Another Imperial convoy ferrying computer parts and blaster components to a nearby outpost had been attacked. That, as Agent Kallus had read in the report, made the third supply run targeted in the last week.

"Agent Kallus," Minister Maketh Tua fumed through clenched teeth, "I've exhausted every resource to find information about the Rebels, but there is nothing to be found! What more does Governor Tarkin expect?"

The agent of the ISB knew that she was vexed, and perhaps even becoming angry. But what he wasn't sure of was whether she was so displeased with the lack of results of her enquiries or the amount of pressure being placed upon her to get them, and he intended to find out as soon as possible.

She was weak, and not very far from incompetent. What this planet needed was an iron fist; not a grip that slackened with every protest.

"He expects Lothal to be punished, Minister Tua," Kallus said, forming the words and speaking them as he would to a small child who didn't understand. Of course, since she wasn't a youngling, a deadly edge underlined each syllable. "His own Star Destroyer was demolished by these rebels; he takes that somewhat personally."

"Now," she said, not backing down an inch. "I've doubled patrols, set up checkpoints, established curfews... I honestly don't know what else to do." She sat back down at her desk, some of her passion spent.

"Perhaps that is the problem."

The minister and Kallus looked up as Darth Vader appeared in the doorway. And, even though the agent wasn't looking at her, he was quite certain that her confidence that she could get her way had run out.

"You lack imagination, Minister," the Emperor's second-in-command continued, "when it comes to producing results."

Tua was considerably humbled when she spoke again. "Lord Vader, with all due respect, you and Governor Tarkin are asking for miracles! If the rebels have left Lothal, then–"

"If the Rebels have left, then we must draw them back," Vader cut in smoothly. "And if they are here, we must draw them out. We will squeeze Lothal, until someone reveals the whereabouts of these traitors."

"I am sorry, my Lord, I am merely a public official, I– I have no experience with such brutal tactics!" Maketh Tua was becoming more and more nervous with every second that went by, but some of her spirit remained. After all, she was still brave enough to criticize the stratagem of Darth Vader.

It was then that another voice spoke up.

"Now, now," Inquisitor Sorena said gently. But, even though her tone was soft, her eyes still glinted that unnatural yellow, and any soothing qualities she had were immediately nullified. "We're all friends here. There's no need for this."

She put a hand quickly over the armor on Darth Vader's shoulder, and if the contact hadn't been so brief, Kallus would have thought it would have been meant to calm him. That in itself was extraordinary – even more so that the Sith Lord didn't react. She was obviously a member of his inner circle, and he would say even one of his favorite operatives.

Sorena walked over to Minister Tua next, and knelt down next to her chair. "What shortcomings of your efforts are you most worried about, Minister?"

"Shortcomings, ma'am?" Tua asked nervously, but Kallus could see that she was calming down. He, too, was feeling a sort of pleasant drowsiness, like one who had spent some time in a room filled with a sleep-inducing compound.

Suddenly, he found himself wanting to trust her. Not completely, because that was too farfetched. But a strange feeling was beginning to creep up along the edges of his consciousness, and he wasn't entirely sure where it was coming from...

"What do you think could have the most dangerous consequences for you: your incompetence, or that spirit of yours that seems so ill-placed in a deputy of the Empire?" Her tone was still kind, but a little malice was beginning to seep into her words.

"I... I don't understand," Tua said.

"She wishes to know what you will explain to Governor Tarkin, when you visit him." With that, Vader began to walk back towards the door.

For a moment, the sort of fog that seemed to be wrapping itself around Kallus's mind loosened its grip.

Her eyes widened. "Visit... him?"

The question did not make his step falter. "He expects you tomorrow, to account for your failure."

"But I... I'm needed here! I couldn't possibly get away!"

Kallus noted with satisfaction that she was on the threshold of sheer panic – she knew exactly what was in store for her. She had made a poor substitute for Moff Pryce, the Governor of Lothal, in the face of the rebels' actions. It would make the Imperial system that much more efficient to see her go.

"Not to worry, Minister," he said, in a voice that would have been meant to comfort, if not for the sinister smile on his face. "The Inquisitor and I will manage in your absence."

"But," Sorena said, standing up to her full height and all in the room turned to look at her. "There is another way."

Vader put his fists to his hips and stared her down expectantly. She and Vader shared a moment of silent communion, before the Dark Lord nodded.

Her gaze drifted back to Maketh Tua. "Minister, there is something you could do for us. This could potentially be the most important thing you'll ever do, and it will be a great service to the Empire. Can you do that?"

The government official nodded, impossibly calm again. "I'll gladly do my part for the betterment of the Empire..."

Sorena smiled. "Then here's what we want you to do."

Lux Bonteri sat in a small alcove in one of the many white hallways of Phoenix Home, his eyes looking up at the ceiling without really seeing anything.

He fiddled with the long, thin object in his hands. The workmanship was remarkable, but that was more of a credit to the Jedi that had made it than to him. He was Force-sensitive, yes, but he hadn't had much in the ways of training.

"Everything I know I learnt by watching her," he said aloud, and sighed. "She always did say that I could do more if I sparred with her... But nah, I'm not cut out for that. Never really was."

For years, he had been referring to the girl who had played such a big part in his life as simply 'her'. Saying the name that belonged to her would make everything that had happened after he last saw her real. He didn't want to taint his recollections of the girl he had known years before with the cold counsel of reality.

Some days, they were the only things that kept him going.

His comm beeped, reminding him that the briefing with Commander Sato and the crew of the Ghost was scheduled to start in less than ten minutes.

"But I will fight for you," he whispered, looking down at the saber once more. "For your memory. I promise you, Ahsoka, I'll fight for as long as it takes to bring the Empire down. I'll find the ones who... the ones who killed you."

His grey gaze darted up once more, and a pure white blade of plasma flashed into existence. "And Force help them when I do."

*Hello all! Yes, things are happening in this strange little AU... Something strange has happened to Maketh Tua... And Kallus was affected too, even though he can't figure out what caused it. And Lux apparently thinks Ahsoka is dead... But things could turn out quite differently than he expects...

And sorry, no chapter from Sorena's perspective yet, despite the fact that I'm sure you all want to know how she thinks and what she knows... But that will all come in due time ;)

But is that Ahsoka's lightsaber he has with him? If so, how did he get it? These are all questions I'll be hard-pressed to answer... in the next chapter. I'll update again as soon as I can!

May the Force be with you,

Sharron