HEY BROTHER

Kallus had no idea how he'd pulled that off. He was an ISB agent and had been spying on the Empire for weeks, but managing a defection was the hardest thing he'd ever done. If this was what handlers did every day, then they deserved the highest honors.

Not the horrors which were befalling Nadea Tural in this very building. Kallus tightened his jaw to hold down a visceral reaction as he walked to the interrogation rooms.

"ISB-021," he said and handed his code cylinder to the trooper standing guard. He didn't bother giving a reason for his visit; there was only one reason someone willingly entered Interrogation.

The trooper wordlessly scanned him in and Kallus went on.

You have to do this, he thought as the screams echoed through the corridor. Your family is counting on you. They need you to protect them.

For Hannah and Yularen and Dalla. He couldn't pinpoint when Dalla became part of his list, especially since most of their communication consisted of screaming at each other, but gods help him, she was on it.

Kallus concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other until he reached the room. Then he took a deep breath and opened the door.

There were no interrogators present, a small mercy since didn't think he could look Alecia Beck in the eye without blasting her. The lone occupant of the room, however, was another story.

Senator Tural turned her head as far as the interrogation table would allow and sized him up with her large eyes.

"Agent Kallus," she said with a smile. "This is a pleasant surprise."

"We've never met."

"Your beautiful girl talked about you every day," the Senator replied. "I had to go on the HoloNet and look to see the man who was worthy of such praise."

She was good. If Kallus hadn't known that Swain was safe with Dalla and Yularen, that would have driven him to his knees.

"Did she?" He asked and paced along the wall, forcing him to track him with her gaze.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Agent."

"What would I possibly have to be ashamed of?"

"You betrayed your child. She loved you with every cell in her body, and you threw her away like she was garbage." Kriff, Tural's glare was like Estelle Yularen's. "It baffles me how someone who was the focus of that much love could even fathom putting their job before it."

"We're not here to debate my work." Kallus reached the controls for the surveillance cameras and turned them off.

He checked a handheld scanner to make sure there wasn't anything else recording, and once he was satisfied he sighed.

Tural raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"We don't have to debate, because you're right. I failed. Every time I think about what I did, I know I'm not going to be able to sleep that night. And I think about it every single day."

"You look rather well rested."

"Only because I've recently chosen to consecrate my life to the defense of the vulnerable."

Tural's mouth slackened and the calculation in her eyes increased tenfold.

"Swain is alive, Senator. She and Cogon escaped, and they're with their accepting cell."

"This is a trick," she whispered.

"Would it help if I told you I spoke with Mollymauk, and she said you learn something new every day?"

The Senator teared up and did her best to wipe them away with her shoulders.

"Thank goodness," she cried. "I tried my best, but my best isn't good enough. I didn't mean to – Is it true what Agent Beck said, about Camson?"

"I'm sorry, Senator, but it is."

"I'd hoped there was no one inside. And then little Swain was in here for weeks, and all my defectors – oh gods I killed them!"

He couldn't let her die in despair. "Swain and Cogon are fine. They received medical attention when they reached the accepting cell, and that's when the cell contacted me." He swallowed a lump in his throat and then they were both in danger of crying. "You don't know the gift you gave me. Just knowing Swain is safe and happy takes a weight off my shoulders, but being able to spend time with her was a treasure. I'll never be able to thank you properly."

"I didn't do anything," Tural cried. "I couldn't get her out."

"You guided her exactly where she needed to go. It may have taken a bit longer, but she made it and if she hadn't defected, I would never have seen the Empire for what it is." He pulled up the interrogator's chair to sit beside her. "You saved my daughter, and in doing so you saved me. I will always owe a debt of gratitude to you."

Tural took a deep breath and looked down at her left forearm. Beck had traced her handler's tattoo with a blade, making the artwork visible to the naked eye.

"I don't need thanks, Mr. Kallus," she said in her preternaturally calm voice.

"Mollymauk figured as much. Which is why we decided the best way to thank you was with something a bit more concrete." He leaned in closer. "I'm pleased to inform you that the defectors from Skystrike were successfully extracted."

"Wedge!" Her eyes brightened. "He and Hobbie are alright? And dear Rake, is he safe too? I was worried about him."

Kallus wasn't sure if what he said next was a lie or not. "He's fine. He's in a good place, and he's excited to see you very soon."

She wasn't a fool. Tural closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We saved as many as we could?"

"You saved more than we could have ever dreamed. Senator, your work is completed."

"Then I'm ready." She looked back at her tattoo. "Please, stay with me."

Kallus wiggled off the safety cap on the truth serum auto-injector. It was notorious for falling off during extended interrogations, and while a human might be able to be revived from an overdose, a Thradian would be dead the second the drug hit her heart.

"Alexsandr Kallus," she said as the plunger depressed. "People like you give me hope for the future."

"It's you who gives hope, Senator."

Tural smiled right before her body lifted off the table in the throes of a grand mal seizure.

