Chapter Twenty-One: Captum
The bridge of the Captum was a beehive of activity. Every officer on board had been called to duty to orchestrate the work of recovering the dead and wounded. They were also tasked with recording and transferring the vast amount of illicit cargo discovered at Jevik's warehouse.
Katarina had left Lt. Jeebs in charge of the rescue and recovery efforts as she made her way down to the brig. Her troops had returned with a prisoner. She had been informed the prisoner was found stunned and wounded behind a pile of crates inside the warehouse. The person refused to identify themselves when they came too, but Katarina had a good idea as to who it was. She had questions for her newest "guest".
Katarina was met by her Chief Security officer. He quickly updated her on the extensive list of charges as he escorted her to the cell where the prisoner was being held. The prisoner was still refusing to identify himself. When they reached the cell, Katarina dismissed her officer, stating that she would take it from here. Her officer paused slightly before he turned to go, as if he were going to speak, deciding instead to keep his thoughts to himself, he left her to her business.
Katarina opened the cell door and paused briefly before entering. The prisoner looked haggard and disheveled, a bacta bandage wrapped around the upper part of his left arm. His head hung so low his forehead was nearly touching the table. A pair of binders kept his hands fastened to the table in front of him, not that they were needed. There were two navel troopers stationed inside the room as an extra measure of security. As Katarina walked into the cell, the prisoner briefly raised his eyes.
"I am sure you are aware that you are under arrest for various crimes, so I'll keep this short and brief. I'm Captain Screeb and I have a few questions for you," Katarina stated as she sat down in front of him.
He chuckled softly, slowly shaking his head in utter disbelief.
"Figures, the rising star of the Imperial Officer Corps in the Minos Cluster has decided to speak with me personally. I suppose I should feel honored that you graced me with your presence."
"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?"
"Whatever you say, your highness," he said to her in a mocking tone.
"I'm not royalty, don't address me as such. I do however, expect your full cooperation," she replied, ignoring his tone of voice.
His level of confidence was rising; he was sure this meeting would go well. He knew Katerina, she was the oldest daughter of his two former agents. He'd seen her with her parents from time to time, though she never accompanied them on any of their missions, as far as he knew. She had always seemed reasonable enough, she had just chosen a different ideology than her parents. He was fine with that.
All he needed to do was win her over, show her that he was on her side and maybe he'd be able to get out of this scrape with his skin intact. He wasn't worried about his warehouse, let them have it; a gift perhaps? He had other locations around the Cluster. He'd never kept all his greejaw eggs in one container.
"I'm sure that we can come to some sort of an agreement," he said smugly.
"You do realize the charges you are facing?" she asked surprised.
"I was hoping that we could let bygones be bygones?"
"I lost both men and materiel in the assault on your warehouse. This won't be something you can buy your way out of," she stated harshly.
He figured it was time to let her know what he was capable of.
"I'd like to try," he began," After all I've done for you, you at least owe me that much."
"What do you mean I owe you?" replied Katarina skeptically.
"If it wasn't for me, the Empire wouldn't have captured so many rebel agents in this sector, including your own parents."
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you think it was just a coincidence that all those rebel agents were so easy to capture? I ensured that the Empire would be waiting for each one of them. Your parents were the icing on the cake, that is, until the safe house was raided on Adarlon."
Katarina sat stone faced as she listened to him continue, her anger slowly building.
"I can only imagine the look of surprise on their faces when they realized it was you who was arresting them," he mused.
She remembered that day. Though she had tried to convince herself it was her duty, she couldn't overcome the feelings of guilt over what she had done. Swallowing hard she tried to tamp down those feelings once again as she glared at the man who had caused her so much pain. This was all his fault. All of it was his fault, by his own admittance.
Her face contorted in anger. Grinding her teeth, her nostrils flaring, she quickly stood up. Facing the two naval troopers, she held out her hand, asking for one of the stun batons and ordered them to leave the room.
Once they had left, the door closing behind them, she turned to face Jevik. She activated the stun baton, turning it to its lowest setting. She made sure her movements were slow and deliberate. Watching her, the smile slowly disappearing from his face, Jevik's eyes went wide. Before he could even utter a protest, she smacked him in the forehead. His eyes watered and he couldn't stop the scream before it escaped. He slumped back in his chair, his restrained hands the only thing stopping him from falling backwards.
