Orbital searches

Posted on Wed Sep 2nd, 2026 @ 5:06am by Admiral Martius Ferris & Lieutenant Commander Genevia Linsbo & Inquisitor Second Sister

4,046 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Daiyu
Location: IS Ravager, Daiyu orbit
Timeline: 18 BBY (Shortly after Gauntlet destruction)

Standing at the central viewport, Admiral Martius Ferris stood as still as a mountain, his arms crossed over his broad chest as his eyes scanned the view before him.

Past the arrow-point tip of his powerful ship, he watched the countless shops coming snd going from Daiyu. Most were freighter of one type or another, though there were a few personnally-owned pleasure craft, which no doubt belonged to criminal bosses. There were even a few passenger liners coming and going. Though why anyone would want to co.e to this waste of a world, except for criminal reasons, he could not understand.

He was waiting for Second Sister to report in. He had already heard about the firefight and duel on the streets below, and that the ship they had been tracking these past several months, was now a smoldering ruin, that the preliminary scans had determined, would provide no new information.

To say that his mood was foul, was an understatement.

The doors to the bridge opened without ceremony. Second Sister stepped through. She had changed since returning from the surface, though not into an Imperial uniform. Fresh black trousers and boots had replaced those damaged during the fight, while another dark leather duster fell almost to her knees. The only obvious indication that something unusual had occurred was the thin cut along her forehead. She made no attempt to hide it. Her gaze travelled across the bridge before settling on the Admiral standing before the viewport. "Admiral Ferris." She approached at an unhurried pace, stopping several steps behind him. "I understand you've received the preliminary report." Second Sister glanced through the viewport toward Daiyu. "The *Gauntlet* is gone. Titha initiated a scuttling protocol before abandoning the vessel. Navigation records, manifests and data cores were deliberately destroyed before the main charges detonated." A faint pause. "Thorough." There was almost admiration in the word. "However, the operation was not without result." Her dark eyes returned to Ferris. "Captain Allore Titha does not exist." She allowed that to settle. "The woman we've been tracking is Shia Teraan. Jedi Knight. Formerly of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. She survived Order Sixty-Six." Second Sister moved toward the tactical display.
"She was aboard the *Gauntlet*. I confronted her personally." Her fingers touched the controls. A representation of Daiyu appeared. "She attempted to maintain her cover until I left her no alternative." Another touch. "Then she drew a blue lightsaber." Second Sister's expression remained unreadable.
"She's good." Coming from her, it wasn't a casual compliment. "Out of practice. Too defensive at first. But trained. Experienced. She fought in the war."
She looked toward Ferris. "And she knows how to disappear." The display changed again. An outbound freighter appeared, its route climbing toward orbit. "After our engagement, Teraan boarded this vessel." Its flight path illuminated. "Your people correctly tracked it toward the *Ravager*."

Second Sister touched another control. A point appeared well below the atmospheric boundary. "She wasn't aboard when it reached you." Her mouth curved very slightly. "She jumped." Another trajectory appeared, descending back toward Daiyu. "She caught an industrial maintenance skiff and returned to the city." Second Sister folded her arms. "Which is far more interesting than if she'd escaped." Her eyes met Ferris's. "She had a ship leaving the planet. She had successfully broken through our perimeter. She knew Imperial forces were behind her." A pause. "And she chose to come back."
Second Sister looked toward Daiyu again. "People do not take risks like that without a reason." Her gaze hardened. "Something she values is still down there." The faintest smile crossed her face. "So, Admiral..." She turned back toward him. "...I wouldn't describe today as a failure. The *Gauntlet* was never our objective." Her hand rested casually against the lightsaber concealed beneath her coat. "Shia Teraan was." A beat. "And now we know exactly who we're hunting."

For several beats, the Admiral did not reply. Then, without taking his eyes from the viewport, he spoke, his tone deathly serious. "You say that today was not a failure? Did I hear you correctly, Second Sister?" He asked, clearly not looking for a response, as he continued to speak with full authority. "Do you suppose His Magesty would consider what you just told me as being a success?"

