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Thread: Ephemera

  1. #21
    "You ought to be careful too."

    It wasn't a threat and wasn't carried as such. It was spoken in cooler tones as something more worrisome.

    "At my best estimate, there are now Knights and Cadets in the dozens. Perhaps more than a hundred. Beings from almost as many worlds with strange faces and stranger ways. Oh, of course they've sworn allegiance to the Empress, naturally. But the Empress is still a lay person like you and I."

    Schreiger tucked his chin into a gloved fist as he paced. He turned back to regard his colleague.

    "It's not such ancient history to find a parallel here. We've been here before. This has happened in our lifetimes. The Empire created a New Order to prevent this very thing from coming about."

  2. #22
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    "I'm aware of what the New Order was to prevent, but things are not as they were in those early days."

    She gave a frown, and finally allowed her eyes to shift back to the window, gazing out over pastoral beauty.

    "If we do not evolve with the years, then we will be trampled beneath them and forgotten to history. All that will be written of us will be that we were a failed state. A failed experiment in governance."

  3. #23
    "That's it, then? Go along with it? Don't make waves?"

    Schreiger's tone darkened along with is expression.

    "This isn't evolution, Director, it's regression. The Knights are positioning dangerous beings perilously close to the Empress, and you and I are increasingly losing our oversight on these servants. The last time this happened, Palpatine was nearly killed. Do you really want to take that sort of chance with our Empress here?"

  4. #24
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    She did not look at him, instead her narrowed eyes showed signs of annoyance at his words.

    "I never thought you a purist," came the response, dripping with only the practiced measure of sarcasm that one in her position could have. She went on though, not exactly allowing him the chance to interrupt as her tone retained its' prodding, but not quite mocking level.

    "Perhaps you should bring your concerns to Atrapes."

  5. #25
    "To the man who stands the most to gain from the Knights' rise to power?"

    Schreiger skeptically raised an eyebrow.

    "Not so directly as you say, but it may not be a bad idea to put something into motion for the Knight General to react to, if only to glimpse his motives."

  6. #26
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    She watched him. Watched his facial ticks, his black-gloved hands, the very way he held himself. It was concerning, but in the back of her mind she began to stoke the notion of letting him meter out the rope with which to hang himself. She wanted no real part in his delusion, but she would certainly not stop him from doing as he wished. She might even encourage him when the fancy struck.

    "Goading the Knight General is a dangerous thing, Director. If he becomes suspicious by even a fraction, I would not be surprised if you woke up to the face of the Selonian hovering over you, and her blade firmly planted through your gut."

  7. #27
    Wulfgarn's lips pressed thinly together.

    "Suspicious of what, exactly? Doing my job? If that's his response, what's stopping him now? If Knight General Atrapes is simply a ringleader of murderous thugs, I'm sure there's no shortage of unsubtle ways he could kill either of us. Such a flagrant step out of line would appear grossly insubordinate to the Empress and fall well out of bound of the New Order. No, no, no, I think not. The man has a brain, Director. A bold play like that would invite a purge, and as dangerous as the Knights may be, they're in no position to play as open antagonists."

    He took two steps, then pivoted back to Esalis.

    "Interesting that you should mention the Selonian, Director. What is her name? Vissica? Interesting creature. Are you familiar with the details of her recruitment?"

  8. #28
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    "I am not."

    At least, she knew the basics, but any amount of specificity she had never really bothered to read up on. The Knight General had been the one to collect her, and his abilities to determine the best candidates for his group of Force-wielding Imperial cadre was something that was not to be questioned. Her interactions with the man were enough to instill within her a sense of grudging respect. He was a man that she had no desire to anger. There was no weakness in admitting as such, but rather a pragmatic view that many would be wise to adopt.

    "But I know enough, and the intricacies of the Knight General's choice are not anything that I wish to question or call to light; she serves the Empress with a fanaticism that some within my own ranks do not show, and I would praise him on his diligence in securing such an ally."

  9. #29
    "Oh yes, that is all very impressive. Commendable even." Schreiger breathed out the boilerplate concessions as if they bored him. "You'll excuse me for being exhaustive on this, as I've already said, it's my business to know."

    He glanced to the empty air next to Esalis and spoke into it.

    "VESPYR, display the dossier of Matatek Sel Vissica."

    A discrete holoprojector in the ceiling flashed in a bright pinprick of blue light, throwing an image into the air between them. A full bust of the Selonian appeared, alongside several columns of text which began to slowly scroll until they reached their terminus, in which they repeated.

