Surveillance Agent Ayton Cherg
"That was a mess." I grumbled, wishing the intensity of my gaze could burn through transparisteel. A one-way mirror sat between me and the interrogation room beyond, hiding me from sight of the interrogator and interrogatee. There was the clink of glass behind me, drawing my attention back into the dim observation room. Another man, adorned in a black uniform as a counter to my white set down a cup and saucer.
"He is either well trained, a madman, or telling the complete truth." The man said, sounding almost amused at the prospect. He was a supervisor from the Interrogation department, here to oversee the interrogation of Rivejer Tullius alongside me.
I let my frown deepen at his words.
"How often is the latter the case?" I wondered aloud, my tone cold. The "interrogation", if it could even be called such, went exceptionally smoothly. There was limited to no resistance from the subject, which ordinarily would be a cause for concern. Except, in the case of Tullius, my peers approached him from a completely different angle.
No enhanced interrogation techniques; torture. Instead, they pumped him full of every drug we had available to leave him so doped out of his mind that he could not even conceive of telling a lie. Inordinately expensive and liable to get you nothing actionable from the subject. The concept of a guilty plea was meaningless in these halls, but the reports from Tullius were… nonsensical.
The door to the room opened and the interrogator stepped in. A burly man in an ill-fitting tunic looking distinctly upset about something.
"Worthless." He bemoaned, "Utterly worthless. Can't I roll out a little incentivization? Just enough to keep him focused; nothing permanent."
"No." I said immediately, frowning at the man. He scowled, but turned his attention from me to his supervisor. The other man sighed.
"We can't torture him. Orders from up above, though if this interrogation is anything to go by he may well have friends in high places."
"Please." The interrogator said with a scoff, turning to face the viewscreen, "Let's stop pretending that this Tullius is some normal rank-and-file officer. He is either well trained or a lunatic."
"You don't think he's telling the truth?" I asked, fighting down a wry smirk as the interrogator nearly parroted his superior.
"I would be very worried if he was. No, there is something wrong with the subject. He has evidence of three different combat stims in his body; only one of which he would have been approved to take."
"So he is an addict with a predilection to bend regulations to source his fix. So does Grand Admiral Takel, why does that matter?" I asked, finding my chair as the interrogator began to pace around the room.
"I am trying to build a profile of the subject and there are a lot of contradictions. He clearly abuses stimulants, but beyond a recent shoulder wound and a scar on his right forearm there are no signs he ever went through intensive training."
"Surgery would wipe that away." I pointed out.
"Maybe skin-deep, but not in his muscles or bone structure. Even Army Special Mission units get some modifications. The subject? Nothing, or nothing I recognize in any case. There is nothing I could find that should make him able to resist the drug cocktail in his veins right now. So, he is either telling the truth, or…"
"He's utterly insane. Could the stimulants be affecting the cocktail?" I asked.
"Yeah, if he took all three today and we only just started." The interrogator scoffed, "After the first emotional breakdown, I felt it was safe to assume they were working as intended. On a positive note, I know more about crustacean fishing on Naboo than I did yesterday."
"That's nice. Always wanted to retire to a water world." The interrogator supervisor noted mildly.
"Can we prove anything he said?" I asked, ignoring the lazing officer to focus on his subordinate. The man let out a bark of laughter, lifting his datapad.
"Well, Grand Admiral Teshik is alive so maybe that was true. The rest of this? Fighting reptilian alien invaders alongside rebels, the only description of which the subject could give was that they were 'not Trandoshans'? Being press-ganged into a cabal of radical Imperials by one Grand Moff Randd, before then escaping them unscathed? My personal favorite: entering a system just before a massive slave rebellion, which ended in a Super Star Destroyer crashing into the offending planet. The subject spent fifteen minutes stuck on that part: how he 'didn't order them to do that' but how it was 'all my fault that they did that'. The subject's head is a mess, though I can't tell if that's intentional or not."
I let out a long, drawn-out sigh as I looked at my datapad. It held a copy of everything Tullius had said, no matter how meaningless or nonsensical it all was.
