Faceless Few: At Stars'end

[Tiber Cyn]

Days Incarcerated 364

Tiber looked up at the ceiling to his prison cell and then back at the force field with reinforcing bars. Here at Stars' End no one escaped not even ex-storm troopers like himself. Yet the question wasn't how could he get out it was why was he here. Simply put sometimes those that out rank you don't want to take responsibility for their action so they place the blame on their subordinates.

Tiber just happened to be the unlucky sub the day his Sergeants decided to execute a few people he thought where rebel spies. Turns out the people Tiber was ordered to kill just so happened to be the family that gave the Empire the Intel on nearby military instillation. Now that was only half the problem it came down to Tiber's word versus his Sergeants’. In the military that meant Tiber got royally fucked by the system.

His sergeant told the tribunal that Tiber had opened fire without permission. There were a few other unique details the sergeant decided to add to his claim. Didn't really matter though as anyway you looked at it Tiber still ended up in ass end of galaxy prison complex called Stars ‘end (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Stars%27_End). Now all he could think about was a way to...

"Up out of your sack, bed check!" The guard screamed interrupting Tiber's thought pattern.

[Renato Tiovata]

I was born four years before the founding of the Empire of Palpatine.

Why do I not merely write “The Empire”? It would be easily understood. Everyone, when they speak of ‘the Empire’, knows they are not referring to any empire. They are referring to Palpatine’s Empire, even though there have been a number of empires in this galaxy—though none of them, as far as we can remember, which held the title of ‘empire’ have had the audacity to attempt to control the entire galaxy, or have ever come as close to doing so. But even still, why do I qualify?

I do so because I was born in the Empire of the Old Republic.

Some may look back with nostalgia upon that government which lasted thousands of years. They point to the length of its rule and say ‘no government deserves such vehement opposition if people acquiesced to live under it for thousands of years!’ But make no mistake. It was an Empire, covered in the veneer of a popularly elected government. For a republic is nothing more than an empire ruled by many emperors at once.

—Renato Tiovata, “The Awakening”, Excerpt from Chapter 6

Days Incarcerated – 1,460

The light blinded him. He gasped for breath, and he fell to the ground, weak and pale. His heart shuddered, thundered, and pounded within his breast as if it were filled with stims.

“Get him up and prepare the bacta and muscle regeneration room.”

He couldn’t understand a thing anyone had said so far, and finally, the effort too much for him, he blacked out.


He awoke again, this time on a table, unable to move. His eyes stung and teared; he knew this was due to the fact that he had not used them for some time. Years, most likely.

“Don’t open your eyes. We’re rebuilding your muscles, and none of the subjects have coped well with the sight. Not to mention that you may injure yourself.”

The Healer’s voice was a soothing one. It had a feminine lilt to it, but he could hear the digital feedback that indicated that this was not a person, but a machine.

“Why?” he whispered. There was a pause, though not a complete one. The droid was continuing to stab the needles into his body and pull others out. Electric currents would randomly arc across them, causing him to twitch. The pause was one of silence only.

“Auditor-General Cho has expressed a desire to see and speak with you.”

“I will not be his puppet, to dance on his strings.”

The droid said nothing. He felt sleep steal over him again.


The next time he woke, he was laying on a cot, dressed in civilian’s clothing. His own, in fact, though much cleaner than the last time he’d worn them. His hair was cut, and he had been trimmed.

“I am glad to see you awake, Renato,” a familiar voice said. He turned, seeing a hologram of Cho emanating from the projector embedded in the wall.

“I take it you were unsuccessful,” the human replied. The Gossam shook his head.

“I was not yet Auditor-General. And I could not move you out of hibernation without too many questions being asked. I am also a very busy Gossam.”

Renato smiled. “Did you expect otherwise?”

The short reptilian chuckled. “No. But there is a reason you have been awakened. Even as Auditor-General, I could not have secured the approval of your awakening save for some very shocking circumstances.”