Kallus grabbed her hand, trying to impart all the comfort he could until her muscles slackened and her pulse faded away.

"Say hello to Rake for me," he whispered and let go of her hand.

Kallus took a moment to collect himself. Then, once he was sure he could keep his act up, he stormed into the hallway raging about the droids not checking the equipment, and then at the interrogators for not checking the droids.

The fifteen minutes he spent reaming out Alecia Beck were some of the most satisfying minutes of his life.

…

The minutes he spent after Thrawn walked into Bridger's tower were not.

…

This rebel thing must really be agreeing with him, because that stunt with the escape pod was the most audacious, practically-suicidal thing he'd ever done. He'd somehow managed to avoid blasts and debris until he was picked up not by the Empire, not by a random rebel ship, but the Ghost. And he was alive. Truly, wonders never ceased.

And it was a lot to take in for one day. Kallus collapsed against the wall of his former enemies' ship and prayed no one would recognize him, or if they did that they would be too tired to fight. He certainly was.

What was he supposed to do? Tag along with the rebels and throw himself at the mercy of their leadership? Hitch a ride to Onderon and stay with Swain? He could probably get Sam Beroya to pick him up, but he couldn't blow up Swain's life like that, not when the last time they'd seen each other she could barely look him in the eye.

He could see her again. Kallus blinked away a tear. It had been almost a year without even a holo conversation, since he could barely manage secured Fulcrum transmissions. How was she? Was she happy working with Dalla? Had Cogon acted on Kallus' blessing yet?

Zeb's voice snapped him out of the spiral. "Kallus?"

"Yes?"

Zeb nodded toward the cockpit. "There's a comm for ya. Defections."

Think adjacently of the devil, and her network shall appear. "Thank you," Kallus said and followed Zeb.

Hera barely paid him any attention when he entered the cockpit. "Comm's on line one."

"Thank you, Captain." He saw the blinking light and activated the comm. "Kallus here."

"Well that was a hell of a defection," said the modulated voice of Dalla Blackwell.

He coughed a laugh. "Go big or go home."

"Obviously. Are you okay?"

Besides the black eye, the cracked ribs, and the screaming leg? "I'll live."

"That's osik, and now I know where Swain picked up that bad habit." She changed the subject. "And is there any chance of an information leak?"

"No. I didn't make transmissions to you for exactly this reason, and I had nothing on my person. Thrawn should have no reason to suspect you."

"I'd rather err on the side of caution with Thrawn. Which brings us to our next issue. We both know this is an unusual situation."

He couldn't hold back a little sarcasm. "What, you don't regularly have defectors blasting off Star Destroyers?"

"Very funny. Usually they have handlers, and you don't."

Of course he didn't. There was no point in assigning a handler to a dead man walking.

"So I guess I'm your handler now."

Kallus studiously did not make a quip about the mighty falling. "I see."

"I don't want you going straight onto base, because Draven will have a conniption and he's got his nose in my business enough already." Dalla left the part about keeping him, personally, away from Draven unsaid. "So someone from the network will need to pick you up. Got any preferences?"

"Just one. I don't want Swain to see me like this."

He hadn't found a mirror yet, but he knew he looked awful. Not the impression he wanted to give his daughter after being separated for so long.

"Fair. I can send Sloan, but it'll be a minute before he's ready."

"Can –." He swallowed hard. "Can you come?"

He felt silly as soon as he said it. She was juggling two cells; she didn't have time to play fetch. It was stupid and weak, but he powerfully wanted his family and she was the only piece of it he could reach.

But Dalla didn't laugh or scoff. She didn't even hesitate. "I'll be there. Tell Captain Syndulla I'll meet you at the next hyperjump."

"You don't need to find coverage for your network?" He stammered.

"I have a ship on the landing platform and Swain can take my calls; I'm not worried about it. Do you have ice for that eye before it swells shut?"

"I'll find some." He wouldn't dream of taking the rebels' medical supplies, but a few ice cubes would be a different story.

"See you do. I'll be there soon," she said and hung up.

Kallus stayed there for a moment to catch his breath.

"Mollymauk's coming to pick you up?" Zeb asked.

"Didn't you hear? She's my handler."

"Fancy." Zeb wiggled his fingers. "Let's get you some ice. Wouldn't want to upset the boss lady."

It didn't matter that they put ice on it, because his eye swelled shut all the same and Kallus prayed Dalla wouldn't bring it up. Not that he couldn't hold his own in an argument, but he really didn't feel like doing so. Not after getting the osik kicked out of him and almost meeting his maker in space.

He held his breath as he stood in front of the airlock. Please, please, please…

The airlock opened and Dalla wasn't wearing her usual scowl or smirk. In fact, her expression was unreadable.

Kallus swallowed hard. "Hello, Dalla."

Without warning, Dalla dragged him down to her level and enveloped him in a rib-cracking hug.

"Dad is going to kill you," she whispered.