Dependable Barriss

“I assume you’ve made the necessary preparations?”

“Precisely as you instructed, Master.”

She eyed Yena’s taut stance, looking for anything that wasn’t as it should be even though she had already checked twice.

My life is in her hands, she mused but if anything, she felt secure. She knew Yena would rather die than fail her.

“Go,” she said before she found another way to waste time. “And do not lose control.”

“Yes Master,” the mirialan Inquisitor said shortly and then bowed. She reminded her far too much of herself and she had no need to turn around to see that there was a knowing smile on Ahsoka’s face.

“You know,” Ahsoka threw in as Yena entered the docked Advanced TIE-fighter. “She rem–“

“Don’t say it,” she sneered, keeping her eyes forwards. The dam she had built around the roiling sea of emotions within her had cracked and one second she felt worried and the other she felt regret. Every time Ahsoka said anything, it was something third.

I’ll find a way to mend this, she promised the saboteur. If you think she can save you, you’ve gone mad.

The circular shape of the TIE-fighter gleamed red in the shine of the planet and the Inquisitor felt a memory sneak up on her.

I’m not in the mood Barriss.

The fighter detached and started aligning itself towards its jump coordinates. A few seconds later, it was gone.

“Let’s go.”

Ahsoka led the way towards their ride. The togruta had been in an annoying mood ever since the Inquisitor had thrown in with her – or rather been forced to. The knot that would not untie was back in her chest and she was starting to understand what it was. Instead of bringing justice to the brainwashed jedi by slaughtering them all, she was now helping their ideological followers spread the disease they called ‘hope’. It was appalling, but Ahsoka had her cornered. She had her locked up in a much worse prison than the physical one she had hoped to throw Ahsoka into and the irony was not lost on her.

“There you are,” Hoss said once they showed up in the hangar. There would have been a near pitch black darkness if not for the shuttle’s lights.

“Are you going to study more recordings or are we finally getting out of this depressing place?”

“We’re going,” Ahsoka said, refusing to argue the Inquisitor’s decision again. She had kept the recordings of Ahsoka’s doings through the stardestroyer and she had asked Yena to study them. Ahsoka had insisted she could accurately explain what she had done, but knowing Ahsoka and how thorough her plans usually were, it was better to be on the safe side.

“I’ll fire up the engines,” Hoss said, already on her way up the ramp. “Do we have new coordinates or are they still the same?”

“The same,” Ahsoka replied. “The others should be in position by the time we get there.”

The ramp closed up with a hiss of steam and the ship’s sublight thrusters brought it out of the hangar. There was a small and cramped living compartment on the shuttle but she preferred the barren deck of the cargo hold to that.

“Aren’t you going to lie down?” Ahsoka asked half-way through the door connecting the compartments, sounding like she needed to herself.

“I’ll be fine here,” she said and seated herself cross-legged in the middle with lots of space on all sides. “Go to sleep.”

Ahsoka’s tired eyes kept her captive a moment longer before she nodded and stifled a yawn.

“Wake me the moment we exit hyperspace. We’ll have to start the ball.”

Nodding, she closed her eyes and placed a hand on either knee. Meditation worked better than sleep sometimes but she had her doubts as to if she was able to pull it off again. She was still going to try, however.

There is no emotion, only –

Shut up.

Clenching her teeth, she forced out the pensive words Barriss tried to lure her with. The shuttle’s movements were uneven while it aligned itself but once it had entered hyperspace, the flight was smooth and she was able to blot out the sounds both within and without. Only the low vibration of the engines permeated her body but it was a soothing, gentle feel and she let it guide her into a steady breathing and then to a balanced state of mind.

There is no chaos, there is –

Uncontrollable fury gripped her and she hissed through her teeth whilst reaching for an outlet. A metal panel flew from the wall and crumbled like a piece of paper before her and then she fell forwards, narrowly getting her hands up to stop her head smashing into the deck.

Then she could breathe again.

Why won’t you die?

It felt like every muscle in her body had expended its last and her arms gave in. She lay flat on her chest and felt the hard surface of the deck with every breath.

Why can’t you see that you can never win?

Darkness crept in around her even though her eyes were wide open, but she welcomed it. Not even the macabre chittering of insects crawling towards her was enough to induce terror.

Have you forgotten what I can do to you?

She had only to make a simple transmission; a single message to Yena and everything could change. She could capture or destroy all of the rebel ships. She could catch Ahsoka and everyone dear to her. She could have everything she needed in order to eradicate every last trace of the mirialan jedi she hated more than anything in the Galaxy.

And it would be painless.

Except it wouldn’t.

She saw Yena before her and listened again to her trembling words. In the span of a second, all of her plans and all of her ideas were crushed. She scarcely noticed that the chittering faded, the only thing on her mind was the Apprentice she had neglected and the fate she had chosen for her.

You chose for her, she reminded Barriss, not content to let the traitor ever forget what horrors she had doomed the girl to endure.

You knew exactly what she had to go through.

The suffering she sensed in Barriss gave her the strength to get back up and she regretted her decision to stay in the cargo hold. Stumbling along, she made her way towards the living compartment and let herself fall into a seat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ahsoka collapsed on a bunk already fast asleep.

I will remind you why I am still in control.

Her heavy eyelids came down.

Ahsoka won’t be able to save you.

Sleep came quickly.

And so did the nightmares.

“Another burned circuit?”

The technician before him continued staring at the screen as the maintenance log unfolded itself before him. He didn’t say a word until the text had ceased scrolling.

“That seems to be the case, Sir.”

That was the third time in one week they had lost an entire computer rack to some error in the coolant system. If they couldn’t fix the problem soon, they’d run out of spare parts and the entire processing area could be lost.

Along with my career.

He took off his cap and wiped his forehead. The temperature in the room was high due to the hundreds of computers that were never switched off and the scent of heated plastics was thick in the air. From the maintenance terminal he was able to stare across a couple of walkways above the main floor where all the racks were laid out in neat lines. His technicians shuffled about, doing their routine checks while others were conducting actual repairs. Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly – apart from the defect of course.

“Looks like targeting sector G-12 will be down for at least a day, Sir.”

Placing the cap back on his head, he turned his attention back to the terminal and the technician.

“G-12? Where is that?”

The technician glanced over his shoulder and threw up his hands.

“I don’t know, these damn sectors change every day I can’t even –“

“That’s enough,” he said as calmly as he could to which the technician immediately deflated. “I’m as frustrated as you are, but there’s no stopping the expansion. We’ll just have to cope.”

“Yes Sir,” he replied and reluctantly turned back to his work. It was bad that the technician didn’t know the sector but even worse that he as an officer didn’t know it either. The rapid growth of the farming operations spurred on by the Minister had stretched their forces to the point where they couldn’t cover the entire facility with turbolasers any longer. Only the most important nodes in the giant, hexagonal web of farms and fences had cover from the skies and even then, it was difficult to maintain the systems. Almost all of his men had been pulled off their primary task to do secondary or even tertiary duties.

“Sir?”

He was staring a hole in the back of the technician.

“Right.  Make the repairs. I’ll inform the Minister.”

Embarrassed, he turned quickly before it became too obvious. It was a short walk back to the main entrance to the processing area, but the steps felt long and arduous. He knew what Minister Vettra expected of him and he was starting to doubt that he could continue to keep the defenses operational at all times. With the recent catastrophe on ORT45M, any slight was too much to be overlooked.

Reaching the two-part door that made up the main entrance, he reached for the panel next to it. Before he could touch it though, it flashed green.

This is not what we need right now.

Clutching his hands behind his back, he watched impatiently as the doors cranked open. The entrance was large enough to allow computer racks on wagons to pass through and thus it took a while, enabling him some time to observe the party on the other side. Four troopers stood in a square formation, two of them carrying satchels. In the center was a Specialist he had never seen before. Dark-skinned, dark-haired and with hickory eyes, she walked straight at him the moment the doors were completely open.

“Madam,” he addressed her, assuming this was a surprise inspection. “I’m Lieutenant Dukarr.”

