The newly appointed Commodore Hammerly, tapped at her data pad assessing the next steps for repairing the Chimera. She politely listened to the soft spoken discussion between Grand Admiral Thrawn and the also newly appointed and quite young senior engineer who she couldn't quite remember the name of.
She internally admonished herself for that. Remembering the names of shipmates was one of the most basic lessons she's learned from being at Thrawn's side all these years. But with the destruction of the Purgil attack, as well as the inevitable dangers that came with repairing and residing on a tattered star destroyer, personell changed often.
Her musings were interrupted by the sound of raised voices.Commodore Hammerly grimaced. She had warned the Grand Admiral of the strained morale since their unexpected exile into the unknown regions. Now it seems this issue had taken physical form. Commodore Hammerly glanced at her superior officer. His face was ever ellusive to most, but with years spent by the admiral's side, she could see the slight pinch of his brows. She was about to hasten her pace when Thrawn's hand raised in front of her. His paced slowed, and his neck craned just a hair as they approached the corner towards the source of the commotion. Soon, she too could make out the shoutings of the group.
"Why can't you just listen!?" A man's voice shouted
"I-I did sir -" a young man's voice trembled.
"Clearly you didn't listen close enough!" a women's voice grated. "You were supposed to make sure nothing had access to our barracks. Including droids!"
She seethed.
"It was just a mouse droid ma -" the young man replied
The older man cut him off "You'll address her as Officer Barr!" And what followed was the unmistakable sound of a violent reprimand.
Thrawn and Hammerly's eyes met for a split section, before their pace quickened. The stomps of the engineer and two death trooper guards closely behind.
It was likely that the angry pair were too distracted by their rage to notice the entourage that rounded the corner. Beneath their feet, a young ensign was curled on the floor cupping a bloodied nose. The young ensign was the first to notice Grand Admiral Thrawn, his eyes growing wide. It was then that the pair of senior officers noticed the change of air, and spun around to salute the Grand Admiral - and deliberately attempting - but failing miserably to shield the beaten Ensign behind them. The Ensign reached out for his cap, for a moment blindly feeling the floor before realizing it was clearly out of reach, and painfully - yet with surprising efficiency to stand and salute. Without a hand to control the oozing blood, it quickly trickled down the Ensign's chin, uniform and floor.
The older man started "Grand Admiral -"
"I did not give you permission to speak." Thrawn said. He measured the pair, before gesturing them to separate. Clearly this wasn't the start of the beating - the young man's left eye was blackened, and brown hair in disarray. With great effort the Ensign remained stock still, and with a even greater effort maintained eye contact with the Chiss's intimidating red eyes. Thrawn stopped in front of the Ensign. "At ease Ensign. State your name"
"I am Ensign Rowe" The Ensign obeyed. Thrawn nodded and then began casually undoing the seal of his white jacket. The Ensign gulped as he wondered what cruel punishment awaited him within the Grand Admiral's inner pocket.
The Chiss almost looked casual as he undid the sealing strips. "Deathtrooper Pik, escort Officer Barr and her companion to conference room A2. Remain there until I arrive. "Yes Grand admiral" the modulated voice spoke. The trio were quickly dismissed without a fuss.
The Grand Admiral then reached in his right inner pocket and methodically donned a pair of black leather gloves. He stepped closer to the Ensign, careful to not step into the splattered blood beneath the Ensign's boots. Hammerly didn't need infrared sight to see the shame and fear emanating from Ensign Rowe.
Thrawn reached for the Ensign's chin, and Rowe instinctively flinched. Thrawn caught his chin with his left hand anyways, and with his right reached for Rowe's nose. Rowe's teeth gritted in pain as thrawn delicately palpated his nose. "What kind of sick mind game is this?" The Ensign thought.
"Only a dislocation. Good." Thrawn murmured. And before Rowe had time to process Thrawn's words, his nose twisted with a loud pop!
Thrawn quickly let go of the Ensign and stepped back as a fresh wave of blood poured out of his nose. Hammerly quickly stepped to Thrawn's side and offered a handkerchief from her breast pocket. "Thank you." Rowe said nasally and accepted it.
"Are you alright?" Thrawn asked.
"Yes. I think so." Rowe replied. And without thinking he asked. "Am i in trouble?"
"Have you done something that requires reprimand?" Thrawn questioned.
"Officer Bentley and Officer Barr seemed to think so."
"Somehow i am doubtful their reasonings are justified. Nor do i believe that their methods for delivering such punishment productive."
Thrawn turned. "Now then, Senior Engineer Aria, where were we?" He asked.
The young woman replied. "Actually, Grand Admiral, I believe our survey of this section is complete."
"Good, let us return to my office then. There are a few more questions I have for you." Thrawn looked over his shoulder, "Ensign with me."
The Ensigns eyes widened "y-yes sir" he stammered. Rowe twisted around searching for his lost cap. Then a woman's hand caught him. "Looking for this?" The senior engineer asked waving the cap in front of him. "Yes. Thank you." He said as he took the cap with one hand, and attempted to flatten his muddled hair with the other.
. . .
Ensign Rowe was desperate to learn of the consequences of this whole debacle. He tried to pick up on his superiors' soft spoken words, but he couldn't quite catch them - something about altering corridor passages for maintenance staff. It was as if he and the Deathtrooper stalking behind him were not even there.
Alone with his thoughts, Ensign Rowe's mind wandered into dark territory. "Certainly I'll be demoted" he shivered to himself "Or worse. . Pick up duty". Pick up Duty - or as some called it "Lost and Found", is the task of traversing the most mutilated parts of the Chimera to retrieve those not fortunate enough to survive the Purgil attack. Images of frozen bodies - including his friends flashed through his mind. . .
