Audenhoen awoke to the incessant chirping of the monitoring device above his head, hearing the change in pitch and cadence as he opened his eyes. He noted that he was lying down as he stared up at the austere ceiling above, trying desperately to remember what had happened.
“Ah, finally, your awake.” The voice came from his right as a mechanical whir sounded, the shroud over his head retreating behind him.
Audenhoen attempted speech but could only smack his lips together for the dryness imparted. “Where am I?” He managed feebly after working saliva around in his mouth. Uttering the words brought with it the realization that his head was pounding with deep, dull thuds, confusing his thoughts beyond simple survival.
“Tagata Taia, med bay Sir.” The voice answered. Audenhoen heard retreating footsteps before the voice, faint, spoke again, “Sir the Deputy Director has recovered.”
Audenhoen thought ‘recovered’ the furthest thing from the truth now.
“I will be down presently.” A return voice responded, heavy accent, recognizable. Mykapo? ‘Hung’ he was certain. He chanced glancing down his chest, feeling an incredible amount of pain in the area but was assaulted immediately by a dizzy spell that sent him drooling down his cheek. He closed his eyes again and slowly settled his head back into the cushioned surface he was lying on as he began probing the area around his breast pocket for holes in the clothing or wounds in his flesh. The pressure of his own touch felt like a stone caught between the eyes and remembered the stun blast with brilliant clarity. His thoughts immediately turned to Areti Sigurn. ‘I hope this was worth it’ he thought to himself as his clarity spread to the endeavor they were silently working toward.
He heard a sharp hiss that sent him wincing in pain as another flash of pain seized his aching head, “Deputy Director, it is good to see you’ve recovered.” The accent could belong to none other than Hung Audenhoen thought.
Audenhoen smacked his lips together again before speaking, “it is premature to call this recovery.”
“Just the same, you are not dead.” Hung responded. Audenhoen wouldn’t argue that point.
“What has she done?” Audenhoen was both curious and strategic.
“It appears she has taken it upon herself to defect outside of Imperial purview Deputy Director.” Hung responded again, a quick tempo to his words suggesting he would rather be somewhere else. “This is..not..my area of expertise you understand, but I have my orders. Do you know where she may have gone?”
Audenhoen attempted to shake his head in the negative, knowing full well the pain would be forthcoming, “I do not Captain, however I can state that whatever she intends will fall in line with the discovery of truth.”
“That remains to be seen. It was wise of you to obtain the data pad in your ‘struggle.’ Audenhoen noted the inflection and gentle pause held for the final word alone. ‘Let the man harbor his suspicions’ he thought, ‘nothing will prove useful if it came to tribunal.’
“I realized that had been the source of the incursion signal when we were planet side Captain, were you able to scan its contents?”
“We were.” Hung paused uncomfortably, “it only holds evidence that our resident AI was withholding key information in your own investigation.”
Audenhoen smiled on the inside, daring not to let the emotions involved betray him. “That sounds relatively damning Captain, and I must say I appreciate your honesty.” Audenhoen tried opening his eyes again, letting the pain run its course through his head, “it would have been easy enough to conceal.”
“That is for others to debate, I have no interest one way or another.” Hung said in response, Audenhoen noting the man’s demeanor despite the arduousness of the task. ‘He’s telling the truth’ he thought, ‘he really could care less.’
“If I may, why you and not Sylde himself. I would like the opportunity to question him on this very topic.” Audenhoen revealed, although the query didn’t surprise Hung in any case.
“We are currently en route to Ambria and didn’t want to subject you to a shuttle transfer in your state.”
“Ambria? So, we were able to track one of the outbound vessels after all?” Audenhoen was genuinely curious.
“We have, yes.” Hung hesitated, Audenhoen caught it immediately planting a suspicion that it was done deliberately.
“Proceed Captain, you clearly have more to add.”