She had a limp to her gait and as she halted about two steps in front of him, the troopers marched on completely out of tact. Stranger yet though was the blaster on the Specialist’s belt and her communications device. They were both of a design he hadn’t seen before.

“This is an inspection,” she confirmed. “You and your men will be required to leave. Now.”

Taken aback by the severity of her tone, he nearly took a step backwards.

“My men are in the middle of a crucial repair,” he said swiftly. “Is the inspection that important?”

“It is,” she said and glanced over his shoulder. He followed her gaze and saw the four troopers moving along the walk-ways extending above the rows of computer racks. Those with satchels were throwing down small, round objects every few steps, right next to his technicians in the pit.

“What sort of inspection is this exactly?” he asked before turning to regard her again.

“Your last.”

He didn’t understand.

But his instincts did.

“Son of a – “

His elbow cut-off her outcry while he pulled at the hand holding the blaster with both his. Several shots echoed throughout the area before she lost grip and the blaster was his. A knee to her stomach sent her flailing to the deck on her side and finishing her would’ve been the easiest thing in the world, but there was only one thing on his mind.

My men.

The troopers were emptying their clips into the pit below, slaughtering his men like fish in a barrel but their backs were turned. With hands that felt like they had been roasted and a panic in the back of his mind, screaming at him to run, he took aim and fired.

A shower of sparks rose from the chest of the first, his body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

The second threw himself to the deck screaming; a black, sooty spot in his stomach.

He didn’t get to take a shot at the third.

Nauseating pain erupted from his groin and then the world spun until a shockwave through his entire body stopped it abruptly. Breathing was near impossible and everything was upside down but he saw the blaster exchange hands and knew what doing nothing meant for him.

Rolling aside, he struck her legs and used his weight to pull her down. In the tangle of limbs, the blaster flew from her hands but he ignored it, throwing a flurry of blows against her skull until she raised her arms to parry. Then, he looked for the weapon and found it – just in time to see two troopers running towards him. They weren’t shooting, probably out of fear of hitting the Specialist.

That was a mistake.

“No!”

He heard cries of agony moments before being wrenched aside and thrown along the deck. The hard surface tore through his uniform and added more voices to the choir of injuries screaming for his attention. Trying to push himself back up was like trying to fight back a vibrohammer against his chest, but he didn’t get to be left alone. A hand took his blouse and a second later, a thumping pain went through his skull.

He roared in agony, the taste of iron prevalent in his mouth but he couldn’t see where the strikes where coming from. In desperation, he started firing the blaster and at some point, the blows stopped coming and she let go. Mustering the remainder of his strength, he got to his feet before she could get her hands on him again.

“Surrender!” he hissed, his breathing fast and painful. Someone was screaming for help in the background but he couldn’t afford taking his focus away from her. She was glaring at him, her eyes glowing with fury. Blood trickled from her lips as they split into a mean sneer and he expected her to lash out at him with some final insult, but she didn’t.

“You should surrender,” she talked him back though she was the one with her arms raised. She did sound very sure of herself, but he didn’t spot any reason as to why that would be. Her black uniform was dusty from all the contact with the deck and her dark hair was a curly, soaked mess. She had to be as trashed as he was.

“Why?” he asked, daring a glance towards the walkways as she articulated a response. Of the four troopers, only one moved but he was clutching his stomach and screaming. It was just a matter of time before he was dead too.

“Because you’re outnumbered and outgunned.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked quickly, more concerned than he should be. He played back everything that had just occurred in his mind, looking for anything that proved her words.

“I think you know what I mean,” she said knowingly and turned one of her hands.

A detonator.

They were explosives.

“Don’t!” he said, aware that fear had seeped into his voice. “You’re defeated! What’s the point?”

“What’s the point?” she repeated, her thumb stroking the activation button. Her eyes never left his and he didn’t like what he was seeing in hers.

“The Empire’s slave operation on Forba is over.”

“You’re the ones who raided ORT45M,” he said as it dawned upon him.

“Liberated,” she corrected him.

“Liberated? You killed everyone!”

“You did that!” she shouted, pointing the detonator at him accusingly. “We tried to set them free, but you’d rather see innocents die than have their freedom!”

“They weren’t innocents!” he gave back, matching her tone. He sent a glance towards the trooper on the deck who had grown silent as he tried to make sense of things.

“These are prisoners! Criminals of the worst kind only fit to –“

“They’re ordinary people!” the Specialist broke in. She looked utterly convinced of her own delusions and it left him with more doubt than he wanted to admit. She grimaced and made to explain, but it was her turn to be interrupted.

They’re attacking the planet?

The klaxons proved that someone was attacking, but he was too perplexed by everything to believe it. At the same time, the coms device on the Specialists’ belt beeped insistently.

“You think blowing up a couple of computers will end everything?” he asked, more to stall than out of actual curiosity. He had to believe that someone had heard the shots.

Her eyes went to the coms device for a split second as the beeping turned into a voice.

“Tresher One this is Fulcrum! Blow the charges! NOW!”

He stared at her, his mind racing to find something to say. Her thumb stroked the button carefully and her eyes searched the area. She was hesitating.

“Kaeden!? What’s happening?”

“I’m sorry,” ‘Kaeden’ said but not to him.

“I can’t make it out.”

He raised his blaster.

“What? Kaeden wai-“

But he wasn’t fast enough.

“Launch!”

The sublight engines ignited with a thunderous crash and the shuttle was propelled forwards like a rocket. Ahead of him were at least a dozen similar shuttles or ‘flying boxes’ as he’d taken to calling them; all of them descending towards the cloudy atmosphere of Forba like meteors.

I’m coming, he thought but he wasn’t sure who or what he was coming for. Captain Tikira was dead, Tapham was dying and Hoss was down there somewhere, fighting the battle without him.

I shouldn’t have let her go alone, he hit himself mentally, tightening his hold on the stick. It brought him pain but he didn’t care; he deserved it for being a fool.

“Lock x-foils in attack position-... – squ- … -n.. cover bomber formation charl-…. def-… -nd..”

The short-range coms degraded into nothing but static but he didn’t dare take his hands off the stick to turn it off.

“You got it?!”

Lieutenant Forte held onto the back of Dreem’s seat and had to shout to be heard. The shuttle rattled like they were speeding over rugged terrain and the noise was immense.

“Barely Sir!” he shouted back. “You tried maneuvering this thing? Any of those TIE’s get a lock on us, you better pray.”

He received a pat on the shoulder, much like what Hoss would’ve done and he nearly expected some uncanny nickname but of course, Forte was more composed.

“Don’t worry Sergeant! Just follow the plan and get us down there!”

He wasn’t sure he liked the plan, but it was too late to protest. The bad feeling in his stomach was back but so far, every step of the plan had been a success. No one had spotted the small fleet of ships gathering off of Forba and he guessed that Hoss and the Sergeant had succeeded as well. The only thing that really bothered him was that he had no idea where Adder and Fulcrum were and no one was able to tell him. If the jedi weren’t with them when the battle started, then what were they doing?

Maybe they’re recovering as well.

They couldn’t be in a good state. After the mining moon and whatever happened on the stardestroyer, it was a wonder they were even still alive. It was a wonder that Tapham was still alive.

Not to mention myself.

“Alright Sergeant, show me what you can do!”

The cloud cover started to lighten up and bits and pieces of land became visible below. The moment they broke through the cover of the clouds, they were going to be under attack. Their only chance of survival was getting to the surface before the Empire could muster a proper defense. Otherwise, this was going to be the shortest mission of his life.

“Yes Sir!” he replied through clenched teeth, working his entire body into keeping the shuttle on a steady course as they exited the clouds.

“Evasive man- … Evasive m-…”

Massive lasers showered them in green light but they were missing by far. He still couldn’t see exactly where on the ground they were coming from, but the tall, black towers sprouting from the complex below he saw clearly. Smaller, more rapid laser fire came from them and they weren’t going to miss.

“Hold on!” he shouted and took the shuttle leftwards, but he couldn’t hold it. The shuttle descended into a spin and behind him, it sounded like the entire platoon was slung from side to side. He knew he was able to recover, but with the maneuverability of a stone, there was little he could do to make the journey comfortable.

