Three days earlier…
Piett, surrounded by four Imperial guards, the one called "Kurt" being among them, approached the palace, where he was met by Breha Organa and her own guards. The woman, despite her formal and regal presence, was not very skilled at containing her nerves, palms shaking and smile quivering. She should be nervous; the Emperor had sent him to Alderaan to investigate her possible involvement with the Rebel Alliance, considering her husband's former position. But Piett himself had other motives…
"My lady," he said, bowing his head before extending a hand to her. Breha accepted the gesture, her hand remaining steady for the couple seconds they shook.
"Admiral Piett," she said, "Alderaan welcomes you. Though I suppose it is Lord Piett now, from what I've heard? To what do we owe the honor?"
Piett winced at the term "Lord". He wasn't quite ready for that, nor did he ever want to be.
"Admiral will be just fine," he said. "I've been sent by the Emperor to investigate a tip we received about Alderaan's possible involvement in the Rebellion movement, and I ask your permission to speak to some members of your staff."
"Very well," Breha replied after a brief hesitation, "but I assure you, no one employed by myself or my husband would ever betray the Empire."
Piett was caught off-guard by her statement. Hadn't his soldiers dropped Bail off on an Outer Rim planet? How did they find him? How much does he remember?...
"If it pleases you, my lady," said Piett, "I would very much like to speak with your husband."
Breha did not step aside.
"My husband is still recovering from an unfortunate accident," she responded, "but I think you already know that."
Piett stepped forward until he was looking directly down upon her, trying his best to be intimidating.
"That wasn't a request, Mrs. Organa," he stated. "That was an order."
The woman finally stepped aside and instructed one of her guards to lead Piett to Bail's study. Piett instructed his own guards to wait by the entrance, as he was certain that the former Senator posed no threat.
After climbing two flights of stairs and proceeding through a maze of winding corridors, Piett knocked twice on the old wooden door of the study before letting himself in. Bail looked up from a chaotic stack of books, papers, and holograms. It appeared as if he hadn't slept in weeks.
"Hello," said Bail, pushing his reading material aside. "Do I…uh…know you? You look familiar…"
He remembers me from the Executor.
"No," Piett answered quickly. "Until now, I have not had the pleasure of making your acquaintance. My name is Franklin Poet. I am a friend of your wife's, but she is a bit busy at the moment, so I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something."
Bail gestured for him to take a seat in front of the desk and he accepted the offer. Piett noticed a particularly thick novel beside him called "The History of Everything That's Ever Happened in the Universe".
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Poet, but I'm not sure how much help I can be," the former Senator replied. "I'm sure Breha has informed you of my condition?"
"She has," Piett replied, "but I only have a couple questions. I am an active member of the Rebellion, as are you and your wife, but I'm afraid I've been away for quite some time on an uncover mission. I returned to the base on Hoth, but it was abandoned. Do you know where it has been moved?"
Bail cleared his throat.
His wife probably told him not to say anything…
"I'm afraid that's classified information, Mr. Poet," he said. "How can I be sure that you are who you say you are?"
Piett wracked his brain for the most recent Rebel communicator code that his men had intercepted.
"BDH1459A," he replied.
Bail leaned forward. The numbers clearly meant something to him.
This is going to be too easy.
"Very well, then," said Bail. "The new base, from what I've heard my wife discuss, is located on the planet of Jakku in the Western Reaches. Have you heard of it?"
"I have," Piett replied, attempting to hide his smug grin. "Thank you, Mr. Organa. You have been most helpful, and I'm sure your wife will be grateful for saving her from an unnecessary interruption."
"I wish you safe travels, Franklin," Bail added as Piett promptly exited the office and closed the door.
Obi-Wan grabbed his communicator from his pocket and immediately contacted the Rebel communications leader, a young, vibrant man named Felecius, across the base.
"Hello, Master," the voice of Felecius answered. "What is it that I can do for you?"
"Felecius, I need you to send a direct, highly protected transmission to Breha Organa on Alderaan," the Jedi ordered. "Tell her that there has been a breach due to an accidental information leak by her husband. Make sure she increases palace security immediately."
"I'm on it," the boy replied. "Felecius out."
Obi-Wan turned his attention back to the Imperial officer who sat across from him at the rusty metal table in the interrogation room.
"Mon Mothma and our soldiers will insist on your imprisonment and trial for your actions if this gets out," he stated. "Though I don't appreciate you taking advantage of my colleague, I will keep quiet if your honesty continues. Why are you here?"
Piett leaned forward and folded his elbows on the table.
"Though I do believe in the Empire as a political system and its usefulness to the galaxy," Piett began, "I do not approve of its leadership. My loyalties are not, nor have they ever been, to the Emperor. I serve Lord Vader, and despite his lack of involvement recently, I have taken it upon myself to complete his mission."
"And what would that be?" Obi-Wan asked.
"To remove Sidious from power," Piett explained. "He told me when I helped him fake his death that he wished revenge upon the Emperor, for what I'm not sure, but I figured I would do whatever I can to help carry this out. Hence why I am here today. You and I may hold different political perspectives, but in the end, we are on the same side due to a mutual enemy. And, as I see now, a mutual friend."
"Vader is not a friend," said Obi-Wan, though he found himself uncertain as to the truth behind this statement. "We were unaware of his identity until you arrived. How long have you known what he looks like?"
"Also since I helped him fake his death," Piett replied.
"I see," Obi-Wan continued. "And do you know who he really is? His real name, perhaps? Or his reasoning for abandoning the Empire?"
"His name, no," Piett answered. "He will always be Vader to me even if I do ever learn it. As for his motive, I can only assume it's the girl. They grew very close on the Executor. He visited her every day and never harmed her. He had me lie about her being alive to the Emperor to protect her."
Interesting. Very interesting…
"I thank you for your honesty and bravery," said Obi-Wan. "I will have to think over your proposal of an alliance and present it to the others. I assume no one else involved with the Empire knows about this?"
"That is correct," Piett responded, "but the troopers follow me, now, as would Commander Veers if I were to contact him. His loyalties also lie with Vader, though he currently believes him to be dead. As soon as you have made a decision, I will contact one of my troopers. He goes by "Kurt" and was the guard outside Senator Padmé's cell."
Obi-Wan rose, satisfied with the conversation, and motioned for the Imperial to follow him. Of all the situations he expected to find himself in today, this was certainly not one of them.
"I assume you'll also understand that your quarters for the time being will need to be a cell, just as a precaution?" said the Jedi.
"Understood," the officer replied, following Obi-Wan past Rebel onlookers to the small area known as the base's jail. Obi-Wan requested that Red and Harley stand guard before retiring to his quarters for a brief meditation. He would need to confront Mon Mothma soon, as well as ensure the prisoner's safety, but first he needed time to process and accept the overload of information he had received in the past few hours.
Vader. Anakin. John. Piett. Veers. Kurt. Padmé.
Vader. Anakin.
Alright, so the bad news is that I'm most likely about to disappear again since the new semester is about to begin. The good news is that I know the direction this story is heading even if I don't know when I'll be able to get some new chapters up. Thanks again to all my followers, old and new, and please continue to leave reviews because I do read all of them! -Lyanna
