Agent Kallus grinned triumphantly at the night's work. As he unlocked the door to his office, he counted coup: the rebels were discredited, Vader had their scent, Kallus himself had increased his own prestige, and all in disposing of that bumbling nuisance Maketh Tua…
…who was seated at his desk, meticulously filing her nails.
'Oh, good evening Agent Kallus. Did you enjoy your speeder ride?'
The ISB agent picked up his jaw from the floor only to struggle with words.
'You? How-'
'Human replica droid. Surely you've used them before? Rather surprising where you can find them here in the Rim. This one was a bit flippant, but I suppose that made her role more palatable to you, hmm?'
Kallus' eye twitched.
'B-but how did you know?'
'Come now, did you really think you were the only one with access to the complex's security systems? That a silly girl like me couldn't check a concealed microphone or access restricted files? I spent most of my life in the Core dear, you seemed to think we were playing different games.'
The look of shock never left his face, yet somewhere behind it, there was a brief flicker of something, almost pride.
'Have you ever played sabacc, Agent Kallus? In this particular hand, I happen to be the Queen of Air and Darkness…and you've played the Fool.'
A manicured finger drifted above a control panel, resting on a button with knife-like finality.
'I win.'
The button depressed. A floor panel slid from beneath Kallus' boots, and the ISB man disappeared into the blackness below with a long, irritated scream. Tua gave her nails one last pass with the file, and blew aside the dust.
'Perfect.'