Chapter 9: The Last Defector

Alarms blared and the ship shuddered as Havoc Squad reconvened outside of the bridge. Red light bathed the walls in cycles as the onboard emergency systems attempted to mitigate the damage that had been wrought by the bombs. Another secondary explosion detonated somewhere in the bowels of the ship, causing the squad to brace against the rumbling. They had encountered minimal resistance making their way to the bridge after setting off the explosives, though it was hard to tell whether that was due to a lack of personnel stationed on the ship or if most of them had already evacuated.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the blast door to the bridge remained closed; from what Elara had learned of Harron Tavus, their final target, he was not one to run from a fight. He still seemed to operate on some tainted sense of honor, which was why she expected him to be waiting for them beyond the chunks of durasteel slotted together in front of them.

Jorgen was breathing heavily and Elara could see he was favoring his right leg. “Are you hurt, Sergeant?” She asked, immediately switching into her role as medic.

“It’s fine, took a stray bolt to the shin, it was mostly deflected,” the Cathar replied, though his pinched expression told her he was downplaying the injury. “We’re almost done here, don’t worry about it.”

Her attempt to get a better angle was thwarted as he shifted, purposely tucking his injured leg behind his good one. Huffing in frustration, she was about to argue the point but Lacroix held up a hand. Immediately she clamped her mouth shut and turned to her commanding officer.

“Jorgen is right, we need to finish this now.” Elara’s mouth dipped down into a frown, but her disappointment was partially alleviated with the next statement, directed at the Cathar. “However, you will stay at the back, behind Forex, and as soon as we’ve taken Tavus into custody, Sergeant Dorne will be having a look at that leg.”

Though his furrowed brow telegraphed that he wasn’t happy about either of those orders, Jorgen gave a curt nod. “Copy that, Lieutenant.”

“I don’t want this to turn into a firefight, but I can’t promise that it won’t,” Lacroix stated, a note of tired resignation in her voice. “As much as Tavus is a traitor to the Republic, we promised to attempt to bring him in to stand trial. And although I don’t agree with his choices, I still respect that he did what he thought was right for his squad.” There was a pause, and the Lieutenant tilted her helmet slightly. “Even though he was wrong.”

“Dead wrong,” Jorgen muttered under his breath.

“Therefore, rules of engagement here are NCR, which means return fire only. Keep your weapons hot and at the ready, but do not fire unless fired upon. If they make the first move, it’s weapons free.”

“Shoot to kill, ma’am?” Jorgen asked.

“To your discretion, Sergeant,” Lacroix replied. “If you think you can incapacitate, feel free, but we are in a survival situation in a hostile environment. Do what you need to do to keep yourself alive.”

The lieutenant moved to the door controls and the other three stacked up behind her: Elara at her shoulder, then Forex, and Jorgen bringing up the rear. Truthfully, it probably made more sense for Elara to be behind Forex, as he was a hulking wardroid capable of withstanding much more punishment than her, but her protective nature pushed her to be closer to the lieutenant. 

While it hadn’t been surprising that the door was closed, it was surprising that it wasn’t locked down at all. A simple tap of the open key on the console caused the panels to slide apart with a soft hiss. Immediately the lieutenant brought her rifle up, not fully raised, but high enough that it would be but a brief shift to move into an attack position. The rest of them followed suit, Elara wrapping both her hands around the grip of her pistol, but keeping it angled toward the deck. 

Quickly and cautiously the four of them entered the bridge. A few bridge crew were still present, frantically rushing back and forth in a vain attempt to address the myriad warnings that were coming through on nearly every console. They paid Havoc Squad no notice, too engrossed in their tasks. The only other individual on the bridge was none other than Harron Tavus. Their target stood with his back to them, hands clasped at the small of his back as he stared out into the emptiness of space. He made no movement as they approached, continuing to gaze out of the front window.

Lacroix motioned for the others to halt, then took another few steps toward her former commanding officer. Elara took a moment to quickly check on the bridge crew again, in case this was a cleverly constructed ambush. Given the fact that they were still dashing about, hammering on control panels as sweat dripped down their brows, she decided the probability of them joining the fight was low.

