Video - 001 - Expert Performance

[iceheart_imperial]

[When the camera comes on, it will show a woman in a red uniform. There is no adornment on it save for a small, brass American eagle over a flag. The pin had been a cheap trinket, but she knows full well that this country enjoys theatrics. A few days watching television had taught her that much.]

Greetings and salutations. My name is Ysanne Isard, and I felt I should introduce myself to everyone here. I wasn't expecting my arrival to attract any attention - well, I wasn't expecting to arrive at all! - but I felt given the attention it has created I should say hello.

[She had made sure of the lighting, of course, and her makeup was perfect. She was finding so far that this country had a rather on-again/off again relationship with authenticity. Presentation mattered, but it is her manner that really makes her look far younger than her forty-odd years. She is an expert in seeming - and her performance is flawless.]

[Everything about her radiates ease, and friendliness. She could be a friend, or an older sister. She's hidden in characters for so long that she learned the secret: believe it a little bit yourself.]

I come from a universe of strife, and conflict. I thought I had reached my end and then...[Her voice cracks, just ever so slightly, and she clears her throat.] then I was given a second chance. This country of yours...it is a wonderful one, full of opportunity that I intend to strive for.

And I'd like to help. Your country has given me a life, and I promise you all I will give back.

My name is Ysanne Isard. And I'm here to help.

Comments

[iceheart_imperial]

[She wants to correct him, but doesn't. There are two sides to any locus of power - the idea of control, and the fear of it. He has identified one aspect, but not the other. If a source of power cannot be fully controlled and exploited, there will always be someone trying to annihilate it. he never plays all her cards.]

[She was also beginning to have nagging concerns about the 'advanced' nature of their universe. The hand-held cellular phones being developed here were already as capable as the best comlink, and they hadn't even mastered spaceflight yet. This planet has potential.]

[But the way he speaks...that is telling. And not in ways she likes.]

It figures, of course. Escape from one universe of plots, land in another. I begin to believe existence has a highly developed sense of humor.

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

More than you know.

[Now that is the voice of a man thoroughly fed up with the sort of nonsense this world usually pulled.]

Expect to be subjected to several "jokes" during your stay.

[iceheart_imperial]

[Well that sounds all sorts of wonderful. The sort of thing that makes her want to turn things into molten glass.]

Well, I suppose it can't all be...what's the phrase here? Wine and roses?

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

I'm not familiar with that particular idiom, but I'm hardly an authority.

[It at least sounded sensible enough.]

I've devoted most of my time to studying matters more important to our shared confinement than studying local jargon.

[iceheart_imperial]

[She smiles to herself, and shakes her head. Yes, she has a fairly good idea of what he is. Though in this place, that doesn't give her the who or when. He clearly has no idea how to craft a legend. Nor how important it is to do so. A place like this, with no force behind you...things had to be done differently.]

Well I guess my priority is a new home rather than acting like it's the old galaxy.

[She can work around this one. Even if he is Sith.]

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

You will find most of us have decided on the same, even if we may not all share a desire to remain here indefinitely.

[Although he's already made a mental note to flag this particular imPort as a potential problem. Imperial cadence and pleasantries were the sorts of things that usually preceded a full scale invasion fleet or a vibroblade to the spine.

He didn't doubt for a moment that Jadus was going to be keeping a watchful eye on developments for the same reason. Even if their motives were very likely not shared.]

This world is racked with reality-warping phenomena on an alarmingly frequent basis, with effects that appear to be devoid of any rhyme or reason. Some are merely inconvenient, others pose a significant threat even to us.

I happen to believe trying to uncover why- or at the very least, how to predict and prepare for such events- is something that should be fairly high on one's list of one's priorities. I can concern myself with more comfortably blending in with the natives after we have some way of knowing when something troublesome is on the way.

[iceheart_imperial]

[That was the thing with the Sith in general - they talked entirely too much. He'd given her so much free information and could have only unprovable suspicions about her. She wondered what it was about their ilk that made them want to hear their own voices so much. The Emperor - her Emperor - had been an exception. He guarded his thinking well, perhaps because he was aware of that same tendency. Something he had passed on the Vader, in a way.]

[She knew what he was, and his basic objectives. Usually she'd have to rely on surveillance for that. It was a rather pleasant bonus.]

Well, in my experience trouble comes regardless. Best you can hope to do is be ready when it comes.

[It is a carefully mild answer that hopefully will lead him towards dismissing her as short-sighted. But in truth, you can never predict where the next crisis will be, not infallibly. The better option is to prepare as best you can, then steer the opportunity that crisis presents. But listening to him, she understands somewhat more the story she read as part of her voracious consumption of information about this planet.]

[She had started with overviews of mythology, holy books - that sort of thing. The foundations of this planet. And now the metaphoric legend of King Canute came to mind. How like the Sith, seeking to command the tides.]

If what you say is true, then this place is a bit like trying to predict the weather.

[a_gaggle_of_ghosties]

That is not a comparison without merit.

Given the nature of these phenomena, what I seek is not too dissimilar to detecting a coming storm and determining whether to expect light rain or a tornado.

[iceheart_imperial]

[Better him than her. Let him pursue one specific needle in a pile of them.]

I suppose I should wish you luck - I'm not even sure if that's possible. But I'm not exactly a 'techie', as they say. Fingers and thumbs, I think is the expression here.

[A lie, of course. She's adapting very quickly to computers. But it helps to project an air, doesn't it? Even if he's suspicious, well. Repeat it enough and bits will stick.]