9.097 - A Strawman [complete]

[Jane Starborn]

The Rebel Alliance's Fourth battlegroup, also known as Fourth Fleet, hung in space just outside of the Sullust system, the center star big and bright behind the ships. The planets and moons were mere suggestions, visible as crescents if you knew where to look. Inscrutable entered realspace a respectable distance away, transmitting its clearance codes immediately to the alert picket ships.

Senior Operative Jane Starborn yawned as she policed the reversion from hyperspace. The yacht needed fuel, more rations, and she needed sleep. Reliant, a Carrack cruiser under the command of Captain Terius, pinged the comm, and Jane answered it.

"Operative Starborn for the Dauntless, requesting permission to continue on my way." She rattled off her authorization number.

"I'll let them know to expect you." The voice on the other end sounded as tired as she felt. "Reliant out."

Jane eased Inscrutable into the fleet, and didn't look around at the sound of footsteps behind her. "We should be with Dauntless in a few minutes."

[Eluna Thals]

"I am curious at your strategy aboard Dauntless, Jane."

Eschewing her seat for the option of leaning against a bulkhead as they approached, she watched the ships of the fourth fleet grow larger in the screen.

"Are you looking for a contradiction in a second questioning with Dan?"

It was always possible, but it seemed that even with that, it might earn them little.

"Or am I correct in thinking you believe Byl to actually be incarcerated?"

The possibility had been nagging at her logic boards for a long time and only now found purchase on her tongue. There was something that was not being said here, and both parties levied serious accusations against each other. Byl just had the misfortune of not being in person to defend his.

[Jane Starborn]

Jane yawned again, unable to cover it up as she flew the yacht manually on an intercept with the MC80 cruiser Dauntless. Inscrutable was top of the line and had all sorts of auto pilot mechanisms for the ship owner who had better things to do than fly their own craft, but of course not one of those would do any good in an area of space thick with capital ships, pickets, and patrolling squadrons of starfighters.

"I don't plan on talking to him. Not right away. He'll deny any rumor as hearsay, so its the crew we'll need to chat with." Jane got clearance for one of Dauntless' hangars and aimed for it, a pair of A-Wings following her in. "Working for Intel has its perks - there's nothing General Dan can do to stop us aside from accusing us of treason, and he can't make us meet with him either. I prefer to put that off for as long as possible. If he's feeling nervous, waiting for me to talk to him again may intensify the feeling.

"As to Byl..." She thought of him as Byl now, though she had only met him once. So much time spent poring over his file had almost made Captain Laprovik an old friend. "I believe that once you eliminate the impossible whatever remains must be the truth. It would seem impossible that he is imprisoned aboard the Dauntless, yet all other avenues have been dead ends. It may be grasping at straws, but we should at least try to remove this as a possibility."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna nodded. They had plenty of time to be thorough, it seemed. With James Prent under tabs, they could move on other potential avenues.

"It may also be beneficial to make contact with Jedi Master s'Ilancy again."

The mention of potential Sith involvement was a wrinkle. It was a difficult matter for a synthetic like herself to quantify. It could not be detected by any known parameter at her disposal, and was an unknown quantity.

[Jane Starborn]

Jane didn't respond, but her lips tightened into a thin line as she landed the Inscrutable on the deck of Dauntless. Asking s'Ilancy about Sith was very low on her list of 'want to do's. If Jedi Loklorien, former padawan of Mace Windu who was well known for aggression and his prowess in battle (and oft suspected of straddling the line between Light and Dark, or so she had read), was actually a Sith it would probably be a short conversation. Or if she wasn't, perhaps she would just laugh at them. After all, surely the last Sith had been killed when the Death Star II had been disabled.

"Eventually," Jane managed. "But not before I check in with Intel and file a report." In case anything happens to us before we can spread the news.

Paranoia most certainly, but one didn't get to be a Senior Operative without a certain degree of paranoia. Deck crew ran towards the yacht as it vented air in white plumes, recyclers activating and sucking in fresh atmosphere. "For now we mingle. And rest. If you're confronted by the Jedi or the General, do not mention Sith. Even if they are pawns being used by an unknown third party we do not want to tip our hand. If we're even holding one worth keeping."

The thought of an unknown Sith pulling strings was too much like the Clone Wars for Jane's comfort. The two women walked down the ramp and onto the MC80, where they were greeted by a liaison officer. "Agent Starborn, Captain Thals, we were not expecting you."

He seemed pleasant enough, but Jane wasn't exactly in the mood for small talk. "I need a complete list of the current crew and passengers, and a cabin for the length of my stay."

"Uh, and how long will that be?"

Jane sighed, "Doing personnel audits isn't exactly glamorous work, but it is lengthy. At least a standard week."

[Eluna Thals]

Eager to get to work and eschew any delays or pleasantries, Eluna pressed for something else.

"Have a scanning crew assigned to our command, Lieutenant."

"Scanning crew?"

The deck officer was perplexed by the request, looking to Starborn for clarifiation.

"Leave the questions for another time, and comply with my command. You have a scanning crew available, yes?"

"Certainly Captain, we-"

"Then there is nothing further to discuss. Have them report to me in one hour."

