Private Spy Games

[Corala Gethsverg]

Location: Ichtor 8, Mount Quavaar Private Resort

Corala never cared much for the cold. In fact she was rather unfavorable towards it. But she had reasons for coming her, several in fact. Why would the Director of SIA hurtled herself across the unknown regions to reside at an isolated resort? Simple, it was a recruitment drive. The Eternal Empire was a minor concern on the galactic threat chart, but with recent developments, Corala was less then pleased by what SIA's current intelligence was able to drudge up; especially within local factions such as the Eternal Empire. The Sith were well in hand at current, and in the NIO,
there were seeds that had been planted that would soon take root. Needless to say, she felt exhausted, but that's what stimulants and coffee were for. She had arranged a meeting with a representative of the upstarts within the Empire, a group of rebellious subjects whose assistance would be to the benefit of both themselves and the Alliance. An invitation was given out via informants, suggesting that another party was interested in working with this 'Eclipse Rebellion' as it were called.

The request was simple, come with an open mind, and be treated as a guest at a rather lavish resort on Ichtor 8; security being included. It was for this reason she sat at the observation room, looking down at the snowy landscape below, as the white flurries swarmed across the field, blanketing anything that wasn't already shrouded in snow. A cup of hot chocolate sat close at hand, as well as her datapad. Several armed security would provide protection for their honored guest, as well as the director herself, though this whole affair was better left as an ambiguous meeting among high value individuals. She had taken the precautions to ensure this wouldn't be linked back to the GA by prying eyes, but there was a limit in how secretive one could be. Reaching into her coat pocket, she retrieved a hand mirror, wanting to look at her new appearance, and scowled at what looked back at her.

The red hair look never sat right with her, but the creases around the synthetic flesh had come out nicely. She hadn't seen her actual face in many years now, and frankly at times she forgot what it looked like. Those thoughts didn't matter though, Marcus had killed the woman she was back then, her newer self....well, it was superior to her old self in every way. She banished that path of thinking, instead taking a sip from her mug, and enjoying the rich taste that came with it. She glanced to the small clock in the corner of her eye and felt it was time for another status update. Using her internal comlink, she reached out to the welcoming party. "Status update, has our guest arrived yet?" She asked, before going back to enjoying her drink. Truth be told this was a mini vacation for her; the last one she would take for a very long time.

Vidalu Na'an

 

[LE-03 (Leigh)]

"Your contact has indeed arrived."

The droid that approached Lady Gethsverg's table had done so surprisingly quietly for a model of its size, and now stood impassively in front of the opposite chair. The massive chassis rested its free hand on the back of the chair, making no attempt to hide the cannon that dominated the other arm.

When pings from the Galactic Alliance's SIA first made their way across the Eclipse network, LE-03 had immediately filtered the prospect of potential allies through her newest risk filter. Her information regarding the last observation post, after all, had opened up several disquieting insecurities in the network's ability to identify false information (which itself suggested more disturbing implications of being fed false information in the first place, but the new algorithm needed to handle one thing at a time for optimal efficiency.) If the invitation for a meeting were true, access to the Alliance's own spy network could help identify and close those gaps. Knowing that she would not send any more good men to death or disgrace at the hands of the Empire and its Blackwatch was...enticing.

But the prospect of this being another trap still loomed large. After several hours of risk assessment simulations (many of which were redundant), examining every possible outcome of a false flag and weighing it against the potential benefits, she had made a decision.

This could be done quietly, with minimal risk of assets. And while more and more cells of the Eclipse were becoming capable of using the network for self-directed operations, it was the responsibility of their leader to protect them all. If any single being could accept this level of risk upon themselves, it would be the Voice of Abbaji herself.

Not to say that the contact would know that would be who they were meeting.

Leigh adjusted her vocal circuits, allowing herself to adopt a feminine tone more closely aligned than usual to her default voice. When her dome's hologram flickered to life, it was the face of a pretty, silver-haired Miralukan that smiled down at Lady Gethsverg. "The Voice of Abbaji apologizes for keeping you waiting," she said smoothly, "and provides further apologies he could not attend this meeting himself. He hopes you understand the circumstances."

The droid rose her hand to her chest, bowing in a casually apologetic gesture. The Miralukan face had been a good choice, she had to admit; the species eyelessness was subtly offputting to most beings, and would further add to the strangeness of making a business deal with a droid. Simultaneously, the look freed her optical sensors to look elsewhere. As she rose from the bow, Leigh caught the telltale glimpse of a small white light blinking from one of the upper levels of the cafe behind them.

The contact had no need to know the Voice was Abbaji was a droid. The contact also had no need to know that the droid had not come alone.

