Halfway to Martyrdom

Chapter Twenty

Before Thrawn had taken over the Chimaera, Faro had never been involved in a disciplinary hearing in any capacity. During Thrawn's time as her commander, Faro had been called as a witness to his conduct more times than she could count. But at least then, the pressure hadn't been on her. Whether formal or informal, the various probes had always been concerned with the man above her.

This time would be different. She could feel it.

It all started yesterday, when Faro delivered enemy combatant Mart Mattin to the ISB. Or rather, the remains of Mart Mattin. When ISB asked what had happened to the rebel that led to his death in questioning, Faro had confessed to several errors in judgment. She had entered the interrogation room alone. The prisoner had been restrained and questioned using equipment that Faro had been warned was faulty. The failed interrogation was the direct result of her own recklessness and negligence.

By "defending herself" against a rebel seeking escape, Faro had destroyed the Bureau's chances of drawing intel out of the prisoner. Choice words had been exchanged when Faro delivered the body. Now she had a private holomeeting with Colonel Yularen scheduled for this afternoon.

Faro had no idea what to say. No idea how to prepare. All she knew was that she couldn't let the crew see her panicking like this. The crew of the Scylla bore no responsibility for her lapse in proper conduct. Faro could not allow the investigation into her personal dealings to affect the fleet's fitness for duty.

She put on her coolest commanding voice. "Commander Bingsley. You have the bridge for the remainder of shift."

"Yes, ma'am." Faro blew past Bingsley as he spoke. She walked off the bridge just slowly enough that her exit could not be characterized as fleeing.

Faro stormed down the Scylla's winding corridors, cap low and brow furrowed. A few crewmen acknowledged her as she walked by, but Faro paid them no heed. Once she was safe inside her office, she locked the door against everything short of emergency. She had twenty minutes before the Holomeeting of Doom began.

Faro slumped over her desk, hands wrapping around her neck so as not to smear the powder on her face. She tightened her grip around her throat, not realizing what she was doing until the edge of her vision blurred.

Faro's knife came down on the rebel's neck, stabbing dead through the carotid artery. Blood joined spit in covering Faro's face.

The rebel convulsed on the table, blood covering the cell when she ripped the knife away.

"Gah!" Faro choked. She threw her hands down on the table, wiping the bare surface clean.

She couldn't give in to her emotions. Emotions were what had gotten her into this mess. Faro had to use her brain. She had to explain to Colonel Yularen why she shouldn't lose her post three weeks after assignment.

Faro had met Colonel Yularen before. He had been a rare ally of Thrawn's. Rare in that he was one of the highest ranking individuals to support Thrawn openly, but also rare in how early he had taken an interest. Thrawn once told her that Yularen had reached out to him before he was even a captain. The man was fair, dedicated, and reasonable. He was amenable to unconventional methods so long as they advanced the wider mission. Most importantly, he nurtured the talents of people he found promising with no regards for their origin or social status.

None of that helped Faro in this case. She hadn't done something innovative this time. This time, her actions were wrong. Plain and simple.

It was a damn shame. The Eleventh Fleet was blossoming under Faro's command. Her initial round of drills with both the Scylla and the fleet had gone flawlessly. Their responses to pirate attacks had been swift and decisive. They had yet to report any civilian, Imperial, or cargo casualties. The information they'd collected on the Unknown Regions picked up where the Seventh Fleet had left off, threatening to end the cloud of darkness surrounding the galactic west forevermore.

All that, and Faro had still found time to thwart two smuggling attempts to a hostile territory. She'd flipped one smuggler and arrested dozens. Who cared if one had died in questioning? What were a few minutes of stupidity next to the decades she'd spent building a perfect career?

Ding! Her holocom device lit right on schedule. Faro tapped the button on the side to answer the comm, steeling herself for the sight of Yularen's disappointed face.

And she did get Colonel Yularen on the other end of the line. He was no surprise. No, the surprise was Grand Moff Tarkin in the seat next to him. Both men bore expressions of the utmost severity.

Faro cleared her throat. She squared her shoulders and unfurled her eyebrows. Anything she could do to keep these men from sensing her fear was worth trying. "Colonel Yularen. Governor Tarkin. What can I do for you?"

"Fleet Admiral Faro. You must forgive us for scheduling this meeting on such short notice. We found something in one of your old reports that requires further explanation." Colonel Yularen's tone was light enough, but his facial expression didn't let up. "Tell us about these 'Scratchlings' you encountered during the gralloc mission on the Chimaera."

The Scratchlings? Faro hadn't expected this. Her close run in with the Scratchlings had been nearly a month ago. Wouldn't Yularen rather question her about the events of yesterday? "Yes, sir. The Scratchlings, or 'Screechers', are aliens that live in the Unknown Regions. They are servants of the Grysk, another species of aliens with designs of galactic conquest. Last I heard, ISB had taken their human and Dashade prisoners into custody."

