Abducted (Rebels, Ridwan, Lianna)

[Adia Issoris]

Adia’s head thumped vaguely. Someone had not been gentle when she had been carried to wherever she was. It was dark, even for her vision. She could make out well enough to see that it was an empty room with just a head. An infared light illuminated the room, barely in the spectrum that she could see. It helped, but not much. They had taken most of her clothing, a wise choice, and were no doubt sifting her identification against stolen access points they had, no doubt against the Star Destroyer computer they picked up after Endor. That had taken Navy Command by surprise. She ran her fingers against the wall. It was some kind of concrete, mostly new, and they had not given her anything besides the head to use against it. Adia discovered the toilet was plastic, and would not stand up against anything else in the room. The door had no inside handle. Adia wedged her feet and hands into a corner and shimmied up. Metal coated the ceiling, except for the pinholes that no doubt hid cameras. Adia stared at one and frowned before she dropped back to the floor. She crouched low, and made a run at the door. It banged loudly, but did not dent or yield. The kidnappers had not overlooked much. Adia sat, pulled her knees to her chest, and waited.

[Byl Laprovik]

The lighting suddenly intensified massively, to a near blinding luminosity. Watching from an adjacent interrogator's unit, I spoke through an integrated commlink connected to Adia's cell.

"Put your hands and feet against the far wall and spread them wide."

Reaching to another console, I lowered the ambient temperature in her cell by about 20 degrees

[Adia Issoris]

Adia winced as the regular-spectrum lighting flared, leaving speckles and spots in her vision. She blinked, trying to undo the affects of the burst. The voice told her to put her hands and feet against the wall, and she obeyed. Adia stood with her feet shoulder width and a half apart, and her hands well away from her body.

The temperature began to fall in the cell rapidly. Goosebumps formed on her pale skin. Adia wished for her clothing back. She hissed between her teeth. After five minutes it had gone from comfortable to nearly freezing. Her teeth chattered.

“Frelling Rebellion.” She said in her proper Coruscanti accent. The former Imperial agent rested her head against the cold wall.

[Byl Laprovik]

The cell door slid away, and I stepped inside. Already, it was cold enough to see my breath. Good. I tapped a wrist control, and the air between Adia and myself distorted, a minute tell-tale that a repulsion field had activated.

"That's enough of that. Turn around."

Another tap on the wrist, and the door shut behind me.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia turned slowly. She could recognize his face, even with the drug-addled memory. She grabbed her biceps with her hands and flexed, some of the heat warming her hands. Adia exhaled, and she could see it. She reflexively rubbed her arms.

"Wha..." She forced her teeth to stop chattering "What do you want to know?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"Whatever you can tell me in the next two minutes to convince me to spare your life."

[Adia Issoris]

Theoretically, this should be easy. Adia could list a table length document of interesting things. “There is a back door in almost every single Imperial computer system in existence that I have access to.”

[Byl Laprovik]

"We've captured and interrogated Imperial ciphers before. This isn't new."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia's jaw clamped shut. What could she tell him without getting herself killed?

"If you tell me what you would like to know, I can likely tell you exactly that." Byl did not respond. Adia's body tightened visibly. At this point, she no longer cared about telegraphing her emotions. It was a new freedom.

"I can list several Imperial Intelligence agents who have infiltrated your ranks. I can also tell you that you did not abduct Miranda Tarkin, you abducted her twin sister, Navaria."

[Byl Laprovik]

The object was, of course, not to tell her a preference of any sort. The more she had to guess, the more she had to voluntarily divulge. She had no idea what she could say that would be effective and prove she was an asset, so she had to assume the most.

I paused at the mention of Tarkin.

"Miranda Tarkin has no siblings."

Pulling a pistol from a concealable holster, I let it rest at my side as I continued.

"Ninety seconds."

[Adia Issoris]

"DNA test her, but her fingerprints will be wrong." Adia retorted. She didn't care about the pistol.

"The Director of Intelligence likes his tea just off a boil and has taste bud damage. He's a mid-grade Commander in COMPNOR who seemingly is somewhat bumbling, but manages to do his job somehow, which is writing propaganda. He likes his women slightly heavier, and his men small."

[Byl Laprovik]

I filed the information about Tarkin in the back of my mind. There wasn't any need to address it, since I could verify that without her. Now, she was just rambling. I decided to give her a push in a direction.

"Locations of Imperial rendition safehouses."

[Adia Issoris]

She closed her eyes. Adia began to ramble off an impressive list of planets, with full details as to the precise location of each. It sounded more like a chant that a list.

"Those are the primary ones. There are fall backs."

[Byl Laprovik]

Half I knew of. Another third were suspected. She provided unsubstantiated leads, and I mentally filed them away.

I gave her a thin smile, and reholstered my sidearm.

"You've earned a day."

I paused to regard her form. She was an attractive woman, even in her unflattering position. She shivered, and wrapped herself up in her arms, as goose pimples formed on her skin. She'd be good for a lay, had I not threatened to kill her and such.

I reduced the illumination to a comfortable level, and reset the temperature.

[Ridwan Vars]

"Mmmm..."

A grogginess crept in at lightspeed as the ache of arrival grasped Ridwan's body whole. Most of the pain played with his head and neck region, but not enough that he couldn't ignore for a few seconds. Anytime someone wakes to new surroundings it is best to observe before complain. Soon enough the time for prates would come, but from Ridwan's scrutiny it would fall upon no ears.

No one was around.

"Hmmm..."

Another glance about and shiver reminded the young man of a few other absences. From his clothes to his nearly forgotten Padawan braid he had lost a lot in a few days only to gain trouble. The exchange wasn't exactly what he expected when he came to end of his search for a fellow Jedi. A simple mathematical problems in his head concluded that none of it added up. Scuffed up from a good beating, poison and absolute nakedness left the youth more than a bit uneasy.