He finally turn to face her, the look in his eyes full of danger. If he was a member of the Sith, he would have punished her right there. However, he only had the authority over her as given to him by the Emperor himself. And in that manner, he could punish her. "You found the craft we were looking for," he stepped closer, his demeanor full of dangerous power and authority as he glared at her. "You not only allowed the crew to escape, but you failed to salvage any intelligence from their computers. You fought and failed to defeat a Jedi who has been hiding her connection to the Force long enough that she should have been an easy target, even for you. You then allowed her not only to escape onto the outbound freighter, but failed to anticipate her moves and capture her when she jumped ships." His tone was so full of restrained anger, that the crew that were nearby started to look worried as the did their best to focus on their jobs.

"And now, she escaped you again, into that!" He pointed at finger at the planet, while he kept his eyes locked on hers.

A couple beats passed between them as he lowered his arm again.

"I suggest, if you wish to avoid angering Lord Vader or His Excellency, you get back down there and find them." He then turned away and moved back to his place by the viewports. Without looking at her, he added darkly, "It would be in your best interest that you do not return to my ship empty handed again." He then stopped speaking, silently dismissing her from his presence.

Second Sister remained exactly where she stood. She didn't interrupt him. Didn't defend herself. Didn't even glance toward the bridge crew as Ferris listed each of her failures in turn. But something changed behind her dark eyes. The Admiral had struck his mark. Not because he'd embarrassed her. She had endured considerably worse things than an angry Admiral. Because he was right. Shia Teraan should have been hers. The Jedi had been out of practice. Second Sister had felt it in every exchange of their blades. Teraan had spent more than a year hiding what she was while Second Sister had spent that same time becoming a weapon specifically designed to hunt her kind. And still Shia had escaped. Twice. That irritated her considerably more than Ferris ever could. When he finally dismissed her, Second Sister remained silent for several beats. Then—"Understood, Admiral."
No argument. No excuse. She turned to leave. Three steps carried her toward the bridge doors before she stopped. "There is one thing." She looked back over her shoulder. "I won't make the same mistake twice." There was no arrogance in her voice now. Just certainty. Her gaze moved briefly toward Daiyu beyond the viewport. "Teraan came back for something." Or someone. She kept that final thought to herself. "I'll find out what." Second Sister turned away. The bridge doors opened. As she crossed the threshold, she reached beneath her duster and touched the lightsaber hanging concealed at her side. Shia Teraan had surprised her once. That advantage was gone. "Prepare my shuttle," she ordered into her comlink.

A voice answered immediately. "Yes, Second Sister. Destination?"

She continued down the corridor without slowing. "Daiyu."

"Shall I assemble a stormtrooper detachment?"

Second Sister considered it. "No." A squad of white armour marching through Daiyu would accomplish little except warn Teraan that the Empire was coming. This time there would be no columns of stormtroopers. No obvious Imperial transports. No public lockdown. Shia knew how to hide from the Empire. So Second Sister would stop hunting her like the Empire. "Have Intelligence send everything we have on Allore Titha to my shuttle. Financial records. Cargo contracts. docking records. Known associates. Every port the *Gauntlet* visited since the end of the war."

"Yes, Second Sister."

"And I want everything that survived in the Republic archives on Shia Teraan."

There was a brief hesitation. "Jedi records are restricted."

Second Sister stopped walking. "Do I sound concerned?"

"No, Second Sister."

"Good."

She resumed walking. "Send them." The channel closed. Only then did she allow herself a small smile. Ferris wanted results. Vader would expect results.
The Emperor would expect results. Fine. But stormtroopers weren't going to find Shia Teraan by kicking down every door on Daiyu. Second Sister had already learned something far more useful. Shia had escaped. She had possessed a clear route offworld. And she had voluntarily jumped from it to return to Daiyu. She hadn't come back for credits. She hadn't come back for cargo. And she certainly hadn't come back for the *Gauntlet*. That left people. Someone Shia Teraan cared enough about to risk capture for. Second Sister entered the turbolift. The doors began closing. "Shia..."
Her smile disappeared. "You should have kept running."

A few moments after Second Sister left his bridge, the communications officer spoke aloud from the port side pit. "Admiral, we have an incoming communication from the Emperor." The man paled as bit when he mentioned Palpatine.

Without hesitation, Martius turned and strode purposefully toward his private office. "I'll take it i. My office, Lieutenant Carr." He then left the bridge and made his way directly to his destination.

