Sparks

Chapter Fifteen - The Hunted

It's still cold outside. Breathing out small clouds, I take a break on a log. My ears and cheeks feel like ice. Two hours have gone by this morning and I haven't found anything yet. There's no sign of life in the woods. I set down my freezing bow on the grass and exhale warm air into my hands. The black gloves I'm wearing only cover my palms. It snowed last night so all the trees and ground is covered with white. Snow is good because animals can leave behind tracks.

I fish out my canteen from my bag. Gulping some down, I sigh. The caf's lukewarm and bitter. I guess I did try heating it up over a campfire. But it's not too awful. Caf machines are a waste of money anyways. I toss it back into my bag and I'm jolted to my senses. Weird. I haven't heard anything. Looking around, there's nothing but trees and snow. Without making a sound, I pick up my bow and string an arrow. My eyes scan the area, waiting. A scruffy rabbit shoots through the foliage, sending powdery snowflakes from the leaves. My arrow hits it, sending it to the ground.

The rabbit's dead, but I stay where I am for a moment, frozen with my hand a few inches from the string. Stuff like this happens to me occasionally. It's hunter instincts. Has to be.

I shake it off and pick up the animal. I should get home and eat before it snows again. The emerald sky is looking cloudy. I walk away, crunching the snow beneath me.

~<-*->~

The Imperial agent was in a dirty alley, away from her soldiers. They were more than able to finish their daily patrol without her. Besides, she needed to bring in an agent on the situation. The situation was the recent theft of civilian records. The ISB did not take this lightly, especially on Raydonia. Raydonia was a fuel tank ready to be ignited.

The agent took out her holo caster and contacted him. The agent and she were in the same graduating class together. She had spent nights studying to beat him for the top of the class. Unfortunately, she came in at a close second. He answered immediately, his tall figure coming into view.

"Greetings, Agent Kallus."

"Agent Novar. What is the purpose of this meeting?"

"There has been a theft of deceased civilian records here on Raydonia. We caught the two offenders on video surveillance, but the audio was corrupted. We have one of them, but the other girl cannot be found."

Kallus frowned. "What do you mean she cannot be found?"

"She has no records and we cannot identify her."

The other agent scratched his chin. "That's not possible. All citizens have identification."

"She seems to be an exception and an orphan. The girl in custody is not responding to questions on her counterpart."

Kallus's form shimmered. "What methods are you using?"

"There are rules here regarding minors and interrogation. I don't plan to break protocol." She waited for a reaction from the other agent and was surprised when he didn't object.

The agent continued, "We went through the terminal that they used and something...interesting came up. This isn't the first use of the machine. The last time, someone went into prisoner logs and pulled up a live feed of a prisoner on Lothal." She paused. "The prisoner was Kanan Jarrus, someone you are very familiar with."

His eyes widened somewhat, but his voice remained professional. "Yes, I've dealt with these rebels for some time. I'm assuming you want me to join you on the investigation?"

"Precisely. You can assist with tracking down a girl who has compassion like these rebels of yours."

"Why would this hacker have compassion? There isn't any proof of that."