“Indeed?” Renato asked. The Gossam stayed silent, however.

“We shall speak when I arrive at Stars’ End. You shall be placed in the living quarters. You may find some familiar faces in there.”

Renato perked up at that. “I am glad. But I will not be a puppet, Cho. I respect you; enough that if it came to it I would shoot you in the face, rather than taking my opportunity as it comes.”

The Gossam nodded. “I expect no more than that from you, Renato. I shall see you in one week.”

The hologram flickered into nothingness, leaving a captured revolutionary to ponder what he heard in stillness.

[Tiber Cyn]

Tiber got up from his bed and walked to the adjacent wall across from him. Tiber put his hands on the wall arms spread out as well as fingers to show he wasn't trying to hide a razor blade or something. The force field came down then the guards opened the barred cage. Two guards entered one to do the search and the other to make sure the inmate didn't try anything.

Tiber looked over his shoulder at the guard keeping an eye on him. "You do this every week and I have been here for a year. You guys find the same stuff, athletic tape stuffed in the pillow."

"We got athletic tape stuffed in the pillow."

"Then under the mattress you find a week old newspaper from whatever planet I could get smuggled in from."

"Heh Sundays Coruscant star tribune."

"Then you search the toilet and open up the top to find one notebook with a pen in a plastic bag."

The guard looked at Tiber and hit him in the ribs with his stun baton.

"Shut your mouth."

Tiber coughed slightly and winced in pain as he gasped for some air.

"I'm just saying we do this every week and I don't know either of your names?"

"I said shut up!"

The guard came at Tiber again this time feigning for the face but stopped himself satisfied with the flinch Tiber gave him.

"I ain't telling no baby killer my name so just shut up."

"Its all clear his possessions are fine except the pen we will have to confiscate that."

The man with the Baton poked Tiber in the same ribs he hit him earlier.

"Time for dinner baby killer."

Tiber just remained silent, he no longer fought there words it wasn't worth it. He could explain to them all day the casualties of war. He could explain to them duty and doing what you where told. In truth though he regretted ever taking the order to kill the family he was now imprisoned for killing.

[Renato Tiovata]

The guards leading him did not prod him, nor did they speak to him. He did not speak to them, either. He remained calm, quiet, and obedient. He saw no point in resisting them now, when a very interesting conversation was going to occur in one week’s time. He also knew that the only reason that they were being so “nice” was due to the fact that the Auditor-General would have their heads should Tiovata speak of being brutalized. Cho wanted the man untouched, and none wanted to cross the Auditor-General.

Across from his empty cell was a young man being searched by the guards. The young man was dealing with the search and the rough guards with equanimity, which garnered the older fighter’s respect.

The force-field shut off, and the guard in front of him gestured to the cell with his stun-baton.

“Drop your blanket and clothes inside.”

Renato nodded, and stepped into the cell. So far, he’d not seen any of his old comrades. He knew he’d not see Zofi, who had left the Sector long before to help defend his planet from the Imperialists. Hopefully Zofi was still fighting the good fight and spreading the word on Naboo.

He placed his issued clothing and blanket on the bed, and stood. One guard was having a conversation with the two that were searching the young man’s cell. The other was half-listening, and half keeping an eye on him.

Renato wasn’t paying attention to the guards much. He was for the moment most curious about the young man across from him. It seemed speaking with him would have to wait for the moment, but Renato had become a patient man, though still decisive. He could wait.

[Tiber Cyn]

Tiber got shoved out of his cage to the walk way on the outside. Like ever day he peered down over the edge listening to all the grunts and yells of prisoners below. This Facility was huge it held millions maybe even more of the galaxy worst.

Tiber looked to his side as a new inmate was ushered into his cell and then right back out into the lunch line. Tiber just gave Renato a smirk as he forced into line like everyone else. Tiber turned and face forward just then as the line was told to move forward. He didn't look back at the man right behind but he did speak to him.

"Wha'cha in for?"