Soon after the whole operation had ended, Thrawn had received an urgent transmission from Lothal. During their absence, rebels had managed to break into Governor Pryce's office and free Captain Syndulla.
The worst part, however, was that during her failed attempt to recapture the rebels, Pryce had completely destroyed the imperial fuel depot. The explosion had resulted in the death of the Jedi Kanan Jarrus, but at the cost of shutting down the whole factory. Therefore, the entire TIE Defender project was halted and very probably compromised.
Because of this, the Chimaera was already on its way back. The Grand Admiral had decided that it was time to put a definitive end to their rebellion. They still had a few hours of travel ahead of them before reaching the planet.
(Y/N) was laying down in her cabin, trying to get some rest after the ordeal the whole crew had just endured. Thrawn was busy speaking with Emperor Palpatine, but he had promised he would come to see her after he was done.
When he finally arrived at her door, the young woman grabbed him roughly and pulled him inside. He didn't resist, neither did he try to stop her from pushing him against the wall.
"Do you realize what you just put me through?" she asked him before burying her face in his chest.
"I understand that it must have been stressful for you, but it was the only way for my plan to work." he replied softly, caressing her back and trying to calm her nerves.
"I know, and it was brilliant, but still! If something had gone wrong, we could have all been killed, or you." she explained with a pinch of anguish in her voice.
"I'm sorry, my love. I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't confident in our success. It's over now." he said, tilting her head up before finding her pouting lips.
She finally let Thrawn move away from the wall and they laid down on her bed to cuddle. He was still in uniform, but she was only wearing her blacks which highlighted her belly. For a moment, she let him rest his hand on her abdomen and feel the small being moving lightly, lost in her thoughts.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately." (Y/N) said with a sad voice. "We've been lucky until now that nobody noticed anything, but I'll have to leave eventually if we don't want the rest of the crew to know."
"I agree. I don't appreciate the thought of us being separated, but it's the logical course of action." he admitted.
"I guess I could probably be sent back to Naboo, maybe as a recruiter or a liaison officer. That way, I wouldn't be alone and my parents could help me take care of our child." the young woman suggested.
"Did you inform them about us? And our situation?" he asked his companion, probably already aware that she didn't.
"Not yet. I didn't tell anyone, actually, not even my friend. I didn't want to risk it getting revealed accidentally and affecting our careers."
"I see. We should start making the necessary arrangements once we'll have dealt with the rebels. The sooner we begin the paperwork and organize your transfer, the better our chances of it being approved before anyone notices." Thrawn reasoned.
"I'll speak with my family too." she then said with a downcast tone.
He noticed her emotion right away and held her closer, trying to make her feel better. His red eyes stared back into hers, their familiar soft glow bringing her some comfort.
"(Y/N), we still have time together before that happens. We simply need to be realistic for your own well-being and our child's. You'll be safer back on your homeworld than working on a warship." the Chiss reassured her.
"I know" she sighed. "Let's not talk about it anymore, please. I just want to stay with you for now." she said softly.
"Of course." he agreed before giving her a gentle kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too." she replied before closing her eyes.
°°°°°°°
(Y/N) had fallen asleep in Thrawn's arms, but when she opened her eyes she was surprised to see that she was not in her cabin with him. She was sitting in the middle of an open prairie, the tall grass swaying with the breeze. Stars covered the night sky, illuminating her surroundings. She recognized the scenery from Lothal and realized she was still dreaming.
The young woman heard a wolf howl in the distance. She stood up, trying to look around when she felt a presence behind her. She turned and almost fell back on the ground at the sight of the giant wolf. She started backing away, her eyes locked on the truly immense creature. Just like the white lothcat she had encountered, the wolf's eyes were bright and surprisingly intelligent. They were piercing through her, leaving her breathless.
She bumped into something and glanced behind her nervously. A small scream escaped her mouth when she realized there was another smaller white wolf behind her. Its golden eyes were on her, but it didn't attack her. It simply sat, like it was waiting for her to do something. (Y/N) resisted the urge to run away, trying to remind herself that this was all a dream. Taking some deep breaths to calm herself, she turned back to see the giant wolf also sitting patiently. She was surprised once more when she heard him speak.
"Find them." the creature said with a deep, otherworldly voice.
"Find who?" she asked, still not believing what was happening.
"Ghost." he answered in a whisper.
Her mind was hazy. "Find them, ghost." she repeated internally. It took her a few seconds before she understood what it meant.
"The rebels? You want me to find the Ghost crew?" she tried.
"Yes." the wolf replied.
"But how? I have no contact with them. I don't know where they are" the young woman inquired.
"Escape."
It made no sense. If she understood correctly, the creature wanted her to escape and find the rebels, but she was with the Empire. (Y/N) recalled her decision to help Agent Kallus a few months back. At the time, she believed she had done the right thing. Thrawn, on the contrary, was convinced that the rebels were a threat. They were weakening the Empire, endangering the fate of the Chiss Ascendency and ultimately endangering the whole galaxy.
Could Thrawn be mistaken? And even if he was, what could she do? They were together, she loved him and he was the father of her child. She couldn't simply abandon him and join the enemy. There was no way she could convince each side to accept the other either, she was quite sure about that.
As if they were sensing the conflict inside her, the wolves were becoming agitated. The one behind her growled and started advancing towards her. She quickly focused her attention back on the giant grey wolf in front of her. She needed more answers, but she felt like she was running out of time.
"Who are you? And why are you telling me this?" the young woman asked.
The wolf stood up and once again she did her best to repress her survival instinct. Approaching her slowly, he answered her questions, taking pauses between each word and letting them resonate in the night.
"I am Dume... I protect."
After pronouncing these last words, the wolf suddenly pounced on her, making her fall on her back. Everything went dark and she jerked back up in her own bed. She looked around her to find her lover lounging beside her on the bed, quietly reading on a datapad. Her sudden movement caught his attention.
"Were you having a nightmare?" he inquired.
"I... I don't think so." she answered, still dazed by her strange dream.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Thrawn said, a little bit intrigued by her confusion.
Did she want to tell him? (Y/N) wasn't sure if it was necessary. It was still just a dream, however troubling her conversation with "Dume" had been. She needed to reflect on it before being able to say anything. She leaned against him to calm herself down.
"No, I think I'm good for now." she said. "How long until we arrive?"
"Not long. I was about to wake you up when you started stirring." he informed her.
She nodded in acknowledgement but stayed silent, a small knot of uncertainty forming in her stomach.