"I still need to report this." I announced, getting up and patting down my tunic. "Keep prodding him, maybe something else will come up."
Surveillance Chief Dalton Marr
"Sir, Agent Ayton Cherg is here to see you." A voice droned from the small speaker on my desk. I paused my writing to glance at it before turning my gaze to the chronometer on my wrist. I gave a sniff before sitting up straight and depressing a button so as to speak.
"Send him in."
"Yes, sir." The communication closed and a heartbeat later the door to my office opened. A well-dressed officer entered, one I was passingly familiar with. Though I was doubtful I had ever spoken to them.
"Agent Cherg, I assume this is important if you did not schedule this meeting beforehand?" I asked, making my displeasure obvious with my tone. The man did not flinch, though that was not unexpected. If an officer of this department were intimidated by a sour tone then they would be a poor fit for our organisation. Still, I hoped my voice impressed upon him the depth of my annoyance.
"Chief, I just left the interrogation of one Rivejer Tullius. I came to deliver my report personally."
"Why, Agent Cherg, would this interrogation of all the ones currently ongoing in this compound be important to me?"
"It's nature, sir. We were specifically ordered not to employ more enhanced interrogation tactics. What's more, the outcome of the interrogation. The results we obtained from Tullius were… nonsensical."
"As interrogations entirely reliant on drugging the subject tend to be." I muttered, but accepted the offered datapad all the same, "Who approved this-"
I paused, my eyes gliding over the report before reaching a series of names: Paret, N'zoth, and Weblin. Those were familiar, though not in the same vague sense as Randd. Paret and Weblin had been marked as potential avenues of concern: Paret for his ambition and Weblin for his paranoia. The former was typical in the admiralty and he had been positioned for that reason by the ISB. Weblin, on the other hand? The man was obsessed with the idea that another war was coming and that he would need to protect Praxlis to the bitter end. The rebellion of the Yevethans was hardly a surprise - indeed, I had always believed it was inevitable, despite the beliefs of my peers! - yet the Yevethan threat was decapitated at the source: Paret was dead and his flagship became the instrument by which the Yevethans were dealt with and Weblin was rendered isolated and alone by what remained of that species. All of this tied to the same man, the same lowly Captain.
It became clear to me, whoever this man was: he was mocking me. He was playing Interrogation for fools - what else was new? - and using his so-called state as a cover to reveal his involvement in the destruction of an ISB scheme! This… Tullius?
Tullius. Where had I heard that name? I cast my mind back and eventually it occurred to me. Teshik. Grand Admiral Teshik had returned and made mention of a "Tullius" being involved at Endor. The specifics escaped me, but that name was mentioned. Paired with Tullius's claim as having 'saved' Teshik… but the rest? Unbelievable. Grand Moff Randd would certainly have complained if he was attacked on his own station, the man was still active in the political scene!
No, the more I thought on the matter the more sense it made. Il-Raz had COMPNOR, Syn had the Church of the Dark Side and everyone knew Tigellinus had his fingers in the Coalition for Progress. It stood to reason that Teshik had his own agents and who better than one he personally fabricated and could make a hero, conveniently timed to inject into the current Imperial political sphere?
No, the truth was there was no Rivejer Tullius - he didn't exist. The man in that interrogation room was an agent, a plant. Fleet Intelligence? Who was under Teshik's influence? I could already imagine it - starting with the complete change in Teshik's personality since Endor and the death of the Emperor.
The Emperor dies and Teshik realizes he needs to save his reputation in the aftermath of that horrific failure. So he fabricates an Imperial hero to 'save' him during the battle and show him the qualities of being a 'merciful officer', or whatever rot Teshik would claim once 'Tullius' was active. Teshik uplifts this tool and raises his standing as well due to his association. This 'Tullius' waited in the wings for a time, until they were sure the Yevethan uprising had begun. Then 'Tullius' sweeps in, saves the day, destroys an ISB plot and returns to the Core a hero…
Then, why target Paret? Why involve themselves in N'zoth at all? It could just be a show of force - that Teshik knew about ISB schemes and could destroy them at his whim - or… Or he wanted us to notice. To act too quickly, too hastily. To arrest 'Tullius' as a show of ISB paranoia and incompetence; arresting a hero that stopped a slave rebellion.
