Project Compass 33
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This time: A trap must be dealt with.
Next time: Vah’nya and Eli stage a rescue.
-/
Warning alert for this chapter - violence related to torture and use of interrogation drugs.
-/
Ezra felt the subtle nudge of the Force pushing him forward, telling him to pay attention. Something had changed in that moment when Vah’nya’s fingertips glowed white and lightning arced through the interrogation room at her behest.
The disgraced mid-commander spoke as though possessed. Tanik gave everything from his instructions and plans to what he knew of the incoming forces waiting for them on the freighter set to deliver the uncovered “shipment.” He recalled every detail he could remember, then answered every question Vah’nya, Ar’alani, and even Ivant had asked him. He knew little of the Compass, other than that he was to take the freighter and bring it to the Compass when enemy forces had locked down the hangar upon their arrival.
The Admiral had seen the plans for what they were. “Their warship plans to take the Steadfast,” She said, and Tanik winced, finally tearing his gaze away from Vah’nya’s face.”
“There are explosives aboard the freighter,” Vanto speculated, to Tanik’s growing horror. “Either we surrender and they render us dead to rights or blow us out of the sky.”
“That’s not right,” Tanik interjected. “They wouldn’t-”
“No,” Vah’nya corrected, “We wouldn’t. But the Grysks,” She paused for emphasis, her gaze condemning, “And anyone who has been compromised by them - would.”
“You have the misfortune of being one of the few not so entrenched in their ranks to still be able to see it,” Ar’alani told him when Vah’nya stepped away and yielded to her authority. “Our people - loyal people - will die because of your mistakes in judgement.” She stepped into the room and released him from his bindings. “You will be tried for your transgressions,” She told him with the finality of a door being slammed shut. “But first, you will help us make this right.”
It wasn’t a question and yet the answer laid in Tanik’s response. “Yes, admiral,” Agreed Tanik.
Ezra could feel the regret, the hollowness, the embers of loyalty he held for Ar’alani, peeking through the gouges made in his prideful ignorance. Tanik was not a good being, of that Ezra was certain. But he did believe himself to be loyal to his people. He’d chosen the wrong side and was unwilling to die for his crimes. Clearly he was only truly committed to himself.
“You will not leave my sight,” The admiral said, indicating what must have been a concealed blaster at her hip. “If you deviate from our plan or disobey my orders, I will execute you myself.” Tanik gulped at that.
Ezra looked around at the collection of resolved faces. “Plan?” He asked, but pressed forward despite wincing at his own interruption. “You already have one? He just told us what was going on!”
Vanto nodded. “This isn’t our first rodeo,” He said in Basic, pointedly ignoring the younger man’s lack of decorum. Faro snorted and the admiral rolled her eyes, though Ezra wasn’t sure if Ar’alani had understood what he’d said. In Cheunh, he refocused them with a kindly phrased order, “Let’s get to the hangar and prepare for the first phase.”
The picture began to change in Ezra’s mind before they’d met a small task force inside the main hangar. He knew the Steadfast would be targeting the concealed Grysk warship Tanik had confirmed for them. The freighter’s arrival time could not be altered with - it would raise suspicion. Ar’alani sent Faro back to the bridge to prepare her vessel for combat as their group and the task force finished fanning out around a holoprojector.
There would be two theatres of combat.
The first would be the larger and more obvious maneuver Ezra had predicted: the Steadfast would tangle with both the Grysk warship and the renegade Compass if need be. Ar’alani outlined her plan without going into specifics, because this group was very clearly a part of the second, more intricate battle about to take place.
Ezra was reminded of that first time he had joined Ar’alani for combat, when he’d found himself face to face with Grysks for the first time. He bit back a shudder at the way the strange beings had felt, oily and icy and malevolent in the Force. Ar’alani was crisp and direct. She split the troops she’d selected into two teams, briefing each on their objectives. One would hold the hangar for the other to handle the crew aboard the freighter. Ezra fell into the group who would be going to the Compass. That didn’t particularly surprise him, though he felt a pang of concern for the Steadfast.
Ar’alani must have seen it on his face. She held his gaze for a moment, scrutinizing him. He bowed his head in deference and she moved on. “The second team will report to Ivant.”
