Ghost of a Smile

Chapter Eight

Zeb didn't know about the friend, a Torin Hethna, apparently, but the woman and Zeb himself sure were surprised when Torin told the woman to let them up immediately.

Yavin 4 – Around the Temple

"I'm just worried about them, Hera. I don't like that they have to go retrieve the cargo by themselves." Kanan and Hera walked around the temple together on the way to the Ghost. While they were doing so, Kanan opened up to her about his many feelings over Sabine and Ezra's part of the mission.

"I know, Kanan, but I've gone over the assignments list myself and I can tell you it has to be this way." She was very patient in her explanation, as always.

"Why?"

"We don't have the manpower to give them anything else, we even had to scrape for every centimeter just to get the strike team that will protect their extraction point once they get inside-"

"I could go with them." Kanan cut her off.

"Kanan," She shook her head, "you already have a job. You have your own diversionary infiltration team to lead, remember? Without you, that team won't last a minute and without that team drawing troopers away from Sabine and Ezra, they won't last a minute."

Kanan huffed. He knew she was right. It didn't change the bad feeling born of the protective instinct he had for his family though.

"When are we leaving?" He finally asked.

"When we get to the Ghost. Ezra and Sabine are already with their team on the command ship and the fleet's already massing in orbit, it's time for us to join them."

The two climbed up the ramp minutes later and began the preparations for joining the raid fleet.

Telos – Imperial Dome

Zeb and Kallus were escorted to the office of Torin Hethna by three stormtroopers. Zeb was a little on edge, not wholly because he was surrounded by Imperials, more so because of how Kallus seemed right at home walking between the trooper escort. A little too at home if you asked Zeb. They arrived at the door to the office, Zeb braced himself for the inevitable fight that would start when Torin realized the people at his door weren't 'Avin Groman'.

The door opened, a short, fat man stepped out and grinned at Kallus. "Ahhh, Agent Kallus, as I live and breathe! Please, come in, come in!" He had a very shrill voice. The troopers attempted to enter too but Torin shooed them away. "No, no, this is a private meeting." He pressed the button to close the door in their faces. Suffice to say, Zeb was confused.

"You know, Kallus, when the higher ups told me you had defected to the Rebellion and should be considered a traitor, I saw through it like that." Torin snapped his fingers. "I knew the agent I knew would never defect, but it wasn't hard to reach that the Empire would say that if you were undercover, yeah? Keep your cover intact, eh?" Torin grinned a toothy smile at him. Kallus changed back to the Imperial accent he usually used.

"I appreciate the trust, Torin, just as I appreciate your recognizing of the code name I used back in the Academy Games."

"Oh, it was nothing, 'Avin Groman' left quite the impression back at the academy." Torin smiled at the memory. "Say, can I get you and your friend a drink?" He moved over to a cabinet filled with drinks on the side of the office, turning his back on his guests, "It's hardly a full bar, but I got plenty of different choices-" He gasped in surprise as the stun shot knocked him out cold.

Kallus put his blaster away and showed that knowing smile again in Zeb's direction, "I had this planned out since Mon Mothma said it was Telos we would be going to."

Zeb looked over at Kallus and grinned, "Academy Games?"

"Really? That's the question you have for me right now? After all that?" Kallus hush yelled at him as he moved to sit in the office's computer. After he settled in and began to log on, he decided to humor Zeb, "We went to the Academy together. Twice a year, the instructors would hold competitions to see who was doing the best. We were sent out into nearby towns to do 'missions' to earn points and Avin was the name I always used."

Zeb chuckled; this mission was turning out better than he thought, "I'm surprised he even let me in. I figured even if he knew you, he still would force an alien like me to wait outside."

"Yeahh, species tolerance wasn't exactly taught at the Academy, but Torin was always one of the most accepting people I met in the service." He went back to putting his full attention toward getting into the computer. "Alright, I've logged onto the Imperial Database... with Torin's account." Kallus was silent for several moments. When he spoke again, he sounded panicked, "Sith spit, no wonder Mon Mothma wouldn't tell us what the shipment is."

"What is it?"

"Never mind right now." Kallus looked up, eyes wild, "Thrawn is there. His fleet's hiding in the atmospheres of one of the gas giants in the Eriadu system!"

"What?! Don't tell me, tell them!"

Kallus's fingers dashed over the controls to get the rebels on the line when the terminal shut down, then the rest of the room's power shut down. He rose from the computer station and drew his blaster, "They know we're here."

"Impossible, no one saw us knock him out!" Zeb said, beginning to fidgeting with his bo-rifle's trigger.

"Then someone here must have recognized me that wasn't an old friend like dear Torin is." As Kallus finished his sentence, the sound of someone pounding on the door made the spies jump.

"Karabast." Zeb swore.