Ephemera

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

Falarys
- Restricted Imperial World - Expansion Region -


Nothing about the planet Falarys belied its true nature, and that was by design. A world of evergreen forests and beautiful mountains, it was almost entirely unspoiled, save for a handful of villages hundreds of miles from each other. But no one ever seemed to come or go from the world. Indeed, it barely registered more than a footnote in Imperial star charts.

On the southernmost continent, overlooking one of the villages, a lodge midway up a mountain range held a commanding view of not just the valley and village, but the sea beyond. It was larger and more richly appointed than the buildings in the village, but it still adhered to the bucolic aesthetic of the planet. Hand-cut slate stonework stacked in interesting pattern. Vivid and broad beams of redwood. To anyone who might view it from afar, it seemed to be nothing more than a ranch. And indeed, with a few hundred acres of grazing foothills below that contained a hundred and twenty head of nerf, it was certainly that.

But on Falarys, nothing was as it appeared, and that was by design.

At the edge of a redwood deck affixed to the side of the ranch, Wulfgarn Schreiger took note of the speck of foreign influence in the distance. It wasn't difficult, even from a mile away, to pick out the spartan and clean shape of the Lambda-class shuttle parked in the pasture land that made-do for a tarmac. There were no facilities even resembling a spaceport here. There didn't need to be. Travel to and from the stars on Falarys was an arranged act. A kind of theater. This shuttle had been invited, and the sole individual exiting the craft was now being covertly watched by enough organic and synthetic eyes to obliterate any naive concept of privacy, all the while projecting exactly that. A game, maybe. Or maybe just an inside joke for the people that mattered to enjoy.

A hologram appeared from the wooden handrail of the deck of a woman in middle age. Her raven black hair was almost certainly dyed, Schreiger thought. Not exactly out of youthful vanity, but maybe as a sign of creative control. Fit, but not putting a fine point on the matter.

"Wave hello now."

Thirty meters. A ranch hand paused from his tasks, offering a neighborly wave to the uniformed visitor before attending his flock.

"Now the swinging gate."

A smiling old man pushed aside a weathered wooden gate at the pasture's edge, offering a neighborly 'Good morning, ma'am.' A complicated suite of sensors buried in the distressed wood went to work. His guest's blue hologram took on an accent of red, highlighting the small personal blaster the weapon scanner had discretely detected. Not strictly a badge of office. Schreiger knew that his guest carried it for equally practical reasons and knew how to use it.

beep beep...beep beep

Distracted, the Director of the Imperial Security Bureau glanced down at his wrist chrono. Among it's many timekeeping uses, the device also helped him keep a punctual schedule of nutritive needs. Now it was time for his vitamins.

Director Schreiger gave one last glance down to the valley at the approaching speck that was Director R. S. Esalis of Imperial Intelligence. His steely eyes moved from that distant person to her more intimate holographic representation just a reach away. Satisfied with the schedule of things, the Director turned to go back into the ranch. He'd have company in twenty-three minutes.

[R. S. Esalis]

Falarys was a world that she did not often need to set foot upon. It was a world that rarely warranted her attentions, even. In the greater scheme of the Empire's dealings, delegation had made many things as such. She had a single higher entity that demanded her loyalty though, and for that reason Director Esalis made sure that she was not completely unreachable. She was a servant of the Empress, and because of that she coexisted with many men and women that she would not otherwise think twice about. She had her own duties and responsibilities, and her own set of tasks - coming to the Expansion Region was not entirely enjoyable, but rather a part of her job.

So it was with Wulfgarn Schreiger.

The man had his uses, but he was also of a peculiar sort. This retreat, situated so far out. The great pains taken to make it appear as nothing more than a simple hillside ranch. The hands giving salutations as they passed and smiling so easily.

It was all very... frustrating.

And perhaps it was because her own administrative habits were far different. Whatever the reason, she was here, now. Invited to this meeting with little explanation. Perhaps Schreiger knew that she would not refuse? Not that she could. One of the many tasks she had included working with the other members of Imperial groups. If that meant ISB, then she worked with ISB. If that meant COMPNOR, then she worked with COMPNOR. She worked with the Imperial Knights. She had worked with the Inquisitorius before it was disbanded.

There was no veering away from the path. No shirking her responsibilities.

