Jutraal


Rendar was not having a very good day. He stared at the man seated on a chair with a light shining brightly in his eyes. It was a simple effect but one that cast a pyschological isolation on the mind of the one being interrogated.

"Why would you hurt the Jedi?" Rendar asked quietly causing the man who was tied to the chair to flinch.

"I was helping the Jedi.." he began and Rendar sighed.

"You were helping someone infiltrate the Jedi. Don't you realize that by doing what you did, you put countless citizens at risk?"

"I was helping the Jedi Order! The one true.." the man began to spill out some half convoluted story that was only half correct historically speaking.

Rendar stopped the speech. "I am not going to debate the validity of the current incarnation of the Jedi as opposed to some off-world cult. If you believe them to be 'true', all well and good. I ask again, what has that to do with us? What intentions do they against us and the Empire?"

The man was obviously merely some middle-man gopher that paved the way for a higher up to take action, in this case, namely the infiltration of their Corps.

The Corpsman left the room and began walking down the hall passing the room his partner was in, getting the same question treatment which would prove just as annoyingly unsatisfying as the interrogation he just left.




*


The person being held in the isolation ward was something else altogether. There was a hint of power greater than any single Corpsman could bring to bear and this told Rendar that mischief was afoot.

But from what camp?

The Sith?

Rendar knew that it was only a matter of time before the Corps began to deal directly with (and against) the Sith in their efforts to keep them in line. But secret infiltration was not their way.

If the Sith had a problem, they'd have come with both lightsabers swinging.

No, was the unconscious person before him Shadow Jedi? Dark Jedi? or of the cultish Order found on Naboo?

Whatever the answer, the question the Empire would ask, is this the vanguard of an invasion?


And Rendar thought the day was going to be easy.


If the two mooks in the other interrogation rooms had given anything, it was a location. Rendar had seen the authorization to send a squad of stormtroopers backed by Corpsmen to investigate.

Their "investigation" bore fruit when they returned with an unconscious prisoner. A prisoner that they had surprisingly knew!

A newcomer wanting to be initiated into the ranks. And had gone through much of the process already!

Obviously their strictures would need to be tightened and Rendar sent a note to the appropriate channels to have that implimented at once.



Still, Jutraal was a hotbed of revolutionaries and insurrectionists. Even if they did manage to remain quiet most of the time and under the radar. Was this a free agent hired by such terrorists to sow trouble for the Imperial infrastructure?


There was just too many questions and not enough answers.


Rendar took another glance at the blood analysis of the unconscious man and shook his head.

This would require special treatment.


*


The room was prepared. Inside was a cell. Not a cell of electronic means but an older cell complete with solid bars. In the cell was a chair, a small bed, a table and facilities off to the side.

There were two cameras aimed at the cell and conceivably hidden recording devices as befitting a respectable holding facility.

Outside the cell, behind a small desk sat Rendar.

Inside the cell lay the unconscious man brought in by the investigators. He would be waking up soon.

The room had no windows and was a dull gray.

The room had a slight chill.


Rendar sat patiently for the other to awaken.

"Something has happened." Vodo said flatly.


The two other people in the room with him, both Jedi Masters, remained silent.

"I have lost contact with Silus. Our Force-bond has been severed." Vodo said, again his voice just as flat as before, as if he were speaking to the wall.

He was sitting on the floor, his triple-jointed legs brought up close to hsi body, his hoos obscuring his face as he sat deep in mediation. The power of the Force radiated from him like smoke as he used it to methodically search it for any trace of the lost Jedi Master. Insofar he was having little luck.

Leia Organa shifted where she stood. Traditionally the head of the entire Order, she had become more and more distant as time went on, mostly preferring obscurity rather than showing herself. She left the day-to-day operations in Vodo's hands.

Leia rarely attended Council sessions, leaving it to Vodo. As a result, most of the Jedi, including the council, looked to him for leadership, and saw him as their leader. It was not a position he relished.

The other Master, Katrin, finally spoke, "His last transmission was just received, he made it to Jutraal, and was trying to infiltrate the Jedi Corps."

Vodo nodded, "I know. But something must of happened to him."

"Vodo..." Leia's voice was so quiet he had to strain to hear her, "His last transmission did not indicate anything was wrong..."

Vodo looked up at her, "Something is, Leia. I know."

