“Now, Miss Halrun Kal, apply the bacta to the linen…...yes, just like that….”
“Just call me Bren will you already, if I had a family name don’t you think I would have told you by now.” Audenhoen could hear the whispers clearly now, whatever sedative had been administered had been wearing off gradually.
“I am sure you do Miss Bren, it has only been forgotten.”
“Then let it stay forgotten, that was another life….two more units sound about right?” The answering whisper definitely belonged to a native of Halrun Kal, the accent and dialect couldn’t be from anywhere else. ‘Where am I?’ Audenhoen thought, willing the words to fill the air between himself and his attendees.
“I think he is stirring, I can feel muscular response.” It was the woman again, Walker able to feel her light touch as she pressed into the flesh just behind his shoulder blade.
“The monitor registers nothing Miss Bren, perhaps you are imagining the response.” Although personable, the voice was hardly a person, med droid of some manufacture Audenhoen suspected.
“I don’t care about the monitors Felix, I’m telling you there is muscular response. I am going to initiate deep tissue stimulation, this much Bacta is bound to atrophy if we don’t time it right.” It was this Bren again. Audenhoen couldn’t shake the feeling, or thought, that he trusted her implicitly.
Walker Audenhoen could instantly feel a warmth in his bones, a pulsing of diminished electrical current that moved in waves up and down his back with a gradual calm. Despite the pain encountered at various locations along the sweeping movements, the practice was returning more than muscular control to the man. His thoughts began swimming in upon themselves, shades and shadows of the ridiculous chase that had led him here...here, wherever here was. Walker’s mind distanced itself from the immediacy of his body’s personal attention, wavering in upon itself just as quickly with a brief glimpse of Barton Coburn’s body, ‘Barton…’ thinking the man’s name called out to any other internalizations that had strayed down other paths, willing the old fool into complete conscious thought. “Baaarrrtttonn…” Walker formed the words through exaggerated effort.
“I told you Felix...I told you, ...monitors…. Please get Sandr and Areti, they will want to be here.” Bren congratulated herself before securing the droid’s objective. Audenhoen felt a comfort spread through him, wincing internally as the probing electrical waves passed under or through the numerous wounds on his back, but assured that he was in good hands, and in the right place.
“Areti insists we call you Audy. Can you hear me?” Bren asked lightly, whispering the question directly to his ear.
“Yoouu rrr Bbrren?” Walker stammered, his mouth beyond dry.
“Audy it is...and yes, I am. You’ve been paying attention.” Her voice was perfect for her task, comforting with a suggested levity that made him feel more than a derelict or specimen.
“Allwaays listennningg.” He managed through parched lips, the woman clearly reading the outward signs and leaving his side for only a moment before returning with water to his lips. Audenhoen felt the cool liquid splash into his mouth as he quickly swallowed, letting it moisten his throat, “always paying attention.” He finished more clearly, although the words sounded weak to his own ears.
Audenhoen could hear commotion beyond his own room, spacious as it seemed with numerous echoes and warm forced air circulating through the beads of sweat on his forehead. He could feel his body lying in an awkward position, braced from either side with sturdy, yet comfortable, bars of some sort, keeping him pinned on his left side.
“This will only sting for a moment Audy, but we’ve got to keep the Bacta cycling to negate any infection. You had a lot of metal in your back.” Bren informed him only seconds before the promised sting brought an unexpected inhale through his clenched teeth, seething from the short burst of pain before it passed into a warming comfort that was only exaggerated by the continuous pulsing waves of stimulation.
“You have sent for Areti, she is well?” Walker asked while he could of the woman attending him.
“She is beyond well Audy, in a sense you can rest assured her prayers have been answered.” Bren responded, Audy sure there was an accompanying smile.
“Sandr?” Walker asked a moment later, the woman having taken his hands in hers as she kneaded the tissues between his joints and palms.
“Alexsandr Kallus, Audy. It seems destiny has intervened to reunite Imperial Securities Bureau to some degree.” Bren responded, reaching down to take his other hand in hers and repeat the practice.
“ISB...hah!” Audenhoen tried to laugh, wincing from the effort. “It doesn’t exist anymore.” He offered after recovering.
“Perhaps not for the Empire…” Bren said in return, Audy positive the smile was there this time.
Audenhoen could not have thought along those lines in his current state but forced his eyes open to the blinding lights suspended near him, “I had not thought of that...Bren.” He said, his mind spiraling toward opportunities that only now made themselves prevalent. “Thinking like a rebel will take time…” He said, adding an unexpected laugh of his own that caused painful constrictions along his rib cage. He didn’t care as he laughed again.