Corala Gethsverg | Vidalu Na'an​

 

[Corala Gethsverg]

The voice behind her caused Corala a degree of alarm, as she turned her head to find what had spoken, her left arm in the process of warping into her SR-17. Seeing it was no threat, she relaxed, the form of the weapon vanished as quickly as it had appeared, her posture and form relaxed. If this entity wished her harm, it would have done so already. She could hear a voice chatting at her from the comm, her sentries were going to be in a hell of alot of trouble for this breach. "Ma'am, we still have no confirmation of their arrival." Oh was that so? "Acknowledged. Continue your sweep." She smiled, taking up the mug and drinking from it, as she listened to the droid speak. She was rather curious to see the transformation take place, her eyes not leaving the form of the machine as she continued to sip at her hot chocolate; she had seen far stranger things after all.

Corala liked droids, they were effective, intelligent, and above all unassuming. They made for excellent field operatives.

Did she feel slighted that the leader of the Eclipse hadn't shown? Well, not entirely. They would take a big risk coming out here all on their own. Easier to send a droid. Corala repeated the gesture offered to her by the droid, a smile stretching across her face as she did so. "I was about to ask how you slipped past the perimeter, but with that amount of software, I can't say I'm surprised. Please, make yourself comfortable. I'm sure the travel was rough on your circuits." Probably not, but how exactly did one offer hospitalities to a droid? "It's quite alright. I suspected that 'he' wouldn't be able to meet personally. So long as the message gets back to 'him' however, that's all that matters." There were still a few holes in the dossier for the Eclipse Rebels, something Corala's predecessor failed to look into, but she personally amending that mistake; it would be sorted out soon enough.

"You can call me 'Aerith', when we get better acquainted perhaps you can speak with my superior. What would you prefer I refer to you as?" This droid didn't need to know she was speaking with the Director; after all, Director Gethsverg was 'stuck in the office' at the moment. She wished to get the introductions done and over with, then they could get down to business. She had a great deal of work to get back to after all. "You might be interested to know that the Galactic Alliance has noticed your plight, and desires to offer assistance going forward." Her voice was calm, as she set her mug on the small table before her.

LE-03 (Leigh)

 

[LE-03 (Leigh)]

"You may refer to me as 03," came the smooth reply. "And while we are grateful for such sympathies..."

Leigh pulled the chair out smoothly, maneuvering herself into it to sit across from Lady Gethsverg. The material of the seat, sturdy as it was, creaked slightly under the sudden weight of her chassis. She placed both her humanoid hand and her cannon on the table in front of her, fully in view of this contact of the Galactice Alliance. A minor adjustment of her hologram gave her Miralukan face a grave expression. "As a fledgling rebellion, The Eclipse have already suffered the occasional compromise that has needed...handling. Trusting this offer as being in good faith would require more evidence than a simple message and a smiling emissary can provide.

She quirked the holographic mouth in a wry smile. "The Voice does not like risking lives unnecessarily. But he is interested in seeing what kind of assistance you offer, examining what evidence you can provide--and hearing what benefit the Galactic Alliance has in a small band of rebels out here in the Unknown Regions."

Corala Gethsverg | Vidalu Na'an ​

 

[Corala Gethsverg]

03? If that was what the droid wished to be called, then she would make it so.

The droid moved with fluidity, showing it was perhaps a work of art, maybe even an experimental model; or someone's passion project, who could say for sure. Corala's eyes glanced down to the cannon being put on the table, but quickly looked back to the grave expression that her droid counterpart gave. The words that it produced would have made Corala laugh, if it wasn't sure a wrench to toss into the works. How funny, that her unwillingness to trust others would backfire so swiftly; though given this was a rebellion, she suspected even if the director knowing sat before them the reception would hardly be different. This was a delicate game they were playing, one had to be careful. "Well, 03, I completely understand your concerns, and my Director was prepared for such an outcome. Allow me to relieve you of your troubles."

A datapad would be produced, and slide towards the droid, allowing it full access to it's contents. It was a rough agreement draft. Asking for the sharing of information, limited supplying of equipment, and coordination of intelligence operatives in counter Empire operations.

"Director Gethsverg believes that the Galactic Alliance needs to be more flexible in how we approach others. We are hoping to start the path towards a partnership with the Rebellion. You share information with us, we share it with you, and potentially allow our operatives to work hand in hand to...make the Eternal Empire have complications in it's day to day operations. While we understand the problems that might face your operations, we could also contribute resources to your cause as well. Of course, this is a mere offer, I'm certain you will need time to discuss it, before accepting it." With that being said, Corala reclined back, taking her hot chocolate and sipping it. Maybe that would be enough. Maybe not. These types of meetings were complicated.

