Battlefront II, page 18
Iden forced herself to watch as Azen and Ru stepped forward, picking up the stormtrooper’s body between them and half carrying, half dragging him out of the cave. She wondered if anyone was going to clean up the blood and vomit. Even as she had the thought, Kaev and Nadrine entered with buckets of water and cloths.
Iden couldn’t help it. She looked away. The Mentor sat with her for a moment longer, then excused himself. “I’ll be in the sleeping cavern if you want to talk, Iden. Or practice some more.”
“Sure looks like I need it,” Iden said. What Staven had done had been intended to shock her, to catch her off guard, and she was angry with herself that she had let the ploy work.
“You’ll be fine. I have absolute faith in you.” He patted her shoulder comfortingly, then rose and left. Dahna, leaning against the cave entrance, watched him go, then turned to look at Iden. She seemed to make up her mind about something and strode forward, sitting on the flattened rock beside the admiral’s daughter.
“Bet you miss the feel of a blaster in your hand,” Dahna said.
Iden looked at her in surprise. “You read my mind,” she said.
Dahna chuckled warmly. “No need for that. Our ways take some getting used to, and to be honest, that was a dirty trick Staven pulled on you.”
“Thanks,” Iden said uncertainly. “But it sounds like this has happened before, if you have a ‘usual place’ to put bodies.”
“It has,” the Twi’lek said. “We have scavengers here—big ones. We call them Crunchers. They’re like big rodents—and I mean big—and they’ll eat anything, and all of it. They’ll take off what we can use of the trooper’s armor and leave the rest for the Crunchers.”
Which meant that the armor Iden would next be mending and cleaning would be the trooper’s. Everything about this was ghoulish. She couldn’t think of anything to say to that.
Dahna smiled kindly. “I know this is hard for you. These people used to be allies. But they aren’t, and I believe you understand that. You’ll get used to it, but until the Empire is overthrown, it has to be done. Come on. Let’s go shoot something.”
A quick ride in a speeder took them to an open area with scattered boulders and the occasional lone tree. Some of the boulders obviously had been part of much larger ones at one time, and the black scoring on them told Iden that this was a popular site for target practice. Iden took the blaster that Dahna handed her. It was an older model but well maintained, and it could kill just as efficiently as a newer one.
“You’re letting me shoot. Thanks,” Iden said. Both women knew that there was a chance Iden would simply use the blaster on Dahna, and Iden appreciated the trust. “Now I just need to get Staven to let me pilot.”
“You sound like Gid,” Dahna said, casually flipping off the safety of her own blaster. “Never saw a young man so in love with the sky. Staven’s taken quite a shine to him.”
Iden was pleased that Staven had finally agreed to test Gideon’s piloting skills. While she was better than her friend, she knew Gideon was superb. They were TIE-fighter pilots: They had to be. She knew Gideon must miss being at the controls as much as she did, and she was glad he was getting the chance to fly again.
“Watch my pattern and duplicate it,” Dahna said. Casually, her blaster on minimum power so as not to reduce her targets to rubble, the Twi’lek took aim and fired seven times in what seemed like a random pattern, even whirling around after the fourth blast to shoot at boulders that were behind them. Iden watched like a shirrhawk. It felt good to drop into that place of laserlike focus. To not think about a stormtrooper being beaten to death for protecting a warehouse, or gigantic ratlike creatures devouring his remains. To not worry about letting some damning truth slip accidentally. She liked her world when it was just target, weapon, and her.
“Your turn,” Dahna said, bringing Iden back into the present, where every word was a potential grenade.
Iden nodded. “Good for Gid,” she said as she aimed her blaster. “After this last fiasco I’m beginning to think that the only way I can get on Staven’s good side is to single-handedly take down the Emperor.”
She emulated Dahna, hitting the boulders in the precise order demonstrated.
“Good shooting,” Dahna said, the words casual although the Twi’lek was clearly impressed. “I think if you did get a shot at the Emperor, you just might be able to take him down. And don’t be too hard on Staven. He’ll come around. Now—see that cluster of trees?”