[Jane Starborn]

"C-certainly," the man said, making notes on a datapad. Jane looked at him, and then down at the pad. When her eyes traveled back to his he was starting to sweat. "Ah, of course, I'm not keeping a record - I mean I -"

People got nervous around Intelligence agents. It was best to let them draw their own conclusions. Made it easier to get what you wanted. "A cabin?"

"Yes, yes, ah..." he consulted her datapad again, and rattled off a berth number. "I'll mark it occupied." The officer took another 'pad and marked the cabin on a map of the ship, and handed it to Jane. "I'll get those files uploaded to your console in the room as soon as possible. The closest mess is here... and the - the cabin doesn't have a private refresher so the shared one is... here..."

Jane tolerated his waypoint marking for a minute or two, and then took the datapad out of his grasp. "Thank you Officer, I'm sure we'll be able to figure it out." With that she nodded to him and started walking away, Eluna following.

Once they were out of earshot of any of the technicians Jane said, "Scanning crew?"

[Eluna Thals]

"To turn a phrase, shake the tree to see what falls out."

She casually commented on her stratagem as the two headed towards assigned quarters.

"There may be some value in being seen, and being seen looking. Of course, there may also be value in a scanning crew, but that is secondary."

Tracing her finger along the contour of a nearby viewport as they walked, she continued.

"I learned from Byl, er, Commander Laprovik, that paranoia should be liberally applied for best gains."

[Jane Starborn]

"Not too much," Jane muttered. "After all look where its gotten him. Or, rather, look after we find him." She rubbed her eyes, allowed herself one more yawn, and added, "I need a caf. Maybe we should hit the mess first, while Lieutenant Drawin is pulling those records for me."

Dauntless was a beautiful ship, and it was kept as clean as any capital ship Jane had been on. This was her second visit to the MC80 (Home One design) Star Cruiser, and it was a prime example of the competence and artisan quality of the work that came out of the Mon Calamari Shipyards. And for her size, she was fast - capable of sixty megalights when her four M8.0 Star Drive engines were running.

Like all Mon Cal designed ships the Dauntless was different from either Home One (lost at Endor three years previously with the great Admiral Ackbar on board) or Independence, the other MC80 in the fleet. Still it had the long, well lit corridors that its sisters had, and... and they had arrived at the galley.

Jane blinked a bit, and headed straight for the caf dispenser.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna, dominated by her sweet tooth, raided the dessert kiosk in the galley, coming away with a small cup of what appeared to be nothing else but chocolate bits and some caramel sauce poured on top, which she petitely picked at with a spoon.

"We have to consider the Jedi to be effectively shut out of this matter. I would consider any known force user to be potentially compromised, if we must factor the Sith into any possible outcome. Would you agree?"

[Jane Starborn]

Jane nodded, taking a bite out of a sandwich and washing it down with a generous swallow of caf. "Yes. And there is always the possibility we have an unknown on our hands. Like Palpatine." She rubbed her forehead a bit, as though she had a headache. "That narrows the people we can trust down to about zero."

She took another bite of sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. They would have to trust someone, of course, because she had to make a report. But Byl hadn't trusted anyone. Not even the Director, or his cohorts in Phoenix Cell. Jane trusted Eluna, if only for the fact that she had to, and the HRD could not be a Force user.

Could she?

She rubbed her temples again. Paranoia was going to make her hair go grey. She was already started to notice white hairs in her ponytail. The datapad liaison officer Drawin had given her beeped, and she picked it up. "That was fast. Looks like I can access the personnel files from here."

Jane flicked through the lists, scanning the names and dates of deployment as she finished her caf, the sandwich sitting forgotten on the plate. Nothing came up immediately, and there were no listed POWs in the Dauntless' brig.

[Eluna Thals]

"Flight logs? Any signs of Byl or Sanis Prent?"

She didn't look up from her dessert, she was simply echoing the line of thought she figured Starborn was no-doubt already looking into.

[Jane Starborn]

"Nothing stands out," Jane answered, her mouth full. Rogue Squadron hadn't been with the Fourth Fleet or Task Force 42 in months, and was currently light years away... somewhere. It was strange that even she had no idea where the Jedi convoy was presently.

She drained her cup of caf, washing down the sandwich, and handed the 'pad over to Thals. "You can take a look. Looks like your scanning crew is on its way already too. I am beginning to like Lieutenant Drawin. He's efficient." Jane got up and disposed of her plate and napkin, then refilled her mug.

When she returned to the table, Eluna was done perusing the datapad and was finishing up her desert. "I'm going to get a nap in before doing any interviews."

[Eluna Thals]

"Understood. I'll put the scanning crew to work, and make sure they're visible while doing so. If anything comes up that is amiss, I will inform you of it."

Setting the spent cup aside, Eluna approached the Rebel Agent, her voice low.

"I would suggest remaining armed. We can't assume that even our own safety here is guaranteed."

[Jane Starborn]

"Agreed," she said. Jane gave Eluna a nod, and then excused herself. Walking to her assigned quarters she passed a few people, and nodded politely to each of them.

