ADVISORY: The following chapter contains sensitive material relating to: Child endangerment, police brutality, and extreme violence. Remember to practice self care before, during, and after reading.

Chapter: 140 Awakenings (Part I)

- ACCESSING IMPERIAL NETWORK -

IHC: Imperial High Command to all mining colonies in the Thand Sector. There has been increase in Rebel activity in the Ring of Kafrene. Curfews are being implemented throughout the sector, and expect Imperial reinforcements to station in over the next rotations.

Smog, airspeeder exhaust, and a hefty overcast combined to cast a dark veil over Coruscant. Had it not been for the prominent blackness of the Imperial cog, it would've blended in all the same with such a silvery scape. The grayness stretched for miles, far beyond the underworld and even across similarly-garbed denizens. Gone was any form of uniquity among citizens, now pressed into more easily identifiable uniforms. Most people going about their business were already military or corporate Imperials. If they weren't, they were too busy keeping their heads down anyway. Routine security checks were becoming so frequent, that those getting scanned might as well have been stormtroopers too. But stars forbid they show any discontent for 'safety measures'. The only semblance of unity found on Coruscant came from a single voice. And even so, that voice was not one of guidance. It was more of a claw, hooking and dragging listeners to a seat as if they had a choice.

"Good morning, Coruscant." she was off again. Her voice spewing out from datapads, to speeder comms, and transit station radios. "Dia Veritaz wishing you a powerful day." Dia leaned across her desk at Starwave Station, her eyes hardly awake as she continued. "We've got clear skies and bright paths ahead."

Valki's beady eyes blinked in disbelief. The Selkath's lobes swished as he glanced outside and observed Coruscant's filthy skies. He turned back to his boss and watched as her smile only widened.

"So you need to ask yourself," Dia declared. "What can you do for your Empire right now? How much can you earn for our troops? How many can you educate about the lives we've built together? Every single step you take makes a difference for our emperor. We are the noble cogs in the valiant machine. And without any of us-" Dia sighed. "Well…the terrorists win. But they'll never come to our capital. Not with heroes like us. We are the Galactic Empire. We are Coruscant! And I LOVE THIS CITY!"

Dia's voice cracked as she ended her broadcast. Her smile instantly dropped as she drowned her face in what was left of her drink. "Kriffing idiots," she garbled. Valki finished dusting her desk and then brought a water pitcher to her empty vase. It seemed to be the only gesture that could snap her from her self loathing stupor. "V-Valki," Dia groaned. "What did I tell you about watering that damn thing? Let alone touching it?"

Valki clung to his pitcher as if it contained the last drops from his homeworld. "I just…thought I could try to-"

"To what?" Dia huffed and swiveled in her chair to meet him. "That soil brings death. I tried to plant seeds in it for years and they've just withered away. Don't even bother."

"Maybe this is the time," Valki considered. Dia rolled her eyes and hung her head. From the moment her eyes were buried in her palms, a sudden trickling sounded.

Dia's head snapped up to see Valki pouring water into the vase anyway. "You-" she growled and rose from her desk. The abrupt screech of doing so was enough to make Valki flinch. That gesture made Dia stagger, as she briefly saw her younger self threatening her old slave, Taline. Draining herself of all aggression, Dia hobbled over to her couch.

"Can't we just try?" Valki insisted while following her. "It will give me something to do."

"Have fun being disappointed," Dia groaned. Unwilling to just lay down and be spoken to in such a way, she had to fire back. "Can't we just try? Well can't you just do as you're told?"

"I meant no disrespect, miss. I just thought if something grew, maybe you wouldn't be so sad all the time."

"This is just how I always look," Dia jested. "There is no sad."

Valki's stare was perpetual as he plopped on the cushion adjacent to her. "But…there is," he said calmly as she glared over. "You're always sad after your broadcasts. You never smile when you're not talking into the communicator. I thought maybe it was the mess, but I organized all of your pamphlets and you're still sad afterward."

