Kallus, hands restrained behind his back and forced to remain on his knees, looked over at the troopers and the pilots who were given the task of transporting the rebel captives toward the shuttle that would take them aboard the Star Destroyer that was up in orbit. He could take them. He'd just have to bide his time. Perhaps after they were on the shuttle. Then maybe, just maybe, they could get lucky enough to make a jump to hyperspace before the Imperials realized what was going on.
The people whom he'd been working alongside of for months all waited to be herded toward the shuttles. They each knew that once the Empire was finished with them that they would be killed. And with the fact that most of the individuals with him knew few rebel secrets, if any, it won't take long for that execution to come for most of them. For him... He could look forward to a different fate since he wasn't just a rebel; he was an Imperial Deserter. That meant that they would use him as an example to any others who had the inclination to follow his path. By the end, the Empire would see to it that he'd welcome death.
"You," the trooper sergeant walked up to him. "Name."
"What's it to you?" Kallus replied.
In response the trooper brought the butt of his blaster rifle down onto his forehead and repeated, "I said name!"
Kallus had fallen backwards from the force. Instead of replying he awkwardly repositioned himself back beside the rest of his comrades. Once he was back in place he looked defiantly back at the trooper. That earned him another hit with the butt of the rifle.
"Name!"
He caught sight of Zila, a young woman who had only recently been sent to join them on Suaren, who looked like she was about to become hysterical at the sight of the man being beaten right in front of her. He once more moved to get back into place as he tried to give her a slight smile of reassurance. But to be honest, he knew that any hope that he could give her would only be false hope. Still, it was all that he could offer so he tried to give it.
Kallus once more took his place beside his fellow rebels and looked up at the trooper and waited for the next time that the rifle would be brought down on him. This time, however, instead of bringing it down on the defiant blond man the trooper pointed his rifle at the young woman beside him. When he did, Zila's cries loosened his tongue.
"Kallus." It wasn't like they didn't actually already know it. No doubt, which was why he was the only one whom they'd given the treatment that he'd just endured. They only wanted to confirm it.
The trooper spoke into his comm device for a minute before he walked back over to where he'd left his prisoner and raised his blaster back up to Kallus. He waited for another question but this time the trooper squeezed the trigger.
Elios frowned when he learned that his daughter had been on one of the ships that had gotten away. He'd given a description of the ship that she'd been spotted on before to ensure that it was only to be shot to be disabled, not destroyed. Still, he did learn that he had a consolation prize. The deserter who had helped to free her when she'd been on his ship; the former ISB Agent had been among the rebels who had been captured. Knowing the man's abilities and skillset he ordered the man to be stunned before making the trip to the Star Destroyer. From what he could tell, it would appear that the man had become quite valuable to the Rebellion. That meant that he'd now just become very valuable to him and the Empire. He'll learn all that he could from the man regarding their secrets.
When the shuttle arrived, he had his admiral interrogate the others whom the agent had apparently been trying to help escape. Elios would take over the questioning of the deserter himself. He strolled into the detention cell and watched as the man was placed onto the interrogation table. He was strapped in before the effects from the stunning wore off. Elios had the table then turned to put the man in a standing position. When he saw the signs of the man beginning to wake up, he had the other Imperials leave. He wanted to enjoy this without an audience.
"So, Agent Kallus, it would appear that you have finally come home."
Kallus didn't bother trying to fight his bonds. He knew that the gesture would be a waste of strength. He instead tried to focus his vision and when he realized who was speaking to him, he lowered his brow and set his jaw in response.
"Or do you have another rank that you'd rather that I use? One that you were given by the rebels, perhaps." Elios tilted his head before asking, "Not feeling talkative?"
"No," Kallus said simply.
"Oh, we'll change that soon enough. By the time we are finished, not only will you be telling me everything that you know about the rebels, but you'll also help me find my daughter."
That sent Kallus's eyes flying open in rage. "Go to hell! I'm not going to tell you anything."