Locking the door she crossed immediately to the comm unit embedded into the built in desk, plugging her encrypted commlink into the side and activating the transmission scrambler. For all intents and purposes this would be a non-call; the Dauntless would not even register it in her logs, let alone be able to crack into it to listen in.

She dialed a familiar number, and waited for Celeste Starborn to pick up.

[Celeste Starborn]

At that moment, on the Mon Calamari homeworld of Dac, a small green light began to flash in the darkness. The lines at the edges of Celeste Starborn's eyes deepened. She eased her reading glasses down the bridge of her nose, blinking away the haze of concentration, and tapped the keypad of her desk-mounted communicator.

“Yes?”

[Jane Starborn]

A hologram of Celeste Starborn fizzled into existence on the desk and Jane smiled. "Hello Mother. I can't make this long, unfortunately, but I need to check in. And before you ask, I'm checking in with you because I'm not sure I can trust Director Van-Derveld. I wouldn't get too alarmed about that, I'm almost positive she's not a traitor, but almost positive isn't the same thing as absolutely one hundred perfect sure."

[Celeste Starborn]

Celeste suppressed the urge to sigh and ask what it was Van-Derveld had done now. She had not crossed paths with the Director since her summons before the Advisory Council, but word of Grace's exploits always reached the Council's ears. She was walking a fine line between effective operative and vigilante, and stars knew it might well have been only a matter of time before she went over the edge. The trouble was, as long as she was on that precipice, she was the best agent they had.

“What evidence do you have?”

[Jane Starborn]

"Nothing against her specifically." Jane inserted a dataslip into the comm, and transmitted her written report to her mother. "Everything is in that file. I have been tasked with locating a missing operative - Captain Byl Laprovik. He's a bit of a maverick, but has never been off the grid this long before.

"And the last official statement I was able to find from him was that he was on the trail of a traitor in the Alliance." A paraphrase to be sure, but Jane knew that most people did not have the patience for her perfect quotations. "I have been working with one of his colleagues from Phoenix Cell, Captain Eluna Thals."

[Celeste Starborn]

Jane's current assignment was news to Celeste, who made a point of not looking into her daughters affairs. It wasn't that she didn't care for the girl; she simply knew better than to worry. With quick clicks, she skimmed the contents of the data file Jane had transmitted.

“And this... Captain Thals is beyond suspicion?”

[Jane Starborn]

"As much as I can reasonably assume, yes. I am keeping an eye on her. For now I am forced to trust her." She pulled the elastic out of her hair, loosing it from its ponytail. "We are currently on board the Dauntless, getting ready to search for a rumored prisoner. Thals is meeting with a scanning crew for 'audits' and I am going over the personnel files.

"So far I have not found any discrepancies, but it has only been an hour. And I do not trust General Dan, or his Jedi. I thought it prudent to check in with you first. In case..." Jane smiled a little grimly, "..anything happens."

[Celeste Starborn]

Celeste removed her glass, massaging finger and thumb against the tired corners of her eyes.

“Where possible, oversee everything you can personally.”

Jane was just one woman, but if anyone would be able to recognise the minute flaws that were present in even the best deceptions, she was the woman for the job.

“Involve the Jedi as little as possible. Their insight into and influence over the workings of this.. government must be kept to a minimum.”

[Jane Starborn]

"I have only spoken to Jedi s'Ilancy, to see if her story matches Dan's, which it does. I do not need their feelings clouding my investigation."

Jane yawned in spite of her efforts. "And it is her lock-step with the General, and the consequent confusion created by our conversation with Karrnage - on page two," she added helpfully, "that makes me suspect she may be more than she appears."

[Celeste Starborn]

That was the trouble with a free, democratic government, wasn't it? A close alliance between a military general and a mystic made for a maddening conflict of interests, but they couldn't segregate the Force users from the every-day, normal people, Celeste reminded herself. As much as she wanted to keep the Jedi at arms length, the history was tied inextricably with the Republic's. For the hopeful and the nostalgic, it was difficult to make the distinction between one and the other.

“Don't spread yourself too thinly, Jane. You cannot be everywhere at once. Perhaps your cousin Dashiel might be of assistance, if you intend to pursue both avenues of investigation.”

[Jane Starborn]

She nodded, slowly. "Yes, he could be. Can you find out if he can meet me out here in Task Force 42? I would do it myself, but... I don't want to draw too much outside attention to this."

Jane yawned again, covering her mouth politely. "And I need to sleep for a few hours, at least." She tended to wait until she was completely exhausted to try to sleep, to keep the time between her lying down and her falling asleep as short as possible. If she had to try to sleep for too long it was better to just get up and do something. There were too many things running through her head for her to simply relax and drift away.

[Celeste Starborn]

“I'll have him with you in three. Four at the most.”

Time was quite clearly of the essence. In the context of Alliance Intelligence as a whole, Dashiel Starborn was a rookie and so it wouldn't be difficult to pull him from whatever assignment he'd been given.

“Are there any other updates?”

[Jane Starborn]

"Not for now. I will be in contact, Mother. Be safe." Jane gave her mother a little wave, and when the hologram dispersed she collapsed into the bed, not even bothering to kick her boots off or pull back the itchy sheets.