At any time some girl could come dancing her way in the cold, blank, dark chamber and he would be more than a little exposed. Abduction never seemed as negative a word to Ridwan until the very moment he realized the embarrassment and shame he brought upon his father. The memory of all the tutelage had led him to crude nothingness, and a spit to the side.

Somehow he had to get the taste of a horrible meal out of his mouth.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna's skin shivered violently as a prelude to her arousal. She sighed softly, groggy from the drug that forced her complacency and peeled her eyes opened. The Jedi was not surprised to find herself in a holding cell and clothed in a grey jumpsuit.

She rose to her feet and stretched, trying to work out the soreness from her body after being taken to ... Well, that was the question, wasn't it? Miranda had probably made plenty of personal enemies along the way, but considering the state of the galaxy, only the Rebellion would be so bold as to kidnap her sister. That raised another question. Why, and why now? Something big must have rattled the Rebels nerves. Of course there was a distinct possibility that she was wrong in her assessment of her kidnappers, but that seemed very unlikely. The Force was at play here. Lianna would just have to wait it out and see what unfolds in due time.

A quick inspection of her surroundings offered little to confirm her captors. A small sink, toilet and cot provided for her basic needs, and the durasteel door blocked her view to the outside world. It wasn't visible, but Lianna was quite certain a hidden camera was inside this cell.

There was no need to cause a ruckus. Her captors would reveal themselves on their own terms and once she was able to confirm their identity, she would handle them accordingly. Until then, she folded her legs underneath her body on the floor and went into meditation to reconnect herself with the Force and to purify her mind and body, making sure that the ill effects of the toxins used against her were dissolved.

[Adia Issoris]

Hours had passed. Adia had put herself back in one of the corners. She was hungry. She rested her head against the cell wall, her green eyes stared unfocused at the grain of the concrete. She gave up on meditation and other Force tricks, her demons would push themselves to the fore, and she was not strong enough to deal with them now. After toying with her captor a little by feeding him vague information, she finally got him to admit what he wanted. At this stage, she did not care what happened when the Rebels hit those safe houses.

“Can I please have a meal?” She asked whoever was watching her. She had once gone days without food. Now she was going probably less than 24 hours and it consumed her.

She bit her lower lip. No matter what distractions she fed her mind, the fact was Adia’s body was running out of fuel, and it rode on her hard. She paced minutes at a time before she sat again. Up and down. After an hour, she fell asleep.

[Byl Laprovik]

Bright light and cold once again. This time, it was Miranda Tarkin's turn.

"Hands and feet against the far wall. Spread wide." I spoke over the comm in her cell.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

The sharp sting of the bright light did not break Lianna from her meditative trance. The slow decline in temperature was tolerable but it could not be ignored indefinitely.

Her eyes opened slowly, giving them time to adjust to the harsh change in atmosphere. She recognized the voice over the comm. It belonged to the same man at the restaurant that jumped her and Adia in the women's refresher.

"As you wish." Her tone was not condescending as Lianna rose to her feet and complied with the order, rubbing at her arms to produce some warmth before placing them against the cold wall.

[Byl Laprovik]

Miranda's door parted, and I once again activated the repulsion field, before closing the door behind me.

"Turn around."

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

As she turned around, Lianna's hands came to rest comfortably at her waist as she regarded her kidnapper with curiosity. "Have I presumed correctly that you are Rebellion?"

Her mind shifted momentarily to Adia and Ridwan. She hoped no harm had come to them and wanted to ask this man how they were faring. Unfortunately, he held all the sabacc cards and would do little to answer her questions at this precise moment. She still needed confirmation that he was Alliance, then the Jedi would feel comfortable in explaining who she really was ...

[Byl Laprovik]

"You presume correctly."

I massaged at my temple with an extended finger, pacing about my side of Tarkin's cell. The things I wanted to do to this one. An evening with a stim lighter, a knife, a cheap bottle of Gin, and a synthetic rope. I didn't buy the ruse that Adia had tried to feed me about mistaken identity. It was insulting for her to even try it.

Tarkin had a famous face. Too famous to kill, at least for now. I could slit Adia's throat and disappear the boy. This one would have to linger.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Only her eyes followed the Agent's pacing form as he decided what to do with her, but at least he was Rebellion. The Jedi could sense that he was telling the truth. He had nothing to hide, except the purpose of Miranda's kidnapping. At least now, Lianna could be truthful to who she was for the first time since ... Ever really. Adia only realized who she was because of her own sloppiness on Dantooine. But of course, what was perceived as carelessness was actually fate.

"Good. Then I have to inform you, as unlikely as you are to believe me, that I am not Miranda. I am her twin sister Navaria Tarkin." Lianna stopped there, not sure where to go after that. He wasn't going to believe her, but his eyes told her that this wasn't the first time he had heard this before. That meant Adia and/or Ridwan were possibly all right. "It's ... a long story, but it is true Officer."

[Byl Laprovik]

I stopped pacing, and faced her fully.

"I figured you'd say something like that."

I approached the point at which the repulsion field denoted midway in the room, and looked at Tarkin.

"I'm looking for Miranda Tarkin. I count two options. Either you are who I'm looking for, and are useful to me, or you are not who I claim you are, and you are not useful to me. I have you dead to rights with a known Imperial agent. If you're not who I am after, I recommend you find a way to be useful, because that association is enough for me to kill you here and now."

I stepped away from the field, leaning against the wall.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

The Jedi had no doubt in her mind that he would kill her if she wasn't useful to his cause. Unfortunately for him, Lianna also realized that there was no way that the Alliance would allow Miranda's death. She was far too high profile and worth a lot more alive then dead. He was just trying to scare her.

"Former Imperial Agent," she countered, unfazed by his threats, "But I am getting ahead of myself so I will start at the beginning."

