"Needless to say, the raid was indeed an astounding success." Glin had been debriefing Calen for the past half hour over the minute details of the operation. "The Imperial shuttle Siren was captured with only minimal casualties onboard and we captured priority target Inspe-"
"With respect, sir," Calen raised a hand to interrupt the older human, "as much as I am happy to have been a part of the mission, what does this have to do with me?"
"We're getting to that, Captain. I promise." Glin said, nodding to him before continuing. "As I said, we captured Inspector Jaria Vaynard alive, which leads us into the next stage of our plan." He flipped a few switches on a holo-project, which projected the image of a planet that Calen didn't recognize. "Rorak 4. Until about fifteen years ago, it was a major production center for the Hutts. Heavy in the industrial work, producing everything from durasteel plating to weapons." He slipped another switch and a creature that Calen did recognize was there - a Hutt. "This charming fellow here is Zobek Desilijic Tiure...though most people would know him as Zobek the Hutt. Fifteen years ago, he took over Rorak and...well, changed it."
"Yeah, Rorak 4. The gladiatorial matches." Calen nodded.
"You've heard of them, then?" Glin asked.
"Sure. He broadcasts over the holonet some to the death matches of various species he's enslaved." Calen said, shrugging. "I don't really care for it, but it's pretty popular among the elites back home."
"Right." Glin said with a grimace. "According to our intelligence, Zobek has developed other interests of late, particularly in the realm of bioengineering." Another flip of another switch and the image changed again. Calen looked upon a snake-like being. While the head and arms were, relatively, humanoid in appearance, this creature had no legs. Instead, its body ended in a lengthy tail that started at about the waistline.
"Well, there's a charmer..." Calen muttered.
"Dr. S'alzarri," Glin said, "he used to be a Republic scientist specializing in xenochemistry. When the Empire took over, though, he was muscled out. Apparently, at some point, he fell in with the Hutts and he's been working on a special project for Zobek. A project that Zobek has apparently extended an offer to the Empire to obtain."
". . .well, that's unsettling." Calen deadpanned. "Do we know what exactly that project is?"
"No. Which is why you're going to find out." Glin said.
"Me?"
"Not alone." Glin waved off his concern. "And it's not as if we're just going to send you to Rorak 4 and demand you break into Zobek's facility to find answers. Even if you did manage to jailbreak out of the Gesaril Prison."
"I had help." Calen said. "A lot of help." The memory of that day was still relatively fresh in his mind. One moment in particular, the moment that Maddox Ordos' life slipped away from him, was one moment he would never forget.
"I know." Glin nodded solemnly. The two men shared a quiet moment, remembering the friend they had both lost. After that silence, Glin sighed deeply. "But, no...no, we will not be sending you in alone."
"I believe that's where I come in, General?" Calen's head turned at the voice coming from behind him. Low, but purposeful, it belonged to a human woman he did not recognize. She had blonde hair that was arranged in a short bob, her eyes were a piercing green as they flittered between the two men as she entered into the ops, and her uniform was also one he did not recognize. She had no swatches denoting her rank, making that impossible to point out.
"Indeed it is." Glin said, gesturing to her as Calen rose to greet her. "Captain Darkhaven, meet Briemi Gilhea, Alliance Intelligence."
"How do you do?" Calen asked, offering his hand. The two shook.
"Nice to meet you, Captain." Briemi said. "As the General says, we'll be working together."
"Agent Gilhea is one of our best infiltration agents." Glin said. "She's run several missions for counter-intelligence."
"Sounds good to me." Calen said. "I don't know why you need me, though."
"Simple. Authenticity." Briemi said. "I can imitate and fast talk my way into being just about anyone in the Empire, but..." She trailed off.
". . .but what?" Calen asked.
"You have...experience in such things, Calen." Glin said.
"Not to put too fine a point on it, Captain, you were an Imperial soldier according to your personnel file." Briemi said. "You know the mentality of one of them, and you can very easily play that role."
"I'll try hard to take that as a compliment." Calen said, a bit of an edge on his voice.
"Take it as you like," Briemi said, "but you are one of the most qualified people to accompany me on this mission. And I would be stupid to not utilize you."
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Calen said, laughing a bit in spite of himself.
"Never stopped me before." Briemi replied with a smile.
The next day was spent in preparation. Calen was swiftly informed that he wouldn't be posing as Inspector Jaria Vanyard, but as her chief of staff. Agent Gilhea was taking that role, which suited him fine. She was, after all, apparently one of the best at this sort of thing. In his barracks for what would be the last time in a while, he stared at a datapad that was ready to have a message recorded onto it. This was a rare thing, but something Glin had instituted as a last message to loved ones or something of the sort for those left behind after going on a dangerous mission.
Who would he record for, though? Glin? Niyasa? Rook? Tessa? They'd be about the only ones. Even if the Alliance could get a message back to Coruscant, would his mother or father ever accept it or view it? Eventually, he settled on just some instructions for the few meager things he had to be taken to various people, in particular the journal he'd recorded concerning his practicing his Force abilities to go to Niyasa. Perhaps, he thought, she might use it to help others learn. Create more Lost Knights. After recording, he smiled as he handed the datapad off to the service droid and resumed packing up his equipment.