[Eluna Thals]

The next few hours involved Eluna running the scanning team ragged. She would be surprised if even a mouse droid on the ship didn't realize that Intel was here and was pulling the entire ship apart piece by piece. The scanning crew performed their work admirably, even if Eluna knew they were most likely going to find nothing.

Certainly, that prediction turned true. Somewhat emotionally invested in their search, the crew seemed dejected, even if they didn't have a concrete idea of what they were looking for.

"Lieutenant, thank you for your efforts. Dismissed."

"Captain Thals, I -"

The lieutenant, looking a bit tired, caught up with the droid as she was leaving.

"Sometimes you find what you're looking for, and sometimes you don't. Don't take your work personally."

Acting conciliatory, she rewarded him with the barest of smiles.

"Dismissed Lieutenant."

Disposing of the needed decoy, Eluna headed back to Jane's quarters, ready to begin the next angle of attack in earnest. Inwardly, she was dying with anticipation. Patience is a virtue a droid both has and very much does not have. Synthetic truths are oxymorons.

[Dashiel Starborn]

In the hangar bay of the MC80 Star Cruiser Dauntless, the liaison officer on deck smiled over the edge of his data-pad. “Agent Starborn. We... were... not expecting you.” His smile slacked as Dashiel Starborn descended his shuttles boarding ramp, he ground the heel of one palm against his tired eyes. “Forgive me, I seem to be experiencing a strange sense of deja vu.”

“Family reunion,” Dash retorted weakly.

The officer glanced down at his data-pad, tapping its screen uncertainly. “Your.. ah, colleagues have a cabin aboard.” He hesitated, recalling Jane Starborn's earlier irritation at his attempts to make navigating the Dauntless less – well, daunting. “I'm sure you can find your way there.”

His lips twisted into a brittle smile which he favoured Dash with for only a moment before stalking away. “Uh... thanks, I guess.”

It wasn't hard to find Jane, of course. Just one flash of his Alliance Intel identification and anyone aboard could have told him where the newcomers aboard the cruiser were. On the verge of sleep-walking, Dash made his way through the ships hallways and almost walked head-first into another passenger as he turned a corner. The near-miss shook away some of his sluggish fatigue.

“Oh. Captain Thals.”

He smiled on reflex. Did human replica droids smile? Dash had only heard of Eluna on passing, but she stood out even amongst the straight-laced officers of the fleet.

“I've been sent to assist with your assignment.”

[Jane Starborn]

"I'll get them," Jane said, crawling on top of the counter to reach the crumblebuns 'hidden' in a top cabinet.

Her cousin sat on the floor of the kitchen, watching her antics wide-eyed. She was not supposed to be on the counter or getting crumblebuns, and he knew it. But Jane knew that if she shared he wouldn't tell Mother. Scrambling down, prize in hand, she joined him on the cool tile floor and distributed the wealth.

Dashiel turned to her and said, "Beeeep, beeeep, beeeep, beeeep."

A low, pulsing sound permeated her subconscious and Jane blinked open her eyes to hear the alarm on her wrist chrono.

Beeeep, beeeep, beee-

She turned it off, and yawned, rubbing her eyes. Still fully dressed she walked to where her bag had fallen and pulled out a fresh uniform shirt. Changing quickly, Jane ran a brush through her hair and was heading back from the shared refresher down the passage from her cabin when she saw Dashiel and Eluna. She joined them, working the kinks out of her neck as she did so.

[Eluna Thals]

"Agent Starborn."

The nepotism of Allied Intelligence wasn't lost on the Captain as she greeted the other Starborn with little more than a cryptic smile. That smile faded a bit as he explained his presence.

"Assist?"

It made sense. She didn't expect Jane to trust her, did she? No matter that, trust was an expensive commodity anyway.

[Dashiel Starborn]

“Hey, cuz. Long time no see.”

His smile had slackened, but he was pleased to see Jane as she rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes. It was comforting to know that even she felt tired sometimes. There were no such traces of fatigue on Eluna.

“I was just explaining to Captain Thals... the brass decided you two could use a little help. Many hands and brains lighten the load,” he added, quoting an old Alderaaning proverb that seemed to be lost on the Captain.

[Jane Starborn]

"Did Mother fill you in on what we're doing?" Jane adjusted her uniform one more time and then stood straight. When he nodded she felt relieved. Explaining their wild gundark chase to Dashiel wasn't something she really wanted to do.

"All right. Stay with Thals and do some random sweeps." Jane smiled. It was good to see him again. "You look exhausted though. You can use the bed in there," she indicated the door to her assigned quarters, "for some rack time. I'm getting breakfast."

[General Dan]

With no less than three Intel agents aboard his ship, it was time for Dan to do more than to just pretend to not notice the incursions into his domain. Already guided to where his guests were staying, the General approached the trio of Intel agents.

"Would it be considered paranoia if I came looking for three agents aboard my ship without so much as a stated itinerary on schedule?"

Raising an eyebrow, he approached the trio.

"Agent, er, Starborn."

He winced. That wouldn't work this time, would it?

"Jane. Shall we talk?"

