Weaving the Nest [CIS]

[Holt]

W E A V I N G - T H E - N E S T​

THE ROOKERY​

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Whispers. Lies. Deceptions. The Confederacy of Independent Systems was an intricate web of informers, agents, and casuals, with rogues quickly becoming trapped within the weaving. Holt was the spider in the middle, the one who used the web to his advantage in order to defend the Confederacy from shadows and unseen threats. But just as an insect could fly through a hole in the web, there was some gap in the weaving that had allowed a sleeper agent to pose as Fleet Marshal in order to wreak havoc on the Confederacy. Now, Holt had to fix that web before any more bugs escaped.

To say that Holt was experienced in operating intelligence networks was an understatement. Even before his days in the Ministry of Secrets, he’d always had a ring of connections and informatives to help him along with his operations. He’d simply just expanded his network onto a much, much larger scale once the full assets of the Ministry of Secrets were available to him; now, it was at the point where not much could happen in the galaxy that Holt did not get wind of. Of course, an intelligence network was not some omnipotent being - you had to use your resources right, and know what you were looking for.

For Holt, that objective was pretty clear. The sleeper agent in the Confederacy Defense Force high command was a serious oversight, and a threat that flew under the Ministry of Secrets. It was becoming more obvious that the network of informers and confidants that the Ministry had built up was outdated, or compromised. Organized Crime in Hutt Space was at an all-time high and there were new players on the intergalactic board. If the Ministry of Secrets did not pick up the slack, Apatros would happen again. Of that, Holt could be sure.

To that extent, Holt had invited the best and brightest that the Ministry had to offer; ‘birds’ who had proved their skills in one way or the other. After researching and drawing up ideas, he’d decided that the most obvious course that the Ministry would need to take would be to rebuild their web of informers; contact informers, decide who is safe and who wasn’t, and go from there. The political situation of the galaxy had grown quite tense, and it was hard to know who exactly was friend and who was foe.

As the lights of the Rookery conference room brightened, Holt paused to admire the wood finish before bringing up his notes and information on his personal datapad. Work in the MoS had gone overtime since Apatros, and Holt found himself rubbing his eyes for want of sleep. But in a career such as his, there was no resting on the job; and unfortunately, very little time off of the job as well. The galaxy never gave pause to rest, and thus neither would Holt. Sipping a glass of water, as he’d found that it was better for his health to be more sober, he sat down as he waited for the rest of the agents to arrive.

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Nyx had 'showered' for the occasion. Not with water, of course. Much as her circuitry and wires were well insulated from moisture there was no need to invite undue complications. A little oil. A careful removal of carbon build up. Mechanical hygiene of a droid that had pride in itself -- and the authority to authorize its own maintenance and schedule. Of course, if the Ministry hadn't recognized Nyx as a sentient lifeform worthy of self-determination she could always have hacked the maintenance system. It wasn't as secure as they thought.

A few soft 'pings' could be heard as delicate and fine metalwork bounced atop Nyx's shoulder as she neared the Rookery conference room. When the door opened they'd find a familiar humanoid-shaped droid standing there with her dimly glowing, red eyes. Only this time they'd find a metalwork Northern Cardinal perched atop her left shoulder. Its meticulously sculpted head and beak turned this way and that like a living bird of the same design. Perhaps she hadn't just been leading the Old Man of Shadda-Bi-Boren on after all. Nyx might have followed up now and again. There'd been no need to lie about the talent that'd been on display.

"Holt." She stepped into the room and made her way to one of the seats. He was a familiar face when it came to clandestine operations among the Ministry. Likely spoke of the purpose of this gathering. Also someone that hadn't seemed terribly smitten by her mechanical construction, but then that was true for at least half the number. Acceptance as a equal, however, was not required. Treatment as a sentient being able to perform any task expected of an operative was.

Tag: [member="Holt"]​

 

[Holt]

"[member="Nyx N1X3"], it is good to see that you are still fully functioning." Whether that was Holt's awkward attempt at a polite greeting or perhaps a sample of dry humor, no one would ever know. While the man was usually smooth when it came to acting as a persona, in person he was almost a droid; devoid of motion or humor, serious and always to the point. Yet that didn't mean Holt wouldn't try to. . . loosen up a little here and there.

