'On the contrary, Supreme Commander. I fought on until the very end…unlike yourself.'
General Grievous unleashed a torrent of abuse, smashing at the walls of his prison to little effect. The clicking of clawed feet, and the rap of a cane, echoed through the conference room as his captor paced up and down before his prison.
Admiral Trench Death Toll
William Le Poer Trench, fourth son of the first Earl, was a Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy. The Venerable the Hon. Charles Le Poer Trench, fifth son of the first Earl, was Archdeacon of Ardagh. His son Henry Luke Trench was a Major-General in the Bengal Staff Corps. Admiral Trench; First Kiss; unintended kiss; dumb boys; UST; Awkward; Summary 'Two steps forward,' Obi-Wan states, rapping his knuckles on something invisible, 'and you'd actually be kissing it.' Only, Anakin wasn't watching Obi-Wan's hand. His focus was still on that suspiciously cheerful face. Part 3 of Tumblr Prompts; Language.
'Consider this your one and only warning, Trench! Release me at once!'
Admiral Trench chuckled, his insectoid mandibles producing an eerie chittering sound. Dressed in a dark grey uniform with an unfamiliar insignia and several medallions, the Harch was shorter than Grievous, yet he seemed to have little fear as he prodded the glowing walls of the ray shield with his cane.
'Faking your death – with the cooperation of a Jedi, no less - was an ingenious move, I will admit.'
'Cooperating with a Jedi?'
'Why, with Kenobi of course. How else could you have escaped Utapau alive?'
Red flashed before the cyborg's vision as he slammed his fists against the walls, floor, and ceiling of his prison. How dare he! To even suggest cooperation with Kenobi…
'Ah yes, ch ch ch ch…just as composed and in control as always. It truly is you.' Trench chuckled. 'Where have you been hiding these last fifteen years?'
'That lie again! I was in stasis for the briefest of periods…during which time it seems a plot has hatched to depose me as Supreme Commander. First it was the destruction of my transport in the Oorana System, then Mustafar was attacked…and now I am being held prisoner by my own droids! Your words cannot protect you, Trench. Once I am free of this prison, I will crush you like the insect you are!'
'Fascinating. Your ignorance appears to be genuine.' The Harch tweaked at his mandibles. 'What do you believe is the motivation behind these attempts on your life, hmm?'
'The Republic has bought you out, mercenary. Unsurprising for a creature as disloyal as you!'
'Although I sense you are attempting to insult me, General, you are partly correct. The Empire – or the Republic, whichever you prefer – offered me a deal I simply could not refuse, ch ch ch.' Trench gestured to the uniform he wore. 'Unlike the Separatists, the Republic recognised my talents as a negotiator and a leader, not just as a warrior. And unlike Count Dooku and yourself, the Republic treated me with the respect I deserved. When the war ended some fifteen years ago-'
'Liar!'
'…believe what you will, Supreme Commander. I was asked to negotiate on behalf of the Separatist leadership, who had tragically been killed when their mining platform on Mustafar was destroyed by volcanic activity.' Trench stepped closer, his face twisted into the Harch version of a disdainful sneer. 'I am no fool, Grievous. One cannot ride out these turbulent times without being prepared to reach compromises. I am not fatally wedded to any ideology, so much as I am sensitive to my own interests. I joined the Separatist cause partly because of my corporate ties, but also because it was the best choice for keeping the Harch home system, Ando, under my control.'
Trench plucked at the medals on his uniform. 'My full title, should it interest you, is Imperial Governor of the Ando System. A rank far greater and more meaningful than any I could achieve in your droid army. In return for this posting the Empire requires that I use my expertise to run this operation here. As you can imagine, the Outer Rim is filled with places to hide, and with my assistance, Separatist elements are rooted out.'
'How…you would have been denounced by the government, expelled from your command…it would have never succeeded!'
'Perhaps. But few have heard of Commodore Tan Seegor, commander of the 143rd Rim Patrol Flight.'
'Seegor?' Grievous glared through the ray-shield towards the corner of the conference room, where the Geonosian officer stood, his head submissively bowed. 'Coward…'
'He – and this ship - were the first to respond to my requests for aid. I convinced the Empire to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment, so that I could employ him. He runs the operation day-to-day, while I attend to more important matters elsewhere.'
Grievous said nothing. His mind was in turmoil as he tried to process everything Trench had said. Part of him felt as though Trench was speaking the truth - but another would not, could not accept that the war was over.
Fifteen years…Empire…Mustafar…
'What were you thinking, Grievous? Did you honestly believe that the Empire would not know about the Raxus Network? It was sliced countless times by their intelligence services, and exists today solely for the purpose of tracking down rogue Separatists.'
A low growl bubbled behind his vocoder as he felt the pain building in his head again.
Impossible…impossible!
'Are you hearing me, General?'
'I have nothing to say to you, traitorous scum. This war will be won through my leadership, and not through bribery and deceit.'
Trench huffed. 'So be it, General.'
