If Not Him, Perhaps Me

Good evening again, my friends! I have chapter 2 all ready! It wasn’t totally proofread, so I might have to be updating and fixing it as I reread it later but I was so excited to post the second chapter I couldn’t wait lol I also super appreciate all the comments on the first chapter. It really helps encourage me to continue writing! So keep commenting if you want! I love it haha

If you want to be tagged, just let me know!

So here it is!

Enjoy~

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Chapter 1

Pairing- Thrawn x f!reader x Luke Skywalker
Summary- You finally meet the Grand Admiral himself and the conversation is intriguing for the both of you.
Word Count- 2K+
Warnings- Mentions of kidnapping

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Bright lights glared painfully against your eyelids. The ringing in your ears coming back with a vengeance but finding its home near the back of your head in a raging migraine. Consciousness still felt as if it were a distant dream, but you were steadily grappling it with shaking hands, pulling yourself toward the blinding light. Soon your shoulders ached with the stiffness of tension and the feeling of hard steel beneath you.

‘Where am I?’ The thoughts swirling in your mind were flimsy and challenging to gather into a lucid form, but you still tried to make sense of yourself. Full consciousness continued to grow closer and closer but as it did, the realization that you weren’t aboard the Falcon anymore was also becoming increasingly troubling. Trying as best you could to recall where you were and how you got there was proving even more difficult than stringing together a cohesive thought. Your eyes wouldn’t obey your demand to open, and your limbs felt weighed down as if by lead, numbing your body. ‘Luke,” your mind strayed to the man who’d left you alone with Chewbacca and Leia to assist Han and as you lay against cold steel in thought, you heard a series of boots thud closer toward you.

Then you remembered suddenly where you were. “Get up, woman,” a gruff modulated voice spat in irritation, “the Grand Admiral wants to see you.” The Grand Admiral. That’s right! You’d been kidnapped by Storm Troopers and brought onto an Imperial Star Destroyer. The last memory you had was the white armored soldiers restraining you and giving you a drink of what you thought at the time was water. “Get her up, I think the drink is still in her system.”

“Really?” Another modulated voice sounded beside you, “that’s crazy, it’s been four days and it’s still affecting her this bad?”

Four days?! You’d be out for four days without any knowledge?! Groaning as the man beside you assisted you in sitting up, you were finally able to force your eyes open- as blurry as the atmosphere was, at least you could get some sort of idea where you were. “F-Four…d-days?“ You choked on the words, dryness aching your throat. It felt as if your vocal cords were dust and your mouth the sandy dunes of Tatooine. “We’ll get her some water on the way to the Grand Admiral’s office.” The one at the door explained as his partner lifted you to your feet.

Desperately, your bleary eyes tried to focus on the surroundings you passed. To memorize what it looked like to be in an Imperial Star Destroyer so whenever the knowledge was needed to be used in battle you could recount it perfectly, but the dryness wasn’t just plaguing your throat now- the bright lights overhead still blinding you. It was, you noticed, becoming easier to gain your own footing now, the troopers less rough and uncaring than you expected and it wasn’t long before you were at a door. After one of the Storm Troopers punched in a code, a soft hiss echoed through the quiet hall, and they ushered you inside.

“Who is this?” A whispering voice made you jump, nearly into the ceiling you noticed but wouldn’t admit to anyone who asked. The small corridor was hardly lit, and the hissing voice seemed bodiless.

It made you feel better when one of the men beside you cursed under his breath just enough for you to hear. “Stop sneaking up on people like that, Rhuk. We’re likely to shoot you if you aren’t careful.” The trooper seemed anything but pleased at the sudden start and there was only a hissing chuckle in the dark.

“I am the admiral’s protector, and I shall do my job as arranged.” So, the Grand Admiral had a bodyguard? Not just the Storm Troopers? Another note you placed in the back of your mind for later as the door before you in the darkness whooshed open, itself.