Of course, all of this makes many assumptions… but I did not get this far by being cautious. I needed to report this.
I glanced up, spotting movement in my peripheral vision. The Agent was shuffling, appearing perturbed - my extended silence was making him nervous. I sniffed, setting the datapad down and leaning back in my seat.
"I will go over your report, Agent. Who approved the methods for the interrogation?"
"They came from Director Hanlan, sir."
Director Wilk Hanlan. Internal Affairs and he had a seat on the ISB Directory Board. The entire point of Internal Affairs was to focus on ISB internal issues. In what galaxy did he have the authority to make decisions on how Interrogation handled their operations? Without needing approval from my superiors or those of our Interrogation comrades?
Something reeked of a cover up and it led to the office of Internal Affairs.
Deputy Director Baren Nils
Any day that Dalton Marr was standing in my office was a bad one. The man was a decent administrator but a decidedly poor agent. His career was crack-pot conspiracy theory stacked on crack-pot conspiracy theory, spanning back nearly two decades. Ordinarily, I would offer him some platitudes and send him on his way with a team of bored desk jockeys until the next unexplained happening caught his attention.
Unfortunately, today Dalton Marr had managed to accidentally stumble onto something important.
"-clearly a sign of Navy Intelligence and the Grand Admiralty cooperating against the best interests of the ISB. No, the Empire itself." He was ranting at me. For a man so utterly detached from reality, Marr had a knack for sounding composed and utterly sure of himself. It was what made him such an effective leader in the administrative sections; he could talk solutions into reality.
"Admiral Paret was - and always has been - a low-priority asset. His death means nothing more to us than the death of any other no-name, middle-of-nowhere Admiral." I tried explaining this in simple terms, using simple words.
"Sir, it's a message. A declaration of war; a shot across the bow!" Marr was stuck on this, gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke.
A message? Yeah, it's a message: to me. That I should have kicked you to some Hutt-space border world ten years ago.
"If you are done being metaphorical, Chief." I drawled, looking back down at my work with a renewed eagerness. "Now, is there something else?"
The death of Paret was a minor issue - one unwitting agent of the ISB dead was worth a report to my superior at the very least. Unfortunately, the powers above me were very busy as of late - plotting and murdering each other in a desperate bid to control COMPNOR. His death would become ammunition in their unending war.
"Teshik is laughing at us! It's all in my report, sir. The truth is buried under layers and layers of lies. Saving Teshik? Fighting Randd? Encountering these so-called 'Ssi-Ruuk'? A cover to obfuscate-" The man continued, but my hand stilled. I did my level best not to appear interested as I took the moment to collect my thoughts. The name, Ssi-Ruuk. That was known to me. Clandestine, very secretive - few people in the ISB were aware of the Ssi-Ruuk due to the nature of its relationship with the Empire. Selling Imperial worlds to the Hutts would have seen the military rebel on principle; to aliens that utilized mass ritualistic suicide? Of course, that relied on the military finding out in a public and obvious manner, but the point stood. Many in the Empire upper echelons would be furious at the very notion of bowing down to the whims of these extragalactic savages. I knew little of what the Emperor was getting out of that relationship, but them attacking an Imperial world outside their allotted territory?
"Let me see that." I interrupted Marr, snapping my fingers and signalling him over. Marr's mood seemed to lighten immediately, evidently believing I supported whatever insane tangent he went on. I paid the man's continued rambling little heed as I poured over the report. Moving through the less important bits, focusing in on the aspect about the Ssi-Ruuk.
I would need to file this with my superior… both of them.
I glanced up, reminding myself that I was not without an audience. The chief's babbling had subsided now, leaving the man looking particularly pleased with himself. I poured over what he had said in my half-listening state but, failing to find anything of importance, moved forward.
"I will see that this is forwarded to the appropriate organisations, Chief. That will be all."
