A Hero Lost: A Star Wars AU

Chapter 3: Old Friends, Old Enemies

First Sister awoke from a fitful slumber and put on her Imperial uniform.

It was a routine by now, one she'd followed for at least five years at this point.

She got out of her room, and the crew's response was the same as always: Either avoid eye contact, or look in awe at the foreboding Inquisitor before them.

Captain Elias rushed up to greet her.

"Inquisitor," he said, "We have an incoming transmission from Grand Moff Tarkin. He claims to be relaying Lord Vader's orders."

She clenched her fist at the mention of that name.

Grand Moff Tarkin. It seemed everyone in the Galaxy hated that man, but First Sister undoubtedly hated him the most.

As an Inquisitor, she sought out one thing: revenge. She was able to get revenge on the Jedi, but she was never able to experience the satisfaction of getting to kill the man who tried to get her to be sentenced to death back when she was a slave to the Jedi.

Obviously, he knew who she was, and it was still kind of awkward that they were on the same side and had to work together.

I just want to kill that old man, First Sister thought. Curse the Emperor for giving him so many kriffing promotions.

"Inquisitor, are you alright?" Captain Elias continued.

"Sorry," First Sister replied. "You should know that I'm not exactly on the best terms with Tarkin."

"And why would that be?" replied the Captain.

"He tried to kill me once," she replied.

"Oh," the Captain said, "I... uh, well, I'm sure that would have left a sour taste in anyone's mouth, now, would it?"

The only response Captain Elias got was an intense glare from the Inquisitor he worked with.

It would have appeared that the Inquisitor's sense of humor had died alongside the girl once known as Ahsoka Tano.

"You... should... probably accept the transmission," the Captain continued nervously.

"Very well then," First Sister said, walking past the Captain and to the Holotable.

She turned on the transmission.

"Greetings, Inquisitor," said the holographic image of Grand Moff Tarkin.

"I thought I told you to never contact me again," First Sister said in a harsh tone of voice.

"Lord Vader and the Grand Inquisitor were busy," Tarkin said. "And also may I remind you that my position of Grand Moff supersedes that of you Inquisitors. I can give you orders myself if I were to require such."

"I could kill you either way," First Sister said, still with a harsh tone.

"I can assure you the Emperor would not like that," Tarkin replied.

First Sister's response was somewhere between an annoyed moan and a predator growling.

"Well, I am merely relaying orders from Lord Vader. So we could just get this over with and I could tell you."

"Okay then," she said. "Spit it out, then leave me at once. Which Jedi do I have to kill?"

"You are not being assigned to kill a Jedi," Tarkin replied. "The insurgency on Onderon has considerably worsened over the past week or so. The same rebels you once supplied during the Clone Wars have turned against us!"

"Huh," First Sister replied. "Gerrera throwing a fuss again?"

"Gerrera left Onderon to fight elsewhere long ago. Second Sister recently traced the location of his partisans to Kashyyyk."

"Then what's with the fuss then?" First Sister scowled.

"We don't know who's leading this effort," Tarkin said. "But we have some ideas. The planet's senator has been suspected to be a traitor, and General Tandin of the Onderonian Royal Guard could be playing a significant part in this rebellion."

The mentioning of those two made her think briefly of the Clone Wars and when she had met Lux Bonteri, the senator Tarkin mentioned. However, she quickly chased these thoughts from her head.

"Very well then," First Sister said. "I will crush this puny rebellion. And I assure you I have no remaining loyalties to any of them. Now get out of my sight."

She abruptly ended the hologram.