2. A rare find

2. A rare find

From the first minute of the conversation, Alexsandr Kallus had the oppressive feeling that something was wrong. He looked at the haggard, emaciated Grand Moff Tarkin on the holonet screen, outwardly calm and collected, but had a dull sensation in the pit of his stomach. Tarkin's gray hair wreathed more and more to the back of his head, giving him an increasingly skull-like appearance.

"How may I serve you, Grand Moff?" ISB agent Kallus asked politely.

All at once the face of his counterpart became hard and cold.

"What I have to tell you is subject to the highest imperial security level. It is of utmost importance that this information not leak out. Not even Grand Admiral Thrawn is aware of it. Do I make myself clear?"

Agent Kallus suspected from this point that Tarkin alluded to the data leak around Thrawn's T-Fighter project and was starting to sweat slightly. He had been dragged into things that were clearly too big for him, if not even Thrawn knew about it. And which could easily cost him his head.

"Of course, Sir. You can totally rely on me. "

"We have provoked a data leak to trap the rebels and give them a big punch," Tarkin continued unflinchingly.

Kallus felt a chill running down his spine. That could not be true! The data leak was a deliberate trap for the rebellion! And he had alerted the rebels to it ...

"Sir, that's ... an extremely daring move," he protested. Actually, the word "high treason" had been on his tongue, but he had been holding back just in time.

Tarkin smiled a cold and cynical smile. "We have revealed to the rebels only insignificant fragments of this top-secret military project. Only enough information to make them curious and investigate. And I can assure you that this time, they will not escape the trap. "

So that was the plan. To make the rebels curious, to finally extinguish them. And he himself, Kallus, had made things worse and led the rebels straight into the arms of the Empire. If anyone got hurt now, it was all his fault. And the consciousness about it felt heavy like a lead vest. The ISB agent also wondered if Tarkin would have been so open-minded about the data if it had been his own Stardust project. Apparently, Tarkin had used Thrawn's project without his knowledge to strike a blow to his opponent.

After a short break, Tarkin added. „You will lead the mission. Immediately go to the place of work whose coordinates are being transmitted to you. Incidentally, this is not the correct location of the project, but a factory that we have shut down for a long time.

"To what circumstance do I owe the honor of being in charge of this business, Sir?" Kallus allowed a touch of protest. When Tarkin glared at him as if he wanted to shoot him into space, the agent added, "Unfortunately lately, I have not been particularly successful in destroying the Phoenix unit ..."

"That's why we're giving you Inquisitors aside, along with another special unit waiting in containers for the arrival of the rebels," Tarkin said coldly. "I rely on you, Agent Kallus. Do not dare to disappoint me again. "

Kallus had no choice but to salute. Inwardly, he felt like he was about to vomit.

"And remember, this operation is top secret. Nobody is allowed to know about it. There are rebel spies everywhere", Tarkin added.

Along with Senator Bail Organa, rebel leader Ahsoka Tano was bent over a screen in the command center on Yavin-4. Bail exchanged a questioning look with his agent while some data was being played on the flickering screen. The patterns were reflected on Ahsoka's face, attentively studying the details.

"This imperial information was freely accessible for about ten minutes. They are teaching us in part about a secret military project that may well involve research on an improved TIE-fighter on Lothal," Bail said, cautiously formulating each word.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, rocking her head. Something about it felt weird. These transmissions could be a tremendous opportunity for the rebellion to come before the Empire in the creation of a new, dangerous weapon. However, they also contained a certain risk.

"That's not all", the senator continued. "A short time later, a hitherto unknown person also sent us the same data, along with a message for the Phoenix unit. We could not fully track the signal because it was encrypted. In addition, the person used a voice decoder for distortion. Our technicians were able to confirm that the signal came from Lothal. Do you have any idea who this mysterious supporter is?"

Now Ahsoka seemed to emerge from her thoughts and shook her head in confusion. No new entries were known to her, and Lothal fell into her sector. She would have been the first to be informed when a new supporter was on their site.

"Certainly, none of our people. Maybe it's an engineer who got a bad conscience?"

Bail nodded slowly, leaning heavily on his hands. "I want you to figure out if we can trust this new informant. And about this secret military project ... "

"It could also be a trap." The Togruta woman expressed what Bail had indirectly hinted. "Anyway, such a data leak is pretty suspicious." Then a new thought came to her. "Wait, Senator ... you said the second message was addressed to the Phoenix unit ... Maybe the Phoenix unit rebels know more about it?"

Bail then shook his head. "Negative. I have already clarified that."

The rebel agent crossed her arms over her chest, seeming to think again. "Whoever he is, he seems to know the people of the Phoenix unit anyway. I'll take care of it and take some people from the Ghost. Maybe our informant will eventually try to get in touch with them."