“Hold it steady man!” the Lieutenant shouted too close to his ears. “We can’t miss our landing zone!”

Dreem didn’t have the time to glance over his shoulder nor even make a comprehensive reply. His focus was on dodging the thousands of lasers outside – hitting the target came second.

Landing at the target, he corrected himself and got the box out of the spin. He’d lost a lot of altitude but the plan was to get down fast anyways. The green tracers mixed with red and he saw explosions at ground level.

Bombers.

Through the chaos of red and green bolts and explosions, he noticed that the towers sprouted from nodes in a massive network of fields on the surface. They ended in flat, oval-shaped landing-pads and landing on them would’ve cut the travel time by half at least, but it wasn’t his mission. With arms stiff as boards, he steered away from them and scouted for his target while at the same time keeping an eye out for possible threats.

“There!” Forte shouted just as Dreem saw what had to be his target; a series of wide and spacious, rectangular buildings with none of the towers in sight around them. He dove straight down, picking up more speed as the Lieutenant called to his men in the back of the box.

Okay Dreem.

Don’t get shot now.

Aiming for a large open space in front of one of the major buildings, he couldn’t ignore the fact that there were turbolaser emplacements bristling with barrels pointing at the sky. None of them moved an inch towards him but if he was spotted, it would be a shot even a blind man could hit.

Also, don’t crash.

The grounds below rushed towards him at an alarming pace. He pulled the stick back with all of his strength and cut the forward thrusters in favor of the landing thrusters. He managed to slow the descent enough that the landing was a safe and gentle bump. With the flip of a switch the magnetic clamps keeping the boarding ramps in place let go and what had been the walls of the shuttle now fell outwards and crashed onto the surface.

“This is it men!” the Lieutenant called, his blaster in hand and raised above his head. “Let’s give those bastards hell!”

There was a roar in the back and then a surge of boots on the ramps as the troops disembarked. While he unbuckled himself, the dustbowl created by the landing became filled with red and blue lasers. The red ones came from somewhere above but he didn’t stay to figure out where. He threw himself from the cockpit with his rifle in hand, landing on his bad arm but it was infinitely better than being caught in the withering fire that reduced the shuttle’s fore to a burning wreck.

Where are the others?

Half-stumbling and half-running, he moved towards the flashing blue lights and found the Lieutenant and his men clinging to steep walls. It had to be one of the hangar-like buildings and touching the walls, he felt the repetitive and deep vibrations which were the product of massive cannons firing in unison.

“Charges ready!” someone shouted. There was a response from the Lieutenant beside him but his words drowned in the deafening howling of ion-engines. With no orders, Dreem raised his rifle and pulled the trigger again and again, firing back at where the red bolts came from but he had no idea if he was hitting anything.

“Take cover!”

He threw himself down as a wave of heat poured over him and a shockwave tore through him.

“Let’s go let’s go let’s go!”

Heaving for his breath, his lungs got filled with dust. The others moved along the wall and he followed, eventually passing through a huge breach which had previously been a hangar port. The men in front of him fired away wildly, every shot returned with a red one. He had no choice but to duck and fire back, hoping he wouldn’t get hit.

“Don’t let them man those walkers! Shoot them!”

Some of the Imperials held up their hands in surrender, some of them kept climbing the ladders to get into their vehicles but most ran for the exits. To their misfortune, the blaster bolts didn’t discriminate between those who surrendered and those who did not.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!”

Not a single Imperial was left alive and as it seemed there was to be a pause, he took a look around the area. There were no less than six AT-ST’s standing along scaffolding with ammunition, spare parts and what else littering their immediate surroundings.

“Third squad – You’re up!”

Lieutenant Forte motioned for the dust-covered troops and they began climbing into the walkers while others started rounding up the wounded. Dreem just stood there again and in the back of his mind, he heard Captain Tikira’s voice scolding him. He wasn’t relieved to know that she would never do it again.

“Sergeant!” Forte called, waving his hand at Dreem. He shook his head to get rid of the choking feeling in his throat.

“Yes Sir!” he replied and pushed to get into the circle of men around the platoon leader.

“Look here,” the officer said with a broken lip. His face was speckled with blood and dirt and when he held out a hand-held holoprojector, he cringed in pain.

 “We’re here,” he said, showing a holographic layout of the entire complex. Overall, it resembled a hexagonal base and his finger hovered at a node near the center. Then he moved it straight across the nearest field to the next node. “And this is our target. We have to take control of this node. It holds a subterranean access gate and a landing zone we’ll need.”

“What about the turbo laser emplacements?” one of the men asked.

“Use the walkers to destroy them when we move out. We’re going across this field.”

He pointed to a barren slab of land between the two nodes.

We’ll be completely exposed, Dreem thought to himself worriedly and glancing at the other faces around him, he knew more shared his opinion, but what other options were there? The roads leading to and from the nodes seemed equally exposed and they would take even longer time to traverse.

“Sergeant.”

Dreem caught the green eyes of the Lieutenant.

“I want you in a walker,” he ordered and did not pause before addressing the others. “Any questions?”

No one said anything.

“Move out!”

The group of troops dispersed and moved towards the courtyard they had landed in. Dreem scouted for a walker he could mount and saw that four walkers had left already and the fifth was about to. Two pilots were busy getting inside the sixth and he didn’t want to delay a second more than necessary. He set off towards it in a sprint, slung the rifle unto his back and climbed up the ladder to get inside the cramped compartment. He hadn’t been in an AT-ST before but he had piloted the lighter, one-man versions the Republic had used.

“Where we going Sergeant?” an old trooper with a bushy gray beard asked. He was on the movement controls and the other trooper, a twi’lek woman with dusty skin was on the gun controls.

“Get us out of here,” he ordered while adjusting the commander’s seat. He wanted to be able to stand on it and have his eyes outside the hatch.

“Yes Sir!” the man said enthusiastically with a voice he was certain he had heard before but there was no time to think about it. He cleared his mind of all interference and sharpened his focus. The shaky movements of the walker rattled his body and pain ensued. A medic would’ve told him to let the wounds heal but if this assault failed, he’d lose everything. He’d rather die down here then watch it happen from afar.

“Lieutenant, the Empire has retreated. The guns are silent.”

Everyone in the walker could hear the radio and true enough, there was no red bolts coming at them outside the hangar. The screeching sound of ion-engines was still there and it grew in volume rapidly. He watched as four TIE-fighters in tight formation flew by, letting off a quadruple volley of green blasts at something on the ground he wasn’t able to see. The hangar was in the way but an explosion and the rise of a fiery, smoky column told him they had hit their mark.

“We don’t stand a chance against that,” the gunner said in a pessimistic manner, taking his attention back to where they were going.

“Maybe not but I doubt they’re going to start shooting at walkers,” he said encouragingly. The walker took a few uneasy steps around the wreckage of the flying box. The pilot was trying to keep up with the others but the remaining walkers had halted near a ditch on the other side of the courtyard. They turned, aimed their barrels high and fired.

The turbolaser emplacements erupted into a shower of fire and parts. The huge barrels toppled and fell down through the turret, crashing through the roof of the hangar and smashing into the ground below. It struck him that the emplacements should have had some sort of shield, but perhaps the Imperial troops manning it had panicked in their escape and shut it all down?

“Keep moving! We need to get across that field double-time!”

The crackle from the coms irked his lekku or perhaps it was the never-ending cacophony of weapons being fired above them. He had no idea if they were winning or losing but he wasn’t about to share that concern with his tiny crew.

“The name’s Dreem by the way,” he told them, keeping his eyes outside the hatch.

“Jeq’ru,” the gunner replied.

“Ghoul,” the pilot said. Dreem found the name odd but he didn’t comment on it, he was busy trying to find a pair of binoculars.

“Follow the others,” he ordered as he found a pair strapped to the side of his seat. Around them on the muddy soil, several groups of troops were spread out in lines several rows deep. They were pretty bunched up but they were making good speed across the open field.

“So,” Jeq’ru said after two minutes of silence. “You were flying?”

