[Last Of The Jedi] - 07(18)

And now he was betraying them. They were seeing him on the HoloNet. They were wondering how he could have betrayed them in such a way.

He hadn’t been alone since he’d arrived. Vader had made sure of that. He’d been dragged to meeting after meeting, shown off like a trained animal. Constantly managed, constantly escorted, so that he was unable to talk to a Bellassan directly.

He could get away. He just wasn’t sure if he should. Let them do their work, let them present him as a traitor to the Bellassans. Until he knew for sure what he was doing and where he was going, he would continue to feel the agony of this and do nothing except wait — and hope he would discover more about Twilight and more about what the Empire was actually doing on Bellassa. Because he knew something for sure: Something was up. Which wasn’t very much to know, but he had hopes.

The meeting was with engineers and scientists from many planets around the galaxy, all volunteering their time to retool Ussan factories and get their economy going again.

Or at least that was the spin. Ferus waited in an adjoining room. He was never in the meetings where the real words were said. They trotted him out for the benefit of journalists and native Bellassans. He was present for the meeting in which platitudes were exchanged and promises made that had nothing to do with the real issues.

He was in a factory. The factories in Ussa were models of cleanliness and order. They were confined to one district, and mixed both advanced technology and good design. Ussans were proud of their textiles and ceramics, which were coveted around the galaxy. The factories weren’t large, but there were many of them, and they usually employed a sizable population in Ussa.

They’d been closed for six months.

Ferus looked out the window at a garden that was set up with tables and chairs for the workers to eat outdoors in good weather. Bellassa was blessed with flowering bushes that bloomed throughout the year. To his surprise the garden showed evidence of care. The path borders were sharp, the bushes trimmed and thriving. But the factory had been closed.

“I keep it up.”

Ferus turned at the sound of the voice. A man of middle years, with silver hair, looked out the window at the garden; “It was never my job. I was in charge of security. Then I became the caretaker when it closed. But I couldn’t stand to see the weeds choking it. It was always a pretty spot. So I made sure it stayed that way, hoping the factory would reopen soon.”

“It looks like it will,” Ferus said.

“Say, aren’t you supposed to be in that meeting there?”

Ferus realized that the man hadn’t recognized him. Since Ferus wore the clothes of an outlander, the man assumed that he was one of the scientists,

“Yes, but they locked the door,” Ferus said.

The man held up a key card. “I can open it, so you can sneak in the back.” He winked. “No sense riling up the Empire. Not these days.”

“I appreciate it,” Ferus said. Maybe he could learn something, finally, if he entered before he was supposed to.

He followed the man down the hallway and they stopped in front of the unmarked door. The man swiped his key card and the door slid open noiselessly. Ferus slipped inside. He was behind a group of Imperial security officers, all of them high-ranking. They did not turn. Darth Vader was present, requiring their attention. The gray-faced Moff Tarkin was speaking.

“… will have the technical resources of the Empire to assist you,” he was saying. “If you need assistants or additional computers or resource materials, you can requisition them. On Bellassa the focus will be on new technologies for power conduits and modular components for artificial atmospheres on an unprecedented scale. You will divide into focus groups and attack problems with new solutions. We expect innovation and we demand results. You have the honor of working on a project that will benefit the security and stability of the entire galaxy.”

One of the scientists spoke up, a serious-looking woman in a dark burgundy tunic. “But what is the project?”

“That is on a need-to-know basis,” Tarkin said. “How can we work on this if we don’t know the big picture?” someone else asked.

Ferus felt the power of Vader’s anger ripple across the room.

“You’ve received your instructions,” Tarkin said. “I hope that all of you are happy with the arrangements the Empire made for your families.”

It was as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. The looks of impatience and condescension on the scientist’s faces changed to fear. Ferus could smell it.

He realized what it meant. The Empire had taken their families. They were holding them hostage to ensure the scientists’ cooperation.