Guarded (#2 Post-Order 66 Series)

Guarded - Part 23

"I'm sorry, m'lady."

Kestia leaned heavily on the table. Tech stood back, fighting the urge to go to her and envelop her in his arms. He knew that wasn't what she needed right now. Iden's gleaming blue figure stood before her, crestfallen. Even through the holo, it was obvious she hadn't slept well. Tech was surprised to see Crosshair standing over her shoulder with Echo. Typho and Hunter's holos glowed across the table, the captain's face grim.

"How many?" Kestia said quietly.

"Thirty-seven."

Kestia let loose a gasp, her head hanging low as her knuckles grew pale from her grip on the edge of the holotable. Tech cast a glance over at Senna. The Jedi was watching the queen intently, her face impassive. Finally, the queen straightened.

"Very well. I'd like a full assessment of the situation. They were prepared for us and I want to know how. I'm sending Master Aven out to Fellen to aid Iden and Sabé in the investigation and in the recruitment and training of the Force users."

Tech had known that Senna would leave soon, but he still felt a small sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hoped he'd see her again soon.

"Master Aven, do you require transportation?" Iden asked.

Senna stepped forward. "No, I should be able to make it to Fellen in a few rotations."

"We'll look for you. If anything goes wrong, do you have a way to contact us?"

"I know Echo's comm frequency. I'll ping him if I get hung up somewhere."

"Very good."

Typho opened his mouth, and Tech could see he was considering his words carefully. "M'lady, I think we should consider withdrawing."

"It's one defeat, Captain. Our first."

"Nevertheless, if we have a spy in our midst, your safety is already compromised. We have no idea how much information may have been passed along."

"NO!" Kestia slammed her first on the table. Tech didn't miss the furrow of Senna's brow at the outburst. "We shall stay. I want the traitor found. We will not bow to them. We will fight on."

"M'lady, I-"

"You have your orders, Captain. We will not move until we determine if we were in fact betrayed. There's still a chance we received bad intelligence and were unlucky."

Iden's face hardened. "With all due respect, m'lady, I'd hardly call a loss of thirty-seven good people unlucky."

"And what would you call it, Lieutenant?"

"A damn shame," Iden said, her voice sharp as a vibroblade.

The two women glared at each other before Typho finally spoke to break the tension. "M'lady, we shall investigate what happened, but I would very much like to express my concern-"

"Your concern is noted," Kestia snapped.

Typho's face hardened, but he said nothing. Kestia was thinking, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as her fingers drummed on the table. "I want a full investigation and report, and I want it before the end of the week. In the meantime, I'd like Echo to identify additional targets that we can attack. I intend to hit the Empire where it hurts. We'll talk again in a few rotations. Contact me the moment you find something out."

Tech could see there were additional things that the captain wanted to say, but he held his tongue. He could also see Iden's fist clenched at her side, but they both nodded, clicking off their holos and leaving the three of them in the dark. Kestia took another deep breath before straightening and turning to Senna. "I'm terribly sorry to put you out like this, Senna, but I believe your expertise will be invaluable in this investigation. I'd also like you to have the opportunity to pass your knowledge along to any other Force sensitives we can recruit to our cause."