“That will come easy Mister former Director, especially here.”
“We are on Lothal aren’t we.” Audy stated, sure enough in his previous calculations to remove any form of question form the statement.
“That you are Audy!” Areti shouted from the other side of the room, Audenhoen’s attention drawn to the slight shift of the chair beside his head and the quick change in temperature across his face, the bright lights still providing a blinding white to his open eyes.
“Please, Bren, stay.” He whispered, his former assistant rushing forward with hurried footsteps. Bren squeezed his hand and returned to her seat, only moving herself marginally out of the Chalactan’s way.
The initial waves of hugs and embraces found the Halrun Kal native first, Areti draping her with arms suddenly too heavy to manage and internal sobbing that wracked externally, “thank you Bren...thank you, thank you…” Areti repeated before falling to her knees and smothering Audenhoen’s face with erratic touches.
“Audy, I’ll give you two a moment. I’ll be close.” Bren said, bending down to kiss the Chalactan on the cheek before keeping her word.
Audenhoen was overwhelmed by the woman’s fingers on his face, unsuccessful in any attempt to curb her excitement as his arms were pinned to his sides at his elbows, “I can’t breathe woman.” He said after the somatic attempt had failed.
“Sorry Audy, sorry…” Areti almost shouted into his face, drifting her open palms across his cheeks to hold him lightly about his ears. She traced slow lines across his cheeks lightly with both thumbs before diving in to kiss his lips fully. Backing her head away slightly with his bottom lip between hers, she looked deeply into his eyes seeing the same want and desire that she felt. Without having to ask, Bren had approached her patient, releasing the bond at his right elbow, wincing herself on his behalf for the coming wave of shocking pain that would follow the action she was sure would come. As if prophetic, Audenhoen lifted the arm weakly through a series of painful fluctuations before lacing his fingers lightly through the Chalactan’s hair. Bren immediately backed away again to take Kallus’ hand, leading them both from the room for a moment.
Audenhoen could sense that it was just the two of them in the room but knew it wouldn’t have mattered in the slightest as he pulled Areti close to his lips again, the woman understanding immediately, let him. He closed his eyes for a moment as her lips touched his once again, lost to a warmth and comfort he had never known. The pain in his back forgotten, his past but a memory as he found an internal solace in the span of seconds it took for her to show him what passion truly meant. A passion that melted the reality of galactic civil war into an afterthought, creating a new future within his mind, one free of the harshness of order his entire life had been dedicated to. Free of the shackles he himself had created, Audenhoen felt an explosion of internal warmth within, his muscles responding with a more passionate embrace, pulling the woman into his lips deeper, excitement racing through him entirely just through the touch of her hair between his fingers. In the span of seconds, Audenhoen understood what the Empire never could, what fueled the ridiculous actions of the Rebellion he was now a part of and why they fought with such desperation to begin with. They fought for love.
“I love you Areti Sigurn…” Audenhoen whispered to the Chalactan, hearing her elicit a light giggle in immediate response.
“...and I’ve loved you for quite some time, Walker Audenhoen.” Areti responded, firming her thumbs at his cheeks once more before offering his lips another light kiss, then quickly transferring it to his forehead, despite the beads of sweat upon it that she clearly didn’t care about.
“There will be time for proper reunions, but we have questions Audy.” The voice belonged to Alexsandr Kallus and none other, Audy knew immediately.
Areti kissed his cheek a final time before withdrawing, returning the blinding white light to his vision. “Can we turn those off...or at least dim them Bren?” Audenhoen asked, trying to squint through the brightness.
“Absolutely.” Came her immediate reply, stepping forward to turn off all but one of the inspection lamps, dimming the final to a more appropriate level.
“Thank the stars Bren and thank you.” Audenhoen said with a calming exhale, extending his sincere gratitude.
“Audy, we have Barton Coburn in the locker. There was some degradation to the body, but nothing we cannot work around. We did not contact the body itself through the transfer but have performed subsequent scans.” Kallus dug in to the core of his own involvement, Audenhoen expecting a full debrief on some level at some point from whatever command existed on the rogue planet was pleased that the immediacy of his own agenda was to be addressed first and foremost.
“Any findings Sandr?” Audy whispered the question.
“Not much, the tinge to the lips and visible mouth cavity do indicate foreign pathogens but will need an autopsy to confirm. We wanted to wait for your approval to do so.” Kallus responded, Audenhoen granting consent with a simple nod.
“Of course Sandr, anything else? The wound to the chest?” Audenhoen verbalizing the consent despite the affirmation, but genuinely curious about the chest wound.
