Okay, another chapter kind of got away from me. Seeing as the word count is growing, I decided to split this chapter in two! It was going to be one loooong court chapter. So, there are still at least two chapters to go!
Dragunz – I really enjoyed tossing Julia into the story. I feel like there would certainly be a mix of rebels who really can appreciate how hard it was for Kallus to defect and then those who are going to have a lot of built up anger toward the man. As for Kallus' leg, I totally agree! I'd actually written more about that in the last chapter, but I ended up scrapping it. I had played with the idea that maybe, over the course of his career with the Empire, Kallus had injured that leg (particularly the knee) quite often, and breaking the leg on the Geonosis moon was pretty much just the leg's final injury tipping point. I just wasn't sure how it sounded though, so I chucked it. As for replying to reviewers, I love you guys! The comments and suggestions have been great, and I love being able to talk with Rebels fans. I find these interactions very inspiring!
Moomkin – I had a bit of fun writing the dialogue for the doctor. His scene with Kallus was longer, but I was getting pretty chop happy with my editing and I heaved it out. I think it cleaned up the chapter a bit, but it was sad to watch it go. AND yes, I did get the Thrawn book because of you! So, I owe you a giant THANK YOU! I very much enjoyed the story. I do quite adore Eli Vanto!
Rabbit887 – I'm very glad you like this story. Evil cliffhangers? Naw. *grins*
Mistress Malica – Oh yes, I read back the end of the chapter and I can see how that is a bit confusing. There will soon be a verdict, but first, more questioning! I should probably go back and tweak that at some point. Thank you for your feedback!
Lynn Friedman-kinsey – Thank you! I'm so happy that the chapter felt realistic. I really like writing for Kallus!
Storyteller2899 – Thank you! Hopefully this wait for the next chapter didn't feel too long.
Cheion - *giggles* Yep. It feels like this story is forever set at almost done, but not quite there. It has 100% taken over and decided that it will run whatever course it wants. Though, for real this time, I believe that course is two more chapters. Oh, and Kallus will probably really need a hug after this chapter.
Kaytori – Thanks for the review! I really like writing for Kallus. I like that he has flaws and he has done things he's not proud of, but, darn it, I just want to root for the guy.
014029 – Thanks! I'll do my best!
Upon Kallus' request, Julia brought him to the court room well before the session was to start. He hadn't been eager to sit in the quiet of the room as people gradually shuffled in, but, knowing how wretched he looked that morning, he preferred to get himself seated and settled without too large an audience watching.
Either to pass the time, or not waste it, Julia had given Kallus a datapad with the reports he had been reviewing the night before. Eager for the distraction, he scrolled down to the fourth report. Though incomplete, the raw data on the various mining operations under the Empire's control was impressive. Even more extraordinary were the calculations on the end products being created by those ores. If the numbers were even remotely correct, it appeared the Empire's output was not matching the amount of resources being consumed.
Kallus stared hard at the data, hoping something would stir in his memory that would be worthy of adding to the report, but, in is time with ISB, all he had heard were rumors of a secretive, large-scale build the Empire had undertaken. Of course, he'd been curious, but his devotion at that time was to capturing or suppressing the rebels.
"We shall begin." A voice announced.
Setting the datapad aside, Kallus stared, wide-eyed at the filled tables before him. He felt his body tense as he spotted Zeb and Hera. He'd been so caught up in the report, he'd failed to notice their appearance, and seeing them now caused a strange swelling of relief and dread to stir within him.
Neither Zeb nor Hera seemed to notice Kallus studying them. Instead, they were talking softly to each other, their worried gaze darting to the holoprojector that had been set up in the room.
From the panel, Tomas Dryer called a name and asked the woman who stood to share her story. Kallus listened, but his attention was divided between the testimony and the holoprojector. He was already fairly certain who would be contacting them via holo–Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren. The unknown lay in the distressed expressions worn by Hera and Zeb. Kallus could only guess that the three members of the Ghost crew had missed their scheduled contact time.
"Kallus?"
Refocusing on the questioning, Kallus mentally ran back through the woman's story before answering. "Yes, that all sounded correct. Her land on Lothal and her shuttle were seized by the Empire, or, more directly, I seized her assets for the Empire."
More names were called, more stories told, and Kallus verified each. All the while, he could feel the tension, the anticipation and pure anxiety hanging in the room. He was sure now–the contact that was to be made by holo was long overdue.
When there were no more names to be called, after a brief discussion, the panel asked the witnesses who'd presented their testimonies to vacate the room. Aside from the panel itself, only Hera and Zeb remained.
"Kallus," Stromgald Sypikne waited to continue until his gaze was met. "I'm interested in hearing about an incident that happened a while back on Lothal. Kanan Jarrus was captured by the Empire, as he and the Ghost crew used an Imperial Communication Tower to send a message encouraging those being oppressed to unite. What was your role in his capture and captivity?"