Hung exhaled deeply, the whiskers of his decidedly un-regulation length mustache catching the forced air as they whisped forward in advance of the words that followed, “there is massive Imperial build up heading toward the same objective Deputy Director, although I am unclear why.” Hung admitted.
Audenhoen considered the man through multiple prisms knowing Hung had only always been a ‘business first, middle and last’ personality type. “Just following orders then Captain?”
Captain Chenyu Hung surrendered before his eyes. His expression turned upon itself and every muscle holding his features in place betrayed him. His mouth downturned, his eyes became heavy, even the man’s ears sagged slightly. He turned his body to ensure they were alone in the room. “Deputy Director, this fleet operates outside of the Imperial chain of command, it always has.” He began as he sat down beside Audenhoen, something clearly on the man’s mind.
“Speak freely Captain, I assure you in my present state I am not operating within the confines of the Security Bureau.” Audenhoen said bluntly.
“The Captain, Sylde, does not rattle easily under any circumstance. This…” Chenyu paused in thought, “this is different.”
“He’s lost command of his own fleet hasn’t he.” Audenhoen stated, not bothering to mold it into a question.
“Almost entirely.”
“Chenyu, what is the mission?” Audenhoen hoped the man had at least that much information.
“Retrieval.”
“Assets involved?” The pain in Audenhoen’s head became an afterthought as he pushed himself up on his elbows.
“Contingents of the Fourth and Sixth fleets, the entire compliment of the Fifth as well as our own task force. Deputy Director, Tethys herself has responded to the call and is en route.”
As the description was recited, Audenhoen couldn’t help but wonder what civilization was being retrieved, what city was being redeployed, what planet was being relocated. He looked toward the worn Captain, “what is the objective Chenyu?”
Hung looked directly at Walker Audenhoen through weary eyes, “an individual.”
“One person?” Audenhoen almost laughed as Hung nodded his head, “I don’t really know what to say.”
“Orders were specific in stating the individual will be allied, but that the target is to be retrieved at all costs.” Hung continued.
“This objective sounds anything but Imperial in nature Captain, I am surprised, then, that Sylde is not leading it.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Chenyu said in a hushed tone as he rose from his seated position, “when you’re up to it, join me on the bridge, we’ll see this through together if that is your wish.”
“It is Captain, I will join you as soon as I can guarantee my stability.” Walker said with a sly wink.
“Very good Deputy Director.”
“Captain...Chenyu. Call me Audy.” Audenhoen said, attempting to swing his legs off the cushion and onto the floor below.
✦
“Captain, you understand I cannot subject this vessel to firepower of that magnitude.”
“I know, I know Commander, maintain your distance but stay within comm range. We’re going to have to power down the Liberator to avoid sensor scans and won’t be able to boost the signal through the relays as a result.” Rex said, eyeing the building armada through the quadnocs as he spoke through his wrist comm.
“It would be wiser to assign R3 the task of removing the ship from the planet altogether.” Ahsoka interjected.
“That confident in our demise?” Rex said in jest as he lowered the nocs to his side, Kowani taking over visuals as she lowered the targeting appendage on her helmet into her field of vision.
“In the interest of a quick pick up if we need it Rex.” Ahsoka returned with a scowl crossing her features.
“I agree with Ahsoka Rexy, a fighter contingent would prove formidable, but the ship can outrun them sure enough.” Kowani said, a gloved finger depressing the aspect ratio activator as she zoomed in on the Super Star Destroyer she had focused on. “Thirteen, not counting the Executor.”
Ahsoka turned fully toward Nara, “That’s a lot of attention.”
“Why not just bombard the planet?” Rex asked, “they have the ability.” He said, returning the nocs to his eyes again.
“I’ve already said, he needs me alive. They will commence ground operations as soon as they locate the proper vector. I would assume they will use my shuttle as a starting point.” Nara said.
“I thought it was powered down?” Kowani asked.