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna turned her attention briefly from Dashiel Starborn to General Dan. That he'd restrained himself from letting his curiosity get the better of him so far had been commendable, but she supposed that with the arrival of even more agents, he had to intervene.

Her eyes returned to Dashiel.

"I suppose that would be a hint for us to begin in earnest."

[Dashiel Starborn]

Dash acknowledged the Commander of the Dauntless with a nod. He hadn't met General Dan before the man had his fathers recommendation and it was not often that Regulus Starborn was so flattering.

"I suppose that would be a hint for us to begin in earnest."

He nodded. “Well, this is your operation first and foremost. Where do we start?”

[Jane Starborn]

"Certainly, General." She did not salute, as she held no military rank. "I was going to get something to eat, but that can wait."

[Eluna Thals]

"I want to inspect all operational HoloNet activity within the past six months."

She addressed the younger Starborn as they walked away. The HoloNet records could certainly shed some light on things, but they could also be tampered with.

A guarded smile crossed her lips.

"You aren't afraid of being bored to death, are you?"

[General Dan]

Dan waited for the droid and the other Starborn to leave, and faced Jane again, with a weary expression.

"Agent Starborn, how long is this going to take? I realize it's useless for me to even think about asking why you're here. Instead, I'll ask that you not do anything to keep my ship anything less than combat-operational. We do still have a war to win here, or have your superiors forgotten that?"

[Jane Starborn]

"General, Intel exists to further the war effort, or have you forgotten?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Gathering information, disseminating it, and making sure it gets to the relevant branches of the Alliance... that is our work. Doing anything to obstruct the Dauntless in her current mission would be counter productive. You have nothing to worry about."

Or do you? Jane was not hostile towards the General, only firm. "I need food, and I have some interviews to conduct with off duty personnel. You are welcome to accompany me to the galley."

[General Dan]

Dan was tempted to make a stand on his principles and return to the bridge, as he did have a ship to run, as he'd said. However, he took Starborn up on her offer. After all, there was a chance, however unlikely, that she might betray something to him about why she was really here, and what she was looking for.

"I've been on a six hour patrol. I could go for some caf."

[Jane Starborn]

"Great," she replied with a smile, but she'd been hoping that he would refuse and return to his office or the bridge. It was an unconventional time to eat, according to the ships internal clock, but she'd just woken up so it was breakfast time for Jane.

They walked in relative silence to the nearest galley - Jane complimenting the General on the preparedness of his ship and crew, the General fielding the comments with self-deprecation and pride in his people. Once she'd gathered a plate of powdered eggs, toast, and something that appeared to be bacon, Jane got a cup of namana juice and found a clean table. The galley crew was cleaning up from a previous meal time and preparing what smelled like roast bantha for the next one.

"They make a good caf," she said, nodding towards the General's steaming cup. "Almost tastes like a real Corellian roast."

[General Dan]

"You strike me as more of a tea person."

He listened to her appraisal of the caf as he let it hover under his nose, waiting for the opportune time to sip. A connoisseur of some truly awful caf from his times of fighting in the early days, as long as it wasn't burnt sawdust, he'd probably drink it and it would do.

He sipped, a taut smile signalling his approval.

"I think it's telling you know more about the caf in my ship's mess than I do, Agent Starborn. Let me guess, this is all relating to the continuing unpleasantness regarding Captain Laprovik?"

[Jane Starborn]

"The only thing its telling is that you don't generally eat outside of the officer's mess, General." Jane smiled easily. "As far as the Captain, that is a classified investigation or I'd be happy to talk to you about our progress.

"No, this is a general audit. Intel likes to turn over rocks periodically, make sure there isn't anything scurrying around. I wouldn't take it personally."

She sipped her juice and set to eating her meal.

[Dashiel Starborn]

The prospect of trawling the HoloNet should have seemed mind-numbingly dull, but Dash found himself looking forward to the prospect of doing something simple – something that didn't involve falling out of a drop-ship or following a trail of corpses. With a sleepy shake of his head, Dash gave Eluna a weak smile.

“Boredom, I can live with,” he answered, then glancing up and around at the unfamiliar corridors of the Dauntless.“Where do we start?”

[General Dan]

He hadn't expected anything more from the Agent. At this point, it was all theater. He would simply play the part he was supposed to.

"Auditing sounds like it's almost beneath an Intel operative, but I have no intention of being obstructive to anything you have planned. In fact, I believe I've been more than cooperative in the past."

He took another sip of caf.

"Three Intel agents on my ship, however, does seem to stand out as an unusual sort of audit. I'm sure that's just to make sure you're able to finish three times as fast though."

[Jane Starborn]

"We'll be out of your hair soon, General." Jane assured him, biting back a sharp comment about how she couldn't imagine how he would know exactly what an Intel operative would do or not. Straight military didn't understand what agents did, and they didn't need to. They just wanted the information that Intel discovered for them.

The less she said the better, although she let her irritation bleed through into her body language a bit.

[Eluna Thals]

The prospect of trawling the HoloNet should have seemed mind-numbingly dull, but Dash found himself looking forward to the prospect of doing something simple – something that didn't involve falling out of a drop-ship or following a trail of corpses. With a sleepy shake of his head, Dash gave Eluna a weak smile.

