Hardly a soul was stirring in the Imperial base that next morning. Not saying that the building was in any way, shape or form empty, no way. The emptiness of the building was merely a manifestation of how ticked off Novade Moran was this very morning.

First, she is stumped in any ideas on how to find her brother while making sure her loyal, yet Grumpy-Cat Sergeant won't flip his lid. Second, as she is prepping for storming an Imperial base, her recognizes a slight, indistinct scent on their camp that wasn't there before. Maybe it's just Novade, but when younger siblings interrupt your work, it's a little irritating.

Third, this database had just about nothing on Needles. This database, the whole reason Havoc Squad was in this damn Imperial sector, had absolutely nothing on Lieutenant "Needles" Dorant except the standard military bio, which Novade could've gotten with no trouble from the Republic.

She snarled, and was about to take a rifle to the unhelpful computer, when a crisp Imperial accent said, rather unconcernedly, "Looking for Needles, are you? I'm afraid he's long gone, my friend."

Nonchalantly, she spun around while unholstering and taking the safety off her hand-blaster. As she face a complete one-eighty, the firearm was rather therapeutically pointed into the face of an older, spiffy-uniformed Imperial officer. "Tell me where Needles went, and you might live," Novade said, less than concerned.

The colonel chuckled. "I'll need more of a guarantee than that, I think," he said, as comfortable as can be for being held at gunpoint. "I'll tell you everything you need to know about Needles. But, in exchange, you have to let me go."

Novade frowned. Stupid, indirect Imperials. Just what she needed on a day like this one. "You seem to know an awful lot about my mission here."

The colonel shrugged carelessly. "You're wearing a Havoc Squad insignia and searching Needles's files. It doesn't take a great mind to put the two together. It's simple, Lieutenant. Let me live, and I will tell you everything. Kill me, and you'll learn nothing."

Novade was about to reply with something probably not thought out and very stupid, when her earcomm chirped urgently. Novade clicked it into activation, and without hesitation, the voice of Sergeant Elara Dorne echoed through the data room.

"Come in Lieutenant. This is Sergeant Dorne. Do not trust this man- I served with him in the Empire. His name is Colonel Thorus."

As Novade smirked, re-holstered her sidearm, and activated the holoterminal on the table, the colonel was sputtering in surprise." What? Who is that? Who are you talking to? Dorne? D-Dorne, is that you?"

Now visible, Dorne stood primly in the parade rest position, but her face as set in a slight scowl. "Thorus is a mass murderer, lieutenant. A war criminal."

Novade had that face that every occupant in the room knew all too well from interrogations. The this-information-is-totally-not-helping-your-cause-face. "I'm listening, Sergeant. Go on."

Dorne even had a small smirk as she said, "During my time in Imperial service, Thorus ordered the executions of hundreds of civilian non-combatants and full-scale bombings of unarmed populations. Furthermore, these action were committed in circumvention of direct orders from Imperial Command."

Colonel Thorus got very flustered at this. "I am a soldier! I- I do what I must to achieve my objectives! Just like you, Lieutenant!" He sputtered.

Ohoh, wrong move, Colonel Idiot. Novade snarled, her sidearm once again pointed at Thorus's face. "I am not like you. I don't kill civilians."

"Please! Listen! I'll tell you everything, everything I know!" Thorus pleaded, and Novade lost any respect she might have had for him in the first place.

"Needles is doing experiments on the rakghouls," he explained. "He want to understand their disease, t-to turn it into a weapon. He-he left were a few hours ago. He said he was visiting some friends in the ruins of an old transport station, to get more samples."

Novade raised an eyebrow, but otherwise, her face showed nothing. "'Friends'? Samples? I'm going to need some more details, here."

"R-rakghouls," stuttered the Imperial. "He needs more t-to continue his research. He won't say who his friends are, but they supply his rakghouls. That- that's everything. That's all I know. I've given you what you wanted. Now, what about me?"

Novade, with less than her customary emotion, turned to Sergeant Dorne. "You know this scum better than I do, Sergeant. Your suggestion?"

Dorne looked at the situation distastefully. "I respectfully suggest you discharge your weapon into Thorus's skull, Lieutenant."

To which the Colonel rather childishly replied, "No! This isn't fair!"

And Novade just looked at him. Just looked. This Imperial played by different rules, crueler rules than her Republic did. And yet, no one, not even Dorne would consider shooting this man in the head sinking low. Novade could see the common sense in this, but still. Personally, morally, Lieutenant Novade Moran played by better rules than this. To hell with what Dorne or Jorgan or the Republic thought.

Calmly, the female Cathar holstered her sidearm. "You're right. It's not. You helped me, which means you're free to go. For now."

Colonel Thorus nodded, his face neutral. "I'm glad we could work out an arrangement. Farewell, friend."

Novade could practically hear Dorne's disapproval as the Sergeant said, "I'll see you at HQ. Lieutenant. Dorne out."

One of the things she liked about Dorne, Novade decided, was that she got straight to the point. No sugar-coating for her. As such for this occasion.

"You spared a war criminal, Lieutenant. That man murdered hundreds of people, and you simply let him walk out of the Imperial's base," remarked the Sergeant in her usual manner, and yet her voice seemed to be cold.

Novade didn't even blink, which slightly unnerved the Sergeant. "I'll take your opinion under advisement, Sergeant."

Dorne bit her lip. Somehow, the Lieutenant's expressionless face gave off the feeling that Dorne had lost some sort of argument. That didn't quite sit well with the Sergeant.

"I'd appreciate it, sir. Let's move on. Lab results confirmed Thorus's account. Needles has almost completed a weaponized strain of rakghouls disease. However, the data makes no mention of Needles's 'friends' in the ruins of the transport system."