I waited for a minute after the Chief left to make my way to the highest offices of the compound. Security grew tighter and the throng of staff grew smaller still - armed officers of the ISB's security wing soon became the greatest presence of staff in the hallways. The scrutiny with which my credentials were reviewed increased exponentially. This was more than the usual ISB paranoia, which had always been prevalent even before the Emperor's death. A silent war was being fought at every level of the Imperial government, almost as dangerous as the very real civil war brewing beyond the Core. The Central Committee had been in a state of chaos for weeks now since our leader, Sollaine, was mysteriously found dead. The Grand Vizier had selected a replacement, but it became apparent that the new Central Commander was chosen for his loyalty rather than his ability to keep the organisation together. Another chairman had already been killed and now the different arms of the ISB were becoming more and more detached. Thankfully, it was only officers for now - the separate organisations were remaining unified, but without decisive action the ISB would shatter.
The issues of the ISB were merely a microcosm of the greater COMPNOR civil war. Between the wave of assassinations between Imperial Intelligence and COMPNOR, as well as the vacuum left with the disappearance of Grand Admiral Il-Raz, it was a wonder we were functioning at all.
Unfortunately, I reported directly to the new Central Commander - Gredar Jabaas. A Coruscanti native, who spent as much time in the customary robes as he did a uniform. Of the many members of the Central Committee, the former sub-director of Internal Affairs was the last I expected to ascend to that position.
The last set of guards made way for me and I finally entered the office of my superior. It was an ostentatious affair, though it was readily apparent that Jabaas lacked the flair for cruelty his predecessor had. The office was devoid of Sollaine's usual instruments, replaced by plaques and paintings of a more civilized taste. Jabaas attempted to present a face of civility and placidity, showcasing some degree of intelligence hidden behind the subservience to the Ruling Council.
Jabaas was a tall man - thin with gangling limbs. His once-striking red hair was now dull, streaked with grey and kept short. He was adorned in the white uniform of his office, though I suspected his quarters a short walk from this room were filled with the ostentatious robes of a Coruscanti aristocrat.
"Yes, what is it?" Jabaas demanded, scarcely looking up from his work for a moment to recognize my arrival, dour eyes remaining on his datapad. There was a certain sense of irony, that I now stood where the Chief did.
"Sir, there is a situation unfolding in the Outer Rim, regarding the Ssi-Ruuk problem." I reported immediately. Jabaas did not pause his typing, muttering under his breath.
"A problem in the Outer Rim… Always a problem in the Outer Rim…" Silence followed his words, stretching on for nearly a minute before he spoke again: "Continue."
"The Ssi-Ruuk, one of the alien empires beyond the borders of the known galaxy, attacked an Imperial loyalist world - Bakura. I suspect this is the prelude of additional attacks from beyond our borders."
Another avenue of focus for the Empire. Already, orders beyond the Core were being ignored - some officers and governors pretended to listen, others were more overt with the warlordism.
"I know what the Ssi-Ruuk are, Nils. The issue is of a low priority. Who reported this?"
"Agents intercepted and interrogated a Rivejer Tullius, formerly a Captain of Arrowhead Command."
"Arrowhead Command?" Jabaas muttered, finally pausing his typing. He shook his head and looked up at me, "I will not waste any more thought of the potential threats of distant aliens, when there are far more local problems to contend with. Like Arrowhead Command. Have we retrieved everything of value from him?"
"Preliminary reports indicate yes, but I wish to hold him for a little while longer. Interrogation applied only non-enhanced forms of information gathering."
"Non-enhanced?" Jabaas repeated.
"Torture-"
"I know what that is, Nils." Jabaas interrupted me, "Our comrades in Interrogation have never been shy with judicial application of their techniques."
"There were orders against it, the report indicates."
"Orders? Who approved them?" Now there was interest in Jabaas's eyes.
"The Central Committee, no member was specified." Jabaas signaled for my datapad, which I handed over. He set it down and began to pour over the contents for a few minutes.
