Chapter 8: Interrogation

Vader arrived at the Coruscanti prison just an hour and a half after he received the call from Leia. He had been here to interrogate many times before. Though it was never humane questioning any time before this. It was torture, he would never do it again if he didn't have to, never again.

He strode into the main lobby and the gruff looking warden at the front desk greeted him.

" 'Lo Lord Vader, what can I do for ya today, eh?"

" I've come to interrogate a woman who was recently captured. Xen."

" Xen," The man echoed typing on his consol. " Oh yeah, she was just transferred outta the holding cells abou' fifteens minutes ago. She's in the high security cell block, cell C-09."

" Thank you." Vader said. He walked past the desk and through a door. He turned left in the hall he came into and went through the door at the very end. He found himself in a circular room with camera's and auto turrets pointing down at him. There was a desk in the middle of the room and behind it was the keeper of these cells.

" Greetings milord." He said bowing.

" I'm looking for cell C-09." Vader said.

" Okay." The man said reaching under his desk and pulling out a keycard. He handed it to Vader.

" Keycard system." He said. " Impossible to crack, you know 'stead of the open door button."

" Yes." Vader said brushing past him. There was a door behind the desk that required a keycard. He held his up and ran it through the slot. A light on top of the door that had not been visible before shine green and the door shot upward and opened. Vader stepped in and it shut behind him with a bang. He found himself in a hexagonal hallway with a grated floor and ceiling that shined read. There was a row of doors to his right only made of think durasteel with a reinforced plaststeel layer. To the left of each door was a keycard slot. No wonder these were high security cells.

Vader followed the doors from A-01, which had one hundred cells, to C-09. He stopped in front of the door and slit the keycard through the slot. A light above the cell door flashed green and it opened slowly. There seemed to be two doors. One opened from side to side and the one behind it shot upward. A cell came into view. Vader stepped in and the door banged shut behind him.

To his left there was another keycard slot to get out. He was standing in a small room. It had grated floors and a grated ceiling. Its walls were made of thick black permacrete and there was a bench at the far end. On that bench sat a woman with short black hair that fell shoulder length and naturally purple eyes. She was wearing a skin tight leather cat suit and she had a leather and cloth belt with several pouches attached to it. Next to her suspended above the bench were two shiny open metallic binders attached firmly on the wall above head height.

" Greetings Xen." Vader said coolly.

" What's up chosen bastard?" She replied.

" What are those binders for?" Vader asked pointing at them.

" Oh, well see whenever I get my meals a guard comes in a zaps me in the butt with an immobilizing tazer, then he cuffs my hands in there so I can't throttle him, then he cleans my fresher," She began inclining her head to Vader's left. Indeed there was a small archway in the wall. " And lays out my food, zaps me in the butt again and releases the binders, then when I regain feeling I get to eat."

" How fascinating. It's a new touch. I wonder do they still have the compartment in here that houses a truth telling serum?"

" Correct chosen bastard. Need a keycard to get the stuff so prisoners can't overdose themselves and commit suicide. Like I'd do it anyway, I'm going to escape."

Vader looked to his right. There was a white hexagonal shaped door no bigger that his head in the wall. Next to it was indeed a slider for a keycard.

" I assume I will not be able to cuff you with those binders by your will, will I?"

" Nope, you'll just have to zap me in the butt like every other bastard."

" Alright." Vader said walking up to the small hexagonal door and sliding his keycard through. It opened immediately. There was a small cupboard behind it with two shelves. On the top were three half shampoo sized bottles. Each had a label on, light, moderate, and heavy truth telling serum. On the second shelves were two different syringes each with a long needle. The first was for small doses and it had a short needle. The second was for heavy doses and its needle was as long as Vader's lightsaber hilt. There was also a small little pistol shaped gun. Vader assumed it was the tazer and grabbed it.

He pointed at Xen.

" So do I just pull the trigger?" He asked.

" Knock yourself out."

He squeezed the trigger lightly and out of the barrel shot and long strand of lightning. It traveled around Xen and hit her butt. She jolted but moved no more. He grabbed both of her hands and restrained them with the binders. Then he went back to the cupboard, deposited the tazer and picked up the heavy mind probe and the bigger syringe. Quickly he unscrewed the cap and lowered the needle down in it sucking up the clear liquid.

He walked back over to Xen after putting the bottle away and stabbed the needle in her arm, he pushed the liquid down and took the needle out and put it back inside the cupboard, which closed immediately after.

" Now tell me, were you working for Darth Traya?" Vader asked.

" Yes." Xen spat.

" So she is alive."

" Yes."

" Where is she now?"

" I'm… not likely to tell you that am I."

" Where is she? Tell me." Vader said a bit more forceful.

" I dunno, gotta figure it out for yourself."

" Where did you two go after she was resurrected?" Vader asked trying a different approach.

" Somewhere…"

" But where."

" I dunno."

" You will tell me." Vader said trying to use the force to coax her as well.

" No I wont."

" You must, it is the only way."

" Nope."

" Tell me."

Xen did not answer however. She gagged and her head sank backwards. She was just about to pass out from the dosage of serum.

" I'll escape." She choked before her eyes closed and she passed out. Vader sighed and walked over to the binders to release her. He then walked out of the cell and back down the hallway. An idea came to mind.

What if they let Xen escape? But put a tracker in her clothes or something. That would lead the right to Traya. He stepped up to the keycard keepers desk and handed him the card.

" We will need to let her escape to find Traya." He said. The keeper happened to take a sip of twi'lek whisky just then and he spit a mouthful of it right on Vader's boots.

" Wha'?" He cried. " Are you completely off your nut?"

" Sew a tracer into her clothing. She is out cold. Let her escape next meal time. Make it look accidental and make sure she leaves. Give her a hard time though."

" What happens if she kill some of us!"

" That's why I said make it easy, just not to easy."

" As you wish then, milord."