“The wounds exhibit forced entry just under the dermal layers, scans confirm a device of sorts implanted just above muscle tissue in his left breast area. Again, we will the autopsy to confirm and remove, but our preliminary assessment suggests it was self-inflicted.” Kallus concluded, suggesting the next step in their collective sequence.
Audenhoen nodded his consent again, wanting the information as badly, if not more, than the former ISB agent seated beside him. “Absolutely Sandr, we need to know...my cam device…” He suddenly remembered, forgetting for a moment that he was strapped in place and rocking his body with shock of pain. Audenhoen winced as the pain passed quickly, “it would only be a small sphere, fits in your palm…”
“Relax Audy, we have it.” Areti answered quickly, pulling the mentioned device from a pocket in the service vest she wore, “and this…” She added, revealing a tightly wrapped white cloth-stained maroon in various spots where blood had clearly leeched through.
“Open that slowly Areti. It is an imprint I took from the forearm of the traitorous slime that served the Directors office.” Audenhoen suddenly felt an aggression vying for his attention, the realities of action and conflict forging the hard edges of his past to contend with the newfound solace.
“Forearm.” Kallus stated, lifting a thoughtful hand to his chin, “left forearm?” He asked, Audenhoen able to focus on the man only slightly from the angle offered.
“Yes. Why?” Walker asked, feeling the rush that always accompanied investigation.
“Your traitorous slime most likely came from one of the training facilities we thought we had liberated…” Kallus began.
Walker cut him off immediately, “Keno, Danth...Y’gall?” He asked, his interest hitting its peak.
“It would depend on the imprint, each had its own mark...its own brand…” Kallus trailed off as Areti unfolded the fabric carefully with both hands. The marking was smeared slightly but all could see the full humanoid skull, some item clenched between sharpened teeth. “That’s a new one.” Kallus answered quickly, “I don’t believe we have that in the database, do we Areti?” He continued turning to the woman seated beside him, her eyes staring into the vacancy of the skulls own.
“The man was trying to tear at it before I ended his life.” Audenhoen added his own testimony.
“Orders I would assume. It would either mean the four we knew about in the past were not the only ones…” Kallus pondered.
“Or the program is still alive and well.” Areti finished for him.
Audenhoen grunted through a fresh wave of pain as the mechanics involved in his recovery renewed a fresh layer of Bacta spray over the linen covering his back, “Areti, that is my personal cam..” He said, gently pointing toward the sphere that remained in her palm, “I had assigned it to retrieve any data it could from Barton’s own feeds within his apartment. The general feed available through the facilities own network provided nothing but feedback and static when I viewed Coburn’s time of death, but I know the man Areti, he would have had a feed of his own running with scramblers active. If so, it will be on this device.” The verbose recitation stole the air from his lungs, Audenhoen wheezing through the final syllables with significant effort before relaxing himself from the effort.
“Audy needs his rest you two. Providing there are no more immediate questions, I would ask that we resume this at a later time.” Bren offered to the group, her immediate objective made clear to everyone in the room.
“Of course, of course.” Areti was the first to respond, gripping the sphere tightly in her palm and leaning over to kiss the ailing man a final time on the forehead as she ran her free hand over his head lightly, “whatever is on here, we’ll find it Audy.”
He wanted her to stay, to continue her promised work right there next to him in the room but was far too weak to even open his eyes through his slight inhales and exhales.
“We’ll get to work on Barton as well Audy, we should have our results when you’re up for reviewing them.” Kallus added his own parting comments with a pat to Audenhoen’s shoulder. The sounds of scuffling feet felt both horrific and warranted as Walker’s mind processed the information. Warranted made sense the more he thought about it, the shuffling of footsteps evaporating with the duo’s departure from the room. He couldn’t understand the perceived sense of dread the parting had placed within his own senses, knowing it was something far removed from a selfish need for their presence alone.
A sudden realization circumvented the tiredness within, his eyes flaring open in realization. “Areti…” Audenhoen tried to shout, a raspy whisper filling his own ears.
Bren pulled her expression into a tight bound confusion, watching the monitors spike the man’s vital signs wildly out of sync.
“Audy, what is it? You need to rest, give the Bacta the time it needs to heal those wounds…” She asked, closing the distance between them, and taking his hand in her own once again, her eyes glued to the monitor above him noting the spiking heart rate that was coming close to an automated dosage of Panexiim.
“The cam...my device…” He was able to say between shallow breaths.
“Is in good hands.” Bren responded, mumbling a cadence of foreign words to a simple melody as she commenced with the light tissue massage once again.
