012 - Week 3 Day 3: Shadow Games

Week 3, Day 3: Shadow Games

(Collaboration between Andromedai and Fallen.)

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Vane settled on the small couch provided in her quarters. The cushions could've had better materials, but she couldn't complain. At least, not out loud. She curled her legs underneath for additional padding as she skimmed the data pad. The Sith Lord found herself subtly impressed by the report's thoroughness. With a small flick across the screen, she pulled up a video dated just a week ago.

After nearly half an hour, she shut it off. Disapproval curled upon her expression, and she discarded the pad on the table nearby.

She moved her legs over the edge and leaned into her hands. Her thoughts silently debated on the effort being worth it to push the approval through. As expected, Apprentice Deenia's talent for fast and hard hit tactics explained away Vane’s doubts about the rumors. If she aimed for success, the challenge presented itself clearly. Failure, however, had a higher chance if the Apprentice didn’t alter her pace.

The idea of the latter drew a smile to the woman’s lips. Leaning back into the couch, she began to type a message to push through the approval. Failure from others often had its benefits for her. Apprentice Deenia was no exception.

When she finished up the report, she promptly sent for Agent Niskaru and rose upright. Vane selected a few edited manuals from her collection then downloaded them into another pad.

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Within her personal living quarters upon the Hask, Agent Aviza Niskaru could be found attempting to apply a folding forward grip a few inches behind the bipod that was already attached to her heavily modified Valken-38x Sniper Rifle. This seemingly simple task was proving more difficult than originally anticipated due to the other modifications she had already implemented into the weapon. Steady hands and a patient mind would see this through, as far as she was concerned. Suddenly, a soft snap would sound through the room as the piece attached itself to the lower part of the weapon, resulting with a sigh of relief from the Imperial Agent.

Now pushing the chair she was sitting in back from the weapons modification station, Agent Niskaru gently grabbed onto her Valken-x38 Sniper Rifle and moved to her feet. The weapon would be safely secured inside the weapons locker she had asked be installed within her personal quarters. She had done this so that if they were attacked upon the Hask, she could be fully geared with her armor and weapons in mere seconds, ready to fight any unwanted intruders.

Climbing on top of her bed, Agent Niskaru laid down and positioned herself to be more comfortable before reaching for a data pad upon the small desk that was built into the wall next to her. This data-pad contained a few hundred novels that she had been reading, though before she could get involved in a story, she had fallen asleep, apparently needing the rest and relaxation.

A few hours would pass before Agent Niskaru would be abruptly awoken by her com informing her that Sith Lord Vane had summoned her. Swiftly and to the letter, Agent Niskaru slid off of her bed and grabbed all of her equipment and gear before heading to speak with her superior. Once she had arrived at Sith Lord Vanes personal quarters, she would step inside and let the door shut behind her before speaking. “Lord Vane, you sent for me?” asked the Imperial Agent in a calm, collected tone of voice.

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At the sound of the Agent's voice, Vane twisted about to face her. The datapad still in her hand. Her red lips curled into a smile at seeing the redundant professionalism, but she didn't see it fit to point it out. Clearing her throat, she moved on from her thoughts.

"Yes, I have two tasks for you. First off, I need you to push this through a secure channel to the Watchers of Program 28. Then I need you to board the Aruk and deliver these to Specialist Officer Javik."

As she offered the datapad, her eyes studied the agent. "Also, when you interact with Javik... I want you to learn about her. In a subtle way of course. She's sparked my interest, but as you know showing obvious interest will draw unwanted attention."

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Imperial Agent Aviza Niskaru nodded her head once in acknowledgement to Sith Lord Vanes orders, she did have some important questions though. “Lord Vane, I have a few questions before moving out.” said Agent Niskaru, while reaching out and grabbing onto the offered datapad. It would be powered on and readied for the data transfer before she continued speaking.

“Where is the Aruk currently located? I do not have any information on its location. Also, is there any specific information you would like me to gather on Javik? Or is it merely general?” Retrieving her own datapad, she plugged it into the datapad that Vane had given her, and started the transfer of the sensitive information to the requested recipients via a secure channel. That, at least, was a simple task that she could complete within a few short seconds.