"Indeed we have," Yularen confirmed. "I want to know what happened before the prisoners were recovered. I would ask the other parties present if I were able, but that is no longer possible."

That's right. The mission to destroy the Grysk probe… Faro was the only person in the Empire alive to speak of it. The realization left a hard lump in her stomach.

She recounted everything that she had seen aboard the Scratchlings' ship, from the excessive booby traps to the attempted suicide bombing. "The stormtroopers shot all the Scratchlings before they could detonate their bombs."

"And Grand Admiral Thrawn ordered their death?" Tarkin asked.

"Yes, Governor."

"You said in your report that the aliens did not speak Sy Bisti, but Meese Caulf. As a result, you were not able to speak with them yourself. You had to rely on the grand admiral's translation abilities to negotiate for the hostages. You trusted his translations to be faithful representations of the Scratchlings' words. Is this correct?"

"Yes, Colonel."

"How did the grand admiral know of the suicide bombing attempt if he was not present at the scene?"

"He watched the scene unfold through a camera attached to my person. He spotted the detonator cylinder before I did and struck preemptively, saving the lives of myself, Major Carvia, the stormtroopers, and the prisoners all alike." Faro's stomach twisted recounting the story. Thrawn understood the value of keeping prisoners alive. He only killed to save the lives of others.

Was that the point of recounting this tale? To compare Faro's conduct to Thrawn's and find it wanting?

"Was this detonator cylinder taken to the Chimaera after recovery?"

"I believe so, Colonel. After the stormtroopers disarmed all the bombs, we wanted to make sure no one would be able to rearm them. Keeping the detonator out of range from the bombs would have been a necessary precaution."

"I see." Yularen raised a hand to his mouth, thumb and index stroking his mustache. "We cannot recover this detonator for obvious reasons. Do you know the fate of the camera footage through which Thrawn would have observed your hostage exchange? Was the recording included in any reports sent off-ship?"

Faro blinked. "I don't believe there was a recording, sir. The camera I wore only transmitted, to my knowledge."

"That's unfortunate," Tarkin growled.

This conversation ran too long to be a lead up. If Yularen was here to lecture Faro about her conduct yesterday, he was taking his sweet time to do it. "May I ask what this is about, sirs?"

"The ISB has the Scratchling's ship in their custody, Fleet Admiral. Along with the prisoners. We are working through an investigation to determine the true level of threat Unknown Regions elements pose to the Empire. We found the booby traps you reported, but uncovered no signs of the suicide bomb your former crew supposedly disarmed. Due to the close temporal proximity of the gralloc mission to the battle over Lothal, we suspect some evidence may have missed transfer." Yularen frowned. "Our only evidence of a suicide bomb threat comes from your testimony, Fleet Admiral. And you say you were not aware of the danger at the time. Only the grand admiral was."

"Grand Admiral Thrawn saved my life," Faro repeated. "The danger of the Grysk comes from their ability to ensnare other groups to their will. The Scratchlings were so bonded to the Grysk that they used whatever means necessary to serve their ends, even if it meant suicide. Had the Grysk succeeded in turning their human captives, they could have infiltrated the Empire."

"The Grysk are old enemies of Thrawn's people, are they not?" Tarkin asked. "It says in the reports from Batuu and Mokivj that they have been adversaries with the Chiss Ascendancy for at least as long as Thrawn has been with the Empire. Likely longer."

Faro didn't like the implications of Tarkin's words. They rang too reminiscent of the admiralty meeting, in which Premaro had attempted to malign Thrawn's legacy with accusations of treason. "I don't understand the concern, sirs. Can't the prisoners' testimony reinforce my own?"

"The prisoners saw no signs of any bomb. All they saw was their captors shot to death on the grand admiral's order. They say the hostage negotiation lasted mere seconds." Yularen sighed. "Few in the Empire are likely to mourn the death of aliens, let alone aliens who held criminals hostage. Yet the loss of these Scratchlings limits our understanding of their abilities. ISB cannot figure out why they physically held their victims' heads during interrogation."

Tarkin picked up where Yularen's explanation left off. "Not everyone in the Empire believes the Grysk are as much of a threat as Thrawn had once claimed. They have proposed an alternate theory: Thrawn manipulated his interactions with the Grysk and their allies to exaggerate the threat they posed to Imperial interests. They believe he did so to justify his use of the Seventh Fleet in combat with Grysk forces… and his repeated bouts of cooperation with the Chiss Ascendancy."

