The Hunters and the Hunted 4

I sat in the small mess eating what I had been told was Targ stew but looked a lot like something a Ronto would yak up, still it tasted good enough. For a quick lunch it was fine and since I hadn’t eaten anything else, I was hungry.

“Mind if I join you?” asked a familiar voice.

I grinned. “Hullo stranger.”

CJ sat down across from me. “How can you eat that?” he asked.

“Pretty easily with a fork.” I told him cheekily. “Besides, you’re one to talk.” I eyeballed his tray and gave him a look. “When did you get back?”

“I've actually been on board since before the fleet jumped to the Hoth system but I was on duty, and we went to battle alert so I couldn’t really be sociable, you know? I came back in on the last troup transport with a bunch of new guys fresh out of the acadamy, what fun ride that was, let me tell you.” He waved his fork at me and changed the subject. “I heard you had some excitement on Coruscant recently.”

I raised my eyebrows in question because I had a mouthful of stew.

“One of my colleagues at the Palace told me you ended up in a bacta tank.”

“Buggery sandrats news travels fast.”

“It does when what you do hauls a high ranking officer out of a meeting full of VIPs and you end up in Vader’s private care facility. So what happened?”

I shrugged as I gave him the Daily Digest version of Jyrki’s surprise attack.

“An Anzat blade, wow, did you get to keep it? Those things are worth a small fortune.” He asked when I had finished.

“No, Thrawn gave it to Intel.”

“Pity. How is the Admiral doing anyway?”

“I suppose he’s fine. I expect he’s busy discovering the wonders of the Unknown Regions.”

“I heard a rumour that he’s up for a promotion soon.” CJ said sitting back in his chair.

“Oh?”

“I’ll tell you over some of that special coffee you make so well.” He said with a grin. This was CJ speak for too many ears in this room, let’s talk in private.

My office had become a sort of unofficial hangout. CJ sprawled himself on the corner comfy chair and put his feet up on the small table, watching as I made spiced coffee.

“So talk.” I told him when I handed him a glass of coffee.

“Word is your man is up for some sort of secret promotion, or maybe actually was given one.”

“So you said…if it’s so secret how do you know about it?”

He grinned. “Sweetheart, I’m part of the in crowd.” He said.

“Uh huh, keep telling yourself that bantha-boy!” I grinned. “Anyway, that’s not exactly spiced coffee worthy news. So get to the good stuff.”

“Word is that the Emperor upped or will up the number of the council of twelve to thirteen.”

That caught my attention. “He’s planning to promote Thrawn to the circle of Grand Admirals?”

CJ nodded.

“When?”

“Soon, if it hasn’t already happened. It’s incredibly hush hush so you know the rumour mill is buzzing. I only know about it because one of the guys I actually still get along with overheard a conversation between Pestage and Palpatine.” He said. “Mös couldn’t believe that the Emperor would even consider doing this. I believe his exact words were ‘I can’t actually wrap my head around the fact that the Emperor would stick an alien in the highest military circle there is. The rest of the white suits will go nova over this.’ He was pretty stunned about what he heard.”

“Why is everyone so against the fact that Thrawn isn’t human? What difference does that make?” It was always jarring to hear Thrawn referred to as alien because that was not how I saw him at all.

CJ shrugged. “Like I’d know, I think he’s a decent guy and since you seem to have a thing for him, my guess is he can’t be all that bad of a person underneath his snobby-cool-know-it-all exterior. You’re not the type to latch on to just anything in a uniform. You’re pretty picky about the male company you keep.”

That earned him a raised eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Well, if you weren’t, you’d be slumming with Zaarin and anyone else who gave you the eye and showered you with flattery. Everyone knows Zaarin has a thing for you and it pisses him off that you showed him the door.”

I laughed. “Zaarin’s a pompous ass.”

“Yes he is, but he’s also a high ranking officer with the brains and the power to back it up. There’s lots of girlies at the court who would sell their mothers just to spend a night with a man like him.” CJ said thoughtfully. “He doesn’t hear the words ‘bugger off’ all that often. The guys talk about that a lot; you raise a lot of eyebrows.”