“That wouldn’t matter.” Rex interrupted, “tracking emitter will be active if wasn’t disconnected.” He finished turning to Nara who only shook her head from side to side.
“Perfect...actually.” He said.
Kowani removed her helmet with a chiming hiss, “I couldn’t agree more. At least we know where they will be coming from.”
“Liberator?” Ahsoka asked for feedback.
“I say get it in the sky. I can have R3 join the Commander with a quick jump.”
“Agreed.” Rex added.
“Commander?” Ahsoka raised her own wrist comm to her lips.
“Agreed.” Aturg said as Kowani tore off toward the ship and launched herself up the boarding ramp. Rex turning to Ahsoka out of curiosity but understanding dawning as Kowani emerged moments later under the encumbrance of the sum of their weapons. The boarding ramp closed behind her as the ship lifted off immediately and rocketed into the upper atmosphere toward the Eastern horizon.
“Stow the weapons she says.” Kowani was muttering as she approached them.
Ahsoka only shrugged in response as she turned to Nara. “We will do what we can to help Nara, where do you need us?” She asked as Kowani handed her saber hilts.
“I…” Nara began, realizing she didn’t even know how to respond to the gesture, much less the tactics surrounding their situation. “...have no idea.”
“The SSD can deploy up to four separate battle groups of walkers and support vehicles. Thirteen additional SD’s jump that figure up tenfold. And that isn’t accounting for any LN’s or bombers that may be hangered.” Rex turned to face them, “Orbital bombardment would be mercy in my opinion.”
“We can assist, although in limited capacity.” Zannah spoke up.
“And you two already know what I am capable of.” T’zar intoned.
The group looked upon the translucent form of the quadruped as Thon grumbled in a bristling argument with himself. “I do not agree with our intervention, but I am loathe to turn away from Bendu in crisis.” He said gruffly before releasing a tremendous roar that echoed through the valley. “I will bring hell upon them.” He finished with a stern undertone, the aftereffects of his outburst ricocheting off every stone face the valley had to offer.
No one said a word in the group as the echoes faded into silence, the sounds of Ambria’s night borne insects timidly came to life as a slight breeze picked up from the East. As he had every few minutes, Rex lifted the quadnocs to his eyes again. Centering his attention on the Executor’s hangar bays in turn, he watched as he waited for something to emerge.
“Captain.” Commander Aturg addressed him through static and interference.
“Go ahead Commander.” Rex said swinging his view to one of the Star Destroyers.
“Captain, we are reading multiple new signals entering the system.”
Rex gripped the upper adjustment swivel and panned his view in a wider scope around the building armada above. “I don’t see anything Commander. Any readings on those signals?”
“They do not appear to be Imperial.” Aturg responded, his voice wavering slightly as the interference bordered detrimental levels.
“Commander?” Rex turned his attention fruitlessly toward the comm device, which only buzzed with static in response. He turned to face Ahsoka to relay his concern but found her already approaching his position.
“I think our friend Conda may have helped without even knowing it.” She whispered to him.
Rex chuckled involuntarily, “if that’s the case, things just a got a whole lot more interesting.”
✦
“That’s a hell of a buildup.” Freebo Tam said to anyone who was listening as he placed both hands on the edge of the console he was working. Representative specs blinking in a dull green light populated the screen before him in vast amounts, the accompanied threat assessment screens to his right were becoming a chaotic jumble of confusion as the ships onboard sensor array bounced from target to target to identify the most lethal adversaries.
“It isn’t about match-ups Tam, it’s about execution.” The grizzly voice behind him said with a measured authority that reverberated through the entirety of the command deck. Nohk Cellukt crossed his arms before his massive chest looking intuitively in and through the massive array displayed on the screens of Imperial vessels. “They have been in position upward of twenty minutes correct?” He asked, his voice clear, concise.
