ISB Deputy Director Walker Audenhoen sat upright in his high-backed chair watching several threads of text and associated images update themselves in real time. His hands a blur of motion as he either added information of his own or sought higher level threads of data feed from his corps of assigned agents performing similar duties within their own sectors across the galaxy. Enacted protocols across the Empire had exponentially assisted his very methods of data extraction without the pre-approvals and authorizations previously necessary to cross reference useful data across departments or even differing branches of military. They also gave him the ability to act if he deemed it necessary without having to defer to combating ego and pride. The large monitor within the desk before him continued trailing lines of text that read in headline fashion, Walker assigning each a threat and security level and finally a case worker. Each case worker would be tasked with addressing these lists in order of importance he selected, keeping for himself those he designated as elevated risk or requiring massive assets to contend with. Striking the task key, the groupings of gathered incidences were sent on their way to each respective case worker as the scrolling lines of text ceased displaying on his monitor and would resume from where he left off with the next DD to access the string. Audenhoen had his day set out before him spread between seven different cases that were all transpiring in real time. Selecting each across his desk with the touch of his long slender fingers, they sprang to holographic life within his office, offering him the opportunity to both get out of the uncomfortable chair but also to walk among the cases that were either simple strings of text only or in most cases full images with occasional video feeds and lines of informative detail. Reading through the first image consisting of text only he assembled a small strike force of three Arquitens light cruisers and an aging Acclamator assault vessel within the Abrion sector to respond to an incursion into Imperial mining interests on Rishi Moon. It was his task to determine the nature of the incursion and whom the responsible parties were, any suspected Rebellion involvement deemed highest priority and harshest retaliation. Watching the selected holoimage revert to an affirmative green, he retrieved a glove from the top left drawer of his desk and slid it over his right hand, each digit ending in a succession of three small disks that all illuminated with a tiny pin prick of blue light. Audenhoen pulled at his brilliant white tunic with his left hand to straighten the crease that had materialized when he stood, the material in conflict with the broad shoulders and chest beneath. He focused his intense brown eyed gaze to the green image and touched two of the disks together between thumb and forefinger, making a sweeping motion toward the desk, the image itself disappearing as its holo emitter switched off.
Walker’s intensity kicked up a notch as he surveyed the next case file he had selected for himself. “Chulay Roue.” He said through thin taught lips, “I have you...finally.” Almost losing focus as his mind wandered to the suspected Rebel collaborator and confirmed arms dealer. “I told you I’d have the last word.” A case that could have easily been handled by one of his junior officers, Roue had been a particular thorn in his side since the incident on Charros some time ago, one that resulted in the disappearance of an Imperial weapons cache that had then been used on the other side of the galaxy in a well-organized prison break on Kaal. Walker’s ruminations resulting in the crooked smile adorning his face. He looked at the accompanying data within the rotating image of the Klatooinian, it’s prominent forehead and squat canine facial features betraying the intensity of the man’s mental acuity. The arms dealer was being followed without misstep by asset number 613, no other designation or name was given. Walker touched at his throat to enable a two way link to the asset on the ground. “Asset six one three.” he said with a deadpan monotone.
“Six one three.” A voice echoed throughout the austere office.
Walker continued watching the live feed as his asset responded, Roue in full view from a rooftop vantage point, the buildings in view all dark in color with wide open frontages, other beings of differing species mingling within across small tables, eating, drinking, and inaudibly laughing. He was impressed with his assets feed.
“Detain or extermination?” The voice asked.
“Exterminate.” Audenhoen said without hesitation, ‘this ends here and now’ he thought to himself. Precisely knowing the cadence of directives that would need answers he continued, “Public. I.E.,” Walker finished.
