“You’re clever, Captain, very clever.” Irena said.

“Are you admitting you are a spy, Derevko?” Gladis returned sharply as she cuffed Irena’s wrists.

“No.” Irena replied, her face now impassive, brown eyes boring into Gladis’s. “It’s just what I told you, Captain. You are clever, I doubted your intelligence. I knew you had suspicions. My job gives me the luxury of casual observations. You betray your thoughts to anyone who has the eye to see it. So, you are clever, following me. You must have had suspicions, and I was merely remarking at how well you prepared.”

Derevko smiled.

“Will you escort me to my cell? Or shall I go alone?” Irena asked. “No. You must take me. You must be sure to have me searched as well. I look forward to interrogations.”

“You’re a fool Derevko that was as good as an admission.” Gladis snapped.

“No. I admitted to nothing, perhaps I implied something. But you need more concrete evidence than something I imply. It was not an admittance. Now, shall we go?”

Meanwhile, Athrun was back at his room, thinking over what had happened.

Once Caden reached one of the few main turbo lifts, he took it to the floor which housed the detention area and made for the cell blocks. He was forced to press his stolen ID against a black market tech scanner before a large, jet black blast door would pull away to reveal the lobby that led into the three cell bays in this particular area. They closed behind him and he stood for a moment, eyes locked with a professional yet hardened and tough man behind a control console, three other guards were stationed in the lobby, one at the entrance to each cell bay.

“State your business,” the man behind the console demanded unenthusiastically.

“Interrogation,” said Caden.

“For whom?”

“Prisoner Irena Derevko.”

The man raised his eyebrows as his fingers ran across the button panel on his console.

“I was not notified, and there is no official record.”

“That’s because I was just ordered by Admiral Takamoto, it is not on record yet, and likely wont be, she’s a high security prisoner.”

“I see, however, you do not look like one of the specialized interrogators. May I see your ID?”

He was sunk now.

Caden nodded pleasantly and reached into his belt pouch with his left hand, right subtly primed to retrieve his blaster pistol. He pulled the ID card free from its pocket and purposely dropped it. Sighing, as though it were an annoyance, he bent down to retrieve it, halfway squatted, he pulled free his blaster pistol, rose before anyone could react, and shot the man behind the console clean in the head.

The other guards reached for their weapons, the one to the far left was killed before even drawing his, the one in the middle was suddenly stopped midway, and the one to the far right fired.

Caden ducked and pressed his back behind the console as the guard unleashed a volley of fire. It stopped momentarily; Caden rose and sunk a well aimed shot into the guard’s heart. He leapt over the console, examining the damaged panels for a switch to seal the blast doors, he found it and engaged its function, having no real way of knowing whether or not it worked.

The Imperial spy worked hastily after this, searching for Irena on the records of the cell block, he found her, cell 2019, bay 2.

Caden sprinted down it, shooting an unsuspecting patroller on his way and stealing his discarded weapon. Finally, he reached Irena’s cell and released the lock on the door, opening it. There she stood, having been in mid pace. Both locked eyes for a moment before locking in an embrace that was interrupted by a ringing alarm.

(Alright, there it is for now, thank you. However I must go now.)

“How…”

“The Rebels are unprofessional; they failed to search me well.” Irena replied. “We need to go.”

Caden nodded, but looked as though he would rather not, Irena raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong?” Derevko asked.

“Irena—“

“Duck!”

Caden’s reflexes forced him to as the female spy reared back and hurled her knife forward, sticking it in the chest of a Rebel guard. Caden rose and turned to blast the life from three others with his weapon, he began to leave the cell, Irena’s hand shot forward and halted him.

“Tell me what that look was for, now.” Derevko ordered.

“This is not the time, Irena.” Marrku said.

“Caden—“

Another guard sprinted before the doorway, Caden raised his blaster rifle and stopped the man before he could get a shot. Wordlessly both spies fled from the prison, Irena retrieving her vibro shiv and a blaster from one of the fallen foes. Together they fought their way to the hanger which housed a shuttle. The rescuer shoved his lover into the shuttle before him, and shot a Rebel guard. Irena stopped halfway up the boarding ramp and looked down.

“Get on the ship!” She snapped.

“No, Irena, I—“

“No?! Caden, you must get on the ship, they’ll kill you!”

“The Empire will kill me, Irena! They would have left you here had I not come, I killed my superior, I can never go back!”

“Caden… what—“ Irena could not speak, how could he do such a thing? It was the most wonderful gesture that had even been given to her, and yet the most terrible crime.”

