PROLOGUE

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."
― G.K. Chesterton

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Eli Vanto had felt resentment before - it was a toxic, simmering emotion, one which always boiled beneath the skin, and once the correct irritant was prodded against it, it would burst through the chest and erupt spiteful, cutting words one always regretted later.

He glanced over at his newly-appointed companion, taking in his features for perhaps the hundredth time. He had some - some - respect for Thrawn, as the Chiss had easily weaseled his way into the Empire using the work of his hands and the calculations of his never-resting mind. It was also helpful that his reputation preceded him; Emperor Palpatine had heard of his genius from a former Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, who apparently spoke highly of the man.

Blue hands gripped the fork precisely, bringing it up to royal lips as red eyes gazed at the table before him. His standard Royal Imperial Academy uniform crinkled with each movement, having yet to be softened from use. Eli's was much more worn and silent, the human having been wearing it for nearly three years. Thrawn's chest was bare, as he refused to wear the Lieutenant badge given to him by Commandant Deenlark. Eli was unsure if it was because the Chiss did not want unnecessary attention to himself, or to Eli, or both.

The alien was hard to read, as he always kept his emotions on lockdown. His face rarely betrayed any emotion, except for the slight lilt of the lips or the crinkle of his eyes. Even his voice was carefully soft, which was a welcome relief to the usual barking and snarling from the other Imperial students and lecturers. Still, it made it all the more difficult for Eli to figure him out; as was his human nature, he wanted to know if Thrawn actually cared for his well-being, or if he was planning on tossing his aide to the side at whatever chance he got.

Being from Wild Space was hard enough, but aide to an alien in the Imperial Academy on Coruscant, a Core World? That was why he was so resentful. He wanted a quiet experience at the Academy, with as minimal harassment as possible; ironically, he wanted to fly under the radar. Thrawn's presence had certainly thrown a wrench in his plans.

He felt the Chiss stiffen ever so subtly beside him, looking up to realize another Ensign had approached them, tray of food in her hands. She quite literally stood out, as the other cadets had ensured the Chiss and Wild Space inhabitants had a circle of space around them, no one daring to share a table with them. Eli was drawn first to her most striking feature: a splash of bright red across her lips, although only the top half was fully covered, and on the bottom was a single vertical line down its centre. Perhaps even more strange was the quirk of a subtle grin on her face.

"Is this seat taken?" She asked, gesturing to the one she stood behind.

Thrawn looked at her evenly, assessing her silently. Her hair was pulled in a tight, standard ponytail, though even then it still hung all the way down to her hips. She was holding her tray straight, yet her hips were slightly cocked to the side, her air of arrogance not going unnoticed by the Chiss' practiced gaze. There was a momentary pause as he took in her face next, pale cheeks barely tinted pink, her deep brown eyes matching her hair, and of course, the make-up of her lips.

Eli also gazed at the newcomer with apprehension. The only people who bothered to interact with either him or Thrawn were almost certainly looking for trouble, and he had no reason to believe she was any different.

There was only way to find out what her intentions were, Thrawn beating him to the invitation.

"No, it is not," the Chiss replied in his mild tone.

His human companion half expected her to grab the seat and go join the other cadets, however she sat her tray down and slid into the aforementioned chair, plopping down and swishing her hair side-to-side briefly before settling.

"So, you're the new alien, yes?" She asked, her question rather curt and tactless.

Thrawn watched her, red eyes unwavering and fork paused in the air. "Yes."

"What's your name?"

"Thrawn."

"No," her lip quirked up a little farther, Eli partially wishing he could just disappear. Though Thrawn did not take him for an easily-offended man, he was not keen on discovering his breaking point. The female cadet was someone he recognized from his classes, though he realized he had no idea what her name was. She mostly kept to herself. "Your real name, not whatever humanized, butchered version the Academy gave you."

"Thrawn is my core name," the Chiss replied evenly. "My full name, as I suspect you are inquiring about, is Mitth'raw'nuruodo."

The woman blinked in response, though her expression did not falter. She paused for a moment, clearly sounding it out in her head. "Mitth'raw'nu . . ."

Thrawn repeated his name again, and she parroted it back to him. Eli swore he saw the corner of the Chiss' lip twitch in amusement, though it could have also been one of endearment. Perhaps he was flattered she was trying to learn his name - or he was laughing at her poor attempt to pronounce it.

"Mitth'raw'nuruodo," she said, finally, getting it down. "I'll be sure to remember that. And you are?"

