she was too free spoken for a young Imperial officer, and had he not been there, she would been overhead and too far away for him to have any say in how she was treated. He apologized sincerely and kissed her.


“I regret smacking you greatly, you are not the only one playing a role, Mitth’Jai’nasolo. Young female aides are often married off to their commanding officers, and more often than not, physical punishment is used on female officers for speaking out. Please, for both of our sakes, do not act rashly,” Thrawn implored her.


Jaina said she would aspire to do so. She was still sore at Thrawn, and gave him the cold shoulder on the trip back to the Chimaera. Thrawn gave her some space, and both went to bed with broken hearts. It would be some time before things would be right between them again.

 

I can envision this in an anime. I really like Thrawn and Jaina’s interactions.

 

Thank you! Chapter 10 will be up later next week.