“According to time stamps we gathered from the Nebulon-B a parsec or so distant.” Tam responded, “their interest in Ambria must be incredibly selective planet side.” The Sullustan turned himself to face his Captain as he wetted his upper lips with a slippery tongue, “do you want Reece, Shallah...or” he paused a moment to settle an inexplicable trepidation, “or Vomend.”
The Devaronian was silent for a moment as he considered the options, raising a meaty hand to massage his right temple and inadvertently brushing a fingertip over the broken horn above it. “All of them.” He commanded as he narrowed his orange eyes toward the transparisteel and into the black of space before him. “We will deliver our message in the form of manifesto today my friend.”
Tam couldn’t help but gasp in shock as he slowly turned back toward his monitoring screens, his eyes admittedly widening as the scope of the proposal began to settle in, ‘that means Vossy too’ he thought to himself. A sudden wave of inexplicable excitement began to pummel any informal nervousness he was flirting with into absolute submission. His mouth spread wide in a feeling of tremendous joy as he began sending his coded messages to each faction in turn. He found himself giggling outright as he sent the final call to arms to Vomend’s armada, knowing full well the hell his units would bring to anything planet side…. ‘and Vossy’ he thought again with overwhelming exuberance as the thought of a Jedi wielding a lightsaber in battle once again brought wave after wave of euphoria and nostalgia.
“Captain!” a Twi’lek announced to everyone. “Ravager has just decanted!”
Freebo Tam focused on the threat assessment boards again and swallowed every drop of hope he had just manufactured, there staring back at him was not only a new blip, but a new set of blips. Tethys had just arrived and with contingents of her fleet that ran the already chaotic reticles and readouts to a new level of frenzy. Tam swallowed hard as he turned again toward Nohk to see the man’s demeanor unchanged… ‘no’ he thought to himself, ‘unfazed.’ Nohk’s orange eyes burned with an intensity Tam had never witnessed as the Captain lowered his gaze to look upon him, a sly smile creasing the corner of his mouth.
“As I said Tam, today will be a manifesto.” Nohk said for his benefit alone.
Tam gulped hard air and swiveled back to his monitors, trying to find the same level of confidence his Captain seemed to project. His eyes were their own blips of motion as his periphery caught a blinking green compliance. His messages had not only been received but were in the process of being acted upon. Without turning he shouted to his Captain, “Reece, Shallah and Vomend are all en route Captain!” He felt the confidence returning upon his proclamation as the hesitancy to acquiesce to his own fate danced its way out of his mind again. He narrowed his own eyes and looked up and forward through the transparisteel, already seeing the hyphens of destruction illuminating the view.
✦
“Admiral, we have a light freighter on our scopes exiting Ambria’s surface.” Lieutenant Thad Chadmar informed the bridge crew.
“Life forms lieutenant?” Admiral Kendal Ozzel asked, nonchalantly as he looked down upon the man through the crook of his nose and the trimmed perfection of his mustache.
“Negative Sir.” Chadmar responded, a nervous hand upon the lapel of his uniform jacket.
“We will not be chasing shadows today lieutenant, let it go.”
“Sir, I would advise you inform Lord Vader nonetheless.” The counsel of Commander Firmus Piett found purchase in the ears of the Admiral alone.
Ozzel turned on the man without a thought given to the comment, “I will ask your opinion when I deem it warranted Commander, not before.” He almost choked the rebuttal as it left his lips with ire and disdain.
“I meant no offense Sir.” Piett responded with a meek discord, containing the rage stewing within completely from the eyes of his superior. ‘You step too far from privilege’ he thought as the Admiral’s steely eyes continued to bore themselves into his own gaze.
“Non taken of course...Commander.” Ozzel said, the hint of acrid lucidity melting away at his lips as the echoing thump of booted footfalls filled the charged air between the two men. Piett’s gaze falling away first to witness the entrance, Ozzel’s a second behind as Lord Vader plodded his way through the open blast doors and onto the command deck of his flagship. They both could only watch as the man swallowed the light around him only to cast it back in fractured sections in all directions. Vader placed his hands about his waist as he slowly scanned the business of the crew pits, momentarily stopping to take in the sight of the rocky world outside the transparisteel view before sweeping his gaze fully and locking on the two men. Dropping his hands from his sides he strode toward them with purpose.