When he moved past Felicia's desk, he spoke quietly. "No disturbances." He the entered his office and locked the door. When his holo projector was set, he knelt on the triggering panel, and communications between himself and the Emperor began. "Your Excellency, how may I be of service?"

The hologram flickered into existence.

For the briefest instant there was only darkness within the projection, broken by the faint distortion of the transmission. Then the hooded figure of Emperor Palpatine resolved above the projector. Even rendered in pale blue light, his presence seemed to fill the room. Silence answered him. It stretched for several uncomfortable seconds. Palpatine had long ago learned that silence could be far more effective than anger. Men tended to fill silence themselves—with explanations, excuses and, most usefully, fear. Finally, the Emperor spoke. "Admiral Ferris."

His voice was quiet. Almost conversational. "I have received a report." Ferris remained perfectly still. Palpatine's yellow eyes narrowed beneath his hood. "Shia Teraan." He allowed the name to hang between them. "A name I had not expected to hear again." The Emperor leaned slightly forward.
"Rise."

Martius did as instructed, standing tall before the projection of his leader, the man he would willing give his life and the lives of everyone under his command to protect. He clasped his hands behind his back. "My Lord." He dipped his head respectfully.

"The woman calling herself Allore Titha has been positively identified as Jedi Knight Shia Teraan," Palpatine continued. "A survivor of the purge. Living openly beneath another name. Operating a vessel. Conducting business. Travelling between worlds." His mouth twisted into the faintest expression of displeasure. "All while remaining unnoticed by my Empire." There was considerably more danger in the quiet statement than there would have been in shouting. Palpatine continued. "I find that... disappointing." The Emperor's fingers moved slowly against the arm of his throne. "Yet perhaps not entirely without value." His expression changed. The irritation remained, but something colder had replaced it. Interest. "Your Inquisitor believes Teraan escaped your forces and subsequently abandoned a viable route offworld in order to return to Daiyu."

"Yes, My Lord. The Jedi had escaped her encounter with Second Sister, then boarded an outgoing freighter, only to leap off and land on a returning work skiff, then made her way back to the planet surface."

"Voluntarily?"

"Yes, My Lord." Martius clenched his jaw slightly in annoyance about what he was about to say. "Second Sister allowed the Jedi to escape her grasp and disappear into Daiyu."

Palpatine became very still. "And she believes the Jedi returned for someone."

"Someone, or something." Martius conceeded. "Though at this stage, it would be unwise yo make any assumptions, Sire."

A thin smile appeared beneath the Emperor's hood. "Then perhaps Second Sister has finally begun asking the correct question." Palpatine's gaze drifted away for a moment. For over a year, surviving Jedi had demonstrated the same weakness. They could change their names. Abandon their robes. Bury their lightsabers beneath floorboards and convince themselves that the Jedi Order was dead. But attachment remained. Compassion remained.
And sooner or later, those things betrayed them. "The Jedi have always been predictable creatures," Palpatine murmured. "They preach against attachment while allowing themselves to be ruled by it." His eyes returned to Ferris. "Teraan had escaped."

Martius nodded. "Until recently, she had stayed well hidden. We only started to gather the evidence that started to point us towards the Gauntlet and its crew of renegades and traitors. We had captured one of their company on another backwater world, but the rest managed to slup away just before the Ravager arrived in orbit. The local garrison handed the prison over to me and I personally interrogated the woman. Then, when she had nothing else to offer, I I executed her, to ensure she didnt space and get word to her compatriots. However, the damage had been done."

"She believed herself pursued."

"Yes, My Lord. And we finally managed to catch up to her and her ship here, on Daiyu. She could have escaped Daiyu easily on the freighter, as it was exiting the system on the far side of the planet. She had her chance."

"And nevertheless returned."

Martius nodded again.

The Emperor smiled. "Then do not prevent her from doing so again." Palpatine's expression hardened. "You will not lock down Daiyu. No planetary blockade. No mass arrests. No stormtroopers searching residences. No public announcement that a Jedi has been discovered." Palpatine leaned closer to the holographic transmitter. "Shia Teraan must believe she still has somewhere to hide."

"Yes, My Lord," he replied as he dipped his head again.

"Second Sister will continue her investigation." A pause. "But she is not to confront Teraan again unless capture is assured."

At this one statement, Martius made a slight frown.

"You disagree, Admiral?"