“The guys talk about me?” This raised my eyebrows. “What guys?”

“Uh, well… you know… the guys.” He shrugged then smiled. “How many females do you see working for the Empire, especially in the upper echelon? Of course you get talked about but you aren’t the only one though so don’t get all Holo-starlet diva on me.”

“So what do the guys say?” I asked with a bit of bite in my voice.

CJ shook his head vehemently. “Oh no, trust me you don’t want to know the locker room chat. Suffice to say some of it is complimentary and the rest of it is testosterone driven, practically pornographic and liable to make you hate men forever. I will tell you this though, you get favourably compared to Mara Jade a lot.”

“Who the hell is that?”

CJ just stared at me for a moment. “You don’t know her? I though you did some work with her a while back, a babysitting job. She’s the pretty bit with reddish gold hair that hangs out on the Emperor’s arm a lot.”

“You mean Lianna, the dancer - courtesan?”

CJ laughed so hard I thought he would choke. “Dancer? Courtesan? You mean no one ever told you who she really is? You ferried her about on some mission and you thought she was just a dancer?” He could not keep the incredulity from his voice.

“That’s what I was told by the Emperor. I don’t tend to question him a lot you know?” I replied angrily. “I knew there was something more about her but when the Emperor says do something I do it and I don’t ask who or why.”

He made a face. “Wow, where to start? You know about the Hands, right?”

I just blinked at him.

“How is it you know so much about some stuff and nothing about others? I would have thought Vader would have at least told you about the Emperor’s Hands.”

“I vaguely remember something being mentioned about some super secret group called that, though I think it was Thrawn who told me but no specifics. I don’t care about that crap anyway. That stuff is Intel’s department not mine. I’m an office girl, CJ, not a super agent!”

“Yeah, right.” He said giving me that as if I believe you at all look.

“I honestly didn’t know her real name. I didn’t want to if you must know. I knew there was a whole lot more to her than meets the eye but she wasn’t exactly a big fan of mine, if you get my meaning. I think she thought I was going to steal her place by the Emperor’s side or something. I flew her to a job and then I brought her home. The job went a bit south, I helped out and I didn’t ask too many questions.”

“Well, her real name is Mara Jade. She’s one of the Emperor’s Hands, his super secret agents, assassins and all round nasties. He apparently found her as a child, raised her and trained her himself. It is said she can hear him anywhere in the galaxy through the force. But like you, most people don’t know who or what she is. The concubine-dancer- palace- fluff thing is just a ruse. That woman is as deadly as she is gorgeous. She’d kill a man twice her size with her pinkie and not break a nail.”

“Are you serious, raised by the Emperor?” I asked trying to picture of the woman I had flown to Rothana, the same woman I occasionally talked to at palace functions with this woman that CJ was telling me about. Navaari’s words about her echoed in my head…she’s not a dancer she’s a predator…. I had known she was something more but never really exactly what. I hadn’t wanted to know. No wonder she had given me the evil eye when the Emperor had made a fuss over me.

He nodded. “Very serious, though it would be good if you never repeated this to anyone since I could get knee deep and high for telling you. But honestly, I thought you knew.”

“So the guys talk about her as well?” I asked.

“Of course, she’s damned hot. Hell, Merly we talk about everyone. The barracks are like gossip central. It’s a huge myth that men don’t indulge in that sort of thing. We’re worse than women, if you really want to know.” He said with a grin. “But she’s like the ice princess so everyone knows she’s unattainable, you on the other hand actually make friends and occasionally chat to us lowly men of the Imperial world. You have the reputation for being nice but odd and you are still alive even though you work with Vader which really raises eyebrows. What you think no one finds that unusual or discussion worthy? You’re the best thing that ever happened to the gossip corner. Every time you end up on Coruscant something really crazy happens to you. Now the guys have a pool about what will happen next. Of course you broke a few hearts when you decided to date Thrawn, there are a few hangers on who believe you might get fed up of being with an older man who isn’t human but I told them to give it up. I’ve seen how your face lights up when you speak his name. ”

“Are you kidding me?” I just stared at him.