Exhaling, he replied while adjusting the lens of the binoculars.

“We’re all alive aren’t we?”

“Exactly,” the pilot broke in and although he couldn’t see it, he was certain he heard the twi’lek snort down below. “That’s what matters, right?”

“I wasn’t complaining,” she said defensively. “I was going to compliment you. I’ve tried flying these things before and I know it isn’t easy.”

He frowned, about to ask if she was jesting before a misstep of the walker sent him into the side of the hatch, relighting the pain in his arm.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he told them, his voice hoarse. He couldn’t take down his arms to protect himself further; he needed both hands to scout with the binoculars.

Looks good so far, he calmed himself and focused on the target node which was well within sight by now. It seemed to have taken a few bad hits. What had been tall barbed wire fences had been reduced to scrap and the few buildings which weren’t piles of rubble had cracks so large in them that he could see them from his position.

Unguarded?

He didn’t dare hope it. Three roads joined at the node to become one which led down to a dug-out. The subterranean entrance had to be there but he didn’t see the supposed landing zone near it.

“Take defensive positions around the ruins. We’re calling in the Freetaa Alema.”

“Ah good,” Jeq’ru said from below. “This battle will be over in no time.”

“Friends of yours?” he asked, infected enough by the optimism to smile.

 “They’re family,” she replied. “My sister is a gunner up there. We’ll have the cover we need, I promise you that.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister?” Ghoul asked from the side in his aged voice and she let out a pout.

“You keep forgetting what I tell you…”

He sunk back, taking a seat for the first time in the walker.  While his two companions discussed, he watched the vehicles ahead of him crowd the ruins and take up various positions in cover. He trusted in Ghoul’s experience and let him pick out a good spot next to some ruins that didn’t look like they were about to crumble. He had an overview of the road leading towards the center of the base and the fields stretching out on both sides.

“Oh look,” Jeq’ru called out and he didn’t have to ask to see what she was referring to. About twenty steps of the walker to his left, he saw dust whirling up and a hole opening in the ground.

“Is that an underground landing bay?” he asked.

“I think it is,” Jeq’ru replied. “It’s huge!”

There was a heavy rumble but it didn’t come from below. He looked up and saw the enormous shape of a corvette descending from the skies. Its guns stuck out like pins from a cushion on all sides and any TIE fighter that approached it was quickly forced back by a hailstorm of blaster fire.

It was beautiful to behold and a tingle of hope caught in his heart.

“The Freetaa Alema will cover the ground assault,” the Lieutenant’s voice rang out from the radio. “First and second squad will go underground – Third will attack along the main road. Wait for the order to advance.”

“Waiting for the order,” he repeated to his small crew. He couldn’t say the task bothered him. He’d much rather fight in the open than in some dark tunnels and with a corvette above them, he didn’t see how it could go wrong.

Yet he kept his eyes open.

“You were very lucky Sir.”

“I’m sure I was,” he groaned at the medical droid. Its syringe-filled ‘hand’ approached him and brief anxiety came up as he looked at it. He felt only a prickle as the droid injected a serum and then the pain started to alleviate.

I failed.

The sound of battle was clear even from within the confines of the medbay which meant that the planetary defenses had been breached. He had failed in his charge on Forba but that wasn’t even the worst bit. Knowing that his men were all dead was worse. Much worse.

Inhuman bastards.

Every muscle was tense with emotion as he glared at the bed directly in front of him. Although the Specialist was shackled and was looking at a fate worse than death, she was still alive and that was insufferable. He wanted to leap at her and strangle her with his bare hands but discipline and training kept him back.

“Lieutenant,” someone addressed him. He turned his eyes on the group of stormtroopers beside him – his saviors and saw one approaching him.

“Yes Corporal?” he replied, distinguishing her by the gray shoulder pad she wore. Decency compelled him to stand from the bench but the Corporal gestured for him to stay put.

“Please stay down Sir,” she said and held out a hand-held holo coms. A green diode was lit on the side and he let out a sigh, already aware of who was trying to reach him before she said it. “Minister Vettra wants to speak with you Sir.”

He took the coms and activated it, watching as Minister Vettra’s severe face materialized before him.

“Lieutenant. I see you survived.”

There was little relief in her voice.

“Minister,” he greeted her formally and then got straight to the point. “We’ve been sabotaged – an explosion in processing area seven.”

“I’m aware of that, Lieutenant. What little fighters we have left are without support and they will be forced to retreat any time.”

“We have a prisoner. One of the traitors who –“

“That’s very well Lieutenant,” she broke in. “I will deal with them. I need you to leave the planet immediately.”

“Leave?” he blurted out in surprise.

“Yes. The Tessarius is not responding to our calls and without them, we will lose air cover. I see no other option than pulling the ground troops underground until reinforcements arrive.”

“But I still don’t see why I have to leave?”

“I’m sending you to the Tessarius, Lieutenant. Move out now, while we still have fighters in the skies to cover you.”

“I understand,” he said and pushed to his feet.

“Good. And don’t change your attire – It might give them a better sense of the urgency.”

The holographic face vanished and he took a look down himself. His uniform was shredded and even torn to pieces in some places. There were bacta patches in several places on his torso and he was half-shocked that he was still able to stand.

It won’t be pleasant when the painkillers stop working.

“Lieutenant.”

The Corporal brought his mind back on track.

“We’ve been instructed to escort you to landing pad four.”

“Very well,” he grunted as he pushed into motion. With work to do, it was easier to forget about the Specialist who had killed his men, but he silently wished he would get the chance to face her before her inevitable execution.

“Thank you,” he said as they moved. Every step sent jolts through his legs but he pressed on with the group of stormtroopers leading the way.

“We only did our duty,” the Corporal informed him without a hint of emotion. She decided to snake an arm around his shoulders and support him entirely without him asking.

“Did you lose anyone trying to get me out?”

“A shuttle will be ready to take you to the Tessarius,” she said, clearly not in the mood for small-talk. “They should be landing as we speak.”

He nodded, trying to keep his focus on the turbo lift at the far end of the med bay. They passed what seemed to be dozens of beds wherein wounded troops or technicians lay. It looked like most of the damage had been caused by blaster fire which meant that there had to be enemy troops on the ground.

This is a full-scale invasion.

There were thousands of prisoners on the planet and if the enemy was able to release them all and arm them, they had themselves an army. If they had proper tactics and made good use of the air supremacy they were slowly gaining, they might even defeat the garrison, but even if that happened, how were they going to defeat a stardestroyer?

They already took down the Exactoris, he reminded himself as he and the group finally entered the turbolift. It went upwards fast and he stared at the landscape outside through the transparisteel windows.

Maybe they took down the Tessarius already?

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

No, he told himself.

That’s impossible.

The northern-most sectors were on fire. He recalled that most of the newly constructed barracks had been placed there which did not bode well for what had happened to the majority of their troops. Still, there were countless red and blue bolts being fired left right and center in the area, most of them fortunately red and it seemed as if that was the general picture all around the sectors he was able to see. Some of the stormtroopers beside him made quiet comments but they were positive.

It seemed as if they were winning on ground level at least.

“Keep an eye out,” the Corporal ordered as the lift came to a halt. “We haven’t had eyes on the landing pad since the attacks started.”

The three stormtroopers who made up the rest of the group fanned out with their weapons at the ready the moment the doors opened. They had a clear view of the entire oval-shaped landing pad and there was no sign of life other than them and the lambda-shuttle parked perfectly in the center. Its ramp was extending below it while pressurized air clouded the two figures moving down it.

“All clear,” the Corporal told him as the reports came in through her helmet coms. She led him towards the shuttle while he stumbled along, wishing he had brought the medical droid with him. The hour it was going to take to reach their destination was going to be unpleasant if the painkillers wore out.

“I’m taking this sh –“

He froze, staring in disbelief at the odd pair coming towards him. One was a togruta wearing a mixture of dirt-red cloth pieces and dark-green armor plates and the other was a mirialan in light-brown clothes with a face that sent spikes of fear through his mind. It felt like he was being pulled back into a nightmare and he didn’t understand why the Corporal started shouting beside him. Her voice was an unintelligible muddle as if she was speaking through a broken microphone but he heard the sound of a stormtrooper firing his blaster clearly.