"Well aren't you a little forensic droid," Dia snarked. "Tell me more about me, why don't you?"

"You don't like seeing your friend, Sofi." Valki continued as Dia realized she walked right into his words. "So much so, that I don't even know if she's really your friend. Or if you have any outside of this tower." His comment had Dia audibly scoffing. "You cry at night. Sometimes for hours."

"Quiet," Dia demanded, this time staying assertive without raising her voice. She hugged a pillow and raised a finger to the Selkath. "You don't know a thing about me." Valki clutched at one of his cephalic lobes. He paused, thinking on how to proceed. She'd pushed him to silence, yet felt conflicted as she continued to speak. "You go about your business here and I'll do mine."

"Do you-" Valki dared to speak. "Even enjoy what you do? Perhaps something else would bring you peace. What did you do prior?"

His questions didn't even coax a response at first. Instead, they seemed to unlock wave upon wave of memories Dia had long since locked away. Her eyes stared directly at him, but her mind replayed a lifetime's worth of pain. "You have no idea," was all she could fathom whispering. Clearing her throat, she tried to find a better response for her hapless aide. "Your people," she concurred. "The Selkath. They've struggled to maintain pacifism for centuries. Breaking their ethics after years of suffering."

"No way of life is easy," Valki replied.

Dia pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're-...not getting it. Your people have fallen from the grace they held so dear. The ideas they thought they could uphold and save for generations to come. And no matter how many pleasantries they've told themselves in the name of survival, they've never gone back to what was. The damage is irreversible."

Valki could see the pain eating away at Dia's tired eyes. He leaned closer and reached for her hand. She flinched as a wounded animal would, and clutched her palm. "With respect, Miss." he answered. "Only by words. Not choice." Her gaze listed back to him as he continued. "My people have fallen short of their endeavors, yes. But every moment, from the individual to the collective…has always been a choice. You're right to say I have no idea of your story, but I do know that you still have a choice. You always did."

When Dia's lips parted, it was as if she'd finally let herself take a full breath. And yet before she could find the words to respond, her comlink chimed from the desk. Any softness in her eyes strained once more as she raced to answer it. Valki hung his head while she spoke, "Yeah?"

"Can you be ready in twenty?" Sofi Pru's voice was shrill and strident.

Dia knitted her brows and leaned into the comlink. "Um…sure. Why?"

"Can't two friends just go get brunch? Kriff, Dia. Not everything has to be an interrogation with you. I'll be around soon. We're hitting up a senator's club in the upper city so don't look trashy."

Sofi's voice had been loud enough for Valki to overhear, and he was already selecting outfits for her when the call ended. "Violet, crimson, or something else?" he asked while going through her dresses.

"Just hand me one," Dia groaned while rubbing her temples. "I don't care."

The Selkath planted his stocky feet and refused. "Miss, it's your choice. All of it is."

Dia paused, thinking on his words as she gazed into her wardrobe. "Seafoam," she finally answered.

It had truly been decades since seafoam fabric had touched Dia's body. So long in fact, that the very sight of it reminded her of being a senator. Running her fingers against her favorite color brought a sliver of comfort as Sofi continued her rant. The airspeeder ride already felt eternal thanks to skylane traffic, but it seemed like Sofi wasn't even breathing between sentences. And despite having so much to grumble about in her own life, she still found time to jab at Dia.

"I say this because I care," Sofi insisted. "But I'm genuinely surprised you didn't pick your usual red gown. Or…you know…anything else." Dia's grimace had Sofi shrugging. "What? You want me to lie and tell you it's gorgeous? Better to hear it from a friend than some stranger at the club."

"Friend…" Dia muttered.

Sofi's flowing, blonde tresses swished with her snapping head. Rather than address the breathy comment, she swayed it in her favor. "Speaking of friendship," she began. "I need a favor." Before Sofi could continue, she frustratedly tapped at the divider towards her driver. "Ellok," she scolded. "What the hell is the hold up?"