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“Aruk is Apprentice Deenia’s ship. According to my last source, it is still docked to the Hâsk. I’ll send a message ahead for her to meet you there. You’ll also be picking up data for me whenever I need you to.” Vane stated as she walked back to her couch.

She pulled her robes aside and took a seat. Her right leg crossed over her left as she settled into a comfortable position. Vane’s head leaned into her hand, still watching her agent.

“From our first interaction, the woman is a fan of mine. I can use this to my advantage, but I don’t want it to be obvious. Both her and her master are intelligent enough to be mindful of me. You could earn some trust then we can dig deeper.” She paused for a breath before she continued.

“I’m mainly interested in learning about Apprentice Deenia, her crew, and their current prisoner. A young padawan who has connections to a past project of mine. However, allow the conversation to be natural.”  

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Imperial Agent Aviza Niskaru took mental notes as Sith Lord Vane answered her questions, and gave her additional information about the subjects she would be encountering. Crossing her arms over her chest, she listened intently until Lord Vane was finished speaking. “Understood Lord Vane, if there is nothing else I shall head out now.” said Aviza, waiting for confirmation to depart.

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“Yes, of course. I think that’s all for now. I want no recorded records of your findings. It’s easier not to get caught if you don’t leave a trail for others to follow, don’t you agree?” Vane stated as she dismissed the Agent.

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“As you command Lord Vane, I completely understand what you mean. Thankfully, and I am sure you know of this, I do not leave any loose ends.”  said Aviza before she turned to leave Lord Vanes personal quarters.

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“If you weren’t good at your job then you wouldn’t have made it this far. So I have full confidence in your abilities. I look forward to your findings.”

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With nothing else to say, Aviza left Sith Lord Vanes Quarters, now silently heading for her objective.

When not in her master's service or taking care of something that required interacting with others, Helia spent most of her time on her master's ship. She preferred it that way. Fewer imbeciles to deal with. Experience had taught her how underappreciated it was for her to remove such from their masters' service. Apparently some thought they had their uses beyond serving as test subjects. Still, even so-called 'regular people'—who were barely smarter than nerfs—could be used, even if they could not be relied upon for anything resembling intelligent conversation. So long as they knew their place, she could largely ignore them.

Thus she found herself in the crew quarters, before the terminal she had gotten the master to install. She studied the few files she had available, as well as the data readouts from her master's pet, who was currently unconscious. It was, she could not deny, fortunate that her master had the Aruk connected up with the Hâsk. However convenient the Fury-class Interceptor was, it did not possess a good connection to all of the networks of Imperial Intelligence. She had been forced to rely on downloaded reports from various experiments and had been close to running out of new reports to read for her entertainment and furthering her knowledge.

The Hâsk on the other hand possessed a direct connection to databases where she could acquire suitable reading material as well as holorecordings, some of them mere weeks old. Life, she decided, was good.

The task that had been presented to Imperial Agent Aviza Niskaru by Sith Lord Vane was one that she personally considered rather unorthodox. This Helia Javik was a Specialist, and apparently belonged to the Sphere of Imperial Intelligence that Aviza was also part of. The thought of her actions causing trouble somewhere down the line in her future crossed her mind but was quickly dismissed, she had gotten herself out of many much worse situations, and she doubted anything poor would come from merely interacting with said woman. Of course, she would not let her guard down for anyone, even friendly forces. This was something that Aviza had done countless times before, go observe someone and remain discreet, a simple enough task that she was quite talented at, one of the reasons she had been recognized so quickly, among many other factors. Though, doing so while onboard a Sith Apprentice's ship was something that she was less familiar with.

From personal experience, she knew that these Apprentice's were violently power hungry and would do anything to rise through the ranks and to impress their master or any other Sith above their rank. This made them dangerous and unpredictable, in a way more so than Sith Lords, at least the Sith Lords had understanding of how everything was structured around them and how certain actions caused unfavorable consequences. Aviza knew how the Sith worked and that she would have to tread very carefully, trust no one, and always watch her back. If something unfortunate did happen, Imperial Agent Niskaru would defend herself, even if that meant having to kill or severely injure another who had momentarily been friendly. Unannounced to most, she had fought force users before, and had either killed said target or injured them to the point of where they could not fight back.