"Maybe, maybe not. But in any case, you'll still help me bring my daughter home," Elios said as he took up the remote for the table and worked the controls to move the mechanical arm closer toward the man strapped down before him. "Because I have a suspicion that just as you risked everything to rescue her from my ship at Trilex, she will now risk everything to save you. So regardless of if you actually say anything, you've already betrayed her and your rebel friends. You should have allowed yourself to be killed down on the planet instead of being taken alive. That was your biggest mistake."
Elios then pressed the button and held it down as the man before him screamed in agony.
When the Shadow Chaser reached the rendezvous Kiara stayed in her cabin as Sabine and Zeb took care of offloading the ship. She sat on her bunk and tried her best to reach out and sense Alex. It wasn't easy for her, but she thought that she could sense him. But to be honest, she wasn't sure if that was wishful thinking or not. Still, after the incident in the common room she knew that she needed to devote her time to meditation, or she likely wouldn't have much of a ship left by the time the group of refugees made it to join the rest of the survivors.
She tried to focus but all she sensed was pain and fear. But were those her own emotions or his?
When the ship fell silent, she realized that the transfer of both personnel and equipment was finished. That meant that only Zeb and Sabine remained. Even the clone troopers would be gone since they would be needed elsewhere. When the ship rocked Kiara knew that the uncoupling from the rendezvous ship was complete. They would take those who had made it off of Suaren to the next base. Or bases since she doubted that enough of them from their cell had survived to be given their own base again. Instead, they would be scattered to join the various other cells.
When the chime to her cabin sounded Kiara sighed. She had hoped that the others would give her just a little bit more time. She wanted to be alone. Still, she knew that they meant well. Especially Zeb. He'd been the one who started to field questions about both Kallus as well as the fritzing out of various systems. He'd assured them that while the ship had taken on some unexpected damage during their escape that they would all make it safely to join the rest of the fleet. Sabine had taken her to her cabin and had tried to convince her that they would get Kallus back before she headed out to make the repairs that the ship needed along with Tac. Kiara knew that she'd have to face the others sooner or later, so she steeled herself before she opened her door.
"Kanan!" She found herself being pulled towards her brother and wrapped in a warm embrace. She stayed there for several moments before she asked, "I thought you were on Ryloth. What about Hera? And the baby? How did you get here?"
"Hera and the baby are fine on Ryloth. I had Cham fly the Ghost here so that I could help the rest of my family. We got here a while before the rest of you so I did a little investigating to find out where we can start to get Kallus back."
"Hera is okay with this?"
"It was her idea. Now, come on, the others are waiting for us," Kanan said with a lopsided grin.
Kiara stepped out of her cabin and walked with Kanan toward the common room of the ship. There, she was surprised to see one of the old clone troopers.
"Rex? I thought that you were leaving with the others?"
"I assigned myself to a very important mission. Wolffe wanted to come but one of us had to go back with the others. We actually had to flip for who won the right to join the rest of you."
"You don't carry currency..." Kiara said just a bit confused.
"Who said we flipped a coin?" Rex grinned. "We may not be as young as we once were, but we can still get the job done. So, let's get on with this."
Kiara whispered to Kanan, "Do I want to know how they settled it between themselves?"
"Probably not." Kanan snickered before he stepped forward. "Alright, Chop. Pull up the information that we've found."
Kallus's screams could be heard throughout the entire detention block. He had the feeling that it had been by design. Used to encourage the others who had been taken to tell their interrogators of any rebel secrets that they may have. Half of the time the Moff didn't even bother asking any questions. Perhaps he'd gotten tired of asking only to be met with stony silence. When the latest round of electrical shocks faded away the man stepped forward and studied Kallus intently.
"Quite resilient, aren't you? Here I have broken a number of your bones, tortured you beyond the abilities of most to withstand, and yet you still remain silent to my queries. But I'm afraid that you showed a weakness while down on the surface." Elios went to the door and opened it to reveal that two troopers stood on either side of the young woman whom the trooper had threatened to shoot if he didn't give him his name. She was panicking, crying, as she had to be drug into Kallus's cell. "It would seem that while you are more than willing to accept pain on your own behalf, you do not wish to see it inflicted on others."
