Agent "Blue-7" (Kaina Thorn, design engineer)
Location: Kuat, Kuat Drive Yards
Time: 4 BBY
Kaina Thorn pressed her palm against the scanner and heard a soft beep confirming access. The door to secret sector 7-G slid open silently, revealing the inner sanctum of the Kuat Drive Yards corporation. Her heart pounded so loudly she thought the surveillance cameras could hear it.
"Calm down," she told herself. "You're here on business. You have all the permits."
But the permits had been obtained under false pretenses. Officially, Kaina was conducting an energy efficiency audit of production processes – routine work that no one paid attention to. In reality, she was looking for information about Project DS-1, which was consuming vast corporate resources and was classified at the highest level.
The corridors of sector 7-G were deserted and sterile. Only the most secret projects were worked on here, and every employee underwent thorough security checks. Kaina was one of the few mid-level engineers trusted with access here.
She walked past several laboratories, peering through the windows. Behind thick reinforced glass, engineers were working on some colossal installations. Even through the glass, it was clear that the scale of the project was breathtaking – each individual section was the size of a small building.
"What kind of monster are they building?" Kaina thought, quickening her pace.
Her target was the archive terminal at the end of the corridor. According to the building's plan, it stored backup copies of all project documents for the sector. If she was lucky, she could access the DS-1 blueprints and understand what the Empire was actually building.
Kaina stopped in front of the terminal and inserted her identification card. The screen lit up, showing a menu of available files. Most of the projects were familiar to her – upgrades to Star Destroyers, new fighter models, hyperdrive improvements. But at the bottom of the list, she saw what she was looking for: "DS-1 — Gravitational Systems."
She clicked on the folder and saw a password prompt. Kaina entered the code her handler had given her – a sequence of characters obtained through unknown means.
The system thought for a few seconds, then granted access to the files. What Kaina saw made her gasp.
The screen displayed blueprints for gravitational installations of unprecedented size and power. Gigantic artificial gravity projectors, each the size of a city block. A generator system capable of creating planetary-scale gravitational fields. The technical specifications listed figures that surpassed all known analogues by hundreds of times.
"My God," Kaina whispered. "What are such powers needed for?"
Her hands trembled as she inserted a portable drive into the terminal and began copying the files. The schematics of the gravitational projectors, the plans for the power systems, the blueprints for the control systems – all of it slowly flowed onto her data storage.
Kaina had been an ideological opponent of the Empire from the moment it was created. She remembered the last days of the Republic, remembered how Chancellor Palpatine gradually usurped power. She remembered Order 66 and the destruction of the Jedi. When she was approached with an offer of cooperation, she agreed without hesitation.
True, she didn't know exactly who she was working for. Her handler introduced himself as an agent of "democratic forces in the Senate" fighting for the restoration of republican institutions. Kaina suspected that senators like Bail Organa or Mon Mothma were behind it, but she didn't know the details. Nor did she want to know – the less information, the safer for everyone.
The copying continued agonizingly slowly. The files were huge – detailed blueprints of the gravitational systems took up terabytes of data. Kaina nervously glanced at the door, expecting someone from the staff to appear at any moment.
Finally, the progress indicator showed eighty percent completion. Kaina allowed herself to relax a little. A few more minutes, and she would have complete information about the gravitational systems of Project DS-1.
But at that very moment, the door to the corridor opened, and the lead engineer of the project entered – Theon Shent, whom Kaina knew from meetings.
"Kaina?" he asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Her heart skipped a beat, but she tried to remain calm: "I'm conducting an energy efficiency audit. I have all the permits."
Theon walked closer and looked at the terminal screen: "Does an energy efficiency audit require access to the secret DS-1 blueprints?"
"I'm studying the energy consumption of all projects in the sector," Kaina tried to speak confidently. "DS-1 consumes the most resources."
"Show me your permits," Theon demanded, extending his hand.
At that moment, the copying indicator showed one hundred percent. Kaina realized there was no time for explanations. She quickly pulled the drive from the terminal and simultaneously pulled a stunner from her pocket.
"Sorry, Theon," she fired and said.
The lead engineer collapsed on the floor, stunned by the discharge. Kaina rushed to the turbolift, pulling out her communicator on the go.
She quickly dialed an emergency message to her handler: "I'm in trouble, but I have the data. Need an evacuation. Immediately."
The turbolift arrived a few seconds later. Kaina dived inside and pressed the first-level button. The cabin began to move down, but after twenty seconds it stopped abruptly.
Kaina pressed buttons, but the lift didn't respond. The control system had been remotely locked. Her heart pounded harder – meaning Theon had already been found, and an alarm had been sounded on the station.
Suddenly, a siren sounded somewhere, and the lift was illuminated by red emergency lights. The security system announced: "Attention! The station is on high alert. All personnel are to remain at their workstations until further notice."
The turbolift jolted and began to move again. But Kaina understood that they were already waiting for her downstairs. Security had had enough time to block all exits.
The lift stopped on the first level. The doors opened, and Kaina saw what she expected – three stormtroopers and an Imperial security officer blocked all escape routes.
"Engineer Thorn," the officer said, "surrender."
Kaina stopped in the lift doors, realizing the hopelessness of the situation. The drive burned her hand – it contained data on the DS-1 gravitational systems, which could be critically important for the rebels.
"Hand over the data storage and come with us," the officer continued. "If you cooperate, the punishment will be lighter."