“Tavus.” Lacroix’s voice boomed out over the wailing alarms. Elara noticed that there wasn’t a hint of malice or anger in it, even with the man before them having made multiple attempts on the lieutenant’s life. “In the name of the Republic, you are under arrest for treason, among other charges.”

The tension in the air increased, and Elara saw Jorgen tightening his grip on his weapon. Tavus still hadn’t moved, nor made any indication that he had even heard the lieutenant. Seconds ticked past, before finally Tavus replied.

“You realize that you are disposable as well, don't you, Lieutenant?” Keeping his hands where they were, Tavus turned to face them, his mustache twitching as he observed their squad. “It was me and my squad before, but it will be you and yours next. The next time the Senate sends you to get your hands dirty and things don’t go quite right, they will cut ties to you faster than a gizka can reproduce.”

“That’s what we signed up for Tavus.” Lacroix inclined her head slightly, refusing to rise to the bait. “We’re special operations. We’re the best at what we do, but we’re plausible deniability. It’s always been that way.”

Tavus’s mustache twitched again, and his brow furrowed in anger. “Doesn’t that infuriate you? Doesn’t it make you seethe when a roomful of boastful senators, most of whom haven’t had to lift a weapon in their life, can throw you to the wolves without a second thought?” His hands had dropped to his sides, now clenching and unclenching as he spoke. “What’s the point of it all, when we can be cast aside like that? At least the Empire respects our kind. They are willing to do the dirty work they send us to do.”

Lacroix let out a sharp laugh. “Tavus, do you know what they had Fuse doing? He was helping build bombs that were being tested on civilians. Civilians, Tavus. A population of people on Tatooine who weren’t even allied one way or the other. And Needles? He was working on weaponizing the rakghoul disease by testing it on Republic soldiers.” She placed a hand over her chest. “Our brothers and sisters. Do you despise the Senate so much that you are willing to kill those who you used to fight for? Those who you used to fight with?”

Lacroix jutted a thumb over her shoulder. “Wraith is dead because she refused to back down. Same with Gearbox and Needles. Are you going to follow them, or are you going to realize your mistake and give up, like Fuse did?”

The energy of the exchange had become so intense, even the other bridge personnel had stopped their scrambling. Elara realized she was holding her breath as she watched various emotions fighting for dominance on Tavus’s face. Although she didn’t see a weapon on his person, she wasn’t going to make the assumption that he was unarmed. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, eyes darting between Tavus and the other Imperial officers. Lacroix, to her credit, still stood implacable, her visor aimed straight at her former XO.

Elara could pinpoint the precise instant that Tavus made up his mind. His brows drooped and his head dropped forward, eyes downcast toward the floor. “I … I thought I was doing what I had to. To protect them,” he murmured, almost too quiet for her to hear. “If the Republic wasn’t going to do it, I had to.”

Stepping forward, the lieutenant secured a pair of cuffs on Tavus. “You have to protect your squad, but you have to protect the people, Tavus,” she stated as she locked the metal bands in place. “I don’t place my trust in the politicians; I place my trust in the people around me, and we do everything we can to make sure that the galaxy is safe.”

Turning to Jorgen, Lacroix nodded toward the command console. “Contact the incoming Republic forces, Sergeant. Let them know we’ve got some prisoners ready for transfer.”

“Copy, LT.”

Tavus lifted his head, his eyes looking tired and defeated. “What will you do when they cut you loose, Lieutenant? Will you still fight for the Senate then?”

“No.” Lacroix pulled off her helmet to look at Tavus, her deep red eyes like an undisturbed pool. “Because I don’t fight for the Senate. I fight for the people, and I will always fight for them. No matter what.”

—

It wasn’t long before Havoc Squad was back on Coruscant, standing in General Garza’s office. Tavus was in Republic custody, and his trial was in the process of being scheduled. Several of the higher ups were pleased that they’d managed to bring Tavus in rather than killing him, Garza included, though it was hard to tell whether she cared about Tavus’s state or just the fact that her superiors were happy.

“I have to say, Lieutenant, you keep raising the bar with these missions,” she said, a rare smile creasing her face.