Then another fired.

Then all of them.

But he knew it didn’t matter.

“That’s enough!”

Ahsoka’s voice brought the swing to a halt.

“They’re still alive,” she protested, her fingers tightening around the lightsaber. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her blood had been heated up by the brief but satisfying fight. The only ones she hadn’t cut down were lying at her feet and with her own lightsaber finally back in her hands, every muscle in her body wanted to finish them.

“They’re not a threat!” Ahsoka snarled, pushing the Inquisitor aside. “Hoss! Shackle them.”

Compassionate fool, she hissed internally instead of following her instinct and lashing out at her friend. There was some sense in keeping the Imperials alive as they might give intel or turn but it was nothing next to the sweet feeling of revenge.

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Hoss said reluctantly. “They might talk.”

She acted the intermediate as she snapped on the binders and Ahsoka gestured with an open palm towards Hoss as if to emphasize the usefulness of keeping them alive.

Mercy is for the weak.

She looked away from Ahsoka’s icy stare. There was no reason to argue with her and they were short on time if the rebels were going to survive.

“The turbolift will take us directly to central command,” the Inquisitor said, leading the way inside. “They won’t be expecting us. It should be simple to cut through them all.”

“We should be able to sneak our way to the command center without leaving a bloody trail,” Ahsoka replied and tapped the controls to send them descending the tower. The acceleration was fast at first but smoothed out within seconds.

“It will take more time,” she snorted, meeting Ahsoka’s eyes in spite of how they made her feel. “And if you’re still hoping that your friend is alive then we need to hurry.”

“That’s second to stopping the Empire here.”

Ahsoka’s voice was determined but the Force revealed all.

“She is close to you?” the Inquisitor asked, affected by the worry spilling from her friend. There was something strange about the way Ahsoka acted, her lips parting several times without a word until finally she had an answer ready.

“She helped me in difficult times.”

“I see,” she replied mutely, catching the look of pain in Ahsoka’s face before she turned. Her eyes moved to the battle outside and as they both observed the battle in silence she was left with a bitter feeling. Ahsoka had withdrawn herself completely, almost as if she was trying to hide in the Force though that was impossible standing next to her. The warm, comforting light that was Ahsoka had been reduced in its shine and it was almost as if there was something missing. As if part of Ahsoka had left her and –

“It’ll be fine,” she blurted out before having thought it through. “We’ll find her.”

What are you doing?

Ahsoka blinked, surprised at first but then she glanced at the Inquisitor, probably wondering if this was another clever insult.

“I mean it.”

Shut up.

She kept her eyes on the world below them in order not to show Ahsoka too much but she couldn’t contain the words.

“I promise.”

Ahsoka said something quietly but the Inquisitor shut it out. The structures immediately below the tower had become more visible and she noticed that the complex was larger than expected. It was a square shape with tall, gray walls surrounding the various buildings inside. The turbolift was headed straight down into a pyramid-shaped building which had several landing pads in the form of oval outcroppings on all sides. The amount of antennae and parabolas protruding the tower they were descending told her that it was most likely that central command was right below them. If the turbolift took them straight there then it would be easy.

“They’re well prepared,” she continued, feeling the turbolift decelerate. Uneven movement caused their shoulders to brush together and it was by sheer will alone that she suppressed the desire to turn towards her friend.

Focus you fool.

There was a shield generator on the ground swarmed by troops and AT-ST’s lining the walls with their barrels poking over the top. Several platoons of stormtroopers crowded the compounds and by a rough estimate there were at least a hundred men down there.

“If we can take out their shield generator they will have no air cover. They would be forced to surrender.”

“It’s well guarded,” Ahsoka commented and the Inquisitor had to agree but it was the only secondary plan she could think of. “It will be tough to take them out.”

“Well, just keep it in mind in case we have to change our –… “

Her words trailed off as she witnessed a dogfight a few clicks away. A TIE-fighter was on the tail of a lone X-wing and the rebel pilot either had a malfunction or he was new. He tried to out-pace the TIE-fighter and was rewarded accordingly. The X-wing’s exterior was peppered with green lasers and it was sent spiraling off to the side in a cloud of fire and debris. It wouldn’t have been of any concern to the Inquisitor if the simple-minded pilot had only gotten himself killed, but as it was, the remains of his fighter were coming towards them.

Straight towards them.

“Stop this thing! Now!”

Deafening screeching started the instant Ahsoka slammed the emergency brakes and the forces sent them into the deck.  She couldn’t see it, but she felt the shockwave and heard the crash of the fighter into the tower. The entire structure shook and flames licked the transparisteel windows, leaving them stained with soot.

“Are you alright?” Ahsoka asked once the screeching died down and the descent had stopped. She tried to get back up but they were a tangle of limbs and the way the cage dangled from side to side against the shaft didn’t help.

“I’m fine!” she shouted, listening in as the metal around them creaked. “It’s not going to hold. We have to get out of here.”

Ahsoka finally disentangled herself and activated a lightsaber. She plunged it into the window and began carving a circle but the cage started sliding. Slowly at first but it was obvious that the brakes weren’t going to last.

“Keep going!” she told Ahsoka and placed her hands flat against the deck. “I’ll hold it!”

The shape of the cage was simple to grasp in the Force, but its weight, the suffering all around her and the strain on both Ahsoka’s and her own souls of late threatened to take away her focus. She grit her teeth hard, pushing her eyelids closed as she willed all disturbances from her mind. She concentrated on the anger, the hatred and all of the immense pain permeating every speck of the battlefield. The dark side filled her with every breath and the more she gave herself to it, the more she felt her focus sharpen and her power increase.

“Just a little longer!”

Hearing Ahsoka’s voice made her aware of the Force presence beside her. It was like a blinding lamp had been turned on and every bit of her body resented it. She felt her lightsaber calling out to be used to wash away this eye-catching stain on the world. It contained part of her presence and wanted only what she wanted, but she did not act upon the temptation.

“Almost there!”

A taste of the satisfaction she could have if she surrendered rose in her chest and she exhaled, trying to forget how much she craved it, but the darkness was unrelenting. It promised her the power to send Barriss back down into the abyss. It offered her the strength she needed to send the transmission to Yena that would change the outcome of the battle.

It showed her how easily Ahsoka would fall before her.

But only if she gave in.

Only if she let go of control.

No.

Never.

“I got it!”

Ahsoka took her by the arm.

“Let go Barriss!”

She relinquished her hold of the cage and let the Force push them both outside with the slab of transparisteel blown out before them. Ahsoka’s grip was hard but necessary as they stabilized themselves in the free fall. The complex approached at such a deadly speed that there was no time to steer or to set their sights on a proper place to land. All they could do was to use the Force to slow their descent as much as possible and then seconds later, they hit the ground.

The first thing she saw was the awe-struck face of a female technician. Her blue eyes hadn’t gotten to the point of fear before a flash of white made her flinch awkwardly and then collapse in two parts.

Move.

They had landed right beside the shield generator and the crackling energy made every hair on her body stand. While Ahsoka sliced through another technician, she activated her lightsaber and cut through the coils, destabilizing the shield generator.

“It’s going to blow!” she called to Ahsoka and then she was back in the fight.

Left.

Three headless stormtroopers fell over and the Inquisitor’s face contorted with dark glee. She felt the dark side guide her blows and she let it, trusting every warning it sent her and followed every instinct it activated. Evaporated blood hissed like steam from the wounds of every soldier she cut down. She didn’t know where Ahsoka was any longer, but she did not care either. The bloodlust consumed her and all she wanted to do was to create more suffering.

Down.

The shield generator’s explosion threw back everyone foolish enough to try and stand the blast wave and while they were down, she killed them effortlessly. Somewhere in the haze of death around her, she sensed disapproval of her actions but she was too far gone to react on it. She leaped at a squad of troopers about to join the action, scattering them with a Force push. Orders were shouted and commands given but soon, all that passed between the troopers was screaming.