"Forgive me, My Lord, but...I am concerned about Second Sister's ability to complete this mission. She had had the element of suprise and strength on her side, and still she was beaten by the Jedi." He took a breath, then continued. "You are my Emperor and I will follow your instructions, My Lord. I know that I do not fathom what it means to be a Sith. I am simply a warrior in your military, Sire. A warrior who has learned to trust his instincts, and those instincts are telling me to be warry of Second Sister, especially where this Jedi is involved."

For several seconds, the Emperor said nothing. The holographic image remained almost perfectly still, yellow eyes fixed upon the Admiral standing before him. "You believe Second Sister has allowed this Jedi to become... personal." It was not quite a question. Palpatine's fingers moved slowly against the arm of his throne. "Perhaps she has." There was no anger in his voice. If anything, there was the faintest trace of amusement. "You are correct that she possessed advantages which should have made Teraan's capture considerably simpler. Surprise. Preparation. Knowledge of her opponent."

His expression darkened. "And yet the Jedi escaped her." A pause. "Twice." The Emperor allowed the word to linger. "Do not mistake my willingness to permit Second Sister to continue this hunt for confidence in her judgement, Admiral." Palpatine leaned fractionally forward. "Hatred is useful. Humiliation can be even more so. Both may drive an individual beyond limitations they previously believed absolute." A thin smile touched his ruined features. "But such emotions can also make one reckless." His eyes narrowed. "Second Sister will be given the opportunity to correct her failure because, for the moment, her desire to do so serves my purposes." The smile disappeared. "She is a weapon, Admiral." His voice dropped. "And a weapon need not be trusted." A beat. "It need only be useful." Palpatine settled back within his throne. "Your instincts concerning her are therefore not without merit." Coming from the Emperor, the acknowledgement was perhaps more unsettling than a reprimand would have been. "But neither should you underestimate Shia Teraan merely because Second Sister should have defeated her." The Emperor's expression became thoughtful.

"Teraan survived the destruction of the Jedi Order. She has concealed herself for more than a year. She assumed another identity, operated a vessel, conducted business and travelled between systems while remaining beneath the notice of Imperial authorities." His gaze hardened. "That requires more than luck." Palpatine paused. "Second Sister encountered a Jedi she believed had grown weak from hiding." The Emperor's mouth curled into a faint smile. "Perhaps she discovered instead that Teraan has spent that time learning how to survive." His fingers curled slowly. "The Jedi Order taught its Knights restraint. Discipline. Obedience to their precious Code. They were taught to suppress instinct and deny attachment." A quiet, humourless chuckle escaped him. "Survival has a way of stripping away such luxuries." Palpatine's gaze became piercing. "Whatever Shia Teraan has become since Order Sixty-Six, we would be foolish to assume she remains precisely the Jedi she was before it."

The Emperor allowed another silence to develop before continuing. "But there is something considerably more important than Second Sister's wounded pride." His voice lowered. "Teraan escaped." A pause. "She had passage offworld." Another. "She had broken through your perimeter." His eyes narrowed.

"And she came back." The faintest smile returned. "That is not the action of someone concerned only with survival." Palpatine leaned forward. "Something on Daiyu matters to her more than escape." His smile widened slightly. "Or someone." There was satisfaction in the Emperor's voice now.

"That is the weakness Second Sister has uncovered." He lifted one hand. "Therefore, there will be no lockdown. No public search for a Jedi. No battalions of stormtroopers tearing Daiyu apart." His lip curled with disdain. "Such methods would accomplish nothing except frighten Teraan into hiding—or convince her to abandon whatever brought her back." Palpatine lowered his hand. "I want her comfortable enough to make another mistake."

The Emperor's gaze hardened. "Second Sister may hunt." A pause. "But she is not to satisfy her wounded pride at the expense of my objectives."
His tone became colder. "If she locates Teraan, she is to observe unless capture is certain." Another pause. "And if the Jedi leads us to others..."

Something changed in Palpatine's expression. Interest. "...then Shia Teraan may prove considerably more valuable than Second Sister yet understands."

The Emperor remained silent for several moments. Then— "You have served me long enough to understand the difference between obedience and blindness, Admiral." His yellow eyes remained fixed upon Ferris. "You have expressed your concern." A thin smile crossed his face. "I have heard it." The smile vanished. "Now tell me." Palpatine leaned slightly toward the holographic transmitter. "If you believe Second Sister cannot be relied upon to bring me Shia Teraan..." His voice fell almost to a whisper. "...what would you have me do?"