Faro opened her mouth to disagree, but Yularen silenced her. "We understand you believe the contrary, which is why we wished to meet with you today. If you are in possession of evidence that can prove the Grysk pose a major threat to the Empire, you need to present it to us."

She couldn't mention her meeting with Admiral Ar'alani. Not yet. Imperial officers had officially been banned from cooperating with the Chiss, so any evidence known to originate from them would be met with suspicion.

Instead, Faro offered a different tidbit. "My fleet has already found evidence of more Scratchlings in Imperial territory. They are infecting Wild Space trading posts as we speak, perhaps searching for more captives."

Yularen nodded. "Good. You have authorization to capture one for transfer to the Empire's Advanced Science Division. You must deliver the specimen alive for study."

"Will that be a problem, Fleet Admiral?" Tarkin asked, a cruel edge to his voice.

Her back tensed. There it was. The topic she'd expected the meeting to be about had finally reached the conversation.

Faro couldn't let her nerves shine through. Not now. "No, Governor. I have no intentions of interacting with the alien directly. The Scratchling will be stored in a secure cell with fully functional equipment."

"As is standard procedure for an officer of your status." Tarkin curled his lip. "With this additional mission, I suspect you will have to leave smuggling patrols to other ships in your fleet. Perhaps you could reassign a cruiser or two to pick up the slack. They ought to be capable of finding appropriate channels for their loyalty to the Empire."

"I may do just that, Governor." Since Tarkin had already broached the subject, Faro considered it appropriate to voice her curiosity. "Colonel Yularen. Your investigation into the state of affairs on Lothal-"

"Continues as normal, Fleet Admiral. It is not the Bureau's policy to rely on intelligence from terrorist operatives. Not when we have more reliable sources available to us." Where Tarkin's tone had been punishing, Yularen's was conciliatory. Reassuring, even. "Governor Tarkin is correct when he says your fleet has more pressing concerns than our cleanup efforts."

"Rest assured, Fleet Admiral. The terrorist state of Lothal will pay for its tantrum against the Empire. Once Yularen's men have recovered all that is worth salvaging from the planet, the Empire may see fit to enact vengeance with a new weapon. A weapon you did much to put back on schedule during your time as commodore."

Project Stardust. The Death Star. A month ago, Faro might have shuddered at the thought of that weapon coming online. Now, she regarded the idea with a numb acceptance. If the rebellion had no objection to wiping out entire fleets, why should the Empire show restraint in its destruction of known enemies?

Faro knew more about the project than she (perhaps) should, but men like Ronan were too egotistical to truly keep such a thing secret. Back when the TIE Defender program had still been viable, Thrawn had used their quiet moments to confide his knowledge of rival weapons in her. His late night musings were eerie in their prescience. Everything Thrawn speculated, Ronan had confirmed last month.

Not that she wanted Tarkin to know that. Faro gave no knowledge of Project Stardust away in her response. "I accept my new assignment, sirs. When I transferred to the Eleventh Fleet, I struggled to let unresolved missions go. Knowing men of your caliber and talent will be handling matters gives me the peace I need to renew my focus." Faro laced a few words of flattery into her message. Tarkin's ego may be more justified than Ronan's, but it was no smaller. "Thank you for the knowledge and wisdom that both of you continue to share with me. I look forward to working closer with you in the future."

Tarkin smiled in approval at Faro's performance. "I am glad to know we understand each other, Fleet Admiral. Recall that we are still due for a one on one meeting the next time you are available."

"I have not forgotten, Governor." Faro had totally forgotten. "I look forward to the day our duties allow us to speak openly with one another."

Yularen cleared his throat, then checked the chrono around his wrist. "Of course. I hope we aren't keeping you from your duties, Fleet Admiral. We only have one more question for you today."

"What is it, Colonel?"

"What do you know about the whereabouts of Assistant Director Ronan?"

Faro drew back. The sudden change of subject caught her off guard. "What do you mean, sir? Ronan left the Chimaera before I did. The last time I saw him was when he reported to Governor Tarkin and Director Krennic."

"Director Krennic tells me he never made it back to Project Stardust. We have spoken with Ronan's family and close associates, but no one knows where he is." Tarkin's eyes bore into Faro's with feverish intensity. "Did the assistant director show any signs of disloyalty during his time on the Chimaera with you?"

Unless one counted selling Thrawn's TIE Defender program out on a technicality as disloyalty. Otherwise, "no. Assistant Director Ronan and I had our… different opinions on how best to serve the Empire, but we are both committed servants to the same cause."

"There's one other possibility," Yularen suggested. "Fleet Admiral. In your report to Governor Tarkin, you mentioned the reappearance of Lieutenant Commander Vanto."