And she smiled.

I can’t hear you.

Are you scared, Barriss?

She was inside a building, a large one but her eyes traced only the red bolts coming her way. She maneuvered the lightsaber in her hands with a speed that the enemy couldn’t keep up with, their blaster fire becoming increasingly desperate and inaccurate as she advanced closer and closer.

Now.

Propelled upwards by the Force she somersaulted behind them and thrust her blade forwards. Her enemy went rigid and cried out in agony while those beside him fell on their backs, stumbling, thinking they could escape.

Laughing, she broke that illusion.

One of them put up his arms as if they would protect him. Another who had had the pleasure of watching his friend be cut to pieces was smarter. He tried got back up and run but she simply reached out in the Force, catching him between two tables and then listened with a thrill as his bones were crushed.

Don’t cry.

She didn’t have to scout for her next targets. She sensed the fear emanating from the corner of the building even before turning to watch them scramble together a defense. White-clad stormtroopers fired at her but she jumped along the many beds and tables, dodging every single bolt until she was within the group and then the slaughter began anew.

“Barriss!”

Resistance was nigh non-existent but that didn’t diminish the satisfaction of murdering every single Imperial before her. She couldn’t take a step without standing on a body and as the last went down, she heard a voice calling.

“Barriss! Enough!”

Turning around, she recognized Ahsoka’s shape about twenty strides from her with someone clinging to her under her arm.

Who is this?

The woman clinging to Ahsoka had to be her friend; a brown-skinned rebel in a torn Specialist’s uniform. She looked like she had taken quite the beating and a pair of manacles which had had the chain connecting them severed dangled from her wrists.

I could take them both down.

The swirling darkness within her fast beating heart teased her with the idea and she glanced around herself to make sure there were no one else than the three of them. She was in a medbay and there was a putrid stench in the air. More bodies than she could count on a single glance littered the area but they were alone.

She could take them out.

“That’s enough!” Ahsoka snapped and the Inquisitor made the crucial mistake of looking her in the eye. Defeated, she deactivated the lightsaber and approached the two.

“We’ve got to get to command,” she reminded Ahsoka, taking notice of the way they stared at her. She breathed heavily still and her uniform felt wet and sticky, but there was no new pain.

“This is Kaeden,” Ahsoka said, introducing her friend as if they had the time. Kaeden only stared with her hickory eyes and looked like she had never seen a mirialan before. “She was tied down in here. I think they wanted to interrogate her.”

“We don’t have time for this, where is – “

“We’ve taken the base,” Ahsoka interrupted and gently turned around with Kaeden. “The command center isn’t here. Reports are coming in and it looks like the base stretches on underground.”

“Underground?” she questioned, following the two on their way out. She realized she was clutching the lightsaber in her hand and as she took a few breaths to release the tension in her body, she felt the desire to murder and destroy disappear from her blood. “I was not aware the base extended below ground.”

“It doesn’t seem like anyone was.”

Squads of stormtroopers and other Imperials stood with their hands on their heads in the courtyard. Shuttles and dropships of different types were landing and taking off, carrying wounded, prisoners and slaves to the corvette hovering above. The tall walls the Imperial forces had attempted to defend had been reduced to heaps of rubble in several breaches. As a symbol to their defeat, red banners with the Imperial white cog on it lay torn and sooty on the ground. It was a sight she hadn’t seen before.

“Can you make it on your own from here?” Ahsoka asked once they stood on the steps leading to the building behind them.

Kaeden nodded and slowly made herself free of Ahsoka. She traded a wary glance with the Inquisitor before addressing Ahsoka.

“I’ll make it,” she said clearly but then her voice sunk low. “I’m glad you’re alright, Ahsoka.”

Her fingers tightened around the lightsaber again as Ahsoka flashed the rebel a soft smile.

“I’ll see you up there,” she replied and then turned to watch the woman limp towards a line of wounded queuing up to board the next shuttle.

“Looks like there’s a meeting going on down there,” the Inquisitor pointed out as she walked up beside Ahsoka. A conclave of officers and holo transmitted images of commanders stood under the shadow of the tower and the pyramid-shaped building. They didn’t seem like they were coming to an agreement anytime soon.

“Barriss, come with me for a moment.”

Ahsoka voice brook no argument and when she walked off abruptly, the Inquisitor had no choice but to follow.

“Shouldn’t we be listening in?” she asked, frowning at the blend of emotions she sensed in her friend. She followed her inside a small guard office beside the main entrance to the medbay. There was a desk and a few chairs reserved for a team of three guards but ample space for the two of them to converse.

“Take a look at yourself,” Ahsoka said as they went inside. The transparent panes of glass in the guard office weren’t the best of mirrors, but she saw what Ahsoka meant.

The eyes staring back at her weren’t hers.

“Ahsoka this – … This doesn’t change anything.”

Her face was almost entirely covered in a sticky substance and she didn’t have to check any closer to know that it was blood. The metallic taste sprung to life in her mouth as if it had been splattered in her face only just then and it was nauseating.

“It changes everything,” Ahsoka responded, her voice strained with held back emotion. “This is what the Empire wants. This is what is going to keep you shackled to their cause!”

Bit by bit the azure returned to her eyes and she would not meet Ahsoka’s gaze until it was all back.

“My hatred is for them, Ahsoka. It is for all those who –“

“No!” she said, silencing the Inquisitor not with her voice but her severe expression. She couldn’t tell if Ahsoka was making a threat or not but something made her step backwards.  “I watched you torture and destroy yourself once, Barriss. Back then, I was too afraid to be there for you, but you know what?”

The back of a chair halted her retreat and there was no defense as Ahsoka took the Inquisitor’s hand and placed it against her chest plate.

“I’m not afraid any longer Barriss.”

Even through the armor, she felt Ahsoka’s heart pumping and the rhythm was mesmerizing. Out of breath and without words to express herself, she stood there, staring into Ahsoka’s eyes while butterflies swarmed around inside her stomach.

I’m sorry.

Ahsoka tilted her head, a faint smile appearing on her lips as if she could read the Inquisitor’s mind. Gloved fingers reached up and touched a spot previously covered by a bacta patch. The skin changed between rough and smooth as her fingers went down the length of the montral, but it was painless.

I’m so sorry.

The smile on Ahsoka’s lips went timid and it pulled a smile from the Inquisitor. Soon, she forgot where they were and what had just happened. There was nothing but the glacial orbs and the youthful, but experienced face before her. The curvatures of the white lines formed a beautiful pattern and the Inquisitor saw something she could not keep to herself.

“Your markings,” she said, her smile growing exultant. “That’s your holographic symbol.”

 Ahsoka said nothing but the way her smile broadened, she couldn’t have appeared guiltier even if she did say anything. The Inquisitor continued studying Ahsoka’s face until she noticed tiny, singed lines where her headdress had been.

And then the light-heartedness was over.

“We should return,” she suggested, glancing aside to hide all the guilt that came rushing back to her, but Ahsoka didn’t let her withdraw. She took hold of the Inquisitor’s upper arm and squeezed tightly.

“Barriss…  I just want you to know that if –…”

She trailed off, turning her lips inwards for a moment before deciding to lean closer.

“If you find it in yourself to someday accept who you really are…”

The Inquisitor closed her eyes, aware of what Ahsoka was going to say before she said it.

“… I’ll be there for you.”

The words were harmless yet they could not have had a more devastating impact and Ahsoka knew it.

She knew exactly how to pick apart the Inquisitor and it was hard not to admire it. The strength Ahsoka possessed still surprised her after so many years and she could do nothing but stand there until she was alone in the guard office.

Her reflection stared back at her with pain in the eyes, but it was something else that caught her attention.

There was a clean spot amidst all the blood on her cheek and the more she stared at it, the more her cheek burned.

Then her vision blurred and she smashed the window.

“We need to get these people on ships as fast as we can and then get the hell out of here!”

Lieutenant Forte appeared impatient but he let the others speak.

