"Eyes of the Empire," a short story by Kiersten White, is included in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back. This narrative explores events from the perspective of the character Maela.
Within the swarm processing center, Maela collaborates with a team on Project Swarm. Their mission: to locate the Rebel Alliance through the utilization of probe droids. Lorem initiates a discussion about potential vacation destinations among their colleagues. Dirjo Harch, their supervisor, promptly orders them to refocus on their duties. When Lorem objects, Azier reminds them that their team answers directly to an officer serving on the Executor, and even Darth Vader. Despite the ongoing banter, Maela remains dedicated to her work.
Originating from the planet Vulpter, Maela reflects on the circumstances that led her to specifically request this assignment. Previously, Maela's mother was employed at a droid manufacturing plant. Following the Clone Wars, her mother faced employment challenges but managed to support the family by constructing droids for the Galactic Empire. Maela, in contrast, aspired to work directly for the Empire and struggled to comprehend her mother's reluctance. She kept a droid's eye as a keepsake from that era.
Returning to the present, Maela marvels at the diverse landscapes visible through her assignment, including views of deserts, oceans, and jungles. Suddenly, she identifies structures built by people on the planet Hoth just before her droid initiates self-destruction. Recognizing that the droid was likely attacked and that the location was probably the rebel base, she immediately reports her findings to Harch, who then relays the information to Admiral Firmus Piett aboard the Executor.
Confirmation of the base's existence arrives quickly, prompting the team to leave the processing center to celebrate their accomplishment.
Days later, while her colleagues are asleep, Maela revisits her screen to observe Hoth once more. She hopes to find a herd of tauntauns. Instead, she discovers the aftermath of an attack on the rebel base. Utilizing the droid, she navigates through the ruined complex and is deeply affected by the devastation she witnesses. The landscape is covered with corpses of both Imperial snowtroopers and members of the Rebel Alliance.
At a later point, Dirjo continues to boast about their victory as Maela examines numerous feeds. She identifies a swamp planet devoid of any apparent life. Upon closer inspection, Maela detects an X-Wing partially submerged in a swamp. She proceeds to delete the footage, preventing the Empire from discovering the location.