The Captain stepped forward as Ar’alani inclined her head. “We have three objectives,” The holotable pulled up a multidimensional projection of the Compass, already flashing in three widespread areas. He indicated the first. “The enemy will have compromised the engine and shield systems. We also have to assume the hyperdrive will be rigged to implode the vessel utilizing a manual interface, though they may also employ a remote to keep things under control on the bridge.” He tapped the console and the route from the engine room to the hangar was illuminated. “The tech team-” Ezra looked to the group of six Chiss behind him when Vanto nodded to them. Clearly he had been a little too caught up in his own musings and missed some things, “Will deactivate the explosives and power down everything but life support.”
Another tap on the console changed the projection back to the overview of the warship. “The second team will be the strike force.” This time Vanto regarded the group on Ezra’s left, twelve more Chiss that looked well versed in combat if the way they held themselves was any indication. “They will reclaim the bridge.” His gaze was striking when it landed on Ezra and he stiffened to attention without thinking about it. “Bridger will accompany this group. We must take control of the bridge by any means necessary, so I don’t recommend keeping your weapons set for non-lethal damage.”
Vah’nya nodded. “Ivant and I will locate the Navigators, and free any captives we identify once the bridge team secures their objective.”
Seamlessly, the Captain continued, “We’ll need the bridge team in place to make sure we can neutralize any death-traps and minimize loss of life.” Ezra didn’t hear any hint of irritation or pain he’d felt from Ivant earlier. The Captain felt nearly serene, though Ezra supposed it was resolve and professionalism, but maybe Ivant had learned how to keep his cool from the Chiss and really was that calm. “Tanik suspects that they’ll be interrogating high level prisoners, which is consistent with what we know of the enemy’s tactics. The Navigators will likely be kept contained within a high security clearance area if not within the detention cells with the rest of the prisoners. Either way, we’ll neutralize the threat and get them out.”
A tall, thickly muscled Chiss took a step toward the holotable and waited for Vah’nya’s indication that he could speak. “You two should not go alone.”
“We’ll be fine,” Vah’nya assured. “We will not be alone for long.” She pursed her lips. “Our guest,” She indicated Tanik, “Has been so kind as to inform us that Senior Captain Khresh is still alive. He is one of our secondary objectives, but he will be able to assist us, or any of the other teams so long as he is relatively uninjured.” She turned and looked at the man standing behind her and almost shoulder-to-shoulder with the Admiral. Tanik flinched. Perhaps she saw some reasoning within that? Her gaze had looked especially predatory, from Ezra’s perspective. Though, perhaps there was something about Khresh being alive that was of value to Tanik. Everyone aboard the Steadfast knew that there had been bad blood between the two officers due to familial disputes. It was common knowledge and water-cooler gossip. Was the disgraced Chiss truly that petty?
Without waiting for permission, a woman’s voice rang out from one of the squads. “How are we so sure that the enemy transport won’t blow up in our faces? Certainly they’ll realize it’s a trap.”
At this, Ar’alani indicated her unrestrained but very captive prisoner. “Tanik was meant to detonate the ship remotely if there was an issue. However,” She nudged him forward by several millimeters, and he had enough shame to cast his gaze at the floor instead of meeting the accusing faces of his peers. Upon closer inspection, Ezra realized there was a remote in her hand. “It seems we caught on to his machinations before the ship was in range. Now, he will be assuring his comrades that all is well,” She regarded him with a false kindness that made Ezra gulp. “And in exchange, I will suggest that the Admiralty consider alternatives to execution.”
Angry murmurs suggested that the disgraced commander didn’t deserve such treatment, but Ar’alani did not back down and the muttering subsided quickly. “If there are no further questions, I suggest you study your datapads while we wait for the enemy to make their move. We will be arriving at the rendezvous shortly.”
-/
“Admiral, a moment.”
Ar’alani turned toward the person calling her. Ahead, a group of six officers - all armed - led an incarcerated Tanik toward the bridge to play his part in the proceedings. The Chiss woman rolled her shoulders back and down, regarding the human before her with serious eyes.
