Downfall | First Order

[Natasi Fortan]

​

"F-I-N-N-hyphen-C-A-M-D-E-N," said Lydia, half-leaning forward to address the aide behind the large, circular desk in the lobby of the Ministry of Security. "He's expecting me. At least I think he is. Mr. Glass in the Grand Moff's office said he confirmed the appointment." The young reporter had had a long-standing appointment with [member="Natasi Fortan Vitalis"] to discuss the war effort, but following the death of Talbot Vitalis, the Grand Moff's media calendar had been cleared, and her appointments farmed out to the other senior cabinet ministers. Lydia had the fortune -- or misfortune, depending on how one looked at it -- to be meeting with the man those in the know described as the Supreme Leader's favored minister.

"Ah - yes. I'm afraid the Minister's meeting is running over, but your clearance checks out," said the aide. "One moment, I'll print your pass."

A minute later, Lydia was pulling a lanyard with her temporary pass over her head. She fluffed her dark brown hair over her collar again and made her way towards the elevator, pressing the appropriate key. She hadn't been in the Ministry of Security before, and she was sure that if Natasi were up to receiving media inquiries, she wouldn't be there now. It was quiet, although she supposed that was natural for a building that was supposed to be full of other people's secrets.

The elevator doors opened and the reporter stepped out. A uniformed guard examined her, then directed her down a hallway. Her badge gave her access to the outer office of the Minister of Security, and an aide showed her into the office. "The Minister will be with you shortly. Can I offer you any refreshment? Coffee, perhaps?"

Lydia, who was jittery and awkward at the best of times without the added benefit of caffeine, politely declined. The aide left the door ajar and she perched on the armrest of a guest chair, setting her datapad down on the corner of the desk. A few moments of sitting and Lydia was fidgeting; she pushed away from the chair and went behind the desk to look out the window. The view of Avalonia was not as commanding as those from the Imperial Palace, but it was nothing to sneeze at. If she craned her neck just so she could see between a pair of buildings and almost see the park.

She turned, her eyes alighting on a dimly-lit datapad on the desk. She hadn't meant to peek, but it was right there. She glanced up at the door before looking down at the datapad. She couldn't make a lot of sense of what she saw, but what she could decipher made her feel a little uneasy, and a little anxious. Ketal experiment success. Recommend additional usage in future operations. Prepare additional doses of vaccine for key First Order personnel. Ketal had recently come under the sway of the First Order following an outbreak of a deadly disease there. "What in the world?" she muttered, looking back down at the datapad. The rest was just figures and charts that she couldn't quite make sense of, but --

Was that a creak? She jerked instinctively, looking at a picture frame on the desk instead of the datapad, in case the Minister or one of his aides had stepped in. After a moment, she looked up, trying to appear as casual as she could.

[member="Dante Calgar"] | [member="Rolf Amsel"] | [member="Natasi Fortan Vitalis"]​

 

[Progflaw99]

As the door to his office opened, the subtle creak and groan of the hinges grated like nails on a chalkboard. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. He'd always been fond of the older phrases, though they commonly failed to apply given the level of technology which was, for the most part, universal. The idiosyncrasy slipped from his mind as eyes laid on the occupant of his office, partially bent form eyeing a solitary picture frame on his desk. *Interesting.* "Miss Finn-Camden." Dante said, closing the door gently behind himself as he stepped forward. The large binder switched hands before he offered his own in greeting to the woman. "Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything? A water?" Moving and speaking, Dante slid the datapad on his desk aside, placing the binder atop it, quickly obscuring any view the woman might have had. Settling down in his own chair behind the desk, he reached for a drawer, pausing for a moment. "Something stronger?" His hand knocked against a lower drawer of the desk, a raised eyebrow signaling his inquiry.

On the surface, Moff Calgar seemed almost normal, but no one could forget the cold and calm demeanor he'd held on the parade deck those many months ago. Dispensing the Supreme Leader's Justice. Or so it had been touted. There were those who'd disagreed with their methods, even the Grand Moff had seemed shaken by the display - but Order wasn't maintained by benevolence alone. There needed to be a strong fist to wield the hammer. Taking a relaxed posture in the leather chair, Dante rolled up squarely behind his desk, resting his elbows on its surface and steepling his fingers. "So, what can I do for you?" He leaned in, eyes meeting those of the woman across the desk.

[member="Lydia Finn-Camden"]​

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Lydia smiled politely but demurred from accepting any refreshment. She wanted to keep her wits about her. "I'm fine, thank you. Sorry - I hope you don't mind. I came for a peek out the window and noticed the picture frame. It's beautiful." She raised her eyebrows, hoping against hope that he would buy her story. It would be embarrassing if he thought she was snooping. To cover, she did what she did best: yammer endlessly in her usual nervous but melodious voice. "I have a theory, you know," she said with a smile as she moved to take the proffered seat. She tugged her skirt down as a matter of habit and crossed her legs primly. "I've interviewed almost all the Ministers at one point or another -- except you and the Supreme Commander. I never thought I'd check either one of you off the list, but -- that's another story," she said, chuckling nervously as she fumbled in her purse for her datapad and stylus.

