Nar Shaddaa

The place Asra checked into was seedy. It lay in a corner of Nar Shaddaa that was particularly dangerous and dense with people, some place it would be easy for even a Sith soldier to get lost in the crowd. The place was clearly meant to be an hourly sort of venue, but Asra went up alone. The first order of business was sweeping for bugs. Whether there were or not, she certainly didn't find any.

Sweeping for Bugs: Skullduggery (Cunning) Average: 2eA+1eP+2eD 0 successes, 1 threat

Asra found nothing in the sort of bugs but found other things that were likely unpleasant. When she was ready to use the holocommunicator, a man appeared:



"Asra. It has been a long time. Our mutual friend delivered an unofficial report on your situation. Psychological stress is to be expected. A possible promotion; do you think you could handle it?"

"Sir. It has... a year and a half now, if I have my dates right." She half-smiles. "Probably moderate post-traumatic stress. Nothing that can't be handled. I could... I might make a point of starting to seek it out. The additional clearance would be an advantage to us, I think. Of course, it depends on if there's something specific you need me to work on right now."

"Were there any gaps you needed me to fill in?"

A pause and then a smile. "I had planned on pulling you out. Our mutual friend was worried about your mental health. However, it appears that you are not compromised. Better yet, you appear to have the earned the trust of Baras and his associates."

He shook his head. "I do not need to reassign you then. Before I assign you a new objective, I would like to hear your full report on proceedings thus far."

"I suppose that goes to show I need to learn when to keep my mouth shut," she says with a soft chuckle. "I can function a little while longer, anyway. Depending on how things go here it could swing either way, in all truth. To offer my personal opinion, sir, I think we should reassess toward the end of the proceedings here and see where we are."

"I have been attached to Sylvain Torsin, apprentice of Darth Baras, as you know. I traveled here with with other apprentice, Layne Hoshin, his Sword. Their pilot is Wilhelm, a very... casual sort of person, and also on the crew is Ensign Reshir, a very by the book sort, and my spotter, Casna Vilner. The latter is of most concern regarding my job, as she sees herself as a sort of older sister, and keeps an eye on me as a result, though I don't think she's suspicious. None of them have given any indication that they even question me, say nothing of suspecting my motives."

"While we were in transit to Nar Shaddaa, Darth Baras contacted the ship. He stated that he will be arriving at the Smuggler's Moon soon. Darth Vengean is hoping for peace, and they will be working toward that. In the mean time, he spoke vaguely of an obstacle that will be dealt with when he arrives. He asked Layne to deal with Vosk as a preamble. He asked Sylvain to keep an eye on Vowrawn's apprentice, Shaisha Vreysk, and for Layne to end her if she proved a threat."

"You are aware of the explosion upon arrival, of course. Officially they're blaming the Republic, of course, but they didn't seem to truly believe that was the case... We're not officially permitted to engage Republic assets in violence, however, retaliatory strikes are allowed with permission of Darth Xevious, and covert ops authorize lethal force as long as full deniability can be achieved. They suspect an SIS operation out of the Republic compound, and have identified Satele Shan, Resmi Thun, and Colonel Garza as priority threats to be avoided. Apparently, if I come into contact with any SIS operative, I need to identify them to Imperial Intelligence," she let a smirk cross her face briefly.

"Earlier today, during the mid-afternoon, there was a battle in the Kaggath between Darth Malgus and Darth Laishen in Shadow Town, trying to keep as far away from Hutt eyes as possible, led by Lord Haydriss. If evidence can be collected, it could probably be used against them in regard to the Hutts."

"In terms of my own activities, aside from the Kaggath, I have been engaging in bounty hunting missions, mainly with the two apprentices I arrived with, but also Kristal Serasai. She, Sylvain, and Shaisha seem to have a good relationship, despite Baras' orders earlier. Serasai is a good organizer, who seems able to identify and organize the best strengths of her assets to good effect."

"We will see if we have the time. I may need you to perform an operation immediately during these negotiations."

Matthias smiled. "Excellent. It seems you have earned the rapport of a variety of figures and personalities. To let that go would be a waste."

"Let them speculate what they want. Do not interfere with their investigations. It's of little importance to me compared to the information you provide, Asra." He paused. "It is good to know that our assets have not been identified. We're sticking ahead of the acclaimed Imperial Intelligence, now aren't we?"

He nodded. "I heard about the Kaggath. It is impossible for such a battle to remain in the dark for long. Do not worry about revealing anything to the Hutts. As for Lord Haydriss, I recommend that you avoid her. Her psychological profile has registered as more unstable now on Nar Shaddaa."

