maskormenace | Video - 002

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Video - 002 - Announcements

[When the camera came on, it would show her seated at an older wooden desk. And she allowed herself to look significantly more relaxed.]

Well, a number of you who said I'd move on quickly...you're right. This [she gestured around her with just a note of pride] is my new office. Bit of a risk, I know, but it's what I'm good at. And can do some good with, for the moment at least.

So I've opened up a private detective agency, the Iceheart Agency.

[Oh she loved that name. She had a good cover story for it, but it was an open reminder to any Imperials out there of who she was, and the authority she held. A coded gathering signal, really, all things said and done.]

It's early days yet, but I've been handling a few cold cases, and I'm hopeful to coordinate with local law enforcement to take more of that off their hands. I'm also in the business of locating whatever you need. Anything else you can think to bring me, please do.

[She leaned forward, hands folded in front of her, her entire attitude helpful and open.]

As I said before, I'm here to help.

[OOC: Corresponding log is over here]

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[A mark in his favor, really. She'd dismiss him in an instant if he came uniformed.]

Director is for those who wish to work with me. Miss Isard will do otherwise.

[She'll tolerate the informality of her first name from very, very few. She stands then, smoothly, and moves to a side cabinet to get two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. She doesn't much care for the stuff herself, but he might, and more to the point his reaction will tell her something. She sat back down after pouring two measures and pushing one across the table to him.]

And no trouble at all, of course. A bit of ceremony to an occasion never hurts, even if you'll find this country to be almost excessively informal.

[Edwon picks up the glass, swirling the liquid inside for a moment, though he's clearly not admiring the color. But he does like whiskey. He's not really picky when it comes to drinking.]

It's a bit exhausting, isn't it? [Actually, he doesn't care about formality much, it's just another tool to use.] This place is taking some getting used to.

[He sips the drink, slowly, focusing on her reactions.]

Would you mind if I ask you a few questions, then, Director?

Unusual, certainly.

[What isn't a tool, really? To someone like her - like them, perhaps - everything is a weapon to achieve their ends. As for her reactions, he will get the vibe for which she was named Iceheart - she gives away very little indeed of her true thinking.]

By all means. I will endeavor to satisfy your curiosity.

[She sips from her own drink, considering it for a moment. Case in point about this planet - an utter backwater, but so complicated. That whiskey is better than most any alcoholic beverage she has ever tried, and she's given to understand it isn't even the best brand by any stretch of the imagination. Earth is a strange place.]

[He's not easy to read himself. The blindfold doesn't help, since it hides half his face, but even without it, his reactions are controlled when he wants them to be. But he likes a challenge, and she certainly seems like one.]

Alright. I'll get right to it, then. [He tilts his head a little, pauses like he's considering his words carefully.] There's no Director of Intelligence, as far as I'm aware. That doesn't mean much here, but... Why should I trust that you're not lying about your position?

[Miralluka are, she finds, naturally inscrutable anyways. Try having conversations with High Inquisitor Jerec, really.]

One of many improvements on the past - and you shouldn't.

[But that is the last piece she needs. Nobody under Imperial command - her Empire, at any rate - doesn't know who the Director is.]

In any event - I believe you're looking for the wrong Empire. The Sith Empire is...well, a distant memory. We are of the same galaxy. But thousands of years displaced in time.

[She might have more experience with other Miraluka than he does, then, but being inscrutable has definitely worked out for him.]

I know. I've been warned that time doesn't mean anything here.

[It's in no way said dismissively. It's still strange if he thinks about it too much, though he's very good at just rolling with whatever situation is thrown at him.]

But the two Empires have a lot in common, as far as I've been able to tell. A few differences as well -- [Fewer Sith, apparently, which is a nice thought.] -- But I don't want to dismiss your Empire outright just because some things change over the millennia.

After all, if you are who you say you are, then you're a useful person to ally myself with.

[They would absolutely be in agreement on that point - adaptation is key, but there is still so much to do.]

A number, though of course the similarities are of necessity. Methodology can only vary so much.

[But yes, fewer Sith. Such a vast improvement.]

You would do well, too, not to dismiss the future out of hand - and I would judge you an unworthy ally for doing so.

[Indicating her willingness, in concept.]

I never would. I'm still forming an opinion on it.

[He lowers his glass, pauses like he's considering something carefully. In reality, he'd made up his mind before coming here.]

You're just as reluctant to trust me, and I don't blame you. You've told me who you are, Director, and I haven't done the same. I come with even fewer credentials than you.

[A sigh.]

Cipher Five, Imperial Intelligence. [It's only half a lie - He's Cipher Nine.] We may be from different Empires, but I believe we have common interests.

[Oh, she doesn't trust anyone, not completely. But there are many, many gradations within that.]

Here we can be much more of an...open book, I believe the phrase is. Our worlds, our times - they're an unknown country here.

[It is, in its way, wonderfully liberating. She can walk in the open here, without bodyguards.]

And what common interests would those be, Cipher Five?

[It's definitely freeing. Here, revealing his designation as a Cipher Agent doesn't really matter. It's a card to play, with very little risk involved - as long as his real number isn't revealed.]

Information. Someone like you always wants information. [And someone like him, too.] And we can learn more by combining resources.

Old enemies might be meaningless here, but that doesn't change who we are, does it? And it doesn't mean we're not in danger.