“Admiral, I want probes dispatched at once. I will assume you have found the shuttle?”
His voice seemed deeper to Piett, filled with mirth, more agitated than normal, but free of the rage that usually set his words ablaze the moment they left the mask.
“We have my Lord. It appears she did not deactivate the emitter.” He bowed a simple gesture then turned his attention toward Piett again whom only nodded his understanding, bowing with a formal gesture toward Vader he backed himself out of the position a few steps before turning on his heel to inform the recon crew pit to dispatch the probe droids.
Descending the steps, his presence alone garnered the attention of the technicians standing by. They rose to their feet before their respective consoles to salute the man.
“Gentlemen. Dispatch quad sentries, delta pattern. Source off this signal,” he said tapping the first man’s screen, “at once.” He finished, then stood back and watched the technician carry out the order. Piett kept his eyes peeled on the status of the order while focusing his thoughts and hearing upon the exchange taking place above him.
“There was a light freighter leaving the planet My Lord, but no life forms were aboard.” He heard Ozzel relay to Vader.
“And why wasn’t I notified Admiral?” Vader’s voice drowned out the tapping of keys, murmuring, various chimes and looping whistles emanating from the equipment around him.
“We were only just notified as you approached My Lord.”
“Admiral, we are both placed in precarious situations, however yours is made manifest in real time as I will hold you accountable for every detail that gets overlooked. Not them.” Vader said, flourishing a thickly gloved hand beside him across the whole of the ships bridge, “you.” He sounded, his voice deeper and filled with venom as he laced an accusatory finger aimed directly at the Admiral’s chest. Vader lowered his finger and brought both hands together before his belt, locking the thumbs inside it, “now. I want the entirety of this planet locked down. No one gets onto or off it. Is that clear Admiral?”
“Of course, Lord Vader.”
“Admiral.” Piett heard from a pit further up the row, “Ravager has just arrived.”
“Excellent.” Vader began, scanning the whole of the command deck once again, his mask stalling on Piett and the probe droid status momentarily before turning away. “With me Admiral.” Vader said then turned out of Piett’s view completely.
“Grand Admiral, I will need you to ensure nothing gets off the surface.” Vader addressed the first of the three flickering holoimages hovering lightly over the table set into the rear of the Executors bridge. “It is imperative that we lock down anything trying to enter orbit.”
“Understood Lord Vader.” The woman replied with a soft nod toward him, her expression impossible to read, “will you require additional ground support?”
Vader considered that for a moment, casting a glance over his shoulder toward a topographical display on a data screen within a tactical assessment console bank, showing a generic depiction of the area surrounding the source signal. He did not see any reason to involve anything more than the three separate divisions he had already intended, but thought backup wise, nonetheless. “I think it wise to be prepared if we are to need your divisions Grand Admiral but for the time being do what is necessary to lock down the planet.” “Understood My Lord.” Grand Admiral Haisava Tethys accepted the task with a bow.
“General Veers, prepare all ground divisions for seek and retrieval. We need the target alive, do what you will with any others in your way.” “Very good My Lord.” The General replied without a shift in stance, his expressions almost impossible to read most of the time. “Do you wish us to wait on the probe data or proceed toward the source signal forthwith?”
“Direct divisions four and five planet side immediately, hold our divisions back until we have confirmation of topography.” Vader said without hesitation.
“My Lord.” Veers bowed his own farewell and ended the transmission on his end as Vader’s gaze swung to the final participant.
“Sylde, I will require your Captains Hung and Mattac for their expertise in low altitude operations, they are still in command of Acclamator class destroyers are they not?”
