“You must be mistaken sir,” Luke says.
“Nonsense,” Parnell growls. “I know your face. You were associated with the Tredway operation.”
Luke breaks into a cold sweat and his stomach knots into a tangle. “No sir. I’m just a quartermaster.” He feels the attentive gaze of the entire command staff on his back.
Parnell glares at Luke menacingly.
“If you’ll excuse me, General, I have a report to finish.”
The command staff gasps as one man and a murmur rustles through the room like wind through dried and lifeless leaves. Despite the reaction of his officers, Parnell does not seem to take offense. “Carry on.”
Luke hurries to a vacant computer interface. A hundred angry eyes follow him. When the command officers grow bored of watching him, Luke orders Artoo to plug into the interace jack. He hopes a command terminal won’t be subject to the same authorization restrictions as the one they tried previously.
Artoo flashes screen after screen of interesting but useless information across the monitor. He pauses for a moment each time to allow Luke to glance at the contents. The most intersting thing they run across is a map of the sub-facility. Certain regions are labeled “escapee strongholds” or “supply raider route.” Apparently, a number of prisoners have escaped into Tol Ado’s cavernous sub-regions.
“Excuse me, Colonel,” says a familiar voice. Luke lifts his head and finds himself staring down the barrel of a blaster rifle. Six stormtroopers surround him, and General Parnell stands behind them. “I remember now where we’ve met.”
Luke reaches for his lightsaber, but a hollow crack echoes through his skull before he finds it. His vision fades and he slumps to the floor.