As you were ushered forward again the room you stepped into was surprising. What you had expected from a Grand Admiral’s office was bright overhead lights like the halls that stretched around the ISD, large murals displaying their awards, and perhaps some Galactic Empire paraphernalia to show their “pride” in the imperial navy. But what you were greeted with instead was practically an art gallery with dimmed lights that were backlighting a tall structure that had what looked like furry lizards strewn about it.

But what truly astounded you was the man sitting behind the desk, awaiting your position before him to be to his liking before he spoke. He wasn’t a man, at all. His skin was a surprisingly blue color, nearly sapphire in the dark lighting, dark hair that gleamed its own shade of cobalt, his features serious and thoughtful as you stood in front of the large grey desk now. The facial feature that struck you the most was the all-consuming eyes that sat framed by long dark lashes. The piercing red gaze was disturbing as they narrowed at you, his mouth and chin hidden behind steepled fingers- he was studying you.

“Ya know,” you began, quietly at first, “you had already kidnapped me. I think the drugging was a tad bit overkill.” The sarcasm in your voice made one blue-black eyebrow raise in question, but that was the only movement out of the Grand Admiral sitting before you. Shifting in your wrist shackles, you huff indignantly. “I mean, it was a little nicer than waking up on the cold steel floor, I guess.”

Without a response, the admiral stood from his chair. His stature was imposing, far taller than you’d expected him to be too, you noted. To your surprise- again- he smiled at you politely. “I apologize that your time aboard my ship has not been to your liking.” The voice. Your mind went blank, and eyes widened at the deep, warm voice that came from his lips. The evidence of a life lived speaking a foreign language you probably never even heard accentuating the syllables he spoke. Before you recognized it, the alien man was standing directly in front of you, eyes studying you still as he placed his arms behind him. His entire air seemed noble, regal…Imperial.

No wonder he was a Grand Admiral.

He carried every bit of his title in his stance and your heart ached with uncertainty. But before uncertainty turned to apprehension, the admiral smiled again as he spoke, “Would you, perhaps, mind giving me your name?”

Your eyes narrowed this time. Just because he was intimidating didn’t mean he was going to scare you immediately. “If this is a game, I’m not going to play. You kidnapped me, clearly, you know my name, or at least have some idea of who I am, or else I wouldn’t be here.”

It seemed as if his smile grew from your challenge. He was enjoying himself. “Perhaps,” he commented casually, “though, I prefer to be mannerly in certain circumstances. You are a woman, whether a prisoner of war or not, and I prefer to give you the respect you deserve.” When he saw that you weren’t budging, he let out a dissatisfied breath, as a father would a rebellious child and his face swiftly grew stern. “Very well if you insist. I am Grand Admiral Thrawn, warlord of the Galactic Empire. Welcome aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer; Chimera, (y/n).” Thrawn’s full title was so imposing it nearly knocked the wind out of you, but you purposefully gave no sign of fear.

“Grand Admiral, huh?” You replied interestingly, then changed your weight to one hip as you studied him this time. “But you aren’t human, how did you become a Grand Admiral?” Another smile appeared on his face- patronizing. You grumbled at the grin and stepped away to face the structure behind his desk, petting one of the furry lizards.

“I am sure you are aware you weren’t brought to me to discuss my time in the Empire,” he almost sounded as if he were chuckling a little and it infuriated you. How could he be laughing so casually? “You see, I brought you here because you are of some importance to my cause.”

Rolling your eyes, you shifted your shackled hands once again, “you mean regaining power for the empire?” You scoffed sarcastically, “it isn’t happening, grand admiral.” The emphasis you put on his title caused one of the men to start forward, grabbing your arm painfully.

“Mind your tongue rebel scum!” He snarled candidly, “you will show the admiral respect.” At the gesture of Thrawn, the Storm Trooper unenthusiastically backed off, releasing your arm.

