Private A gracious victor

[Jenn Kryze]

The package was, evidently, well thought-out.

A small case, reinforced to withstand the blast of an explosion if need be- and thus heavier than it needed to be. There was no return address, and the courier that brought it merely mentioned being very generously tipped when contracted to make the delivery. No sign of explosives nearby, or poison, or anything one might regard as a trap meant to kill the recipient. No, what lay inside was... not quite what one might expect to receive from a mysterious benefactor. Deducing the identity of the sender would be made rather easy for Raphael, of course, as soon as the three items came into view.

First was a familiar vibroblade - his vibroblade, left embedded inside of the assailant during the boarding of the Ans Corvo. Not quite a sword, really - a desperate backup weapon he had pulled out to face the armored menace. Rather than stunning him with her blaster, the figure had chosen to engage him blade to blade, her own blade drawn as it slid on right out of her beskar bracer. But the vibroblade was not the only item within. Next to it, and protected inside of a transparent box... was a cybernetic eye. Evidently, whoever had made it knew of their craft: one might regard it as a thing of absolute beauty, if a little... unnatural. No, there was no attempt to emulate a human eye here, with a believable sclera and iris: onyx for the former, and brilliant gold for the latter. A sumptuous gift, to be sure.

And the last of the case's items proved to be nothing more than a holodisk. Waiting to be activated and relay its message.

​

Raphael Calgar ​

 

[Raphael Calgar]

TAGS: Jenn Kryze

A weary sigh escaped Raphael's lips as thumb and forefinger massaged his temples. The roughspun fabric of his shirt felt raw against his shoulders. Perhaps more irritating was the headache drilling at the back of his skull. The recovery had been going well for the most part, but these wounds were taking far longer to heal than he'd anticipated. A benefit of aging, no doubt. Reaching out, the Senator retrieved a bottle on his desk, rattling the pills and pouring out two, then three into the palm of his hand before screwing the lid back on. Throwing back the pills, a short round glass with a generous pour of amber liquid followed with a swallow and a grimace. "That'll take the edge off," he said to no one.

Raphael ran his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath before standing up and walking across his office. On his way to the door he passed the small seating area where he had first met with Natasi Fortan . Unconciously his jaw clenched, hand activating the control panel at the door. A quiet hiss emanated from the doors as they slid open to reveal the lobby area, where his assistant looked up from her work. "Sir?" she questioned.

"Yes, Xaya, can you cancel the rest of today's meetings? I've got a killer headache and I think I really just need to rest." The Zeltron woman returned a curt nod. "Absolutely, oh, and I should mention - a package arrived for you. It's just over there, there's a holodisk attached." She pointed towards the opposite side of the room where a small table sat, package atop it. "Thank you," Raphael returned the nod. Stepping purposefully, Raphael gathered the package and retreated back to his office. Maybe I'll just take a short reprieve, resume my appointments in a few hours?

His curiosity was piqued, it wasn't the seed cache, no that was much larger so Raphael knew it wasn't from Nikolai Messervy. Poking his head back out from the doorway to his office, he inquired. "You don't uh, happen to know where this is from?" A shrug returned from Xaya provided no clarity. Interesting. It had to have been scanned, coming into the office, so he knew it wasn't some explosive device or anything threatening but... what could it be? Returning to his chair, Raphael placed the package on his desk, taking the small data disk and plugging it into a scanner. With a chirp, the data was scanned with an anti-virus software and threat assessment tool - another thing he'd learned by watching the SIA man, Messervy. Though the two were far from similar, Raphael knew wisdom when he saw it.

Once the scan was completed, Raphael inserted the device into his console and activated it. A message? From whom?. . .

 

[Jenn Kryze]

There was nothing conspicuous about the holodisk - its contents hid nothing beyond the message within, as the scan would soon attest. And, as soon as the holodisk was inserted and played, the hologram of a damnably familiar figure would come to life, projected into life by the console. Still clad from head to toe in that blue armor of hers, staring right in front of her - her gaze still just as piercing, in spite (or perhaps because) of the Y visor. "Hail, Senator Calgar of the Galactic Alliance", game her pre-recorded greeting, her voice calm and controlled... and her tone polite to a fault. "I am Jenn, of Clan Kryze. We fought aboard the Ans Corvo. You acquitted yourself well, in spite of the odds - and unlike Senator Fortan, now a guest of ours, you refrained from insulting my people, nor myself. I feel no shame for the wound I inflicted upon you, but your valor merits recompense. Within the container this holodisk was stored into, you will find your vibroblade as well as a cybernetic eye of my own making. Calibrations may be necessary in order to properly interface with your optic nerve."

A pause followed her words, as if allowing him to digest the information given to him. It was certainly odd, for a foe to extend such a thoughtful gift... doubly so when that foe was the reason of his current predicament, headache and all. "I hope the loss of your eye will serve as a lesson for you, just as our strike was meant to serve as a lesson to the Galactic Alliance. Stay out of our way. The ball is in your court, Senator - and there is still time to stop the key from turning. I wish you good fortune in the battles yet to come."

​

Raphael Calgar ​

 

[Raphael Calgar]

TAGS: Jenn Kryze

Interesting. Raphael's eyes narrowed as he fought back a scowl, the figure coming into view triggering a deluge of emotions. Biting the inside of his cheek, the Senator glowered as the message played out, his eyes never leaving the screen despite the described items. Jenn. Clan Kryze. Makes it easier to find you. Insult was the least of his concerns during their confrontation, survival ever the effort, but Raphael had some choice words for the Mandalorian - but he would have to find contentment with uttering them under his breath. Though his words were no less vehement, they bore an edge that Senator Fortan wouldn't have abided. The words of a former soldier, unburdened by correctness or self filter. Still the message played onward.

Many things had Senator Calgar been taught by direction, instruction, or, sometimes omission. This message would serve also, though perhaps the lesson learned was not the one intended by the Beskar clad warrior. Raphael, given the chance, also had a lesson to impart. There would come a moment when that lesson was ready to be taught but for now all that could be done was to tighten his belt and move along. There were plays to be made, efforts to be advanced, and intelligence to be gathered. His scowl stretched into a smirk at the thought. Here he was, a man so different from his father that sometimes he pondered his heritage and yet Raphael found himself delving into the very same designs. Intelligence gathering. Politics. The setting had changed, the circumstances were different, but the indomitable will of the Calgar line shone through the muddle.

"There is one thing you've forgotten," he muttered in response to the message's final lines. "A lock is only meant to keep out the honest." A vehement sneer stretched across his features. Personal injury, loss of a colleague, failure to succeed, all things which stoked the ember within the man's chest. There would be a time for reckoning but right now? Right now was a time for cold, calculated response. Let the masses swell with public spirit, let the talking heads do what they did best. As for Raphael, he had other plans.

"Xaya, get Director Messervy on the comm," he said into his desk comm. "If they give you the runaround, give them the codeword Mynock." Raphael peered warily into the container. He hardly knew this Mandalorian but she didn't seem the type to be particularly underhanded. Even so, he played to his own benefit, careful not to touch the items. "Get me a security team as well, I have some objects I need analyzed." Raph received a soft affirmative in response. It was a strange gift, if one could call it that. At the small cost of an eye. A bargain. Raphael rolled his one good eye. A painful bargain that had ended up in failure. If fate so deigned, perhaps he could yet make that right. By his fellow senator, and by himself.