"How?" Katrin asked.

"Because I just do!" Vodo regretted the harshness of his tone even as he said the words.

Katrin fell silent again, as did Leia.

"I have to go to Jutraal and get him out. He has valuble information on this Jedi Corps that we need to make an informed decision." Vodo said.

Leia shifted unconfortably, "We need a strike team, Vodo."

Vodo shook his head, "Too risky. We can't have this thing escalated. A team of Jedi Masters busting out an Imperial prisoner would be bad, it could even be considered an act of war. I will go in quietly and get him out."

Leia sighed, as did Katrin. But Katrin spoke up, "Look... I know a guy from my days on Corellia during the old New Republic. He is a smuggler, but runs a legitimate merchant business."

Vodo laughed quietly, "A merchant, but also a smuggler?"

"He smuggles in illegal products to the world he is supplying with legan products. He makes a nice side business out of it." Katrin replied.

Vodo nodded, "How can he help me?"

"I can have him get you in. He is supplying foodstuffs to Jutraal, you could easily get in. I could even arrange an exit for you with him as well..."

Vodo smiled.



Present Day - Jutraal spaceport


Jutraal had once been a glorius world. The Jutraalian Empire had been one of the galaxy's most powerful governments, led by the brilliant Chadd Fearsons. Jutraal had been a teeming cultural center, augmented by lucrative trade and business oppertunities.

But now... the world was a diminished one.


Once the center of a great empire, it had become nothing more than an out-of-the way waypoint, but seething with rebellion and secretive groups. Sar had said that the Empire had created some new faction called the Jedi Corps to bring the world under complete control.

But the world still had a huge population base, of several million, if not billion, people. The world survived on imports as much as it did domestic production, and that meant many huge cargo haulers arrived each day to deliver important cargo.

Including food.

There were hundreds of thousands of huge containers that were littered around the spaceport docks, being unloaded by worker droids. Due to the sheer size of the place, it was not unreasonable that no one saw a small form jumping out of the cargo hauler, and making it's way silently and efficiently across the spaceport... toward the teeming city center...

Say hello.

Breathe in, breath out. In... out... in... out.

I'm still breathing... that means I'm still alive.

For now, Silus felt that was a good thing. It was better than the alternative.

Presumably.

Where was he? Captured, by the events of only a few hours ago. Or was it days? Silus wondered how much time had slipped past his fingers. More than he could afford, probably. More than he wanted.

He felt so tired... which was strange, considering his current state. Maybe it was the lack of sleep catching up to him.

All that work, and I was still captured, Silus thought grimly. If he had known he would eventually end up wherever 'here' was no matter what precautions he took, he would have found the time to get some rest.

Then again, he probably had all the time in the world now.

"Hello, world," he mumbled, opening his eyes slowly. He looked around his surroundings and chuckled softly.

A cell. Should have expected that.

Silus shivered from the cold in the cell. They least they could do was make it comfortable.

He was their prisoner after all.

Prisoner... Silus let that word sink in, thought about what that meant. Had he been betrayed? Or had they grown suspicious of his activities?

You can't trust anyone these days, he thought with a small smile.

How long before the Jedi Order began to suspect what had happened? It could be days, weeks. And even if they did find out, would they do anything? Silus had little friends in the Order.

Was saving him a risk they were willing to take?

Was it a risk he was willing to let them take?

The answer in his mind was "no." If he was going to have any chance of escaping, he was going to rely on himself.

"I suppose," Silus said to the men standing just outside the cell, "You have some questions for me?"

Rendar had fallen asleep at his desk missing the guard change. And so, while he snored blissfully, the guard stood straight wondering at times during his watch if the Corpsman was merely testing his alertness.

The guard nearly jumped when a voice from the holding cell intruded.


"I suppose you have some questions for me?"


Rendar cracked an eye open as the guard turned to the prisoner in confusion.


"I.." he started to reply when Rendar's voice brought him back to reality.


"Go report that the prisoner is awake, soldier." Rendar's voice was not overly harsh but it was authorative. The guard responded immediately.


Rendar stifled a yawn and learned forward towards his desk placing his elbows on top.

"I suppose," the Corpsman began, "my first question would be to ask why you're wasting my time (and the Corps' time) by pretending to want to join?"


An innocuous question to be sure.