Eli almost literally jerked himself back to the present, his mind having wandered while she was attempted to pronounce Thrawn's full name and wondering what she could possibly be doing, speaking with them. It was clear she was trying to figure out who they were, and possibly become friendly with them in the process . . . but for what gain?

"Eli Vanto," he answered after a moment, then decided to further elaborate. "Aide and translator for Thrawn."

"Translator?" She quirked up an eyebrow. "He speaks quite fluent Basic to me."

"Yes, but his Sy Bisti is better, and his native language is far different from either of the two," Eli informed her, frowning a bit as he rolled his forks between his fingers. "And who are you? We share classes together, but you rarely participate."

She avoided his gaze. "Call me Qi'da," she said, pushing her food around on her plate. "Just Qi'da."

There was a moment of silence in which Thrawn merely stared at her, always assessing, and Eli returned his gaze to his food. He stabbed one of the nutritional squares with his fork, placing the bland piece in his mouth and chewing carefully. He chewed as fast as he could without making himself look like a fool, and he chewed just enough that he would not choke. If the square lingered too long in his mouth, his tongue would taste the nasty, bitter vitamins that not even water could wash down.

"You know, after almost three years, the taste of these doesn't get any better," Qi'da waved one of the squares around on the end of her fork, huffing as she gazed at Thrawn. "I'm guessing the food is much better on your home world."

"It has been some time since I have had the pleasure," the Chiss replied, relaxing just enough that he too was resuming his meal. "Though these are much more beneficial than what I . . ." he paused. "Wzangilwe fthu wqaqwo."

"Hunted and gathered," Eli translated, glancing at Thrawn before he supplemented the story. "We found Thrawn on a planet in Wild Space territory, where he had been living for . . . some time. He had to find his own food."

Qi'da was surprised and impressed. "Interesting. And what were you doing all the way out there?"

"I was exiled," Thrawn said smoothly. Before she could ask another question, he prodded her with one of his own. "I did not think Imperial cadets were allowed to wear . . ." he paused, then gestured to her.

"Make-up?" She tapped her lip once. "They're not. I'm merely the exception, as I hail from the Emperor's home world."

"Naboo," Eli realized, the Scar of Remembrance now clicking for him. "I thought only Naboo royalty was allowed to bear the Scar."

"I have pride in my people and my culture," Qi'da replied, tilting her chin up ever so slightly. "I want that pride to be displayed in the most subtle way it can." She grinned.  "And this is a perfect time to tell you where I got this."

Subtly she pulled something from one of the pockets of her pants, a small, purple bottle. Glancing around, she inconspicuously gave it to the pair.

"It's essentially an edible version of Blossom Wine," she said, keeping her voice low. "Without the intoxicating effects, of course. It makes the food go down better. I've got plenty of bottles hidden around in my room and the Academy, so there's plenty to go around between the three of us."

Thrawn and Eli glanced at one another, the human's eyebrow slightly more quirked than that of his alien counterpart, yet they both had the same question.

"And why would you share this with us?" Eli asked, the woman hissing as he gestured around with it.

"Keep it down! That stuff is like spice around here," she replied, "if people know I have it, they'll hound me for it. This is between you, me, and Mitth'raw'nuruodo."

"The inquiry still remains," Thrawn said, interested in what she had to say.

Qi'da huffed.

"Truthfully? I need friends. And if you, an alien, were sent here to the Royal Imperial Academy by Emperor Palpatine himself, you must be pretty important. And, if I had to guess, you know a lot more than what you're letting on to. I think we'd make a great team - and quite frankly, out of everyone in this Academy, you two seem the most likable."

Eli raised his eyebrow, handing the bottle discreetly to Thrawn. "So, you want political gain."

She snorted. "Believe me, if I wanted that, the last thing I would be doing is sitting next to you. Seeing as everyone else is avoiding you like the Blue Shadow Virus - uh, no pun intended towards you, Mitth'raw'nuruodo - it would do me little good in the political or social field. And that's what I need - I need people who are here not just because their mommies or daddies or uncles or whoever got them here, I need someone with enough prowess to impress the Emperor and be sent to the Royal Imperial Academy."

Thrawn gazed at her for a long time, finding her explanation to be sound. She was right - if this was for any sort of political gain, it was quite the poor gamble. It intrigued him, however, that he was only a day into the program and she approached him. Eli mentioned they shared classes together, which meant she was close to graduating, just as he was. Why had she not approached him prior, if she was worried about making friends?