“...there are recordings….I made…” Walker continued, breathing out a nervous breath, “professions...embarrass…”
Bren continued her harmonic song with a hum of pinched lips, a smile threatening to part them into a wide smile, “as I’ve said loverboy, it’s in good hands.” She assured him, rubbing the outside of his hand with her soft touch, her eyes still on the monitor, observing the decrease in heart rate and muscular contraction. “She’s missed you too.” Bren said as the man fell into a calm state of rest, his hand falling peacefully between her fingers with a relaxation she had expected.
✦
“As stated Mam, the damage is complete. We can attempt to scan and restore but it will take time…” Her assistant informed Ysanne the moment the two had reached the bowels of Imperial Intelligence’s vast data archives deep within the headquarters monad.
The information was most disheartening, Ysanne scanning the smoldering ruins of vast rows of storage consoles, each adding to the cloud of residual smoke the air scrubbers couldn’t keep up with. “Do what you can Griff, after getting this mess under control of course.” Ysanne said flatly, shaking her head as she finalized her visual observations, “is there any chance we can restore Timms?”
“That is a long shot, but I will make it our priority Mam, anything else?” Griff responded, data pad in hand and taking notes at a frenzied pace, turning from his stance right behind her to attend to the tap on his shoulder. A resource attendant placed a small case into the Griff’s palm and about faced himself right back toward the lift he had just exited.
Ysanne approached a railing that adorned the edges of the overlook platform to the vast arena of data consoles below, wrapping both hands over the cool metal with a firm grip, tightening her fingers with a creaking of her knuckles as several small fires continued to erupt through the chamber in random locations. Suppressant foams sprayed with confined accuracy so as not to cause any more damage to the room itself, each one causing the woman to wince with a fuming anger that only caused it to roil with abandon.
“Mam, the information you requested from the Sullustan…” Griff offered her the small case which she quickly snatched from him. ‘All this for the sake of the Empire.’ She thought to herself, sliding the case into the front pocket of her tunic. “Griff, prepare my shuttle.” She uttered, narrowing her eyes slightly through her anger.
“Destination?” Griff asked, making sure to keep his Director on the operational side of sanity for the moment.
“Lusankya. I can access backup information from there.” Ysanne issued without turning from the carnage.
“Mam?” Griff asked only through his own confusion, knowing full well Timms had been assigned jurisdiction upon the Dreadnought as well.
“I negated his presence, the archives aboard will be untouched.” Ysanne responded to the query with the information she knew she hadn’t given to the man previously.
“Very well Mam, I will notify the Admiral. Will you be leaving Coruscanti space then?” Griff asked, knowing Admiral Houteche would certainly question himself.
Ysanne pondered the question, taking no immediate insult within the presumption and focusing her intent on any possible destinations that could present themselves. She knew whatever was transpiring was certainly not on Coruscant, and quite possibly well outside of Imperial control. She internally thanked the young man for his diligence and forethought, “that is unknown for the moment. If that changes, I will inform the Admiral directly.”
Ysanne spun from the railing, releasing the railing with an exaggerated push, whisking her past her assistant quickly. Her contingent of loyal troopers parted for her to access the lift’s terminal behind them. She inserted her code cylinder, patting the small case with her free hand, turning toward the assistant once more as the doors slid open, “thank you Griff….good work.” She said before resuming an emphatic entry to the lift itself, her squad of troopers filing obediently behind her. The door slid to a close and resultant hiss as Griff continued processing what had just happened, the rarity itself within her final comment fueling an inner desire to follow the orders with a renewed sense of urgency. ‘Rarity?’ He thought to himself, approaching the railing the woman had just vacated, reaching toward a communications device built into the structure. “That wasn’t rare...that was a first!” He said aloud, grabbing a microphone from the device’s side, its coiled cord unraveling as he brought it to his lips. “Let’s get these fires under control! We will restore everything we can, double shifts if necessary!” Griff all but shouted into the mic, watching as heavily suited individuals below began moving with a little more urgency themselves.
The lift came to an abrupt halt on the building’s ninth floor, offering the most direct path to the internal mag rail system that would deliver Ysanne and her retinue to the facilities massive shuttle’s tarmac. Her personal guard moved out first, assembling in their diamond formation to the grand foyer that bustled with the activity her orders had demanded of them. Ysanne centered herself between them silently hoping there would be no distractions before they reached her personal conveyance, only to have the thought shattered before it finalized.
“Madam Director...Madam Director!!” The shouts came from differing angles, but not from anyone under her employ.
