Kanan settled into the chair behind Zeb on the Shadow Chaser. They were going with Kallus on a supply run. Mainly, he'd jumped at the chance because he was getting bored just sticking close to the base. Hera still had half of her pregnancy to go before the baby would arrive. While it was agreed that for the safety of the baby she shouldn't go on any missions since even the relatively tame ones tended to go sideways pretty quickly, for Kanan, he felt that for him to refrain from going on missions was unfair to the rest at the base. He'd even brought Chopper along since he knew from experience that it was better to have the droid along than not.
When Kallus joined them in the cockpit the three of them prepared for a routine mission. Still, it was a chance for the men to also squeeze out a little fun just the three of them. The run itself could be done in just under a rotation but they had agreed that there wasn't any reason to rush so they were planning to stretch it out for three. The fact that there was a drill scheduled the day before their planned return had little to do with their plans. At least that's how Kanan had explained it to Hera.
Once the Shadow Chaser made its jump to hyperspace the men all headed into the common area. Kallus and Zeb sat down at the dejarik table for a game. When Kallus won Kanan could be heard snickering from the couch nearby as the astromech, with its fresh coat of paint in anticipation of infiltrating an Imperial Supply ship, laughed at the outcome of the game.
"Zeb, I'm blind and I saw that coming."
Zeb grumbled at his defeat before he said, "Best three out of five."
"If you are sure you want to do that," Kallus chuckled as he reset the board.
"How did you get so good at this game, anyway?"
"Zeb, it's a game of strategy. When we are dealing with strategy, you are in my wheelhouse."
Kanan found the next couple of games to be entertaining. He figured that Zeb shouldn't have expected anything less with Kallus being a former ISB Agent. The man likely ate, slept, and breathed strategic battle plans for years. When the Lasat lost another game Kanan was about to suggest that Kallus may want to start losing a few games or else the men would be at the table all night. That was until the techno-service droid came flying into the common area.
"Master Kallus, we have a problem!"
Elios straightened his uniform as he prepared to follow his tour guides of the day. It had been a while since he'd taken the time to personally oversee a project like the one here on Trilex but the Moff decided that perhaps it was time. After all, with Tarken's death at the hands of the rebels, there was room for acceleration up further the Imperial ranks. Initiative would be what the emperor would reward.
As he followed the minister who was in charge of the excavation of the ancient temple deep beneath the surface of Trilex he listened with only half an ear. He wasn't sure why the emperor held a personal interest in the project. Still, if the man were personally invested in it then it would do well for him to at least put forth an effort at feigning an equal interest.
While listening to the minister drone on about the various artwork that had been uncovered and the possible meanings behind the paintings Elios pulled out a datapad and mindlessly scrolled through the personnel files of those who were assigned to the base. When he spotted the picture of one resembling one whom he'd not seen since the end of the Clone Wars he stopped. She always looked so much like her mother.
"Minister, how well are those who are assigned here vetted before transferring them here?"
The question seemed to take the old man by surprise. "We don't actually perform the vetting ourselves. The Imperial Security Bureau handles all of that. We only accept whom we are sent. Why?"
Elios glanced down at the datapad for several moments. "This individual, I want her sent for immediately."
The minister took the datapad from the Moff and looked to see who had caught his attention. He didn't really recognize her; but then, he had so many officers working on the project that it was impossible to remember them all.
"Of course." He motioned for some troopers and handed the datapad over to them. "It will, however, take some time. It will take half an hour for the troopers to reach the lower levels and another to return. Perhaps I can show you to my office to make you more comfortable while you wait?"
Elios nodded and waited in the minister's office. It was nearly an hour and a half before the woman was brought to him. When he turned from the office window that overlooked the debauchery that was Trilex he saw recognition in the woman's eyes.
"So, this is where you've been hiding," Elios scowled. "And you call yourself Valour, now, do you?"
Kiara felt her hands twitch at her side. This was worse than any worse case scenario that she'd considered over the years. She hadn't considered that if she were ever outed that it would be by his hands.
The lights in the room began to flicker and the troopers looked up overhead in response. It was the Moff who thought quickly, however. He took his own blaster from his side and stunned Kiara, causing the lights to return to their functional state.
"Have her sedated and restrained. Then I want her sent to my ship. I'll have a cell ready and waiting for her." Elios then holstered his blaster and strolled out of the minister's office. Leaving both him and the troopers confused as to what just happened.
