Hera had it. She tightened her fingers around her family's kalikori, the cold wood warming to her touch, coming alive and with it bringing memories of home. A home that had never been perfect, never been truly safe – always dampered with the threat of war. But somehow, that promise of home held along with it a promise for peace. For freedom.

Ezra stood behind her, the two of them hidden by the screens lining the hallway to the lift, watching the doors. There was the faintest hum coming from it, growing louder.

Ezra pushed her ever so slightly. Time to go.

She darted out from behind their screen, when Ezra grabbed her arm, yanking her back.

"Ezra," Hera whispered her warning, but then the lift doors opened.

Good save, Hera thought. Ezra must have sensed the lift was occupied and stopped them from running ahead.

But who stepped out of the elevator - Hera straightened up, blinking, trying to hold in the shock.

First, he was not human. That wasn't really an issue – she herself was not human. But he was an alien species she had never seen before. Blue skin, not entirely uncommon. What tripped her up were the eyes. They weren't just red. They were glowing.

But what was an alien doing in Imperial uniform? Anyone with even a passing familiarity with the Galactic Empire knew aliens were not welcomed in the military. And yet this one was an officer? And what kind of rank wore a white uniform? Her eyes darted to the man's chest, but the rank plaque was something she hadn't seen before either. Someone high up the chain of command, most likely.

But… an alien? What human in the Imperial Navy would follow the orders of an alien?

He was so out of place that Hera nearly missed the other two officers. The one standing to the alien's left was typical Imperial officer – an ugly, smug expression, obnoxiously neat black hair. The other one, young, handsome in a rugged way, but somehow awkwardly out of place, not the typical Imperial gusto. His manner was more subdued, content with his position. As if taking this assignment in stride.

"Stand guard, no one in or out," the Imperial officer standing to the alien's left said to an accompanying storm trooper. He had that grating Coruscanti accent Hera had come to identify with the Core Worlds. With the Empire.

One thing was for sure – she and Ezra were going to have to find another way out. Hoping the Imperials would be distracted, Hera pushed Ezra back, back the way they'd come.

"Well, I've increased security, as per your orders, Grand Admiral," the officer continued. Hera smiled to herself – now they had a rank. "But I don't understand why, the rebel activity is far from here."

They were trapped behind one of the screens. The third officer, the other human one – either because he was bored of the conversation, or else actually keeping an eye on things – was looking in their direction. Hera and Ezra leaned against the screen closest to the lift. Watching that third officer, waiting for him to turn around.

How no one had noticed them at all was something Hera was thankful for.

"Commander Vanto," the blue-skinned Imperial said, his voice sounding almost bored, as if explaining his decisions was something he was long accustomed to.

"There was suspicious activity at entry point 4 just thirty minutes ago," Commander Vanto said, in an accent that screamed Wild Space yokel. Hera was shocked again. An alien and now this? Who were these two?

"Suspicious?" the first one said, confused. "But-"

"A scout supposedly returned from a patrol with a Twi'lek rebel," Commander Vanto continued. "However, Grand Admiral Thrawn and I have been tracking scout patrols since we've arrived and they were all accounted for at the time of the security breach. We believe rebels have infiltrated this base, perhaps with intentions for sabotage."

The first officer looked between the Grand Admiral and the Commander, bewildered. "But… how could you possibly-?"

Hera noticed Thrawn's eyes narrow. The officer's tone screamed of his internal contempt of the nonhuman who obviously had rank over him, who had done a better job at noticing something suspicious before his own troops could.

"Captain Slavin," Thrawn said, his voice not betraying his reaction. "Could you tell me where would a prisoner normally be taken?"

"We have a restricted detention area, in building 16," Slavin said.

"Yet I understand you have Twi'leks working outside of that restricted area, don't you?"

"Yes… but just females, in the kitchen," the captain answered, uncertain where this was going.

"If your storm troopers found one of these workers outside of the kitchen, would that be cause for them to raise the alarm?" Thrawn asked.

"Yes, of course!" Slavin said, irritated.

"And yet there is Twi'lek female running lose in this building," Thrawn said.

Captain Slavin paled a little.

"Have your troopers confirm a head count for all their workers," Thrawn said. "This infiltration may very well be localized to an area where the presence of a Twi'lek female would not raise concern, specifically the kitchens. Which brings us to another point. Commander Vanto."