"Yes. He has been working with the Chiss Ascendancy." Faro didn't like where this was going. "I was led to believe he had official permission to occupy that position, secret as it was."

"I… cannot find any evidence supporting that conclusion in Imperial records." Yularen frowned. "Not much makes it over my head, Fleet Admiral."

Faro gulped. Had Thrawn lied about getting permission for his plan? Even if he'd spoken with the Emperor directly, why wouldn't the head of ISB be aware of the arrangement?

Faro maintained her belief that the Grysk were a threat to the Empire. She knew Thrawn only wanted what was best for both the Empire and the Ascendancy. That said… she understood the detractors' theory a bit better now. No longer able to observe Thrawn's actions directly, she had a harder time piecing together the man's motivations. Were someone to be prejudiced against Thrawn, it would be easy to assume the worst.

"Your report also mentioned Vanto and Ronan going on a planetside mission together. They encountered an ISB operative in the field, no?" Tarkin continued. "Perhaps Vanto enjoyed their partnership and sought to… extend it."

"You think the Chiss kidnapped Ronan?" Faro asked.

"Vanto alone isn't worth retrieving from the depths of the Unknown Regions. He was a talented officer next to Thrawn, but not much of an asset by himself. Ronan, on the other hand…" Tarkin's scowl grew in menace. "That man is an assistant director to a highly secure weapons project. Earlier this very meeting, we acknowledged the danger of Imperials falling captive to distant alien forces. Were the Empire to find the Chiss harboring such a valuable hostage, we would have no choice but to consider it an act of aggression."

"The last time I saw Ronan, he was preparing to leave the Chimaera. I presumed he was on his way back to Director Krennic," Faro reiterated. Both her statements were technically true, if intentionally misleading. "How does the Empire wish to handle the man's disappearance?"

"Krennic wants to initiate a full manhunt. However, due to his position, we don't want to advertise his status as a missing person just yet. If Ronan's status is truly unknown, it would invite enemies of the Empire to capture him. Interrogate him for knowledge of Imperial weapons." Yularen fixed Faro with a hard stare. "Be discreet, but monitor activity in your region. Watch for Imperial deserters matching Ronan's description."

"Yes, Colonel. I will do that." Faro checked her chrono. This meeting had run over the allotted hour. "If that is all, sirs, I must return to my duties aboard the Scylla."

"Of course, Fleet Admiral." Tarkin bid Faro farewell. "Just remember; the Eleventh Fleet's success rides contingent on your leadership. Integrity is the cornerstone of all great leaders."

The comm disconnected. Faro slumped over her desk, breathing heavily. Somehow, the call had gone both better and worse than she had anticipated.

Yularen and Tarkin weren't angry with her over the Mattin incident. Good. A growing number of Imperials suspected Thrawn of treason. Bad. Thrawn's former allies were giving Faro a chance to clear his name and cement his legacy. Good. Said allies may also suspect Faro of being complicit in acts of treason. Bad.

Faro stowed her Imperial comm back in her chest pocket. Taking a code cylinder she'd hidden in her miniature statue from Thrawn's residence, she unlocked the drawer hiding the Chiss comm. The same comm that had been dead silent since Faro delivered the news of Thrawn's death to Admiral Ar'alani.

She could afford to wait no longer. Faro needed to know how to spot a Grysk threat now more than ever. More importantly, the meeting could no longer take place over comm. The two admirals needed to meet in person, and Ronan needed to be present for the meeting.

Without alerting the Empire to where Ronan was, she had to bring him back to the Empire. Quickly. Before that pompous ass started yet another conflict in the galaxy.

Just before Faro could turn the Chiss comm on, her Imperial one pinged once again. This time, it was a call from the bridge.

Faro answered the call without thinking. "Fleet Admiral Faro."

It was Bingsley. "Sensor officer found a distress call near the Batuu system. Imperial vessel."

"Initiate rescue, Commander." Strictly speaking, Bingsley didn't need to call that in to her. She had given him command of the ship for the rest of their shift, after all. "I will be return to the bridge before our exit from hyperspace."

"That's not all, Fleet Admiral. The vessel in question… well. Their transponder code says they're the ISD Harbinger."

A/N's: So now Faro has to capture an Agbui. And take Ronan back to the Empire. AND rescue Captain Pellaeon. Busy woman, that Faro.

At least this chapter is slightly less angsty. I feel like I always give Faro the super angsty chapters, and it makes me feel bad for her. Even in this one, when she's rationalizing using the Death Star on Lothal.

Anyway, I'm probably NOT going to make it to 30K. There's one day left of Camp NaNoWriMo, and I'm still at 24K. I will still be working on this fic, but I also want to update a couple others in August. Until next time, I hope you enjoyed. I should update once or twice more before Ahsoka starts premiering.