There was no response from the asset only a slight shift in the perspective Walker was unblinkingly staring at. Within that same second the Klatooinian had ceased walking forward and was now headless, the remainder of the body falling haphazardly to the ground. Several patrons of the establishment seen through the footage scattered with arms raised while others sat motionless where they were, a state of shock triggering as parts of the Klatooinian slid from their chests and laps. With a broadening smile he continued to watch as the sourced perspective offered him a quick view of the sky then terminated with a band of static before a flashing line of text reading, ‘link expired’ flared across his view. Audenhoen blew out a breath, extinguishing with it the smile he knew he wore, one that betrayed his professionalism. He swept the holo image from his view with another wave of his hand, returning himself to steadiness. Although there were five remaining cases he chose to actively deal with the case that had piqued his interest from the beginning. A suspected data breach. They didn’t come to his attention often but when they did he always chose them for himself, eliciting an odd form of satisfaction knowing that his adversary was, at the very least, cerebral. This particular incursion taking place in the Belsmuth sector on a moon called Trunion which orbited the gas giant of the Botajef system. “Cerebral and courageous.” Audenhoen said to himself. He filed through the details of the small Imperial outpost that was currently hosting the incursion, finding that the outpost had been decommissioned two weeks ago, yet still constituted a platoon of storm troopers. Detailed intelligence involved with the case informed him that supply and debarkation vessels had been rerouted for other ‘unspecified’ purposes a week ago despite the enormity of the Imperial presence on and around Botajef itself. “Cerebral, courageous and resourceful.” He amended his earlier comment, wondering just how much information those performing the data breach possessed of Imperial protocol and directive. Those actively taking part in the incursion were very close to the core files and would need to be expunged within seconds to prevent data mining. Walker took the initiative and personally accessed and wiped the outpost’s data link to the Imperial networks, leaving the galley files for the commissioned officers intact for the day. Knowing the facility had already been decommissioned he checked through accessible Imperial assets he could assign to, at the very least, remove the contingent of troopers left on base. Availability, despite the teeming shipyards orbiting Botajef, was slim, causing him grave concern. Either someone else was utilizing the same system he was and had already acquired a broader number of available assets or there was a flaw within the system. Either way he would have his work cut out for him today. The first available vessel was the ‘Tangible’ which for some reason was already heading for the moon. Following the same steps as before he assigned the vessel to respond to the data incursion, the holo-image shown its familiar green shade for a few seconds before flickering to a flashing red. “What the hell?” He heard his own voice echoing through the room. The ‘Tangible’ had gone from affirmative to ‘compromised’ through meticulous algorithms in a matter of seconds. He quickly attempted a real time comm link to the vessel and was just as quickly looking at a ‘link terminated’ message at the bottom of the image. Although it meant little in the grand scheme of the Empire to lose a ship, the speed and acuity necessary to pull off the intricate heist in the little amount of time it had actually occurred left a very uneasy feeling coursing through the Deputy Director. The action, he knew, required an incredibly detailed skill set. He stepped back and hardened his muscular frame, folding his hands behind his back akimbo. He furled his brow, pinching together the numerous time earned wrinkles into several ridges of mental resolve. He raised his head slightly toward the ceiling above, “Verbal instruct, list, equivalence and likeness to archive, display.” A new holo-image appeared before him as he leveled his gaze to the blank field immediately after issuing the extremely specific filters. “First inclusion, signal manipulation. Second inclusion, data manipulation.” A lightning-fast list of names sped across his view, slowed only by the addition of the second filter. “Third inclusion, Imperial affiliation.” The list slowed, allowing him to catch and comprehend a few of the names. He brought his left pointer finger to his left temple rubbing vigorously as he contemplated his next addition. “Fourth inclusion, coding slash slicing expertise.” He decided. The list refreshed itself once again, the names scrolling much slower from top to bottom as the fourth parameter established itself within the query at the upper left-hand corner of the image. A wave of revulsion coursed through his body as he watched the list scroll past his view. Although the list was comprehensive and thorough as far as the Imperial data banks were concerned, the thought that any Imperial could be the offender in this incursion sickened him. He had to remind himself that the AI behind the algorithms were unbiased, which brought another thought to his parameter set, “Fifth inclusion, Imperial defection.” In a matter of minutes, the list of potential suspects was whittled from millions to less than three thousand. Although daunting still, the opportunity to correctly identify the perpetrator or perpetrators was at least taking shape. He scanned through the names slowly while contemplating further filters to add to his query, feeling that the answers he sought were within his reach. Those potentialities seemed to grow daily, however. He could not help but pause for a moment to reflect on the overall boldness the Rebellion had adopted since the destruction of DS1, how they plucked certain victories from obvious defeat. He felt his muscles tense involuntarily, his heart pick up its pace as it hammered away in his massive chest and the beads of sweat forming on his brow. Walker Audenhoen had been down this mental path numerous times during the last two standard weeks, its supposition leading him to the same conclusion more times than he wanted to admit. “Sixth inclusion, Imperial collaboration.” He said through clenching teeth. His list refreshed itself as expected but only eliminating one tenth of a percent of