Chapter Text
Field Agent Tanya von Degurechaff giddily strode through the Imperial Palace. Her long sought after promotion to a cushy position in the rear was finally in reach.
The Director of Imperial Intelligence had promised her as much. A reward, he had explained, recognising her hard work in reporting the numerous inefficiencies of the Empire's intelligence operations. In that moment her years of crawling through dusty backwaters and industrial slums felt justified. She was truly blessed to be part of an Empire that rewarded hard work.
She just needed to brief Imperial High Command on the intel stolen from Scarif in his place and it'd be done. Suppressing the urge to skip, she mentally thanked the Director for the chance to rub shoulders with the upper echelons of the military instead of being sent back out to the wolves for her last assignment.
Cutting through the main hall she idly scanned the various functionaries roaming about and took in the grand architecture of the palace. So this was the former home of the treacherous Jedi. Imperial banners and regalia covered almost every facet of its former austerity.
There wasn't any indication that this had been the main arena of the Great Purge. Sadly she had still been a newcomer to the galaxy during the Clone Wars and so had only heard second hand accounts of the infamous coup.
Turning into one of the auxiliary halls to catch a turbolift, she heard whispers break out in her wake with some officers casting her awkward smiles as they piled into the lift. Worry shot through her body. Did they think she was taking the upcoming meeting too lightly? She immediately dropped her smile and swiftly exited the lift once it came to a stop. Composure needed to be maintained, nothing could risk her position in the rear.
The briefing room was dimly lit with a circular console in the centre, projecting a hologram of imperial forces and installations around the galaxy. Figures garbed in sharp white and grey Imperial uniforms stood arrayed around the console. Tanya marched in, projecting her best impression of imperial authority in place of the pips that most of the occupants had adorned on their breasts.
She didn't even get a chance to announce herself before the Chief of the Imperial Navy appeared before her. A severe figure, he huffed slightly from the speed of his exertion.
"Agent Degurechaff?"
She fired a salute and opened her mouth to reply. He interrupted her before a word could be formed.
"Director Roden informed me you would be coming. The Imperial Navy has some concerns about your report on the incident at Sca-"
Admiral Motti was cut off as the console hologram flickered and transformed into the Emperor of the Galactic Empire.
Snapping to attention, Motti was quickly forgotten as aides separated her from the Admiral and maneuvered her into place. The Emperor raised a hand and softly spoke.
"My friends, let us begin."
Sheev Palpatine tuned out the speaker, the ongoing clashes between the military and the senate was a path long and often explored in these meetings.
Examining the projection, the usual circle of the Empire's executive chiefs were all present with the notable exception of Director Roden.
A headache started growing.
Talles Roden was a singular talent found in deep levels of Coruscant’s underbelly. His skill in managing the Empire's covert operation was only matched by his cowardice in reporting its failures.
Palpatine shifted his eyes to the sacrificial lamb Roden had offered up this time.
Small in stature, the girl held a ramrod pose while focusing her attention on the speaker. A piercing glare peaked out from under the blonde curls tied up in a ponytail.
Curious he brought up her records on a datapad to the side while the next speaker stepped forward.
Tanya von Degurechaff a Field Agent for Imperial Intelligence. Her service history held an impressively violent account of her accomplishments in tracking and dispatching subversive elements within the Empire.
Perhaps equally as impressive was a section dedicated to the hundred and twenty assessments submitted by Degurechaff.
"Weakened Logistics in the Outer Rim"
"Patterns in Rebel Activity"
"A reassessment of Clone Wars era doctrine"
The list was fairly extensive, beneath was a note from Roden with instructions that Degurechaff was to be kept in the field at all times. Then tucked away in a corner was a request detailing suspicions on force sensitivity from different sources pending an investigation by the Inquisitorius.
The intensity of the Force shifted, its whispering hints pointing to the agent. Further investigation was needed.
With impeccable timing the subject in question stepped forward.
Introducing herself, she parroted the excuse Roden had given her for his absence before beginning her report in earnest. There were no signs of nervousness, only an almost zealous determination despite her current predicament.
Perhaps she would prove a useful tool.
