2.
It was late and well past curfew. She hurried back to her barracks, eyes darting every which way as she jogged. The punishment for breaking curfew too many times was severe, and she was already pushing the limit, having been caught more than once before. A rustle in the bushes up ahead caught her attention and she slowed as three cadets stepped out from behind it.

Frowning, she recognized them to be the ones who constantly harassed her. They moved to block her way, and she balled up her fists, ready in case they decided to swing first this time, rather than attack with just words. As they got closer, she decided tonight would be the night she'd put what she'd been working on for weeks, to the test. And maybe, just maybe, if it worked, they'd leave her alone once and for all.

When they were finally close enough, she bowed her head and closed her eyes…

Suddenly, she wasn't at the Academy anymore, but somewhere else entirely, somewhere she didn't recognize. It could've been her homeworld, or it couldn't have been. Everything was completely out of focus. She frantically looked around, searching for anything or anyone familiar.

She had the feeling someone was watching her and turned around. A hooded figure was standing there, off in the distance. She cautiously approached them, unsure of who they were and what their intentions were. The stranger had a kind face, one she instantly and inexplicably trusted. The stranger curiously gazed at her, studying her. She opened her mouth to speak, but her question was instantly silenced as the stranger's eyes narrowed.

A foreboding feeling hit her from behind, along with a sudden chill that made her shiver. She turned around and gasped. The Inquisitor was standing mere meters from her, a malevolent look on her face. The weapon in her hand ignited, and as the red blade sprang forth, the stranger behind her uttered only one word: "Run."

She didn't hesitate, didn't even question the command, and took off at a sprint. Fear drove her forward and she urged her legs to go faster, as the darkness behind her closed in. She skidded to a halt as the Inquisitor suddenly appeared in front of her. She whipped around and took off in the opposite direction, but an unseen hand caught her and began dragging her back. She writhed and fought, but she wasn't strong enough to break free as it dragged her back, towards the waiting red blade…

Jaina bolted awake, almost falling out of her chair. Gasping for air, she fought the urge to vomit as a strong wave of nausea hit her. Eyes wild, she stood up and looked around the room, finally realizing she was still in her quarters on Garel, and it had only been a dream. She must have drifted off while working on the report.

She sat back down, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. It had only been a dream. So why had it felt so real? And who was that stranger that had told her to run? She replayed what she'd seen over in her mind and found no answers. The only thing she was sure of, was that her instincts before about the Inquisitor had been right. Something wasn't right about her, and Jaina knew she needed to steer clear of her for the rest of the time she was here.

The memory of what had happened with the three cadets came forward, and she allowed herself a small smile. That had indeed been the night they'd left her alone after she'd successfully invaded the leader of their little group's thoughts. The information she'd fished out had ensured that they'd left her alone the remainder of the time she was there and had kept them scared enough to not report her.

Something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she frowned, seeing the message light on her comm blinking again. A glance at the chrono on the wall told her she'd been asleep far longer than she should've been, and she swore as she listened to the message from Lieutenant Horn.

She hurriedly strapped on her sidearm—protocol dictated she wasn't allowed to wear it during her interrogations but was required to have it on her any other time—grabbed the datapad and left to go searching for Horn. She found her in a room off of one of the hangar bays, sorting through the items the troopers had brought in the night before.

"Good morning, ma'am," Horn said, stiffening to attention as she entered.

"Carry on, Lieutenant," Jaina replied with a wave of her hand, and Horn immediately got back to work. She looked around the room and shook her head. It appeared as though the troopers had brought the entire warehouse back with them.

She grimaced, realizing this was going to take them both significantly longer than she would've liked to inventory it all. This is why she preferred to do the searches herself; she knew what she was looking for. But the shortened timeline was out of her control, and she sighed as she started sifting through the items.

"How long have you been in here?" she asked Horn.

"Not long, ma'am," Horn replied. "I wasn't notified that they'd returned until very early this morning. Apparently, the search took them a lot longer than they'd expected." Jaina nodded and suppressed an urge to roll her eyes. So much for Imperial efficiency.

"I did manage to find the transmitter he talked about," Horn continued. Jaina looked up at her and saw she was pointing to a transmitter sitting on a worktable in the rear of the room. "I set it over there for you."

