Chapter Twenty-Eight: ISB Headquarters
Babel Torsh stood in front of his holo-projector, waiting silently for the summoned officers to appear before beginning his meeting. As head of the ISB in the Minos Cluster, anything having to do with the Rebellion fell to him to investigate and this latest fiasco was starting to draw the attention of his superiors within the Core Worlds. He wanted to avoid any unnecessary attention while he cleaned up this mess and restored order to his sector as quickly as possible.
One by one, the holo-projections of several officers appeared before him. He glanced at the images before him and conducted a mental checklist of those who were present. Captain Silas Koshtik, Commander of the Imperial Fleet in this sector, Commander Yoab Ulfrix, in charge of the Gesaril asteroid prison and Lt. Commander Shif Jeebs who was standing in for Captain Katarina Screeb who, he noted, was still in the medical bay of the Captum. The final image to appear was that of ISB Inquisitor Zelak. Everyone was present and accounted for and he wasted no time once Zelak's image appeared.
"Greetings, this meeting is being recorded. Let the record reflect that those in attendance were called by myself, Babel Torsh, member of the Imperial Security Bureau, Chief Investigator in the Wiseborn sedition case. I will begin by going over a summary of events leading up to today's meeting."
"Must we?" interrupted Zelak, sounding bored.
"Inquisitor Zelak, I will remind you that you are operating within my sector and are therefore required to cooperate with my investigation. Your lack of support or any insubordination on your part will be noted and reported to Coruscant," Babel stated glaring at the Zabrak, practically daring him to speak out of turn again.
"My apologies, Agent Torsh, I did not mean to offend. I only want to get through this as quickly as possible."
"I'm sure you do, but protocol demands that we do things by the book. I must bring everyone in this meeting up to speed."
Babel pulled out a data pad and began to scroll through it, reading aloud.
"Two years ago, Yom and Phy Wiseborn were arrested on suspicion of being Rebel agents. They were captured and arrested by Captain Katarina Screeb, who is, incidentally, their daughter. Both Yom and Phy were sent to the prison asteroid in the Gesaril system. They were to be interrogated with the hope of learning about Rebel activity within this sector. After two years, we've learned nothing useful from them and they were scheduled to be executed."
"That is correct, sir," spoke up Commander Ulfrix.
"I had received approval for their executions, Commander Ulfrix, prior to you contacting me."
A surprised expression crossed Capt. Koshtik's features, while Lt. Jeebs raised an eyebrow. Zelak's face was as impassive as ever, he looked more bored than interested in the current topic.
Babel always enjoyed keeping those he dealt with off balance, though he never seemed to be able to cut through the tough exterior of the Inquisitor. He would love to be able to do that, just once. Amused by their reactions, he managed to maintain his composure and continued with his report.
"Jevik Chorval arrived at the prison and had a confrontation in the canteen with Yom Wiseborn?" Babel asked, rather than stated.
"Yes sir. Both were quickly neutralized and questioned. Jevik revealed that the Wiseborn children are now part of the Rebel Alliance and are in possession of the Imperial Intelligence data their parents had been transporting."
"Where did the children acquire this data? My records show the ship was searched and nothing was ever found," stated Babel with concern.
"That is correct Sir," replied Capt. Koshtik, "when the ship was searched, we recovered no data of any kind. The ships computer had been wiped clean and their maintenance droid's memory had been wiped as well."
"They covered their tracks quite well it would seem. No big surprise there," yawned Zelak.
"Obviously, it was given to them by Jevik before he was captured. I will need to question him further. Can you have him ready to be questioned in two days?" asked Babel while he opened a screen on his data pad, showing him his schedule.
"Sir," Ulfrix spoke up hesitantly, "I put him on the shuttle Aistriu this morning and sent him to you. I've sent Yom and Phy as well."
"Why are you sending them all to me?" Babel asked, his annoyance evident upon his features.
"Sir, Yom requested to speak to you personally about his children and Jevik. He's stating that his children are not part of the Rebel Alliance and wishes to turn evidence against Jevik in return for any leniency concerning his children," Commander Ulfrix replied.
"You didn't think to clear this with me?"
"Sir, with the recent developments, I figured you would want them transferred to your location, in case you needed any additional statements or information," offered Commander Ulfrix.
Babel scowled at the prison facility commander. His eyes narrowed in anger, "This could've been handled at your facility. I'm beginning to think you wanted to relieve yourself of the hassle and instead transfer it to my office."
