After being caught in the Imperial Star Destroyer's tractor beams, Ahsoka erased all holo-recordings, navigation, and fueling logs recorded in her A-Wing before unwillingly landing her fighter in one of the Star Destroyer's Hangars That was something she learned from her master when they were tracking down the bounty hunter, Cad Bane way back during the Clone Wars.
The moment she killed off the fighter's engines, platoons of stormtroopers came out from the blast doors with their blasters ready.
"Great," Ahsoka muttered. "The welcoming party is here."
One stormtrooper stepped forward from the ranks, probably the Commander, since he had slightly different armor than the rest. "Step out of the fighter." He said.
Ahsoka sighed then opened the transparisteel windscreen of the A-Wing's cockpit and jumped to the Hangar floor.
Everyone gasped. "A Jedi!" One yelled. Suddenly, every stormtrooper pointed their blasters at her.
Ahsoka knew right then, that her lightsabers have given her away. She faced the Commander and raised both her hands in the air. When she did that, about half of the stormtroopers lowered their blasters and a few scratched their helmets in confusion.
"What?" Ahsoka spoke up in annoyance. "Is this the first time you've seen a female Rebel General?" She asked.
"Freeze!" The Stormtrooper Commander said, pointing a blaster to her head.
She stopped moving and raised her hands higher.
The Commander walked towards her and plucked out her two lightsabers from her belt. And bind her hands in cuffs. Several stormtroopers dragged both her arms to a hallway towards her would-be prison cell.
Ahsoka knew better than to try to escape. Stealing a fighter won't do her any good. Especially, since Onderon is under high surveillance after their show of destroying the planetary blockade.
All she can do at the moment is wait. Wait for a chance that she could be transferred somewhere and escape discreetly. And also, wonder how the rebellion is doing with her being captured.
. . .
Due to the active rebel presence on the planet and Lux's pleas on the Imperial Senate, the Emperor had granted and sent him Grand Moff Tarkin, the Governor of the Outer Rim to deal with the problem.
It was odd enough, since Grand Moff Tarkin is the Governor of the Outer Rim, whereas the Onderon system is in the Inner Rim. But despite Tarkin being a ruthless leader, he gets his job done, no matter what the consequences are.
Now, as the senator of the Onderon system, Lux Bonteri was obligated to meet their visitor. He walked towards the Hangar, with Agent Alexandr Kallus, an Imperial Officer tasked to handle the rebels on the planet, and two Imperial Inquisitors.
Agent Kallus seemed harmless enough if you remove the blaster hanging by his side. As far as Lux remember, he's here because the same group of "rebels" from the Outer Rim system of Lothal were part of the same ones responsible for destroying the planetary blockade of Onderon.
The Imperial Inquisitors definitely intimidated him. According to Agent Kallus, Lord Vader was supposed to come to interrogate their prisoner, but instead, the two Inquisitors, a male, and a female were sent in his place. They also have unusual names. The male inquisitor, they called the Third Brother, and the female one, the Fourth Sister. How they were given their names, Lux didn't have a clue. He's never seen inquisitors in action. But according to the stories he's heard, they carried double lightsabers, similar to those of the Jedi back in the day, but it had two ends, and it glowed red rather than blue or green.
Stormtroopers stood in assembly as the four of them came near the Imperial shuttle.
The ramp lowered and two stormtroopers started down the ramp. Behind them, was Grand Moff Tarkin. He walked with a baleful expression on his face. Even with his gray hair and his sunken cheeks, he still could manage to intimidate the whole Imperial army.
"Grand Moff Tarkin," Lux bowed in respect. "I am honored by your visit to Onderon."
"Thank you, Senator," Tarkin said. "But my presence is hardly an honor."
"I must admit I was surprised to know you were coming," Lux admitted as he walked alongside him.
"I, too have been surprised," Tarkin said as he walked past him. "By what's happening to your system, Senator. A curious thing. They have never dared to do such a spectacle big enough for the Emperor to send me here and deal with the problem."
Agent Kallus cleared his throat. "If you are referring to the Rebels, sir, I—" He started to say.
Tarkin raised his hand, prompting Kallus to stop talking. "We are in the Inner Rim, and yet, they have allowed insurgents to flourish right under their noses." He turned to Lux. "I heard about your pleas in the Imperial Senate on this matter, Senator. That is why I sent him here." He pointed at Agent Kallus.
