Terran Alliance: The Odyssey

Chapter 13- Back on Track

Chapter 13- Back on Track

(July 10, 2041)

In a small building that has been hastily repurposed to serve as a jail in the capitol, Iden Versio looks through a one way window, on the other side of which is a room where two of the captives from the Star Destroyer are being held, tied firmly to the chairs that they're sitting in.

The battle with the mysterious Star Destroyer had taken place the day before. The prisoners taken from the crashed ship had been held here in the capitol while preliminary intelligence gathering was done aboard the ship, and while Pellaeon and his lieutenants discussed how best to proceed. However, what little they've learned from the Star Destroyer's wreck so far has only left them more confused.

Pellaeon had agreed with his lieutenants that the prisoners they had captured were their best chance at understanding where this ship came from and what its purpose was, and he had given clearance for the interrogations of the prisoners to begin. Iden and Ronen had been assigned to carry out the interrogations. Iden would be the one actually doing the interrogating, given she was a former Imperial, while Ronen would be using Force powers to sense what he could from the prisoners, and maybe give a little hand to Iden during her interrogations.

As Iden keeps looking through the window at the prisoners, she hears footsteps next to her and glances to the side to see Ronen. "Are you ready?" she asks the ASAT commando.

"Yup, I'm ready. Let's find out who these guys are," Ronen mutters, his eyes focused on the two prisoners.

Iden just nods in response before she turns and walks a few steps over to the door leading into the room. As she enters, she sees the prisoners, two officers in uniforms that somewhat resemble the uniforms of Imperial Navy officers, look up at her.

Iden stands before them, her arms crossed, completely silent. One of them finally says, "You're Iden Versio."

"Yes, I am. And you look like Imperials. You know that the Empire destroyed my homeworld, right? I didn't like that," Iden says, taking some menacing steps towards them.

The officers look defiantly up at her. Iden stares down at them before she says, "Dio, why don't you show them what I think of the Empire these days?" After she says this, Dio flies up off her back and onto the back of one of the officers. The droid then deploys its electroshock pad, shocking the officer. The officer screams in pain from the electricity surging through his body. Dio keeps up the shocking for several seconds before stopping, leaving the officer panting and trying to catch his breath.

"I can do a lot worse, and Dio has now issues with helping me. Now, I can promise, I'm an easier person to deal with than some friends of mine here. So, I'd suggest you start talking," Iden says. She then leans down over the table that sits between her and the two officers and asks in a deadly tone, "Tell me: Where did you come from? The Empire is long gone, so what is an Imperial star destroyer doing here over 20 years after it fell. Where did your ship come from?"

One of the officers smirks a bit. A smirk that shows an extreme level of arrogance. "You do not even know what is happening. While the galaxy still struggles to bring itself together, the Sith are growing in strength. You can do nothing to stop it, and before too long, we will be ready to return and return rule of the galaxy to the Sith."

Outside of the room, Ronen is of course listening to this. When he hears this, he feels a chill. Of course, he long thought that the Sith were gone, with the deaths of both the Emperor and Vader during the war, not knowing of the attempted rise of Lumiya and Carnor Jax.

Iden is also confused. "The Sith are gone. The last two Sith were killed at the Battle of Endor," she insists.

The other officer laughs. "They may have died, but their ways did not. We are the loyalists, who preserved their religion and dark ways. We are part of the Sith Eternal, and we will bring glory back to the Sith."

Iden glares at them. "Stop speaking in riddles! Tell me, where do you come from?"

"We have told you. We are of the Sith Eternal, the loyalists who will bring glory back to the Sith and restore their Empire. We were once of the Empire, until we came to the final home of the Sith, and received the true knowledge of the ancient darkness. Now, we serve the Sith Eternal, and we will see about their eternal reign!" the first officer declares, a look of madness in his eyes.

Iden looks like she wants to continue the interrogation. However, she suddenly hears Ronen's voice over her earpiece, "Iden, come on out. I know what's going on here."

(Several hours later)

"So, this ship came from Exegol?" Pellaeon asks. He is sitting around a conference table with Ronen and Iden. Ronen had asked for an immediate meeting with Pellaeon after he had called off Iden's interrogation.

"I'm almost positive, Admiral," Ronen says.

"Walk me through it again," Pellaeon says, wanting to make sure he knows exactly what led Ronen to this conclusion.

"These two officers claimed to be part of a group called the Sith Eternal. According to them, this group intends to bring glory back to the Sith. However, apparently, they were once Imperials that were converted to Sith worship. One of the last things they said was they came to a 'final home of the Sith', and were converted to Sith worship," Ronen says, then pauses before he says, "I also saw a brief glimpse of something when I tried looking into their minds. A hellish looking world and a massive fortress. All of this combined, I'm pretty sure these guys came from Exegol."

Pellaeon is quiet for a moment before asking one more time, "Are you certain?"

"I can never be 100 percent certain. But if I had to bet my life on it, I just might," Ronen says.

Pellaeon is quiet for a moment before he says, "Alright. That's good enough for me." He pauses, then says, "I am going to summon the others. And we'll discuss what our next step will be."