Though to be fair, Eli had confessed he merely wanted to be a supply officer and make a humble living for himself and his family. Perhaps Qi'da had no interest in associating with someone who merely wanted that track, as she maybe strived to be something more. Though what, he suspected he would have to pry out of her.

"What is your plan for the future, Qi'da?" He asked.

She smiled ever so slightly. "Well, in best case scenario, become a Grand Admiral," she said, her dark eyes glittering. "In worst case, serve under a good commander. Rather tight parameters, but it's what I want to do: serve the Empire, serve the Emperor."

"And what constitutes a good commander?" Thrawn continued questioning.

The young woman took time to think, her lips twisting to the side as her eyes narrowed in thought. Eli decided to take the bottle back from Thrawn and try it himself, quietly turning the lid with a crackle, indicating it was a fresh bottle. He subtly put a tiny amount on his fork, then stabbed another nutritional square and ate it.

The syrup instantly rewarded him with an almost overwhelming sweetness, drowning out the bitterness of the vitamins with ease and making him wish he had spoken to this cadet sooner. He wondered if she had been eating with this the entire time, or if she too had just recently started using the blossom wine substitute.

"One that doesn't try to win through brute force alone," she decided, "and takes the enemy into consideration. I've seen multiple tactics which produce a victory, but at the expense of hundreds of lives and a nearly inhabitable planet. What is the point if we must constantly supply soldiers and not have a world to stake a claim on? It's a waste of resources, which is dangerous."

Thrawn listened to her carefully, filling in the blanks with as much context as he could incur. "I see," he said slowly, thinking. "If given the choice, Ensign Qi'da, would you serve under me?"

She looked surprised, her lips twisting into another grin. "If that's the kind of commander you promise to be."

"I cannot promise anything," Thrawn said simply. "However, you are clearly interested in an . . . emfulendawanyo."

"Alliance," Eli translated, allowing the Chiss to continue.

"And if that is truly the case, I believe you would elect to follow my lead, even after your Graduation. I am curious, though, as to why you did not assume vice versa?"

"You're not wearing a badge," Qi'da pointed out, tapping her own. "Which means I can only assume you are of higher rank, and not wanting to stand out. That being said, I may advance faster than you through the ranks, but I doubt that. I've been here for three years and doing well, yet you come in almost towards the end of our semester with direct orders from the Emperor. I have no doubts you are more knowledgeable than I."

"To an extent, perhaps," he agreed. "Your observation is correct, as I have begun my time here as a Lieutenant."

"Well then, Lieutenant Mitth'raw'nuruodo," she said, though she kept her voice low for his sake. "If you are agreeable, I think I would indeed like to join your posse."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow, Eli immediately taking the cue.

"Uqimbe," he stated, the Chiss nodding in understanding.

"Welcome, then, Ensign Qi'da," he said smoothly. "Let us see how you and Ensign Vanto fare at studying the art of war."

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A/N: According to the author of the Disney Canon Thrawn series, Timothy Zahn, who also developed the Sy Bisti language (a common trade language used in the Unknown Regions, essentially their version of Galactic Basic), from the Zulu language:

". . . he would shift all the vowels one vowel over to create a fictional language that was influenced by Zulu." - Wookipedia, Sy Bisti.

So what I do is I find the translation from English to Zulu, then from there do as Zahn did to create words I figured Thrawn would not be as familiar with, even though he is fairly proficient in Galactic Basic. 

Additionally, Qi'da is pronounced "Kee-dah," or how you would pronounce Kida. Kidagakash Nedakh is one of my favorite Disney Queens/characters, so I'm just paying homage to her through this character. Qi'da is supposed to be a contrast between both Thrawn and Eli; they're both rather serious, especially the former, and I think it would help if they had a little bit more lightheartedness in their small group. I do have other ideas for Thrawn that I want to expand upon too, but for now I'm going for a more classical Star Wars story where a trio of pals get into shenanigans together and through the power of friendship discover themselves.

So, I hope you guys enjoy! This will be my next project once my Transformers fanfiction is over, however for now I ask that you content yourselves with this Prologue for the time being. Feel free to ask questions if you have any! Also please be aware that I am trying to do a lot of research prior to writing this, however a few small details will likely slip through the cracks. I just ask that you tolerate these to your best extent, because I ain't perfect lol. Once again, thank you all so, so much!