"I'm sorry sir, I just felt…"
"We do not operate on feelings, Commander. That is why we have rules and regulations. It prevents the foolishness of feelings to overwhelm rational thought. You would do well to clamp down on those feelings in the future," Babel said with a sneer.
"Yes, sir," Commander Ulfrix replied meekly.
"If there aren't any more surprises, we'll continue," Babel said, looking back down to his data pad, "In regards to any leniency concerning the Wiseborn children, let's look at the facts, shall we? The Wiseborn children have had dealings with Jevik over the past two years; mostly the older two boys. Nothing was found to be out of the ordinary until the terrorist attack at the Adarlon starport. Jevik is believed to be responsible for the incident.
A few days later, the children miraculously rescue an Imperial prisoner suspected of being a Jedi from a pirate ambush near the Eliad system. They also managed to rescue Lt. Brick Duffhold. Being relatively new to space travel, they did remarkably well against a couple of fully armed starfighters flown by experienced pilots, in a beat up old freighter no less.
Conveniently enough, they head to Yelsain where the Jedi disappears and Lt. Duffhold is returned to us. After being cleared by Captain Screeb, they head to Mestra and meet up with Jevik. By this time, we are now aware of their obvious involvement with the Rebel Alliance."
"In the aftermath of the raid on the rebel safe house on Adarlon, we recovered information pertaining to their recruitment by Jevik," Zelak interjected.
"After managing to sneak past our security blockade in the Mestra system, they met with Jevik at his warehouse on Asteroid F-4071. We believe this, including the rescue, was part of their initiation process. In return, he gives them their parents ship, the Cameroon. When Captain Screeb's forces show up unexpectedly, Jevik purposefully kept them occupied, allowing the children to escape. Ultimately, Jevik is captured by Capt. Screeb and questioned before she turned him over to you, Command Ulfrix."
"That is correct, sir."
"And this brings us full circle. Are there any questions?" asked Babel.
"I have one," spoke Lt. Jeebs, "How did the Cameroon end up in a warehouse owned by a known criminal? Imperial protocol states that all captured enemy vessels are to be sent to the closest ship yard to either be melted down for scrap or sold at auction. I've been doing some searching and I find no mention of any sale of this ship."
"That information is classified," stated Babel abruptly.
"It's on a need to know basis," added Zelak.
"Sirs, I mean no disrespect, but due to our current circumstances, shouldn't we all need to know?"
Babel fumed for a moment before relenting, "The ship was stolen as it was being transferred to the Travnin shipyards. It was scheduled to be sent back to Coruscant."
"Who was the officer in charge of ensuring the ship was transferred properly to the ship yards?" Lt. Jeebs asked.
"Lt. Brick Duffhold," stated Captain Koshtik.
For a moment, all was silent among the officers.
"Very well. Let's get back on track, shall we?" Babel looked at the holo-images before him, noted their nods before continuing, "Recently, the Wiseborn children returned to Yelsain where they were discovered by Zelak and his team, leading them directly to the missing Jedi."
"I'd like to point out," interrupted Koshtik, "that Lt. Duffhold was assigned to Inquisitor Zelak's team prior to this."
"It's been noted in the file," Babel paused for a moment, "Inquisitor Zelak and his team observed the Wiseborn children meeting with the Jedi before splitting up, is that correct?"
"That is correct," began Zelak, "I ordered Lt. Duffhold to prevent their escape, and he failed miserably. He allowed both ships to get away, before returning to orbit, leaving myself and my fellow Inquisitors behind to apprehend the Jedi. We were thwarted by the oncoming hurricane and the Jedi disappeared."
"According to your report, Jetha was killed before the Jedi managed to escape?" asked Babel.
"Correct. We were unable to reach Lt. Duffhold until after the storm had passed."
"May I point out something, that I've noticed," spoke up Lt. Jeebs.
Nodding, Babel replied, "Proceed, Lieutenant."
"Based on what I'm hearing, I'm finding too many coincidences when it comes to Lt. Duffhold."
"How so?" asked Babel.
"Well sir, he was present at the capture of the Wiseborns," he began before looking down at a data pad he held in his hands, "and based on Capt. Koshtik's report, he was the officer who had provided the information that put the Chariot in the path of the Wiseborns, allowing them to be captured. He was then put in charge of transferring the Cameroon to the ship yards.
Lt. Duffold was present when the Jedi was captured near Eliad and was aboard the shuttle when it was ambushed by the pirates. While the crew of the shuttle was killed, both he and the Jedi were rescued. He was returned to us while the Jedi went missing on Yelsain. He was then assigned to the Inquisitors ship and after finding the Wiseborn children, conveniently allowed them to escape.
