Tess reached under the towel folded on the dresser and turned on the masker to jam the recording devices in their cottage. Then she went to the cottage's small kitchen, poured roasted sarna beans into the brewer, and started reheating some of the breakfast casserole her mother had insisted she take with her from the day before.

Varun stirred in the bed, letting the nutty aroma of the sarna pull him the last few degrees into wakefulness. His eyes cracked open and he sat up, stretching his tanned arms.

"Morning, sweetheart," Tess smiled and threw him a greeting across the half-wall.

"Morning," Varun returned. "How'd you sleep?" He pulled on an undershirt and sat at one of the stools just as the brewer beeped. Tess set an empty mug on the small island and Varun poured, listening to the glug-glug of the sarna making its way out of the carafe.

"Like a baby blurrg," Tess answered, using their pre-arranged phrase to let him know the masker was active. "Thoughts about today?"

Numarkos slurped his sarna and cut into the square of casserole Tess set before him. She stayed in the galley, leaning over the counter and chewing the fluffy breakfast.

"I think I'll see if I can convince Tafo to let me see the mining operation. I'd like to poke around the facility more, try to find their comm center. They must have one, despite the lack of a visible tower or antenna dish." He forked another bite. "Do you think you could get your mother to let you see her part of all this?"

Tessa kept her expression neutral for the sake of the cameras, but her voice betrayed her consternation. "I—I'm not sure. I mean, I just found them again. I'd really like to spend a little more time with my family before I start working them like a case agent."

"Look, sweetheart, I know how much this means to you, believe me. But we're on the clock, here. If what Oktos-grasha found is true, we need some proof before we wear out our welcome, literally."

Tessa uttered a dismayed sigh. "I know, but using my parents to get it... I feel like I'm betraying them."

"It's not betrayal, Tessa. We have to keep the big picture in mind. If they're building more superlasers—"

"I know," she repeated, more desperation in her voice. "Maybe it's not outright betrayal, but lying to them… It's killing me, Varun!"

"Sweetheart," he started.

"I don't understand why we can't just tell them the truth. Would that be so bad?"

Varun's look was sympathetic. "I wish we could, Tessa, I really do, but it's just not in the cards. The only reason we're here is because Fleet thinks there's enough in the info Taz found to warrant a closer look. This is an op, and like it or not we have a duty that supersedes our personal lives."

Tessa's eyes were sharp. "I know that, Varun. I take my oath as seriously as you do," she nearly snapped.

He held up a hand. "I'm not saying otherwise, sweetheart. You and I both know we have a duty to perform. Even if I was absolutely sure your parents would keep our secret, it still puts all of us in danger. Not just you and me, but the crew of Allegra's Heart, too. Is it worth the chance they'd be discovered?"

"I can't believe that mom and dad would betray us! I'd never believe that."

"I know you wouldn't, Tessa. Jerric and Amanda might not betray us on purpose, but you know the scrutiny they're under. Any slip-up and Ruatha will swoop in and arrest them." He came around the counter and put his arms around her waist. "I started ISB training before Aunt Dee recruited me. Believe me, you don't want them in her clutches. She'll use them to get you to talk, and she'll use you against them the same way."

"I know that, I do!" There were angry, frustrated tears in her eyes. She laid her head on his shoulder. "I just can't stand lying like this. Are we just going to fly off in a few days and leave them thinking we're loyal citizens of an Empire in ruins that barely exists?"

She began crying. Varun held her, stroking her back. He knew the emotional toll that came with lying to loved ones. He also knew that Tessa was a good officer who understood the risks that came with divulging the truth. He had no choice but to trust her and hope that his love for her would be enough of a salve for her wounded heart.

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Jerric and Amanda met them in the little park next to the domestic block. Jerric pulled a repulsorcart laden with sandwiches, fruit, cheese and, of course, a big flask of sarna. Amanda waved a greeting while she spread a broad square sheet over the grass. They sat as Jerric passed out plates and cups, then served lunch.