She released her left hand and raised it palm facing upwards. "My birth name may be Navaria Tarkin, but ever since I can remember, my name has been Lianna Mal Pannis."

While she spoke, a forgotten stylus began to rise from the front pocket of the Agent's shirt. "I was raised by a Trianii named Drin Kizael, a Jedi Knight who escaped the Purge. In turn, I was taught the ways of the Force because I am Force Sensitive."

The stylus rolled into the Agent's vision and stopped in mid-air. "The Tarkins knew this at birth and feared for the lives of me and my sister. They opted to separate us and I was the one chosen to be smuggled off world. It was only on the day that you kidnapped me that I found out the truth of my heritage."

She sighed. "And I apologize for the theatrics, but I sincerely doubt you would have believed me otherwise."

[Byl Laprovik]

Actions spoke louder than words for Byl. He crossed his arms after her feat of talent.

"You have my attention. Start at the beginning. How did you cross paths with Adia?"

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Now things were getting somewhere and Lianna felt some of the tension between her and the Rebel Agent dissipate. "I was on Dantooine in search of another Jedi like myself. I had heard rumors, which actually turned out to be true. Unfortunately, we had to split up and it was when I was boarding my shuttle an accident happened at the Spaceport between a speeder and a transport. I saved who I could before local officials arrived. However, I was caught on camera but not well enough to make out my features. Adia was sent to investigate and tracked me to Bakura. Her intent was to kill me, more so even when she saw who I looked like. We fought, but not for long because I sensed confliction inside of her that was boiling since the Emperor's death. Finding me reinforced those doubts and at that point she was no longer Imperial and promised to help me learn the truth to who I was."

The Jedi stopped there as her concern for her friend could no longer be abated. Lianna felt a flicker of trust had been earned and hoped that the Agent could provide with an ease of mind. "How is Adia? And what about the boy? Are they unharmed?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"Both are alive for now. I know nothing of the boy, but I'll need convincing to spare Adia's life."

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna thanked the Force that her friends were all right. Now it was up to her to make sure Adia remained that way. "Adia defected on Bakura. She was merely using her connections to get me onto Coruscant to visit my mother under false pretenses. I give you my word as a Jedi Knight that her allegiance is no longer to the Empire. I trust her implicitly."

[Byl Laprovik]

"And then there's you. All I know is of your force sensitivity. For all I know, it could be one of many of Miranda Tarkin's talents."

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"Actually, it is one of her talents," she answered honestly. "She just doesn't know it yet."

[Byl Laprovik]

I grimaced thinly.

"You understand the very high burden you have to surmount in order for me to believe you; to spare Adia. With the exception of force sensitivity, I've got little else to go on.

You've stayed my hand, but I need more. I can't release any of you until I have it."

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna nodded, "I understand. My story is difficult to believe, if down right impossible."

There were few options for the Jedi to do. The only other person that could confirm her story was her mother, and that was certainly not going to happen. Ridwan could collaborate it as well, but he was just another Imperial as far as the Alliance was concerned. He was just as errand boy in their eyes, unlike Adia.

"And my hands are tied as well. I have very little to my name except ..." Her brow raised as a thought occurred to her. "Did you commandeer Adia's ship?"

The Agent nodded.

"Inside you will find my personal belongings, a brown satchel that has my identicard inside with the name I have given you. Also, if you pull the shielding underneath the pilot's console, you will find my lightsaber hidden as a power coil. I also will submit myself to any testing you require to confirm my identity."

[Byl Laprovik]

"I'll look into that."

I replied to her with a nod. She seemed very genuine and forthcoming, but I had to play the skeptic with everything she volunteered.

"If you aren't Miranda, perhaps the best thing for the both of us is to wait and see when she shows up on the next Holofeed."

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

That could take days but the Agent was right. Miranda may have many talents but being in two places at once were not one of them. She nodded. "Agreed. I do know she's not on Coruscant. She should turn up eventually as you said."

[Byl Laprovik]

I smiled thinly.

"Eventually."

I paused while making my exit, looking back at her.

"I'll see about getting you fed in the meantime."

The door closed as I exited the cell. The whole series of cells were modular units, laid end to end in a freighter storage compartment, wedged somewhere in a Coruscant industrial district. It looked as neglected with rust and graffiti as any of the hundreds laying around it.

I took a short trip around the block in my speeder, to case the area as I made a call. Flipping my comm, I activated an encryption sequence. Once the link was established, I gave my clearance.

"Four seven echo echo six. Mission not completed, Assistant Director."

[Grace Van-Derveld]

Somewhere in the Ansion System aboard the Nebulon-B frigate, Socius

Assistant Director Grace Van-Derveld did not like hearing this news. Byl was one of their top agents who was well known for completing the impossible and kidnapping Miranda Tarkin was exactly that. His failure exhibited a sigh from her lungs before answering the call.

"Copy that four seven echo echo six. Current status?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"Holding. Three contacts."

I'd parked my speeder at a nearby market, looking to grab a few items to keep my prisoners fed.

"I need a dossier search on two names. Issoris, Adia. Tarkin, Navaria."

[Grace Van-Derveld]

Grace and the comm tech both stared at one another, dumbfounded by what they heard.

"He's gone mad on spice, I swear." The Sullustan bobbed his head in agreement. He had been thinking the same thing and re-opened the channel. "Easier said then done. Why am I looking for a Tarkin that doesn't exist?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"Because I believe she does."

I browsed through an open-air bin full of namana fruit and other natural sweets, picking three that looked of a decent size and without blemish.

"Stand by for upload."

I tabbed a send file feature on my comm, delivering a holographic feed of the entire interrogation to Van Derveld.

"I have no biometrics on Miranda to measure her against, so I'm keeping her off the radar until something is known."

[Grace Van-Derveld]

The upload was complete and Grace had the Sullustan play it immediately. "Stand by, Weatherman."

