Infiltration (Thrawn x Reader)

Chapter 12 - Coruscant

2 BBY, four years on the Chimaera, twelve in the Empire

———

"I am going to Coruscant to meet with the Emperor, as well as attending a ceremony. I'd like both you and Eli to accompany me."

I glanced over at Eli. He gave me a small smile.

"When do we leave?" he asked Thrawn.

"Tomorrow," he replied. I felt his glowing eyes on me. "Commander Lilya?" his soft voice rang out.

I nodded. "Of course, Admiral. Can I ask what the ceremony is for?"

"It is an awards ceremony for both the military and the navy." I nodded, but said nothing. Sounds boring.

"Good. We will leave at 0600. The Chimaera is currently en route, but it will still be a twelve hour trip for us." I remained quiet, but I felt Eli nod beside me.

I walked out of his office with Eli. "Why do you think he wants me to join you guys?" I asked him after a moment.

He shrugged. "I rarely understand why Thrawn does something until after he does it."

"So, there is a reason?"

He glanced over at me. "There's always a reason with him." I thought about that for a moment. There had been plenty of times I couldn't see a reason for his actions. Like fucking me, for example.

"I just think he likes having you around. That's all," he said when we reached my quarters. I stopped and looked at him, raising an eyebrow in skepticism. He liked having me in his bed, maybe.

He chuckled. "It's alright if you like having him around too. And I don't just mean at night." I felt my face heat up a little.

I eyed him. It wasn't alright. He is my enemy.

Maybe one of these times, I would believe that. But I wasn't sure I'd seen him as my enemy for a long time. "Maybe," I finally said, giving him a small smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lilya," he said, smiling back at me and patting my shoulder. I nodded and watched him walk away. When he turned a corner, I finally entered my room.

———

We'd been in hyperspace for six hours, and still had six more to go. Thrawn and Eli had spent the last hour talking about who they think will be promoted at the ceremony, though we're all positive Thrawn would at least given an award after his recent victory at Batonn. I blocked them out within the first five minutes, so it was a surprise when one of them said my name.

"What?" I asked, looking at them both. Thrawn's lips broke into a small smile. He was amused with my distraction, I guess.

"I was just asking you if you'd been to the Imperial Palace," he said with a bit of amusement to his voice too.

I shook my head. "No. Though I've seen pictures. It looks magnificent," I said, gazing out the viewport distractedly.

"Indeed. That is because it used to be the Jedi Temple." I raised my eyebrows and turned to look at him. Why didn't I know that?

"Seriously?" I asked, though it was a silly thing to say, as if Thrawn would joke about it.

"Yes. Pictures don't do it justice, it's quite large and elaborate." Huh. Interesting.

"Hmm," I murmured, pulling out my datapad, my face scrunched in thought. After a few minutes, I interrupted whatever the two had started talking about.

"There's nothing here about that, like at all," I said.

Eli looked like he was trying to remember what I was looking up, but Thrawn just looked at me.