One
A Coin for the Poor Man
I rushed in hard as I dealt with the security droids and I arrived at an office, aiming my lightsaber at the person sitting at the desk. 'Those security droids aren't cheap, Anakin,' she said.
'Let's get straight to business, shall we? You got something that belongs to me,' I said.
'Apparently you do.' She then inserts a disc into a player and I listened to an audio recording of the wedding vows I exchanged with Padmé. 'If this goes out to the press, your career as a Jedi would be over in a matter of seconds. I think the same can be said for your senator wife Padmé as well,' she said.
'You got my interest, who are you?' I asked.
I then stand down. 'My name is Mo, head of the Republic Intelligence Unit,' she answered.
'I heard of you, Palpatine appointed you the head of the unit after he became Supreme Chancellor,' I said.
'Correct, if you're wondering how I came into possession of this information. We began monitoring outgoing and ingoing communication traffic shortly after the war began. That's where we intercepted your wedding vows and figured they could be useful as insurance and potential blackmail material,' she said.
'I want that recording back,' I yelled.
'You get the recording, if you do something not just for me, but the entire intelligence community,' she said.
'What do you want?' I asked.
'We have reasons to believe that there's a mole in the intelligence community. Who's been leaking secret and classified information to the Separatists, most notably schematics of several astromech droids? Does the name R3-S6 mean anything to you?' she asked.
'Yeah I remember, that little back stabbing droid,' I said.
'Well, it turns out that R3 wasn't the first astromech droid to be sabotage,' she said.
'What do you mean?' I asked.
'After your mission to destroy Grievous's listening post was completed. We launched an investigation into how many droids were sabotaged or compromised as the intelligence community puts it. Based on a hunch I have, I gave the go-ahead for a sting operation to capture one of the saboteurs in action. Fortunately, it paid off and we caught him just before he completed his task,' she said.
'Where is he now?' I asked.
'He's being held in a prison facility not far from here,' she answered.
'I'll do it, even if it means to save my marriage,' I said.
'I know you were going to say. If you want, I can take you to him so you can interrogate him,' she said.
We both head over to the prison facility where the saboteur is being held. I entered his cell and sat at the table. 'A Jedi, this odd given that I betrayed them months ago,' he said.
'There's nothing worse than a Separatist saboteur. Believe me, I met a lot of good ones, but you sir are the worst,' I said.
'What do you want?' he asked.
'I just want some information regarding your sabotage operation. Were you the only one involved or were there others?' I asked.
'You've seen the news vids; I wasn't alone in this sabotage operation. Given that there're only a few of us left,' he answered.
'Then you must know who recruited you,' I said.
'Are you offering me a deal? If you are, then it's a deal I won't have any part of,' he said.
'Have it your way, I know a judge who is willing to give you the death penalty for all those lives you claimed during your sabotage operation,' I said.
He then gives in. 'All right, I don't know his name, I received an audio transmission from him. He claims to be an agent of Kroda and offered me a huge sum of cash if I and a whole lot of others sabotaged those astromechs,' he said.
I left the cell and I walked up to Mo. 'So, what did he tell you?' she asked.
'We got a bigger problem, the mole is working for Kroda,' I answered.
We left the the prison facility and headed back to her office. The sun rises as we arrived at the office and Mo sits at her desk.
Mo then checks for messages on her intercom. 'Ma'am, you got a message from Bail Organa,' her secretary said.
'Put it through,' she ordered.
'Mo, this is Bail here. I just got a message from one of your agents. I'll patch it through to you,' he said.
Bail patches the message. 'Mo, this is agent K here. I've got a situation here. My contact on Nar Shaddaa is barely breathing after that vicious attempted murder on her life. It's possible that there's a mole involved, I need extraction before the Separatists can get to me,' he said.
I soon recognised the voice. 'I recognised that voice, its Kitster,' I said.
The message end abruptly. 'This more than a coincidence, I think the mole is working on all angles here,' she said.
'What's Kitster doing on Nar Shaddaa?' I asked.
'That's classified; all you need to do now is find out who the mole is. I'll provide you with whatever resources you need,' she said.
