Saga of the Bridgers-Year 6

Chapter 30: Battle of Crait

After stopping by the mess hall and taking a full tray, Ezra headed to the detention block, with Sabine tailing him and checking her pistol. When they arrived, the guards stood at attention for Ezra.

"I need to speak with the prisoner, please." he said courteously.

The guards didn't object and the one next to the button pushed it. The red force field disappeared and allowed the two to walk in. Cylo was already sitting at small table that, together with the toilet and the bed, was part of the essential furniture of the cells.

With composure and absolute calm, Ezra laid down the tray in front of Cylo and then sat on the other chair of the table, reserved for the interrogators. Meanwhile, Sabine started pacing slowly around the cell, making sure the doctor felt the presence of a furious and fully armed mandalorian around him.

The doctor was behaving like that was nothing, but Ezra noticed very well his shoulders furtively tightening around his neck, as if he was preparing to defend himself.

Ezra then placidly put his intertwined hands on the table.

"What is this?" Cylo asked in a calm tone.

Ezra naturally explained as if it was a completely normal situation. "Let's see, some soup, then cabbage and cow accompanied by purée." then added a comment that just underlined the absurdity of that situation. "Doc, can you imagine how hard it is to find a prime cut in this time and place?"

Cylo inspired with the nose softly and relaxed his back. "I'm not a great fan of beef." he simply said.

"Oh," said Ezra sarcastically. "I'm sorry, I thought you were quite eager to cut open some meat."

A few moments of silence followed, broken only by Sabine who went to lean her back against the wall next to Cylo.

Ezra sighed as if his loth-cat had broken a glass of water and now he had to clean up. "Sabine, would you like a bite?"

"Thanks, but it's kinda difficult for me to eat while staring at a pile of fodder." she said with a more evident but still slight note of threat in her voice.

Ezra shrugged and used the Force with a hand to turn the tray around and bring it on his edge of the table, at which point he took the cutlery and started eating with all the calm in the universe, but before he took the first bite he spoke up to the doctor.

"I looked at your personal logs, and one thing caught my eye. You call yourself Cylo the V." and put the fork in the mouth. Tasting the steak put him in a nicer mood that helped him keep up the facade of the 'good cop'. "Now, you don't come from a noble family. Or from anywhere in particular, it seems. Palpatine probably picked you up and rose you from nothing, that's why you're helping him with his plan."

"You Jedi think you've always all figured out, uh?" the doctor said in a composed tone and only a hint of challenge. "But you lost to my creations."

"Yes, the Astartes. I figured you were behind them since they brought my sister to you. By the way, why weren't they on Denevar to protect you?" Ezra asked back with absolute control.

Cylo hesitated, but eventually answered. "They have been sent to the final destination of my project."

"Which brings us back to my topic. I looked at the files on Project Necromancer. So here is my brilliant theory..." he stopped to take a sip from the card of milk and put it down again. "You already can transfer your conscience from a body to another."

Cylo couldn't hold back an expression of scared surprise and Ezra noticed it.

"But I also imagine that it has something to do with the implants in your brain and the Emperor, for some unfathomable reason, doesn't want to become a cyborg."