Vidalu Na'an LE-03 (Leigh)

 

[LE-03 (Leigh)]

The projected expression the droid gave the datapad could only be described as impassive. She reached for it with her good hand, withdrawing a small cable from a panel on her cannon arm. In seconds, the datapad was plugged in, the details of the contract scrolling across her dome in rapid time. "This contract is...quite comprehensive," she said after several seconds. "Very professional. However, I am afraid that simply presenting such a document only answers one of our questions."

The cable snaked back into the panel, which slid shut as Leigh slid the datapad back towards Lady Gethsverg. "Unfortunately," she continued, "beings in our position require something more concrete before dedicating resources into such an alliance. I believe organics would call it 'collateral', or perhaps 'incentive', depending on how risky you believe this agreement to be for both sides."

The Miralukan face grinned uncannily wide; from the back of the dome, however, Leigh was focusing on once again searching for her own contact. Her backup was in an easy-to-mask position, but one that would not prevent recording live footage if it would be necessary. "But I assume that someone such as the Director would understand the need to convince a wary soul of their sincerity," she said easily. One of the many benefits of being a synthetic being was the ability to multitask without anyone outside their programming knowing; in some circles, she would be willing to say that her poker face was better than most Jedi.

But only in some circles.

"Is this assumption correct?"

Corala Gethsverg | Vidalu Na'an ​

 

[Corala Gethsverg]

Well, this certainly got more interesting. Something more concrete? Collateral? What, did they want a hostage to hold? A missile to aim at Coruscant? What exactly where they asking for being vague here? A less experienced agent might have panicked, but Corala knew how to mind herself. She took in a breath, her eye looking about the lobby as she mused on the words of the droid. The agreement was supposed to sate their appetite, but clearly that wasn't going to be enough. There was a term in Pazak for going all in, they called it 'Betting the Senate'. It never quite made sense to the Director, but there were times when you needed to go all in. Was this now? Well, in Corala's mind no, not yet.

There was just...something off about this encounter, she just couldn't place it though. "The Director and myself understand, however, I must ask what that collateral might be. Could I perhaps have some classification to assess what needs need to be met?" She took her drink, sipping it a bit more greedily this time, only to find her cup was now empty. How unfortunate. The collateral comment was bothering her more than she cared to admit though, She swore to whatever side of the force that if these people tried to kidnap her there was going to be hell to pay. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Hopefully.

LE-03 (Leigh) Vidalu Na'an

 

[LE-03 (Leigh)]

"Our request would not be complicated," came the immediate reply. The droid rested the edge of her dome against her hand, her elbow on the table, much as an amused human would rest their hand on their cheek. This human was savvy enough to not agree to anything immediately, yes, but it was clear Leigh's request had put her on her back foot. It was a common enough response for organics who met with her expecting a simple droid--an intimidating one, to be sure, but still merely a droid--and found themselves confronted with unexpected subtlety.
If her partner from the upper decks could see this reaction, she would no doubt find it even funnier than Leigh herself did. Although it was funny.

"Your offer is for an ongoing exchange of actionable intelligence," she continued airily. "Therefore, it stands to reason that a sample of such intelligence would be a suitable incentive to believe in your sincerity. Give me something that the Voice of Abbaji can put into use. Once it proves accurate and uncompromised, we will no longer have reason to distrust such a generous offer."

Corala Gethsverg | Vidalu Na'an ​

 

[Corala Gethsverg]

So they wanted information? Well, that was something that she could manage at least. She could understand the desire to get given information, but the truth of the matter was they had nothing solid to go off of yet; and she'd rather not give rumors out to potential allies and get them killed in the process. She took in a breath, knowing that the answer she was going to give was going to be unpopular. Phantom Squadron was still in the middle of initial scouting, they had nothing to go off of as of yet. Though she felt 03 wasn't going to like that. "Due to current efforts we are taking with the Eternal Empire, any information I give you at current would risk your groups safety, and the safety of the Voice of Abbaji. However, I can ensure that our team of operatives can assist you going forward, or if you wish to wait until I have more solid leads to go off of, that would be acceptable as well." Yea, this was going to go well. She could feel it.

This was a Droid she was talking to, and an advanced one at that. Trying to appeal to some emotional sense wasn't going to work, the only thing that would work was logic. Though she didn't have any fancy charts or spread sheets. All she had were words, and those weren't always the best tool for times like this. "I'd advise you consider what is being laid here before you consider walking away. You're alone in this war right now, and we are willing to assist in your cause. Working together will only strengthen both of our causes. But, I can understand your reluctance. We are an unknown entity, and you don't know if you can trust us." Perhaps it would have helped if the Director was here, but that was an oversight on her part. "Perhaps we could reconvene in the future, when I can ensure you won't waste lives on futile endeavors." Corala's gaze looked to the window outside, her mind formulating what would come next. First the breach, now this. She certainly had her work cut out for her.


LE-03 (Leigh) Vidalu Na'an