'All right, I need an analyst, a good one too. To go through all the assignments your agents have been on since the war began and to go through the debriefings and reports of each campaign to detect any irregularities,' I said.
'I'll see what I can do,' she said.
'Also if you may allow it, can I bring my Padawan into this?' I asked.
Mo is a little weary about my other request. 'Okay, if you tell your Padawan about our deal. I will release the information to the press. Do you understand me?' she said.
'Of course,' I answered.
I head back to the Jedi Temple to pick up Ahsoka. 'So Master, what's our latest assignment?' she asked.
'I've been asked by the Intelligence Unit to investigate a mole within the intelligence community,' I answered.
'Isn't that a task best suited for them?' she asked.
'It would, but they not sure who to trust,' I answered.
'Oh, so where should we start?' she asked.
'We should start our investigation at Bail's office. He may have some information regarding the mole,' I answered.
We head over to Bail Organa's office to find out why he got Kitster's message. Bail was about to attend a session when we arrived. 'Anakin, this is unexpected,' he said.
'I was in the area; I'm currently doing some investigation work for the Intelligence Unit. This morning, Mo received a message from you,' I said.
'She did, it was from Kitster, who asked to resend the message to her,' he said.
'Do you have some idea why he sent the message specifically to you?' I asked.
'As you may already know, I sat many committees during my career. One of which was the Intelligence Review Board,' he answered.
'What's the Intelligence Review Board?' Ahsoka asked.
'The Intelligence Review Board was set up by Palpatine after he became Supreme Chancellor. The purpose of the board was to review the flaws within the Intelligence Unit, but also flaws with other intelligence agencies. I was handling and managing the agents while the Unit was going under reforms,' he answered.
'Something doesn't add up, why did Kitster send you the message, even though you haven't met or seen him?' I asked.
'That's what I've been wondering since receiving the message,' he answered.
'I see, you better get going and thank you for your time,' I said.
Bail then left the office and we followed soon after. 'So, do you think he was telling the truth?' she asked.
'He was, but it raises further questions about the mole and Kitster,' I said.
'How well did you know Kitster?' she asked.
'We use to be friends while I was growing up on Tatooine. Everything changed when Qui-Gon Jinn freed me,' I answered.
My communicator goes off and it's from Mo. 'Skywalker, I found a suitable analyst to your needs. Also, I've found a lead that should help you in your investigation,' she said.
'Where's the analyst?' I asked.
'He's waiting for you at the Crooked Hook tavern on Naboo and so is your lead. Tell him "I gave my last coin to the poor man", that's the secret password,' she said.
'Thanks,' I said.
We took a ship and headed to Naboo, we arrived at the Crooked Hook tavern. I told Ahsoka to wait, while I walked up to the bar.
'Have you got any spare coins to give?' the person sat next to me asked.
'I gave my last coin to the poor man,' I answered.
'Very good, you must be Gen. Anakin Skywalker if I'm not mistaken. I'm Len, I'm the intelligence analyst you requested,' he said.
'Nice to meet you, I assumed you've been briefed about my current assignment?' I asked.
'I'm not surprised to learn that there's a mole in the intelligence community. Given that such treachery has been dealt with before,' he said.
'We'll catch the mole, another people have suffered enough at the hands of this traitor,' I said.
'So, where should I start?' he answered.
'Go through the past and recent debriefings after each campaign since the war began. Search for any references or mentions of the name Kroda,' I answered.
'You do realise that Kroda is an enigma?' Len asked.
'I know, do whatever it takes, Mo mentioned that there's a lead here,' I said.
'Oh yes, there's a former researcher living in a cottage on the outskirts of Theed. Her name is Lea and she may some idea about who the mole is,' he said.
We then went our separate ways as I and Ahsoka went over to the cottage where Lea is living. I knocked on the door and Lea let us in.
We sat opposite her on the sofa. 'It's been a while since I had visitors. Not since the war began,' Lea said.
'We do believe you have some information regarding a mole who is working for Kroda,' I said.