“Couldn’t have done it without my squad, ma’am,” Lacroix replied, nodding to the rest of them who stood behind her.

“Yes, they’ve been settling in very well from what I can tell. Your reports have been exceptionally detailed; it makes my job that much easier.”

“That would be thanks to Sergeant Dorne, ma’am. She’s been assisting me with the mission reports. She has an exceptional mind for that kind of logistical work.”

Elara felt a faint blush creeping into her cheeks, even though she knew what the lieutenant said was true. It had been a long time since a commanding officer had actually commended her on her work, especially in front of a superior. Even longer since her need for organization had been met with anything but a scoff of disdain.

Elara felt the General’s eyes on her even before she looked up. “Keep up the good work, Sergeant.” The praise surged through Elara’s veins like an IV. She nodded crisply and had to fight the smile that was threatening to break out.

Then it was back to business. “I’m looking into a few leads on other prospective individuals we could add to the team, but nothing concrete yet.” General Garza rolled her shoulders back as she stood and walked out from behind her desk. “Until I narrow down the candidates, you’ll be on leave.” The corner of her mouth twitched up in a knowing smirk. “Unless, of course, some other emergency rears its ugly head.”

Lacroix let out a huff of laughter. “So you’re saying don’t make any long term vacation plans?”

“Damn, I just booked a resort on Felucia,” Jorgen muttered under his breath in a rare display of humor in front of his superiors.

“Precisely. Before you go, however, there are a few pieces of housekeeping we need to do.” Tucking her hands behind her back, Garza stood even taller and stared at the lieutenant with a weighted look. “Lieutenant, it’s been no secret how pleased I have been with your success since you took over command of Havoc Squad. Time and again you’ve beaten the odds and completed your mission, often with rather unorthodox methods. My colleagues have been duly impressed with your accomplishments as well, and now that the final ex-Havoc Squad traitor has been taken care of, I have been given the green light to promote you to Captain.”

The smile that she had been fighting finally broke out, and Elara looked over at Jorgen, pleased to see that he was grinning as well. Lacroix, of course, had only the smallest quirk of the lips.

“Thank you, General.” There was a slight hint of astonishment in her voice as she snapped off a quick salute.

“You earned it, Captain.” The General leaned back, wrapping her fingers around the lip of her desk. “This also means that you need to pick who will serve as your second-in-command. Sergeants Dorne and Jorgen are both supremely qualified candidates, and I am certain either will be a good choice. It does, however, fall to you to make the decision.”

“Of course, General.” Lacroix turned to face the rest of the squad for the first time since entering Garza’s office, her gaze alighting on each one of them in turn. Elara felt a flicker of hope in her chest; she knew Jorgen was just as qualified as she was, if not more so, but she felt confident she had proven herself since joining the squad. There was a beat, then Lacroix’s focus returned to Elara.

“Dorne, you’ve brought a lot to this squad, and you’ve been an asset in the field as well as behind the scenes. I know that you’ll always have my back. The position of my second is yours, if you want it.”

If the praise earlier was like an IV, this was a shot of endorphins straight into her brain. Her smile widened for a moment before she reigned it in. “Absolutely, ma’am. It would be an honor.”

“Then congratulations, Lieutenant Dorne.”

“I’ll get my aide to take care of the paperwork to make it all official, but that’s just formalities.” General Garza started to talk, but Elara barely heard her through the giddiness that buzzed through her head. For a moment she worried that Jorgen might be angry, but when she chanced a look at him she was met with a nod of approval and a subtle thumbs up.

She knew that Garza had continued to speak, but didn’t pick up on anything until the General said “Dismissed!” The squad turned and left the office, heading toward the central plaza outside of the capitol building.

“I think this calls for a celebration,” Jorgen declared, stretching his arms over his head as they stepped into the waning light of the Coruscant sun. He scratched the fur on his chin, stopping to look at the others.

Lacroix smiled fully for the first time since her promotion. “I think that sounds like a great idea. What do you say, Lieutenant?”

If Elara kept grinning at this rate, she was going to end up with a strained muscle in her face. And it would be worth it.

“Lead the way, Captain.”