She hunched over the console, watching the entire interview with silent focus. The person that Byl had captured looked exactly like Miranda Tarkin. Too good in fact to be a double which is what she had originally thought her Agent had taken in.

Even before the floating pen trick, there was something off about this woman. Her demeanor was completely askew. During the pre-conference, Rebel analysts were 99% certain that the most trouble they would have gotten out of her was a wicked tongue full of threats. There wasn't even a hint of it here and then there was the Force Sensitivity. Whoever this person was, they certainly did act like a Jedi. It was rather eerie actually. The woman claiming to be Navaria Tarkin held the same self-assured confidence that Miranda had, except there was no sign of threat or deception. Nothing in the inflection of her voice suggested it.

"Get him back on and get our slicers on that information he needs. I don't care what they have to do to get it. We need to know who that woman is."

One stubby hand relayed the Assistant Director's orders as the other got Byl back online. "We're working on that information. It's probably going to take awhile for the profile on Navaria, if we even can find anything. As for Issoris ..."

The left side of her lip curled into an impressive smile. "You out did yourself in capturing her. Stand by for transmission."

[Byl Laprovik]

I finished up my purchases. Nothing flashy, just enough to get all three fed.

"Copy that Girlscout."

The Issoris dossier flooded onto my comm screen, and I browsed what we had. Obvious connections with influential Imperials went back for years. More than a few of her within Emperor Palpatine's personal entourage, not to mention high Moffs, Admirals, and others in the Imperial braintrust. More than any generic Imperial agent. Issoris could possibly be a spymaster, or a Hand. Either way, more than just an incidental bodyguard. Navaria's insistence on her intentions meant next to nothing now. I couldn't kill Adia, she was possibly the most valuable catch of the day.

I made my way back to the safehouse, and parked in an alley. Re-entering the container, I made a pass of the area to make sure I wasn't compromised.

"Girlscout, arrange for a mailman. Advise for shipment."

[Grace Van-Derveld]

"I'll arrange for the Postmaster to sign for the shipment." Adia was a fine catch of the day. Eventhough she was not the intended target, she could provide much needed information on the Imperial cleansing program as well as a multitude of other viable resources.

"We'll be in contact regarding Tar- ... Navaria either way. Girlscout out."

[Byl Laprovik]

I approached cell one, and tapped on the comm.

"Adia, you know the drill. Against the wall."

[Adia Issoris]

She woke slowly, and her stomach immediately growled. She had not made out his words, but could guess. She complied, her feet and hands well away from her body.

[Byl Laprovik]

I entered the cell again, this time without the harsh lighting and temperature shock. I set her food down four paces in front of me, and stepped back, initializing the repulsion field again.

"Sit. Eat."

[Adia Issoris]

She sniffed the food for a moment. Even if there was something in it, Adia decided she did not care, and devoured the food with a hungry animal's aggression. Despite her speed, she had been startlingly neat, except for a little bit on the left corner of her mouth, which she licked off.

The former Hand sighed and leaned back against the cell wall.

"I hope you didn't put anything in it, I don't react well to most of that sort of thing." She regarded him again, sizing him up as if for the first time. Then Adia burped and covered her mouth. She blushed and smiled.

"Have you figured out who I used to be?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"I have ideas. You're professional enough so that I can't rely on them alone."

I didn't play my hand. If she chose to be more forthcoming than I asked, that was sauce for the goose. I diverted instead.

"I did take you up on your tip, regarding Miss Tarkin."

I allowed a slight nod, running a finger along one of the half dozen scarred ridges on my face.

"As improbable as it sounds, you're right. She's not who I am looking for."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia nodded, and smiled a little.

"I am through with the Empire and I will tell you whatever you would like to know." Adia said and straightened.

"So let me be forthcoming: I was the Emperor's Hand. One of them, anyway. Judging from the look in your eyes, you suspected that, or something similar."

She rose to her feet.

"Now please, Mr. Laprovik, let us be straightforward." He did not blink, which was an equally impressive feat.

[Byl Laprovik]

So she was a Hand, or at least by admission. It certainly matched my dossier. That said, it also made it incredibly hard to trust her. A Hand was indoctrinated from a young age, and chosen with extreme discrimination. Allegiances didn't change with the wind. If she was genuine, she'd need to move mountains to convince me.

"You gave me one corroborating piece of information. I'm not sloppy enough to cut you loose on that alone. That said, I've made my organization aware of you. I can arrange safe transit and protection within a day if you're serious"

[Adia Issoris]

"Thank you, and I do understand. I'm sure there are enough blurry pictures of me next to the Emperor and other ranking officials that convincing you will be a task. But yes, I am serious."

[Byl Laprovik]

"Good. I'll make things happen for you and arrange contact."

[Ridwan Vars]

Many know the feeling. The horrid taste of morning breath cracked through Ridwan's defenses as he let out a tired yawn. Darkness collapsed on the room, managing only the dimly lit shine from under the door to give Ridwan evidence that he even existed. The emptiness nearly sent the young man's mind into insanity.

Every glance captured an abscence of contrast.

Dark blank, after dark blank.

A void built itself into the boy's mind. Hope dwindled away as the gross smell of his impure body scratched at every one of his senses. Sight seemed to engulf in the anguish that darkness encouraged, meanwhile his ears stood without. Completely exposed in the chambers he stared off.

Hopeless.

The Force seemed to have left him, or he it. The latter screeched through his virtual privy, maximize to engross his being in guilt and pity. Ridwan the Jedi had lost, and the pathetic replacement was in full effect. Crumpled together in a corner he lifted his knees to his chest and awaited the silence to end.

It would eventually end without his calling. Some way the turmoil of nothingness would find him too boring to torture any longer.