He shook his head and chuckled, thoroughly enjoying himself. “Nope, you are very entertaining.” He said. “Besides you can’t tell me that when you and your pal Shiv get together you don’t do the same thing. Everyone gossips it’s part of palace life!”

“It never occurred to me to consider that I would be such a huge topic of interest, to be honest. It really is just an office job, a very odd office job but in the end... that's what it is”

“Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart and one day you might actually believe it as well!”

“You guys really talk about me?” I was having issues with this.

He laughed. “You are so naïve. How do you manage to maintain that mental state and still work for the Empire?” He shook his head. “Of course we talk about you, like I said, we talk about everyone. You just happen to be great gossip fodder. You get into a lot of mind bogglingly bizarre situations, the Emperor thinks you are worthy of note and Vader seems to like having you around. You’re the odd girl out playing with the in crowd so you stand out. Don’t sell yourself short; you make for great locker room chit chat!”

I opened my mouth to say something then shut it again. I had no idea how to respond to this so I decided to change the topic. “So, why would the Emperor promote Thrawn to Grand Admiral in secret?”

CJ sighed. “Good question. I can only speculate that he doesn’t trust the rest of the bunch as much as he trusts Thrawn.” He said. “You know the Admiral better than most wouldn’t you say he’s pretty devious and good at strategic planning?”

I nodded. “Just a bit.”

“Well, I expect they’re planning something. Something the Emperor doesn’t want anyone else to know, something that might disrupt the power balance. Or maybe that is the reason, having an odd number on the council means no stalemates. Making Thrawn a Grand Admiral does give him a lot more power.” CJ shrugged. “I have no idea what the Emperor actually does anymore. He’s becoming more and more reclusive, and with the new Death Star project underway things have been more tense than usual.”

I drew a deep breath. “So where have you been? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“I got called back for small mission. Can’t discuss it, so don’t ask.” He said. “And then I had some debriefing to go through. Technically I am still in trooper rotation so I had to return to finish it off, besides how could I not come back to see your pretty face and weasel your fabulous spiced coffee recipe from you?”

“Ha very ha.” Was all I could think of as a reply, ignoring his easy flirtation with me. “So was he promoted or hasn’t that actually happened yet?”

“I don’t actually know. It’s very hush hush. You’ll have to ask the Admiral yourself. When you find out, I’d love to know though.”

“You think I’d actually tell you? CJ, you’ve just told me you’re the biggest gossip I know.”

He laughed. “Only with you sweetheart, only with you.” It was an easy lie and he told it well.

“Flirting will get you nowhere, I’m spoken for.” I told him firmly. He was so easy to like and I enjoyed his attentions in a way that could be dangerous. He was so different from Thrawn in so many ways and I knew I could easily be attracted to him but the part of me that was drawn to CJ also knew that an affair with him would end very badly. I squashed all hints of the small attraction I felt.

“That’s what makes it all the more fun.” He grinned. “Any more coffee?”

I poured him another glass and for a moment we were quiet, the scent of mek’kefa filling the air, the silence between us comfortable. The thing I liked best about CJ was that while he was ambitious and hard assed he was also unpretentious and spoke his mind. I knew where I stood with him.

“So were you with Blizzard Force?” I asked after a few minutes.

He nodded. “Yep. What a campaign, classic recruitment stuff…join the Imperial Army and have tons of exciting fun romping around in freezing temperatures and snow, chase down misguided rebels and use them as target practice.” His voice had a cold, sarcastic edge to it.

“So what happened?”

“What you mean to tell me your boys in the spook room didn’t give you the play by play?”

“They’re not my boys and I want to hear an eye witness version.” I said.

He sighed. “It was a slaughter if you really want to know. They put up a good fight but they were out gunned and out numbered. I have trained for a ton of things but I have to tell you fighting in subzero weather sucks. No matter what the quartermaster says, snow trooper outfits are not as warm as you think.”

I shook my head. “No, the warmest clothing for subzero is animal fur. The Dantassi use the skins and furs of the Tavta elch, a huge migratory animal that lives on cold planets, because the hair is long and hollow and traps the heat, it’s also very matted at the base makes it wind proof. It’s the warmest clothing you can wear.”