Martius knew he was on the verge of being in danger here. He would have to chose his next words very carefully. His life depended upon it. "My Lord," he began with a respectful tone. "You have stated what your wishes are for this mission, I will do everything in my ability to fulfill it. You had deemed Second Sister fit for the assignment, and that is all there is to it. Ultimately, as her commanding officer, should she fail, then whatever punishment you demand, I will accept without question."

For several seconds, Palpatine simply regarded the Admiral. The silence was deliberate. Martius Ferris had been given an opportunity to overreach. To question the Emperor's judgement. To recommend the removal of an Inquisitor appointed by Palpatine himself. He had not taken it. Instead, the Admiral had done precisely what a useful officer should. He had voiced his concern. And then remembered his place. A faint smile slowly formed beneath the emperor's hood. "Good." The single word was quiet. Palpatine settled back slightly within his throne. "You understand something that many officers do not, Admiral." His yellow eyes remained fixed upon Ferris. "Command is not merely the privilege of giving orders. It is accepting responsibility for what is done in your name." The Emperor's expression hardened. "But do not misunderstand me." His voice remained calm. "I have not instructed you to stand aside while Second Sister pursues this Jedi according to whatever impulse seizes her."

A slight movement of his hand accompanied the words. "She remains under your operational authority while attached to this mission. Allow her to hunt. Allow her to follow the trail she believes she has discovered." A pause. "But you will watch her." Palpatine's eyes narrowed. "Closely." There was something almost predatory in his expression now. "If her obsession with Teraan produces results, use it. If it blinds her..." Another pause. "...you will ensure that her failure does not become yours." The Emperor let the warning settle. "Second Sister believes she is hunting Shia Teraan."

His mouth curled into the beginnings of another smile. "Let her." "But you, Admiral, will concern yourself with the larger objective." Palpatine leaned forward. "Teraan returned to Daiyu for a reason. Discover it." "Identify every individual connected to the Gauntlet. Every associate. Every account. Every cargo broker who employed them. Every port official who dealt with them. Every vessel whose movements intersected with theirs." His voice lowered.
"Do not arrest them." The order came with particular emphasis. "Not yet. If Teraan believes those she values remain beyond our reach, she will continue trying to protect them." A thin smile appeared. "And every attempt she makes to protect them will reveal another piece of the life she has constructed."

Palpatine's fingers curled slowly against the arm of his throne. "People are remarkably careless when protecting those they love." There was no sympathy in the observation. Only understanding. "Second Sister will look for the Jedi." "You will look for the pattern." His eyes narrowed.

"And when you have found it..." The smile disappeared. "...we will decide how much of it to destroy." For several moments, neither man spoke. Then Palpatine's expression changed again. "One further matter." His tone was almost casual. "The Gauntlet is gone." The name Allore Titha is now compromised. Teraan is intelligent enough to understand both facts." A pause. "She will not simply acquire another ship under the same identity and continue as before."

The Emperor's gaze sharpened. "Assume that every face may change. Every name may change. Every registration may change. But people..."
His smile returned. "...are considerably harder to change. The Jedi may alter her appearance. She may manufacture documents. She may purchase another vessel through intermediaries and surround herself with strangers. But eventually, she will gather those she trusts around her again."

Palpatine sat back. "That is when you will find her." Another silence. Then the Emperor gave the slightest inclination of his head. "Continue your mission, Admiral." His voice became colder. "Give Second Sister enough freedom to believe the hunt remains hers." A beat. "But make certain you remember..." The Emperor's eyes seemed almost to burn through the blue distortion of the hologram. "...it is not." he paused now. "The Jedi belongs to me." The transmission abruptly terminated. The hologram vanished. And Martius Ferris was left alone in his office.

For several seconds, Martius remained standing where he was, as the echos of his Emperor's words continued to ring in his ears. Finally, he said softly, "Thy wish is my command, My Lord." He then left his office and returned to the bridge, issuing orders to his officers and crew to begin the hunt. Not for the Jedi specifically, but for the information that would lead them to her.

He would fulfill his duties to the Empire. Or die trying.

~OFF~

 

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