its contents. “Seventh inc……..” He began to utter the parameter he knew would shore up the potential parties as the sixth holo image began chiming to his right, emitting a shrill chirp to get his attention as designed. “Hold audio.” He prompted his current project, tapping his right thumb and forefinger again. He walked within the sixth image, gathering the details from the surrounding text and slapped his left hand into his sweat drenched forehead. The real time actions aboard the ‘Tangible’ had placed this case in step with the case he had been working through. The ship had been compromised from within after a brief skirmish with a Lambda class shuttle which had been rerouted from Botajef. ‘Again, with Botajef,’ he thought to himself. He clicked the disks together between his right thumb and ring finger prompting the image to respond to his verbal requests. “Shuttles point of origin?” He asked, the image responding with a simulated flight path and trajectory originating at the Trunion moon. “Video associated?” He queried. A smaller image materialized in the lower right corner depicting a forward view of the shuttle’s cockpit from the bulkhead behind the pilot’s seat. A capped pilot was doing his best to navigate sparking control banks as an officer was trying to put out a small fire erupting from the comm suite. Audenhoen watched with anticipation as the forward view began to be consumed by the light cruiser in question. “Freeze image.” Walker stated, watching on as the image became a snapshot in time. Understanding dawning on him, he could interpret the cruiser’s actions as nothing more than protocol. The shuttle’s comm suite was out of commission, and although being tended to, it would prevent the shuttle from responding to either hails or coded protocols. Although he could understand the cruiser’s response, there remained certain details of corresponding directives that were either overlooked or neglected outright. Switching his attention back to the main image, he clicked together the thumb and index finger this time enabling any active cams aboard the cruiser. Five different vantage points were available to him to choose from as well as the option to view any one of them in either real time or cached memory. He placed his right hand within the assemblage and touched them all with his forefinger in random succession, commanding them all, for the moment, to relay what was transpiring in real time. He saw several shadows blaze past each image, nothing decipherable from any of the perspectives until he turned his full attention to the central portion of the bridge cam. Two helmeted perpetrators working furiously at their respected consoles, one with a data pad in hand sporting an umbilical link to the central data terminal. Their silhouettes looking decidedly Mandalorian. A diminutive astromech, access appendage in full engagement with the ship’s central computer, twisted his dome feverishly before centering its photoreceptor upon the vantage Audenhoen was currently watching the action through. Instinct kicked into high gear within the Deputy Director as he manipulated his gloved hand in a feverish cadence of finger and thumb taps. An aggressive expression stole over his facial features as he digitally fought the efforts of the astromech in view, its photoreceptor shifting from a bright blue to an angry red in response. Although diligent and adept at his duties, he knew he was no match for the processing speed of even the older models of mech droids. With exasperation wearing him down he decided to add the ship to the growing list of compromised vessels but not before hijacking the data files from the cams stored cache, all of them. He swung his gaze quickly back to the frozen image within the third case file he had been working through and studied it for a moment. Shifting his gaze then between the two several times he clenched his gloved right hand and spread his thumb and pinky finger outright and brought them slowly together causing both case files, their holo presentations and associated data to merge into a solitary event. The new, cohesive, image froze in place for a few seconds before displaying everything in an overlapped jumble. A chime in his ear alerted him that his data pull from the archived cam index had completed and he looked upon the cam view of the bridge again with renewed anticipation and awareness. He studied the astromech briefly, noting the color pattern and any other distinguishable features it was presenting and prompted the display to capture and store still images with slight finger taps. Although most rogue astromechs sported differing appendages, this one was new to him. He prompted the view to close in on the appendage to capture and store a close up of its composition before closing in on the two Mandalorians. Certain colors were lost through the cams ability to process with minimal light but a colorful presentation that resembled a game board and a prominent ‘5’ centered upon the figures right pauldron caught his attention. He prompted the still capture several times closing in on the image as one of the shadows from a different feed altogether stopped and turned to face the cam head on. The individual within the cams frame did nothing to hide her features as she stared directly into its hardware. She cracked a smile briefly before training a blaster directly into the feed Audenhoen was studying. He staggered back involuntarily as the image was instantly filled with static. As if on cue, the static laced each one of the live feeds he had at his disposal throughout the image. The ISB Deputy Director, from his tumescent office deep inside Central HQ within the COMPNOR arcology on Coruscant had just witnessed, for the first time, a real time hijacking of an Imperial asset by a Rebel incursion. Another chime rang in his ear snapping him from his ill-timed reverie, “Audenhoen.” Was all he said.
“Sir, one of the cases you assigned me may be linked to one you are currently involved in.” A female voice filled his head, one that was filled with decisiveness and methodical calculation.
“Proceed.” He responded.
“I lost tracking completely on a Gozanti I had been monitoring about five minutes ago standard. The ship itself is not what prompted my attention so much as what it holds, or what I believe it to hold.”
Audenhoen knew full well she had more to add but was intensely curious what her perceived link to his case work was without his prompting. He waited patiently.
“Botajef.” Was all she said, all she needed to say.