“We should press on while we still have the advantage,” a red-haired, human Second Lieutenant suggested. “We can take th – ”

“We don’t know how long it’ll be before the Empire receives reinforcements!” another officer broke in. He was only a holographic image but the zabrak male still silenced them with his presence. “They could cut us off anytime and then we’d be forced to fight to the death or leave the bulk of our troops behind. We should pull out now. We’ve already saved as many as we could.”

“Some of the prisoners we rescued say that there’s hundreds more down there,” a Corporal added. She was completely bald with menacingly white eyes and the blue, purplish tone of her skin made her look distinctly non-human though he was sure she was.

“If we leave them with the Empire, they will retaliate the only way they know how; by executing them all.”

“The choice is between saving the thousands we have liberated or risking all of our lives for a hundred. I think I’ve made it quite clear what I think.”

A murmur went through some of the lesser ranks present and Jeq’ru leaned in close to Dreem, whispering in twi’leki.

“That’s Lieutenant-Commander Gatthro Kakatau,” she informed him. “He’s notorious for always staying on his ship and not being shy about sacrificing his men.”

“What an inspiring man,” Dreem whispered sarcastically and Jeq’ru grinned but they both glanced across the collection of officers as a new arrival made her presence known.

She made it.

“Gatthro has a point,” Fulcrum said and raised a hand to stifle the rising protests. “We will be risking our lives but we will not be cut off. I’ve been assured that the Empire won’t be able to reinforce. We only have to deal with the garrison on this planet.”

“How can you be sure of that?” Forte asked and it seemed most of the ensemble were curious as well. “We intercepted several transmissions before we were able to jam their coms. Who’s to say no one picked up the signal? Who’s to say the Tessarius isn’t on its way here right now?”

Fulcrum took a look around at all the faces waiting for her reply. She looked confident enough but there was something different about her since the last time he saw her. As if a shadow was looming over her.

“We’ve made sure they cannot get here,” she said eventually. “Trust me.”

Dreem felt a sliver of disappointment but he wasn’t as vocal as others. He thought back to Adder and her secrecy, catching himself thinking that Fulcrum might not be as different as he initially thought she was.

“I trust her,” another non-present commander added. The holographic representation was switched off and the female voice had been quiet until now. Everyone listened in, however.

“Much of this assault has been carried out with undue haste because we were granted the opportunity suddenly and unexpectedly. We weren’t prepared properly and that is my fault – however…”

He stared across at Fulcrum during the pause, glad to see that she was unharmed. It wasn’t really surprising seeing as she was a jedi, but their powers and what they could survive still made him awestruck.

Perhaps Adder is nearby?

“… However,” the Commander continued. “We need to find out what the extent of this Imperial operation is. Continue the assault underground and get as many prisoners out as you can. With the help of the jedi, you should be able to find those in charge and bring them to justice.”

“But what if it turns out they booby-trapped the tunnels just like on the mining moon? What then?”

Forte was adamant but outcries of protest showered him and the discussion started anew.

Dreem didn’t want to stay to hear the rest of it. He looked for an excuse to leave them and saw Ghoul standing by their walker. He wasn’t alone, someone in an Imperial uniform stood next to him, asking him questions it seemed.

Hoss.

He’d recognize the blaster strapped to her belt any time and as he half-ran towards her, she noticed him and started moving too.

“Hoss!” he called out, his entire face splitting into a grin but as he got closer, he realized that Hoss wasn’t smiling.

What’s going on?

Sliding to a halt, he expected Hoss to do the same but she leaped at him, latching her arms around him.

“H-Hoss?” he stuttered worriedly, placing his arms around her to return the embrace. “What’s wrong?”

“Just shut up big boy,” she spoke into his chest. “Just shut the hell up.”

Ghoul shrugged when he looked at him, offering no explanation. He didn’t know what to do other than to accept that he was going to stand there in the middle of an Imperial base with Hoss in his arms.

The mission must’ve been rough.

She started shaking and her breathing became irregular. He stroked her back in response, trying his best to soothe the grief his friend was going through but questions popped up in his mind. What had gotten her so riled up? It wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to break down once in a while but he had never seen Hoss do it or even suspected that she was the type to do it.

She must’ve flown the wounded back and forth.

He bit his lip. He knew well how traumatizing it could be to see, smell and listen to those who were dying, but she hadn’t shown any signs of being hurt by the sights on the mining moon. Or the incursion she had taken part in.

Maybe she’s just glad I’m alive.

It certainly made him happy to know that she was alive, but she clung to him with such strength that he couldn’t accept a conclusion that basic.

“I’m glad you’re in one piece,” he whispered, deciding that enough silence had passed.

“You too Dreem,” she sniffled into his chest. “I –… Can we talk?”

She pulled her head back and revealed flushed cheeks stained with tears. It was heart-gripping to watch and he hurried to help her wipe her eyes.

“Of course we can,” he said quietly. “What’s on your mind?”

“You deserve to know,” she said through a breath, still clinging close to him. “Tikira... She – …”

“I know she’s dead,” he interrupted, suffering a pang in his chest as he was reminded, but Hoss shook her head.

“That’s not it,” she righted him. “She betrayed us.”

“W-what are you saying?” he stammered.

“She was a traitor, Dreem!” she cried into his face.

“That isn’t true,” he said, refusing to believe what was obviously a lie. “It can’t be true. How can – … Who told you that?”

“The jedi told me she tried to kill them! Why would she do that?”

“No… No I don’t believe it,” he said, shaking his head in denial. There was no way Tikira could’ve betrayed them. It made no sense whatsoever. He had seen the agony in her eyes, the hatred she held for the Empire and her utter devotion to the rebel cell. There was no way.

Surely there was no way.

“Why would she try to kill jedi?”

Hoss voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“I don’t know,” he said and turned around with Hoss still clinging to his torso. “Did they tell you what happened, other than that?”

“No.”

He found Fulcrum still locked in discussion with the other officers and the thought of marching over there and questioning her struck him, but he calmed himself. The jedi were the force for good in the Galaxy. They wouldn’t lie.

But they keep a lot of secrets.

“Once this battle is over,” he said as the feeling in his stomach worsened. “We’ll find Adder and Fulcrum and ask them about it again, alright? They were probably just as shocked as you.”

She sniffled and then looked at him but whatever she was about to say was interrupted by her coms going off.

“I really need to remember to mute this thing,” she sighed and picked the coms from her belt. She held it up so they could both hear the transmission clearly.

“Hoss? Is that you?”

“Tapham!” they said in unison.

“I’m so glad you two are still alive,” the boy said. His voice was hoarse and frightened but at least he wasn’t unconscious any longer. “I thought everyone was dead. I thought – …”

“Calm down,” Dreem said unable to hide a small smile. The boy had been too wounded to even speak before the battle began. He was glad to know he things had improved. “You were pretty ‘banged up’. How are you feeling now?”

“It hurts badly, but you have to listen to me. There’s something you need to know.”

The two of them traded a glance and huddled closer to the coms. There was something clandestine about Tapham’s words.

“Someone gave up the location of our cell but the signal was intercepted.”

“You found out who did it?” Hoss asked quickly, letting go of Dreem to take the coms in both hands.

“No, but we know which ship the signal came from.”

Disheartened, Dreem threw in his guess.

“Captain Tikira’s fighter?”

“No,” Tapham said.

“It came from the Anguilli.”

“They will be overwhelmed without our support, Inquisitor! We cannot stay here!”

“My order stands, Captain.”

“Inquis –“

Shut up, she hissed internally as she cut the link. She was about to burst with anger – not because of the obnoxious Captain but because of the fact she couldn’t just rip her apart. Her fingers tingled to take the lightsaber and cut down the nearest Imperial but that wouldn’t do either.

She had no idea where it would take her, but rather than making a scene in public, she took the nearest door.

“… Inquisitor?”

“Leave,” she sneered, her helmet pronouncing the hostility in her voice. Around her were no less than three technicians staring at her. They stood by their workbenches with tools in their hands, none of them acting upon her command.

“Now,” she ordered before the Tessarius was short three technicians.