Novade shook her head in a cross between disbelief and amazement. "'Friends'. I can't say I'm looked forward to meeting these people."

Jorgan snorted. "You said it. Dorant's as creepy as they come."

Dorne avoided the playful chatter with a tiny, wistful smile. Comradeship was something she had yet to experience in the Republic. "Available intelligence doesn't show any populations in the ruins of the transport system, but scans of the area have been cursory at best. Rakghouls infest the area, making scouting by foot inordinately difficult. However, one traversable route has been located."

Novade nodded understanding, and said, "I'll scout the area myself." As she did so, she pointedly ignored the tiny sigh from Jorgan. Every-single-cotton-picking-time there was some kind of problem, Novade Moran would consider it her personal duty to deal with it.

Dorne allowed her small smile to become visible. After the shocking incident with the rakghoul serum and Doctor Iana Cell, Dorne tried to appeal to the Lieutenant's helpful side less often. Jorgan had been about ready to kill someone then, so it had been best not to encourage her unless necessary.

"Any geographical information you can bring back would be very helpful, Lieutenant. This ruined transport station is our only lead to Needles's location. I would encourage you to stock up on supplies and munitions before entering the area. Good luck, Lieutenant."

Havoc Squad really needed to end it's odd attraction to Imperial bases. This was really getting ridiculous. This was the third Imperial base Novade had broken into in five months, if you could call the volcano on Ord the Imperial's base.

Sneaking into the medical ward, however, was disturbingly easy. It seemed that, even with Needles in charge, the med ward wasn't guarded like it was supposed to.

At the back of the medical facility, Needles stood with some poor nervous ensign, and some rakghoul-ish thing that somehow stood on it's hind legs.

"...and so, congratulations to you, Ensign Sarven, on your noble sacrifice," Needles said formally, and Novade could tell what was going to happen next from the glowing green vial in the deserter's hand.

The un-knowing ensign stuttered as Needles injected him with the toxic serum. "But, sir, I- wait, no, sir, no- I-" his words were cut off by a snarl and a scream, his body bending on itself so as to make Novade want to vomit in her mouth. Eventually, the ensign was a rakghoul-ish monster like the other thing, but without the armour.

Needles grinned, rather psychotically. "Ah. Exquisite. I will be requiring more rakghouls for my work, Vorzoth."

The thing, Vorzoth, hissed, "We already gave you the rakghouls you asked for. When will you do as we asked?"

"As soon as the weapon is completed," Needles explained away. "With it, we will decimate the Republic outpost."

As Novade and Jorgan inched closer, Vorzoth suddenly hissed, "I smell an intruder!"

Novade entered the light by now, and Needles's smile vanished. "So you do. Sergeant Moran, is that you?"

Novade strolled into the light, calm in the face of a psychopath. "It's Lieutenant Moran now, Needles. I've moved up in the world since you last saw me."

Needles sighed. "So I see. You've slaughtered enough Republic enemies to be rewarded then. Well done."

Jorgan sneered in response, and Needles seemed to brighten at the sight.

"I see you haven't come alone, too. You've brought that pathetic worm Jorgan all the way from Ord Mantell, just to die along with you."

Jorgan saw Novade's eyes burn with absolute hate, and Jorgan brushed off the insult. "Talk all you want, Dorant. You're not getting out of here alive."

"You timing is impeccable," Needles pronounced with a chuckle. "Just as I find myself with plenty of pathogen but no more test subjects, you arrive. The transformation will hurt at first, but that's merely your organs rupturing and realigning. It's all over quickly, I assure you," Needles explained as he readied two more vials.

Novade scowled. "The only thing ending quickly here is your life."

"Struggle if you must, then," Needles sighed. "But you'll wish you hadn't made it so hard on yourself. Vorzoth, please assist me in subduing our newest volunteer."

The ghoul leader hissed, "With pleasure!"

Before anyone could do anything to stop her, Novade knocked the former ensign unconscious and riddled him full of holes. "Havoc, fire at will!"

Jorgan grinned, gunning down the first Havoc deserter. "Already on it, Lieutenant!"

Stupid, inadequately armoured Needles was the first to die. Jorgan's assault cannon roared like a krayt dragon, and Novade like jumping from one target to another, sometimes just to dodge between Jorgan's plasma bolts for some kind of dangerous fun. Vorzoth was a tough one, though. Jorgan, careful with his aim, was hardly able to get off a shot, in fear of hitting his commander.

Novade got right in the monster's face, first bashing his head in with her rifle, then weakening the points of his armour. A sticky bomb knocked the ghoul-leader to the ground, and Novade filled the rakghoul with holes.

Novade took a deep breath, enough to compose herself to make rational decisions, at least. She stood by Jorgan's side, at the medical storage unit.

"Hmm. Looks like more samples of Needles's weaponized rakghouls disease," Jorgan remarks, rather stating the obvious. "What should we do with them?"

Novade doesn't hesitate on her decision. Quickly glancing at the former ensign, she says quietly, "We need to make sure nobody uses this stuff ever again."

Jorgan raised an eyebrow at her. "I think Garza would want a sample of this stuff for Research Division. Are you sure you want to destroy it?"

Novade gestured to the unfortunate ensign. "We can't take the chance of a weapon like this being used. Ever."

Jorgan nodded, but with a slight frown. "It's your call, Lieutenant."

Wordlessly, Novade hacked the computer mainframe. How stupid was Needles that he actually had a 'Self-destruct' option on the menu page?

Novade coldly walks away from the console as the chemicals being to explode. "Let's get back to base," she growls. "I've had about all of the fun I can take."