[She takes longer than is entirely necessary to answer, letting him hang for a brief moment.]

In time, you're quite correct. There will be enemies, eventually. And you're right, of course. Every scrap of information is of great value.

But tell me. You are clearly of the old Sith Empire. There are two Sith of that era here. How do I know you do not serve either of them?

[He may already know that. If he doesn't, his reaction may be telling.]

[He knows. He doesn't react. He just pauses for a second himself, head tilting slightly.]

Have you made enemies of them, Director?

[For a moment he just sounds amused.]

There's nothing I can say that will convince you I don't work for either of them. I won't waste the effort. [Shrug.] You'll be confirming that for yourself after I leave, and the fact that you won't find anything still won't prove it to you. You're not the type to trust so easily, or you wouldn't have the position that you do.

I'm offering an alliance, not my allegiance. No one here has my allegiance at the moment.

[Her own smile is swift in coming at that question.]

Not yet.

[But they're Sith. Eventually, as she establishes herself, they will become an impediment in some regard. Strangely enough, much more of an impediment than any Jedi.]

And you're quite wrong on that score, Cipher. Quite wrong indeed. There is much you could do to convince me. I can acknowledge that simply being a former underling of theirs does not mean loyalty - the cult has certain...tendencies that are problematic for those with more far-sighted goals. But in our line of work, actions speak rather loudly, don't you think?

[She leaned forward in her chair, hands folded in front of her.]

I think you also misunderstand my position here. I am not looking for partnership. Oh, I'm in no position to demand obedience, nor would I care to if I were - unthinking subordinates are of no use to me. But I can offer you pay, employment, security - for which I will admit, shall we say, a junior partner in alliance?

[She will accept - has to, really - that her authority has limits here. But the guiding will must be hers, her emerging grand design requires it. He's quite a catch, and she will bend to some degree as a result - even deigning to hear advice and accept some 'Lèse-majesté', as it were. But she can only go so far and still be Isard.]

[Not yet - implying that will change? That's promising to him. Maybe he really can use her.]

I have no loyalty to the Sith. I was never their underling.

[It's partially a lie: Imperial Intelligence once belonged to Darth Jadus, something he's not sure if she knows. He can't fault her if she doesn't, when no one here is likely to have shared that fact. And she can't know that Darth Jadus had taken a personal interest in Edwon, and had given him orders directly.

(She definitely can't know that Darth Jadus has leverage over him here and now.)

There's a lot he's leaving out. She shouldn't trust him, but he wants her to, and he's willing to play the long game to make that happen. But his lack of loyalty to the Sith? That much is the truth.]

Give me a chance to prove myself, then.

[At her offer - he smiles, just a quirk of his lips.]

I'm an agent, Director. A cipher agent, which means I've earned a certain level of trust and independence, but I'm still an agent. I never wanted a different job. A junior partner sounds ideal.

[He can do a lot from that position.]

[She listens to it all, hands steepled in front of her face, planning as more information is revealed to her.]

Very well. There are two Sith here that I am aware of. One, Darth Nox, I have already had the dubious pleasure of encountering and have already begun routine surveillance.

[What she leaves unsaid is that she hopes he does notice. Surveillance that is noticed has...unique uses. And if he doesn't, well, he's a fool and f no importance whatsoever.]

The other is one Darth Jadus, and he seems to have...well, I suppose a cult-like following is an appropriate way to put it. We have not encountered each other yet, but I'd like to know the dimensions of his foothold here. So I shall give you a test. Numbers, locations, properties. Names of his local, non-import supporters, especially. Get them for me, and we'll have a deal.

[Best of all, he can't know what she knows already - so lying to her would be futile. If he's on the level, she gets an asset who can be used to counter the Sith. If he's a double agent, she then knows the Sith's approach vector - and can start feeding in misinformation. Either way, she wins, in the end.]

Spying on a Sith Lord is risky.

[Especially one like Darth Jadus. He's dangerous because he's smart, because he plans for the long term, because he has ways of gathering information and secrets himself. Edwon has no doubt that Darth Jadus already knows Edwon is talking to Isard.

And it's even riskier for Edwon because Darth Jadus is using him, but there's no reason why that would stop him. He already has some of the information she's asking for.]

I can do it. I'll have to be careful, but it's far from impossible. Give me a week, I like to be thorough.

[In fact, the risk just makes it more fun.]

Hardly spying, merely...reporting. Though it would be quite like them not to know the difference.

[If she hasn't made it clear already, her opinion of Sith Lords is abysmal. Palpatine, of course, being the only exception.]

Excellent. Bring it to me and consider, oh, the next months' worth of meals covered, hmm? Then we can get down to, as they say here, 'brass tacks' regarding the future.

Either way, it makes them angry.

[He's not planning to make Darth Jadus angry this time, though. He's pretty sure he can get away with this, even if he is caught.

And he'll make sure that he's not.]

That's generous of you. I'll make sure to impress.

[He'll finish off his drink, then. If he's given a mission, then the mission starts now, no delays.]

[And when they are angry, they tend to make mistakes. Again, Isard never makes moves that can't benefit her in multiple ways.]

It can, yes.

And I await the result. Dazzle me, do.

[She swirls the remains of her own drink, a note of anticipation in her voice.]

I always do.

[He sets the glass down on her desk, and with a small bow, he leaves. He'll be back in a week with the information she asked for.]

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Video - 002 - Announcements

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