"Anyway -- I feel like there's some connection between the view from the Minister's office and how close they are to power. I can only surmise about Graush's office, but since the Ministry of Defense's building looks out over the cliffs it must be pretty stunning. Meanwhile, Calinda's office looks directly into the office across the alleyway, poor man." She raised her eyebrows then gestured to the windows. "You, on the other hand, have a beautiful view of the Palace District. So that could be something, depending on my theory."

She shrugged and clicked her stylus. "I won't waste any more of your time beating around the bush. I had a standing meeting with the Grand Moff to give me a debrief on the war effort -- recruitment numbers, declassified victory reports, and the kind of ra-ra, go-fight-win stuff she was known for -- but for obvious reasons she's... indisposed. Is there anything you can tell me? Inquiring minds want to know."

[member="Dante Calgar"]​

 

[Progflaw99]

As the woman's voice continued onward, Dante's eyes maintained their deceptively calm gaze - boring into the woman. As he did so, her words seemed to speed up, her heart rate spiked - all things easily identified by the Security Minister. Noticing small behavioral tics was one of the skills which made him particularly dangerous. That, and his uncanny ability to control his own responses. It wasn't so much that he found the woman's words particularly irritating, but the way she droned on grated against his sense of efficiency. To date, Dante hadn't been one easily swayed by charismatic speeches or dogmatic platitudes. No, Dante was very much about being concise - something the woman across the desk seemed to be unfamiliar with. At least initially. As her dialogue began to wind down, he nodded, the final sentence outlining the reason for her appointment.

"I won't waste any more of your time beating around the bush.."​

​

*Good.* thought Dante silently.​

​

".. I had a standing meeting with the Grand Moff to give me a debrief on the war effort -- recruitment numbers, declassified victory reports, and the kind of ra-ra, go-fight-win stuff she was known for -- but for obvious reasons she's... indisposed. Is there anything you can tell me? Inquiring minds want to know."​

​

Dante sat there for a moment, fingers crossed as his elbows reset upon the surface of his desk, eyes still aimed pointedly at the reporter. With a deep intake of breath, he pushed himself back from the desk and leaned back in his chair. Silence permeated the room, an almost awkward pause before the Minister responded. "The Grand Moff, yes, she has been busy lately. Interesting that you chose to speak to me." He narrowed his eyes and smiled. "I take it Supreme Commander Graush was indisposed?" a quiet chuckle filled the space as he continued. "The war effort, as it were, has largely been a success, I'm sure you know that. Victories have been anything but in short supply, though the Alliance continues to supply their Galactic Southern Worlds - I'd wager you don't need an explanation on how that is happening given the political geography surrounding the most recent victory claimed by the Order."

"As to the view.." Dante rose from his chair, a quiet sqeak as his footsteps carried him towards the transparisteel viewscreen. "..It reminds me of why we do what we do. Tell me Ms. Finn-Camden, why do you choose to live here? I hear you're from Galidraan? You know the Grand Moff is from there. What ties you to the Order?" A tangent perhaps, but one he'd carefully calculated. It had struck him odd, the woman leaning over his desk as he'd walked in - then again given her behavioral cues it might not be that strange, she was the inquisitive type. When had might ever served Dante though? No, he would need to be sure. Rather than continue on, his gaze fell upon the world below, letting his question hang in the air.

[member="Lydia Finn-Camden"]​

 

[Natasi Fortan]

"Not as interesting as you might think," Lydia countered with a pleasant smile. "It wasn't my choice, after all, though if I'd known you'd entertain the idea I certainly would have chosen you. I think the Grand Moff's office thought you would be more willing to speak to the press than the Supreme Commander." She jotted a few notes on her datapad in her own shorthand, and despite this clandestine measure she couldn't help but feel that the spymaster of the First Order could read every word, not just on the screen but in her head. She forced herself not to think about the datapad on Calgar's desk.

His question put her off guard, and Lydia frowned thoughtfully as she considered her answer.

"Natasi brought me here. Our families go back, and when she came here it seemed like a safe place to grow -- outside of the influence of my parents, but not far from home and not totally alone. That and my brother's media venture. There was a rich, untapped vein of consumers here in the Empire you've been carving out of the Unknown Regions. Like anyone else they need information and entertainment and news." She paused and swallowed, wishing she had accepted his offer of water now.

"May I ask you the same question?" She raised her stylus, poised to jot, jot, jot.

[member="Dante Calgar"]​