“They are My Lord, and both are at your disposal.” Captain Evan Sylde responded to his Masters apprentice.
“What is your estimated time of arrival Captain?” Vader watched as the man looked out of view for a moment before returning.
“Thirty minutes My Lord.” Sylde responded, “will you require the Herrell or the Sidious in any capacity?”
Vader winced at the final name, finding it both tragic and vain. He didn’t care who had named the vessel only that it presented a source of anger within him that he couldn’t have scripted any better. “Herrell can join Tethys’s agenda, and we will rely on...you…” the evasion was unintentional he realized but felt ridiculous backtracking at this point, “to provide analytics and logistics should the need arise.”
“Understood My Lord.”
Vader turned his back on the holoimage, those left flickering within the display taking it upon themselves to end their own transmissions.
“Admiral. Prepare the fleet pattern Omega three.” Vader said, his gaze forward again, spanning the decking above the crew pits and out toward space beyond the transparisteel viewports.
“At once My Lord.” Admiral Ozzel responded, who hadn’t left Vader’s side through the brief conference. “My Lord?”
“Speak freely.” Vader understood the interruption and could sensibly feel the direction it would already take.
“My Lord, this build up seems hardly necessary for a single person.” He said with mild hesitation, even with the blessing. Lord Vader began to pace toward the fore of the command deck prompting Ozzel to follow suit, swinging his arms behind his back and locking them together. “Was she not directed here by our own Emperor?”
Vader, who hadn’t removed his gaze from the flourishing colors of Ambria in the viewport, only agreed, “yes.”
“So why not just order her return?” Ozzel was quite confused, his speech indicative of such.
“Because those are not our orders Admiral.” Vader’s voice was softer than usual, his gaze unchanged as he crossed his arms before his chest again with a flexing and squeezing of the synth leather exterior of his suit. His sonorous inhales and exhales doing little to satisfy Ozzel’s need for order and control. ‘I too question the orders’ he would only admit to himself. Why was Thana so important to his Master he had wondered many times over. The woman was feeble at best within the confines of the Force and showed no real potential beyond her probing abilities, but he knew Sidious was leap years ahead of her progress, so, why then, was she so important to him? These questions seemed to never have answers, despite Vaders attempts to identify the truth. He felt a sudden wave of familiarity tug at him. A sensation that something was coming that even the entirety of the Imperial Navy could not contend with. He could identify neither source nor reason despite delving deeply within the Dark Side to grant him vision to see beyond the chaos of reality. It reached back for him; in a plea of sorts, he had never felt before. His soul consumed the Dark Side as he stood there looking out over the reds, oranges, and yellows of Ambria, wondering why fate had brought him here, only to feel the greeting of the Force itself reaching out for him. No. It wasn’t the Force, he thought, it was the Dark Side itself beckoning him, calling out to him with ever increasing intensity and fervor. He knew the history of the planet in plain enough terms to understand its role throughout history but ‘felt’ the ancient stone calling out to him. He ‘heard’ the waters longing for his embrace. He could ‘taste’ its sulfuric bitterness with every inhale as it flooded his remaining organic systems with a talic yearning for vengeance and the squealing of the cowering defeated. The senses tingled with unbridled passion and a renewed flex of euphoric energies coursed through his limbs. Behind it though, he sensed something else. Something less ancient but infinitely stronger as it tore away the power he had been involuntarily building scrap by scrap until he felt not a shred of the vigor he had moments before. Vader bristled with a wave of anger he knew he had to stamp out lest it damage the sensitive equipment surrounding him. He knew there was only one source of power equal to the task of stripping him bare to the circuits with thought alone.
“My Lord?” Vader whirled around, thankful for the interruption.
“What is it Admiral?” His tone freshly deep and incredibly annoyed.
“We are being hailed by a…” Ozzel paused for a second, as if working out the reality himself, “a Mon Calamari Dream liner.”