It took him a few moments to gather his wits and make his eyes re-focus. When they did, he watched as Katarina, not taking her eyes off him, turned the small knob, increasing the power on the baton.
"What was that for?" he yelled angrily.
"I'm not to be trifled with. Let's start again, shall we?"
"Listen, you spoiled little brat, you can't torture me, it's against…" he started before she hit him with the baton again in the arm this time.
He screamed again, tasting blood this time. He wasn't sure if he had bitten his lip or his tongue, but he was now in excruciating pain. His legs wouldn't stop quivering and he could feel his cheek muscles twitching uncontrollably. His eyes wild with fear and anger, he glared at Katarina.
"I can handle whatever you can dish out. I'm done talking to you," his voice trembling.
"We shall see," she stated menacingly.
"Do your worst…" he spat out.
"Oh I will, don't worry," she replied, as she turned the knob up again and smacked him a third time. This time hitting his wounded arm.
He convulsed as every muscle in his body went taught. He couldn't control himself as he flopped around, coming out of the chair. His restrained hands kept him from falling to the floor. He hung from the table, by his hands, breathing heavily.
"I can keep this up all night, if you'd like?" she asked with mock innocence.
"I'd…I'd rather...negotiate a better deal," he mumbled softly.
"You talk or I hit you with this baton until I get my answers," she said matter-of-factly.
He said nothing at first as he struggled to get his knees underneath him.
"Deal," he said as he started coughing.
She set the baton down on the table, crossing her arms and watching as he struggled to lift himself into his chair.
Once seated, he lifted his eyes to meet hers, an unmistakable look of hate in them. Uncrossing her arms, she placed a hand on the baton. Instantly she saw a flash of fear wash over his face. She watched him swallow hard.
"What would you like to know, Captain Screeb," he managed to stammer out.
"You are Jevik Corval, yes?"
"If you say so," he said in response.
She grasped the baton and started to lift it.
"Yes…yes…I am Jevik Corval!," he said emphatically, flinching slightly.
"You are part of the Rebel Alliance?"
"I was, I am no longer. I'm an independent now. I've given up my rebellious ways," he coughed, spitting out some blood on the floor next to him.
"Have you been feeding information to Lt. Brick Duffhold?'
"I've sold him information from time to time. He pays well," he tried to smirk, wincing instead.
"So, by your own admittance, it was you, who sold my parents out," she stated calmly.
"You benefited from it, didn't you? It's what you wanted? Capturing them catapulted your career. Oh, the indignity of having parents oppose your point of view, why not have them arrested and killed," he said mockingly. He couldn't help himself.
Growling, she turned the knob yet again and caught the side of his head with the baton. His screams echoed as he fell from his chair again, a pungent and repulsive odor suddenly became prevalent throughout the room.
"Don't you dare mock me," she growled.
"Please…no…more…. I'm sorry," he whimpered, tears running down his face.
"I have one last question for you. Are my siblings part of the Rebel Alliance?"
"Why? What do you care? You going to have them arrested to? You are one heartless…"
Before he could finish, she jabbed him in the chest with the baton. He screamed again as his back arched and spittle frothed at his mouth, spewing across the room. His body thrashed violently until his legs gave out. No longer able to hold his weight, he collapsed, dislocating one of his arms. He wailed and cried uncontrollably.
"Answer my question," she ordered him.
"No…..Please don't hit me…please…" he sobbed before blacking out.
Katarina stood and exited the cell. She handed the baton back to one of the naval troopers standing just outside the door. Seeing her Chief Security Officer lurking nearby, she quickly approached him.
"Have a medical team see to the prisoner and get him cleaned up. I believe he soiled himself."
"Yes, ma'am," he saluted and turned to follow her orders.
Katarina turned on her heel, headed towards her quarters. She needed to clean herself up before returning to the bridge. As she reflected on the conversation with Jevik, a wave of relief washed over her. Thank the stars her siblings hadn't gotten involved with the rebellion. There was hope for them yet.
Mowen was restless, pacing back and forth in the cockpit. It had been three days since they left the Mestra system and as far as he could tell, they hadn't gotten any closer to Yelsain. Megara had told him that they were making significant progress but by her estimate, they still had at least two more days till they arrived.