"Rush hour traffic, ma'am." Her driver was quick to answer. "All lanes are backed up."

"Take a detour then," she huffed. "Use the streets if you have to. We should've been there an hour ago."

As the airspeeder descended from the skylanes and Sofi bickered with her driver, Dia braced herself. She might've chosen a dress she'd like, but plenty of poor choices were still stacked against her. And as one of the ugliest sat beside her, Dia braced herself for the impending 'favor'.

Sofi regained her composure once the speeder was cruising again. "Now then, I'm temporarily wiring credits to your account. Just to hold for a few weeks until some new legislation gets eyes off of me."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Dia asked.

"Listen, you don't provide for people without taking. We've been racking up donations and increased tax profits from the undercity since my little 'speech tour'. But as far as the Senate knows, our campaign has been a dud. We play our cards right…you and I can get a mansion on Canto Bight for all we care."

It was as if the signal to Dia's brain had to buffer as she processed what Sofi was saying. "Wait…are you telling me that you're just…stealing all of the campaign profits?"

Sofi gawked at Dia's shocked expression. "First of all, we are. Secondly, don't act so surprised like we haven't been playing the system for years."

"But Sofi, this is too big. We're doing fine as is."

"Only we're not," she doubled down. "Everything we've clawed for disappears in a blink if we don't do this right. You want to go back to the streets? After everything?"

"There'd be investigations," Dia whispered sharply. "If you were discovered-"

"Would you stop?" Sofi slapped her thigh. "If we were discovered? Dia, open your eyes. No one gives a shit. Our Senate doesn't even matter anymore. We all know it, and yet we show up to work every day and play the game. And these…worms at the bottom, believe in us. So we play with them too. All you have to do is smile, look pretty, stand behind a podium and yell things they like to hear. Bonus points if you scare the hell out of them. Then they just throw money at you. Do you think for once any of these low-income half-wits look into where their taxes and donations end up? And opposite to that, the Empire will write off our campaign as a failure because we never mattered anyway." Much like Sofi's rant, the airspeeder came to an abrupt halt. "Ellok!" she growled. "Are you kidding me?"

"It's still rush hour on ground level, ma'am. I'm sorry," he lamented.

"Useless," Sofi whispered and returned her attention to Dia. "But just because they don't care doesn't mean we don't take precautions. You're out of the public eye apart from your voice, so less attention is on you. I'll be wiring the funds to you for safekeeping. When new legislation catches everyone's eye, we make the transfer. Then we live like queens in this fading galaxy. Sound good?"

"It sounds like I don't have much of a choice," Dia scoffed. While her response was impulsive, it prompted her to think on Valki's words.

"No, you don't." Sofi affirmed. As they inched forward in traffic, Sofi grew further impatient. "What the hell is this?" she griped.

"People are off to work, ma'am." Ellok answered. He twisted to look towards the backseat. "I've already called the Silver Comet and let them know we're running late."

Dia admired Ellok's patience with such an infuriating boss. They might've been in different positions, but still found themselves serving the same master. As Dia focused on Ellok's tired eyes, she barely noticed the rapidly approaching silhouette in the windshield. By the time it raised a gun, multiple lasers were piercing the glass.

Ellok only yelled from the first shot, taking whatever breath he had left. He was long dead by the time shot five had burned through his back and into the driver's seat. Glass spewed with each blast as Sofi screamed hysterically. Bystanders fled while the gunman's silhouette closed in on the vehicle. The shooter fired wildly, sending lasers darting through the speeder's windows and doors. Dia hurriedly unbuckled, all while Sofi was still screaming. As the shooter approached the backseat, Dia lunged for the front. She threw herself at the divider and shoved Ellok's corpse at the accelerator. The speeder ascended at a diagonal, clipping streetlights and scraping against other vehicles. The jolt didn't last as Ellok's body rolled away from the ignition.

