Chapter VI
The Sith Lord's presence did not startle Thrawn, and if it did, it was not noticeable. "Lord Vader, the interrogation seems to have been cut short. What have you gleaned?" the alien asked calmly, his red eyes piercing through the darkness to meet Vader's own. "He is hiding far too much, and his mind still is closed to me," the other answered. "Really? Perhaps he is more competent than we had originally presumed. Is he a Sith?" Thrawn asked as he steepled his fingers. "He is not; there is no true hatred in his heart," Vader said. "He is not a Jedi, though. We can be sure of that," Thrawn said. "The only answer is he is a part of the Dark Jedi faction, which appeared during the course of the Clone Wars," Vader answered, and then prepared to leave. "Something has occurred to you?" the alien asked, standing. "I believe I will pay a visit to our captive again," the dark Lord replied.
"Ah, milord; we just finished with the..." the officer said as Vader brushed him aside. "Open this cell," he commanded to the man beside it. "Lord Vader, that is impossible. The prisoner is resting at... hack... this..." the man said, gasping for breath. "Right... gasp... this way... gasp..." he said, pushing the control for the door to open. Vader let his force-hold go as he entered the room. "Time to wake up, Jedi," he said, taking out a small cylindrical object. "You cannot hide your thoughts from me. My master would be honored by your presence on Coruscant," Vader said. A snap-hiss indicated the igniting of his deep crimson blade. "The Emperor will be glad to have a new servant," Vader continued, stepping toward the light. [I serve my own cause,] came the reply. "Your path to the Dark Side has already begun. You cannot deviate from it," Vader said, turning to where the growl had come from. [Perhaps, however I will not serve the Empire. Farewell!] Vader turned and blocked the Wookiee's jump at him, thrusting him back to the wall. The other regained his balance, flipped over Vader and broke through the door. Dousing his lightsaber, Vader pulled out his comlink. "Attention all levels; the prisoner has escaped, the prisoner has escaped," the man outside yelled. The Sith placed his comlink back on his belt and quickly followed the Wookiee's path.
The hallway, now deathly quiet disturbed Cracken as he neared the galley. Why'd I get so hungry in the middle of the night anyway? he thought. Pouring the hot beverage, Cracken finished his snack and began making his way back. A soft clanking noise went off in the distance. Came from the bridge, Cracken thought, cocking his eyebrow. Better see if it's a malfunction, he mused, heading to the area. The sound came again and this time he could hear someone's voice as well. "Anyone in here?" he called out quietly. "Ah, Major Cracken; what brings you here?" the voice replied, and Cracken now saw the man. "Gavis, what are you doing in here?" he asked, pacing to where the other stood. "Felth and I have uncovered something quite disturbing," Gavis answered. "And what would that be?" the other asked. "Colonel Davis has betrayed us all. Come see for yourself," Gavis said, moving aside so Cracken could view the computerized display. "Some sort of message from this ship to... No, impossible!" Cracken said, reading the transmission.
"Sad, isn't it? The one who has vowed all this time to cripple the Empire is the one helping it thrive," Ideji said, staring at the major. "Why did you come here now to find out about Davis?" he asked. "I couldn't do it during the day; I can't even get on the bridge, let alone do anything," Gavis replied. "I think I should report this to Davis..." Cracken said, stepping back. "Ah, but our chat has only begun. Do you not trust me?" Gavis asked, holding out his hand. "You could say that..." Cracken answered. "Pity, you would have proved to be a useful ally," Ideji said, turning his hand palm down. "However, I can assure you that you will not recall any of this in the morning. You'll wake up in bed, and you'll take my side," Gavis chuckled. "I doubt..." Before he could finish, Cracken felt the surge of thousands of bolts of lightning hitting his body. His mind was going black as Gavis stood over his numb form, sparks coming from his hand. "Time to turn in for the night, major," he laughed as Cracken fell into unconsciousness.