The wounds were bound. The uniforms pressed.  The faces were grim.  The execution of Korant Borshan had passed, but the effects were lingering.

  Nazgul had completed the Two-Step as ordered.  The plan had been successful and the objective had been achieved, but the stink of failure clung to every man and being in the squadron.  Flyboy was not the only traitor.  The rich and storied history of Nazgul had been one of honor and sacrifice.  Scores of beings had flown and died bravely in the service of the Vast Empire wearing the chartreuse Screaming Death’s Head.  The squadron had known defeat, but never dishonor…till now.

  The Trandoshan Skrat, call sign Catachan, had betrayed the VE, and Nazgul. 

  Like all Trandoshans he was an impulsive, reckless killer.  His base reptilian urges had driven him to hunt and kill.  The Academy had entertained the folly that they had trained him to control those urges, they had been wrong.

The Two-Step had been an intricate operation.  The intel that would be gleaned from the two ‘guests’ now in VENI custody would be undoubtedly valuable.  The information that Cat had given to the New Republic could be deadly. 

  He had been a pilot. A good one, not the best.  He’d been a warrior, eager to jump into the fray – sometimes too eager.  His instincts often got the better of him, and many a time Driver had had to pull him back.  That was the seed of his treason.

  The Trandoshan had chaffed at the restrictions put on him.  He had bucked and fought the discipline that was necessary to a military unit and essential to a squadron in harms way.  He wanted to hunt. 

  The mission to Anoat had been a chance for him to be unleashed a bit.  G had known that he’d been unhappy for a while.  The lack of opportunity to flex his abilities and to be the killer he was had been evident.  However, as time went by, Geordi had also seen the blossoming of his insubordination. 

  It didn’t bloom all at once, rather it was like a rose, and slowly opened one petal at a time.  Mood swings and arguments.  Refusals to obey small orders, disappearances, arguments with squadron mates and verbal attacks on other pilots – they’d built up gradually. 

  Driver had hoped that this mission would take the edge off of him.  He’d hoped it would release a little of that blood-lust and settle him.  What he didn’t know was that the damage was already too far gone.  Skrat was past redemption, and had already made preliminary contacts with the New Republic.  The lizard had given them some of the plans for Anoat.  The proof of this was in the difficulty of the mission, the evidence in every scar the Nazguls now bore. 

  Albino had recovered, barely.  His wounds were more than flesh deep now.  The fact that he’d received them due to a teammate’s treachery went to his psyche.  He’d need counseling, and would be a more hesitant pilot now, and hesitation in a TIE meant death.  He was conspicuously absent today.  Driver had ordered him to the sick bay.  Revenge would not help the healing process.  Likewise, Darien Rogue was missing as well.  He and Skrat had had several run-ins during the weeks leading up to Anoat.  He was also in sick bay, talking to one of the Atrus’ shrinks and dealing with the anger that had built up dealing with the lizard.

  The team that walked the low corridors of the Atrus today consisted of Driver, Hunter, Slasher and Drac.  Only the senior leadership of Nazgul would witness this.  Only they would deal with Catachan.

  Cat’s treason had been relatively unnoticed by the VE as a whole.  Nazgul was used to tough assignments, and bloody scrapes.  For once that was good.  The VE as a whole did not need to know that there was another traitor among them.  Flyboy’s execution had been a very public reminder of the consequences of betraying the Vast Empire.  Cat’s would be the private exercise of traditional Imperial resolve. 

  They entered the outer detention rooms and were greeted by Lieutenant Grey and Ensign Grey.  VENI had a role in keeping this quiet, as they did in an unsettling amount of cases.  The greater population of the VE never knew how many of these executions took place.  If they did, they would not be happy.  The number grew everyday, and would soon become a problem if things did not change.  However, that was not Driver’s mission today.  He was here to clean up his mess.

  “Good day Ensign.” Monotoned Lieutenant Grey

  Driver saluted, “Lieutenant”, and nodded to Ensign Grey.

  Grey stepped aside, allowing the Nazgul commanders to all filter in, “You are all aware that you are under strictest orders as to the divulgence of these events.  Failure to comply will result in us visiting you again.”

  The men of Nazgul nodded.  They all knew their duties, and the consequences of failing to live up to that duty.  Ensign Grey keyed the door pad and led them into the inner detention cell.  It was a largish room, not at all the normal cramped cell that many of them had seen after an overly boisterous night of leave.  It was dark and free of furniture.  A single light lit the center.  Under it stood Catachan in chains. 

  He stood silently.  Chained and immobilized by a stasis field.  Driver strode to the center and faced him.  Hunter to his right, Slasher to his left and Drac to Slash’s left.  The lizard made no sound or acknowledgment of his commanders.

  “Skrat, you are charged with Treason against the Government and People of the Vast Empire.  You did knowingly and willfully consort with the enemy and give aid against your compatriots.  You have been tried by the Imperial Navy and found guilty.  The sentence is death.  Do you have anything to say?” stated Ensign Grey.

  “I do not”

  Driver stepped forward, “Cat, from the first day you stepped into Nazgul I preached teamwork, family and duty.  I worked to make you understand that you were now a part of something bigger, something more important than you had ever been a part of before.  I stressed the seriousness of our mission and that, as part of Nazgul, you’d never be alone or left behind.  You, however, chose to ignore the team and satisfy your baser instincts.  You chose to feed your inner rage and need for revenge against the galaxy, and when the VE did not meet your expectations, you turned on it.”

  Hunter and Slasher stepped forward.  Each had one of Cat’s swords. They in turn snapped each over their knees and dropped them to the floor.  Drac moved toward the motionless Trandoshan and produced a vibroblade.  He sliced the Imperial, Naval and Nazgul insignias from his uniform – drawing blood each time – and dropping those too to the floor.

  Finally, Driver spoke, “I have given all I can to try and make you understand.  Nazgul has given all it can.  I have devoted many hours to training and attempting to teach you the ways of Nazgul, these have been in vain.  You are a mistake Catachan, my mistake. “

  Driver stood nose to snout, staring into the lizards eyes.  The snap-hiss of a light foil ignited under the traitor’s chin.  The blade plunged deep into his skull and out the top.  Driver watched as the lizard twitched and the light went out of his dark, soulless eyes.  He deactivated his blade and returned it to his belt.

  “I clean up my own mistakes.”

  He nodded to the Greys and led Nazgul out of the room. 

  The Ensign stepped to the Lieutenant, “He’s what they said he was.”

  The Lieutenant nodded, “And more, make a note to watch him more closely.  I doubt we’ve seen the last of Ensign Atrasin.”

OOC:

and so endeth Catachan...
this is a one-off and meant to tie up that loose end.  there will be no more posts here.  the new story will start soon, so be prepared.