Amanda squinted at the sky. "Looks like the rain might chase us back home. We'd better eat while we have the chance."

Tess finished her lunch and desert, and leaned back on the sheet, staring at the gathering clouds. Her stomach churned despite the good food. She looked over at her parents, then Varun. He might not forgive her for what she was about to do. She slipped her hand into her pocket and switched on her masker. "Mom, Dad, can we talk about something?"

"Tessa—" Varun began.

"I'm sorry," she said, fixing him with an intense stare that was half desperation and half resolve. "I can't keep lying to them." Then she turned to her parents, who looked confused. "We… I haven't been honest with you."

"What do you mean, dear?" Amanda uttered.

"We aren't from TaggeCo, here on a trip to survey ruins." She made a bitter sound. "We came to rescue you and to disrupt whatever is going on at this base." She took Amanda's hand. "Mom, we're with the New Republic. We fought against Palpatine and his Empire, and we won."

Amanda shook her head, still confused, but looking pale now. She reached for Jerric's hand. Varun looked around, wary for signs that they might be interrupted.

Tess trembled. "The Emperor died two years ago on a battle station he was building near the planet Endor. Then a year ago, most of the remaining Imperial forces gathered at a planet in the Fringes called Jakku. They fought against Alliance forces—the people you called terrorists—people like Sera and Reiko. People like Varun and me, mom. We defeated the Imperial forces on Jakku. We forced the Empire to surrender."

Jerric spoke with quiet intensity. "Tessalyn Daro, is this some kind of sick joke?"

"It's not, dad, I swear to you. The Galactic Republic's been reestablished and the Senate's been restored. The Empire signed instruments of surrender." She was shaking now, but she swept her hand around the facility. "All of this, the work you're doing? It's for a government that doesn't exist. Director Tafo has been hiding the truth from you, and lying for years!"

"I—I don't understand, Tess," Amanda responded. "Why would they do that? Why wouldn't you tell us the truth from the start? Why lie to us?"

Varun laid an urgent hand on Tess's shoulder. "Tessa's telling you the truth," he admitted, looking grim. We believe the director wants to keep this facility's work going so he can arm a remnant of Imperial forces with new superweapons that could devastate the fragile peace we've tried to maintain since the Battle of Jakku."

"I—can't believe that," Jerric disputed. "Do you have proof for any of that?"

"Mom, dad, I'm so sorry. We learned that this facility was extracting high-quality kyber crystals so we came to find out why. The Empire used crystals like those to make weapons that destroy entire planets."

Varun added, "We've been under surveillance since we arrived. Your home was wired for remote observation, our bungalows too. Why would they do that if there's nothing to hide here? Why would they cut you off from the most important news in the entire galaxy?"

Amanda fixed them both with hard looks. "Who are you, really?"

"Varun's a captain with New Republic Fleet Intelligence. I'm the second officer on the flagship of the Dufilvian Sector defense fleet. That's pretty recent, though. For most of the last eight years, we've been part of a Rebel cell operating from Filve, in the Mid Rim."

"You were Rebels, and now you're both in the military?"

"Yes, dad, we are."

"The others?"

"Lyra was an Imperial officer in the Customs office, just as she said. The others were in Razorclaw Cell with us. They fought with the ground forces on Jakku to secure the final military defeat of the Imperial forces. They left a couple of months ago and went into the private charter business."

"So, you didn't lie to us about everything," Jerric said, looking hurt.

"What about Doctor Oktos?"

The corner of Tess's mouth twitched. "It's just Taz, mom. He's not really a researcher. He was a medic in the war. He's part of Sera and Rei's crew."

"Why tell us all of this now?"

"Because, mom, I thought we were going to find a slave labor camp, not a facility where you've taken up with your captors. I came here to liberate you, to take you home!" Tears fell down her cheeks as she pleaded with them both.

"Tessa, they're going to figure out we're using a masker any minute now," Varun warned, trying not to look as concerned as he felt.