Unbalanced, the airspeeder rolled downward and crashed into the nearest sidewalk. Sofi's screams were earsplitting as tears streaked against her makeup. Dia steadied her breaths and assessed her body for any broken limbs. With the airspeeder tilting her door towards the sidewalk, she quickly unbuckled Sofi.

"Don't touch me!" she screeched.

"Can you move?" Dia asked.

"What?"

"Can you move?" Dia asserted. Sofi rapidly nodded. "Then let's-" Blasterfire erupted as the shooter approached again. Dia and Sofi crawled out into the street and hid behind the downed vehicle. Lasers lit up their cover as the hooded shooter advanced. Age was catching up with her, but Dia still tried to come up with an exit plan. Without a weapon, all she could do was search for any blunt object to use as a last resort. As Dia clutched a small shard from the broken speeder, she braced herself for the shooter. Sofi dropped next to her, bunching herself into a ball and shivering.

Suddenly, several lasers rang out from across the street…and the sound of shifting plastoid filled the air. The district's stormtrooper patrol advanced, firing on the shooter until they were forced to flee into an alley. They stumbled while dodging shots, dropping their blaster pistol in process.

"You four," the stormtrooper commander led his troops. "After 'em! The rest of you, secure the perimeter!" The stormtroopers followed orders, locking down the area while others dashed down the alley. While some troopers checked on civilians, the commander approached Sofi and Dia. "Are you two alright?" he asked and offered a hand.

"Yes," Dia answered. "We-"

"I want that-" Sofi interrupted, angrily scrubbing the tears away and taking on a bold persona. "I want that kriffing trash found! How dare someone think they can attack an Imperial senator? Do you understand me, commander? Get your best people on it! You don't sleep. You don't eat. You find that animal and you put it down." Sofi stormed off, regaining her composure without once checking on Dia or grieving for Ellok.

Coruscant's ongoing, smoggy veil made morning and midday indistinguishable. This grotesque stagnation had Tiana Roze drumming her stylus in class, wishing she could speed time along. There were days where she couldn't get enough of Professor Voit's lectures. She could motivate herself to say each repetition would just solidify her for the future. But today, every word was just a redundant blur. She knew such sections like the back of her hand, and the question of "What else can I learn?" had quickly become replaced with "Why this again?"

The clacking of the stylus against her datapad irked her fellow students, but a new sound took precedence before jeers could fire off. Heavy stomps echoed from down the hall as a silhouette loomed in the doorway. The metallic slider hissed open, bringing Voit's lesson to a halt. Byra had returned, her pale uniform emerging like a phantom from the shadows.

"Agent?" Voit cleared her throat. "To what do we owe a visit from the ISB?"

"I'm here for your top three," Byra was quick to answer. Her stern gaze drifted across the desks, finding Tiana among the others. "After I filed reports from your little 'incentive' outing, Major Partagaz found the concept of introducing prospective ISB candidates to fieldwork promising. I have a new case for them." Without further explanation, Byra stepped towards the door. Her patience wore thin as she exaggerated a wave in her direction. "Today please."

Voit snapped herself into the moment. "But of course. Ledrau…Ganam, and Tiana. Report to Agent Byra for your new field assignment."

Tiana couldn't decide if she wanted to feel anxious or elated. While she and her classmates rose to follow Byra, they could hear the jealous whispers of classmates behind them.

Ganam leaned in as they exited the classroom. "Did she say 'prospective candidates'?" he whispered.

Tiana let his comment sink in and did her best to mask her rising anticipation. Her mind raced as she imagined being closer to the ISB Central Office than she'd ever been. In the name of her father's service and mother's wishes, she was actually making a difference. This is it, Tiana thought and straightened her posture. I'm almost there.

Once outside of the academy, cadets were flanked by stormtroopers and loaded into a gunship. As the hatches sealed and darkness claimed the hold, Byra dropped a holoprojector into the center. She cared as little for the turbulence as she did for the cadets' lack of field experience. She treated them like the agents they'd become and began the briefing. Tiana observed flickering projections of a sealed off street. A firearm hovered with several readouts flickering beside. A crashed speeder filled with blaster holes was most alluring as Byra's voice carried over it.