'I did hear a rumour going around that there's a mole working for the Separatists. I still have connections to various intelligence agencies. I use to work as a researcher and my job was to understand more about Kroda and his motives. Eventually, I was assigned to go through all the Separatist propaganda films to check to any irregularities,' she said.
'You did find something, didn't you?' Ahsoka asked.
'I did, one day I was going through another Separatist propaganda film as usual when I noticed something odd. As I slowed the film down, I noticed a high ranking Separatist official saluting a political science professor by the name of Yan. I'm thinking this has got to be Kroda's handiwork, not unless Yan used to be in the military or something like,' she answered.
'I know Yan; he didn't serve in the military. But his father did use to be a diplomat acting on behalf of Cato Neimoidia,' I said.
'It may explain some things, but I got a copy of film if you like,' she said.
'Please,' I said.
She heads over to a cabinet to get a disc out and gives it to. 'I hope this helps you in your investigation,' she said.
Hours pass since our arrival; we met with up Len in his hotel room as he enjoys the view. 'I always heard that Theed is nice during this time of year,' he said.
'It sure is, did you manage to find anything unusual?' I asked.
'As a matter of fact, I did. I managed to a find a reference to Kroda from a debriefing Master Aayla Secura had after she was exchanged with a known Separatist spy. Also, I found references from various interrogations the Intelligence Unit conducted after the R3-S6 incident,' he answered.
'I remember that little droid and to think, he was supposed to be the good guy,' she said.
'We didn't too bad ourselves. We discovered that Prof. Yan may or may not be involved,' I said.
'You mean the political science professor from Cato Neimoidia. What has he got to do with this?' he asked.
'I think Yan is the middleman, acting like a bridge between the mole and Kroda,' I said.
'It's going to take more than a theory to prove that Prof. Yan is a traitor,' he said.
'You're right, Len. It's getting late, get some rest. We'll resume the investigation in the morning,' I said.
I head over to Padmé's home, it's been a while since I been here. I turned on the lights to find Kitster sitting on the chair. 'I wish this reunion was under different circumstances, Anakin. You got to realise that I'm innocent in all of this,' he said.
'That remains to be seen. How did you know about this place?' I asked.
'Did you really think that Mo was the only one to know of your secret marriage to Padmé? Besides, your secret is safe,' Kitster said.
'I like to believe that, why are you here?' I asked.
'I want to help put the pieces together and find out who the mole is. So I can clear my name of any wrongdoing,' he answered.
'All right then, why were you on Nar Shaddaa?' I asked.
'I was on assignment to investigate and convince a top ranking Separatist agent to defect. The agent's name is Tarr; you may or may not heard of him. He recently ran into trouble with them when the Republic won the campaign on Munnilist,' he answered.
'I remember the campaign, I was there,' I said.
'As a result, Tarr, along with his wife fled to Nar Shaddaa to avoid facing Count Dooku's fury. When I first got the assignment from Mo, I noticed something wasn't right. By the time I arrived, Tarr began to gamble real hard and began to have an affair with a local mob boss's wife. It didn't Tarr's wife, Flay long to find out about the affair and he beat her up, hard,' he said.
'How long were you meant to be on Nar Shaddaa?' I asked.
'Mo gave me a week to convince Tarr to defect,' he answered.
'You didn't go back home, didn't you?' I asked.
'I didn't, I took Flay to a nearby hospital. It turns out she too or was a Separatist agent until the attempted murder on her. Before it happen, she told me a secret and what she told me was astounding. The mole you're looking for is among the five senior ranking member of the Intelligence Unit,' he said.
'What? Are you sure you're not making this up?' I asked.
'Be reasonable, Anakin. If the mole is one of the senior ranking member, the entire agency is compromised,' he answered.
'You're right; do you think that Mo is the mole?' I asked.
'Please, Mo is loyal to the Republic to the end,' he answered.
'What proof do you have that it's one of the five senior ranking members,' I asked.
'Only her testimony and that is it. If you don't mind, I need somewhere to stay,' he said.
'You can't stay here, Kitster,' I said.
'I see, I'll come back tomorrow to help you fill in the missing pieces,' he said.
He left and I managed to get some sleep. Morning came as Kitster and I went through his assignment when Len and Ahsoka arrived.