"Ah, that Tullius. I remember this, I suspect Sollaine was behind this order. I can scarcely understand why, but the man is dead so it does not matter much now. Use whatever tools are deemed necessary and then liquidate him." He handed the datapad back and returned to his work, "That will be all, Director."
Cerri Corruss
Helping in the arrest of a traitor to the Empire was the highlight of my career in Customs. All of my co-workers were quick to ask for details, though I could offer them little. All I knew was that this Rivejer Tullius was a warlord, or a rebel, or some other form of traitor that had just happened to wander into my workplace. How could I refuse the request to assist in taking him down.
I was getting ready to leave at the end of my shift a few days later, having enjoyed the attention and congratulations from my co-workers for the last few shifts, when I was approached by a pair of men. Similar to the security officers, they wore unmarked uniforms - large overcoats with holsters on their chests. It took some experience to recognize law enforcement in its many forms, but Customs had always maintained its own version of secret police.
Nervously, I looked around for Customs security officers in the lower level airspeeder park, but found it empty - security watched the entrances, they did not often patrol the interior.
"Cerri Corruss?" The lead man, older and wider, asked as he reached into his coat. I felt my heart race and my fear spike, worried as to why they were speaking to me. His hand snapped out of his coat, but instead of a blaster he held a small badge - an unfamiliar logo on its face.
"I'm Agent Greevey, this is Agent Harris. Fleet Intelligence. We have some questions for you regarding a sting operation undertaken by the ISB that you assisted in."
And suddenly, my fear took a new direction.
Deputy Director Baren Nils
The next leg of my journey took me far from the familiar hallways of the ISB headquarters. A dizzying array of side pathways and hidden elevators brought me into the depths of Coruscant. I could not take a direct route, in fear that I may be tracked by suspicious parties and lead them directly to my destination. If indeed that risk were realized, I was also of no illusion that my most recent benefactors would hesitate to see me silenced. It was a very real, very targeted risk to my life - but I moved forward without hesitation all the same. In the present state of the Empire, it was important to keep abreast of the political games at play - and it was becoming increasingly clear that COMPNOR was not at the head of that race.
While COMPNOR devoured itself, the Ruling Council bickered like children and the Admiralty turned its attention elsewhere, one organisation was ensuring the security and relative stability of the Empire. Though I came from its rival organisation, I suspected that very soon all these bodies would fall under the auspices of Imperial Intelligence.
The final tram arrived at my destination, a large unmarked blastdoor weather with age. It was a front, the durasteel doorway was a fortress and any damage it appeared to have was cosmetic in nature. I stepped forward and opened the code box to one side, inputting the long 24-digit code I was given, then again in reverse. I stepped back from the door and waited.
A minute later, it slid open - revealing a pair of men in black uniforms followed by a team of Stormtroopers.
"You are not scheduled to be here. This is highly irregular." One man noted, his voice devoid of emotion or inflection. The other remained silent.
"I would not have come were it not important. Can she speak?"
"Follow." The man turned on his heel and walked away - though I knew I was expected to follow. We moved through the empty hallways of this subterranean compound. The pageantry of security the ISB wielded was absent here in the heart of I-I power.
The trek ended at an office that I entered wordlessly. The interior was spartan, functional - if this was her real office, then it was telling of who that woman was. She was faced away from the door, looking at an array of screens on the opposite wall. Her elbows, propped up on the arms rests, were all I could see - adorned in that familiar red uniform.
I took a seat and began immediately.
"One Rivejer Tullius arrived in the Core a few days ago, he was apprehended by the ISB." I said without preamble.
"I am aware." Her voice was soft, cool - it was difficult to decipher her mood.
"Interrogation finished their preliminary report. There are a number of issues that I wished to address. Chief among them, the Ssi-Ruuk." Unlike with Jabaas, I made no assumption that she was unaware of what they were, "They attacked loyal Imperial worlds. They were driven off by Tullius, but this is probably the first step of a larger operation in the region."