“You see, (y/n),” Thrawn started as he faced you again from across the room, “I am aware that Skywalker and Solo departed for a mission to aid Calrissian only a few days before we obtained you from the Millennium Falcon and while your capture does not suit my needs for gaining the power I seek for the Empire, it does satisfy someone who will help me gain that control.” So, you were just a pawn? Thrawn once again came to stand before you, his glowing eyes looking down his nose at you as the full weight of his power melted into your bones. “You will tell me everything about Skywalker that I need to know.”

“How do you presume I do that?” Your voice was less aggressive than you were hoping it would sound, but you met his eyes still. The glowing embers sparked with intelligence and wisdom piquing your curiosity briefly. “Do you honestly expect me to just give up someone I care about because you asked it of me?” It seemed as if directness surprised him for a moment because some of his severity eased. “I’m sorry,” you almost seemed genuine about it but, whether it was your exhaustion or your willingness to die for Luke without questions that calmed your nerves, you knew you weren’t going to give Thrawn what he was looking for, “but I’m not going to tell you anything about Luke.”

Thrawn was silent for a long while, gazing at your face, your features. Then he returned to his chair on the other side of his desk, calmly sitting down in the position you’d previously found him in. “Perhaps you can tell me a little about yourself then?” His voice was softer this time around, grabbing his datapad and scrolling through what you assumed were documents.

He was absolutely playing games this time, why on earth would he want to know anything about you? “Why? What do you possibly have to gain from wasting your time getting to know me?” It was becoming clearer that it was your exhaustion that made you apathetic to the idea of death now.

Thrawn peered up from his data pad slightly, the red peaking beneath dark lashes and the raising of the same one brow and he smirked at you, “call it curiosity, (y/n). I am a gentleman, after all. Since you will be staying aboard my ship for a while, I would like to know who I have in my barracks.” His eyes returned to the scrolling screen once again, “tell me,” he started, “are you someone I should be worried about breaking out?”

A short, self-deprecating laugh escaped your lips at his words. “yeah, I’m going to try to break out of my cell and do what? Fly out into chaos knows what by myself?” You shook your head, rolling your eyes, “I don’t think so. I don’t even know where in the galaxy we are. How would I ever have a chance of getting anywhere?” You shook the skirts of your dress as if to notify him of your compliance, “I’m not the fighting type, evidently.”

“Do not mistake me for a fool, (y/n),” Thrawn laid his datapad aside, sitting back into his chair, eyes stern again. “I am mindful of who you travel with and while you may not voluntarily partake in battle, you are proficient at self-defense. It would be unwise for Skywalker to not provide you with some manner of protection.”

You shrugged noncommittally, unnerved by his assumptions and how close they were to the truth. Luke had taught you many self-defense tactics and exactly what to do in case you were in trouble without him. Though it didn’t happen often, and you were always able to call for his help. “So I know a little self-defense to keep myself safe, do you think that’ll give me the confidence to fight myself free?”

“Then will you call for Skywalker’s aid?”

Shaking your head immediately, you glared at him, “absolutely not.”

Thrawn smirked again, knowing you were catching on, “perhaps you would like to tell me why?”

“Because I’m not a fool either,” Thrawn smiled at your response- of course, you weren’t. He could already tell. “I’m not going to bring him to you. I’m not going to bring him straight into the heart of the Empire just to save me from you.”

“Interesting,” Thrawn mumbled softly, hand resting below his chin in thought, “you are intriguing, (y/n).”

It seemed as if it were the twelfth time you’d rolled your eyes at this guy, “I’m so happy you think so.” The sarcasm was getting difficult to contain anymore as you continued to go back and forth with Thrawn.

Chuckling, the Grand Admiral grabbed his datapad again, gesturing for the Storm Troopers to leave, “you shall return to your barrack and get some rest. Perhaps after you are well rested, we can continue this conversation.” He glanced at you once more before the troopers took you away, the stony gaze returning, “And you will tell me what I want to know.”

And with that, you were returned to the bedless, steel prison of your barrack to replay the conversational meeting you’d had with Grand Admiral Thrawn.

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