Galaxy: A STAR WARS Collection

Interrogation

Cadezia

10 Years Before the Battle of Yavin

. . .

I felt a single drop falling down my forehead. It wasn't until it left my nose that I realised it wasn't sweat. I don't remember getting hit on my head. My hands were still cuffed behind my back, my shoulder joints numb from the constant pain – the same went for my knees.

What day was it? How long had I been here? I had lost all track of time within the first week. I tried to count the minutes between each visit but I was too exhausted from the beating to even try to keep track. It could very well have been a tactic they were using deliberately; if it was, it was working phenomenally.

At this point, my whole body was raw. There wasn't an uncovered portion of my skin that wasn't bright red except for the older bruises that were now developing into dark blues and purples.

The cell they kept me in was unremarkable. It appeared to be made out of nothing but permacrete. The walls, floor and ceiling were all a smooth stony grey. It made for a very uncomfortable surface to be stuck on. Not to mention it was almost always freezing cold.

Directly in front of me was a sliding durasteel door that served as the single point of entry. I heard it hiss open. That meant it was time for another round of beatings and electrocutions while my captors attempted to get information out of me. I had resisted this long, I knew I could resist even longer. It was all I could do. If I was to have any chance of getting out of here alive, I needed to stay strong for as long as possible.

"Changed your mind yet?" A man's voice said. "Ready to tell me what you know?"

I raised my head and gave him a smile the best smile I could manage. I didn't even realise that one of my eyes had swollen shut until I looked up at him.

He cracked his knuckles and stepped into the chamber, and I braced for impact.

"This traitorous rebel has proven to possess a stronger will than I had given him credit for."

I gazed at the screen displaying the holocam footage, viewing the body of the barely breathing prisoner. I caught myself absentmindedly y stroking my chin in thought as I turned to face the officers that stood on the opposite side of my desk.

"Had we met under different circumstances, I could almost admire resolve."

"Do you think he will break, sir?" The question came from one of my two subordinates, neither of which I much cared for. Although they had achieved the rank of Lieutenant and Captain respectively, I often found myself questioning if the two had a single functioning brain between them.

I tried to stifle a small scoff at their comment but I failed. "Of course he will break. The Empire has many methods of extracting information from those that are otherwise unwilling. It may take time, but he will break."

Behind the pair, the door to my office slid open to reveal a man in a somewhat disheveled black uniform hurriedly trying to straighten out his outfit. He stepped inside and gave a salute. A bead of sweat fell down the left side of his face and he was out of breath.

I turned my gaze to the two officers. "Leave us," I said. They did as they were told. I waited for the door to close behind the two and turned back to the uniformed Storm Trooper. "You can relax, now."

The trooper dropped his stiff demeanour and panted quite heavily. He rolled his shoulders and eased off his gloves, his hands red and knuckles bloody. He made his way to one of the chairs in front of the desk and fell onto it. "Thank you, sir," he said with a bow of his head.