[Adia Issoris]

Her welfare was not the only thing on the table.
"How is Navaria and Ridwan? Both are Jedi, and a little naive, Ridwan especially. He is..." Adia paused, thinking how to put it accurately. "...sheltered."

[Byl Laprovik]

"You were right in your assessment on Navaria. That said, I couldn't risk a force adept with blood ties to Miranda staying alive. That's too much of a risk."

I spoke plainly with a stony expression. She wouldn't like what I had to say.

"As for the boy, his case is still being evaluated."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia's face hardened and her body tightened. If it was true, which she did not think it was. They had been sneaking about together long enough to know if the other had died. Still, the fact that he was mentioning it was to play with her, either way. It took a moment to form coherent words.

"You are a bloody idiot." She said with disgust. Not just because, in theory, he had thrown a Jedi Knight out of the window, but because she could be an invaluable tool for espionage and disinformation. Adia shook her head.

[Byl Laprovik]

"I gauge risk."

I retorted coldly, canting my head to the side as if to appraise her in a different light. She was either putting on a front, or truly ignorant to just how little the Alliance had to lose in this war.

"Jedi are risky. We do what we can, but a twin sister to an Imperial leader is a risk I can't expose myself to. I don't claim to understand the force, but I know it can do as much harm as it can good.

I don't know much about her, but a girl like that is a loose end. I either tie her up or sever. No third option."

[Adia Issoris]

She trembled with barely contained rage, and then fought it back. I would know if Lianna were dead.
"If you're killing an innocent Jedi you're just as rotten as the Empire. I will have none of it." Adia declared, turned from Byl and sat in the corner.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Don't confuse your hatred of me with the Alliance."

I looked away from her, understanding quite plainly her disgust.

"Good causes need despicable people behind them and in the shadows. That's the chess board in front of us. The Empire has us pinned in a desperate fight. When it's all said and done, the Alliance will bury this war, and bury me. If the Alliance prospers, I can live with hatred and disgrace. I'm ready to lose more than my dignity in exchange for victory."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia shook her head. She did care what he did with his moral standing and the need for people like him to exist. "If you killed Lianna or had her killed I will not work with you. I have served enough deadly causes in my 55 odd years."

[Byl Laprovik]

"You don't have to see me again."

I gave a thin smile as I backed out toward the doorway.

"We're done. Your contact will be here tomorrow."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia slumped into the corner, knowing the man was capable of anything. She had been sort of like that before, but not because of experience. Unlike many others who had grown to do such horrid things because they found a lust for it, Adia merely had been following orders blindly. She had always been too narrowly focused on whatever task was at hand, especially in her later years of service to the Emperor himself, to see any real larger picture.

Adia mentally kicked herself for being naive. Of course the Alliance had such people. She still held hope that there were many less of them.

[Byl Laprovik]

I moved methodically from one cell to another. Opening the door to Navaria's cell, I didn't even bother with the repulsion field. I handed the woman her alotted food, and got down to brass tacks immediately.

"At every point during this interrogation, you could have overpowered me and escaped. Why didn't you?"

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

She smiled in great pleasure to the offered food. Namana fruit was one of her favorite things to eat. "Thank you, Officer."

Lianna cocked her head to the side and frowned. "And what point would it have served except give you more fuel for distrust. I wanted to prove to you that you could trust me and trying to escape would not have accomplished this."

[Byl Laprovik]

"Adia believes you're dead. I had a serious notion to make it a reality."

I crossed my arms tightly over my chest as I watched the famished Jedi eat.

"One truth. I'm taking a risk on you that I may not be able to afford. What would you do? What would you honestly do, if you met Miranda Tarkin face to face?"

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna stopped in mid bite and then set down the morsel of food. She had every intention of meeting Miranda one day and hopefully on her own terms, but as a Jedi, she knew better then that. She would meet her twin Sister when the Force allowed it to be so.

"She is my sister. I would do everything in my power and try and save her from the dark path she has chosen. I would not kill her. It is not our way to kill frivolously." Her lips fell into a somber frown, knowing that the Rebel would not like hearing that. "Not unless there was reason. Which is why I wonder why you decided to not kill me? You have reasons, so what has changed your mind? Or has my answer to your question changed it back?"

[Byl Laprovik]

My answer to her was to draw my blaster from it's concealed holster and aim it at her face.

"You probably know better than I do if I'll pull this trigger or not. Which is it?"

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna's eyes squinted together, a barely noticeable act in concentration. Her initial instincts felt no danger from the Rebel, but she delved at the edges of his conscious mind to be sure. As a spy, this Agent could hide his emotions well but a Force user could easily strip away the false emotional layer to understand true motives.

The Jedi did nothing to defend herself. She merely smiled. That was answer enough.

[Byl Laprovik]

I reholstered my weapon.

"I won't return the same level of trust to you. Don't try to earn it. But I can't avoid taking the chance that you'll be a help to the Alliance."

I hit a master switch on my wrist comm, opening all three cell doors.

"I hope you find your sister before I do."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia immediately strode out. Byl would play games, but to play at letting them go would be a mistake that Adia would happily make him injured over. It was a game she had unwittingly been a part of before. Let the prisoner out, let him run till exhaustion, have the Emperor’s best huntress run him down and drag him back.

She looked to her right and left. Adia smiled.

“Hello Lianna. Hello Ridwan. Mr. Laprovik." Adia raised an eyebrow.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

He was letting her go? The Rebel had to know that Lianna would not leave Adia and Ridwan behind.

But he took that into account and smiled as she saw her friends, relatively unharmed and worse for wear. Adia looked in far worse shape. Quickly the Jedi walked up to the red head and embrace her tightly. She could only imagine what Adia had gone through during the interrogations.

"I'm sorry." It was all she could say. Both of them had been captured because of her needs, which made her feel very selfish right now.

[Ridwan Vars]

A blink and all had changed.