“Boredom, I can live with,” he answered, then glancing up and around at the unfamiliar corridors of the Dauntless.“Where do we start?”

"Fortunately, I've done most of the heavy lifting for you already."

She handed him a datapad as she walked along, taking in his handsome face as he studied her work.

"Everything already sorted through reverse cryptography. Mainly, I'm down to looking for unexpected deletions, contradictions, or anything that doesn't pass a smell test. There are currently six deletions without sufficient footnote. Starting there will probably save time. The ship's brig, I noted, had a record created for an inbound prisoner, which is curious in and of itself, but that was deleted within minutes of it's creation. The manifest for the brig now shows no occupancy."

[Dashiel Starborn]

Dash stifled a yawn with the back of one hand, whilst he thumbed through the datapad's contents with the other.

“Could be down to human error,” he said, considering the ship's missing prisoner. He looked back up at Elena, whose expression remained implacable. “Or not. That's where we start, then? The brig?”

[Jane Starborn]

A few days later...

"And the chances of this cell turning out to actually be occupied?" Jane tapped a finger on the blueprint of section 234.02, which held one of the brig levels. "It is possible the guards there are merely ordering food for themselves, not some mysterious, off the books prisoner."

Eluna looked at her impassively, but Jane had already been over this with her co-conspirators several times, and had gotten no closer to any definitive answer. "The only way to know for sure is to look."

She sighed, nodding. "Then we move out at 0100. We'll follow the meal, but let the steward enter and leave before making our move." She looked at her cousin, Dash. "You and Eluna will stay with the guards. Its an unoccupied cell block, supposedly, and there are only two."

For bureaucratic reasons all cell blocks were outfitted with personnel, even when empty of prisoners. Most captains made sure that the unoccupied levels had only two guards rather than a full complement - some had used just one, but that tended to go badly with morale getting low, or discipline becoming too lax.

Two hours later Jane was walking through the passages of the ship. They weren't walking together, because surely General Dan would be alerted to the Intel agents all going somewhere in a group. As it was she guessed they would only have fifteen minutes in the brig before they experienced some kind of interruption.

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna had taken the route vis-a-vis the main hangar bay. It gave her the excuse of inspecting the fighter wings, asking a few desultory questions to the pilots, and generally busybodying. Of course, the fighter jocks were a boy's club, and she used that angle too, giving her little visit some authenticity. It wasn't all a lie, there were a few lookers flying X-Wings. The difference was that Eluna could turn it on and off like a switch.

Moving on, she made her way to the more isolated security cordon two decks above the hangar superstructure, and to the guard at the kiosk. With a cool smile, she removed her Intel holochit, allowing it to flutter to life in the air before the two guards.

"Captain Thals, Intel. I'd like to inspect the brig."

[Jane Starborn]

The guard looked at her credentials, and then at his partner. "I'll have to check that with -"

Jane walked into room, flashed her holochit as well. "Senior Operative Starborn. As you were, gentlemen. Captain Thals and -" her cousin sauntered casually in behind her, "Operative Starborn will be assisting in this inspection."

The two guards gaped for a moment, but Jane was already down the hallway into the brig proper, leaving Dashiel and Eluna to keep them from asking too many questions or trying to contact someone else. There was a faint aroma of food lingering in the hall, but the doors were all closed to the unoccupied cells. One door, however, had a red light beside the locking mechanism.

She used an Intel code to override the system, and the light switched to amber, the lock clicking softly. The heavy security door slid back almost silently, revealing the inhabitant of the 'empty' cell.

[Zem Vymes]

Zem's eyes opened, his meditation interrupted by the sudden release of his cell door. The sight that greeted him was unexpected. It wasn't Darth Acera, or the creature that held her leash. This time, a face he hadn't seen. She didn't have the feel of an adept about her, so that limited options.

"Hello."

For a while, he feigned ignorance, removing his hands from his knees to place them flat on the ground at his sides.

"Isn't it customary for the mess officer to actually bring a tray of food when they come to see me?"

[Jane Starborn]

Jane looked around the cell, and focused on the man. "Your meal should have already been delivered."

Older male, human, dark hair. Distinctive face, tunic with obi belt, the leather one having been taken away. Despite the fact he needed a sonic shower and a shave, Jane quickly matched his description to the one from his file.

Not Byl Laprovik. Jedi Knight Zem Vymes.

"Intel is taking custody of you," she said briskly, making a snap decision and pulling her stun cuffs from the back of her belt. "Merely a formality," Jane added, indicating the cuffs, "But we should hurry."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem's brow knit in thought. Were they now going to dispose of him? Acera hadn't yet been able to bring herself to do the deed, but if it was Decepis's will, he would certainly be more direct.

At any rate, he would certainly follow this path wherever it lead. He'd remained in a cell far too long.

"You'll find I'm a model prisoner."

He held his wrists up to her.

"Where are we going?"

No sense not asking. Maybe he'd get a response.

[Jane Starborn]

"Somewhere I can get some answers," she said, snapping the cuffs on him and activating her comlink. "Captain Thals, we are taking the prisoner into Intel custody immediately. As there is no paperwork on him, this should be easy enough to arrange with the guards."