He worried that Evie wouldn't have two more days. Her condition hadn't improved and though Gypsy had been able to keep her stabilized, that was all she could do for her. He hated feeling so helpless and unable to control things, even though this was out of his hands. He stopped pacing and sat at the controls of the ship, rubbing his eyes he watched Megara enter the cockpit, bringing with her a small plate of food.
"You hungry?"
"Famished," he replied.
Taking the seat next to him, Megara handed him the plate and watched as he began shoving food into his mouth. Suddenly feeling self-conscious as his sister watched him, he slowed down.
"Why are you watching me eat?" he asked sticking another forkful of some leafy green vegetable in his mouth.
"I have something to tell you but it can wait till you're finished," Megara said off-handedly.
"What is it?" Mowen asked, narrowing his eyes at his sister.
"It can wait."
"Tell me Megara," he growled.
Megara sighed.
"You aren't going to like what I have to say. You're going to get angry. Very angry."
Mowen set down the plate of food, all thoughts of hunger evaporating in an instant.
"What…" he began.
Megara got up from the chair and took a step back.
"There's a problem with Gypsy," she said quietly.
"What!? What's wrong with her?"
"She's having trouble powering back up. She went for a recharge over an hour ago."
"Was there a power surge or something?"
"Not really. Teba was downloading her medical program and…" she began to explain.
Mowen cut her off, "Teba did what!? I told her not to!"
"Well…she…was trying to install her original micro-chip…"
"Wait, what!?" he yelled, "She did what!?" he yelled, pushing past her, heading deeper into the ship, sputtering and fuming all the way.
"Mowen, please, listen. She was only trying to help,"
"Well, this isn't exactly what I would call helping!" he continued to yell as Megara rushed after him.
Mowen arrived in the engineering bay to find Teba and Javid frantically connecting several wires and plugs inside the dome of the black and white R2 unit. They both looked up with fear in their eyes when he entered. Javid shook his head and pointed at Teba, who growled softly back at him.
Standing nearby, Bendu moved to intercept his brother.
"Listen, Mowen, it's not as bad as it sounds," he said, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders, putting himself between Mowen and the disabled droid.
Mowen suddenly felt tired, though the aggravation of the situation still threatened to overwhelm him.
"I thought we agreed we wouldn't do this until after we got Evie to a hospital?" he asked, a bit calmer than he was a moment before.
"Teba was only trying to help. She realizes now that it was a mistake. Her and Javid are doing their best to get Gypsy back up and running. Just be patient, ok?" Bendu said soothingly.
Mowen nodded defeatedly, stepping aside as Megara burst into the room.
"Is she back up and running?" she asked hesitantly.
Bendu shook his head slowly and grimaced.
Javid placed the dome atop the cylindrical body of the droid as Teba made a few final adjustments in a panel along the rear side of the dome. As soon as she shut the panel, several lights began blinking in rapid succession. The domed head of Gypsy swiveled as the little droid beeped in excitement.
Beaming with an 'I told you so' look on her face, Teba patted the domed head of the droid.
Immediately, a small silver rod extended from the droid and sent an electrical charge directly into Teba's leg. The jolt knocked Teba over as Javid laughed out loud.
"Gypsy!" he exclaimed, "You're back!"
The droid beeped an affirmative as the rest of the siblings gathered around.
Maintaining a static orbit over the planet Travnin, Inquisitor Zelak waited as the airlock between his heavily modified YT-1250 transport, the Violator and the Lambda class shuttle completely sealed. His arms crossed, he drummed his fingers upon his upper arm, watching the atmospheric tube seal with the shuttle's outer door. He observed his fellow Inquisitors, Jetha and Morlu as they passed from the shuttle into his ship.
Jetha was a human, rail-thin and pale, with dark eyes and dark, unkempt hair. Morlu was a Twi'lek with dark blue skin and tattoos etched across his twin head tails. Both men wore long black cloaks, their glowing yellow eyes were all that was visible from deep within the darkness that the hood provided.
After a quick greeting, he noticed a fourth individual boarding his ship from the airlock. Raising an eyebrow, he looked to his fellow companions questioningly. Jetha spoke up.
"He's an Imperial Officer attached to the Commanding Officer here in the Cluster. He's been assigned to us as a liaison," his said in a deep gravelly voice.
"A baby sitter, it seems," remarked Zelak.
"He says he has useful information," stated the Twi'lek.