The door's field deactivated and Ridwan's eyes caught the light. Darkness evaporated about him, but his sense of insecurity withstood. A grasp of distrust fiddled with his mind as he summoned the spirit to stand. Despite the ritual feeding throughout the few days his body had sunk into devastations. Not once did he find comfort in sleep, and in turn the equation pointed at an agony unparalleled.

Disdain nearly shut his eyes inward.

He had punished himself long enough. The time had come to realize something he had longed for. A frown ran across his face as he struggled through the chamber into the hall. In the foreign brightness, Ridwan's hand was cast upward in defense. Despite the absolute horror, he had become accustom to the glim of the chambers.

A groan escaped him, and he nearly spat before his senses captured others.

"Adia...Navaria?"

The whisper pressed for only his ears. Surprise painted his systems as his eyes observed the beautiful, known faces. Excitement was held at bay, but he felt the rush of impossibility infesting his spirit. He felt better...

...At least a little.

"What now?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"I've contacted Alliance Intel as I said. Safe passage off Coruscant is arranged, if you wish it. I don't need to explain the risks taken by remaining here."

I glanced them over as a group for the first time since their capture. They stood a little bewildered at the sudden change of fortune. Maybe they even expected an apology that wasn't coming.

[Ridwan Vars]

Ridwan asked the question, but he didn't expect such an answer. All of the silence for nothing? He definately awaited more, he sat impatient for something else. At one point he even went as far as to consider the situation alike a butterfly transformation.

A frown deepened his features as he took a gander over the bunch. Jedi, Imperial and some weird guy with scars.

Rag-tag, bizarre grouping. The truth of it nearly made him laugh, but he recognize the trouble in it all.

None of them fit. Not a single one. All the incompatible elements mashed and in turn threw the last few days into a spiral. A sigh eased through as he wonder how it would be alone once again.

Everything seemed so easy.

"You two can go on without me."

Ridwan's hand brushed a long the side of his head. The Padawan tail had left him, and he was nowhere near a Knight. A naiveness had been exposed by Adia, and his mind strayed far from the path of the Jedi in only a day. The frown had left him, but he was disappointed. So was his father...or at least he would be.

"I'm staying on Coruscant."

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna's body stiffened against Adia's in shock to what she had just heard. Her eyes were probably as big as saucers when she turned around to face Ridwan. "Staying on Coruscant is suicide Ridwan. The Empire will be doing an investigation into my disappearace. That will include you and Adia. They have photo IDs on the two of you. Think about it. Someone tried to capture Miranda Tarkin. There will be a man hunt on this planet to find out who and why."

[Adia Issoris]

Lianna was wrong. After all, she was merely a decoy, and such things were best as undocumented as possible. Adia Issoris disappearing from the scope when doing any sort of project was not uncommon, and nearly expected.

"No, they won't be, Lianna. You were registered as a distraction. Otherwise we would have had a stupid number of operatives hovering about being especially annoying. Ridwan, I can understand if you don't want to travel with us. I do recommend getting off Coruscant and staking out from wherever else." Uncharacteristically, Adia hugged the young man.

"If you do stay I wish you good luck. You're a good person. Don't let it get you killed." She whispered, and let him go.

"Mr. Laprovik, thank you. I expect in the unlikely event I see you again will be under equally interesting circumstances, but hopefully for someone else. But as a parting gift, some clothes?" She asked. While she was not ashamed of her body, Adia decided that it might be awkward for others. A look in his eye was said he was very disappointed Adia wanted to cover up.

[Byl Laprovik]

I gave a half-smile at her request, and walked down the hall to the equipment locker.

"Your old clothes are all here."

I tossed a bundle to the red-head, and then one to Ridwan, and Navaria in turn.

[Ridwan Vars]

In all the excitement Ridwan had almost forgot he was...exposed. The hug reminded him, and before he could throw a shameful plea Adia was there to save him the time. If all had gone according to plan, Adia would likely save him many times again. However, he always had that safety net behind him in the past. There was always someone there to keep him from falling or making the wrong mistake. Even when the mistake was made, the net scolded him for doing such an act.

Adia would surely be missed.

An eye regarded Navaria as she dressed. Instead an illustrious gander, he wondered about her. She was a spectacle indeed, beyond that of appearance. The Force held a delicate grace about her, and the persona she assume effortlessly had fed him more knowledge than the young Padawan felt he was prepared for.

She was a Jedi unlike his father, but definately...a Jedi.

He smiled as he adorn his clothing once more, stretching his arms out as he awaited the deliberations before heading off. Coruscant wouldn't be the best safe ground for him. Trouble was amidst the galaxy, and it was best to just blend in. Throughout the search he had found it quite easy, even with his peculiar style, to avoid the watchful eye of the Empire. Although quite naive, he had been taught well to pay attention to detail. A few smidgens of stubbornness disregarded his Padawan tail and robes on certain planets, but he truly knew better.

Adia had assured him, even if he didn't.

"Hmm." A smirk rested on the young man's lips before he pressed them against Adia's cheek. She was not the most affectionate of the bunch, but he felt she was the most deserving. Miranda's twin only felt his eyes as he grabbed up his boots and wander out.

Off into the world.

Off into the galaxy, far, far away....

[Adia Issoris]

Adia blinked, stunned into silence. Even for a Jedi, Ridwan was odd. Nonetheless, she watched him go with a bit of sadness and hope, and hope that he did not get himself killed. She dressed slowly. Byl’s eyes followed her every move. Lianna, feeling more modest, left the room. She suspected that Miranda Tarkin was one of his darker fantasies, and ignoring her was exercising restraint.

“What are you staring at?” She asked after she finished pulling her nearly skintight black t-shirt over her torso and started to step into her fitted black pants.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Didn't seem to bother you in the cell."