"Excellent," she replied. "Let me know if you find anything else that might be useful."

"Yes, ma'am," Horn said. She hesitated like she had more to say, and Jaina raised an eyebrow at her.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Jaina could feel that the junior officer was irritated about something, and Horn averted her eyes as she spoke.

"It's just…do you think he really did what he said he did? Help the rebels by sending those reports to them?"

Jaina nodded. "I know he did. You heard his confession. He was telling the truth." Horn was quiet for a moment, but when she looked back up at her, Jaina could see the anger in her eyes.

"Then I hope he burns in hell." Jaina stared at her for a moment, then mentally chided herself as she realized where all Horn's anger was coming from. Of course. The incident had only occurred a couple of weeks ago. Horn must've known someone or had friends either stationed on Lothal or aboard one of the Seventh Fleet's destroyers.

It had been the first major blow the rebels had struck against the Empire. Uncovering Commander Volk as a rebel spy had been no coincidence; the ISB had long suspected someone in the sector was feeding the rebels information, and Volk had gotten sloppy. High Command had sent Jaina to essentially tie up loose ends, ensuring the leak was dealt with once and for all.

"He will," Jaina assured her. Horn gave her a curt nod and went back to work. Jaina watched her for a moment, then walked over to the transmitter. She keyed it on, and within seconds had the frequency list pulled up. It appeared as though Volk had used numerous different ones, so she sat down and pulled her datapad out. Her technical knowledge wasn't vast enough to know what each one meant, but she could at least record them and pass the information along to the Investigations Division, so they could look into them.

A silence fell over the room as they both worked, only broken occasionally by Horn whenever a question about an item she'd found would come up. Jaina was halfway through the frequency list when she felt it. The same unnerving feeling she'd felt the day prior. Although the room was warm, she shivered as a chill crawled from the base of her spine all the way up to her neck. She slowly turned around.

The Inquisitor was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed, a curious look on her face as she studied at Jaina. Jaina's eyes flickered to the weapon on her hip, the image from her dream fresh in her mind. So much for trying to stay away from her while she was here. Her glance at the weapon, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed. The Inquisitor raised an eyebrow at her, and Jaina had to fight a strong urge to pull her blaster out as the Inquisitor moved her hand to rest on the weapon.

They stared at each other for a moment before the Inquisitor finally spoke. "I heard your interrogation went well yesterday. Another successful confession. Congratulations."

Jaina inclined her head slightly. "It did. Thank you." She wasn't entirely sure what the protocol was when speaking to anyone in the Inquisitorius, so she decided to remain seated and keep as much distance as she could between the two of them.

"I'd be interested to hear how you do it," the Inquisitor said. Jaina gave her a confused look, and she explained: "How you get your confessions. From what I've heard, you're one of the best there is. I'm just curious as to what your secret to all that success is."

Jaina's heart skipped a beat, then began to pound rapidly. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a good answer. She noticed Horn was watching the whole exchange, glancing between the two of them with a nervous look on her face. Trying to hide the fear that was coursing through her, she nonchalantly shrugged.

"There's no secret. I received top-notch training at the Academy on Coruscant. If there's any secret to my success, it's in that training." She tried to keep her voice as even and as casual as she could.

The Inquisitor said nothing, but Jaina could've sworn she saw a ghost of a smile on her lips. She looked around the room at the piles of junk that Horn was slowly going through.

"Well, it looks as though you two will be busy with this for a while. I will leave you to it." Jaina inclined her head slightly again, and the Inquisitor turned to go.

"Oh, and Loyalty Officer Kavos?" she said over her shoulder. "I do hope we can speak more later. Once you've finished your investigation, of course."

"Of course," Jaina replied calmly. She watched the Inquisitor walk away, and the voice of the stranger from her dream echoed in her mind. Run. She shuddered and turned back to the transmitter, wanting to finish as quickly as possible. She worked as fast as she could, finishing up with the frequencies and then giving Horn a hand sorting through junk piles. Horn felt as nervous as she did, and moved with just as much urgency, neither of them saying another word unless it was absolutely necessary.