"His presence is unfortunate, but not devastating. Continue." That was all she offered, but I was aware enough of the bigger picture to make assumptions. The timely arrival of the Navy, should this story be proliferated, would serve to save them some face - one instance of success against a backdrop of countless failings, but a win all the same. Ordinarily, that might have worked in our favor, but she was playing a far more dangerous game. The three 'Ts' of the Admiralty were in her way of securing more control over the apparatus of state: Teshik, Takel and Tigellinus. The association between Teshik and Takel was well known since they laid low Grunger and smashed the rebel advance into the Core and Mid Rim. However, Tigellinus was arguably the most dangerous of the three. The last two months had seen him on the campaign trail, rallying Core worlds and maintaining a network of defences for the heart of the Empire - he wielded far more political capital than the disgraced Takel or largely feared Teshik.
"His rescue of Teshik ties him to the Grand Admiral. There may be some truth to the report from Interrogation, regarding Tullius acting as a plant."
"Possible, but unlikely. The report." She gestured to the desk. I set down the datapad I was carrying and slid it across the desk, sitting back again as she spun her chair. Even in the dim of the room, I was able to make out the striking features of the woman before me. Gleaming, mismatched eyes glanced at me for a moment before looking down to the datapad. She collected the device before turning again to face her wall of consoles.
"There is also the issue of Randd." I continued when she did not speak again. A soft hum answered my words, but she responded with the same dismissive tone.
"Rax and his ilk are still useful. Their worth will come to an end, but not yet. Erase any mention of this cabal from the report."
"Of course, ma'am." I answered immediately. After a moment's pause, I continued. "... And what of Tullius himself?"
"What of him?"
"Director Jabaas ordered his execution. If he truly is Teshik's creature…"
"Then his death benefits me." She answered immediately, only to pause, "Unless… I see. Have a second report fabricated, one that focuses on the relationship between Teshik and Tullius."
"Chief Dalton Marr of Surveillance seemed quite convinced there was a conspiracy between them." I noted mildly.
"Then Chief Marr will write the report. Let his imagination run wild and see that it is returned to me." I could almost hear the amusement dripping in her voice. I did not try to guess at her plan now, knowing that it would likely be detrimental to my life if I knew. Tullius's death, if he were Teshik's ally, would further divide the ISB and COMPNOR from the military - working in her favor. To what end did she benefit in highlighting that connection between the two men?
She did not need to dismiss me to know it was time to leave. I rose, leaving my datapad behind. The same strange duo of men showed me out and I made my way back to the ISB headquarters.
Agent Markus Greevey
I brought the airspeeder slowly into the storage bay in front of me, gently easing down the throttle. I corrected the slow decline, but that was enough to earn a muttered curse from the passenger seat. I looked askance at my partner, Agent Michael Harris, and the recaf he'd spilt on himself.
"Need a bib?" I asked, landing the speeder in its designated spot. He merely muttered something untoward, before stepping out and patting down the front of his uniform. I followed, grunting with the effort of pulling myself up.
A dozen similar speeders filled the lot, each of them unmarked. We were at one of the Naval Intelligence branches on Imperial Center - a smaller office located near to the headquarters of Imperial Customs. A year ago, this station was fairly sleepy - the Navy never had all that much interest in the goings-on of the Customs office. Much had changed since those halcyon days, a dozen new agents having been folded in to keep a closer eye on Customs.
"Look at that." Harris's voice drew me back to the present, his tone no longer betraying annoyance at his slip up. He was gesturing with a cup-ladden hand toward a shuttle that dominated several spaces to itself. Its sleek chassis was unmistakable - a Lambda-class Shuttle.
"So? There are probably half a dozen of them on the upper level." I said, moving around the airspeeder and sparing the shuttle little more than a glance. It was strange to see one down here rather than at the dedicated shuttle landing pads, but it looked like a completely normal shuttle to my eyes.
"Not like this. Look at the nose - the armor! Not to mention the weapons: that thing is more gunship than transport," Harris announced, gesturing wildly toward the craft - and spilling more of his recaf, "That kind of transport is for a big VIP; someone is having a bad day upstairs."