I quipped out the side of my mouth, turning slightly, but keeping my eyes lingering in her direction.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia snorted, and laughed.
"I wasn't exactly granted a ton of options." She countered while she slid the pants up. She wiggled to get the pants over her hips, which were 14" larger than her small waist.

[Byl Laprovik]

"There's always a noble suicide."

I'd turned around again once she was fully decent, and took a seat on a utility stool.

"I'd trust you to nothing terribly disfiguring."

I was sizing her up, now that we were supposedly wearing the same colored hats. She had a bit of humor to her, which certainly made things easier. It was too easy to do what I did with a frown on my face.

[Dasquian Belargic]

The conversation was abruptly interrupted by the soft buzz of a communicator, vibrating against the inside of Byl's pocket. It was a message, text only. To the untrained eye, it would have looked like nothing more than a jumbled string of numbers, but Laprovik would know better. Read correctly, the digits gave the co-ordination to a location nearby that would serve as the pick-up point, as well as specifying the time – fifteen minutes following the receipt of the message. They would have to move quickly.

[Byl Laprovik]

I cut off my efforts with Adia, glancing down at the text pager.

"Looks like the timetable's accelerated."

Jerking my thumb towards the locker, I addressed them all.

"Get your things."

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna was not to terribly thrilled to be wearing the power suit once again. She actually considered leaving the grey jumpsuit on since it suited her better then the false identity the other ensemble radiated. However, walking around Coruscant like a convict would not do either.

She emerged in time to hear good news. They were going to be leaving Coruscant and meeting with the rest of the Alliance. Lianna pushed aside the natural apprehension felt in meeting them and opened the locker, finding a duffle bag packed with her clothing, a satchel, and her lightsaber. The Jedi smiled appreciatively towards the Agent before pulling out her brown robe to cover herself up, otherwise the group would possibly arouse unwanted attention.

The strap of the duffle bag went up and over her shoulder and head. "I am ready."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia pulled on her jacket and hid the lightsaber inside. Her well-worn blaster, she put into the holster on her hip. She quickly went over the contents of her duffel and threw it over her shoulder.

"So noble. Does it come with an apology on a pretty card?" She asked. "So sorry you failed, at least you left a pretty corpse, next time fall into a furnace?" Byl cracked a half-smile and lead Lianna and Adia outside.

[Byl Laprovik]

We headed to the front door, when a chime came at the door. I paused, gesturing for the others to keep their distance. Making sure my blaster was primed, I put it back into the concealed holster as I cracked the door open, resting the base against my planted foot.

"Yeah?"

A pause. The man adjusted his glasses.

"I'm here for the extraction."

I shrugged my shoulders, and relaxed in my demeanor.

"Of course."

I opened the door all the way, and let him inside...

...almost.

I slammed the door with my full body weight leaning into it, catching the man across the centerline and knocking the wind out of him. I relented enough to reach a hand in, catching him by the throat, and pulled him slightly inward as I pressed again, hammering him over the head with heavy blows from my opposite hand.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

The Agent had the situation under control and Lianna stepped into sight, not allowing the hood to fall from her face just in case. "There's going to be more of them, whoever they are. Is there another way out of here?"

[Adia Issoris]

Adia threw Byl off of the door, letting the "extraction man" collapse to the floor, and shot him through the temple. The smell of charred flesh wafted up. One handed, she pulled him all the way inside and shut the door.

"Where do you want this?" She asked, holding the body in a manner that suggested the weight bothered her much less than it should.

[Byl Laprovik]

"Leave it. This safehouse is compromised anyway."

I tossed Adia the keys to their speeder.

"Out the back, go!"

I delayed a second, fishing through the dead man's pockets for anything that might be useful to me. Carried holo-ID, some credits, and a gun. I threw the gun aside and took the ID, pulling up into a sprint as I followed the others out the back.

I kicked the door open, sweeping right and left with my gun drawn. I had about a second and a half to note the layout, where I might expect heat to approach, and deal with it.

"In the speeder, now!"

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"No! Wa- ..." Lianna had tried calling out to stop Adia from shooting. The former Assassin was efficient and too quick for the Jedi to do anything but frown as they ran towards the back of the building.

They only had precious few minutes before that man's team would realize he wasn't going to be calling in. Under her robe, Lianna kept a tight grip of her lightsaber as she made a break for the speeder, alert and ready for trouble.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia blew past Byl and sprinted to the speeder. She pushed the remote access as she ran and unlocked the doors. Instead of rounding it conventionally, she threw her legs up, slid neatly over the hood, and got enough grip on the driver’s side A-pillar to bring her to a halt as she slid off. She pushed the on button, and after a second delay, the speeder rumbled to life with a smooth, low idle as Lianna ducked into a back seat.

[Byl Laprovik]

I ducked into the shotgun seat and slammed the door behind me, bracing the butt of my pistol against the door frame for any threats to approach the vehicle.

"Grab air. Get us over level 300."

I was checking mirrors and peripherals for a tail. There would be one.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

She felt useless hiding in the back, but this was more Adia's and the Agent's repertoire. Lianna had faith they would get them to safety and if needed, she would assist in their escape as long as she wouldn't compromise who she really was.

[Adia Issoris]

There was going to be a tail, and Adia figured that they may as well work for it. The speeder reacted to her whims with smooth acceleration until Adia was forced to submit to the increasing traffic. Still, she was a little more aggressive than the average Coruscant driver, unafraid of positioning the large two door into spaces that others would be very hesitant to.

[Byl Laprovik]

I dropped my pistol down alongside the inner facing of the door as I keyed up a vox comm on a new encryption. I could only hope that the entire network wasn't compromised.

"This is Weatherman. I need a new delivery point for the parcels."

I scoured the sky behind us via the side-view mirror. Still nothing.

[Dasquian Belargic]

“Roger that, Weatherman.”