Jane sent him out into the passage in front of her, following closely as they made their way back to where the others were waiting.

[Zem Vymes]

Zem walked along silently, trying to take in as much as he'd been able to in months. Outside, he spotted one of his usual sources of company, the day shift guard at the brig. Two other people he didn't recognize, one of which must be Captain Thals, were strong-arming the guard something fierce. He had a look about him that suggested he was in something way out of his league, which he was. He just hadn't known it until just now.

"Captain."

Zem gave a knowing nod of his head, but to the wrong person.

[Eluna Thals]

"Nice guess, but no."

If Eluna was surprised to see what appeared to be a Jedi coming out of the brig, she had a winning Sabbacc face. This was so many shades of unusual that it had alarm bells firing all over, but this wasn't the time to sort that out.

"I'll prepare our ship. Will we be declaring our carry-on to customs?"

Either way, at this point they were leaving with the prisoner. Dan's secret was out, and he was very unlikely to try and stop them now that they were this far along.

[Jane Starborn]

The guards were goggling at her, but she pinned them in place and into silence with a frosty look. "Let's keep this on the down low. Removing a pest that has been eating the Alliance's food is a favor, but not one the General is likely to thank us for."

If Dan knew about Vymes... perhaps Lok s'Ilancy (it was becoming easier to drop the Jedi honorific when thinking about the possible Sith) had imprisoned Zem Vymes to keep her secret from getting out. The danger of a possible Sith in the fleet was starting to become more urgent than her mission of finding Laprovik.

Thals nodded and took off, leaving the two Starborns to escort the prisoner. Jane turned to Dash. "Get anything we might have left behind out of our rooms and double time it to the hangar."

"What about you?" He looked pointedly at their new acquisition.

"I'll be fine. Meet you there in ten."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem kept his mouth shut as he was led along, but the actions the Intel agents had shown gave him indications that this wasn't some kind of sanctioned disposal. There was a sense of cool urgency in their words and actions; a confidence in what they were doing, but an expectation of trouble at any minute.

If they knew exactly what they were doing, they'd probably be more on guard.

Zem kept pace, and when he was finally stowed in the shuttle, he looked at his new warden.

"Do you have any idea at all what you're involved in?"

[Jane Starborn]

"Enough to know that things just got a lot more complicated." Jane looked at him carefully, and put a hand on the cuffs. "As a Jedi, I understand these things are more of a formality. Can I take them off or are you planning on causing trouble?"

The yacht rocked gently as it lifted off from the deck of the Dauntless, Eluna no doubt using some interesting command codes on the crew to get permission to leave on such short notice.

[Zem Vymes]

"As I said, you'll find I'm a model prisoner."

The cuffs clicked off, and Zem smiled appreciatively.

"You most likely have me at a disadvantage, but I'm a believer in introductions. I'm Zem Vymes. I've indirectly met your pilot already..."

Zem could feel the shuttle pick up speed, but not so fast to suggest a panic. There was something to be said about flying casually, but not too casually.

[Jane Starborn]

"Senior Operative Jane Starborn. The other two are Operative Dashiel Starborn and Captain Eluna Thals." Dash was up in the cockpit with the HRD as Inscrutable made its way through the Dauntless' battle group and out into the rest of Fourth Fleet. The SoroSuub Personal Luxury Yacht 3000 was certainly not standard Alliance issue, and it had a fair bit of speed hidden beneath its sleek exterior when it was needed.

"Last I heard of you, Jedi Vymes, you had left the company of Loklorien s'Ilancy, but there are not many records of your comings and goings. To be quite honest, however, I was not expecting to find you in that cell."

[Zem Vymes]

"I wasn't expecting anybody to find me there. It was my captors' intention to keep me there indefinitely, which is more the reason that you and your crew are in unfathomable danger for rescuing me, Senior Operative Starborn."

Troubled, Zem pinched a bit at the bridge of his nose.

"I would leave no potential accidents to chance, because both General Dan and Lok s'Ilancy are now scheming for you to have just that."

[Jane Starborn]

Her heart quickened as he spoke, adrenaline beginning to flow through her body after the ice coldness of their departure from the Dauntless. "I have reasons to suspect that Lok s'Ilancy may be a Sith. Am I correct?"

And what about Byl Laprovik? If the General and the Jedi would lock up a fellow Jedi for what amounted to forever in their eyes, what would they have done to an Alliance operative who stumbled onto their secret?

[Zem Vymes]

His demeanor changed a bit, more guarded as he shook his head.

"No, not a sith. Can't be. She's being used. Controlled. A Sith named Acera, a ruthless adept, is using her children against her as a bartering chip."

He looked weary as he spoke.

"Acera is just the hand. The mind behind the hand is, and has always been General Dan."

[Jane Starborn]

Children, plural? Jane ignored that for now, her mind latching onto the rest of what Vymes had said. "The General is a Sith? And there is another one hiding near him?"

Lok not Sith but not strong enough to resist the influence of one... Was it more logical for there to be a before now unknown third party, or for this Darth Acera to be one and the same as Loklorien? After all, Anakin Skywalker took the title Darth Vader when he turned to the dark side. Of course, Jedi lore and customs wasn't something she'd ever spent a great deal of time researching.