"Troyven District in the Upper City," the agent explained. A pair of images hovered beside the crime scene, each showing an elegantly dressed woman. Although the blonde looked far more vibrant than her brunette counterpart. "Senator Sofi Pru, head of the Council of Finances. And Dia Veritaz, Communications Council representative."

"The Dia Veritaz?" Ledrau sputtered. "As in the voice of Starwave?"

His interruption went ignored as Byra continued. "According to reports filed from first responders, the women were on their way to a business meeting. They got stuck in traffic when an assassin rushed their speeder, gunned down the driver, and went for the VIPs next. Lucky for them, troops on patrol intervened in time. Unlucky for us, the suspect fled the scene." Byra glared over the projections, letting her blood red bangs dangle. "But make no mistake, cadets. I've been tracking scum since my officer days in the undercity. There's always a slip-up, and everyone gets caught eventually." Wishing to test the young minds, she hovered a gloved hand over the holoprojections. "What do you see?"

"The speeder tried to get away," Ledrau deduced. "Leading to its crash."

"Congratulations, cadet." Agent Byra snarked. "I'll see to it that you're commended for using the power of two working eyes." Ledrau sunk back, feeling the weight of her death glare. "When I ask what you see, it is an invitation to think beyond the obvious."

Learning from his classmate's failure, Ganam gestured to the scorch marks lining the airspeeder. "These shots," he pointed out. "They're so sporadic and random. A trained assassin would've been more precise. Maybe shot out the engine to prevent escape in the first place."

"Not bad." Byra hummed in deep thought as her gaze fell to Tiana. "And you?"

Tiana took her time, looking over the projections and thinking over what her classmates had added. "The shooter is inexperienced," she said. "If your target is in traffic, there's no chance of escape and you have the element of surprise. Why even bother taking out the driver?" Tiana balanced herself mid-flight and moved towards the speeder's projected side. "You would move to the backseat and take out your targets first. They wouldn't have time to react. Even the shots used on the driver were overkill. In addition…the suspect fled immediately after engaging stormtroopers, and dropped the weapon. Which is likely covered in fingerprints. Sloppy."

"Good," Byra answered swiftly. "Final deduction on the suspect."

In those moments, Tiana cared little for the opinions of her peers. She focused on her skills, and the fact that she could make a difference to protect her city. It was time to think like an ISB agent. With a deep breath, Tiana delivered her conclusion. "The suspect acted alone, which explains the uncoordinated and reckless attack. The pistol used is a DL-18, commonly favorited by pirates, smugglers, and petty thieves. As one of the most easily obtained firearms, the shooter is likely a civilian, who got more than they bargained for when they tried to kill an Imperial senator."

The ensuing pause was dreadful, as Tiana was left to twiddle her thumbs amid the gunship's whirring engines. Byra smirked as she powered down the projections. If the cadets looked hard enough, they could still see the agent's piercing stare persisting through the shadows. "Young lady," she lauded. "You keep that head on your shoulders and there might be a promising career for you yet."

"Thank you, ma'am," she quickly answered. "It's an honor to-"

"Hey," Byra snapped. "I said might." A new projection emerged, proving Tiana's deduction to be true. Chaincode sequences produced headshots of an older man. His tired, silver eyes were the only uniquity to his scruffy face. "Melgost Polara. Cargo driver for Nev's Trading Company. Forensic droids trace the fingerprints on the DL-18 to him."

Tiana fought to conceal her triumphant grin as she'd passed Byra's test. Joy subsided to stillness as the gunship slowed. As the hatches opened, those onboard found themselves in Coruscant's darkened lower city. A decrepit edifice cast a shadow over the drop point as several stormtroopers disembarked from an adjacent gunship.

"Mr. Polara lives on the seventh floor of this apartment complex," Byra said. "Let's pay him a visit." She sprung from the gunship and dashed for the building. "Cadets, on me!"