'What's he doing here?' Len asked.
'Kitster here has been telling me all about his adventures,' I answered.
Len walks up to him and punches him in the face. 'Ow, what was that for?' he asked.
'We made a quick stop the Intelligence Unit's field office to check up on the latest reports. Once we got there, we found out that Kitster here has defected to the Separatists and was paid a quarter of a million Republic credits to defect,' Len answered.
'But that's impossible, I was here explaining to Anakin about my assignment on Nar Shaddaa,' he said.
'Not to mention the agents who were supposed to convince to defect are now dead and murdered by your hand,' Len said.
'This is can't be, she was breathing after we survived the ambush,' he said.
Kitster breaks down and cries. 'I'm sorry for your loss, Kitster. Whoever the mole is, they're covering their tracks and pinning the murders of those Separatist agents on Kitster's shoulders,' I said.
'I'll head back to the field office to see if I can get further information regarding the murders,' Ahsoka said.
She leaves the house and heads to the field office. 'I done further digging into the debriefings like you asked. I discovered a lot of conflictions between the Jedi debriefings and the Admirals debriefings after Aayla Secura's capture,' Len said.
'What did you find?' I asked.
'A surviving member of the Secura's unit told Master Windu that it was Admiral Gulan who suggested that Aayla should check out the bombarded city,' he said.
'What did the Admiral say during the Admirals debriefing?' I asked.
'Gulan said that Aayla was reckless and went gung ho into the city. Eventually leading to her capture and the near decimation of her unit,' he answered.
'I know Aayla, there is no way she went gung ho into that city,' I said.
'Quite right, also the member said he saw a man flipping a silver coin within a bombed building,' he said.
'It's Kroda all right. It looks like the Admiral is lying. We should get back to Coruscant and find Admiral Gulan.' I get on my communicator and contacted Ahsoka. 'Ahsoka, meet me at the spaceport, we're heading back to Coruscant,' I said. We got a ship back to Coruscant, I told rex to meet there.
We left the ship and met up with Rex. 'Sir, would you mind explaining to me why we're doing here?' he asked.
'I'll explain later, get Kitster to a safe house,' I answered.
'Right away sir,' he said.
Rex and Kitster left, while we head over to the Intelligence Unit headquarters to debrief Mo of our findings. 'So let me get this straight. You mean to tell that one of the five senior ranking members of the Unit is the mole. I find that hard to believe, along with Prof. Yan as the middleman,' she said.
'So did I, until Kitster told me what happened on Nar Shaddaa,' I said.
'Then you must know about Tarr and his wife's murders?' she asked.
'Yes I do,' I answered.
'I'll bring up the background information of each of the five. Is there anything else you like to add?' she asked.
'There is one thing I like to know. Do you know where Admiral Gulan is?' I asked.
'If I had to guess, he's probably inspecting the Redemption before departure,' she answered.
'Thanks,' I answered.
'I'll set up surveillance taps over Yan's home and the university where he works,' Len said.
'I'll head to the Jedi Temple to find out where Aayla is now,' Ahsoka said.
'All right, meet me at the prison facility once I have the Admiral,' I said.
We went our separate way while I head to the spaceport. As I arrived, Admiral Gulan carries out a final inspection of his troops and ship before takeoff.
He picks up a trooper's blaster rifle, inspects it and is not impressed 'Trooper, when was the last time you cleaned this blaster?' he asked.
'Before the second skirmish on Geonosis, sir,' he answered.
'Well then, clean it once you get onboard,' Admiral Gulan said.
The troopers and officers then get onboard the Redemption as I watched. 'Admiral Gulan,' I yelled.
'Gen. Skywalker, this is a pleasant surprise,' he said.
'It is, Admiral, would you mind coming with me? I have some questions regarding the last debriefing you gave to the other Admirals,' I said.
'You do realise I'm on a tight schedule. We supposed to be heading to Felucia,' he said.
'Well, I'm afraid to inform you that you're not going to Felucia.' I get some stasis cuffs out and put them on his wrists. 'Admiral Gulan, you're under arrest for espionage and treason,' I said.