The Ensign was so deep in thought that he barely realized they had arrived at the door of Grand Admiral Thrawn's office. The door opened with a swish and a blast of cold air that offended Ensign Rowe's face. He followed behind the trio, clenching his jaw in attempt to keep his teeth from chattering. The lone death trooper remained outside.
The group began walking down the dimmed hall when Grand Admiral Thrawn stopped and turned to face the Ensign.
"Wait for me in here, Ensign. I will join you momentarily." He said, waving at the closed door on the left.
"Yes Grand Admiral." He replied, and quickly obeyed without giving much thought as to what exactly was behind the metal door. Rowe entered, and immediately squeezed his eyes shut as he entered a white room, completely contrasting the dark hallway he just came from. As he blinked spots away from his eyes he could hear the door shut behind him. He slowly spun around the room analyzing the racks of blades, training poles, and other equipment adorning the walls. On the furthest wall a lone, battered assassin droid loomed over the room. Ensign Rowe had heard rumors that the Grand Admiral used assassin droids to train, but Ensign Rowe had thought that to be uncharacteristically reckless of Thrawn.
A long silence followed. Thrawn finally entered. studying him -not harshly, but with a quiet intensity that made the Ensign feel as though he were being dissected piece by piece. "You encountered a disagreement with your superiors.”
The Ensign’s pulse spiked. “It was alteady handled by the time you arrived sir. No formal report needs to be filed -”
“I disagree." Thrawn interrupted, his tone neither approving nor critical. "Such behavior from superior officers is hardly acceptable."
"If I may speak freely sir."
Thrawn nods. "Go on".
"I'd rather keep this as quiet as possible."
"Yes, Commodore Hammerly had thought you'd say as much. Your superior and his mistress are quite popular among your unit."
"I just don't want to cause any waves sir, especially with all of this going on" Rowe gestures around him.
"Your concern for the cohesion of this ship is admirable. I will see that you are not punished further for the inadequacies of your superiors and comrades."
"Thank you Grand Admiral" Rowe says awkwardly. There is a pause, Thrawn begins to circle the Ensign as if sizing him up.
“You allowed the situation to escalate to physical proximity.”
The Ensign felt heat creep up his neck. “Yes, sir. It won’t happen again.”
Thrawn tilted his head slightly. “No. It will not. . . Because you are going to learn how to prevent it.”
The Ensign blinked. “Sir?”
Thrawn gestured to the open space in the center of the room. “Stand there.”
Confusion warred with anxiety, but the Ensign obeyed. His mind raced, disciplinary drills? Evaluation? Torture?Thrawn stepped closer, movements smooth and unhurried. “Conflict,” Thrawn began, “is a form of communication. Most beings misunderstand its language.” His glowing eyes flicked briefly to the Ensign’s stance. “You, for example, announce uncertainty before a word is spoken.”
The Ensign instinctively straightened.
“Too late,” Thrawn said mildly. “An opponent observes the transition, not the result.” Before the Ensign could respond, Thrawn moved. It was not fast in the way of a strike, but it was precise. One moment there was space between them, the next Thrawn’s hand had lightly but firmly redirected the Ensign’s arm, pivoting him off balance. The Ensign stumbled, catching himself just before hitting the floor.
Shock flashed through him. “Sir?”
“You anticipated aggression,” Thrawn said calmly. “But you did not anticipate control.”
The Ensign steadied himself, heart pounding.
“Again,” Thrawn instructed. This time, the Ensign braced, trying to read even the smallest cue. Thrawn approached with the same measured pace.
“Observe,” Thrawn said. “Not with your eyes alone.” He moved again. The Ensign reacted faster this time, attempting to pull away, but Thrawn adjusted effortlessly, guiding the motion into a controlled turn that left the Ensign immobilized, his arm pinned without pain but with undeniable authority. “Better,” Thrawn said. “You chose movement instead of resistance. Resistance invites escalation.” He released him.
The Ensign stepped back, breathing harder now, confusion giving way to reluctant focus. “You’re… teaching me. I thought I was going to be punished!” Rowe exasperated.
"As i said before Ensign Rowe, did you do anything that warranted punishment?"
"No- I mean. . . I'm not so sure. . ." Ensign Rowe quited.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Thrawn’s expression.
“I am correcting a vulnerability,” he said. “A crew member who cannot control a confrontation becomes a liability, not because of violence, but because of unpredictability.”
The Ensign nodded slowly.
Thrawn gestured again. “One more time.”
This time, the Ensign watched not just Thrawn’s hands, but his posture, his balance, the subtle shift of weight before motion. When Thrawn moved, the Ensign responded, not perfectly, but differently. He redirected instead of resisting, stepping with the motion rather than against it.
Thrawn stopped mid-action. “Yes,” he said softly. “You begin to understand.” He stepped back, hands returning behind his back as if the entire exchange had been nothing more than a casual discussion.
“Self-defense is not the act of defeating an opponent,” Thrawn continued. “It is the art of ensuring the conflict ends on your terms, preferably before it truly begins.”
The Ensign straightened, a different kind of tension in his posture now focused, alert.
“Thank you, sir.”
Thrawn inclined his head slightly. “See that you apply the lesson. I would prefer not to revisit this particular deficiency.”
A beat.
“Dismissed.”
💙 I need more Platonic Thrawn one shots of him just being a good superior 💙