The trail widened, then met a pair of redwood stairs. These she stopped at, and with a distinct frown, turned her icy blue gaze upward to the lodge itself.

There was a moment when the Director of Imperial Intelligence wondered why she did not simply send her own son to handle the matter. Of course it was a thought conjured up in jest. Sheldon was the worst sort to apply to this type of situation. No, it was more an idle musing at the delight she would gain by simply ignoring Schreiger and have her son arrive as the simplest of insults.

A long exhaled breath, and Esalis began the climb. On foot after the other, she ascended the stairway in silence. Nature was alive all around, and in the distance she could hear the nerf below, existing happily in their pastures. It was all too picturesque, frankly.

At the landing, she stopped.

Being invited to Falarys was one thing.

Being invited inside was completely different, and at the very least she showed Wulfgarn Schreiger that small amount of respect.

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

In the Director's stead, no one came. Not an ISB underling or a servant. Not even a protocol droid. The only thing on Falarys that acknowledged Director Esalis's existence was a keypad adjacent to a door hewn out of redwood with iron bindings.

"Welcome to Hawkbat Ranch, Director Esalis."

The voice was artificial and sterile. Feminine, but without any obvious tells of a personality matrix. It seemed to simply be a user interface. The panel's glow transitioned from red to green. A click of unseen moving mechanisms sounded, and the wooden door yawned open on a hinge far smoother than the architecture might betray.

Passing the threshold seemed to transport one to another world. Within the interior of the ranch, the decor seemed to mutate. While the underpinnings of stone and redwood were still easy to see, entire wall panels of neutral-toned greys and off-white signaled a cleaner and more modern aesthetic. Furniture in the main living area had the look of simple design, hiding the thoughtful work in making sure each chair, each table, was positioned at it's ergonomic pinnacle. The walls were full of framed works of art, but upon closer inspection, it appeared that each piece was simply the representation of the work, recreated on a computer screen.

At the top of a flight of stairs that seemed to be supported by nothing but air, Director Schreiger waited. He sat upon the top step, eschewing a perfectly good chair that stood only a few meters away from the energy-railed balcony.

"I hope you weren't inconvenienced by the trip up the mountain. I've found that a lengthy constitutional helps to excercise the mind along with the body."

[R. S. Esalis]

With a level gaze, the Director cast her eyes upward to Schreiger. She allowed herself to mull over his words with little real thought to them; they seemed... hollow in a way. Niceties that weren't really niceties. Small talk that did not do much to fill the air between them with actual substantial words. But, it was his way, she guessed, and a thin-lipped smile that could just as easily have been a grimace pulled at the corners of her mouth. The man was an oddity, but thorough in a way that was silently infuriating.

Esalis stopped at the bottom step, bother hands coming together at the small of her back as she continued to stare up.

The interior decor was a strange juxtaposition with the outward appearances of this particular estate, but it was also somewhat expected. Despite her frustrations, she knew that this and all connected with it were the standard. There was always a layer of Imperial cleanliness tucked away neatly beneath the more rustic exteriors of those properties owned and operated by the more clandestine aspects of the Imperial hand. It was simply the way of things. It was normal. Schreiger's personality and methods were annoying enough at the best of time, however.

"Most refreshing, Director."

Niceties that weren't really niceties.

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

Refreshing.

It had caught Schreiger slightly off guard, and the Director laughed, shaking his head. Was she simply too polite or simply mad? He waggled a gloved finger at Esalis, as if to say good one.

"Refreshing, she says."

Bounding up to his feet, Wulfgarn Schreiger clasped his hands together with an audible clap.

"Well! How about some further refreshment? Can I get you a nutritive?"

He was already halfway down the stairs, with momentum that would carry him to the living room.

[R. S. Esalis]

"I would rather not."

She was here because she had been requested to be. It had not necessarily been her first choice, but duty often enough rose above personal preferences. One did not rise to the level of Director by ignoring the needs of the Empire. Imperial betterment often took precedence over individual desires.

"I did not come to Falarys so that you could show to me the quaint exterior of this establishment, nor did I come for drinks."

Hands still at her back, Director Esalis sidestepped ever so slightly as Director Schreiger left the stairway's steps.

Then again, at times the needs of the Empire often included indulging men like Wulfgarn Schreiger.