When they were finished, Horn helped her carry the evidence they'd found back to her quarters. Once it was all inside, Jaina thanked her for her help and dismissed her. She locked the door behind her and quickly got to work. In addition to the transmitter, they'd been able to locate a datapad that Volk had stolen from the garrison. In it, they'd found reports and communications he'd saved that detailed stormtrooper deployments, naval movements, and task force operations in all of the Lothal sector.

Jaina quickly added all that information to her report, along with a summary of what she'd found in the transmitter. The rest of the items from the warehouse had turned out to be exactly what they'd looked like: junk. The only other item of importance was a backpack that had been found in his quarters. Inside was a few changes of civilian clothes, a whole mess of credits he'd apparently saved, and a schedule of the regular transports to and from Garel.

It wasn't hard for her to deduce that Volk was planning on defecting, and by the looks of it, very soon. Luckily, the ISB had moved in time and prevented that from happening. She added the backpack and the items inside to her report, along with the conclusion she'd come to about why he'd had them. All that was left to do now was give the report a final once-over, then send it up.

She had just started her review when her comm chimed. She ignored it; whoever it was could leave a message. It chimed again, and again she ignored it. The stranger's command from her dream had been playing on a loop in her mind ever since the Inquisitor's visit earlier, and now it seemed as though the fervor of it had increased. Her comm chimed one more time and she cursed. Pushing her report to the side, she punched the button.

"Yes?" she said icily, not even bothering to hide her annoyance.

"Loyalty Officer Kavos, did I catch you at a bad time?" The garrison commander didn't sound too pleased, and she winced.

"No sir, not at all," she replied, putting some deference into her voice. "I was just trying to finish up my report."

"I see. And how close are you to being finished?" Jaina's eyes narrowed. There was an eagerness in his voice she didn't like.

"Very close, sir. I should be done shortly." She had a bad feeling about where this was going, and her instincts were proven right as soon as he spoke.

"Very good. The Inquisitor told me she stopped by to see you earlier and you agreed to meet with her as soon as you were done." Run. The word rang louder in Jaina's mind and she swallowed hard.

"Yes, sir, I did. And I will, as soon as I can send—"

"The report," he said, cutting her off, "yes, yes I know. We wouldn't want to keep High Command waiting, would we? Finish with it as quickly as you can and bring a copy of it over to my office when you stop by if you don't mind. I would like to read it."

"Yes, sir," she said, feeling panic start to rise in her chest. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Excellent," he said. "We'll be waiting." The conversation ended and she switched the comm off.

RUN. The stranger's voice was so loud in her mind that she spun around, thinking they were in the room with her. No one was there, but the command was as unmistakable as it had been in her dream. She sat back down and tried to relax. She had no idea why she was panicking so badly, but every instinct she had—not to mention the stranger's voice—was screaming at her to leave, right now. She ran through her options in her head and frowned. Not one of them was a good one.

She could stay, finish the report, then go see the commander, and the Inquisitor. She had no good reason to suspect that there was anything more to the Inquisitor's request than simple curiosity, but she wasn't that naïve. The Inquisitor's appearance and interest in her interrogation and methods weren't a coincidence. No, she had been sent here for a specific purpose, and Jaina knew if she walked into that meeting, she'd be walking into a situation she wouldn't be able to talk herself out of.

She could file her report right now, contact Colonel Reedland for her next assignment, then simply leave without saying anything to the commander. That seemed like the best option, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized it wasn't. If the Inquisitor was here to find out how and why she was so successful, it likely meant that someone else, far higher up the food chain than her, had gotten suspicious. And if that was the case, whoever it was would simply tell the Inquisitor where she had gone, and she'd be in the same position she was in now.

She put her head in her hands, knowing what her last option was. And it was unthinkable.

She could do as the stranger had commanded and run. Leave everything and go, getting as far away from Garel as possible. But where would she go? Certainly not back to her homeworld. If she disappeared now, that would be the first place the Empire would look. She growled in frustration. Deserting her job, the Empire, it was unfathomable.

