Through Imperial Eyes

Chapter 9

It was pretty late at night, but (Y/N) wasn't able to sleep. After a couple of hours tossing and turning, she chose to get back up and do what she always did when something troubled her. She threw on her blacks and decided she would try that bioluminescent ink she had bought with Ania on their last shopping trip. She picked up a large roll of paper she had kept in the drawer under her bed and unrolled it on the floor. She then picked up the ink bottles and some brushes from her nightstand, sat down and lined them up beside her.

She looked at the colours for a while but they didn't inspire her that much. She decided to close all the lights in her cabin except for a small reading lamp she set up in the furthest corner of the room. Its faint warm light was just enough for (Y/N) to see what she was doing. After a few minutes, she noticed the ink beginning to glow with vivid hues.

She decided to follow her feelings and simply enjoy the process. She grabbed the deep blue shade and poured some on the paper, using long brush strokes to diffuse it. She repeated the process a few times and then went on with a bright turquoise. (Y/N) started to highlight some parts of her artwork, the abstract lines gradually forming more coherent shapes. She continued with a vibrant magenta, realizing what she was creating resembled some sort of exotic flowers. She then spent some more time playing with the shades she hadn't used yet and painted details here and there. Using a smaller brush and her lightest colour, a pale pink, she added more highlights and elegant lines to complement the rest.

When (Y/N) was finally done, it had been a couple of hours and she had managed to get ink stains pretty much everywhere on herself. She stood up and went to the sink to wash her hands when the reflection of her datapad in the mirror caught her attention. She turned around and picked it up from her nightstand, surprised to find she had received a message from Admiral Thrawn. It had been sent literally a few minutes ago. He wanted to talk to her at her earliest convenience. She looked at the clock and wondered if she should wait until tomorrow. She looked back at the message and figured that if they were both still up there was no point in waiting. She keyed his code on her comlink and he answered after a few seconds.

"Good evening, (Y/N)."

"Good evening, Admiral Thrawn. You wanted to speak with me?" she asked.

"Indeed, but I'd rather do so in person if you don't mind." he answered.

"Of course. If you give me some time, I'll get changed and come right away." she said looking at her stained clothes glowing faintly.

"There's no need to disturb yourself. I'll come and meet you back at your quarters."

"Alright." she agreed before the call ended.

She turned the ceiling lights back on and looked around at her cabin, which was a complete mess at that point. She quickly rinsed her brushes in the sink and stored the ink bottles back in her nightstand's drawer. She then hurried to make her bed, neatly tucking the covers under the mattress. She couldn't do much about her work still drying on the floor, so she tried her best to wash away the colourful stains on her forearms. She dried her hands and set her brushes on the side of the sink to dry when she heard a soft knock on her door.

The young lieutenant pressed the button on the doorframe and it slid open, revealing the tall Chiss in his all-white uniform patiently waiting on the other side. She hesitated for a second, debating whether she should invite him in or if they could talk in the hallway.

"Hello again, (Y/N). I was surprised to receive an answer from you at this time of the night. I hope I didn't wake you." he inquired.

"Not at all. I actually had trouble sleeping and decided to paint. I was just finished when I saw your message." she told him.