Daughter of Mortis

Stolen Thoughts (5)

    "Is it fast and untraceable?" Ruby cast a scrutinizing gaze over the ship.

    "It is. It has a signature scrambler, a masking device, and a few other modifications."

    "Can you track me in it?" She turned her narrowed eyes onto him.

    Ruslan chuckled and shook his head. "This is my personal ship. There isn't a tracker anywhere on board."

    "Good." Ruby eyed the ship some more. I'll have to erase the transmission log and the navicomputer history. I'll check for trackers too, just in case. She gave a short nod. "It will work. Thank you."

    "No problem, Princess." Ruslan gave her a wave as she boarded the ship.

    Ruby ignored the gesture and fired up the engines. In a matter of minutes, she had cleared Cantonica's atmosphere. She finished prepping the navicomputer and activated the hyperdrive. The stars blurred into streaks of blue around her. "You'd better not be dead yet," she growled. "I'll kill you if you are."

Coruscant: 3 BBY
The Emperor's Palace
Kein Rei

    Kein landed the Scorpion on the appointed landing pad. His hands hovered over the controls for a moment. They shook with nerves. Kein forced himself to draw in a few deep breaths. This will work, he told himself yet again. It has to.

    Kein squared his shoulders and strode off the ship. Emperor Palpatine's Red Guards were waiting for him at the entrance. They surrounded him and they began walking through the crimson halls.

    Kein glanced around curiously. He'd never been in the Emperor's Palace before. He knew it had once been the Jedi Temple. His thoughts flickered to Ruby and the horrors she had witnessed here. He pushed the thoughts away after a moment. I can't reveal anything, he thought.

    They entered a large room presently. Kein narrowed his eyes. He'd expected the Emperor to have a lavish throne room, not this...office. Then again, the Queen of Naboo spent most of her time in an office. And, Kein remembered, Emperor Palpatine was from Naboo.

    Two guards took up positions beside the door. Kein folded his hands behind his back as the remaining guards situated themselves around him. He gave a huff of amusement. I've worked for them for years and they still don't trust me. As if I could attack the Emperor and walk away with Vader in here. Dread pooled in his stomach.

    Another door hissed open. Two dark robed figures entered the room. Emperor Palpatine sat down and rested his hands on the arms of his chair. Kein could only see the lower half of his face. Vader stood next to his master.

    "Where is she?" Emperor Palpatine asked.

    "Dead." Kein drew in a steadying breath. Keep your thoughts clear and your expression blank.

    "Dead? We wanted her alive."

    "To be fair, you never specified." Kein shot an annoyed look at Vader. If the Dark Lord didn't strike him down now, it would be a miracle.

    Vader's hand inched towards his lightsaber. Emperor Palpatine waved his hand and Vader stopped. "How did she come to be dead?"

    "I tracked her to Cantonica, as you requested, Lord Vader. I almost managed to capture her, but she escaped. I followed her to her hideout and waited until she fell asleep before attacking again. She nearly escaped once more, but I grabbed her lightsaber and killed her."

    "We needed her alive to locate..." Vader began. Emperor Palpatine silenced him yet again.

    "Produce her lightsaber as proof. I know you bounty hunters. You can't resist claiming such a trophy."