However, relaxation was neither here nor there in this situation. It was Holt's primary role as a Rook to ensure that the other birds of the Ministry were provided with the information and technology they needed, but in this case Holt needed his fellow agents to help him rebuild the web of connections that the Ministry had previously held. Politically, the Ministry was floundering; the scandal of their previous Minister being a traitor, and then another prominent agent suddenly leaving just as quickly had created a newfound deeptrust for the Intelligence branch of the Confederacy government. From his perspective, Holt had to be there to make sure that the Ministry steered away from more mistakes before they made one that wasn't fixable.

As such, the lack of regard for punctuality that the other birds of the Ministry were displaying right now as beginning to irk Holt. He had to remind himself that most of the Ministry's employment consisted of those who'd be classified as 'wild cards,' and ironically Nyx and Holt's conformity to schedule made them pariahs. But on time or not, Holt knew that the birds of the Ministry were at the very least skilled in what they did, and so for now he bit back his tongue as he continued to wait.

 

[Tess Valnora]

[member="Holt"] | [member="Nyx N1X3"]​

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[SIZE=11pt]Tess quickly strode down the hallway, absentmindedly counting doors she passed. It was a harmless habit of hers that she started as a little girl. Something she did for fun to pass the time, counting things. Whether it was the 34 steps that she had climbed to get to the hallway, or the 5th door she passed before reaching the room that had been preordained for the meeting. She wasn't normally late, but she had taken some time in deciding if she was really invited to the meeting or if there had been a screw up in the delivery of the message.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]"My sincerest apologies everyone for..." her voice trailed off as she realised only two bodies occupied the room. Two people she had worked with once or twice before. She nodded her head in greetings, "Sir. Ma'am. Apologies for being late." Was all that came out. Tess wasn't entirely sure how to formally greet a droid. Specially since they didn't really have genders. But Nyx appeared to Tess to be built after a female's form. After pausing briefly she briskly walked to the table. She stood next to the seat for a few seconds before taking it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The Crow felt a little awkward as she wasn't sure if she was in trouble for something with the solemn look on Holt's face. Nyx being a droid always gave her a hard time in reading her expressions, but Tess was sure if she had been a biological being she might have the same facial expression. Or if others were supposed to be arriving and there was another reason for the meeting.[/SIZE]

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Nyx's gaze remain with [member="Holt"] as the man greeted her in turn. The word choice might be humorous. Her humor module predicted a slightly elevated chance, but the Human-Droid Interaction module predicted a slightly greater chance that it was an attempt to integrate diction within the context of present company. Then the social decision module kicked in, weighed both against the matter she'd just been processing, and decided it was a form of humor -- not at her expense, but one of those situational humors.

Before she could respond, however, another entered the room. The droid's red gaze shifted over to [member="Tess Valnora"] with her abruptly terminated apology. Nyx neither drew back nor blushed (as that was quite impossible) at the form of address used.

It wasn't difficult to see there was a... 'tense' atmosphere in the room. Reading the room was important when it came to interacting with organic lifeforms. "Miss Valnora, I do not believe we have had an ideal opportunity to meet. I am Nyx. If you should require any technology-based concerns, my services are always available. I am also skilled in many other areas as well, should specialists be indisposed."

 

[Tess Valnora]

[member="Holt"] | [member="Nyx N1X3"]​

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Tess relaxed somewhat when Nyx gave her introduction, "Nice to officially meet you outside of the field, Miss Nyx." she replied as she looked into the red eyed droid. She would have attempted to shake Nyx's hand but being across the table from her hampered that endeavor. So instead she simply nodded and continued, "My skills and weapons are at your disposal should the need ever arise, as well as you Sir." she finished turning her head to Holt. Now that she had relaxed tremendously from her first enterance into the room she drew the courage to ask, "May I ask what this meeting was called for? Or are we waiting for more to arrive before we begin?" She didn't want to sound rude, even though they were past the scheduled start time for the meeting that had been arranged.