Sevest Ranth held both hands above his head as he waddled his short bulging frame toward her procession. The aged human would only want some basics for his own report to IRB, and she knew she should provide it before departing Coruscant for purely political reasons.
“Mam?” The center right of her guard asked, Ysanne raising a hand to convey her wish for them to stand down.
Despite the other calls for her attention, she focused on the IRB representative exclusively, the press could get their answers direct from the portly man if they wanted any at all. “Ranth only, keep the rest away.” Ysanne ordered her guard, sprawling themselves into a well-rehearsed pattern that would allow only the short man access.
“And what can Imperial Intelligence do for our own Relations Bureau Sevest?” Ysanne adopted a purposefully calm demeanor, trying to focus her attention of the bulging black eyes exclusively and not the poorly managed tangle of hair most were assured wasn’t real to begin with.
“As you know, the damage within this very building has already leaked to the public….” The squat man panted with difficulty, brushing the rush of sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his black coat, buttons opened out of necessity only, Ysanne sure they wouldn’t find their home in any case. She turned toward the others to her left, clamoring for her attention, shouting her name above the raised blasters of her guard, “yes, I see that. Despite regulatory control and strict censorship, they will want to find a story of some sort with which to embellish.”
“I only ask for the basics Mam, so we can establish a credible explanation. From there I can handle those vultures…” Ranth wheezed the statement after rising from his doubled over stance, hands on his knees, sending a hand forth toward the growing crowd to her left.
“Orlan Pique is a Pethak weasel and Shimar Tildei is a cackling mule hawk...the rest are rabble. Let them know it is only a training exercise and nothing more. If they wish to pursue any legitimacy to the statement tell them to take it up with our Emperor’s own offices.” Ysanne stated, turning her gaze back to the short, pudgy man.
“And in reality?” Sevest pressed, Ysanne just as assured that the Relations Bureau would need more than a dogmatic dismissal to work with. “There has been an internal breach of protocol, and some information has been compromised. Rest assured that any compromised data has not escaped Imperial proprietary initiatives. I am currently en route to verify the depth of the breakdown and will reach out to you personally once we have a handle on its scope.” Ysanne fired off quickly, hoping her manufactured diatribe would satisfy the scope of the man’s own directives.
“That will suffice.” Sevest said with a grin, winking slightly through the words. Ysanne understood immediately that the man didn’t believe a word of it but would report her statement without question.
“Sevest...I will inform you, rest assured. We may find ourselves in a position where shared information, if not truth itself, will provide mutually beneficial.” Ysanne said with a surprising level of honesty, even to herself.
“I will hold you to that Madam Director.” Sevest Ranth said with a short bow and gentle wave.
Ysanne signaled to her guard to commence, looking over her shoulder briefly as they stepped quickly away from the foyer’s center, angling for her personal conveyance, and observed the short old man already raising his hands above his head as he approached the conglomeration of shouting representatives, each vying to insert some plausible question in an effort to be first. As her retinue split to allow her entry to the mag rails cabin she could hear the deflated exasperation erupting from the group around the Relations Bureau representative, Ysanne sure the man had injected his own vacuous truth that only furthered the conjoined effort to obfuscate.
Her guard standing although plenty of seats were available, Ysanne found herself appreciating the gesture and the respect with which they unflinchingly and silently carried themselves. ‘I don’t even know their names…’ She thought to herself, although in rush to learn them. She only needed to know her orders would be followed without question, something this particular entourage was particularly good at. The oversized pod rocketed silently down the invisible rails, the guards only shifting slightly from the suddenness. Her mind stretched beyond the simplicity of the obedient guards, wandering down paths she would need to take once she reached the Super Star Destroyer in orbit above them. She needed to locate and confine the information regarding the Imperial projects that lay beyond her grasp, although the statement to her own assistant was also true. Ysanne patted the small case in her front pocket willing the mag pod to carry them faster to the shuttle, needing to access the archives separate from her database planet side on the dreadnought to find the other half of the information she sought. Information that was so remarkably close only an hour prior.
Ysanne needed the finality of her own success. She needed it to verify her own suspicions and those of others that thought her only a fool meddling in arenas she had no business. She needed to present to her Emperor the proposal she knew the information in her pocket would itself verify, the enormity of what her father had begun, a cementing of her own legacy outside of the man’s shadow. The pod began to slow over the rails as it appeared from the tunnel it had been traveling, Ysanne forcing her gaze over the expansive tarmac and her own shuttle that stood majestically in wait for her arrival. ‘Thank you father…’ She thought to herself as the pod door opened. She pushed herself from the well-cushioned seat and followed her obedient guard through, directly onto the ramp of her massive shuttle.