Iden saw some burned trunks that were on their last legs—or maybe their last roots. “If you want to call them that, yes,” she replied. These were much further off, and Dahna switched out her handheld blaster for a rifle.
“There’s seven of them, total. Some are harder to see than the others. Again, memorize my order.” Dahna fired, then handed over the rifle.
And again, Iden completed the exercise perfectly. Unlike Seyn or Del, or even Gideon, she didn’t have to pretend to be less experienced than she actually was. The Dreamers knew her reputation, and now all that skill and training was on their side—or so they thought.
She and Dahna had turned one of the trees into nothing more than kindling by the time they were done. “How long have you been with the Dreamers?” Iden asked. She figured she had plenty of time to ask innocent-sounding questions and, hopefully, get a lead on which Dreamer was the one with the intel.
And while it wasn’t flying, it felt glorious to be shooting a weapon again.
“The whole group is new,” Dahna said. She holstered her blaster and began walking, waving for Iden to follow her. They were heading toward another cluster of boulders. “We were bits and pieces of other groups. After Saw’s death, we…kind of crumpled. Some went off on solo missions that were really just suicide-by-stormtrooper. Others disappeared—maybe turning themselves in.”
Like Bokk, Iden thought, but did not say.
“Staven and the Mentor connected, somehow. They won’t even tell us. They’re a strange pair, but they loved Saw, and they love liberty, and they hate the Empire. Staven’s the boss, but he values the Mentor. We’re doing things now that the old partisans never could do. And I am so glad to be a part of it.” She glanced over at Iden. “And I’m glad you’re here, too, Iden. To see someone who was once so deep in the Empire’s heart and know she understands…you’re going to inspire a lot of people. And you’ll make a difference. But first…we’re going to try to shoot each other.”
Iden’s body grew taut. Then Dahna laughed. “I’m just joking!” she said. “I just want to test your reflexes. We’re going to use these boulders for cover and fire at each other. First one to get stunned loses. And,” she added, “do make sure your blaster isn’t on kill.”
—
When she and the Twi’lek returned about an hour later, the bloodstains on the stone cavern floor were gone. Staven and Gideon had returned, and the Dreamer leader looked much more relaxed. He even nodded politely to Iden as she entered.
“Your codes,” he said. “We’re going to try them next trip.”
Iden blinked in surprise. “Great. I hope they haven’t been changed. It’s been four days.”
Staven scowled. “Yeah. That one’s on me.” Gideon was indeed being a good influence; that was as close to an apology as Iden thought she’d ever get from the blue-haired young man.
“Some of us are going on a supply run later this afternoon. You’re welcome to come if you like,” Dahna said as Iden reached for a bottle and filled it from a water container. “We’re going over to the sun side. Might be a nice change for you.”
Iden was about to open her mouth to agree when Del’s droid, which had been hovering beside Gideon, turned its red photoreceptor in her direction. Slowly, it “blinked” three times as it looked directly at her.
Del’s words came back to her: I’m trying to make sure this little guy can help out in all kinds of ways!
“Thanks for the invitation, Dahna, but I think I’ll try to go find the Mentor. Anyone know where he is?” If he was onsite, she’d talk to him briefly, then go for a “run” and get somewhere safe to talk to Del through the droid. If not, she could go “look” for the Mentor.
“He went off a while ago,” Kaev said as he entered and headed straight for the food alcove. “He does that a lot. Never sure where he goes, just says that he has to go sort out his his thoughts.”
Convenient. “Staven…you’re right. I need more practice.”
He looked as surprised at her words as she doubtless had earlier, then he nodded. “Good,” was all he said.
The droid floated out of the cavern. “And off it goes back to Del,” Gideon said. “I’m jealous of him and that little contraption. He needs to make me one.”
“He needs to make all of us one,” Iden said, then left.