"Tac, what's wrong?"
"It is Mistress Kiara's bio-chip. It has been activated. She's called for an immediate extraction. I've altered the ship's course to take us to the Trilex system where the tracking device indicates she still is at. It will, however, take more than a full rotation cycle to reach the system."
Kallus looked at the droid as if he had just gut punched him. "Is there a way to shave some time off of that? If she's in trouble, she may not have a day."
"It is in my programing to look for the most efficient path upon the chip's activation. I'm afraid that there is no more direct path than the one I've already inputted into the ship's systems."
Zeb eyed the other man before he turned to Chopper. "Chop, can you pull up the schematics of the base on Trilex from the information that we have on file? We can at least start planning how to get into the base for when we get there."
Chopper warbled and Zeb took it as an affirmative when the droid used his holo-display to pull up what they knew about the base on the planet's surface.
"Kallus, Imperial bases are your area of expertise. Perhaps you should take the lead on this one," Kanan said as he knew that the man would need a bit of a distraction. "Between all of us, the Empire won't stand a chance when we show up."
Over the next several hours the men went over various plans on how to get into the base as well as the Light Cruiser that would be in orbit over the planet on the off chance that she'd been transferred to it. Kallus used his wealth of knowledge regarding Imperial ships and bases to think of every contingency that he could. Even spent hours after it was decided that the men needed to retire for the evening to see to it that they were all well-rested still trying to make sure that he hadn't missed anything. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was overlooking something, though.
"You still at it?" Kallus turned to see Zeb leaning in the doorway. "You know, you won't be of any help to her if you go in exhausted."
"I'm just checking over a few more things."
"You can check over every detail a million times but we both know that any plan will likely have to be tweaked once we get in there."
Kallus knew that Garazeb was likely right. Still, at least while going over the schematics, he felt like he was doing something productive, even if he wasn't really. He set back away from Chopper and motioned for the droid to take down the hologram of the schematic that he'd been studying.
"I know you're right. But the more I-"
"Kallus," Zeb interrupted. "Get some sleep. You're going to need it." He watched as Kallus reluctantly stood up to head to his cabin. As he passed the Lasat Zeb put a hand on Kallus's shoulder. "Hey, she'll be okay. We'll get her back."
Kallus paused before he nodded his head. He hoped that the other man was right.
Kallus looked out of the cockpit as the Shadow Chaser dropped out of hyperspace and felt his stomach drop. "What the hell is that thing doing here? When I was here last there was only one Light Cruiser in orbit. There sure as hell wasn't a Star Destroyer!"
Kanan lowered his brow as he thought. "Well, the plan for the Light Cruiser could still work for the Star Destroyer."
"Great. So that means that I have to hang back with the ship," Zeb grumbled.
"Relax, Zeb. You'll get your chance to blast a few buckets. Besides, we aren't sure yet if that's where Valour even is."
Kallus stared out of the viewing screen at the Star Destroyer. He was still trying to figure out why one would have been sent to the system. After a moment he pushed a button to call to the droid who was elsewhere on the ship. "Tac, how close does the tracker on the bio-chip get to telling us where she's at?"
"Checking... Sending the coordinates up to the main console now."
Kallus glanced down at the read out and grumbled, "You were saying, Kanan?"
"Well, let's do this. Bring us about and attach us to the underside of the ship. Then we'll get ready."
Kallus maneuvered the ship into position, grateful for the ship's digital cloak as well as the fact that for the most part, no one really ever bothered to look out of the viewing screens on Imperial ships. No one really looks around them and instead depends on the readout of their computer screens to tell them what is outside their ship. Once the magnetic locks fastened them into place Kallus left the ship to Garazeb as he and Kanan headed toward the forward airlock where two generic sized space suits for humans were located. Part of the emergency repair equipment that Kiara had on hand should she ever need to make repairs in space.
The two men geared up and went out along with Chopper. Carefully, the trio slowly made their way toward the TIE Fighter hanger of the Star Destroyer. When they were just below the shield opening Kanan motioned for the others to wait as he stretched out his senses to know when they would be able to pop up unnoticed. When he sensed that it was time, he motioned for Chopper to use his boosters to go ahead and get inside the Destroyer. Chopper made it and looked around and confirmed that no one was looking in his direction and gave a slight warble as he then rolled over toward a computer port as the men popped up behind him. Kallus and Kanan both ducked and found cover before removing the space suits so that they'd be able to move about more stealthily.