The handler stroked his chin. "Is Sylvain Torsin simply investigating Shaisha Vreysk or are they still close after childhood? Is there any chance to set these Sith apprentices against one another? It may not be necessary but the option may be required. Or better yet, do you believe that them in power is better than their masters? The surviving Serasai with a Torsin implies they may be plotting together."

"Yes, sir," she says, nodding at the comment about an immediate operation.

"I got the impression they were close rather than just investigating. I think it would be difficult for me to set them against each other without some proof of betrayal. Whether they're better or worse depends on what outcome we want. I think those three in power would bring a lot more stability to the Empire, and they would be more reasonable. They would certainly be easier to deal with diplomatically, from my initial observations. In war time, they might be more dangerous, and in peace much less likely to turn to infighting without a common foe. IF peace talks are successful, peace might be more likely to stick for a while."

"Hoshin, on the other hand, isn't harsh to people who doesn't deserve it, but seems a little more violent and less stable."

"I will not order you to falsify a betrayal. But if one were to occur, you should leak it with the utmost discretion. And then choose the side that is most likely to win."

He perked his brow. "Why would the Empire be more dangerous with them having more power? Explain your rationale."

Matthias nodded. "A brutal woman, from my reports. If both she and Sylvain can be brought to eliminate Baras then we will be better for it. Of course, I don't expect you to recommend it to them. That would be uncharacteristic of the persona you have established."

"The Empire, as it stands, will not self-destruct if left to its own devices, but that is only because there will always be someone new to take up the reigns of whoever fell," she began. "However, it's quite distracted by infighting even when all of its higher ups have a common foe in the Republic. If several of them are sensible and coordinated, they could do much more damage and work together more effectively than a bunch of people who might stab one another in the back at any time."

"However, as I said, the Empire as it exists won't just crumble. Having leadership rise that we know the character of and are not complete...ly difficult to deal with is the best choice, in my opinion. People we can engage in diplomacy with and expect consistency. It would become a matter of making war an unappealing option for their goals."

"The direct route would, but I may be able to use less direct methods to sour their opinions on Baras further, if worst comes to worst."

A pause. "Asra, I must ask you something: have you become attached to anyone during your deployment?"

"No...?" She raised an eyebrow. "My persona is deliberately difficult to get close to. The closest person to 'Asra'," she deliberately finger quoted, "is my spotter and she's a bloody racist."

"Good. I needed to check if you were compromised." He paused. "I suppose it's too much for me to hope for that we are rid of the Empire in a short matter. Your talk of an Empire that could be reasoned with made me question for a moment that you were attached to it surviving."

"I just don't think it dying is a feasible short term goal, as you said, and continuing as we are is a recipe for a war of attrition." she says, undoing her braid and running her hand through her hair, starting to pace. "That's a fast way to build up our own weaknesses as war fatigue and unrest build, while they get to keep minimizing their backstabbing by focusing on us. The culture we've built builds its strength with peace and stability. Sith culture will not deal with it well, I don't think."

"But if we raise those three to power, then they could adapt to stability. And that is not what we want."

"The other ones will see it as a weakness and plot against them. In short, they'll manage stability for a while, long enough to consolidate, until the flurry of backstabbing starts," she suggests. "Which would make for an excellent opening."

"I see. Very well then. We'll assist their uprising." A pause. "Perhaps we'll even leak that they had SIS help in the future.

"Now then, were there any profiles or assistance that you needed?"

Asra blinked in surprise a little. She believed in what she was saying sure, but she didn't usually expect other people to believe in it. "That would be an excellent start to the feeding frenzy," she mused. "The more information I have on those three and other people of import among the Sith delegates would be helpful. Aside from assistance... I should be alright for now."

"You mentioned an operation needing my immediate attention earlier?"

Matthias nodded. "I can provide you with the data we have compiled on known persons of interest on Nar Shaddaa. Feel free to ask me now for any clarifications or anything that sticks out."

A pause. "Reports show that Lord Haydriss has rounded up all of the Sith survivors from the earlier battle and brought them to her facilities. I know I advised you to stay away from her but if the opportunity comes then I recommend you investigate."

Asra nods, her expression serious. "Do you want me to take any action based on what I discover?"

"If it is of the utmost urgency, then you may act as you need. Otherwise, I ask that you report back to me."

"Though our mutual friend?" she clarifies.

"Our mutual friend. If she thinks it necessary, she will set up a line for us to communicate again."

"All right. If there's nothing else, I should sign off and get back, sir," she says.

"Good. You know the drill. And good luck."

"Yes, sir," she said with a smile. "I do. Good luck to you, too." With that, she shut off the communicator and set about disposing of it according to SIS protocol. She sat in the room for a while, watching the streets, a two year old craving for a smoke nagging at the back of her mind.