The Agents of the Rebel Alliance were taught to expect the unexpected, however problematic that was, and to plan for all foreseeable eventualities. As a result, a number of secondary drop-points had been chosen, in the event that the primary location was compromised.

“Dispatch to the following co-ordinates...”

The new destination was close by. Much closer than the first, in fact. There were two Alliance contacts nearby, on an entirely separate mission, whose former objective had been postponed in lieu of having to safeguard Byl's delivery. Once the 'parcels' were in their hands, they could become lost in the clamor of the streets and make a more stealthy getaway.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Theirs lives hanged upon the edge of a cliff and things were too quiet. They could not have escaped so easily.

Lianna poked her head up from behind the back seat enough to get a sense of the traffic behind them. Quite a few were agitated by Adia's driving but the flow of speeders were natural. It was at the next light that the Jedi spotted two speeders cutting in and out of lanes in an attempt to move up faster. That had to be them.

"Adia. Six lengths back, this lane and the right. Black and red speeders." She narrowed her eyes. “I can’t get a good look at them but their thoughts are directed towards us.”

[Adia Issoris]

"Could they be any more conspicuous?" Adia growled. Whoever decided to run this operation was terribly sloppy, or wanted her to think that. It was hard to tell these days.

"Can the LZ be hot?" She asked Byl, who was taking a hard look at the speeders in the mirror.

[Byl Laprovik]

"No need. Put it down casually at that transit exchange."

My eyes stayed on the speeders Tarkin had singled out.

"Are you sure it's them?"

I got a look in the mirror that suggested in no uncertain terms I should shut up and trust her on this one.

I rode low in my seat, threading a defraction cyllinder onto my blaster. It would convert the visible light in the killbolt to an invisible band of light.

Looking back to Adia, I spoke through a tight jaw.

"When I say, I want you to walk through that crowd of people to the transit queue."

I had to make the switch in broad daylight, with a tail watching me. Magicians performed similar insanity through the aid of sleight of hand.

I watched the throng mill about at the interchange, and patiently singled out my mark. Easing the defraction cyllinger over the crook of my arm as it rested against the door, I squeezed the trigger, hitting a middle-aged man in the buttocks. Another shot sent a woman down, sparks showering from a graze along the back of her thigh.

"Go. Now."

The crowd at the interchange had suddenly become a panicked mob.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia pulled Lianna out of the speeder. She could feel the Jedi's disapproval. Nonetheless, she followed Adia through the chaos. Some ran toward the rail, some away, some in all directions. Adia knew how to move through crowds. Lianna looked back at the wounded forlornly.

"Go." Adia urged, and Lianna's gaze snapped away, filled with the sudden awareness that she could get them killed. Someone bumped Adia, and she nearly flattened them.

"Follow me." She said. She was not an Imperial agent, because she had just violated several protocols off the bat. She worked intel, but most certainly for the Alliance. She had an impressive nondescript presence. She had generic brown hair, a nice, olive skin tone, nice, but not spectacular brown eyes. She was in shape, but not obviously. She would register to almost anyone as Generic Human Female #4.

Adia and Lianna followed.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna felt good intentions coming from the woman and eagerly followed. The Rebels had planned ahead and sent someone to expedite their escape. The Jedi stole a quick glance behind to see how the Agent was faring, but the crowd was too chaotic to get a visual on him. She felt in her heart that he would escape, of this Lianna had no doubt. The man was quite capable and ruthless when needed.

They had blended with ease with all the mad panic. A quick turn down a flight of stairs that led to a hoverlift down to the third tier parking garage was enough to give their pursuers the slip. Regardless, the three of them remain on guard at all times. No one could be trusted until they were delivered to the Agent's contact.

The Rebel woman was quiet until they came to her grey sedan speeder. The lights blinked twice as the alarm was shut off. "Get in."

Lianna tightened the cloak around her body as she took one last glance throughout the garage, listening for anything out of the ordinary. It was quiet, except for the doors slamming at the Rebel and Adia got into the speeder. Even the Force was still with no danger. The repulsors revved once as a warning for the Jedi to get inside, and she did. The window of opportunity opened for them could close fast if they did not hurry.

[Dasquian Belargic]

The Agent pulled the speeder out of its parking bay, flipping open a dash compartment as she did so. There was a hairnet and bob-cut wig inside. “You,” she was talking to Adia. “Put that on.” Her eyes slid up to the rear view mirror and Lianna. “And you, lay low.”

The sedan climbed the tiers back to street level. There was no sub-level exit, besides an emergency door, and opening that would trigger an alarm. They had done enough of that already.

“We were going to send you to Westport, but recent intel suggest that there's a shuttle of white-hats arriving sometime this afternoon on weekend release. Civilian traffic at Eastport is pretty heavy, but it's our best bet. Back during the Clone Wars, it was a regular thoroughfare for Republic troops... there's still a lot of sympathy for the Alliance, particularly in regulars at the Spacer's Lounge. We're calling ahead to secure a number of possible options, as well as some decoy flights just incase the white-hats get wise.”

[Adia Issoris]

Adia put her hair up under the net quickly, donning the brunette bob wig.

"Do you have dark brown eyeshadow?" Adia asked after a quick glance into the mirror. Her eyebrows stood out too much.

"In the bag." The Rebel agent replied. Adia pawed through the contents and found the powder quickly. She applied it carefully, and then re-evaluated her look in the mirror. The bob did not suit her face, but she had seen far worse. At least the eyebrows now matched well enough, but there was still a hint of red highlight. Not much could be done about that.

"Do you know which terminal is on the heavy rotation?" The agent nodded. Apparently they had infiltrated the transport ministry very nicely. Adia's face tightened a little as they arrived at the port.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna kept still in the backseat, laying down in a fetal position with the cloak covering her body. There wasn't much else for her to do but be still and keep her senses alert.

"Are we heading to the Lounge directly, or will they be feeding you information?"