    "Second of a litter of seven, born into the warrior caste of Queen Zaruchs Rur Matatek, she of the Overden of Selonia et cetera et cetera. Discovered by Knight General Rossos Atrapes on a mission to et cetera et cetera."

    He waved his fingers through the text, causing the hologram to shimmer.

    "All interesting in some way, but that's not the important part. VESPYR, open commentary notes."

    The biographical information swept away, revealing new text. Schreiger read it aloud.

    "The Queen of Selonia, her grace Matatek et cetera et cetera swears fealty to Miranda Tarkin I, et cetera et cetera. She has instructed..."

    He cut his eyes to Esalis with a wry grin.

    "This is the good part. Has instructed her vassal Vissica of sept Sel, to serve the Galactic Empire as a token of her fealty."

    Schreiger put his hands on the text, again distorting it for emphasis.

    "Doesn't that strike you as odd, Director? This beast, this creature. The tie that binds her to us isn't out of personal loyalty to the Empress - an oath I'll add that both you and I have made. She serves the Empress because Zaruchs Rur Matatek, Queen of Selonia, instructed her to."

  10. #30
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    Staying silent for the time being, Esalis only let her eyes roam over the visage of Knight Vissica before moving on the Aurebesh that accompanied the picture. Each stab of Director Schreiger's fingers distorted the hologram, but it was a minuscule distraction as she skimmed the information displayed. She listened to him speak in the background, only acknowledging his words when it was needed.

    His question at the end of his diatribe was met with yet another bit of silence before her hands shifted from behind her back, one going to her side, and the other to reach up and trace a disrupting line along the Selonian's jawline.

    "Her allegiance is potent, despite being through proxy. Would that some of our own were as devoted."

    Her finger retracted.

    "She is relentless in her endeavors, I will tell you that much. If she says a thing, then she has every intention of seeing it through to the end. A lovely quirk of the Selonians; cannot tell a lie... cannot relent on their words of intended action."

    Her eyes moved to Schreiger then.

    "In a way it is refreshing. I cannot be a Purist if that means I am unable to take advantage of a creature and their own innate... sensibilities."

  11. #31
    Wulfgarn frowned at Esalis's words.

    "You ply in tradecraft, Director. People lie. Even if they treat the act like a crime worse than murder, murderers still exist. And even if it's not outright, conflicts of interest still exist. Something significant happened to cause the Queen of Selonia to decide to support the Empire. What happens if that changes? What then of this Knight Vissica? Why don't these abnormalities alarm you?"

    His voice was raising, and Wulfgarn paused. He took a breath, and smoothed the part of his hair with the bladed edge of a gloved hand.

    "Knight Vissica is one loose end, Esalis. There are many, many loose ends among the Knights. We need to account for them, if for nothing else but to catalogue the risk."

  12. #32
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    "Knight Vissica is to be used for as long as her loyalty remains to the Empress."

    The words came swiftly and succinctly.

    "Until she shows otherwise, I have no interest in exploring the alternative. I do, howeer, have every intention of using that loyalty for whatever I may need. The same goes for the rest of those within the ranks of the Imperial Knights. All of them are only as useful as far as their service dictates."

    In a show of both strength and impatience, Esalis stepped forward, through the still-projected form of Knight Vissica and the rest of her dossier. The Director moved close to her counterpart, a show of malevolent intimacy that allowed him an eye-to-eye, close-up view of the icy depths of her pale blues.

    "I have contingencies should those loyalties falter, Schreiger, but until then," both hands once more went to the small of her back as her chest seemed to swell, almost daring him to match her.

    "... I will use them to further the Empress' desires."

    She let a momentary silence hang in the scant few inches of air between them before continuing.

    "If you have concerns, I will listen. If you have worries, I will listen. I will act upon what I feel is within my jurisdiction, but until I am needed, I will not go against what the Empress wishes. However, if the Knights pose a substantial threat to the Empire, then I will do what I am mandated to do, and I will work to preserve what Palpatine, Isard, and Tarkin envisioned."

  13. #33
    "Vissica is more a quantity in my purview anyway," Schreiger sniffed, taking a half step back and a quarter turn as he walked back to the window. "A domestic quantity. One the ISB can and will take into account."

    He paused at the edge of the floor to ceiling glass, and glanced back.

    "What about Knights active and in play in demilitarized space? Or in the Alliance? What have you observed?"

  14. #34
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    "That they are efficient in completing their intended goals, tasks, and duties."

    It was an honest assessment, if not curt.

    "As I said before, I am not about to try to fix something that is currently not broken."