Leaving the conference room, Admiral Trench took the turbolift down to the command centre, with Commodore Seegor in tow. His datapad had updated with a full readout on the physical status of his captive. Trench looked Grievous over. The fragile gutsack had been removed, and the once-open panelling on his chest had been fused together to create a solid torso section. His white limbs were now stained and dirty, and many other sections bore scorch marks, as if they had been burned from the inside out. Most notably, one eyesocket had been patched over with a flat cybernetic eyepiece, leaving only a single bloodshot eye as evidence that there was still a living creature imprisoned behind the cracked and stained mask. In contrast, the Harch was in good health. It had been sixteen years since he had been mortally wounded during the blockade of Christophsis, and almost half of his body still sported some form of cybernetic device, yet at over two hundred years of age Admiral Trench was still in his prime.
The doors opened, and Trench stepped into the command centre, leaving Seegor standing in the lift. As he did, the Geonosian made a buzzing noise in his throat.
'What is it, Seegor?'
The Geonosian looked around, as if they were in danger of being overheard, then he leaned in close. 'The General! It is Grievous, isn't it?'
'It would appear so, although his mental capacities have degraded significantly since I last laid eyes on him. What about him?'
'Should I give the order to release him, Admiral?'
Trench laughed, and slapped the frail Commodore on the back. 'Certainly not, Seegor. The Supreme Commander will be staying exactly where he is, for now.'
The elderly Geonosian fluttered his wings in agitation. 'Thyktn fyluut…I thought that was our plan. Once we knew it was him, that he was still alive out there…I thought this would be a new beginning for…'
Trench motioned with his cane. 'Go on…'
'…for the cause, Admiral. Our cause.'
'Enough of this nonsense, Commodore! Perhaps you are not quite as deluded as our dear General appears to be, but the Separatist cause has been lost for over a decade, and it would take more than an asthmatic cyborg to resurrect it!' Trench jabbed Seegor in the chest with the tip of his cane. 'You and Grievous are the only two fools left in the galaxy who still hold on to that fantasy. Be grateful that you have been spared the fate of the rest of your kind.'
'A-admiral?'
'Perhaps you should watch the news more often, Seegor. We have excellent Holonet coverage here – all you have to do is ask.'
The doors slammed shut and the turbolift started down, leaving the Admiral alone with a handful of his command droids. Banishing the Commodore from his mind, Trench took charge of the situation. With Grievous secured, the next phase of the operation could begin.
'Ch ch ch ch…Commander, establish a connection with the nearest ISB listening post. Inform them that we have taken custody of a…Class A fugitive. Do not provide them with any further details, but ensure that they send a secure transport with heavy protection.'
'Yes Admiral.'
The Harch idly twirled his cane. The Empire was unlikely to know that he had taken possession of a prize as great as General Grievous himself, and once they were aboard his vessel and shown the prisoner they would have little choice but to agree to whatever price he demanded.
The tactical droid turned back from the console. 'Admiral, we have an incoming transmission on the unsecured band. Identity unknown.'
'Put it through.'The overhead speakers crackled, then the holocomm system lit up.
'I understand you have taken possession of a ship.'
Reference
Trench whirled around, an agitated chatter rising in his throat.
'Who is this?'
'My name is not important. I'm not interested in any cargo, passengers or the ship itself. I want the crew.'
'Any information about this vessel, or any other vessel under my command, is classified. Now, identify yourself!'
The indistinct voice laughed, a shrill sound that filled the speakers with static. 'I don't care about who owns what, or whether something is classified. You have the crew, or at least some of them. Dead or alive, I don't mind, but I know for a fact that you would be willing to sell them.'
Admiral Trench Death War
'Can you describe this crew of yours?' As he spoke, Trench gestured to the droids around him, who busied themselves at their consoles as they attempted to trace the location of the call.
'One adult male human, one near-adult female human, one juvenile male human, one adult female Twi'lek and another unknown.'
Trench manipulated the screens on the control console next to him, calling up images of the vessel Grievous had arrived on. Footage recorded an hour earlier showed the ship landing, Grievous disembarking – and two small figures being led away. The tactical droid standing nearby spoke up. 'Two juvenile humans were brought aboard in the Supreme Commander's custody. Current location: B-level detention.'
'I have two such individuals in my custody. How much would you be willing to offer me for them?'
'Fifty thousand, to be transferred into your account upon collection.'
'A hundred and fifty for both.'
'Done.' Trench's eyes widened in surprise. 'Prepare them for transportation. I will arrive to collect them within the next twenty-four hours.' Then the line went dead.
More Admiral Trench Death Images
Curious. Trench called up an image of the captured humans in the holding cell, and then an image of the ship. Neither appeared worth tens of thousands of credits – so why would someone go to so much trouble to locate them? The Harch fidgeted as he considered the unusual development. The fact that someone had the capability to track the ship currently docked in the hangar bay was troubling…but the opportunity to increase the profitability of what was already a highly successful mission was equally intriguing.
Admiral Trench | Alien Wiki | Fandom
'Commander, contact the ISB. Find out if there is a bounty on the two scavengers in the detention block.' Trench flipped back to a live feed of the hangar. 'And get that dammed maintenance crew away from that rustbucket and back to repairing my shuttle!'
A/N: The more IRL commitments I have, the more my output increases! This was a pretty important chapter as well, so I had some written in advance. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing - I know a few of you guessed it was Trench from the start, but I hope this next twist surprised you, and thanks for reading!