"Who will?" Jerric said.

"Tafo and his lieutenant, Ruatha. I'm pretty sure she's an agent of the Imperial Security Bureau."

"Jerric, what should we do?" Amanda asked, seeming lost.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

A few raindrops began to fall. "I don't know." He looked at Varun and Tess. "You've lied to us, both of you. We love you, honeygirl but you've made it awfully hard to trust you and what you're saying." He got to his feet. "This rain might stick around a while. We'll talk more back at the house."

Varun nodded. "We have proof on Allegra's Heart, and I'll show you the recording devices Ruatha put in your home. You understand if we disable them they'll come, right?"

"We'll deal with that when it happens," Jerric said. He helped Amanda up. She looked distraught and took Jerric's arm while Varun and Tess gathered up the remains of their picnic lunch.

"Mom, you have to understand, I didn't want any of this." Tess said, but when she reached out Amanda shrank from her. Tess took her hand back and looked miserable.

The rain came harder and they hurried back toward the Daros' house.

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Sera picked up the four pairs of Imperial troopers as soon as they entered the hangar. Beyond them she could see four others working at Allegra's boarding ramp controls. Unlike the sentries she usually saw in red coveralls, these troops wore Imperial gray, complete with armored breastplates.

The eight troops inside the hangar headed her way. She looked around, trying to act casual, but knowing she was out of position to get to any of the exits. She could probably break out if she had to; none of the sentries looked particularly competent but there were dozens of workers in the hangar. If the sentries started firing or she got into a gun battle, they were sure to be caught in the crossfire.

All she could think about was getting to Rei. She took a wrench from a tray of tools and side-stepped toward the nearest wall. Two troops continued straight for her, edging workers out of the way. Some began to suspect something was up and they started to flee. Sera got within a few meters of the wall when she was cut off by a man and woman. They leveled their blasters at her. In one smooth motion Sera threw the wrench at the woman, spun sideways and ducked, then charged the man. The woman screamed, her face bloodied by the heavy tool smashing into her. She fired blindly and the part of Sera's brain that wasn't focused on the other trooper noted that her blaster was set for stun. She closed the meter or so to the man and forced her fist under his chin. There were screams from the workers, who fled in a panic. Sera smiled at the confusion. She followed the uppercut with a knee to the man's solar plexus, doubling him over. She wrenched the gun from his hand and struck him over the back of the head. She kept moving, whipped the blaster around and fired. The female trooper crumbled to the floor, unconscious.

Sera trotted toward the hangar's gaping mouth, trying to blend with the crowd. The other troops, perhaps sensing they were losing their quarry, began firing on the fleeing workers. As they fell, Sera broke into a sprint. The troops at Allegra's Heart had succeeded in overriding the ramp controls. She had only a few precious seconds to get there before the ramp descended. She yelled and brought up her blaster, but she was thrown to the permacrete by a terrific wallop from behind. She fell, dazed from the stun blast but still conscious. Sera raised her blaster, flipping the selector switch from its stun setting. Another blast hit her before she could squeeze the trigger, and she screamed an instant before she blacked out.

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Jerric opened the door and stopped in his tracks. Vaniel Ruatha stood in the parlor flanked by a pair of troops with their blasters leveled. Outside, six more armed guards appeared from between the houses and bungalows, their blasters trained on the four of them.

Ruatha wore a dark smile. "Come in, Mr. and Mrs. Daro. You'll catch your death of cold out in the rain." She looked past them to Varun and Tess. "You too. We can't have Rebel saboteurs loose on our peaceful facility, can we?" She drew her own blaster and pointed it at Amanda. "Hands where I can see them, Captain Numarkos. I wouldn't want any of your actions to be misinterpreted."

The guards prodded them inside, forced their hands behind them and shackled them with binders, then proceeded to search them.

Tess protested, "My parents have nothing to do with this, Ruatha!"

"You probably should have considered that before you decided to infiltrate my facility, Captain Daro." Seeing their reactions, she added, "You didn't think I'd check your stories? You must take me for quite the fool."

