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Description
My OC Karana Saren with Thrawn. Created in Azalea's Dolls Sci Fi Warrior and Sci Fi Warrior 2, edited in Gimp (size of Thrawn's nose, blue highlights in his hair, brightness of his eyes, making Saren's cloak the same color as his and having the same shoulder shape, adding more visible hair pinned up at the back of her head, adding drop shadows, putting both of them in the same pic).

I have them back to back here, as they always should have been, and yet he is slightly overshadowing her, taking the focus (as he should) and putting her a step behind him.
Though not a representation of the actual moment, this picture was done for myself, to depict the rift that begins to form between them and breaks up their long partnership.

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Karana Saren was honest enough with herself to admit that she stood as much in awe of Thrawn's skill and his brilliance as everyone else did, despite the fact that he was usually a step ahead of her. Saren knew she was a better strategist than the average Imperial officer in command of a starship; she wore the proof of that pinned to the chest of her stark white uniform. It had never mattered to her that Thrawn surpassed every record she set, and did it faster than anyone before--or since--ever could. She had confidence in her own abilities, and never resented Thrawn for his.
She and Thrawn had always been good friends, having bonded early with the shared commiseration of outsiders who had broken into a group of people that never wanted them and who avoided the two of them whenever possible. They had become friends quickly, and from there had grown close enough that Saren never minded the fact that she stood somewhat in Thrawn's shadow.
Why then, she wondered, did it feel differently this time?
Because he thinks you belong there, she told herself, pinching her thumb and forefinger together in frustration. Five years ago, she would have quashed that thought before it fully formed in her head. But that was before... Before Endor, before the Empire's fall, before Saren's ship was sabotaged and left for dead in orbit around that godsforsaken spit of a moon, putting her out of action all this time and destroying her trust in her officers and friends.
That was before Jade.
Saren gritted her teeth at the memory of that one. Thrawn did not know that she had seen that little interaction between himself and the former Emperor's Hand, but she had. It was burned into her brain. The cool, self-possession of Saren's old friend and compatriot as he had told Jade, "I rule the Empire now..."
After everything Saren had done to prove herself in Thrawn's eyes; after all his grand words about how the two of them would restore the Empire to it's full strength; to a glory it had never known by properly using the gifts of ALL its citizens, just like they had planned back in the days when they were patrolling the Unknown Regions... After all those grand words, Thrawn had tossed it all aside and declared himself the one and only ruler of the Empire, leaving Saren out of the equation altogether.
It was a blow to the gut, and Saren felt annoyed that she had let this happen. She had told herself years ago that she could only ever count on herself. Trust was a wasted commodity. She was so accustomed to getting burned by misplacing her trust in others that she had thought it would not hurt anymore.
But this one hurt. By the Mother of All it hurt, and she hated that. Thrawn, her dearest friend, closest confidant, the one man in all the galaxy who had ever bothered to treat her like a competent officer--no, not just competent; "gifted" had been his description--for him to turn on her and try to step over her was more than she wanted to think about.
But she must, and she knew it. She must begin thinking about a way to work against his plans. Not to let the hated Rebellion win, of course, but to take control of the Empire on her own.

Description
My OC Karana Saren with Thrawn. Created in Azalea's Dolls Sci Fi Warrior and Sci Fi Warrior 2, edited in Gimp (size of Thrawn's nose, blue highlights in his hair, brightness of his eyes, making Saren's cloak the same color as his and having the same shoulder shape, adding more visible hair pinned up at the back of her head, adding drop shadows, putting both of them in the same pic).

I have them back to back here, as they always should have been, and yet he is slightly overshadowing her, taking the focus (as he should) and putting her a step behind him.
Though not a representation of the actual moment, this picture was done for myself, to depict the rift that begins to form between them and breaks up their long partnership.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Karana Saren was honest enough with herself to admit that she stood as much in awe of Thrawn's skill and his brilliance as everyone else did, despite the fact that he was usually a step ahead of her. Saren knew she was a better strategist than the average Imperial officer in command of a starship; she wore the proof of that pinned to the chest of her stark white uniform. It had never mattered to her that Thrawn surpassed every record she set, and did it faster than anyone before--or since--ever could. She had confidence in her own abilities, and never resented Thrawn for his.
She and Thrawn had always been good friends, having bonded early with the shared commiseration of outsiders who had broken into a group of people that never wanted them and who avoided the two of them whenever possible. They had become friends quickly, and from there had grown close enough that Saren never minded the fact that she stood somewhat in Thrawn's shadow.
Why then, she wondered, did it feel differently this time?
Because he thinks you belong there, she told herself, pinching her thumb and forefinger together in frustration. Five years ago, she would have quashed that thought before it fully formed in her head. But that was before... Before Endor, before the Empire's fall, before Saren's ship was sabotaged and left for dead in orbit around that godsforsaken spit of a moon, putting her out of action all this time and destroying her trust in her officers and friends.
That was before Jade.
Saren gritted her teeth at the memory of that one. Thrawn did not know that she had seen that little interaction between himself and the former Emperor's Hand, but she had. It was burned into her brain. The cool, self-possession of Saren's old friend and compatriot as he had told Jade, "I rule the Empire now..."
After everything Saren had done to prove herself in Thrawn's eyes; after all his grand words about how the two of them would restore the Empire to it's full strength; to a glory it had never known by properly using the gifts of ALL its citizens, just like they had planned back in the days when they were patrolling the Unknown Regions... After all those grand words, Thrawn had tossed it all aside and declared himself the one and only ruler of the Empire, leaving Saren out of the equation altogether.
It was a blow to the gut, and Saren felt annoyed that she had let this happen. She had told herself years ago that she could only ever count on herself. Trust was a wasted commodity. She was so accustomed to getting burned by misplacing her trust in others that she had thought it would not hurt anymore.
But this one hurt. By the Mother of All it hurt, and she hated that. Thrawn, her dearest friend, closest confidant, the one man in all the galaxy who had ever bothered to treat her like a competent officer--no, not just competent; "gifted" had been his description--for him to turn on her and try to step over her was more than she wanted to think about.
But she must, and she knew it. She must begin thinking about a way to work against his plans. Not to let the hated Rebellion win, of course, but to take control of the Empire on her own.