In Command (#1 Post-Order 66 Series)

In Command - Part 25

"There, on the left ahead."

Rex felt like he was slowly losing his mind. We're going too slow. She's here, and we have to find her. His legs itched to run even though he had no destination and all he could think about was the look she'd given him as she'd pressed him towards Echo. Please don't let that be the last time I see her alive.

They reached the information console and Tech began typing away at keys while Hunter and Rex kept watch. After what seemed like an eternity, Tech spoke. "We are currently on one of the detention and interrogation decks. I cannot find any new prisoner logs that indicate that she's here."

"Keep looking, she's here," Rex hissed.

"Captain, there are no new prisoner logs from the current rotation."

Hunter gripped Rex's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rex."

"NO! She's here. I know it. I can feel her."

"Rex, we'll regroup and find her."

"Maybe they didn't log it. She's a high value prisoner. They may have just taken her straight to interrogation."

Hunter was about to argue with him when Tech raised a finger to stop him. "Rex may be correct. I'm in the hangar logs now, and the Inquisitor's shuttle is logged as returning, but it hasn't left again. I doubt he would leave without her."

"What if she's gone, Tech?" Hunter hissed, his frustration clear. "I don't want it to be true either, but we are standing on the detention deck of an Imperial Star Destroyer and don't exactly have the luxury of speculation right now."

Rex seethed beneath his helmet. "I'm telling you-"

A muffled scream came from down the hall, choking Rex on his words. "Senna!"

"WAIT!" Tech grabbed his shoulder. "You can't go barging in there. The Inquisitor is likely in there with her. We are no match for him."

"He's killing her."

Tech sighed. "No, he's not. He's interrogating her. He's torturing her, yes, but he's doing that because he believes she has value alive. He won't kill her unless he gets what he wants, and you and I both know she won't give it to him."

"What if she dies?"

"She's only been here for a few hours. He'll...he'll drag this out, Rex. Think about it. It makes no sense to kill her within hours of her capture if she's not giving up information."

Rex slumped against the wall as the screaming continued. "So, what do we do?"

"We wait," Hunter whispered. "They'll stop eventually. But we have to wait it out. She'll be easier to grab from detention. But at least we know where she is."

Hunter's words were absolutely no comfort to Rex.

"We have to be patient," Tech said, taking Rex's arm gently. "We should move down the hall..." Tech let the sentence trail off, but the implication was clear. So we don't have to hear her screaming. Rex yanked his arm from Tech's grasp.

"No, I'm staying."

"Rex, you're just tormenting yourself staying here. There's nothing you can do right now."

"I'm staying."

Tech looked at Hunter, and Hunter nodded. "Alright, we wait here, but let's find something useful to do so it looks like we have a reason to be here."

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It was less than an hour, but it felt like days to Rex before they finally heard the screaming stop for good and the door to the interrogation room hissed open. They were standing back by the information console as Tech punched various keys, trying to look busy. "Don't look at them," Hunter whispered quietly to him. Rex barely heard him as he watched the door out of the corner of his eye. The interrogator droid hovered out first, followed by an Imperial in a grey uniform who was punching away on a datapad and didn't even acknowledge them. Two stormtroopers walked out next, and held roughly between them, was Senna. Her hands were in binders behind her back once more, and the stormtroopers were dragging her by her upper arms, the toes of her boots dragging along the floor. Her head hung forward limply and her tunic was drenched in sweat. Rex's hands shook with rage as the Inquisitor stepped out behind the troopers, following behind without so much as a glance in their direction. His blood was roaring in his ears as he caught the glint of Senna's lightsaber, still dangling from the Inquisitor's belt.