"Our first arrest," Ganam said and nudged Tiana. "Try not to upstage us, yeah?"

Tiana ignored his tease and picked up the pace. The cadets sped to keep up with Byra while the troopers held position. Rushing into the building, Byra cared little for any bystanders. She didn't announce the ISB's presence, and shoved apartment dwellers out of her way while ascending the stairs. An elderly Bith's ailing garbles had Tiana wincing as they passed him on the way. She wanted to help the civilian back up, but that would mean being unable to stay with Byra.

With the cadets nearly worn out by the seventh floor, the agent only slowed her pace upon reaching the suspect's room. She beckoned the youths to halt behind her, and made her way to the door. She heard muffled arguing in the room, unclipped her pistol, and kicked the door down. A woman's scream filled the air as Melgost could be seen alongside his spouse. Her blue eyes widened as he hurriedly stepped in front of her. "Please," he begged as she clung to her shoulders. "Please don't-"

"Shut up!" Byra snapped, pistol-whipping Melgost to the ground. The strike made Tiana bite back a gasp while her classmates seemed unfazed.

"No!" his wife cried out, only to have Byra aim at her face.

"Quiet!" the agent barked. "Hands up! Against the wall now." The woman threw up her quivering hands and hurriedly obliged.

"Please," Melgost whimpered while clutching his head. Tiana's heart sank as blood trickled between his fingers. "They had nothing to do with this. It was me. All me."

"They?" That single word was the only part of his plea to snake its way to Byra. Pressing a boot to his chest, she kept him pinned. "Who else is here? Who are you harboring?"

"Daddy?" a voice cracked from the living room. A pair of timid hands clutched the door frame as a little girl peeked into view.

"Nira," Melgost choked while his wife tried to make a run for her. Her attempt caused Byra to shove her back against the wall.

"Mommy!" The sight of her parents being struck drove Nira to tears.

Tiana felt a rising sickness in her stomach. Her breath hitched as she croaked a "What are we doing?" moreso for herself. Her brows furrowed in disbelief, as what she believed would be an apprehension transformed into a nightmare.

"Cadets," Byra asserted. "Make sure our suspects don't make any other sudden movements."

It was as if Tiana's legs had locked into place. She was ready to wake up from her horrid dream, but Ledrau was actually securing a child. Ganam only had to step near the wife for her to shudder against the wall. All eyes were on Byra, who was far too focused on her target to berate Tiana's inaction.

"Why'd you do it?" she hissed. "Target Senator Pru?"

Melgost's frighteningly looked to his family, but soon refocused on Byra. He knew that their survival hinged on his compliance. "She's the reason I'm going to lose my job," he answered calmly. Not just me…everyone at Nev's. They announced that they're switching to droid drivers under her 'cost effective' initiative. And there isn't enough funding to relocate us. The majority of credit flow has moved towards undercity safety commissions."

"Safety commissions you so carelessly violated," Byra cut him off, digging her boot into his chest until he winced. "Scum like you just never gets it. Where do you get off taking aim at those keeping you alive? Keeping you safe? So you lost your kriffing job? Get another one. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. Desperate to kill but not desperate to work, eh?"

"Daddy?" Nira wept from Ledrau's grip.

"It's going to be alright, baby-" was all Melgost could say as Byra pinned him further.

"Keep a firm grip on those two, cadets." Byra growled and holstered her pistol. Tiana's eyes widened as the agent cracked her gloved knuckles. "If he wants to put his family at risk…he can be an example for them."

"Wait," Melgost begged through a deepening frown. He raised his shaking palms as the ISB agent's shadow loomed over him. "Wait! Not in front of my-"

It didn't take long for the screams to start. More so from little Nira as Ledrau held her back. Ganam appeared shaken, but duty overrode any emotion as he shoved the wife. Amid the cacophony of cries and layered punches, Tiana had lost track of time. Age and experience had only made Byra more formidable. Her gloves were dampened from each strike as Melgost became a blur of bruises. Scarlet splatters turned Byra's pale uniform into a brutal canvas. And in those moments, Tiana saw something beyond her training.