'Espionage, treason, what's this all about?' he asked.
'I'll explain once we get to the prison facility.' I took the Admiral to the prison facility and put him in an interrogation room. I sat opposite him as the security guard removes the cuffs. 'Well, well, you got some explaining to do. Such as why did you lie during the last Admiral's debriefing?' I asked.
'I never lie in front of the other admirals. It's considered to be dishonest and disrespectful,' he answered.
'Is that what you think? What if I told you that you're in league with Kroda or the mole that's in the employ of Kroda,' I said.
'Don't be ridiculous, General. I never betray the Republic,' he said.
'Keep denying all you want, the proof is there. What has Kroda got on you that you're willing to protect? Why did you sell Aayla to the Separatists to begin with?' I asked.
Gulan then gives in. 'I don't know the mole's name, but I've been in contact with the mole. My marriage hasn't always been perfect, so I began an affair with a dignitary. One night, I met a Twi'lek woman who showed a vid of my affair. She said if I don't do as the mole said, then the mole would the release the vid. So I had no choice,' he answered.
'What you just said is unacceptable. You really you have no honour,' I said. The security guard escorts the Admiral off to his cell as we left the interrogation room.
I met up with Ahsoka and Len. 'You should've roughed him up first before you start an interrogation,' he said.
'It's not the Jedi way,' I said.
'I know, I set up surveillance on the Professor like you asked. I should be getting reports sometime soon,' he said.
'At least we'll know if he made contact with the mole. What about you, Ahsoka? Have you located Aayla Secura?' I asked.
'I've spoken to Master Windu, he says that Aayla is taking a leave of absence to teach clone cadets on Kamino,' she answered.
'I'll go to Kamino and speak to her personally. Knowing Kroda, he may've tortured her pretty bad' I caught a troop transport to Kamino. Nothing has changed since the war began; I'm surprised that they remained supportive. I asked around for Aayla and I found her lecturing in the hall. I watched as she remained, pretending the time she spent with Kroda was just another fragmented memory. The cadets left when the lesson ended. I walked up to her. 'I see that teaching clones has brought you some peace,' I said.
'It's good to see a friendly face.' I showed her a bottle of wine. 'I nearly forgot it was my birthday today,' she said.
I poured her and myself the wine into a couple of glasses and I gave one to her 'Here's to you,' I said.
We cheered and put the glasses down. 'What brings you to Kamino?' Aayla asked.
'I got some questions. It's about the time you spent with Kroda,' I answered.
'I can still remember the torture and the pain. I know it's something that most people don't want to talk about. I'll help you in anyway can,' she said.
'How much did you reveal about the Republic's secrets?' I asked.
'Not a lot, all I revealed to Kroda was my birth date, my home world and who my master was. All I remember was him flipping that silver coin of his,' she answered.
'Did he ask any questions about me or Obi-Wan?' I asked.
'As of matter, he did. He told where he got the coin from. And how Obi-Wan tried to convince him to defect years ago,' she answered.
'I see, so what happened once his interrogation session concluded?' I asked.
'He put into a cell, avoid of all light and air. I meditated until twenty three days later when I was exchanged with Separatist agent,' she answered.
'Well, it's good to know came back in one piece. There's one more question I need to ask. Did you notice anything about Kroda or what he's after?' I asked.
'Come to think of it, I did see him one time speaking on a communicator to one of his contacts. It felt that he's wants something and wants it bad,' she answered.
This raises further question Kroda's motives and what he's trying to gain. I left Kamino and flew back to Coruscant. I head back home to Kitster talking to Padmé. 'I thought you were supposed to be at the safe house,' I said.
'No offense, clone troopers aren't the best source for entertainment,' he said.
'He told me everything. How could they do this?' she asked.
'I wish I could do something about it, but my hands are tied. What brings you here, Kitster?' I asked.
'Mo told me to come here and deliver these dossiers on the senior ranking members.' He places the files on the coffee and I picked one of them up and read the file. 'The file you got in your hand contains information about Bula, a Dug from Malastare. She earned quite a reputation for saving the Doge's life on more than one occasion. Earning her a place as a senior member of the Unit,' he answered.