The Empire had been her life since she'd entered the Academy at fourteen. She'd given everything she'd had to them for the last eight years; she couldn't just abandon that now. But she knew she had no choice. If they found out the real reason behind her success, then her career was over anyway. She'd be locked away, or worse. She took a deep breath, and with her mind made up, steeled herself for what came next.

Calmly, she got up and walked over to her desk. She shut her brain off, knowing if she stopped to think about what she was doing, she'd lose her nerve and never go through with it. Keying the datapad on, she quickly submitted her report. It was the least she could do, to make sure that traitor never saw the light of day again. Satisfied, she pulled the backpack they'd confiscated from Volk onto the desk.

She quickly rummaged through it. The clothes were slightly too big, but they'd do. There were enough credits to get her somewhere where she could lay low for a while and figure out what to do next. She ran her finger down the list of scheduled transports and picked the one leaving the fastest. It would be close, and she'd have to hurry if she was going to make it in time.

She slung the backpack around her shoulders and crossed over to the door, holding her breath as it slid open. She half-expected the Inquisitor to be waiting for her, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the corridor was empty. She briskly made her way through the maze of hallways, ignoring the other troopers and officers she passed. No one paid her any attention, and she eventually found what she was looking for.

Every Imperial complex had emergency exits, put there if a rapid evacuation was needed for some reason. They were rarely used and well hidden; most Imperials never even knew about them. Jaina had only found out about them from her time in the ISB. She'd also learned they were never guarded, making it easy to slip in and out without being noticed.

Within seconds she was out of the complex and on the streets of Garel City, moving at a steady clip towards the spaceport. She ducked into the first alley she could find, needing to ditch her uniform. She was already receiving curious looks from the locals, and there was no way she'd be able to board a civilian transport in her Imperial uniform without drawing unwanted attention to herself.

She quickly changed, shoving the uniform behind some trash bins that were set outside one of the shops. She kept her blaster and ident card, stowing them in the backpack. She figured if she got caught or someone started asking questions, she could just say she was working undercover. Pulling the hood of the poncho over her head, she made her way back out onto the street, mixing in with the locals going about their daily business.

She was only a few blocks from the spaceport when she heard the alarms at the Imperial complex begin to sound. Knowing her sudden absence had finally been noticed, she all but ran the rest of the way. The transport was leaving in the next few minutes, and by some miracle, there was no line inside the ticketing area. She tossed the credits to the man working behind the glass, grabbed her ticket, and sprinted on board, just as they were getting ready to close the doors.

Finding a seat in the rear of the shuttle, she sat down and kept her eyes on the door until it finally closed. She held her breath as the shuttle climbed into the air, then slowly made its way out of the atmosphere. Only after the shuttle entered hyperspace did she allow herself to slightly relax. She leaned her head back against the seat and stared out the side viewport as the mottled blue of hyperspace passed by, not entirely believing what she had just done.

The fact that they'd sounded the alarm the instant they'd realized she was gone told her she'd made the right decision, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She'd just betrayed everything she had fought and worked so hard for. Her eyes stung, and she quickly blinked back the tears. She'd always known she was taking a great risk by using the ability she had, but the longer she had gone without getting caught, the more confident—and apparently complacent—she'd gotten.

Now she had to face the consequences. Beyond staying off the Empire's radar, she had no idea what came next. It wasn't like she had anyone she could go to for help. Anyone she even remotely considered a friend was either a loyalty officer themselves, or an agent of the ISB. And she knew all of them wouldn't think twice about turning her in if she reached out to them.

She couldn't exactly go home either. On top of the fact that it would be the first place the Empire would go looking, she had no family there except for her mother and father. And considering how she'd left things with them she wasn't entirely sure they wouldn't turn her in either. She closed her eyes, remembering the last conversation she'd had with them before she'd departed for Coruscant, and the ISB Academy.

It hadn't been a pleasant one. She didn't know what she'd expected, but it hadn't been what had happened. Her parents had fiercely resisted her joining the Empire at every turn, and that day had been no different. Rather than telling her how proud they were of her—she was one of the youngest to ever be accepted into the elite program—her father had instead started yet another argument.