 

[Saabossi]

Saabossi heard the call. She took her time to come and arrive, slithering across the floor through halls to the conference room. This group she had joined, this Ministry of Secrets. They were interesting, and she was seeing this as a place for her to be. As an assassin, a place she could be to her full potential. Sniping from afar, taking out unknowing targets. They would never see her...even as she slipped into the room, sticking close to the floor.

Before rising up, a serpent slowly moving to stand upon her tail. Her bladed tail rattled for a moment. "I heard there wassss some meeeeeting in progresssss?" she asked to those present, as she had arrived late. Something Saabossi was not fond of having done, usually. "Issss there a target in need of neutralizing?" The snake woman hoped there was a target, somewhere to deliver to the next world over. It was delightful, in some fashion.

[member="Tess Valnora"] [member="Nyx N1X3"] [member="Holt"]

 

[Holt]

[member="Nyx N1X3"] | [member="Tess Valnora"] | [member="Saabossi"]​

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Three agents was less than half of what Holt had originally hoped for. In an ideal galaxy, Holt had dreamed that the entire Ministry would've banded together to tackle this issue, but he had to snap back into reality. In a moment where half of the agents at the Rookery were on missions, and the Ministry as a whole was still recovering from the betrayal of their previous Minister, even three agents should be more than anyone could expect. And so, like always, Holt decided that he had to improvise.

"Agents Valnora, Saabossi, and Nyx, I thank you for coming here. Although I regret to inform you that our task is not as quite as simple as an assassination, it it nevertheless just as, if not more, important." Holt flicked his hand, and the room darkened as a holoprojector powered on to display a feed of multiple locations, organization symbols, and government insignias. "In light of the recent betrayal of our former Minister, it has come to my attention that our network of informers and intelligence has been compromised. While I am not trying to resort to theatrics, I must expound that restoring our network is our first imperative; the Ministry is effectively blind if our intelligence gathering sources are untrustworthy."

The holoprojection transmissioned to a wider map of the galaxy, different factions and contention zones being highlighted in multiple colors. The deep purple of the Confederacy in the galactic south was obvious, but so too was the red of the Sith Empire as it dominated the galactic north. "The galaxy is undergoing rapid changes. The former territory of the Mandalorian Empire is a hotbed of conflict between the Silver Jedi Order and the Sith Empire, and the Core Worlds remained as fractioned and wartorn as ever. But my main concern, and the overall Ministry's main concern, are reports of a new faction attacking and taking territory in Wild Space. Although it has not been confirmed, to me it seems that the rumors seem to establish a correlation with the terrorist organization, the Crucible."

"Our mission to restore our intelligence network will thus start in Wild Space. You three will be accompanying me to find out exactly what this new faction is, what their intents may or may not be, and if they pose a threat to the Confederacy. While I do stress that this is strictly a fact-finding mission only, I would be naive to assume everything will go according to plan. Thus, be on your highest guard in case everything dissolves into chaos, as it usually does."

 

[Nyx N1X3]

Nyx nodded slightly in appreciation of [member="Tess Valnora"]'s offer. Their effectiveness was increased the more cooperation existed within the Ministry.

A reptilian woman -- [member="Saabossi"] -- joined them soon enough and expressed an interest in killing someone. That seemed to be a common affliction of the Ministry personnel. Granted, Nyx could hardly suggest they join the Dauntless as their skill sets were often of a more... intimate means of slaughter. Being so, it seemed strange how blood thirsty some could be. Not that the droid actually minded from a moral stance. By all means, kill the enemy. So long as the enemy wasn't needed alive for a greater purpose.

While [member="Holt"] spoke, Nyx remain silent with her gaze fixed solely on him. Recent events certainly did conspire to limit their efficiency. Not only did they need to locate the enemy, but now they would need to convince people there was an enemy. Hardly a sustainable means of operation. Information was hard enough to come by, and sometimes you couldn't verify an actionable threat before pursuing it. If there was no trust they could not be relied upon to act; and if they could not be relied upon to act, then why have a Ministry? Sometimes Nyx wondered why organics were left in charge of the important positions. Too overrun by emotions.

"I am ready to depart. I expect we already have an insertion point chosen?" Nyx wondered about the nature of the organization they would be pursuing. It was not well defined, but that was no doubt the matter at hand.