The panel had doubtlessly planned on asking Kanan about his capture on Lothal via holo, but his communication link had never come through. Worry slowly began to root itself in Kallus' mind. The Mandalorian clan wars could be brutal and without the rest of the Ghost crew there to back them up, Kanan, Ezra and Sabine could be in immense danger.
"Kanan Jarrus fought well," Kallus replied, trying to maintain an even, calm tone. "He stayed behind so that his crew could escape."
"And, once he was captive, you initiated his…" Stromgald paused, his expression souring, "…interrogation."
Kallus frowned. "You mean torture?" He could sense Hera's eyes on him, boring into him.
"Yes, that I do." Stromgald replied. There was almost a hint of apology to the man's voice, as if he regretted his earlier choice of words.
"I used an IT-0 Interrogator Droid to mind probe Kanan Jarrus, but Governor Tarkin deemed my method ineffective, and the Grand Inquisitor took over. I was dismissed. Later, still having little success in getting the prisoner to talk, Tarkin and the Grand Inquisitor decided to move Jarrus to Mustafar."
Stromgald nodded. "Thank you, Kallus. That was all I wished to know on the matter."
Without thinking, Kallus found his gaze darting to Hera. Her stare, narrowed and penetrating, was fixed squarely on him. Brows furrowed, lips pursed, she seemed to be stewing in a mixture of contemplation, worry, and anger. Beside her, the usually expressive Zeb was impassive, indecipherable.
"Tell me…." Tadia Hentz began suddenly, sending a fresh surge of apprehension through Kallus. "What exactly happened to Minister Maketh Tua?"
Hera's eyes scanned Kallus, as if she was analyzing his reaction to the question, as if she was hoping that, for once, he could claim innocence, but they both knew better.
Kallus looked to Hentz, finding her gaze easier to meet than Hera's.
"Governor Tarkin had grown impatient with Minister Tua's lack of results in ridding Lothal of its rebel problem." Kallus replied. "He'd summoned her for a meeting on Coruscant, which, as it should have, made Minister Tua fearful. A private meeting with the Governor to discuss matters that displease him rarely ends well for those summoned."
Hentz leaned forward. "Tua feared for her life?"
"That would be fair to assume," Kallus answered. "If I had been in her position, I would have."
"So, she reached out to the rebels for aid? But, I assume, you'd known, with as frightened and desperate as she was, that she would do just that." Hentz's mouth strained as if she was holding back a smile, but she couldn't hide the delight sparkling in her eyes. Her questions were most certainly striking as she hoped they would.
Kallus nodded. "Vader suspected Minister Tua would try to flee. Her only option to do so was to contact the rebels and beg for help. I was instructed to monitor Tua and report my findings to Vader."
"Which you did?" The corners of Hentz's mouth turned up ever so slightly.
"Yes, I obeyed my orders." Kallus answered. "Minister Tua was inept at maintaining any kind of secrecy. I was easily able to get a recording of her conversation with the rebels."
For the briefest of moments, Hentz's expression slipped. Her jaw clenched and a flash of annoyance crossed her face. Like any good interrogator, Kallus knew she desired confessions not excuses, and obeying orders rode a very thin line between being a confession or an excuse.
"What did Vader order you to do then?" Hentz asked, dryly.
Kallus drew in a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. Looking back, with his newfound rebel perspective, there was much he regretted over his Imperial career, but there were a handful of his actions that, he felt, were perhaps beyond any form of redemption. This was one of those.
"Minister Tua was going to defect, and, under no circumstance was I to let her." Kallus forced the words out–the tightness in his throat threatening to cut them off. "Just as Vader ordered, I rigged her shuttle with explosives and, when she tried to escape with the rebels, I ended her."
She had been a terrified, simple woman, thrust into a position that was impossible for her to succeed at with her background. Tua hadn't deserved her fate. He had known her. On Lothal, he had worked with her and listened to her idle banter. She had chattered on about restaurants and festivals and how the locals were fairing under whatever new policy the Empire had released at the time. If her life hadn't been threatened, she would still be loyally working for the Empire, prattling away about whatever popped into her head, but, instead, he had killed her.
"It's a good thing for you that no one as diligent as yourself was around to witness you defecting from the Empire," Hentz quipped.
Kallus grimaced. It was an extra jagged truth that he hadn't needed at the moment, but she wasn't wrong.
"Answers to questions are what we seek," Fae Saas cautiously warned Hentz. "Our comments are our own to keep until we deliberate."
Hentz looked ready to reply to Fae Saas, but the steely gazes she received from the other panel members must have changed her mind. Instead, she turned back to Kallus.
"And after Minister Tua was killed in that fiery blast, which you blamed on the Rebellion, what happened to Tarkintown?"
Kallus dredged up the memory of that day–wailing children, screaming parents, the blinding smoke and searing heat.
"The people were taken prisoner and the town was burned to the ground," he answered.
"Why?" Hentz asked. "Were they all rebel sympathizers?"
Kallus shrugged. "Perhaps, but mainly it was because Vader wished to strike a blow to the rebels in the system. He wanted to turn their compassion for the locals into his weapon."