"-has revealed that the databank the rebels managed to steal contain detailed plans from a project codenamed Stardust." A murmur passed through her audience. Tanya took a moment to breathe. "As of this moment Lord Vader is in pursuit, but we do not have confirmation on the exact location of the stolen plans"
An Admiral pushed his way to the forefront. "This is a failure on Imperial Intelligence! Blindsided by a rebel attack and with no leads to show. Why is the Empire wasting precious resources on such a useless organisation? The Imperial Navy will handle this!"
She scoffed.
"The same Navy that 'handled' the rebel attack in the first place? Two Star Destroyers have more than enough firepower to easily decimate the fleet that attacked Scarif. Evidently The Devastator alone was capable of mopping up that mess."
The admiral grew red in the face and furiously gulped like a fish. Other Naval officers rose up in defense, sprouting a cacophony of excuses barely legible over each other.
"Let us adjourn this meeting for now." the Emperor's voice cut through the noise and had an immediate effect on the audience. Some started to protest but quickly backed down.
Tanya turned to leave when he spoke again.
"Stay Agent Degurechaff."
A chill ran down her spine.
Everyone silently filed out of the room. She caught glimpses of the officers who had been shouting, their faces held infuriatingly smug expressions.
Her forehead turned damp as she felt a thin sheen of sweat appear. "I apologise for my outburst Emperor"
"We have greater concerns. What is your assessment of the attack on Scarif?"
Pure terror pulsed through her veins. The Emperor's intent was clear, prove your worth or be cast aside. Her mind raced, she couldn't fail now. There would be no promotion if there was no Imperial Intelligence. She needed to justify the existence of her whole career.
"My Lord, the failure at Scarif has exposed the weakness in the Empire's military doctrine. The history we have compiled has shown a clear pattern in rebel activity." The Emperor didn't interrupt, waiting for her to elaborate. She scrambled, linking connections from previous lives to the current galaxy.
"The Tarkin doctrine has certainly been effective in suppressing large scale revolts, we haven't seen the likes of the insurrections at Mandalore or Mimban since its adoption Empire wide. But our enemies now know they cannot contest our power."
The Emperor stayed silent, eyes boring deeper into her. Furiously she dredged up everything she knew about the rebels.
"The rebels' strategy has now shifted accordingly to asymmetric warfare. Our doctrine provides us with tools of overwhelming firepower but in the absence of an equal adversary, those same tools have become increasingly expensive targets. They are bleeding us out by a thousand cuts."
He questioned her then, "How have the rebels achieved this?"
She relaxed a little, the Emperor was biting. Now to back up her improv analysis.
"The X-Wing My Lord. With the X-Wing the rebels have attained starfighter superiority. The TIE Fighter might win in a prolonged fight through sheer quantity but that doesn't matter then their aim is to hit our most expensive assets and get out"
"The rebels also operate in independent cells spread throughout the Empire. With our current forces, it would take an unrealistically large commitment over a prolonged period of time to root them all out."
There was a pause while the hologram considered her words.
"What would you propose to meet this challenge then?"
Inwardly Tanya jumped with excitement, the Emperor had provided an exit.
"A dedicated task force My Lord. A small fleet capable of rapid deployment to any corner of the Empire. Carrier's preferably, with enough armament to defend itself against rebel capital ships while retaining relative mobility and with a complement of starfighters able to take on the X-Wing head to head. The ability to quickly and effectively pursue the leads Imperial Intelligence procures would neuter rebel operations"
Tanya smiled, surely such an assessment was satisfactory. Soon she'd be comfortably in her position in the rear away from such dangers.
The Emperor seemed to consider her in a new light.
"A bold initiative. Your proposal will require some consideration."
A sense of deja vu hit like a sledgehammer.
Huh?
A couple of days later, in the comfort of her apartment Degurechaff patiently waited. When she relayed the events of the meeting to Director Roden earlier he was suitably impressed, mentioning how the Emperor himself had approved her promotion.
It was a relief then that her long awaited promotion hadn't slipped out of her grasp yet again.
But now it was weeks later and all she had heard was that preparation was taking longer than expected. Just when she was about to storm out to find The Director a notification appeared on her personal datapad.
She opened it and promptly fell into a heap.
The contents detailed her promotion to Captain of a ship in the Imperial Navy.
How did this happen?! AGAIN!