She walked up to Varun. "I despise traitors!" and struck him across the face as hard as she could with the muzzle of her blaster.

Tess screamed with rage, but the guard holding her slammed his fist into her temple. Her knees buckled but the guard held her up.

Amanda cried out in anguish. Jerric yelled, "STOP!" He turned to Ruatha. "There's no need to hurt them!"

She put her pistol under his chin. Amanda whimpered. "You're useful here, Jerric Daro. Don't confuse useful with indispensable. You've committed treason against the Empire and you'll be dealt with accordingly."

Varun moved his bruised jaw painfully. "Treason? For what, Agent Ruatha? The Daros haven't done anything except welcome the daughter your Empire took from them. Besides, the Empire was beaten a year ago."

"That's a setback, not a defeat, Numarkos. We will regain our rightful mastery over the galaxy, and soon."

"With weapons made from kyber crystals? How many planets will you burn this time? Alderaan not enough for you?"

Director Tafo strode between Ruatha's guards followed by a quartet of armored troops carrying blaster rifles. He shot a dark look at Ruatha before spinning on his heel to stand nearly nose to nose with Jerric. "I'm very disappointed to learn that your daughter and her collaborators intended harm to this facility and its work, Jerric. I gave you authority, respect, freedom. You've betrayed that kindness."

Jerric looked angry. He opened his mouth to respond, but Varun cut him off. "Kindness, Director? If you wanted to be kind you'd have been honest with them."

Tafo turned on Varun, his gloved finger jabbing. "YOU, Numarkos, are one wrong word away from being shot where you stand. And you, Miss Daro, tsk tsk," he wagged his finger at her, then grabbed her by the chin and brought his fleshy face very close to hers. "How many loyal Imperial lives have you and your Filvian terrorists taken?"

"Don't talk to me about lives," she spat. "Not when your subjugation force bombed millions of innocents to ash on Filve."

"Enough!" Ruatha blared. "You are hereby charged with sedition. You will be interrogated then sent to our fleet at Eadu. Enjoy the few days of life that remain to you. Take them away!" she ordered.

The guards began to move, but Tillisk forestalled them with a raised hand. "I give the orders here if you recall, Adjutant," he said, slashing a warning glare at her. "The Daros are to be released."

"They are clearly a security threat, Director," Vaniel said through clenched teeth.

"Their roles are vital in the kyber extraction process." He turned to Jerric and Amanda. "You have gained a reprieve, provided your daughter remains cooperative."

"Tafo—" Varun snarled.

"Or would you rather I had them shot now, dear girl?" The director gestured with his fingers. Guards trained their blasters on Jerric and Amanda.

Tess's eyes went wide. "Leave them alone," she uttered through tears and gritted teeth.

"Or what, my dear? What will you do to save the lives of the parents you found again, after so many years apart?"

Tess looked enraged but desperate.

"Quickly, I'm not a man given to patience." He raised his hand.

"Alright," she relented finally. "I'll do—whatever you want. Just leave them alone. Please."

"Tess, no sweetheart," Amanda pleaded. "Director—"

"You see?" he said to Ruatha. "She can be reasonable and I'm sure she'll answer all of your questions truthfully, won't you, my dear?" He addressed the Daros. "You will be confined here except during your work shifts. You will be under guard at all times." He lifted a finger. "Do not test my leniency or my patience, or your daughter suffers the consequences."

He took Tess by the chin again. "Agent Ruatha will have a word with you." To Ruatha he said, "Bring her to me when you've finished questioning her. That is all." He flicked his fingers at the guards holding Varun and Tess, who pushed them out the door. Tess looked back at the frightened faces of her parents before they were dragged from the house, Jerric and Amanda's cries calling after them.