Seyn was in the common sleeping cavern and looked up when Iden entered. “Are you all right?” Seyn asked quietly.
“Are you?” Iden replied.
“Staven likes to shock. We should expect things like this from now on.” As Seyn spoke, the droid entered, humming. “Oh good, finally. Give your comlink to the droid. Del has installed a second button and a second channel for us.” She filled Iden in on the security around this method of communication while the droid went to work.
Iden clicked the second button and as instructed, said, “Del?”
“Clear,” Del’s warm voice replied, and the two women exchanged relieved glances.
“You’re brilliant, Del,” Iden said.
“Remember you said that when we finally get debriefed,” Del said. “The three of us have been in communication for a while via this channel. Gid’s still with Staven, but since no one questions our talking privately together I can catch him up later. Captain, I know you have things to share with us, but I think Seyn’s got the most pressing concern.”
Curious, Iden looked at Seyn.
With a somberness that belied her young features, Seyn stated, “I recognized Azen Novaren. He’s an Imperial agent. His real name is Lar Kantayan.”
Stunned, Iden managed, “Did he recognize you, too?”
“We’ve never met or worked together. I’m lucky that at one point his file crossed my desk, and I took a brief look at it. I wished I’d seen more, but I can tell you what I know.”
Iden was profoundly grateful for Seyn’s eidetic memory as the former NavInt agent continued. “He was a less than stellar ISB agent. He had a couple of formal censures, and there was talk of termination.” She didn’t elaborate as to what type of “termination” had been discussed. “You will recall your father said that there had been an attempt to infiltrate the partisans before. That was Lars Kantayan—though I guess we should call him Azen Novaren now. He and Staven have worked together before—but Novaren was acting as our agent. ISB recalled him, which is why he and Staven hadn’t seen each other in a couple of years. Novaren was reassigned to Vardos.”
“Vardos?” Iden asked. “Why Vardos?”
“It was definitely a demotion. The Empire always likes to keep an eye on things, and there were apparently rumors that Gleb might not be as trustworthy as one would like—skimming off the top, making her own deals, that sort of thing. The document didn’t go into specifics, and investigations like this happen all the time. However, because it was Vardos, Admiral Versio was not informed that she was under investigation.”
Iden rubbed her eyes. “One hand didn’t know what the other hand was doing then. All right, so he was reassigned to Vardos, and my father didn’t know. But why did Azen bring me here? Would they have reassigned him?”
“No,” Seyn said firmly. “Not back to the partisans with that kind of record.”
“So he’s acting on his own.”
“In my opinion, yes. From what we’ve heard here, he and Staven were in contact while he was on Vardos. He knew Staven was looking for a mouthpiece, and then you appeared.”
“Is he acting as a partisan or as an Imperial agent?” There was silence, from both Del and Seyn. “Let me rephrase that. Seyn, what would be your best guess?”
“It’s hard to tell. He wasn’t pulled out because anyone felt he was becoming a true believer, but rather that he wasn’t accomplishing anything. My best guess would be that he’s either become a double agent, or he’s trying to get back into ISB’s good graces by handing them a real coup.”
“The last true leader of the partisans, me, and whoever the Mentor is,” Iden said.
“The Mentor?” It was Del. “What about him?”
“That can wait, but essentially, I have reason to believe that once he was a public figure of some note. I’ll have plenty of one-on-one time with him to see what else I can get him to tell me. I do know that, like Staven, he worked with Saw early on, and knew and respected Saw’s sister, Steela.”
“Gid said that the Mentor’s goddaughter was involved with the partisans—and that Staven was in love with her,” Del offered.
“That’s…a pretty major connection,” Iden said. “They seem so different, Staven and the Mentor. On so many levels. Dahna says that the two of them formed the Dreamers together. They’ve both got ties not to just Saw but to each other. They’re both determined to honor his memory by destroying the Empire. I had suspected that he or Staven would be our target—but now I have to wonder if our leak is Azen. He’s the only one we know for certain once had access to classified Imperial information.”