“The plan has progressed sooner than we imagined,” She said to him, one eyebrow rising in a silent challenge.
Ivant did not give her any. He merely inclined his head.
She read into what he did not say. “You have spoken to Vah’nya.”
“And canvassed the Jedi.”
“And?”
“Vah’nya has always been amenable.” He shifted his weight from left to right and crossed his arms. “Bridger won’t stay forever, but I don’t think he planned on leaving anytime soon. I was going to broach the subject in a more official capacity once this is all over.”
Considering the thought, she waved a hand before speaking as if to dismiss the point. The Jedi’s inclinations changed little. “Moreover, are you prepared for what you must do?”
“I am,” He said. “Do I have your blessing?”
“Yes, Eli’van’to,” She nodded, “You have it. I expect you’ve already submitted the paperwork.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Very good.” For a moment, her serene aloofness receded, and Eli was granted the sight of a genuine smile and intelligent eyes bright with concern. “You will only get one chance at this. Make your actions count.”
“I will,” He vowed. “Thank you, Admiral Ar’alani.”
“It has been my pleasure, Captain Eli’van’to.” A klaxon rang shrilly in the direction of the hangar. They both knew it was a precursory alarm, feeling the mild shift of the ship preparing to emerge from hyperspace travel. “And now, we must go.” She regarded him sharply.
“May warrior’s fortune be with you,” Said Eli, shifting to a formal salute, one hand pressed over his heart.
She mirrored the action: a rarely utilized token of respect from superior to subordinate, meant to indicate the superior officer regarded their subordinate to be their equal. “May it smile upon you as well,” She paused, and her reserved gaze held pride as she added, “Warrior of the Chiss Ascendancy.”
-/
The teams were prepared. Having been hand selected by Ar’alani meant that they were more than up to the task. Tanik had handled his portion according to plan, no doubt forced by the admiral to fulfill his intended role whether under duress or resigned agreement. The enemy was given clearance by the ‘temporarily re-instated’ Mid Commander, and the dozen elite troops instructed to hold the hangar moved swiftly, falling in with the infiltrators under the guise of being their support. A jammer and three signal dampeners later, the entire group - the nearly twenty Chiss intending to wreak havoc upon the Steadfast were neutralized. They had intended to fight, but Ar’alani’s strike force was well trained. It was hardly a battle.
The infiltration attempt was pitiful at best. Uncoordinated, but the potential for destruction was there. Had Tanik been able to allow them aboard the ship and given them access to offload their explosives - or worse, to detonate them - the Steadfast would have been compromised or even potentially blown from the sky.
It indicated deadly intent and dangerous potential. It couldn’t be allowed to stand.
“What should we do with the explosives aboard?” Ezra asked, poking his head into the ship’s cargo hold.
“Leave them,” Replied Eli. He waved his hand. “The Compass is already rigged for self-destruct protocol,” He explained. “Having them with us will be no more of a liability than it would’ve been to step foot in the Compass as is. Besides, we might need them later.”
The other human pulled an unhappy face but relented.
The captain shook his head ruefully as he steered Ezra in the direction of the helm. “We’ll be underway before you know it.”
Vah’nya waited for them in the cockpit, already cycling through her pre-flight checks. “Just waiting for Tanik to give them the all clear. After that, Ar’alani stalls and we jettison ourselves into the belly of the beast.”
“Good. The teams are standing by,” Ivant said.
It took another fourteen minutes for Tanik to transmit his codes and establish contact with enemy forces aboard the Compass, but the moment he was speaking, Vah’nya had let the ship hover off the deckplates and drift toward the two-way shield that separated the hangar from deep space.
No matter how many times he’d looked out at the stars, Ivant found he never got tired of it. Somehow the inky void had become a home, the endless expanse welcoming in its cold, familiar way. As he watched the capitol ship - his ship, the one his capture and escape from the Grysks had earned - replace the stars in the viewport, all sleek and gleaming and agile in the distance, he couldn’t help the sense of nostalgia that stole over him.
He hadn’t had the vessel for a long time, but it’d been a good ship. Unbroken in battle save for mild repairs, well travelled, and home to what had started out as a loyal crew. He drank in the sight of his first - and last - command and allowed himself a sigh. The ship wasn’t going to look like a vicious protector when they were through with it.