The words they'd exchanged had been harsh, and even now, she cringed recalling them. In her anger, she'd said things she hadn't meant, and had stormed off to the waiting shuttle, not even bothering to look back. She could feel how upset they were, and if she hadn't been so angry with them, she probably would've broken down and stayed, just so she wouldn't have to feel their pain.

However, any regret she'd had at that moment had faded the instant they'd left Mandalore's atmosphere. Once on Coruscant, she threw herself into her studies, always making excuses about how busy she was any time someone brought her family up. She'd been too afraid to reach out to them, at least in the beginning, even though she ached to. That had faded, however, and over time she'd pushed what had happened out of her mind.

But now the memory of it came flooding back, and with it a pang of regret so strong it caught her by surprise. Her eyes burned again and this time, she let the tears fall. She'd been so sure of herself back then. So sure, that she could make it on her own. But now that she truly was all on her own, all she wanted to do was go home. To hug her mother and father and tell them how sorry she was. She realized, with no small amount of sadness, that she didn't even know if they were still alive.

"Please take your seats and strap yourselves in." The mechanical voice of the pilot droid echoed through the cabin, jolting her from her thoughts. "We will be arriving at Akiva shortly."

She wiped her eyes and gazed out the forward viewport, watching as the blue of hyperspace changed back to starlines and they returned to realpsace. Akiva was directly in front of them, and Jaina's eyes swept the space around it, looking for cruisers or destroyers; anything that would signal a significant Imperial presence on the planet. She saw none and breathed a small sigh of relief.

The pilot smoothly took them in, setting the shuttle down in the capital city's spaceport. Jaina couldn't see much as they'd landed, and she hoped there would be no one checking ID's once they exited. She had her story prepared, just in case, but it was unnecessary. She only saw a handful of stormtroopers as she walked through the spaceport, and none of them seemed to care who was coming or going. Regardless, she pulled the hood of her poncho farther over her head and quickly made her way out into the city.

A glance at the sky told her it was early evening there, and the streets were bustling with activity. She casually wound her way through the chaos, taking in all the colors and smells. The entire city seemed to be outside. The shops and vendors that lined the streets were packed with customers, and she couldn't help but notice how everyone seemed to move at a slower pace than she was used to. She figured it probably had something to do with how hot and humid it was; she was already sweating through her clothes.

It had been a very long time since she'd been surrounded by so many people, and all the emotions swirling around her were a shock to her senses at first. They gradually faded into the background, as they always did, the longer she walked. Her anxiety also dwindled the farther she walked, and after a while, she'd nearly forgotten why'd she come here in the first place. She was quickly reminded when she walked right into a stormtrooper patrol. She froze, unsure of what they would do, but they brushed her off without even a passing glance.

Deciding her little sightseeing tour of the city was over, for now, she entered the nearest cantina she could find. She needed a drink and something to eat while she tried to work out what, exactly, her plan was while she was here. The cantina was packed, which was always a good sign, and the food smelled amazing. There were no tables available, so she found a seat at the bar and waited for the bartender to notice her. Which he did, almost immediately.

"You're not from here," he casually said as he walked up to her. Jaina frowned. Had she really been that obvious? If so, she was going to have to re-think staying on this planet. He chuckled as he saw her reaction. "I've worked here for almost fifteen years now," he explained with a shrug. "I see the same faces over and over again. Yours is a new one. And we don't get many new ones in here very often."

Jaina nodded slowly and studied him carefully. He seemed sincere enough, and she could detect no hostility or deception behind his words, his body language, or in his emotions. She decided he was harmless and gave him a half-smile.

"You're right," she said, "I'm not."

He returned the smile. "Well, welcome to Myrra," he said with an exaggerated bow, "Akiva's capital city, and home to the best cantina this side of the Outer Rim." He stood back up and winked at her.

"Thank you," she said, slightly embarrassed. No one seemed to be paying either one of them any attention though, and she realized he must be like this all the time.

"So, what can I get for you? Ale? Whiskey?" He eyed her closely. "No, wait…I think I know." He turned around and grabbed a bottle of something from behind the bar and poured it into a glass for her. She raised an eyebrow at him; he grinned and pushed the glass towards her. Pushing aside any remaining doubts about the man, she took the glass and drank it all in one go.