“Listen Irena, the Empire is willingly to employ you again, I know they are, but I’m not going back, and I know you wont stay with me, go!”

“Can you HEAR yourself, Caden, you sound like a Rebel, I don’t believe it, I refuse! Damn it, get on this ship!”

“The Empire is evil, Irena, one day you’ll join me, I promise.”

“The Empire is the only true form of government, these people are terrorists, I cannot let you join them. We’ll flee the galaxy, together, we won’t go back, get on this damned ship now, Caden!”

“No, Irena, I’ve committed too many crimes, this is the only way I can atone for them.”

“Crimes, you were serving your government! Caden, I will not leave you here, I cannot live without you!”

“Irena,” Caden began, shedding a single tear. “Go, go now, go back to the Empire, go back to your government, it’s no longer mine.”

“So a moronic sense of loyalty tares us apart, Caden—“

“Irena, its wrong, I know its wrong, when you go back—“

“You can’t end it like this… you—“

“Irena… I’ve chosen my path, you choose yours.”

“This is what you did, Caden! I knew… I—“

“They’re coming,” said Caden, he gave Irena one last tearful look, her face was contorted in turmoil, her eyes flicked up to see the stream of men pouring in. She cried out in fury and several of them were pushed back as though an invisible wind had blown them away, Irena inadvertently extended her hand, and clenched it into a fist, one man flew into the air and tugged at his neck, eyes bulging from their sockets. The spy felt something, a kind of sense, bursting free after their chains were broken by tragedy. The… Force….

Caden did not have time to speak, he blasted a panel near the mouth of the boarding ramp which caused it to engage… to close…. Irena extended her hand.

“Caden!”

He flew towards the armed Rebels, who had their weapons primed. Irena gasped but her vision was cut away by the closing ramp.

The guards rushed on Caden, binding his hands, they opened fire on the shuttle, forcing its wreak of a pilot to take off and leave behind her lover… forever.

“Take me to the Admiral,” Caden ordered his captors. “I need to speak with him….”

No!

Shut up, shut up! No, she did not want to be aware, she wanted to be dead, she wanted to be dead! She could not be dead, animal instinct dominated her mind, she’d been betrayed, scorned, she was mad as hell but so choked with grief she couldn’t breathe!

The pilot’s finger, covered in a thin film of sweat, like his forehead—

No! Damn the Force, and damn Caden, damn her life! She had to leave, but she could not, she must go back and get him…. No! No, no, no, she had to save herself, she couldn’t die!

Yes, she could die, so very quickly, the pilot’s sweaty finger was millimeters away from a crimson switch—

Jump to hyperspace!

Voices, in her head, they nagged her onward. Told her instructions, fed her information like some screwed up computer, the Force, this is what that damned Emperor felt every day? Yes, this was it? No wonder he murdered people on whim, the experience was like—

--His finger hit the button—

--power! It was power!—

--The finger pressed the switch in—

--An electronic signal was en route, through a web of wires, like water down a tunnel; it was fed into a missile which fed the missile’s fuel into a tank which reacted with some substance that set it off in its launching tube, set if off forward, set it off toward her—

--PRESS THE DAMNED BUTTON—

She did, and she flew backward as her ship lurched to hyperspace. And then… she broke.

The tears came, like a flood they came, they rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them off but they kept coming and a voice screamed inside her head, bacteria was breeding in the shower of the ship, there was a common organic pest within the storage area, her own life was visible, visible like the inside of her eyelids were. She could see it but could not make out any detail. What was going on, what was going on?!

Focus, she must focus. She held up a hand and shakily wiped away the tears, pushing her hair back she took five deep breaths and sighed.

Caden!

How… after so much… he gave her up for morals, petty, insignificant, misguided ethics that told him the Empire was evil and the terrorist Freedom Alliance was good! What the hell….

The tears came again, and she halted them again.

She was shaking, shaking, she wasn’t cold. She was—

Irena Derevko flew to her feet and pulled her blaster, aiming it at the control panel; she shot once, twice, three times, four, fix, six, and seven. She inhaled ten times quickly before she realized….

She was back, back at Coruscant. That had… no, it had not, time… it had gone so quickly, how long? Hours, days, weeks? She could not—

“State your ID and business here immediately, you have five seconds to begin a return transmission or you will be shot down and killed.” She’d hit the floor, she’d missed the panel.