A smirk spread on Vanto's lips, as he dropped his eyes to his datapad.

"Yeah, I was going over your supply lists on our way over here and there's a discrepancy I'd like to discuss with you, Captain Slavin. It seems as though the Senate has ruled that the famine currently underway on Ryloth has been exasperated by the Imperial presence. The Empire has been delivering a certain amount of aid here, to this base, aid that isn't entirely accounted for from the numbers I've seen in your distribution files. Seems like someone with a position of authority has been skimming something from the top, most likely keeping or selling it for personal gain."

Captain Slavin's eyebrows shot up, looking between the two of them with more contempt than before.

"So you accuse me of-"

"We accuse you of nothing, Captain Slavin," Thrawn said, still in the same bored tone. "But as the commander of this operation, we trust you'll do everything you can to find out who would betray the attempts of the Emperor to restore peace here. I expect a report on the matter by the end of the day. Dismissed."

Captain Slavin's face went from barely hidden rage, to surprise, to fear. Hera had to try not to laugh – the man did almost nothing to hide his guilt. But the captain turned and left, without stammering an excuse.

Well, that narrowed it down to two.

When the lift door closed, and Captain Slavin was gone, Thrawn sighed.

"Commander Vanto, please explain to me how humans expect there to be peace on a world when they force innocent bystanders to starve," he said. Hera felt a slight pull in her chest. This Imperial… sounded almost sympathetic. Almost… like a rebel.

"I've tried to tell you, over and over and over, sir," Commander Vanto said, crossing his arms across his chest, his manner becoming a lot more relaxed now that they were alone. "There's corruption everywhere in the Empire. I don't know why it continues to surprise you."

Hera was definitely listening to these two now.

"But acting in this manner defies the will of the Emperor," Thrawn said, as if he was truly attempting to understand the logic behind the captain's greed. "It's... treasonous. Why does Captain Slavin not see this?"

"I can bring Slavin back and we can call him a traitor to his face," Vanto suggested.

"That will be unnecessary," Thrawn said. Vanto smirked. "Now our attention must be focused on this rebel infiltration."

"Any ideas what they are up to?" Vanto asked.

"The move is bold," Thrawn said. He was thoughtful for a moment, and then asked. "We must anticipate their intentions. Where are the rebels currently engaging our troops?"

"About six miles from here," Vanto said after checking his datapad quickly. "A diversion?"

"More than likely," Thrawn said, and was silent again, thinking. "A Twi'lek female and most likely a human, in Imperial scout uniform... Considering the intelligence we received on the presence of the rebel ship Ghost on this planet, I think it's safe to say our Twi'lek female is none other than Hera Syndulla."

"Captain Slavin did say he'd made Cham Syndulla's office his own," Vanto pointed out. "And that's in this building. The same one it was reported the two rebels snuck into."

"But she wasn't alone," Thrawn mused, then asked Vanto. "If you were to infiltrate an enemy base, who would you bring with you?"

"My money's on the Jedi, sir," Vanto said. "I don't know, something about special powers. Seems useful for sneaking around. Specifically, the padawan, Ezra Bridger, what with reports being that the other one's injured."

"Distribute holos on Bridger and Captain Syndulla to all storm trooper patrols," Thrawn said. "And publish a new standing order – all troopers must remove their helmets when indoors."

Vanto pressed a few buttons on his datapad.

"That doesn't answer what they're doing here," he pointed out. "You really think they're trying to steal food?"

"Our scans don't show any unidentified ships close to this base," Thrawn said. "Making it unlikely that they are here to move supplies. No, they're risking their lives for something far more personal."

"This is the Syndulla home," Vanto said. "Perhaps revenge?"

"Perhaps," Thrawn said. "But the next move is theirs. Let's see how they react once they discover they've been trapped."

And the two continued down the hall. Another moment later, they were in the lift. Gone.

"Whoa, okay," Ezra said, hitting the release on the side of his helmet, exposing his face. "That was creepy. They figured out who we are. Already. Who were those two?"

"I don't know," Hera said, her mind racing. "But they didn't sound very happy with the Empire."

"No… you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" Ezra asked.

Hera clutched her kalikori tighter, giving Ezra a little smirk.

"What?" she asked. "It's not like there's never been an Imperial defector before. Come on, there's a secret exit on the lower level. First we got to get out of here."