They threw glances between each other but as soon as the lead technician started walking towards the exit behind her, the two others dropped what they had in their hands and followed suit. When the door hissed shut she ripped the helmet off and threw it away.

Master.

The last thing she wanted was to fail her, but she didn’t understand the tactic. Why keep the stardestroyer away from Forba when they might just as easily destroy it? Together as Master and Apprentice it would have been more satisfying than anything she had ever done to slaughter them all.

Control, she heard her Master’s voice reminding her. Don’t lose control.

She snorted, her hands still itching to kill those foolish officers who took every opportunity to question her orders.

They should have been executed on the spot.

Of course, there was some use in remaining undercover. The moment they showed their true colors, the Empire would be after them. Not that they would ever be able to find them, but her Master seemed to think otherwise. She seemed to demand caution, but they were assaulting a planet. What’s the caution in that?

The togruta put her up to it.

It was an odd feeling, picturing the togruta in her mind. For some reason, she couldn’t shake what she had seen her do. How she had treated her Master and the words they had traded. There was a deep connection between the two but what consequences it had, she did not know. But she had to believe that her Master was exploiting it.

That has got to be it, she thought and sucked in a deep breath. Declaring for the so-called ‘rebel alliance’ was obviously just a means to an end. They wanted to destroy the Empire just as much as Yena and her Master so they might as well use that to their advantage, but the rebels wouldn’t trust them if they knew who they really were. That’s where the togruta came into the picture. She was the one standing in the way of the rebels finding out and Yena wasn’t really sure why she did it. This ‘Ahsoka’ who was no jedi but not under the influence of the Empire either; she was helping them because she wanted to ‘save’ her Master, but what did that even mean?

It was confusing to the point of a headache, but in spite of that she felt reassured knowing that what she had sensed in the Force was true. Everything was coming together and all she needed to do was to follow her Master and heed her advice.

Control. Stay in control.

She let rage and anger subside within. While the darker emotions empowered her, they also clouded her vision if she sunk too deep and it could end badly. She could fail her Master.

Never.

She distracted herself by taking a proper look around herself.

A workshop?

Her curiosity sparked immediately. It looked to be suited for all manner of droids. Opened protocol droids, mouse droids and other smaller ones littered the workbenches. One unfinished project, however, caught her attention.

This isn’t standard equipment.

The droid’s body was a black, half-hemisphere dome with a crimson photoreceptor located in the centre of its fore. It had a total of five arms ending in pincers sprouting from underneath its body and she recognized it as a seeker droid. The forensic technicians had probably used them in the investigation of the mining moon, which would also explain the abundance of rusty-red dust everywhere. The hand-written label stuck to it was clean though.

Un-operational due to electrical failure?

She couldn’t resist a closer look – especially when that label was wrong.

Should’ve been marked ‘un-operational due to incompetence, she sighed, spotting the actual flaw within seven seconds. There were a couple of loose wires which had been left without insulation in one of its arms and had thus short-circuited the droid’s entire movement system. She couldn’t leave it unfixed and fortunately, all the tools she required were right there before her.

“You’ll be good as new in no time,” she whispered softly as she worked with both hands to revive the droid. It had been a while since she had tinkered with anything and it was more than a relief to try it again. It had been a great passion of hers before the Empire came and she realized she missed it. Perhaps she would find a chance to truly immerse herself once the Empire was destroyed?

“There we are…” she said and put away the tools. The droid’s photoreceptor refocused on her as its systems rebooted. Then, with a few jittery movements, it slowly lifted from the workbench. She invited it with a smile and extended her hand, watching as the droid’s ‘eye’ shifted from her face to the hand. Its arms extended one by one as it slowly crawled unto her arm, its pincers tickling her skin through the uniform.

Like a spider, she mused. It was adorable, but at the same time, extremely deadly.

“You’re a precious little thing,” she praised it with a sweetened voice and nudged its underside with a finger while the droid perched on her shoulder. It responded with a metallic chirp which sounded so much like a purr that she could not stifle an amused giggle. If she ever got the chance, she had to acquire one of these.

“Power off,” she ordered eventually and the droid went rigid, hovering from her shoulder to the workbench. It packed away its arms underneath itself neatly and then powered down as commanded.

That’s enough, the grown-up voice in the back of her mind stated. She got up from the workbench, reached for the helmet and circulated a deep breath. She had wasted enough time refreshing herself and her absence had surely been noted by this point. There was nothing else to do than to exit the workshop and head back to the Captain’s quarters, her original destination.

“Return to your stations,” she snapped at the technicians waiting outside. She had nearly forgotten that they were there and she was amused by the way they parted to get out of her way. It seemed the crewmen had more sense than their leaders and the pattern repeated itself everywhere on her way back. Only the officers dared send her skeptic glances or disapproving looks, but none of them challenged her.

You will all die soon.

It warmed her heart to know. She still had to wait for her Master’s order but she had followed the plan to the letter, save for the small detour.  The only thing left to do was a report and she had everything she needed to appease the Inquisitorius – thanks to the togruta. The foreign lightsaber dangling by her belt was the price that would convince them that her Master’s endeavor had paid off yet again. Her Master had been very fruitful for the Inquisitorius, but seeing as so much had been lost during her recent hunt, a failure would have had dire ramifications. It would have triggered the kind of mission Yena had been sent on, only they would have sent someone who could do more than simply inspect.

They might’ve sent more than one.

She thought about that all the way to the Captain’s quarter where she forced any useless speculation from her mind. It was necessary to appear focused and arrogant before the Inquisitorius. They saw her as just another ambitious nobody and there was no reason to toy with that image.

The holo transmission room within the quarters was large enough to fit a dozen people around the circular table situated in the center. It might have been a good idea to lock the door but she had made it quite clear already that she did not wish to be questioned, let alone disturbed.

She pulled off her helmet and stood confidently before the holographic display as it booted up. She knew the codes to reach the Inquisitorius by heart and after fifteen seconds, the image of a human male in an Inquisitor’s uniform materialized before her.

“Inquisitor,” she greeted him formally.

“Identify yourself,” he said brusquely. The image made all his features appear in some shade of blue which made it difficult to know whose insolence she had to take, but she made sure to remember his voice.

“Twenty-Seven,” she said, already thinking of several different ways she could tear him apart.

“Twenty-seven…” he said thoughtfully, his eyes wandering to something out of the picture. “Ah yes… You were sent to investigate reports made on the Second Sister… One moment.”

A full minute of quiet went by as he read from a list.

“… I sincerely hope you have good news. Or perhaps you’ve taken over the hunt?”

A sadistic shift in his curving lips made him look even more deplorable but fortunately it was wiped away quickly once he saw what she presented.

“Another jedi is dead,” she said, holding out the jedi’s lightsaber like the trophy it was. “I have nothing else to report.”

It seemed like he was disappointed in the good news but he didn’t make a mention of it.

“To the point, aren’t you?”

“Yes Inquisitor,” she replied like the dutiful servant she was.

“Return to Coruscant immediately,” he barked, already in the process of terminating the connection. “You may deliver the price to the Grand Inquisitor in person.”

“I wasn’t the one who killed the jedi,” she said in vague protest but he wouldn’t hear of it.

“The Grand Inquisitor has asked for you specifically. Be there as ordered or face the consequences.”

The link terminated and silence befell her as she digested what she had been told.

Why?

Prickling nervousness throughout her body made it impossible to stand still. She tried to think of anything she had done that could warrant the attention of the Grand Inquisitor, but nothing came up. Of course, the Second Sister had a high rank and the Grand Inquisitor might wish to hold her on a short leash, but why hadn’t she been instructed to keep a close eye on her then? Why not simply talk over a holo transmission, why did it have to be in person?

I can’t keep him waiting.

She packed away her worries and grabbed her coms.

I have to inform my Master, she reminded herself but hesitated. The Inquisitorius would know if she had made any delays in her travels, which meant that she had to order the hyperspace jump immediately. It didn’t leave her with much time to convene with her Master, but she knew Captain Heigen was going to protest again, which could be used as a reasonable excuse to buy her some time.

That was good enough.

She hailed her Master on the coms and waited.