These thoughts ran through Imperial Agent Aviza Niskaru's mind as she swiftly made her way through the Hasks interior, heading directly towards the docking bay where Apprentice Deenia's ship, the Aruk, was currently waiting for her to board. It would only take a few short moments, and once she had arrived, Aviza stepped inside, unannounced and moving like a wraith through its interior. She knew her stealthy entrance would not last long, and would rather not have any complications. So, she reached out to the owner of the ship via her coms, trying to make contact with the Sith Apprentice known as Deenia. "Apprentice Deenia, this is Imperial Agent Aviza Niskaru, I apologize if I am intruding upon anything. I am unsure if you are currently onboard the Aruk at the moment but am here on orders of Sith Lord Vane to deliver data-files in person to Specialist Officer Javik. I usually do not board another persons ship without consent but the current circumstances call for such an action. When you have the time, I would like to meet you in person, to properly introduce myself, of course. I am currently in the main hold awaiting your arrival."

Aviza observed the approaching woman that had swiftly appeared from the Aruks Bridge with curiosity. She studied the woman from behind her helmet and took detailed mental notes, down to the way she walked. The question posed was answered swiftly, "You must be Helia, I do indeed have data files for you." said Aviza in a neutral sounding voice, "It is worth mentioning, how rare it is for Lord Vane to offer data-files of any importance over so freely. Clearly, she must think highly of you to allow such." The Imperial Agent remembered hearing about how this woman was an apparent fan of her current master, and was planning to play upon this as much as she could without drawing unwanted attention. Reaching out with her left arm, she would offer the data-pad to her fellow Imperial Agent, waiting patiently for the woman to accept it."I will admit though, I am glad to see another member from Imperial Intelligence here, was unsure if I was the only one onboard the Hask." said Aviza as a side note. A little flattery never hurt, and there was truth behind it.

"We have a professional understanding." Helia answered, accepting the datapad. "Hmm? Oh. that. You haven't noticed the other five yet? They are quite obvious if you look." Helia stated offhandedly, considering the presence of other members of Imperial Intelligence rather irrelevant. None of them were here for nefarious reasons so far as she knew. They probably served her mistress' mistress, or possibly the admiral, who served the darth too. She wouldn't have been surprised if there were two-three others as well, but she hadn't actually looked, and some operatives were rather skilled at hiding if they tried.

Clearly this woman thought highly of herself, to the point of where she thought that she shared the same knowledge and understanding that a Lord of the Sith had. "What foetid corner of the galaxy breeds these fawning idiots?" thought Agent Aviza, before forming a reply. "A professional understanding? Are you entirely sure that is how you actually feel? As for our fellow Imperial Agents on board the Hask, it is important to realize that if one looks to closely, they will start to see things that are not there, wouldn't you agree?" Inquired the Imperial agent with a slight tilt of her head to the left.

"This is indeed true, and you bring up a good point, but knowing where to look and what to look for is the important part. Our training taught us to look for signs, subtle hints, and the less obvious. Any Imperial Agent who is worth their weight within the Empire knows how to use what they have been taught to blend in with their surroundings and virtually disappear. Deception, manipulation, and the such are our specialty, among many others, as I would assume you know. said Imperial Agent Aviza as she crossed her arms over her chest but still retained her professional appearance. For a moment, Aviza slowly walked around the main hold of the ship, merely looking at everything around her with either real or fake interest, it would be very hard to tell. "If I may inquire ..." started Aviza, "What is it like working under Apprentice Deenia?" The Imperial Agent continued to pace through the room they were both inside of.

"Disappear, virtually disappear, as long as you understand what I meant, that is all that matters, interpret it as you will. replied Aviza as she now stopped pacing around the room and turned to face Helia once more. She allowed her arms to return to their position along side her body before taking a few steps towards the shorter woman, then replied to her inquiry. "I feel the same about Lord Vane, though delivering data-files is far less exciting than the other assignments we are both use to." A short, simple, and straight to the point answer that did not give anything away.