"Agent Kallus," Tarkin addressed. "I'll say this again, have you just stood idly by while these Rebels attacked our men, destroyed our property, and disrupted our trade?"
"We have exhausted every resource to capture them, sir." Agent Kallus reported. "Tracking them from system to system. But I'm afraid these Rebels are more elusive than we thought. But something else came to light, their leader is a Jedi."
Tarkin rolled his eyes. "Another self-proclaimed Jedi? Hmm, what a shame that the ones we have who specializes in dealing with them have, well, I would say, become progressively less useful than they once were." He glared pointedly at the Inquisitors. "Where is Lord Vader, wasn't he supposed to be here?"
The male Inquisitor stepped forward and retracted the faceplate of his helmet, showing off his blue skin and red eyes. Turns out, he's a male Chiss. "Lord Vader sent us in his place, Grand Moff. He is recovering from his encounter with three Jedi in Malachor."
Tarkin huffed in frustration before turning back to Agent Kallus. "You've already had that one supposed Jedi in your custody before, but you let him escape."
"Begging your pardon, sir." Agent Kallus said. "The Jedi that we captured in Lothal was only a leader of one Rebel cell. This Jedi is different, they consider this one their General."
Lux's eyes widened. What? He mentally screamed. Oh, no. It couldn't be—no, that's impossible.
Tarkin's eyes widened and nodded. "Good, we finally have some good news. Where is this Rebel General being held?" He asked.
"In the Onderon Imperial Military Compound, sir." Agent Kallus reported. "We have captured her through our tractor beams."
"If this Jedi," Tarkin said the word in disgust. "Is what he claims to be, he could be our key to unlock the secrets of the supposed Rebel intelligence in the galaxy."
"This Rebel General is a she, Grand Moff," Agent Kallus informed.
Tarkin stopped at his tracks and turned to them. "A female general? That is peculiar."
Lux cleared his throat. "How are you even sure this general is a Jedi?" He asked.
"The only weapons she possessed were lightsabers." Agent Kallus replied.
Tarkin turned to Lux. "Senator, have you ever met a Jedi?" He asked.
"Well, I served as a Senator for Onderon way back since the days of the Republic." Lux pointed out. "And yes, I have met several of them." I am even friends with some of them, he wanted to add but did not dare say it.
"I actually worked with the Jedi back then," Tarkin said. "Not from the stories, but by flesh and blood."
"So did I, Grand Moff." Lux indicated. "In fact, it was with the help of the Jedi that liberated Onderon from the hands of the Separatists."
"And do you know what happened to them?" Tarkin asked.
Lux shook his head. "Not that I know of."
"They died." Tarkin interrupted. "Every last one of them. So you see, it's quite impossible for this general for what she claims to be." He promised. "Such strange people, those Jedi were. The Republic solely relied on people they don't control or understand for that matter."
"The Jedi were peacekeepers." Lux insisted.
"Were they?" Tarkin raised an eyebrow at them. "They lead armies into battle. That is not the definition of a peacekeeper. Nevertheless, I would like to meet this…Jedi or whatever she claims to be."
Kallus bowed and then gestured for Tarkin and the rest of them into another shuttle that will transport them to the Imperial Military Compound.
. . .
Ahsoka was placed in an interrogation chair. Not surprised. It's what the Empire does to get information out of someone. Surprisingly, it's also the same tactic the Separatists used back in the Clone Wars. Back when she was a mere padawan in the last years of the Galactic Republic, all they did to prisoners were locked them in cells.
Suddenly, the doors to the interrogation room opened and five people walked in. Two of them Ahsoka recognized personally as she had an encounter with them when she was still a Jedi padawan.
One was Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. The last time they met, he was an outspoken Captain to Jedi Master Even Piell, until his death in Lola Sayu. He had also prosecuted her expulsion from the Jedi Order and her trial for supposedly planting bombs in the Jedi Temple. She'd never like him before, and most certainly didn't like him now.
The other person was Lux Bonteri. He was trying to preserve his stance as a Senator but Ahsoka could tell that he was barely keeping it together when he saw her.
The other three were, one Ahsoka presumed was Agent Kallus, the same officer following the Ghost crew in Lothal, while the other two are obviously Imperial Inquisitors, a male, and a female.
How many Inquisitors are there? She wondered. Whenever they eliminate one, more will show up.
Tarkin's eyes widened in surprise. "Could it be?" He snorted. "Ahsoka Tano?"