“I’d agree about Azen, and I’m surprised to hear about the Mentor. I didn’t recognize him,” Seyn said. She looked annoyed.
“Seyn, you can’t have seen pictures of everyone in the known galaxy,” Iden said. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure all that out later. Right now, what I want to know is, is Azen going to be a problem? Does he suspect us?”
“I think he would have let us know if he did,” Seyn said.
“No wonder he searched me so carefully,” Iden said. “He was trying to find out if I was acting on behalf of the Empire. That certainly would have thrown a wrench into the works. Good to know my cover passed an ISB agent’s inspection. Del, any way you can set up a bug on him?”
There was a silence, then he said, “I can try. But if the partisans are paranoid and double-check everything, you can bet that a double agent would be worse. It’d be awfully risky, and if he found out about us—”
“We can’t let that happen,” Iden interrupted. The thought of being at Azen’s mercy, or revealing anything about what they were doing—no. Inferno Squad had a purpose far beyond one man’s greed, and there was no way to tell where his loyalty really lay. If he had any at all. “Dammit. This was the last thing we needed. We don’t have time to play a long game against two enemies.”
“So, what do we do?” asked Del.
Seyn hesitated, then said, “My instincts say we can’t trust him. The reason he was given black marks were, and I quote, ‘agent failed to provide sufficient support for fellow operatives.’ I think if he finds out about Inferno Squad’s mission he’d use us to get the intel for himself, then turn us over to Staven right away even if he isn’t a double agent. He won’t want us stealing his thunder if or when he betrays the Dreamers.
“If you were working with him in the field, would you trust him? And if you were his superior, would you send him out in the field again?”
“No. To both. Not in a million years.”
“Del?”
“I don’t have Seyn’s insight, but I certainly don’t like him. Gideon says he’d like to punch him, but while that would be entertaining I don’t think that would help.”
Iden smiled a little. Del always knew what to say and when. “I’m with you all. I hate to say this about a fellow Imperial, but I don’t trust him. And we can’t risk this mission.”
“What are your orders, Captain?” Del asked. Seyn looked at Iden expectantly.
“We have to find out if he’s our leak, and recover what we were sent here to find if so. Regardless…we take him down. And here’s how we’re going to do it.”
Seyn was impatient as she returned to the main cavern. It was a new sensation for her. Since her graduation from the Academy and even before, she had been capable of deep focus for extended periods of time. While she had heard some of the others complain about how much they disliked “living in half-light” all the time, Seyn didn’t mind this aspect of the mission. She had spent almost all her time in a small room, alone with the comfortable glow of computer screens.
Then, her role had been passive: a translator, an observer. But now she was interacting, and in ways quite different from those she had anticipated.
The subject of one of those ways was waiting for her, his strong, chiseled features drawn with worry. Sadori had noticed her reaction to the stormtrooper’s murder, and they had talked about it a little bit, but he was still concerned about how she might be feeling. It was touching, and strange, and Seyn was conflicted.
If she was smaller and looked younger than her age, then Sadori was the opposite. Well built and graceful, he looked older than Kaev, who had four years on him. The Kage in general were regarded as uncommonly beautiful among humans and near-humans, and Sadori was a fine example of that. How was it that this kind young man, who was so fierce when he fought and so gentle when he did not, found it so easy to reconcile the level of violence that the Dreamers advocated?
“Are you all right, Seyn?” he asked solicitously.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ve had some time to think.” To remind herself of why she was there, and to have a new goal to focus on. “Sometimes hard choices are necessary ones. Is this something you had to learn, too?”
“My people are born into lives of deprivation,” he said. “I knew how to fight almost before I knew how to walk.” The fighting ability of the Kage Warriors, it was said, sometimes evoked comparisons to the Jedi. They were physically powerful and phenomenally agile. “We’ve fought together as a team—well, forever.”
“Does your family still go on missions together?” Seyn inquired. As she listened to the response, which could be valuable, she also listened to conversations going on in other tongues.