“Compass has engaged their tractor beam,” Vah’nya said softly. They hadn’t accounted for that.
“Damn,” Ivant said. His gaze drifted to the gaping maw of his ship’s hangar. It was smaller than the Steadfast’s, but it was still large. “They won’t have a large crew holding the ship. We’ll need to neutralize the hangar staff.” He rose, giving his ship one last, lingering view from the outside, and turned back to the main cabin.
The sound of troops checking blaster cartridges and adjusting their armor was loud when the hydraulic doors opened into the small galley area.
“Change of plans,” Ivant said, then threw a look over his shoulder at Ezra and jerked his head to indicate this involved him, too. “I know you all felt the jerk of the tractor beam. We need to secure the hangar. They’ll be working with a skeleton crew.”
The strike team seemed to confer amongst each other. “Captain,” Their leader said, “We can spare two to take hangar control. That should give us eyes and ears. Hopefully it will be enough to hold our position.”
Ivant nodded. “Alright Lieutenant Commander. Make the changes.” He inclined his head to Ezra. “Ezra will go with you to make sure things stay quiet. After the hangar is secure, we’ll move out.” Orders received, the troops began to shuffle about in the small open area, making their arrangements.
As they went back to check on Vah’nya in the cockpit, Ezra called out to Eli. “You’re awful sure about this,” He muttered. “There could be an entire army of traitors waiting for us in that hangar.”
“There won’t be,” Ivant vowed, confident. “They don’t have enough trustworthy staff for something like that. They probably don’t even have enough space to stow their prisoners. If I had to guess they’ve sealed everyone out with the blast doors and an override. The high value prisoners will be isolated in the brig.”
“And you’re sure?”
“Positive,” Said Ivant. He met Ezra’s gaze. “I have a bit of inside knowledge, remember?”
The Jedi did remember, Ivant could see it in his face, the way his features wrinkled and softened so quick it was almost like it hadn’t happened at all. The young man blinked, and his deep blue eyes shifted before losing some of their accusing nature. “I’m worried,” He admitted.
Ivant stopped in his tracks, taking the time to pat the young man’s back. “Me too,” He admitted, in Basic this time.
Ezra blinked at him in surprise. “You are?”
“That so hard to believe?” Eli’s voice was warm, curling with that Wild Space drawl. They paused in the tiny hall between the cockpit and galley. “Just because I’m confident in the plan doesn’t mean I haven’t considered its weak points. Thrawn’s out there itchin’ to get himself killed because he thinks it's going to save people and-”
“Wouldn’t it?” Ezra interrupted.
“Some,” The captain reckoned. But not all. There wasn’t a way to save everyone aboard the Compass, it had been too long since the infiltration and mutiny had occurred. Thrawn was acting to minimize casualties, but there was another way.
Some of the captain’s thought processes must have been transparent to Ezra, because he said, “He did it for the right reasons, even if he didn’t-” Ezra flushed. Of all those present when he’d come to in the sickbay, Ezra was the one who understood both what he said, and the context. The kid didn’t elaborate. He didn’t have to. “You know.”
Eyebrows rising in a gesture that was half furious, half conflicted - but not at Ezra, Eli’s gaze was far away when he replied, “Yeah, I know.” His lips didn’t quite make it to a smile, but the hand he placed on Ezra’s shoulder was grounding. Reaffirming. “Can you do something for me?” He asked, brandishing the tiny controller Ezra had seen in Ar’alani’s hands earlier, a small remote that blinked slow and sluggish, as if it were benign and not the key to their vessel’s destruction. “I think that if anyone will be able to tell when or even if we need to make this play, it will be you.”
The Jedi looked at it, recognizing the device for what it was. “Okay,” Ezra said, looking back up. His voice held resolve. He understood what was being asked of him. “I will.”
“Good,” Eli said. “I’m counting on you.”