"You should have ripped it from his mind. He'll be nothing but a hindrance," growled Zelak.
"He knew the rogue Jedi personally. He can lead us directly to him," stated the human.
Turning to face the Imperial Officer, Zelak asked, his voice dripping with malice, "Oh, and how is it you came to know him?"
Brick wasn't sure he'd made the wisest choice when he was found eavesdropping outside his commander's office. When threatened with a court martial, he begged his commander to send him as a liaison officer instead. He played upon the mistrust between the Imperial Officer Corps and the Imperial Security Bureau, to whom both agents said they belonged to. He promised to be the eyes and ears for Captain Koshtik during his tenure. His commander had to jump through hoops to get the proper clearances and verbal permission from Lord Vader himself.
"I had a contact within the Rebel Alliance," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, "he knew of the elusive Jedi and turned him in for his crimes."
"And this contact of yours? Does he know where the Jedi is now?" asked Zelak, a gleeful expression on his face.
"I don't think so. He was arrested recently and is being sent to the prison on Gesaril," he answered reluctantly.
"Then you are of no use to us," stated Zelak flatly.
"There's more. A family of spacers, who've been recently cleared of rebel activity helped him escape, unknowingly. They may contact him again," interjected Jetha.
"Ah yes, the Wiseborns. I've heard of them. They were last seen blasting out of a warehouse in the Mestra system. This warehouse belonged to Jevik Corval, yes?" he inquired, staring straight at Brick.
"Yes," he said, casting his eyes downward. Looking directly into the face of the zabrak Inquisitor unnerved him.
"As I said, your services are no longer needed. Scurry back to the shuttle pathetic vermin, you have nothing to offer me in my hunt."
"Our hunt," corrected the Twi'lek.
"Of course, of course. Our hunt," Zelak said sarcastically.
"But sir, I was assigned to you as your liaison officer. I have direct orders from Captain Koshtik…" Brick blurted out, quickly pulling out a data pad and offering it to Zelak.
"Well, I'm changing your orders," growled the zabrak, ignoring the offered data pad.
"…approved by Lord Vader himself."
The zabrak stiffened suddenly. His eyes narrowed at the young Imperial Officer trembling before him. He took hold of the data pad and looked it over.
"Lord Vader, you say?"
Brick nodded his head slowly but emphatically.
"Fine, stow your gear in the cabin closest to engineering. Then fetch me some clove tea from the galley. If I must be 'baby-sat', I might as well enjoy myself," Zelak said with a flourish as he turned to head towards the cockpit, motioning his fellow Inquisitors to follow.
Brick tried to control his shaking as he took his gear to his cabin. He'd gotten himself in over his head this time, he thought. Just a very small fish in a vastly larger pond and the predators were circling.
With a click and whoosh, the double thick blast door flew open. It had been a grueling five days since his interrogation with Captain Screeb. Though many of his wounds were on the mend, especially his shoulder, he still ached all over. The constant twitch in his cheek muscle annoyed him and he had very little hope it would ever go away. A lasting reminder of what happens to those who resist the Empire.
Carrying a small bundle of clothes and necessities, he was being marched to his cell, surrounded by four Stormtroopers, two in front and two behind. As far as he could see, cell doors lined either side of the hallway, carved directly into the walls. He knew where he was at, the asteroid prison that orbited the sun in the Gesaril system. It was a holding center for rebels and political malcontents. This place would be his home for the rest of his life, much to his dismay. No one had ever escaped. There would be no hard labor, just complete solitude and isolation. He almost wished they would have executed him. Almost.
His escort stopped in front of an empty cell. Keying his helmet mike, the squad sergeant called for cell door JC-1255 to be opened. In a matter of seconds, the door slid up and Jevik was pushed unceremoniously inside. Losing his balance and falling to the floor, he groaned as he watched his belongings scatter across the floor. Cursing aloud, he slowly picked himself up and gathered his things.
He turned back to the door as it closed and noticed that it had a small window. Walking to the door, he peered through the window to see what kind of view he had. It wasn't much, a limited view of the hallway and the door directly across the hall from him.
Glancing at that door, he noticed a face in the window staring back at him. The man had long brown hair and a piercing set of blue eyes, blazing with a hint of anger. He suddenly realized he recognized the man staring at him through the window across the hall. He stepped back, his mind a whirl.
"Yom?" he mouthed quietly.