The source of the Death Star intelligence leak was Dedra's hidden folder. Krennic first directed the investigation at her—to some extent, Krennic and Luthen have similar styles, both focusing only on results regardless of the process. He didn't even care if Dedra was a Rebel spy; he just wanted to know how much intelligence had been leaked.
In response, Dedra had nothing to say. Over the years, she had developed a habit of collecting a large amount of intelligence, regardless of whether it was compliant or within her authority. She didn't even know what she had stored, let alone what Lonni had seen.
By this point, Dedra had nothing to lose. She bluntly stated that from ISB to the highest levels of the Empire, there was widespread inefficiency and people holding positions without doing their jobs. Many valuable pieces of intelligence were discarded casually, and it was she who effectively recovered that intelligence. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to identify Luthen, that mysterious central figure.
Dedra was right, but unfortunately, this couldn't excuse her mistakes. What's more, Krennic didn't care at all about the Empire's bureaucratic style or the sincere dedication of his subordinates. He was too busy flattering the Emperor about the completion of the Death Star.
Now that Lonni and Luthen were both dead, and nothing more could be squeezed out of Dedra, the focus of damage control had to shift to capturing Kleya—but if the "damage" couldn't be controlled, they would probably have to sacrifice someone more important.
Krennic turned his gaze to ISB Director Partagaz. Knowing he was in the wrong, Partagaz didn't directly argue. Instead, he pointed out that Krennic's secrecy strategy for the Death Star over the years was unrealistic. Hadn't the entire ISB been a victim of this grand plan?—A higher rank crushes people.
Hert, who was ordered to capture Kleya, was now under great pressure. Krennic's direct military order could really get people killed...
Hert knew that both in terms of actual work ability and understanding of Luthen, he was no match for Dedra. At this point, he put his pride aside and directly asked for help. Fortunately, Dedra still put "the overall situation first" and didn't hold back despite being a prisoner.
On the other side, Kleya, hiding in a safe house, found the dusty transmitter and sent a distress signal to Vel Sartha on Yavin—ah, I still can't help but sigh. The prop production and material memes in Andor that follow the principle of "making the simple complicated" are really fantastic. Even a large mechanical device looks so good—upon learning that Luthen had transmitted, Cassian didn't hesitate for a second. He took Melshi and K-2SO and headed for Coruscant.
Here are four points to note: First, Luthen's reputation on Yavin was not good; second, after Vel Sartha's leg injury healed, he became lame and was no longer suitable for frontline missions; third, both Cassian and Vel Sartha trusted Luthen, but Vel Sartha, who had the receiver, was a more loyal follower of Luthen; fourth, Cassian repeatedly violated Yavin Base's security regulations to go out and rescue people.
Hert indeed found the old-style transmission system in the antique shop. After the technician discovered that Luthen had long been stealing the Empire's broadcast frequencies and electricity, his first reaction was to admire his genius method, and then he realized it was inappropriate and put away his smile.
I was really amused when I saw this scene. He's really a tech guy, so carefree~ It was also Hert's luck (or misfortune) that he just happened to catch the signal of Cassian's communication with Kleya. So, an impromptu capture operation was arranged.
After Hert, who was leading the attack, and K-2SO, who was covering the rear, cut off the wireless communication one after another, the two warring sides in the building could only rely on intuition and experience to adapt to changes.
What's most praiseworthy here is Cassian's reaction. When he learned that other exits were not reliable, he immediately stopped Melshi from wanting to close the door. Leaving the door open still left a glimmer of hope; closing it might turn into ISB catching a turtle in a jar.
Of course, the worst-case scenario that Cassian had imagined didn't happen. K-2SO fought his way out alone, and I'm willing to call him the MVP of the scene.
K-2SO didn't have many scenes in these episodes, but he was very likable. He had both the stodginess and precision of a robot, and a special kind of sarcasm and deadpan humor. He could make you laugh with his words and clear the battlefield with his actions. No wonder he's so popular.
However, when Cassian actually brought the Death Star intelligence back to Yavin Base, the reaction of the Rebel leaders was not as excited as expected.
It should be noted that the Empire had been releasing a lot of false intelligence to deal with the Rebels over the years. And Cassian had gone to Coruscant in violation of regulations, and the intelligence he brought back was quite disorganized. It was normal for some people to be skeptical—passed down orally from Lonni to Luthen to Kleya and then to Cassian, the information elements were severely lost. By the time Cassian spoke, only some incoherent keywords remained.
What's more subtle is that this intelligence came from Luthen, and most of the Rebel leaders at Yavin Base now disliked and distrusted him.
This involves the dispute of "the frontline looking down on the behind-the-lines battlefield". Moreover, Luthen's style and reputation were indeed not sterling.
It was okay for everyone to discuss the matter on its merits, but once it turned into personal attacks, Cassian lost his temper: I stand here to prove my recognition of Yavin's revolutionary line, but that doesn't mean I can deny the efforts and contributions Luthen made to the revolutionary cause.
After the unpleasant breakup, Mothma and others also made a lot of efforts to verify the authenticity of the Death Star, and more and more news indicated that this intelligence was worth investigating.
So, not long after Cassian was put in confinement，he was released and authorized to conduct further investigations.
Before his departure, Bail came to say goodbye to Cassian. He also recognized and admired Luthen's contributions in his heart, but to balance the feelings of other leaders, he didn't show it as obviously as Mothma. The same phrase "May the Force be with you" also had new weight at this time.
Incidentally, Bail would also die a glorious martyrdom under the attack of the Death Star not long after.
In ISB's conference room, Partagaz was stunned as he listened to the revolutionary manifesto left by Karis Nemik (the teenager from the Aldhani heist). The situation of having to take the blame and being unable to recover made him re-examine the time and space he was in... Now, saying anything was useless. The only thing he could do was give himself a dignified end.
By the way, most of the final episodes of Andor saw ISB members getting killed off. Lonni, who tried to please both sides; Hert, who sought no glory; Partagaz, who was experienced—all were dead. Even Dedra, who was competent, ended up in an Imperial prison doing hard labor... So, for the majority of Imperial underlings, slacking off is the way to go. It's too dangerous to be an Imperial "talent".
Although the Rebel leaders also had a tendency to be bureaucratic, they always tolerated Cassian, who repeatedly violated regulations. In contrast, the Empire, which only wanted yes-men, tools, and scapegoats, was bound to fail.
Before Andor ended, it gave face time to a number of supporting characters. For example, Vel Sartha and Jyn lived a satisfying life as Rebels; Mothma's ex-husband Perrin lived a life of debauchery on Coruscant (it seemed he even got involved with his mother-in-law); Dedra ended up in a worse situation than death; Saw and Krennic also reached their respective positions...