Kaina squeezed the drive tighter. Cooperate with the Empire? Never. Better to die than betray those fighting for freedom.
"Never," she said loudly. "I will not betray freedom."
"You will never see freedom again," the officer sneered. "Only interrogators."
He signaled the stormtroopers, and they began to close in. Kaina retreated back into the lift, desperately thinking about how to escape the trap.
And then the lights in the corridor went out.
In the pitch darkness, sounds of struggle erupted – shouts, blaster fire, dull thuds. Someone grabbed Kaina's hand and dragged her away.
"Quiet," a male voice whispered. "Our guys have hacked the shipyard's defenses. We have five minutes to leave the station. Follow me."
They moved through the darkness amidst the sounds of battle. Kaina heard stormtroopers firing wildly, trying to hit invisible opponents. She heard the cries of the wounded and the sound of falling bodies.
The stranger led her through some service corridors she didn't know. Red emergency lights flashed, creating a creepy atmosphere. Sirens wailed, announcing an emergency on the station.
They walked for a long time until they finally reached an emergency exit on an external docking platform. A small cargo ship with its engines running stood there. Two men in dark clothing waited at the ramp.
"Faster," said the one who was leading her. He was in stormtrooper armor – "There's almost no time left."
Only now could Kaina get a good look at her savior. A middle-aged man, in white armor but without a helmet, with a scar on his left cheek. He held a blaster in his hands.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Friends," he replied briefly. "Get on board."
Kaina hesitated for a second, but the sound of approaching stormtroopers forced her to move. She climbed the ramp, and the ship immediately took off.
Through the viewport, she saw stormtroopers pouring onto the docking platform, but it was too late. The ship was gaining altitude, moving away from the space shipyard.
"Where are we flying?" she asked the man with the scar.
"To Nar Shaddaa," he replied. "We can hide you there."
"To Nar Shaddaa?" Kaina shuddered. "But that's..."
"A den of smugglers and criminals, yes," the man chuckled. "Don't be scared. There are good places there too. We take care of loyal agents. Besides, you're an engineer, and we need engineers badly. There's good work for you."
"And what about the data?" Kaina showed the drive. "There's information about the DS-1 gravitational systems."
"You'll hand it over to our coordinator on Nar Shaddaa. He knows what to do with it."
Kaina nodded and leaned back in her seat. The adrenaline was slowly receding, and she began to realize the magnitude of what had happened. Her life had changed forever. She could no longer return home, meet friends, live a normal life.
But she had the DS-1 data. Information about gravitational systems of unprecedented power. If the rebels could analyze this data, perhaps they could understand what the Empire was actually building.
"What should I call myself now?" she asked.
"Nothing for now," the man with the scar replied. "On Nar Shaddaa, you'll be given a new name and new documents. Kaina Thorn died today at the Kuat shipyards."
She looked out the viewport at the stars. Somewhere out there, in the depths of space, the Empire was building something grand, requiring planetary-scale gravitational systems. But now the rebels had a chance to learn more about it.
The price was high – her former life, safety, future. But some things were worth any sacrifice. And the freedom of the galaxy was definitely among them.
The ship jumped into hyperspace, taking her away from everything she knew, to a new life among outcasts and rebels. But in her hands was a drive with data that could change the course of history.
And that made the sacrifice worthwhile.
A few days later. Nar Shaddaa, mid-levels.
She was waiting for a meeting with the coordinator in a small apartment on the mid-levels of Nar Shaddaa.
Soon they heard the sounds of a door opening, and the sentient who was supposed to receive the DS-1 data entered.
"Rina Kass?" a male voice asked.
She looked up and saw an elderly Duros in an expensive but understated suit. He looked like a successful merchant or a mid-level manager.
"Yes, that's me."
"My name is Kel Nordan," he said, sitting down opposite her. "I help coordinate operations in this sector."
Kaina handed him the drive: "Here is the data on the DS-1 project's gravitational systems. The scale is astonishing – these are planetary-level power installations."
Kel took the drive and looked at her carefully: "Good. The data will be forwarded. Now, about your future. You're a space design engineer, right?"
"Yes. I specialize in spacecraft and power systems."
"Excellent. We have a quiet job for you. A man who helps our movement is involved in ship modernization. He needs competent engineers."
"And who is he?"
"The owner of one of the best workshops on Nar Shaddaa. A good man, you can trust him."
"When can I start working?"
"He's currently away on business for several years. They'll explain everything to you on-site."
Kel stood up, tucking the drive into his inner jacket pocket: "Welcome to your new life, Rina. Your information is very important to us. Here are your documents."
He handed her a chip.
She quickly inserted it into her datapad and looked at her new identity. She had been given a new name – Rina Kass – and a fabricated history, according to which she was a freelance engineer from Corellia. An apartment in a decent neighborhood, a small bank account, and a promise of work.
Kaina – now Rina – watched him leave, and for the first time in several days, she felt something akin to hope. Her old life had truly ended. But a new one was just beginning.
And in this new life, she would fight for what she believed in.
The DS-1 data was now in the hands of the rebels. Perhaps it would help them understand what project the Empire was implementing. And perhaps it would be the beginning of the end for a regime that had brought only suffering to the galaxy.
Rina finished her caf and went outside. Nar Shaddaa greeted her with its usual chaos of sounds, smells, and lights. But now this chaos didn't frighten her. This was freedom – dirty, dangerous, but real.