How dare they! The star destroyer in orbit, how dare they speak her…. Caden…. How could she… no… shut… up! Irena gulped and breathed deeply before holding down a switch and acknowledging.

“Agent Irena Derevko,” she snapped in a stable voice, and then proceeded with her identification code.

“Acknowledged Agent Derevko, proceed onto the planet with caution, there have been problems.”

Problems, so they’ve been having problems, yes, well nothing compared to her problems, there was not a sentient being in the galaxy who could possibly understand what it was like to be her, Irena Derevko at the moment, no one… no one….

“Agent Derevko, acknowledge,” said the comm, or the voice on the other end of the connection.

“Acknowledge… um… can you get Emperor Xarkun on the line?”

“Agent Derevko…”

“Can you get me in touch with Force damned Emperor you son of a bitch?! Can you?!”

“Uh… no, Agent Derevko, I apologize, but the Emperor has been asked not to be disturbed, he is in the middle of something I assume, there’s been a—“

“I don’t give a damn about Lord Xarkun’s prisoners!” Irena barked, not knowing how she knew exactly what was happening, or had happened, she did, the Jedi! “I want to speak with him now! There’s been a betrayal!”

“Ma’am, calm down—“

“Don’t you tell me to calm down, you’re analyzing my situation from an armchair! I need to speak with the Emperor now, you get me a line of communication with him or I’ll—“

“What situation Agent Derevko, do you need psychiatric help?”

“I need a hell of a lot more than that! Can you get me in touch with Xarkun?!”

“No.”

“Can I at least be given the clear to land at the palace?!”

“You outrank me, Agent Derevko, yes, I will arrange that you are ignored as you land.”

“If I outrank you then you better tell me right now why you won’t get me in touch with the Emperor!”

“Because he outranks both of us.”

Irena switched off the connection and flew her ship at full speed toward the Imperial Palace, she found a clear landing platform and exited her craft, heading to find the Emperor, no one stood in her way, and neither did knowledge. She knew exactly where he was.

Back channels. Untraceable, and useful. Not that it mattered anymore, but she was a spy, and anonymously conducting business was a weapon more powerful than anything. Anything. Save what she felt coursing through her veins now.

An image of Athrun sprang up on her personal communicator. A quiet gasp filtered through the audio devices, the crew was obviously surprised.

"Athrun," the former double agent addressed.

The admiral did not reply.

"I'm contacting you because of Caden. I don't know if he is still on the ship...." Irena trailed off. "Athrun, every Force damned thing that came out of his mouth was a blatant lie, everything, anything about morales. Athrun, remember when we last spoke? You agreed! Athrun...."

"Yes....I did agree.....and I still do. Even though I now know you're a spy, I still believe what you said." Athrun said, ignoring the shocked looks of the crew and Gladis.

"Then you know that the FA is full of false promises, they're terrorists. And you're sided with them. Caden was....... Caden was a fool. Listen, to me, every single one of you on that bridge. The time of the FA is coming to an end. Are you going to go down with it, and be remembered as criminals?"

From out the Athrun's view, and off to the side, Lord Xarkun smiled upon his new protégée. She was good.

"I will not go down with the vile FA. I now know what side is truly evil. From this moment on, I pledge my loyalty to the Empire." Athrun said, ignoring the shocked looks of the crew.

"Admiral, you can't be serious!" Gladis cried out. A few others cried that out as well. A second later, Athrun whipped out his blaster pistol and shot on of the crew members who disagreed in-between the eyes. "Any more disagreements?" Athrun asked, his blaster still out.

No one spoke up.

"Lord Xarkun, my emperor appreciates loyalty to his cause," said Irena with a slight smile. "Ever since I infiltrated your command ship, Admiral, I knew your morals were noble, and therefore you would never side with the Freedom Alliance. Their name is a disguise. You broke it. Have your fleet set a course for Coruscant. The Emperor will be pleased, he will board your ship himself, and grant you position in the Imperial Navy. Welcome, Athrun, to the service of the Galactic Empire. Irena Derevko out. We expect you within the next seven hours or so."

Irena ended the communication

(Forgot that)

Athrun turned to the crew. "Set a course for Coruscant. Tell the rest of the fleet to follow us. And if anyone of you even tries to inform any other FA loyalists about what has happened, then I will kill you. Once we reach Coruscant all FA loyalists shall be dealt with." Athrun threatened. The crew did as he said, knowing better than to stop the former FA admiral.

Ten minutes later, the entire fleet jumped into Hyperspace.

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