Zila's eyes went wide when she heard the Moff's words. She struggled as best as she could, but she had already lost most of her strength during her own interrogation.
"Now, let us try this again. Tell me the location of the rest of the rebels." When Kallus hesitated Dume nodded toward the troopers holding their prisoner. They dragged her over to a wall and restrained her to it and stepped back. "Last chance, Agent."
Kallus saw the young woman's tears and knew that she likely couldn't even see him through them. He didn't address the Moff, instead he said the only thing that he could to the woman. "I'm sorry. I can't tell him anything."
Zila's cries became more panicked as Moff Dume stepped over toward the bound woman. "You can thank your fellow rebel for the pain that you now will be forced to endure."
Elios then pulled out his blaster and fired it at one of the woman's hands. Her cries of panic turned to those of pain as the Moff returned to look at the man held captive to the near-useless torturing device. The man looked away as best as he could from the woman who was sobbing in front of him.
"Now, again I ask, where are the rebels?" When he was met with silence from the man Elios fired once more, hitting the lower arm just above where he'd shot the woman's hand only moments prior. "Do you enjoy knowing that it is your stubbornness that is the source of so much pain?"
The Moff turned to address the woman after seeing that Kallus planned to remain mute. "You are in pain because of him. Do you want it to stop? Then ask him to help you. Plead with him. The power to stop your torture is his. All he has to do is to tell me what I want to know. Then all of this unpleasantness can be over. Ask him."
"Please! Please stop him!" Zila begged the man across the room. "Please tell him what he wants to know! Please!" When the Imperial raised his blaster, her pleas became even more desperate if that had been possible. "No! Kallus! Stop him! Please!"
Elios watched as the man listened to each cry. Watched each painfully inflicted wound to every single non-vital area of the woman's body. "I must say, if you were still one of us, such an ability to ignore the pleas and cries of your comrade here would be admirable. But for a rebel, you seem to have quite the tolerance for watching others in pain. Perhaps you've not changed as much as you would like to think."
Finally, he turned and put the woman out of her misery. He motioned for the troopers to take the body away.
"I hope you don't think we are finished, just yet. I have another two dozen prisoners who are of no use to me. Correction, they only serve one purpose now. That is unless, of course, you want to spare them and give them all swift and painless deaths."
Kallus watched as another prisoner was brought in and replaced where Zila had been restrained. He then watched the same torturous exchange occur all over again. By the time the other prisoner was dispatched the Moff was beginning to lose patience. With the rebel dead he turned to the deserter and used his blaster to fire upon both of the man's knees. That earned him the first sound that the man had made in hours. Another terrible scream of pain.
"Just to let you know what pain you are inflicting on your friends in their final moments," Moff Dume said while the body of the previous rebel was removed to make room for the next one, and then the next one, until the only rebel left was the one strapped to the interrogation table.
"I wonder..." Elios stepped back over toward Kallus and looked in his eyes. "Would you have remained silent if that had been my daughter? You care for her, don't you? What with how you behaved with her during her rescue; was even one who helped to talk her down from her episode. And, of course, the way you interacted when the two of you were at Canto Bight."
Kallus's eyes focused on the man before him at the mentioning of their latest mission together.
"I saw the security footage. You seemed to be quite taken with her. So, I suppose that all I will need to do will be to wait until your friends make their evitable rescue attempt. Because then I'll have you, my daughter, and whatever information you have locked away in your head," the Moff smiled.
"You call yourself a father?" Kallus practically spat out at the other man. "You have no right to refer to her as your daughter."
"Ah! He speaks." Elios chuckled. "I'll not hear judgment from you on how I conduct my family. You have no idea what it was like, when she was younger, nor when the Empire began. And I'm sure you are unaware of the things that my daughter has done with her demonic abilities over the years. The powers that she contains belong to hell. And that is where they will be returned, soon enough."