For now she would just listen to what Vymes had to say. As a former close companion of Lok s'Ilancy, though, it remained to be seen just how impartial his opinions were.

[Zem Vymes]

It seemed strange to now manifest thoughts he'd gone over a million times into actual words. To share them with another living soul instead of his own solitude.

"Not simply a Sith. To act just under not just your nose, but that of the Jedi, for decades? The dark side can shroud the truth, but to keep it hidden from so many with the means to look would require a talent for deceit not seen since the Emperor.

If my feelings on this are true, then he's steered the Rebel Alliance for a generation to be an instrument he can control to some great degree. Not enough to be absolute, or he would have forced his hand already, but enough to deal the killing blow to the Jedi that the Emperor could not."

[Jane Starborn]

After the initial surge of adrenaline, Jane was beginning to feel detached from the conversation, conducting the interview clinically so as not to become overwhelmed with emotions. Terror, for one. Comparing Dan Thrule to Emperor Palpatine?

"With Lok s'Ilancy's deep connections to the Wheel, I am surprised he has not done so already, if that is indeed his intention." Jane met the Jedi's eyes. They would have to find a way to advise the Wheel convoy to cut ties with s'Ilancy and keep their location an utter secret.

Which could tip their hand and of course if the General was as insidious as Vymes thought he was, then there were no doubt already back ups in place for the destruction of the fledgeling Jedi Enclave. Tracking beacons placed, those in the crew loyal to him... having the information that he wanted the Jedi dead was almost useless once you followed it to its logical conclusions, like a magtrain crash that was already in progress.

All you could do was watch.

"That is quite an accusation. If this is true, which keep in mind I am not doubting your feelings, merely being pragmatic, then what has stopped him from killing the remaining Jedi already?" Jane raised an eyebrow.

[Zem Vymes]

Zem shook his head.

"I don't know. I only just discovered the connection and was conveniently disposed of. The only reason I'm still alive is because somehow Lok has kept me so."

He thought about Jane's question more deeply.

"Maybe he believes the Jedi aren't fully consolidated yet? Maybe he wants to account for them all. To correct the mistake that Palpatine made?"

[Jane Starborn]

"Perhaps." She was non-committal. Good grief how was she going to write this into a report?

Jane thumbed her commlink. "Captain Thals, please do a sweep of the ship, looking for any tracking beacons or explosive devices. Something more thorough than what the ship already scans for. Before we go to lightspeed."

She got to her feet. "Hungry? I am afraid we interrupted your meal." Jane took a few steps to the reheater, sliding in a wrapped ready to eat food tray and starting the device. He nodded amiably, and she turned to face him, leaning her hip against a counter. "Darth Acera - does she stay with Dan, or is she more of a roving agent? Could she be implanted with the Jedi?"

[Zem Vymes]

"I know very little of her, I'm afraid. When I was imprisoned, she revealed herself as an agent of Dan, though her knowledge of the Jedi could certainly lead her to infiltrate our ranks, given the right opportunity."

Zem accepted the meal graciously as it finished.

"Now that they know I'm no longer in their custody, the situation may become more fluid. I should warn the Jedi."

[Jane Starborn]

Jane nodded, "Of course, all in due time. The situation is increasingly delicate, as I am sure you are aware." She was already mentally typing up her report and then burning it in a trash can. No, she would file it - first with her mother and then the Director. It was extremely unlikely that Grace Van-Derveld would turn out to be this Darth Acera.

"I will need you to describe the woman to Captain Thals as much as you can, so we can generate a holo of her." She looked up at the ceiling as the ship juked a bit to port, and lifted her commlink. "Eluna, are you there?"

[Eluna Thals]

"I am."

She coolly continued to maneuver the shuttle to the edge of the fleet formations, into open space where the jump to hyperspace would be easier.

"I've begun a level six scan of all primary, secondary, and tertiary systems. Extra thorough, so we've got some time before we'll jump."

[Jane Starborn]

"Sounds good to me, thank you Eluna." Her voice sounded calm, but her mind was racing. Random facts were firing through, and she was beginning to get a headache. That usually meant it was time to take a sleeping pill and lie down before it developed into a full blown eidetic memory induced migraine.

"Dashiel will be back shortly to find you a berth," Jane said to the Jedi, absently rubbing her temples. "For now you are a guest of Intel, and your existence will be a classified secret. We will figure out how to get you to the Wheel as soon as we can, but it will not be easy."

The bright flashes of light were starting. Jane closed her eyes for a moment, the fireworks continuing. "I will... talk more with you later. Please excuse me." She peered through slitted eyes at the deck as she made her way to her room, locking the door behind her and lying down on her bunk in complete darkness.

The trip to the Dauntless may have been grasping at straws, but it appeared that they had found a straw-man; a scarecrow that was full of tidings of worse yet to come. Could they trust what Jedi Vymes said? After this, could any Jedi be trusted?

Jane fumbled for a glass of water to wash down her sleeping tablet, and lay quietly with her eyes closed, only finally falling asleep once the yacht made the jump to lightspeed.