She saw her father again, only he didn't appear in any semblance of Imperial garb. He didn't manifest as some hurrah for Byra's actions. Instead, she saw her father in Melgost…and herself in Nira. He'd acted for his family, and whether wrong or not…deserved to be detained. But what Tiana was witnessing was past abuse of power. It seemed so normal, that she felt insane for feeling disturbed.

Nothing made sense. As if years of academic pursuits were being challenged by an insurmountable pressure within. Not a decision, but an instinct…a feeling. Her heart pulsed as sweat fled her temples. Tiana's eyes burned from holding back impulsive tears while her breaths grew shorter. And before she realized it, words were fleeing her lips.

"Sss-," she hissed into a gasp as the relentless beating continued. "Stop." Not a soul in that room heard her amid the strikes and shouts. Tiana felt as though her heart would burst from her chest as she curled her hands into fists. "Stop it," she spoke exasperatedly.

No matter how tightly Tiana clenched her fists, the feeling persisted. The urge to launch forward. To clear her throat and speak up. To fight for something she had yet to comprehend.

"And what would you wish for?"

There was her father again, echoing to her long after he'd passed. Yet after all those years, she still held her answer close.

"To help keep people safe. Just like you, Daddy."

Tiana gave in to the feeling, and it welcomed her like a lost star. It embraced her and she took a heavy step. As her boot struck the tiles, she released her fists and threw her open palms forward. "Stop!" she yelled as something burst from within.

It was like a mighty gust had bubbled up in her hands and propelled with her shout. This surge of unknown energy was strong enough to snap a zipper from her uniform, rattle cabinets, topple furniture…and launch Byra out the window.

Everything had happened so quickly. Agent Byra was on her feet one moment and smashing through glass in the next. The rush of wind claimed her as she succumbed to gravity's mercy. Windows sped through her blurring peripherals as she spiraled towards the street. A sudden crunch sounded below as an ISB badge clanged across the duracrete. The badge bounced twice before swiveling back around. It landed flat, and was soon coated in a growing puddle of blood.

Stormtroopers rushed to the mangled corpse and raised their heads to trace her fall. Their eyes were on the apartment's shattered, upper window. Within its confines, all had gone silent. Ganam, Ledrau, and the captive civilians were too stunned to speak as Tiana stayed in the center. The city's breeze reached her face as she looked down at her trembling hands.

What have I done? Tiana asked herself. What did I do?

Behind the Screens: Frozen Force Trivia

-The chapter title "Awakenings" is a reference to "The Force Awakens." This is meant to express a new character tapping into the Force.

-When the Force emerges in Tiana, it is described as a feeling versus a decision. This is a reference to Jannah and Finn's conversation in "The Rise of Skywalker." Like Tiana, both of these characters were called by the Force to resist a criminal act against civilians.

-Byra made her first appearance in Frozen Force Season 1 - Chapter: 2 "The Bug". She started as an underworld police officer, whose ruthless tactics would ultimately earn her a spot as an ISB agent.

-Season 5 is the first time we see Byra unmasked and learn that she is a redhead.

-Dia and Sofi almost getting shot in traffic is an ironic callback to Dia's successful /attempted assassination of Tobin Ranassa and Mon Mothma in Season 4. No matter what these women have done to be successful, their sins come back to haunt them.

-Melgost works for "Nev's Trading Company." This business first appeared in Season 2 - Chapter: 36. When Kristoff and Sven come to Coruscant as refugees, they are given jobs at Nev's. Years later in the Age of the Empire, nothing has changed and the business is still prioritizing profits over employees.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this week's chapter of "The Frozen Force." I'll see you next time for Chapter: 141 (Awakenings Part II).

Long Live Imagination and May the Force be with You,

~ Sparks