Through Imperial Eyes

Chapter 20

After (Y/N) finally regained control of her senses, she took what she considered useful from her escape pod and decided to hide until dark. Being one of the only Imperials left near Capital City, she wasn't really safe at the moment, especially while she was still wearing her uniform. She walked towards the nearest rock formations up on the hill and found a nook big enough for her to comfortably wait for the night.

The young woman didn't know when exactly she had fallen asleep, but she woke up in the late evening. It was already completely dark and stars were beginning to light up the sky. She ate a nutrition bar without much of an appetite and then took off her cap and her tunic. She undid her bun and ruffled her hair, the strands catching in the evening breeze.

She admired the lights of the city in the distance and tried to figure out a way to contact the rebels. It was not like they were the kind of people you could just come across walking in the street, or that you could simply call. She grabbed her comlink from her pocket and played with it pensively.

(Y/N) was pretty sure her message to Thrawn had gotten through. However, the fact that she didn't receive any reply was agonizing. None of the scenarios or explanations that came to her mind could reassure her. She thought about the Bendu's prediction once again and wished that his words weren't meant to announce his death. She imagined how frightened Thrawn must have been at the sight of the purrgils surrounding him and her throat tightened from the pain.

The young woman gave up and let her emotions run free. She cried for the disappearance of the man she loved. Placing a hand on her belly, she cried for the small being that might be born into this world without his father. She also cried for herself, left completely alone on a planet far from anyone she knew with a task she had no idea how to accomplish.

When she eventually felt her breathing return to normal, she laid down in the grass and let her last tears stream quietly down her face. Her hand still placed on her stomach, she could feel some light fluttering movements from her child. Letting her other hand rest on the ground, she closed her eyes and tried her best to find peace. She concentrated on the weight of her body against the cool ground, on the feeling of the breeze on her face, on the sound of the tall grass swirling around in the plain.

She wandered further, imagining the bustling life of the city somewhere in the distance. Behind her closed eyes, she saw people celebrating their victory over the Empire. She felt music and laughter. She also felt sadness from the people who had lost their home in the bombardment, or lost someone they loved. She felt the emptiness all around her, the silent clouds above her and the stars playing hide and seek behind them.

She let her mind travel, remembering all the beautiful things she had seen while working on the Chimaera. She imagined herself floating around colourful nebulas, drifting past beautiful worlds each full of hidden wonders. Feeling at peace, (Y/N) sent a silent prayer to the universe hoping with all her heart that, somewhere in all of this, Thrawn was alive and would come back to her. She sent all her love and surrendered her worry and her fear to the stars, hoping they would all turn out fine.

The young woman woke up at sunrise when she felt something brush against her. She sat up when she realized she had fallen asleep again, this time completely exposed instead of safely hidden near the rocks. Slightly disoriented, it took her a couple of seconds to adjust to daylight. She then heard a familiar meow by her side and smiled when she recognized the white lothcat she had already met.

"Oh, hello there!" she said to him happily. "What are you doing here?"

The lothcat played around her for a bit, his mood seemingly matching hers. He brushed against her again and she stroked his back. He jumped on her legs, then back on the ground and turned around her for a bit instead of settling down like the first time. After a short while, he seemed to walk away, but stopped and sat before she lost sight of him. He meowed again and she understood that he wanted her to follow him. She got up and started heading down the hill with him.