While aboard my ship, he accessed and tampered with top secret files, using a data cylinder belonging to Inquisitor Zelak. When he tried leaving Yelsain, he was arrested where we found Capt. Screeb badly beaten and her brothers' unconscious within the cargo hold of the Violator."
"Captain Screeb has stated in several reports that Lt. Duffhold does have contacts with members of the criminal element within the sector. These contacts may or may not have interactions with the Rebel Alliance. I'd like to point out that the information he's acquired has always been to our gain," interjected Capt. Koshtik
"What are you suggesting, Lt. Jeebs?" Babel asked guardedly.
"We've always suspected that there was someone supplying information and intel to the Rebel Alliance in this sector. I think it is safe to assume that Lt. Brick Duffhold is that leak."
"He's never shown any disloyalty to the Empire, especially after he began to build upon his criminal contacts. He's been monitored by the ISB since he was given this task. It has been a benefit to our operations here in the Minos Cluster. Other than his recent misjudgment, he's been a solid, if not reckless, Naval Officer," claimed Koshtik.
"But sir, in each of these instances, he was serving under Capt. Screeb or dealing with members of her family. Was she being watched?" accused Lt. Jeebs.
After a few moments of silence, Babel cleared his throat, "This may be something we need to consider," he stated solemnly.
"I believe this covers everything. Do you require anything else?" Zelak snorted derisively.
"No, that covers everything. When should I expect the prisoners, Commander Ulfrix?"
Glancing over his shoulder Ulfrix replied, "Aistriu will arrive at Travnin in 19 hours."
"Sir, the Captum is 17 hours out," stated Lt. Jeebs.
"Once the shuttle arrives, it will dock with the Captum, recover the Wiseborn boys and Lt. Duffhold, then head directly here to the base. Any questions?" asked Babel.
The gathered officers remained quiet.
"Very well, this meeting is adjourned."
Babel scowled as he depressed the button, ending the meeting. He silently fumed, mulling over his meeting. Maybe, just maybe, Lt. Jeebs had inadvertently stumbled across something he had overlooked.
Drun Cairnwick paced back and forth across the control room which had become the new headquarters of the Rebel Alliance. He was still mulling over the last transmission he had received from Horshe. They had missed the Captum as it made the jump to hyperspace. They were hailed by the Folyat and were forced to flee the system before the corvette could engage. They had made the jump to Eliad and were in orbit over the planet.
Having put all his agents on alert, he began to scrutinize all data being sent to his location, where he could monitor it while figuring out a way to help Evie rescue her brothers. At the moment, it seemed hopeless, and he knew it, but Evie was hearing none of it. It was taking everything Horshe had to keep them at Eliad but even her patience was starting to wear thin.
One of his technicians informed him that they were receiving a priority message. He rushed over to the technician and watched the screen as it lit up with an incoming message.
"It's coming from our contacts on Karideph," she offered before he could ask.
"What does it say?"
"There recently was an increase of TIE patrols around the planet just before a Lambda-class shuttle entered the system. Its signature was listed as the Aistriu."
"That's used for prisoner transfers. Any idea why it was there?" he asked with concern.
"It wasn't in the system for very long. It made another jump shortly after it arrived."
"Back the way it came?"
"No sir, in a different direction."
"There is at least a half-dozen different hyperspace lanes in that system," he said softly," where could it be going?"
"If it's coming from Gesaril, then I would assume its headed to Travnin, sir."
"I believe you may be right. Notify our agents on Travnin to be on full alert and to inform us if the shuttle arrives."
"Yes, sir."
Drun stepped back and tapped his chin. There had been no major news of any high-profile arrests, so it was highly unlikely they were out to retrieve anyone. He mentally snapped his fingers. Mowen and Bendu were aboard the Captum. It was very likely that the shuttle had been dispatched to collect the boys. It was the only possible answer.
He turned to the tech's seated around the room.
"I need an estimated arrival time for the Captum to Travnin. I also need estimates for Aistriu's possible arrival time to Travnin."
"Sir," one tech called out, "are you sure the shuttle is headed for Travnin?"
"I believe so. Call it a hunch, but I'm trusting my gut on this one."
Drun began to pace again. A thousand questions floated through his mind. Should he strike against the Empire at Travnin or wait for the shuttle near Gesaril? Both were heavily armed systems, full if Imperial ships and troops. Neither option was a win for the Rebellion, it would be costly. Were the Wiseborn boys worth such a cost? He certainly hoped so.