Kanan listened for Chopper and whispered for confirmation that Kiara was indeed on the Imperial ship. "So?"
Chopper beeped and warbled and spun his dome around to look at the men.
"In the secondary detention block?" Kallus thought back to his time on Thrawn's ship. "Alright, this way. Kanan, be ready to do your thing."
The two men slowly made their way toward the detention block with Chopper leading the way with impunity since any Imperials wouldn't think twice about another droid. When anyone seemed to be heading toward them, however, Kanan used the force to give them the suggestion to go another way or to look away while he and Kallus slipped past them. When they got right outside of the detention area Chopper was told to hang back as Kallus reminded Kanan.
"Now remember, we can't use our weapons. If the computer picks up weapon's fire, then there will be an alarm triggered and alert the main bridge."
Kanan nodded his understanding and stood ready when the door opened to the detention area. There were three officers inside, but they were all taken unaware by the duo. Kanan used the force to lift them up and hurl them toward the nearest wall. One man moved to try to get up, but Kallus stepped forward and punched him in the face, rendering him unconscious. He then hurried behind the workstation to pull up where Valour was located. When he did, he practically growled.
"What? What's wrong?" Kanan asked as he heard the other man.
"There are orders to keep her restrained and sedated. Her next injection is scheduled in less than a quarter of an hour. That means someone will be here any minute."
"Why would there be orders to sedate her?"
Kallus shook his head. "I'm not sure. But this means that we'd best hurry."
He bent down toward the unconscious jailers and grabbed what he needed and raced down the long hall where the cells were. When he found the one that the computer had indicated that Kiara was in, he used the code cylinder to open the cell and ducked inside. He found her tossed on her side on the floor of the cell with both hands restrained behind her back; still wearing a dirt-laden uniform from when she'd been working on the planet below. Kallus quickly knelt down and unfastened the restraints before rolling her over. He hoped that since it was time for her next injection that it would make it easier to bring her around.
"Kiara, come on, you've got to wake up."
After a few hard shakes Kallus saw as her eyes twitched. When they opened, they had a glassy look to them, and he wasn't sure if she was really awake at all as she spoke.
"Alex."
"That's right. I got to get you out of here." Alexsandr pulled Kiara into his arms to pick her up and was surprised to find that she resisted.
"No. You can't be here." Kiara mumbled in a sleepy fashion. "They'll kill you. That would make it worse."
"Make what worse?" He looked back down as she'd once more gone limp in his arms. He finished lifting her up and stepped out of the cell and went back to the main hub of the detention area. "I got her, but the drugs have made it where she can't really wake up. Let's get out of here before-"
"Too late!" Kanan said as he pulled out his lightsaber. A second later an individual stepped through the door. When the man saw the escape in progress, he pulled out a blaster and fired. Kanan deflected the bolt, but the damage was done. The alarm sounded and the two men knew it. They ran out of the detention area and began to pick their way back toward the hanger.
Kallus, with his hands full while carrying Kiara, wasn't able to use his blaster so he was solely dependent on Kanan and his lightsaber to run point. It only took a couple of corridors before they were cornered by stormtroopers coming from multiple directions. Kallus set Kiara on her feet while holding her up with one arm and used his other hand to draw his blaster.
"Chopper, we're going to need a little help, here," Kanan said into his comm device while deflecting multiple bolts. The droid responded that more troopers were on their way which was the opposite of what the men wanted to hear. "Kallus, if you've got any suggestions on how to get out of this mess, now would be the time to share."
Dozens more troopers flanked them and despite not wanting to give up they knew that the odds of them getting past the soldiers who completely surrounded them were slim, if at all. In a matter of seconds troopers seized Kanan's lightsaber and Kallus's blaster. That was when the lead trooper reported that the prisoners had been secured.
"Good. Bring them to me," Elios's voice was heard over the comm device.
"Yes, Moff Dume."
Kanan's head shot up when he heard the name of the Moff. Meanwhile, Kallus lifted Kiara back up instead of allowing the troopers to take her. The two men were marched toward the administrative level where the Moff's office was. When they were pushed in, at least a dozen troopers joined them inside. Kallus looked to the man, roughly in his late sixties, sitting behind the desk with his fingers steepled in front of him. The trooper who had taken their weapons placed them on the Moff's desk.
"Well, it seems fortune continues to smile on me. I now have a Jedi to turn over to my Emperor as well."
