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// Part 2: The Grand Admiral 
// Story: Queen of the Empire 
// by Cardinal Dan Productions 
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Deeper into the creaking and groaning monolith, Chrysalis carried the blue-faced alien on her back. She wanted to take it as far away from the cold as possible, if there was to be any chance of waking it up. After several minutes of aimlessly searching through the darkened corridors, she found a secluded room and took the unconscious baggage inside. She dropped the blue thing on what looked like a bed that had been tucked into the wall itself.

There was still no response from the frozen being. If she was going to have any success waking it up, Chrysalis needed to raise the temperature. Unfortunately, even during the Frozen North’s hottest mid-year months, day temperatures never got close to rising above the freezing mark, the temperature where water turned to ice. The changeling looked at the blue alien and the pained expression on his motionless face.

She closed her eyes and ignited her horn, letting out a slow breath as the dark room began to glow a sickly green color. Being drained of energy, it took everything she had to keep her horn lit. Chrysalis stepped carefully towards the bed, lowering her horn as her hooves crept along the floor. Bathing her captive in the warm glow from her horn’s energy, it began to shift slightly on the bed.

It’s mouth parted, and a long groan came out, followed shortly belt the opening of its eyes. Chrysalis took a cautious step back as the alien’s gaze landed on her. They two stared each other down for several moments before the changeling’s lips curled into a toothy grin. “You’re awake... I don’t suppose you can tell me who you are or where you came from. Can you speak? Answer me this instant.”

The blue being’s expression changed from a puzzled look to a more sinister one. “I don’t believe we’ve formally met, so before I disclose my identity to you, why don’t you tell me what manner of creature you are?” Chrysalis was shocked by the alien’s response. His voice, it had to be a ‘he’, was low and monotone, and he had a sincerity to him that caused her to think that he might be more of a threat than she thought. Before she could lose her composure, Chrysalis cleared her throat and stood her ground as the alien rose from the bed, standing tall on two legs. “You’re a peculiar specimen, equine in nature, but unlike anything I’ve seen in the Imperial archives.”

Chrysalis spread her wings and bared her teeth. “Listen here, you insignificant whelp. I saved you’re life, so you now answer to me.” Her display of power and might didn’t seem to phase the blue alien at all. “I need subjects, and until I can take back my hive, you will have to do.”

He took a step forward, meeting her in the center of the room. “You’re mistaken in thinking that I would ever pledge my allegiance you. I already answer to an emperor, and he doesn’t like to share his power.” He turned and approached a terminal on the wall, close to the door. His limbs split into several smaller appendages, like the claws on a griffin, and each tapped and poked on the surface of the terminal as it came to life. “My star destroyer crashed shortly after exiting hyperspace in this system.”

Chrysalis looked up at the ceiling. She tried to imagine the monolith falling from the sky and crashing in the snow. “Why come here? Where are you from?”

He looked over his shoulder at her briefly before returning his attention to the terminal. “Where I come from isn’t important, and we were brought here by forces out of our control.”

Chrysalis puffed out her chest, seeing an opportunity to retake control of the situation. “Well, seeing as you’ve stranded yourself on an unfamiliar world, I’d say you need an ally.”

The alien hit a button on the terminal again, and the entire room lit up. Lights turned on, and internal systems whirred as the came online. He turned around, holding his hands behind his back. “Very well. Until my ship can leave this wretched system, it appears that I have no other alternatives.” Then, he did something completely unexpected. He held out his arm, extending it towards her. At first, Chrysalis mistook the gesture for a sign of aggression, but when no attack came, she understood and raised her own hoof to meet his arm. “I am Grand Admiral Thrawn.”

The changeling smiled, once again showing off her razor-sharp teeth. “You may call me Chrysalis.”

The two exited the room. All across the destroyer, systems were rebooting and turning back on after being dormant for who knows how long. That wasn’t all that was coming back to life, however. The other aliens Chrysalis encountered were also awakening, and the destroyer once again began to stir with life. A pair of beings that resembled Thrawn approached them.

They were clad from top to bottom in white shells, and their faces were covered by frowning masks. “Sir!”

They snapped to attention, one of them even raising what Chrysalis figured to be a weapon and pointing it at her. Thrawn calmly raised his hand, causing the shelled aliens to stand down. “At ease, sergeant. We owe our revival to Chrysalis. She is to be our informant on this new world.” He then motioned for her to follow. “This way.”

Chrysalis eyed the guards as she and Thrawn passed them by. They arrived back at the room where she initially found him. The great windows that had previously been broken were now sealed, and everyone inside moved about as they tried to fix everything that had been broken. As the door closed behind them, Chrysalis felt all eyes land on her, but Thrawn lead her forward as though there was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Repairs will take time, so I want you to tell me everything I need to know about this planet. Who are it’s inhabitants? Can they be reasoned with?” Chrysalis approached the window and looked out at the Frozen North expanding far below. “There is another issue as well, Chrysalis.” Thrawn appeared by her side, looking up at her out of the corner of his eyes. “Have you come across anyone else on my ship or in the wilderness, a young boy perhaps, by the name of... Ezra Bridger?”


***Up Next: First Steps***