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Lyra ran for the aircar as soon as the sprinkling turned to a hard, steady rain. She shut the canopy door and spun up the turbines on the Skywagon but Taz still stood in the field. He spread his arms and turned his smiling face to the sky, relishing the feel of every drop on his skin. Before long he was drenched from the storm but he didn't care. It was rain, real rain, not the artifice of an ecopark at one of Filve's domes. The smell of ozone and wet loamy soil filled his nostrils with every deeply drawn breath. Even the sudden chill from the building wind felt like a new, exciting experience.

Lyra turned on the speeder's headlamps and opened her side window. "Oktos! Get in here before you drown!"

He took a few more seconds to enjoy the sensation, then picked up his gear and walked to the aircar, still not in any hurry. He put his impromptu survey equipment in the Skywagon's cargo compartment then got into the aircar's cab, still smiling, dripping water everywhere.

Lyra shook her head as she got the speeder into the air. "You're crazy! Haven't you ever seen rain?"

He ran a wet hand over his wet face, a mostly useless exercise. "A couple of times, but nothing like this," he said. "It's incredible."

Lyra's scowl softened. "You're crazy," she repeated, but less vehemently. A blinding flash of lightning split the air nearby. The crack of thunder arrived a couple of seconds later.

Taz smiled at the booming sound. "That's fantastic."

"One of those strikes can crash this thing," she said, looking serious.

Taz's smile faded a little. "Sorry, it's just so new to me. I've wanted to get caught in a real rain storm most of my life."

"Well you got your wish today. You're probably going to get sick for your trouble." She looked over at him. "You look like a drowned womp rat."

Taz grinned at her. "I guess I do, don't I?"

Lyra angled the aircar toward the base. "We'll get you dried off when we get back."

We? That sounds nice. Taz was about to say something but Lyra was already on her comm speaking with the control tower for landing instructions

Ten minutes later they'd left the rain behind. She lowered the speeder toward the landing pad as daylight turned to gray dusk under a heavy blanket of clouds. The platform was crowded with uniformed Imperials.

"This doesn't look—"

Taz uttered a little yelp of pain as a shock behind his eyes made him jump. "Trouble," he grunted.

Lyra applied power to the turbines just as Lieutenant Forstner's voice crackled over the comm. "You are to land immediately and be taken into custody. Failure to comply will result in your destruction." Bright spotlights from the laser batteries bathed the Skywagon as the turrets swung to cover the little airspeeder. She swore and looked over at Taz.

He wished the Force warning would have come a few seconds sooner. "What do you want to do?"

She screwed her mouth up. "Make a run for it, but those cannons would blast us to dust before we got a dozen meters. What about that?" She nodded down at Aurora Ascendant, clipped to his belt.

"I might get one or two of them before the rest shot us dead," he answered, looking grim.

As soon as they landed, armed troops surged forward, surrounding the aircar. Lyra and Taz stepped out, arms raised.

"What's this all about, Lieutenant?" Taz demanded.

"You're under arrest, by order of the Director."

"What's the charge?"

"Sedition, Mr. Oktos," Tillisk Tafo spoke up, stepping out of the shadows. He stood before Taz and looked at his lightsaber. "That's a most unusual device, Doctor. It doesn't look like a piece of surveying equipment." He nodded to one of the troops who unhooked it from Taz's belt and handed it to Tafo.

"You probably think I'm ignorant of the history of this place. You would be wrong about that. I know the significance of kyber crystals and their connection to the Force. That's why Rho Two-Seven-Seven is here." He tapped the lightsaber in the palm of his hand, then wagged it under Taz's nose. "Now what's a Rebel saboteur doing with the weapon of a Jedi, I wonder?"

Taz covered his surprise behind a tight visage. "I found it buried beneath some rocks. Like the kind you crawled out from under."

Tafo frowned as a guard cuffed him across the face. "That's enough," the director ordered. He tucked Aurora Ascendant into his belt. "An engineering drawing of a lightsaber will make an excellent addition to my collection." He flicked his fingers at Forstner.

"Take them to the detention center," ordered the lieutenant.

The troops stripped them of their weapons and cuffed them with binders, then led them away.