"Assayer!" Pina shouted. "Wait!"
The cloaked figure stormed down the ramp, its attention focused entirely, he felt, on him. He turned to see his stormtroopers, their weapons raised.
"Hold fire! Hold fire!"
The troopers backed away, their blasters aimed at the approaching figure.
"I am Captain Pina of the Reaver," he said quickly, his hand outstretched, palm open in a gesture of supplication. "We rescued you from your TIE Interceptor seconds before it exploded in Farsalt's atmosphere. But your Corvette is lost–"
"Farsalt?" The voice repeated, loud through the mask. "We are in the Farsalt system?" The Assayer paused, half way down the ramp.
"Yes, your Eminence. We were here responding to a refugee crisis on the planet when we received your signal. We replied but I suspect your receiver was damaged–"
"My signal. Yes." The Assayer deactivated the lightsaber and the red needle vanished with a hiss. "Tell me, Captain Pina, what news of the galaxy?"
"Initial reports indicate that the Emperor and Lord Vader are dead. The Death Star was destroyed and the fleet has fallen back."
The Assayer took a deep breath. "We must verify them. What are your current orders, Captain?"
"We haven't received any, your Eminence, other than to wait."
"That is good. From this moment on, I am taking command of the Reaver. I am Assayer Neerada. I am on a mission from the Empire that, until I hear otherwise, must still be carried out. Is that clear?"
"Yes, your Eminence."
"Do not broadcast my presence to any other vessel, Captain. That is most important. My presence here must remain secret."
"As you wish." He took a breath and for the first time examined the Assayer more closely under the light.
The front of the mask was black and hung nearly to the figure's breast plate like a wide trunk. The upper half of it was an opaque darkness, allowing a wide angle of view for the unseen eyes behind. The Assayer's body suit was made up of interlocking durasteel lines, allowing for mobility and resistance.
But it was the shape of the body that surprised Pina.
The Assayer was female.
The woman gave an exhausted sigh. Suddenly, her right leg wobbled and she staggered on the ramp, a growl of pain emanating from the mask.
For the first time Pina noticed the blood that pooled at her foot.
"Your Eminence, you are injured?"
"Yes," she hissed. "Dismiss your men Pina. I need to speak to you alone."
Pina gave the order and Bauhaus led the others from the bay. Only when they were alone did the pain overcome the Assayer. She collapsed back onto the ramp and gasped.
"What happened to you?" Pina asked, kneeling at her side.
"I was betrayed and shot. My ship was ambushed and my crew were forced to abandon me. I was forced to make a jump to hyperspace with a damaged Nav computer."
"Who attacked you? Are they in pursuit?"
"Most likely. But my corvette was fast. We probably have three hours before they catch up with me. But we will have left the system by then. Argh!"
The Assayer punched her thigh with her clenched fist, beating the pain into submission.
"I will call the medical droid–"
"No. There is no time for that now. More important matters demand my attention. You asked me who attacked my ship - it was Commodore Sarn, commander of a flotilla of three Star Destroyers. He betrayed me, and attempted to murder me. Before I made the jump my ship was boarded by his stormtroopers. That is the reason why I reacted as I did in the life buoy . . . "
The Assayer put her hand on Pina's shoulder and together they stood. The pain on Pina's arm was immense, but he didn't dare complain.
"You are in pain too, Captain?" she asked, without seemingly noticing his arm.
"Yes. I was injured on Farsalt. We had some trouble down there. A senior officer was killed."
"That is unfortunate. For I must go to the planet. There is someone there who is of interest to me. Tell your men to prepare a TIE for immediate take off. And Captain Pina," she offered him a data card from her belt. "Run this through your records of the people on Farsalt. I strongly suspect you will find a genetic match. Have some accommodation made ready for my return, for I will be bringing one other."
He took the data card and helped the Assayer stand unaided. She took a deep breath.
"The pain is good," she said. "Anger. Pain. They keep me focused."
"Your Eminence, why did Sarn attack you?"
"The galaxy is in flux, Captain Pina. The old order is broken. Can you not feel it? New certainties try to arise in place of those gone. People are playing for power. We can trust no one, Captain. Absolutely no one."
The Assayer strode to the bay doors, but paused half way. She turned.
"There is something you are afraid of, Captain? Some doubt I perceive."
"Yes," he answered, too astonished at her words to try to cover them up. "The people of Farsalt have my word that I would not exact vengeance upon them for what happened. As an officer I–"
"Your word means nothing to me Captain. Understand that. But know this: I will not harm anyone on Farsalt unless they try to prevent me carrying out my mission. Is that understood?"
Pina only nodded in response.
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Again, Pina finds himself in a position where his sworn duty to the Empire seems to put him at odds with his personal morality. This chapter also reveals how the Empire itself seems to have various factions set upon power grabs, eliminating rivals now the controlling influence of Palpatine and Vader have been removed. Who can you trust in such a situation?