“You sound quite the expert.” He said giving me that speculative look. “There’s a story in there some where.”

“Maybe, but not today.” I said. “So what happened on Hoth?”

“You really want all the gory details?” He asked in a voice that told me he really didn’t want to talk about it.

I made a face.

“We landed, we killed them, we got out. It wasn’t exactly the most challenging thing I have ever done.” He said flatly. “The AT-ATs were a big blow to the rebel ground troops except for the walkers the air speeders took down with the leg lasso. Damned clever trick actually, so kudos to what ever bright spark thought that up. It was all over when General Veers took out the shield generator.” He rubbed his forehead and suddenly he looked tired. “When the actual fighting was done, we were shipped back on board. They left a crew on Hoth and the next thing I knew was we were flying through asteroids. Don’t suppose you can clue me in about that little bit of fun.”

“Actually I can, that was Lord Vader’s idea of a wild bantha hunt. He was after a smuggler named Solo. He believes that Solo has gotten himself involved with the rebellion and was ferrying the Empire’s most wanted. And, like most things when Lord Vader wants something he is fairly bound and determined to get it. We ended up going through the asteroid field after the Millennium Falcon.”

“Why the hell did this Solo go into the asteroid belt in the first place?”

“Because he is a lunatic?” I said. “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I can tell you that Solo is one of the best pilots I have ever seen, so I guess he figured he could waltz with the dancing rocks and live to tell about it. Lord Vader, being an even better pilot that Solo, decided the rewards outweighed the risks. ”

“Bloody hell.”

I nodded. “We lost one ISD and two others were badly damaged, including the Avenger. ISDs are not made for flying through asteroid fields. We lost a few TIEs as well.”

CJ shrugged. “What’s a few lost TIEs when chasing down the galaxies most wanted?” he said sarcastically. “So, did we catch him?”

“No, not yet. The Executor pulled out of the chase when the Emperor needed to contact Lord Vader.” I told him. “I’m not sure where we are right now. After being up for nearly twenty hours straight, I went to bed.”

“Do you have a clue as to why Vader was so intent on putting his fleet at risk for the sake of a single smuggler?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t heard anything since. Lord Vader is incommunicado at the moment. I suppose he has a lot on his mind right now.” I said with a shrug. “It’s not like he tells me everything that’s going on and usually if I ask when he’s in one of his moods I get told to mind my own business or worse.”

“I see he still treats you with the standard Vader respect and dignity then?”

“You just have to know how to be with him, is all. He has his moments and he has a lot on his shoulders.” I said.

“Says you. I don’t know anyone else who would agree with this though. He’s as bad tempered as he is brilliant and he stomps on anything or anyone that gets in his way. You know that he’s the ultimate example of ruthlessness for the Royal Guards. It’s not like he treats you with kindness and respect. He beats the crap out of you under the lable training when he’s pissed off and I am pretty sure that’s just half of it. He’s abusive and brutal.”

“You sound like Thrawn.” I growled.

“Does that mean you’ll like me better then?” he took the hint and dropped the subject.

“I like you just fine, I don’t want to date you.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing, sweetheart.” He smirked. “And word has it you aren’t just dating the Admiral you’re ….”

“Okay okay!!! I give in you win! I don’t know what I am missing and I don’t want to know!” I shut him up before he got crude.

“See, you missed me.” He said with a satisfied grin.

“My aim is terrible.” I told him. “

He laughed in a good way. I didn’t have that many friends but he counted as one of them. He was easy to be with. “Speaking of aim, when do I get to kick your cute ass next?” He asked.

I grinned. I had learned a few tricks since the last time we had sparred and now I was itching to try them out. I opened my mouth to say something smart when my comm peeped. I made a face and sighed.

“Let me guess…” CJ said and cupped his nose and mouth with a hand then made heavy breathing sounds.

I couldn’t help but laugh at his parody of Lord Vader. “Duty calls.” I said, making get out of my office shooing motions with my hand.

He nodded, getting up. “You know where to find me if you want some fun!”

I just smirked at him. “Yes, but I get to define the fun because your version will get me into knee deep bantha poodoo! See you later.” and went to find out what Lord Vader wanted.