Eternity in a Box

By Ladyravena

Chapter Six: Goodbyes

The night was almost gone. Even in an underground city, the feeling of the city gave the morning away, beings awakening and readying themselves for first shifts, those on nightshifts starting to come home to loved ones or empty living spaces.

Frixs was the first to leave. Taking his quiet leave, a few parting words and a crisp salute, and he was gone into the back alleys and road ways, off for another day of duty and obligations. Thrawn watched his friend's departing back from a shuttered window, breathing easy only when the swoop bike that was the only chaotic thing that Frixs owned puttered away.

Lyn was waiting for him when he stepped down into the hallway. Wrapped in her own dark travel clothes, she was like night personified, even her eyes dimmed with sadness. Thrawn stepped in front of her, hands on her shoulders. "You'll be alright getting home?" he asked her quietly, even now concerned about her safety.

She smiled wistfully. "Yes," she murmured, and kissed him one last time, imparting every last memory and all her feelings in that one last embrace.

Saalin waited a discreet distance away as the two parted, after which Lyn slipped into the shadows of the alley, over a wall, and was gone. They both pretended not to have seen the tears on her face; Saalin slipped his poncho over his head as his best friend swiped a hand over his own face.

Thrawn tilted his head at the bizarre combination of uniform properness, civilian slumming and quilted plastics that made up his friend's wardrobe choices. "That would make how many infractions of proper dress attire, Saalin?" he tried to say with a casual tone, but the roughness of his voice gave him away.

"Lost count, really," Saalin answered, voice strained. "Just – just don't get yourself killed out there two days before the ships come, alright? No stupid stunts --" His voice broke a little; he gave up on words, crushing his oldest friend into a rib cracking hug.

"I'll be alright," Thrawn said quietly as they drew apart. "Just keep yourself out of jail. Look after the others for me, please."

Saalin agreed, and fled over the same wall that Lyn had jumped minutes before. Thrawn stared at the wall, half expecting the sirens to go off for something Saalin did, was doing, or was about to do. Something his friend wouldn't be able to get Saalin out of anymore.

*****

Stepping downstairs, Thrawn's eyes roamed over the gifts neatly tucked and packed into the case for him, no doubt by Lyn. Packing ammunitions and mess kits were one thing; luggage had always slightly baffled him. Nothing had its proper place, designed and assigned next to its neighbour. The last gift had been left out for him; the leather bound book fit well into his hands. Opening its pages, he was once more overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of the handwritten pages, the beauty of the Cheunh script flowing over the pages like the northern pole lights over the skies above his birth county. Each of their own hand scripts imparted the knowledge he would need, with their own words and slants on things … a way to remember them by.

"You believe this Sidious will find you?" Trili asked from behind him.

"Yes," he answered, eyes still fastened on the book.

"Soon?"

"I hope so."

She sniffed. "And take you in?"

He thumbed through a few more pages. "Yes, I believe he will."

"And not as a trophy Chiss to be displayed in a taxidermist's office?"

He closed the book; turning to her, he smiled ruefully. "Let's hope not." Her expression told him exactly how likely she felt that was. Gathering her long coat around her, she walked over to him.

"If," she said carefully, "you manage to get yourself off whatever barren rock they drop you on, and you need us, we'll come. No matter where. You have many followers, you realize."

Thrawn sank onto the back of the sofa. "I know," he said, eyes closing, head lowering with the weight of command after all these years. Drawing a deep breath, he opened his eyes, looking straight into Trili's. "They can't stop this. You can't let them interfere. I need them out of the penitentiary system." He was quietly desperate; no one else should suffer what needed to be done. He had tried his best to keep his command crew from suffering his fate. Orders to say and do certain things… attitudes to fake about their commander… anything to keep the others safe.

She sniffed a laugh, hiding futile tears, sequels to those already dried. "They won't do it for my sake, only for you, by your orders."

"Remind them for me, then."

She nodded. "Aye, aye, Commander." She stepped forward, arm out. "Until our next rendezvous…"

He grasped her arm above the wrist, comrades and friends, equal here as nowhere else. It would be the last such gesture until he found new allies and friends. "I look forward to it."

The End...

Author's Note:
Thank you all that reviewed and read this story as I was posting it. It is always such an encouragement to me and to every author to know that we aren't simply posting to the void of deep space, that the odd Holonet station is picking this up and sending to loyal fans. *salutes*

A special thanks to Imperial Warlord for the awesomeness, Chisscientist for the reviews and the discussions on my other work with Mitth'ryl, serenity8118 for pointing out that Thrawn did have a softer side (which we never really see in Zahn's books, as he is always on duty or in front of others), and to Aryna for the complaint of the shortness of the chapters. Sorry, love, my chapters are always short. But think of it this way: if this was in novel format, the paragraphs would be about average size, and most of us don't like to read a paragraph that goes on for two of three pages. So, neither do my chapters. I type and print in a narrow format, and it always looks a lot bigger when I print and edit. *shrugs*

Finally, thank you and massive hugs to ImperialJedi, for the review and for allowing Eternity in a Box to be archived in her wonderful C2. I am still on the bouncing high from reading that. Thank you.

Signing off for the moment,

Lady Ravena.