"I'm afraid I have no use for excuses."
"Admiral Darkhaven, we-"
"Excuses." Corrin Dax was rather pleased to have the Fleet Admiral for a boss. Not only did he have another pair of squares to his insignia plaque and had a ship of his own - the I.S.S. Dispatcher - at long last, but he was now having a far, far better chance of not having his skin flayed for even the slightest infraction. Yes, Thaddeus Darkhaven was a far better boss than Maltus Ayro had been. "And I have no use for any of them. We have been tasked with rooting our the Rebels. I will accept nothing less."
"With respect, sir, we've been trying." The holo-image of one of his fellow captains flickered. "The Rebels have managed to elude us at every step!"
"An effective commander finds a way to beat the odds, not hide behind them." Darkhaven's image stood in the middle of them all, the ethereal form of his eyes flickering between the gathered men. "Dax. What have you found?"
"Commscans had detected the remains of a Rebel base on Ejolus," Dax answered. "Unfortunately, sweeps of the area have revealed no solid evidence as to where they were going from there. They're doing their utmost to cover their tracks."
"That sounds li-"
"Simulations have projected them as heading toward the Bogden system." Dax finished his statement quickly.
"Based upon what data?" One of the other captains gathered spoke up.
"Previous Rebel bases that have been discovered. Records of interrogations." Dax replied, almost off-handedly. "With your permission, Admiral, I wi-"
"Take the Dispatcher and go to the Bogden system, Captain. Use whatever means are necessary to find those Rebels." Darkhaven said. "The rest of you will defer to Captain Dax. If you should find any information that he has not, you are to send it to him. Is that understood?" A chorus of various affirmations came through the holo-projections. "You are dismissed." Dax started to reach for the button to terminate his connection. "Not you, Dax. You stay." Dax nodded, retracting his hand as he watched the images of the other captains disappeared.
"Sir?" Dax asked.
"Your information." Darkhaven said. "Has it said anything about him?"
"No, sir." Dax said. "Though I have some suspicions that he is with them or at least involved in their operations."
"After reading your reports on the Incident in the Minos Cluster, I hold no doubt of that." Darkhaven said. "If you do encounter him, I wish to be told. Immediately."
"Of course, sir." Dax nodded.
"Very well. You have your orders. For the Empire."
"For the Empire." Dax repeated, watching as the image of Thaddeus Darkhaven winked out of existence. He turned and started toward the doors to the bridge. It was time for them to set a new course...
"You clean up rather well, Commander Symmach." Calen had just hooked the last code cylinder into his uniform tunic, buttoning it up. His alias, Croll Symmach, holder of the rank of Commander and was Inspector Vanyard's Chief of Staff. At the present, they shared a cell in the Rebel base. Now, "Croll Symmach" and "Jaria Vanyard" were onboard the shuttle Siren, preparing to disembark.
Briemi had dressed up in a dress uniform, having the insignia to mark herself as an Inspector, and was now entering the cockpit where Calen sat in the co-pilot's chair.
"Thank you." Calen took a glance into one of the currently blank screens that monitored the shuttle's status. He'd shaved down the stubble to get back into regulation, even his hair had had to be clipped in order to sell the illusion. "All within regulation, of course."
"Of course." Briemi stepped over, sitting into the seat behind the pilot, another Rebel agent who had been come in for this mission. "All good, Tyr?" She asked.
"Good as ever, boss." The pilot said.
"Captain, this is Ismaken Tyrland. We call him Tyr." Briemi said, introducting the two.
"We actually got to meet and greet a bit ago, but thank you." Calen said. "Again, nice to meet you, Tyr."
"Likewise, Captain." The human smiled. "Looks like we've got another passenger coming on."
"Ah, yes. The droid." Calen said, turning to see the RA-7 protocol droid making its way up the ramp, the Imperial insignia stamped on its abdomen.
"4A-7 reporting for duty." The droid chirped.
"Alright, then Ae-Four." Briemi said. "Take the seat behind Commander Symmach." The droid nodded its insectoid head, shambling toward and taking the chair behind Calen. Calen had to admit, Glin did good work. Even for an old slicer out of practice, he'd managed to hack and reprogram the droid for their purposes.
"Ae-Four has all of our chain codes and other forms of identification." Briemi said.
"Shuttle Siren, your crew compliment has been reached." The comms crackled with the voice of the soldier running the control from ops spoke up. They'd heard the last of the troops getting aboard, all having girded themselves in Stormtrooper armor.
"Acknowledged, Comms," Tyr said, "finishing up final checks." He checked the equipment, seeing the readouts of the various systems. "Alright, all lights are clean. Preparing for takeoff."
"Acknowledged, Shuttle Siren. May the Force be with you." The hangar opened up above them, and Tyr maneuvered the shuttle up through them with a gentle push of the thrusters, heading up through the swamps and into the atmosphere.
"Shields up." The shields were powered on within the safe zone of exiting the moon's atmosphere.
"All lights are green." Calen said, checking the sensor readings. "No Imperial patrols and very little traffic. We've clear."
"Preparing for the jump into hyperspace." Tyr said, flipping a few switches along the controls above. The hyperdrive roared into life and real space began to swim and blur until it vanished, replaced only by the long tunnel of hyperspace.
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