When Tarkin mentioned her name, the two Inquisitors exchanged glances. And judging by the facial expression of the male inquisitor, he looked surprised, and almost…scared.
Good, Ahsoka thought. They must have heard of me.
Tarkin made a tsk sound. "We have to stop meeting like this, my dear."
Ahsoka sneered. "I'm flattered that you still remember me, Grand Moff."
"Well, you certainly hadn't changed much," Tarkin raised an eyebrow at her. "Once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker."
In the middle of their exchange, Lux was escorted out by Agent Kallus. But before leaving, they were able to lock eyes for a moment. Be strong, 'Soka, Lux seemed to say. She gave him a look that said, Don't worry about me I can handle this.
The female inquisitor stepped forward and studied her. She then retracted the faceplate of her helmet, revealing herself to be an Umbaran—with her pale, bluish skin and her colorless eyes. She gave Ahsoka a sneer. "Lord Vader will be very pleased to meet you."
Ahsoka raised an eye marking. "Vader?" She repeated. "The one with the helmet and cape?"
The female inquisitor looked puzzled.
"Oh, we've met," Ahsoka said. "It's probably why he isn't here now. I sliced part of his helmet off in Malachor."
The male inquisitor stepped forward. "You've fought Lord Vader?" He asked, then snorted. "You wouldn't have survived if you did."
"Who do you think cut off my arm?" Ahsoka answered as she tried to move her cybernetic left arm.
"Enough of this!" Tarkin's voice echoed the room. He took a look at the men behind the computers and nodded his head.
Suddenly, a surge of electricity ran through her. Of course, Ahsoka thought. They want information through electrocution. On the first shock, she only grunted.
"So, you're a general now," Tarkin said. "And with a fleet that large enough to put on a show in the atmosphere, there's ought to be more of you, of course. Now, where are the other rebels?"
Ahsoka chuckled. "And what makes you think I'd tell you that?"
The male inquisitor raised his hand and another shock surge through her body. He's using the force to turn on the device that electrocuted her. And he didn't stop until she started screaming.
Tarkin stood before her and glared in her face. "Because your life is in our hands now."
"I'm not telling you anything." She replied, panting.
Another shock came again.
"A fleet that large has to have a place for all the vessels to dock," Tarkin pointed out. "Now, where is the rebel base?" Tarkin asked.
"There is no base!" Ahsoka screamed. "If you would recall, we stole one of your carriers in Ryloth—ugh!" Her sentence was cut short as another shock hit her.
"The fighters that destroyed the blockade were far too many to fit in one Imperial light carrier," Tarkin said. "Surely, that isn't the case." He then nodded at the inquisitors.
The female inquisitor raised an open palm before her face. It occurred to Ahsoka that the Umbaran inquisitor was using mind probe on her, trying to sift through her thoughts and emotions.
Thankfully, as the Jedi, at least, back then, they were trained to resist it. It was no problem, at first, but then the other inquisitor joined in making it harder to resist. Ahsoka struggled, of course.
"Get out of my head!" She gritted her teeth.
They didn't stop, so she started to use it against them and sifted through their thoughts and fears.
"You're afraid," Ahsoka managed to say. "Both of you are."
The male inquisitor had loosened his mind probing on her, looking absolutely surprised.
"You're afraid of suffering the same fate as your brothers and sisters in the hands of Jedi!"
They both stopped. The female inquisitor grabbed her lightsaber. It glowed red when she ignited it and held it by Ahsoka's neck. She was obviously offended and was ready to strike.
"I struck a nerve, haven't I?" Ahsoka sneered.
The male inquisitor grabbed the lightsaber and turned it away from Ahsoka. He gave his fellow inquisitor a warning glare with his red eyes like, What are you doing? We need her alive.
The female inquisitor switched off her lightsaber, raised her hand and another wave of electric shock hit her.
"She's no good if she's dead," Tarkin spoke up.
Ahsoka panted lulled head down, tired from all shocks given.
"Well," Tarkin sneered. "It looks like you're not as strong as you think you are." He then cupped her chin. "One way or another, we will find your friends and destroy every single spark of hope you ignited."
Ahsoka released her chin from Tarkin's hand. "Over my dead body."
Tarkin studied her. "Careful now," He said. "At the moment the inquisitors will keep you company. After all, you are a V.I.P. A very important prisoner."
Both inquisitors smiled wickedly.
Tarkin turned to the inquisitors. "If she still won't reveal anything, we'll have to transfer her to another location." He stated. "One that never fails to extract a confession."