-/
There was a pattern to the sounds coming from the next room, but Thrawn's mind couldn't quite make sense of it. Every bit of his body felt weighed down, his senses dampened and all sound muffled though he could not feel the weight of any device covering his ears. He attempted to open his eyes, but even the ultra-dimmed lights of this location - Where was he? - were overpowering to him. His eyes watered and burned, so he let them fall closed and relished the relief that the inside of his eyelids provided.
Voices. That was the first sound, the words indistinguishable from beneath his haze. There were two. One had the unmistakable intonation of a Chiss, and the other, more frequent speaker was…
Grysk. Thrawn did not panic when the memories did not come back to him immediately, his usually sharp recall failing to provide him with the details. Panicking was not something he did, even on the cusp of death. He knew with certainty that this situation was nowhere near that. The sound shifted, something like shuffling?
No, that was not right. It wasn't muted footsteps. Thrawn forced himself to focus on listening, keeping himself limp, eyes closed, completely still in his restraints. The sound became slightly clearer, though not by much. This sound was quieter than the first.
Breathing, he thought to himself. Heavy breaths, wet hiccoughs interspersed with sobs-
And then more screaming. Shrill, painful to his ears, which were about as sensitive as his eyes to the stimulation, the screaming carried on for a thirty second interval before the cycle repeated.
He should know who was screaming, he chastised himself by the third cycle, but it couldn't be helped. His thoughts were slurry from what he surmised to be a potent chemical cocktail in his bloodstream. This was obvious information. Obvious but not useful. He needed to formulate a plan.
What was the last thing he remembered?
That, it seemed, his mind could tell him. The Steadfast. He was in the hangar, and Eli had-
And then Thrawn had…
It all clicked into place painfully fast, adrenaline wiping away some of the drug induced stupor. Un'hee, he thought, wincing viscerally when the girl screamed again, hoarse and brokenly. He listened to the Grysk again, crooning in its native tongue, a language he knew Un'hee could understand. A language Thrawn did not, could only gather context from.
It was an interrogation, to say the least. That much he was sure of. An interrogation and an attempt to break her. A pause came in the enemy's questioning, and the Chiss with them - male, possibly the one he barely recalled from earlier - began to speak in Messe Calf, but Un'hee interrupted them.
"You will have to kill me," She said in Cheunh, her voice - a child’s voice - warped into a snarl even as she paused between words to gather breath. "I will tell you nothing. I will show you nothing."
“You will find,” The Grysk began menacingly, “You have little say in the matter.”
The cycle began again, with a sort of vehemence it did not have before. When it stopped, their captors realizing that Thrawn was again lucid enough for questioning, the Chiss captain was grateful. Grateful for anything that would take their captors’ attention away from Un’hee, if only for a little while.
They asked far fewer questions of him this time around, quickly growing tired of his rambling - it was an obvious attempt to pull their attention away from the tiny Navigator in the adjacent suite and they all knew it. He’d been dosed again before they returned to their torment of the Navigator, barely allowing enough time for Un’hee’s sobs to subside into wheezes.
“Who will cave first?” One of the Chiss asked, looking between them in the doorway. “Maybe instead you will break. The one who wants you,” They said, indicating Thrawn, “Might be grateful.” His voice bled with malice, yet remained light and apparently amused as the Grysk gave a trill of scratchy delight regarding the latter option. Thrawn could barely make out the words, his eyes feeling almost too heavy from whatever they’d given him to close them all the way. It made his eyes burn, but he could feel very little otherwise, his senses no longer overstimulated but feeling like they were cut off. He received the information they collected, but it simply… existed, indiscernible.
He struggled to focus on each blink, on his hearing. Those were the two most powerful senses he could retain at this moment. It was a losing battle, but just for a moment longer, perhaps he could-
There were more words being spoken. Threatening ones. Un’hee. Then the Grysk, in his language, shouting something Thrawn knew he did not understand. Un’hee spoke again, but the words were like trying to collect smoke with his bare hands.
Seconds later, his vision went white, flickering before the normal overhead lights attempted to turn back on. By the time anything could have shifted into focus, his sight had gone hazy and blurred beyond recognition, and the effort required to blink was impossible. He felt himself lose the ability to perceive anything at all, all traces of rational, conscious being fading away amidst a symphony of screaming.