A thought gripped his focus for a moment, “Lieutenant Sigurn, contain your actives and head to my office please. Two heads are going to be better on this.” Walker said with sincerity, knowing full well the dangers of embracing pride over wisdom. He turned his attention to the increasingly alarming and exponentially widening scope of the case at hand. He immediately pulled up two still images of the woman who clearly turned her gaze into the cam with purpose and that of the Mandalorian pauldron. Two simple clicks of his fingers isolated the two still captures within the main image and enlarged them to fill the area with their detail. There were more than enough data points, he knew, to identify the woman’s face with extreme accuracy so he decided to begin with the Mandalorian pauldron. Breaking down each segment of the still before him, he addressed the massive data cache at his disposal to identify the ringed checkered pattern. He only had to wait a few seconds before he had his first match. The return information was far more than he expected, displaying the name ‘Sabine Wren’ coupled with a triple digit accuracy percentage. “Providing she is the one wearing the armor.” He amended the findings verbally, doubting anything displaying one hundred percent accuracy. The prominent ‘5’ was left in limbo as the algorithms working in concert had already agreed on the sum of their findings. “Disregard subject identity, what am I looking at?” He verbally commanded the AI working in concert with his efforts. The image flickered three times before resolving several types of the checkered pattern into his view in various geometric assemblies.
“It’s a Dejarik board sir.” The voice of Lieutenant Areti Sigurn sounded out behind him.
“And the Five?” He responded without turning around.
“Would only have meaning to the wearer I would assume.” She answered right away. “Sabine Wren.” She mused from his right shoulder. “Member of Phoenix squadron, Spectre cell.” She continued following the trail of text succeeding a rotating image of the Mandalorian. “Fifth member of the cell.” She surmised.
Walker tapped at his bottom lip with an agitated finger, “Possibly, and I honestly can’t think of a better explanation.” He said a few moments later. “Let’s assume it is in fact a ‘game’ board.” He added, changing the nature of the collaborative effort, and refocusing on the image of the woman that had already been identified. “Captain Miara Larte.” He said aloud.
“Alderaanian, displaced refugee. Has been with the planetary guard for over a decade. Decorated with multiple merits. Ace fighter pilot.” Areti read aloud for both of their benefit.
“And the information you wished to share?” Audenhoen asked.
She walked toward the image and opened her right palm relinquishing the data she had brought with her. The image flickered again while the AI digested the added information, adding the newer data to what it was already presented. The details of the lost Gozanti transport, originating from Botajef, were as the Lieutenant had suggested, less important than the origination of the detailed report, “A mobile command center?” He was truly baffled, “What in the star’s name would anyone need that for?”
Sensing the intense rhetoric within the question, Sigurn didn’t answer it directly. “Sir the relevance, now, is the nature of the command center. It is currently irretrievable, untraceable, incommunicable, and rooted extremely deep into the entirety of the Imperial network and data cache.”
Walker Audenhoen’s jaw dropped as he spun his head to face the Lieutenant. “This is considerably deeper than vessel appropriations Areti.” He paused in thought for a moment looking toward the floor, up at the image before them and then finally back into her eyes. “The moment we task this case with connecting these leads we head down a path we either may not like nor may maintain control over.” He blew out a breath turning his head slowly toward the image again that had consumed his life for the last twenty minutes, knowing full well his next actions could either be case cracking or career ending, perhaps both if the information was sensitive enough.
“Sir, I should tell you now, I’ve directed a sub file to contain each element individually.” Areti said without an ounce of reservation in her voice.
Audenhoen nodded his head agreeably, realizing without a thought given that she was one step ahead of him but, more importantly, she understood what was at stake. Nodding one last time toward the Lieutenant, he turned his gaze toward the image, “Amalgamate.” He instructed. The image flickered a few times before connections were made to a location and finally the rotating image of a Togrutan female.
“Ahsoka Tano. Raada” Lieutenant Areti Sigurn said, just before the entirety of the image collapsed into itself, the holo emitter flashing to reestablish a data link before closing altogether with an audible chirp. The remainder of the images in the office awaiting his attention followed suit, casting the room into darkness.
“Deputy Director Audenhoen, report to Vice Admiral Coburn immediately.” The intra-office comm broadcast through the entirety of the complex.
“Well, here we go.” Deputy Director Walker Audenhoen spoke into the air before him as he removed the glove, tossing it onto his desk. “Keep working but be careful Areti.” He added as he reached the door to his office quickly with his long strides.
“You’ll be fine sir.” She returned.
“I hope you’re right.” He answered and stepped into the corridor beyond the door leaving Lieutenant Sigurn alone in the darkened office.