Trees stood spear like in their reach towards the sky, canopy blocking any view of the stars. Leaves and various other detritus crunched underfoot as his troops made their way through the forest. A full battalion had been landed to march on the estate of Bosko Kalsantiiv, former governor of the planet Thalros.
Former governor, because three days previous the man had fled their siege of the planet's capital to hide behind several hundred hired guns. A new governor had been installed at the command of the Emperor and he had been assigned to hunt down Bosko. Normally such an assignment would have been given to any one of the number of commanders within the Imperial Hierarchy, but Palpatine had been very insistent that he was to secure the estate himself.
He had his suspicions as to why.
Bosko was a collector and the estate had a sizable vault within its schematics. No doubt there was something locked up inside it that the Emperor wanted. He would simply have to ensure that he gained access to it before any of Palpatine's other agents.
Fortunately, he had an advantage that they did not.
The girl had proven to be an asset when it came to infiltration. She had become highly adept at accessing places neither he nor his troops could get to. In the siege of the capital, she had found a way past the city's defenses and into the control center for the power grid, shutting it down. Now she was far ahead, presumably finding a way into the vault. He would not know if she had succeeded until well after his troops had swarmed the compound.
Blaster fire rang out ahead - the walls of the estate were in view. Flashes of red mixed with occasional blue and green lit up the landscape. The vanguard had charged straight in, drawing the attention to the main gate.
His own detachment continued marching, skirting around the side of the mansion. Their aim was for a small hangar bay holding Bosko's personal shuttle. His flagship sat in orbit ready to shoot down any attempt to flee off world, but should the former governor try to flee elsewhere on the planet they would be unable to prevent a launch.
He was certain that Bosko would try to run, but not without attempting to gather up some valuables. Which meant the girl would most likely be caught in the vault. He had considered that possibility well before their arrival and had deemed it an acceptable risk.
They reached the hangar, its blast doors still firmly shut. His troops fanned out, taking up positions outside the doors. A group started to set up anti-vehicular turrets at certain points beyond the launch area for the hangar. Blaster fire continued to ring out from the front of the estate as they dug in.
"Front gates breached!" Called one of the squad captains. "Hold position!"
Every trooper held their weapons ready to fire. It was only a few minutes later when the hangar doors started to open. The second they were wide enough, the squads flooded the bay with blaster fire. A stray bolt hit a fuel canister, the resulting explosion filling the hangar with smoke and flames.
"Forward!"
The nearest squad moved out, heading into the smoke, unphased by the lessened visibility. A few more shots rang out, but the destruction in the hangar had taken out a number of the estate's security forces that had chosen that particular route to escape. Their half charred bodies littered the ground, what remained of Bosko's shuttle smoldering in the middle of the hangar.
"Secure the area," he commanded of the unit commander. "Seal off all corridors leading in save the main hall. Should the governor be found you may take him prisoner. All others are expendable."
"Yes sir."
He moved out as the orders were relayed to the squad captains. The main corridor was clear, though he could hear the muffled sound of blaster fire continuing in other parts of the mansion. It was sporadic - the last pockets of resistance from the estate's security forces. They would not last much longer.
Having reviewed the schematics, he knew where the vault was housed. There was very little opposition lying in wait - two hired guns in a lower hall who attempted to flee at the sight of him. He flung his lightsaber at them, using the Force to guide the blade. It sliced into one, then rebounded into the other.
He stepped over their bodies as the hilt returned to his hand.
The vault was open when he reached it, the body of a security officer hanging out of the door frame. The chamber itself appeared to have been plundered. Credit chips were scattered across the floor. Another security officer was splayed out in the middle of the floor, scorch marks marring a once pristine uniform.
A third body was slumped before an opened safe, identifiable as the former governor. More blaster bolts decorated this body and the walls around it. Credits had spilled out of the safe along with a few data pads and trinkets of indeterminable origin. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if there had been a scuffle over the contents of the safe. The victor of that scuffle had left no identifiable trace.
The safe held a remnant of the Force - faint, dark echoes of something that had once been held within. Something ancient, but also new. A puzzle, though its disappearance was easily solved. He turned, exiting the vault as the all clear was called out over the comms. The unit commander was in the main hall when he emerged from the lower levels, conferring with two other squad leaders.
They saluted as he approached.
"Secure the vault and its contents for transport," he ordered. "The Emperor wishes to know exactly what the governor was hiding. Ensure that each item is cataloged."
"As you command, Lord Vader."
The girl was sitting in her customary seat aboard his shuttle when he returned to it. He ignored her for the moment, moving into the cockpit to address the pilots.
"We will be ferrying several crates of cargo from the governor's personal vault," he told them. "Go and oversee the loading process. Ensure that they are properly secured."
"Yes sir."
The pilots unbuckled and got up, grabbing their equipment before heading down and out the ramp. He waited until they were out of sight before turning to look at the girl. Her face was several shades lighter than normal, nearly white compared to the darkness of her hair and uniform. It was the only outward implication that something was wrong.
"What did you find?"
It was difficult to see where she might have hidden something. The uniform she wore held no pockets save for the ones reserved for code cylinders. She barely moved, slipping one hand to the holster of her holdout pistol, or more specifically the space between said holster and the strap that held it in place. There was a small niche there, from which she pulled a sliver of something wrapped in cloth. She did not look at it, but simply held it out for him to take.
He lifted it away, unfolding the cloth to see what looked at first glance to be a small curved piece of bone. He turned it in his hand. There was a faint trace of darkness emanating from it. A piece of a mask, he realized - an ancient sith mask. The girl was watching as he examined it, alertness and tension in her posture. He folded the cloth back around it and tucked it into one of the pouches on his belt.
There was more that needed to be asked, but now was neither the time nor place.