"Huh." I grunted noncommittally, reaching the elevator and opening the door. Harris followed me in, so I continued: "How can you tell the difference?"
"I've always wanted one, been trying to save up." The man said, sipping at his recaf - or whatever was left of it.
"What, so you can afford to make a downpayment in two hundred years?" Harris scoffed, but didn't deny it. We reached the level of our offices silently, stepping out as the door opened. We were greeted at the door by a trio of Stormtroopers - white armor standing as a stark contrast to the grey and browns of our office.
The elite of the Imperial military were not rare in the office of Naval Intelligence, but I had never seen one in our offices.
"Whoa. Slow day, boys?" Harris asked, mouth running faster than his mind. None of the Stormtroopers responded, merely staring as they typically did. I sniffed and moved past them, into the main office area - only to stop again, finding it empty. The desks were devoid of our co-workers, so naturally my eyes were drawn to the only two figures inside. Tall, adorned in pure black plastoid armor, with the only deviation being the glowing green visors on their helmets.
Deathtroopers. My mind supplied and the fact that the Stormtroopers didn't stop us at the elevator told me whoever was going to have a bad day was probably going to be us. Before I could think on what to do, the door to the office they were guarding slammed open, revealing our Captain. The bald man was pale and covered in sweat, but he was quick to wave us in. Neither of the towering guards so much as twitched as we approached, nor did they make any move to stop us as we entered the office.
"Sir, this is Agent Greevey and his partner, Agent Harris. They are handling the Tullius case." The Captain introduced us quickly, clearly eager to pass the attention of the man seated in the office unto us.
He stood out in the comparatively quaint office, though I suspected that would still be the case even in the most opulent of locales. His face, or what was left of it, had been plastered in the news for weeks now. If someone didn't know who he was before then, they definitely did now. Adorned in the pure white uniform of his office was Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik.
"Gentlemen." The man said, both eyes - organic and mechanical - bored me.
Deputy Director Baren Nils
My return to the ISB headquarters was without fanfare, which was to my benefit. I waited a few days to see if the upper echelons of the ISB were aware of where I went, before making my move. I quickly gathered my allies, my opposite numbers in Interrogation and Re-Education. Our union was one of convenience and survival, though in this instance I viewed them as comrades. Like me, they were pawns of the I-I, or its mistress in any case.
"Director Jabaas already gave the order to liquidate." The sub-director from Interrogation noted, lounged back in his seat. "Whether or not she wants him alive, even Jabaas would get suspicious."
"Let us not pretend that Jabaas is long for this galaxy." Re-Education countered, the first of our number to join her side. "Should he get too over-eager, he will meet the same fate as his predecessor and Pestage will select another of his functionaries to take over."
I did not add more voice to the debate, for in my eyes there was none to have. She gave the order for Tullius to be released, now it was my job to find a way and spin it to show the ISB in a positive light. It was a balancing act I needed to maintain, between having the ISB be weak enough for her takeover to be possible, while being strong enough that I would survive the incoming storm.
"The matter is moot." I interrupted the argument before it could begin, "Let us focus. Tullius will be released, but we must decide how the ISB will approach the subject."
"Hiding his arrest is out of the question, never mind that we cannot keep the man from speaking about it. Naval Intelligence has already found out we have him."
"How? It has been all of a few days." Interrogation growled, tapping his fingers on his armrest in an agitated fashion.
"Someone is feeding them information, ordinarily NavInt could not figure out how to get water out of a boot on their own." Re-Education said with a drawl. I did not counter his words, Naval Intelligence had always been one of the least of our sister, or rival, organisations. For them to have caught on to who had arrested Tullius so quickly was telling, and though I could theorize who was behind the leak I wagered such a line of thought was bad for my health.
"Gentlemen." I repeated. "Focus, please. We need to decide how the ISB responds. We release Tullius, we must paint ourselves in a good light. I recommend that we have a prepared statement. Apologize for the actions of an overzealous investigator, then laud Tullius as a hero and exemplar and whatever rot our friends in Internal Affairs can conjure."
