During this time, a genuine friendship formed between Car'das and Mitth'raw'nuruodo—Thrawn, as he eventually permitted them to call him—and something deeper still between him and Maris Ferasi... yes, it could even be called love.
Car'das and Ferasi taught Thrawn the Galactic Basic Standard, and he, in turn, taught them the Chiss language, Cheunh, as well as the tradelanguage, Minnisiat.
Mitt'raw'nuruodo's increasingly provocative actions soon drew the close scrutiny of theDefense Hierarchy, the Mitth family, and the Chaffamily. Yet Mitt'raw'nuruodo did not hesitate to violate Chiss protocol in order to seize the gravity generator of the Vagaari fleet besieging the Geroon planet. He was wounded in the battle, andMaris saved his life.
After recovering from his injuries, Mitt'raw'nuruodo dispatched his entire guard squadron—only twelve small vessels—to investigate a group of unknown warships that hadentered the patrol zone. It turned out to be a powerful squadron belonging to a certain Trade Federation.
Mitt'raw'nuruodo's ships dealt a crushing defeat to the intruders. When only the flagship, Darkvenge, remained intact, flotilla commander Kinman Doriana summoned Thrawn for negotiations. Doriana explained Thrawn about his mission, gave a disparaging assessment of the Jedi—particularly Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth—and warned Thrawn that Darth Sidious concerned about thewanted expedition might fall into the hands of the Far Outsiders. This caught Mitt'raw'nuruodo'sattention, for the Chiss were already repelling attacks from the biological vessels of this unknown race.
Negotiations between him and the leader of theOutbound Flight, Jorus C'baoth, failed. The Jedi Master refused to return home, even though Mitt'raw'nuruodo insisted he could not allow Outbound Flight to fall into the hands of the Far Outsiders, a threat he had faced in the company against Vagaari. Mitt'raw'nuruodo lured the ships into a trap, exposing them to attack by the enemy Vagaari fleet. In the ensuing chaos, only fifty of theexpedition's more than fifty thousand participants survived. The remnants of the Vagaari fleetmanaged to escape. Near the end of the battle, C'baoth nearly strangled Thrawn, but Kinman Doriana miraculously killed the deranged Jedi Master. Thus, Mitt'raw'nuruodo realized thatSidious's warnings about the Jedi were not without merit.
Among the Chiss—including AristocraChaf'orm'bintrano of the Chaf family, Syndic Thrass, and Admiral Ar'alani of the Hierarchy—sharp disagreements arose. They were ultimately resolved when Thrass and Jedi Knight Lorana Jinzler took the Outbound Flight into hyperspace. Despite Chaf'orm'bintrano's objections, Ar'alani ensured that Mitt'raw'nuruodo received only aninformal reprimand and that the Hierarchy secured the Vagaari ship-retention technology. Mitt'raw'nuruodo became renowned among the Chiss for destroying Outbound Flight.
Although the authorities' disapproval should have cooled Thrawn's ardor, the result wasdisappointing. Doriana reported everything to Sidious, who extended offers to the talented officer. But Mitt'raw'nuruodo could not abandon his post with dignity, so he decided to orchestrate his own removal by continuing to launch preemptive strikes without approval. After attacking several enemy ground-based weapons factories, Thrawn was sentenced to the traditionalChiss punishment: exile to an uninhabited world.
And now he was languishing on a remote, unnamed planet, awaiting news. The locals had not yet advanced beyond a primitive stage of civilization and were poor conversationalists. Still, the Chiss did not give up hope that someday his fate would be better than it was now.
***
An old, hunched man walked slowly down the dimly lit corridor of the ship, leaning on a simplecane. He didn't need to look—he traveled this path every day and knew it by heart.
"Remember this, Zhenn—and you too, Forki."
The two teenagers bowed their heads respectfully, and the old man sighed with quiet sorrow. There were fewer and fewer of those who Keep. He wasthe last of his generation. His children, and the children of his comrades, were long dead—claimed by time, illness, or the endless wandering aboard this ship forgotten by the gods. Only two would be able to take up the traditions and theDuty, becoming the new Keepers—one pair among many over the past twenty-five thousand years.
In total, forty-two remained: nine Guards, two Healers, two Assassins, three Pilots, and seven Technicians. The rest were Servants. Two Noviceswould one day take his place—the place of the Keeper.
"We are approaching the Tomb," the old man said. "Show respect—here lies the one whose sleep we guard. We are the faithful followers of the Legions of Lettow, descendants of those who wandered in darkness, hiding in deep crevices to escape the wrath of the Magisters. But we have not forgotten, and the memory will not die as long as wePreserve."
"Yes, Keeper," the teenagers replied in unison.
At last, they entered a large chamber that had once been a hangar. Against the far wall, on a raised platform, stood a decorated sarcophagus. Tattered cloth banners hung from the walls. Near the entrance, on a small pedestal, lay a large crystal—Kashi Mer.
"Kneel," the old man groaned as he lowered himself before the relic. "Behold the greatest relic our ancestors carried from thatbattlefield! Bow your heads and remember—we Keep!"
***
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