It burned like hell going down, but the after taste was quite pleasant and this time, she gave him a genuine smile. "Perfect." He beamed and poured her another.

"Would you like something to eat as well?" he asked as she drank down the second one.

"Yes," she replied, "but since you seemed to know exactly what I'd like to drink, I think I'll let you decide my choice of food."

"An excellent choice," he said. "You won't be disappointed." He headed off to serve his other customers, and she smiled to herself as she watched him work. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all. Although she'd need to slow down on those drinks if he was going to keep pouring them for her. Whatever it was, it was strong.

She pivoted around on her seat and looked around the room, her keen eyes noticing everything and missing nothing. It was loud and rowdy, but there was a good mix of those who seemed to be the regular drunks and families that had gathered for their evening meals. The bartender did, indeed, seem to know them all, and he deftly moved from table to table, taking time at each one to speak with the patrons occupying them.

A twinge of sadness hit her as she watched. In another life, she'd been one of these children, giddy to be out of the house for an evening with her parents. She shook her head, trying to shake away the memories, and turned back around. The bartender had another drink waiting for her, and this time she sipped on it as she waited for her food.

The man certainly seemed to know exactly what she'd like, because the food was also excellent. It had been ages since she'd had a real meal—the Empire preferred their people subsist only on ration packs and nutri-milk—and she tried her best to eat slowly so she could savor it.

"That was amazing," she said, as he came back to clear her plate. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure." He poured her another drink and she gladly accepted it. "I'm Rowen, by the way. As you've probably already guessed, I own this place."

"Jaina," she said, after taking a sip. "And yes, I figured as much."

"So, what brings you to Akiva, Jaina?" Her anxiety instantly skyrocketed, but she quickly realized he was genuinely curious and meant nothing malicious by it. Her hesitation to answer didn't go unnoticed, however.

"That's okay, you don't have to tell me," he said. She could hear a hint of sympathy in his voice. He nodded at the backpack that was still around her shoulders and gave her a small smile. "Just know that whatever you're running from…there's a damn good chance it'll never find you all the way out here."

She gave him a faint smile in return and quickly finished her drink, suddenly ready to move on. She needed to find a place to stay for the night, and if she sat here any longer, she'd end up too drunk to do anything but sleep in the alley next door. Once again, though, he had already anticipated what she'd want.

"Do you have a place to stay yet?" She stared at him and slowly shook her head. "I didn't think so. I also rent out a few of the rooms upstairs. Would you like one? The fee is cheap and negotiable."

She thought about the offer for a moment. She couldn't remember the last time a complete stranger had been this nice to her. It made her feel uneasy, even though she knew, without a doubt, he meant no harm and was of no threat to her. And really, she had no other options and didn't feel like wandering through the city trying to find a better one.

"That would be great," she said slowly. "Thank you."

"It's no problem, really." He held up the bottle. "One more, before you go?"

"Sure, why not," she replied. She took the backpack off her shoulders and started rummaging around inside, looking for the credits so she could pay him.

"Nope," he said, pushing the drink towards her, "consider tonight on the house. A 'welcome to Myrra' gift." He poured a drink for himself and held it up. She grabbed hers and did the same, and they quickly swallowed them down.

She thanked him profusely as he showed her to her room. She still couldn't believe her luck, or how kind he was being to her. He quickly ran over the rules for his guests, before departing back down to the bar, where the families were now gone, and the drunks had the run of the place. She locked the door behind him and looked around her new home.

The room was simple enough. A bed, a desk, a shower in the corner, and a very small kitchenette in case she wanted to cook anything on her own. Considering she had no idea how to do that, she knew that would get absolutely no use. She sighed as she sat down on the bed, not entirely sure if the room was spinning from the alcohol, or from how drastically her life had just changed in a matter of hours.

The emotion she'd been holding at bay since leaving Garel finally spilled over, and she broke down. She cried for the shattered mess her life had suddenly become. For the loss of the life she'd once had. And for the now-lost future she'd dreamt of. She cried until there was nothing left; until she was completely empty.

She would feel sorry for herself tonight and wallow in her misery. And tomorrow, she would begin to pick up the pieces again.