"I am afraid CompForce is already ahead of us in that regard." Re-Education dropped the latest proton bomb on our heads, making Interrogation sit up in his seat.
"What? CompForce?" The man demanded with incredulity.
"My agents in their office report that CompForce has already drafted such an announcement as part of that recent program they have been making, 'Unsung Heroes of the Empire' or whatever it was."
"How did CompForce find out?" Interrogation emphasized.
"Apparently, Tullius arrived with two shuttles. One was allowed to land, but the other was sent to a public pad. Turns out, the second shuttle carried an agent of CompForce - one that, after Tullius' arrest, went straight to the office of his superior."
A feeling of dread began to crawl up my back, but I forced it back down. The man the ISB arrested just happened to have an agent of CompForce with him? NavInt just happened to find out about the arrest and who was behind it immediately? The paranoid ramblings of Chief Marr returned to my mind, but I pushed them aside. There was no conspiracy! And if there was, we would know about it!
… Right?
"So, making a release extolling the virtues of this Tullius would only make us appear as if we were panicking. As if we were afraid of CompForce." I summed up before sighing.
"Unfortunately, the complications do not end there." Re-Education was having fun with this, I could feel. His seniority in the conspiracy meant he was privy to information we were not, and had better established his contacts outside the ISB.
"Earlier this morning, the Board of Directors from the Customs Office convened. My contacts indicate that the scrutiny of NavInt and the Admiralty Board has spooked them. They are preparing to file a complaint to the highest levels about the ISB 'overstepping its authority' and making an illegal arrest in their domain. To make matters worse, the Coalition for Progress has already filed an injunction against any further interrogation of Tullius."
"So Tigellinus is getting involved?" Interrogation breathed. "All of these groups at once?"
"We are not here to theorize on why, we are merely here to decide our next course of action." I snapped, interrupting the discussion before it could be derailed further. I did not know what game Re-Education was playing, but holding this information until this very moment was damning. More than a few people were interested in weakening the ISB's position and his lack of panic was telling as to who.
"If we cannot spin this as a propaganda victory for us, then we need to get him out of this building as soon as possible - to save some face." Re-Education pressed, parroting her words. Evidently, I was not the only one that she had spoken to on this matter. Still, I nodded my head.
"We release him, announce we discovered no indication of his affiliation with Blitzer Harrsk or whatever warlord he was accused of working with. We will transfer him into the custody of NavInt."
"I will see to it personally." Interrogation announced suddenly, rising to his feet and moving for the door. "The sooner he is out of my department, the better."
He left without another word, with only Re-Education and I remaining behind. We sat in silence for a time until another thought occurred to me.
"Who gave the order to arrest Tullius in the first place?" I asked, assuming at first it was some overzealous lower officer in Surveillance. However, in light of the current situation, somehow I doubted that.
"The same person that has the most to benefit from the chaos." Was all Re-Education offered as I rose to leave. Suddenly, I had the feeling that she knew exactly what to do with Tullius, long before I stepped foot in her office.
Surveillance Agent Ayton Cherg
"Orders from above, we need to prepare the subject for transfer." I looked up from the report I was wasting time on as the supervisor from Interrogation returned. I was still in the theater, watching the Interrogator flush his cocktail of drugs from Tullius's system in preparation for a new battery of tests.
"What?" I asked, caught off-guard by his appearance. He looked far less put together now than he had when last we spoke the day prior. His hair was a mess, his tunic was askew and he was missing his hat. He stepped to the intercom, depressing it.
"Finish flushing him then get ready to release, I'll be over when you're finished." The man's accent became more pronounced, worry evident in his voice. That, more than anything else, was what made me worry.
"What is the hurry?" I asked, though I did not expect an answer. To my surprise, he did.
"Teshik is collecting the subject." The man explained hurriedly.
"Teshik sent someone to collect Tullius directly?" I asked, more than a little surprised that his supposed connection with the Grand Admiral was real.
"No. Grand Admiral Teshik is here. Right now, on his way to collect Tullius."
Ah. Well, that was as good a reason as any for haste.