Breaking his loneliness

“You’ve never been to Csilla, have you?” []

“No,” Thrawn said, gazing out the viewport. []

Ziara peered at his profile. There was a tightness around his eyes and lips. “You seem worried.”

“Worried?”

“The state of seeing large nighthunters lurking in your future,” Ziara said. “You know you have nothing to be concerned about, right? The liner owners can squawk all they want, but the fact remains that you saved eight thousand people who otherwise would be compressed mush right now.”

“I imagine anything resembling mush would have long since dissipated into tendrils of shredded organic molecules within the atmospheric currents.”

“Oh, I like that one,” Ziara said. “Okay if I borrow it?”

“You’re welcome to it.” Thrawn nodded at the planet. “No, I was just thinking. I’ve been in trouble before, but I’ve never been called to such a high-level hearing.”

“Because all the other questionable things you did were essentially military,” Ziara reminded him. “This one is essentially civilian." []

The hearing, as Ziara had predicted, was short and perfunctory. [] With one crucial exception. For whatever reason, for whatever obscure political favor someone owed someone else, Thrawn’s patrol ship—his very first command—was taken away from him.

“I’m so sorry,” Ziara commiserated as she and Thrawn rode their tunnel car back to the city. “I never expected the fleet to do that.”

“It’s all right,” Thrawn said. His voice was calm, but Ziara could hear the disappointment beneath it. “Considering how many millions I cost the Boadil, neither of us should be surprised by their vindictiveness.”

“You didn’t cost anyone anything,” Ziara ground out. []

“Thank you,” Thrawn said. “But you don’t need to be angry on my behalf. Together we saved eight thousand lives. That’s what’s important.”

Ziara nodded. “Yes. Absolutely.”

~

I adore this exchange.

How relaxed they are with each other when not in formal situations.

How she can read his sadness.

The emotions that are concealed to an uncaring eye.

And how he allows her to break his loneliness.

To reach him. To see him.

[Photo: my precious charm by @_art_and_chaos_]