    She could still remember her meal with Atrapes, and the almost unnatural and aetherial air that the man possessed. In a way it was intoxicating, and would have certainly been exactly as such if she was a woman of less conviction. She was not about to lower herself, and she was certainly not about to delve into internal politics as easily and without such abandon as Schreiger seemed. If he had called her here to dangle some sort of morsel in front of her only to switch lanes and begin talking of the Knights, she had to wonder just how fit he truly was. Or, maybe it was a perfect fit, his posting. Suspicious minds made for good agents and even better directors, after all.

    "Wulfgarn," her voice seemed to soften then, becoming an almost smooth purr that accompanied a sudden downturn of her gaze to the floor.

    "... I understand your position, and hope that you understand mine. I'm not here because I fancied a trip away from Coruscant. I'm here because you and I are equals. We are both of the mind to further the Empire and the Empress' vision."

    Her posture lost a degree of its hard edge, and she pulled in a long breath before letting it out slowly, brow furrowing.

    "The last thing that we should be doing is to squabble over what might happen. Contingencies are all well and good, but we can't fret over the particulars so far ahead of what might or might not happen."

  15. #35
    "You have it all wrong. What we do in the dark is entirely based in the potential and the proactive. That sets us apart from the regional governors and so many admirals and generals who are armed with the luxury of living in a reactive world. Is there a chance that my suspicions are ill placed? There is always that chance. I shouldn't have to explain that to you, of all people."

    Frustration pronounced the crow's feet in the corners of Schreiger's eyes. Just as quickly, they relaxed.

    "If we don't formulate at least some manner of contingency regarding the Knights, we will be grossly derelict in our duties. I'm not speaking in a world of extremes, Esalis. This isn't a call to line the Knights up against the wall. This is a call to join our efforts in keeping an eye on these people, in the same way that we keep an eye over everyone else. Frankly, I'm surprised that you don't feel it necessary."

    He gestured again to the dataslip.

    "Exactly how do you think I came across the traitors in your organization?"

  16. #36
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    I would prefer to not know," she finally answered. Her voice was still level, almost a whisper.

    "Whatever you and I aspire to, I do not that our methods are aligned. I will follow my Empress, and do as she commands. And if someone else were to come to power, I would follow them. My loyalties are to the Empire, not myself or a single person. My agents and I serve the greater good, and we will continue to."

    It was no small admission. For all of her aloof positions, and all of her closely-guarded actions, R. S. Esalis was first - above all else - a servant of the Empire and the ideals that had been placed by Emperor Palpatine. And when he had died, she pledged herself to his successor. So long as the Imperial way of life was placed first, and the desire to spread its order throughout, she would do everything in her power to make sure that that order was maintained.

    "I'll not squabble with you over methods that we each employ, and only ask that we both hope for the Empire to extend long into the future."

  17. #37
    "You'll see my point of view." Schreiger replied softly, nodding to affirm the point to himself. "Hopefully it won't be too late when you do."

    This meeting was a disappointment. But perhaps it wasn't a waste of time. If he at least had broadened her perception of the possibilities, perhaps Esalis would arrive at the conclusions he had as well. If she didn't? Well, that could also be planned around.

    A soft chime sounded behind the two directors, and the front door glided open.

    "A pleasant return journey, Director." Schreiger's smile was cool and tight, and gone just as quickly. "For both of our sakes, let us keep this matter discreet."

  18. #38
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    Oh, she was not ready to be dismissed so quickly, and Esalis gave an almost disapproving look to Schreiger.

    "I have traveled a decent enough distance, Director," she intoned, though it was not an entirely cold intonation that she employed, "... and I expect to find some form of hospitality that is not isolated to... pure intrigue."

  19. #39
    "Really? I had never imagined you to be one for maudlin social conventions."

    It wasn't said with contempt, just a cool disappointed tone.

    "I'm unaccustomed to hosting. This ranch is just a working retreat, though I am careful to choose aesthetic charms to fit the setting."

    Schreiger gestured offhandedly to the recreated artwork on the nearest wall.

    "These are projections, though I warehouse the originals in a vault. Best way to preserve them."

  20. #40
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    There was a certain level of annoyance that she gave to him.

    "Your artwork is the least of what I am interested in," she droned out.

    Pivoting on her heel, Esalis let a sweeping eye travel over the interior, acknowledging everything within without truly showing interest.

    "I am hungry," she added idly.

    "Since this is a working retreat, and you are dedicated to appearances, I hope that your kitchen is up to the normal standards."

    She was not done, however.

    "And I will require a room."

    At that, she turned a poisonously sweet smile to him.

    "I will wish to rest before my return to Coruscant, tomorrow."

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