"Thank you," Hentz returned in a low, pleased tone. "That was most enlightening, but, perhaps," her grin widened, eyes fixed on Julia, "we should take a meal break now?"
"Yes," Julia answered firmly. "We should." She motioned to Kallus, signaling him to follow, and then she turned heel and burst out of the room. The rest of the panel members looked as surprised as Kallus felt.
Grabbing the datapad Julia had given him earlier, he scrambled after her. It was most certainly not what he would have considered a dignified exit.
Julia led him to his room, but she didn't enter. Alone, Kallus sat on his cot, waiting, knowing, even though she hadn't communicated as much, the old woman would return with their meals.
His thoughts drifted back to the day's testimony, but he found it too bleak to dwell on, so he turned his ponderings to the incommunicado members of the Ghost crew. He shifted through his knowledge on the Mandalorians and their dealings with the Empire, but nothing useful was surfacing.
Breaking Kallus from his thoughts, Julia reappeared with two meal trays. Each had pasta with an odd assortment of vegetables Kallus had never seen before. They were probably native to Yavin IV.
His stomach gave an angry rumble as he took his tray from Julia. It was only then, as the aroma of the food hit him, that he realized how hungry he was.
He picked through his dish, selecting a slice of each vegetable and tasting them one by one. The yellow, fleshy cuts had little flavor, but the texture was interesting. It was crisp and juicy with a satisfying crunch. The purple skinned bits were mildly sweet but were a touch slimy, and the green slivers of vegetable were disappointingly tart. Perhaps they weren't quite ripe?
"Stop playing with your food," Julia grumbled. There was a weary, matronly quality to her voice as she sat down beside him. "Just eat it."
The chastising probably should have been a blow to his ego, but, after almost two days of admitting to his shameful roles in the Empire, Kallus found himself feeling too stripped of his former pride to be offended. It was actually sort of freeing.
Still, Julia's comment had sounded off. He studied her a moment, surprised to find her staring blankly at her dish, obviously lost in thought.
"Are you upset about something in particular, other than my dining habits?" he asked, trying and, apparently, failing to lighten the mood. He'd presumed Julia's irritation had something to do with the rivalry that seemed to stir between herself and Tadia.
Her gaze snapped over to him. The intensity of her stare was harsh and startling, and Kallus had to fight to keep himself from looking away.
"Do you really want to provide the Rebellion with all the help you are able to?" She asked, her tone stern, almost cold.
Dumbfounded by the sudden hostility, Kallus stared openmouthed at Julia for a few moments before he could gather his wits about him.
"Of course I do," he snapped. "While else would I be here? I had a choice and I chose to help the rebels. I didn't have to..."
"Yes!" Julia exclaimed, eyes sparkling, grin slowly growing. "There is the man the panel needs to see. This is what you've been missing in court. You are a rebel now, and so you must learn that rebels never give up, but, Kallus, it seems you've stopped fighting for yourself. I understand your guilt, and even if you don't wish to fight for yourself, fight for what you will be able to accomplish working in the field for the Rebellion, because that is where you will do the greatest good."
Then, she turned to her meal and began furiously stabbing at the vegetables with her fork. She'd already taken two hefty bites before Kallus found his voice.
"Why are you so certain I won't turn on the rebels? You've heard what I've done while working with the Empire. How can you be so quick to forgive that?"
She turned to him, a small strained smile on her face. "Because," she whispered. "I've done a lot worse for the Empire."
There was a fire in her gaze, a challenge for him to ask about her past. He was sure she would tell him, that she wouldn't hold back, but he could already see the truth written in her expression. He could ask, but, ultimately, he chose not to. Whatever she had done, she truly believed her sins outweighed his own.
"I know what it's like," she continued, "to suddenly realize everything you believed to be noble was twisted and wrong, that you'd been ignoring the obvious and slowly allowing yourself to do more and more horrific things in the name of the Empire." She paused, her gaze going distant. "I recall the growing thirst for power, and how those above me ruled by inflicting fear. After enough time, you couldn't just feel the darkness–you were a part of it."
Kallus felt a shiver run up his spine as he listened. She'd described it all too well. He was certain she'd, at some point, been part of the Empire.
She looked back at him and smiled. "When I came to the rebels' side, I was as you are now. Lost, confused and sure that I would find no redemption, but I vowed to fight as hard as I could for the Rebellion, and, by some miracle, they let me."
An easy silence fell over them. Kallus needed time to process this new information, and, for her part, Julia seemed to understand that need.
"So, is that why you've been helping me?" he asked at last.
Julia seemed to ponder the question a moment before answering. "Partially, but I would not have put so much effort into you had I not believed you'd seen the light. Also, I'm fulfilling a promise to a dear friend."
Promise? Kallus didn't even attempt to hide his confusion as he stared at Julia.
"In due time, you will see, but, until then," she grinned back at him, "eat your food. We still have a long day ahead of us."