Cross Faction is my Star Wars: the Old Republic Trooper’s dark coin flip. If the Imperial Agent framed Elara Dorne for treason just as things were getting good… what would resistance fighter Vierce Savins do? The answer is an Acts 2 and 3 novella AU of obsession and revenge, far from the healing path of Overcoming Adviercity.
As I recall, this only appears in PDF.
If it gets too intense, remember the canonical endgame in Naturalized Citizens. Vierce and Elara end up safe and happy.
“I’m sending you our most recent picture of Lovissian. We anticipate that the SIS team will be able to stop him, but if he tries contacting you in any way, keep in mind that he is extremely dangerous. With any luck we’ll nab them both today and you’ll be free to move on. Raznic out.”
At some point Jorgan had entered. He crossed his arms and looked from me to the now-inactive holo and back. “I don’t believe it,” he said in a tight low voice.
“I…no. We’ll call her, there’s got to be an explanation.” If there wasn’t there would be hell to pay, and I didn’t want the woman I knew to have to pay it.
It was right then that an incoming holo from her saved us the trouble of calling. I felt a little shiver of relief; if she were up to anything she wouldn’t come to us.
She was tensed in combat-ready position. She talked fast. “Sir. I’m in the Upper Industrial District. There’s been an attack, I think from the Exchange. I’m currently barricaded in an abandoned house but I’m not sure how long the barricade will hold. Requesting immediate assistance.”
That was far from the innocuous check-in I was hoping for. Upper Industrial District. Did she have a name, too? “Who exactly were you meeting with, Sergeant?”
She didn’t deny there had been a meeting. “Lieutenant Lovissian, Personnel
Division. He’s dead now, sir. I’m trapped here.”“Any personnel discussion you were having should’ve gone through me.” I had gone out of my way for her on that front, rather than letting Personnel Division corner her with borderline harassment tracking. Saying she was bypassing me now was a weak excuse if I’d ever heard one.
“Sir, this isn’t the time. We can discuss it after I’ve gotten out.”
“Right.” Why call me for an extraction? Was I that easy to jerk around? Stupid of me to think she would’ve been calling just to chat. I had evidence of what was going on, and now I knew what a lie she was carrying out. “Huh,” I said, finally giving my uncertain anger permission to rise. “Exchange, is it?”
“I think so, sir. I need your immediate support.”
Jorgan spoke up. “Sir, the Exchange has been all over that district lately. We can sort everything else out later, for now we need to get her out of there.”
I gestured for him to be quiet. “What would they be after with you, Sergeant? Something you were carrying?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
It occurred to me that the SIS might not have backup for unexpected guests. I didn’t want to get nearer, not really, but…”Estimated force?”
“A dozen, sir, armed with heavy blaster rifles and at least some grenades.”
Why such a heavy patrol? There must’ve been something they wanted. I had a
good idea what. And the idea of her walking off with intelligence on our people made me furious. One thing to check first. “All right. There’s something I need you to do.”“Name it, but hurry.”
“Show me Lovissian’s face. Scan his ID, drag him over, whatever it takes.”
She frowned, but she switched a setting on her holo and it zoomed out a little. She bent over a bloodied figure and pulled a wallet from his pocket. She flipped part way through, froze. Slowly went on, looking scared.
“Problem, Sergeant?”
“I’ll report fully when I get back, sir,” she said. “He’s…” Her voice dropped. “He seems to be carrying Imperial documents.”
And she was going to say this was a surprise. “Then scan the Imperial ID,
Sergeant. Show me what he looks like.”But I already knew. When she swiped the identicard, the face that came up was the Imp I had been told to expect.
Dammit. And I had had no clue. “Want to tell me again you don’t know why the Exchange is after your little meeting?”
“Sir, I didn’t know. This was an unplanned conversation, I had no idea–”
Her composure was crumbling. With good reason. “Did you really think you could lie to me, Sergeant?”
“I never did, sir. I’ll answer any questions you have, but I have to get out of here first.”
Jorgan waved a little to catch my attention. “We’re ready to go when you are,” he said.
“We’re not going anywhere.” It made me sick to say it, but not as sick as I felt about seeing her again face to face. Seeing what she was up to with my own eyes, and seeing her deny it some more.
There was panic in Dorne’s voice. “I don’t have much time, sir. I can hold out for a few more minutes but I can’t drive them off on my own.”
“You went in of your own accord, Sergeant. You figure it out.”
I heard a sharp little intake of breath. “Sir?”
“Sir?” echoed Jorgan.
“We’re not going, Jorgan. She’s meeting with the enemy, she can clean it up herself.”
“We don’t have the whole story here, Savins, the least we can do is–”
“I said no. That’s final.”
Jorgan’s yellow eyes flared and his voice was nothing but gravel. “You’re talking about letting Dorne die.”
For what she was doing? For the Imp she was shut in with now, for the fact that all my suspicion still hadn’t caught what mattered, and for the fact that I’d started letting my guard down? “Yes. I am.”
As I recall, this only appears in PDF.
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