Horshe slowly pulled off her headset and placed it upon the console in front of her. Glancing behind her, observing Evie giving herself another stim shot of pain reliever, she sighed inwardly. This was Evie's third shot in as many hours. It wasn't physical pain that Evie was trying to relieve, at least she didn't think so.
Looking past Evie, she made eye contact with Megara. Nodding slowly, Horshe, gave her a questioning look. Shrugging, Megara turned towards Evie, her concern quite evident. Reaching out, she gave Evie's shoulder a quick, reassuring squeeze. Evie reached up and held Megara's hand for a few moments, closing her eyes.
Horshe smiled before clearing her throat, getting Evie's attention," I have news."
Evie's eyes snapped open and focused on Horshe, eager to hear what she had to say.
Horshe wasted no time, "Drun believes the time to strike is now. He's activated the Misfits."
"Who are the Misfits?" Megara asked.
"A group of Rebel pilots. From what I hear, they aren't combat tested, but they are very eager to do so. Drun has them scrambling and headed towards Travnin. He's planning for an assault against the Captum once it arrives in the system in about 17 hours."
"That isn't much time," Megara said, concerned.
"There is only a small window of opportunity, it seems. A shuttle was dispatched to the system to retrieve your brothers and take them to Gesaril. It'll be waiting there for the Captum when it arrives."
"They are taking them to the prison?" groaned Evie.
Megara shook her head sadly, "Oh no! That is practically a death sentence. No one ever returns from there."
"That's why they must strike now," stated Horshe, "Before they can be transferred to the shuttle."
"What's our role in the attack?" Evie asked, sitting up straight.
"We are to wait here," Horshe said nervously.
"No," Evie barked, "I will not sit and wait. Set a course for Travnin. I want to be there when my brothers are rescued."
"Evie, listen…" Horshe began.
"No, I won't listen. If you won't get us moving, then I will do it myself!" Evie growled as she reached for the controls.
Horshe calmly intercepted Evie's hands and held them for a moment, looking her directly in the eye.
"I will get us there, if that is what you want," she said quietly.
Evie nodded her head, her eyes welling up with tears.
Releasing Evie's hands, Horshe looked to Megara and nodded before turning back to the ship's controls. She checked her readouts before she reached up and pulled back on the lever to engage the hyperdrive. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled warmly at Evie. She knew Evie wouldn't want to sit and wait, so she had been prepared for such an eventuality.
Within seconds, the ship rocketed into hyperspace.
At a hidden hanger on Eliad, deep beneath the surface of the planet, Commander Trey Gordi called for quiet as his pilots took their seats. He looked around the room, making eye contact with each pilot separately. Including himself, there were 7 other beings within the room.
"We've got our first mission," Trey said, smiling.
Every pilot in the room instantly sat up straight and kept their attention on him. He noticed that some looked eager, some looked surprised, and others looked scared. He empathized with them all. At one point or another, he'd felt every one of those emotions as well as others he hoped they'd never have to experience.
"I'll keep it short and sweet," he began, "It's a rescue mission, deep in the heart of Imperial territory. We are headed to Travnin."
Several of the pilots groaned.
"Of all the places we could be sent, they decide on Travnin? We might as well assault the prison moon at Gesaril. Travnin is crawling with Imps. We'll be slaughtered," growled one of the more experienced pilots, a Gran who went by the name of Bovis.
"Our target is an inbound shuttle, the Aistriu."
"Isn't that the prison shuttle?" asked a recent recruit from Adarlon, a young human male named Alyx.
"Yes. It's scheduled to pick up some Rebel sympathizers from the frigate Captum at Travnin. We'll strike after the transfer but before the shuttle makes the jump into hyperspace. A freighter that we'll be escorting will collect the packages and then we all get the hell out of there. We are not, I repeat, not looking for a prolonged fight," barked Trey.
"What if the Captum peruses us?" growled Bovis.
"It is believed the Captum is running with a skeleton crew. She should be easy enough to handle. We'll avoid her if we can, if not, the Y-Wings will use ion torpedoes on her to deter any pursuit."
"What about the destroyer, Chariot?" ask another pilot, near the back of the room.
"At last report, she was in the Adarlon system. Let's hope she stays there. Any other questions?"
When none were forthcoming, Trey clasped his hands and looked around the room.
"Let's suit up and get moving. May the Force be with us!"