'What about the others?' I asked.
'Number two is Sei Musan, originally from Alderaan. She once had a brief relationship with Bail Organa during his student days. But she came under constant fire from the Unit's Red Squad Division,' he answered.
'She was a radical?' I asked.
'She was, but the Unit is still sceptical about it,' he answered.
'How did she earn her place among the Five?' I asked.
'When the Red Squad investigated her, she gave names and locations of several known terrorists the Unit has been after. In due time, she began to work for them, mostly doing undercover work. As a result, she earned her place among the five. As for number three, his name is Macus Demas,' he asked.
'I know Macus; he used to be a security consultant on Naboo when I was Queen. Then I heard he moved on to work for the Unit,' she said.
'There you have have it. Number four is somewhat of an oddball, Grem Vu is a Pantoran businessman with strong links to the Trade Federation,' he said.
'Well that's worrying,' I said.
'That's what the Unit said when let Grem join them,' Kitster said.
'Why did they let him join them?' I asked.
'It turns out the old boy is a qualified psychiatrist. They brought Grem onboard as a consultant and valuate the psychological performance,' he answered.
'Okay, so what about the final member?' I asked.
'The final member is a native of Coruscant; his name is Ren Kar. He was raised in the slums, had a difficult childhood. But he made up for it when he enlisted in the Republic Navy when he was eighteen. He mostly worked on the bridge as a communications analyst. Deciphering enemy codes and intercepting valuable intelligence,' he said.
'Those are our five suspects. Something tells me you came here more than to deliver the dossiers?' I asked.
'There is something bothering me since our reunion. When we met, it sounded like you met Kroda before, haven't you?' he asked.
'I was either eleven or twelve years old when I first met him. Before Kroda decided to work for the Separatists, he used to be the Hutt's intelligence advisor. He gave them advice on matters regarding to intelligence and information gathering. One day, he made a terrible mistake by giving one of the Hutt's some bad intelligence. As a result, they placed a bounty on his head and he went on the run. It didn't take the Senate and the Jedi Council long to catch wind of this. We both came to the conclusion that Kroda is too valuable to be left for dead. So, both the Senate and Council sent Obi-Wan and me to find and bring Kroda to Coruscant,' I answered.
'If I recall correctly, he was eventually located on Taris,' Kitster said.
'Indeed, so we brought him to Coruscant and he was placed in an interview room in the Jedi Temple. As for the why we wanted Kroda alive because he had valuable intelligence about the Hutt's and their criminal organisation. Our main objective was to convince Kroda to defect. We offered him a new life, a new identity and a chance of employment with the Intelligence Unit if he decided to defect,' I said.
'I take it that Kroda declined the offer?' Padmé asked.
'He did, before he left, Obi-Wan said: "We're not so different you and I. We both look for the best and weaknesses in each other. You do realise that you're walking to your death?" Just like that, we had no reply and he just left. That was the last time we ever saw of Kroda, until recently by name,' I said.
'Did the Jedi Council take further action and tracked down Kroda?' he asked.
'No, we moved on and pretended that the assignment never happened,' I answered.
'Anyway, I better call it a night. I due at the Senate early in the morning,' she said.
'For what purpose?' I asked.
'The Senate is to receive a generous gift from the Wookiees. As for the gift, it's the Wookiee Encryption System.' I then remember what Aayla said to me earlier while I was on Kamino. 'Is something bothering you?' she asked.
'There is, I was on Kamino earlier and when I spoke to Aayla. She said that Kroda is looking for something. I think the Encryption System is what Kroda is after,' I said.
'It's possible, given that the system is near impossible to decipher. Even the Trade Federation's prized code breaking droids couldn't break their codes,' he said.
'If the Senate was to receive the system, there's a probable chance that the mole could get their hands on it and hand it over to the Separatists. If its okay with you, I like to come with you tomorrow to convince the Senate not to accept the gift,' I said.
'I'm not sure if this going to work, but you can by all means,' Padmé said.
'In the meantime, I'll go back into hiding,' Kitster said.