"However, if you insist," she gave a courteous nod, "... then I suppose I would be a poor guest if I refused."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"I'm not a slave to social rigor, Director. Sometimes a nutritive is just a nutritive."

Schreiger slowed his pace, drawing towards one of the oversized windows that seemed to jut out above the valley and the hamlet below. He glanced back to his guest, a trace of a smile in his expression.

"I've asked you to join me for two reasons. One, I have the closest thing to guaranteed privacy at the ranch. Two..."

The ISB director drew a dataslip from his jacket, holding it by two gloved fingers so that its color crystals caught the sunlight from outside.

"...I have a gift for you."

A display was all that was given. Schreiger didn't move to place the slip in Esalis's hand.

"Names. Three of them. Names of Imperial Intelligence agents I have uncovered as traitors to the Empire."

[R. S. Esalis]

Her brow knit at that, and Director Esalis scowled. The dataslip was given little more than a passing glance as her chilled gaze settled firmly on her counterpart. She briefly wondered if the man had gone mad.

She made no move to retrieve the slip, and instead only moved to stand somewhat beside him, letting her gaze track away and out the window to the land below.

"You will have to excuse me," she finally started slowly, measuring each word, "... if I do not thank you so profusely."

As a student of Armand Isard, she had learned from her old mentor so many things, including how a person who offered such information was either doing so as a test, as a lure, or as a sign that they were purely ignorant of the machinations of subterfuge.

She doubted that Schreiger was wholly ignorant, but he had a vanity that grated upon her. Was this some form of poorly-executed brinksmanship? It was certainly no test; or at the very least she hoped that it was not. The more logical assertion was that it was a simple lure.

One that she had no intention of taking.

Pursing her lips, she went on.

"I do not like how forward you are with this information, Director."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"Well..."

Schreiger demurred, tucking the dataslip back into his grasp as he showed a feigned bashful smile.

"...all you have presently is the assurance that I have what I say I have."

He drew out a long breath, rocking back and forth on his heels as he turned again to regard the view.

"I'm not interested in goading or gloating or holding this above your head. It's my job to uncover traitors, you know that. If I thought less of you, I'd simply let the process sort these problems out. I would submit my report - a report that the Empress reads, mind you - and our three bad eggs would..."

He glanced back at her with a wry smile.

"...well, you know."

Director Schreiger clasped his hands behind his back as he turned back to approach Esalis.

"But really? All that matters is how the rubbish is taken out. Who the garbage men are, that's not ultimately important. The Empire maintains its purity of principle, and endures."

Wulfgarn smiled before Esalis, an expression that seemed more practiced than genuine.

"Now, if this were an internal matter within Imperial Intelligence, that would be a matter of convenience. You clean your own house, and I keep a few distractions from being escalated. Really, you'd be saving me so much trouble."

[R. S. Esalis]

She met his eyes with a level gaze, suspicion still evident in the way that her brow knit. In matters such as these, there was never any 'give' without 'take', and Esalis found herself mulling over the possibilities that lay just ahead, still shrouded in mystery.

"And what is it that you want in return for this... gift."

That it was Director Schreiger, there could be any manner of favors that he would ask of her.

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"This isn't simply a matter of quid pro quo. I'm dealing in matters of our mutual benefit."

Schreiger paced, tightening the slack in his black gloves as he did.

"The Empire is half of what it was, not even ten years ago. We used to talk about ruling the galaxy, and now our grand designs swirl around grimly manning the ramparts. Protecting only what we have, with little designs on securing what we don't."

The ISB Director halted in place, touching his chin thoughtfully.

"Are you familiar with the Angatorrian Empire?"

[R. S. Esalis]

The very notion that Schreiger was operating for mutual benefit was laughable. She knew how the Directors tended to act. Each one was selfish, grabbing for as large of a piece of recognition as they could. Whether it be a longer look afforded by the Empress or any other bit of advantageous flotsam. It honestly did not matter too awful much what the reward was; only that it belonged to one person. This notion that a Director was hoping to share some perceived reward... it was not something that she placed any amount of trust in.

But, he'd moved on.

She continued to stare down at the scenic landscape below them, her voice holding a tinge of disinterest.

"I do not think that I am, Director."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

He shrugged at the response, not disappointed in Esalis's ignorance in even the slightest.

"No one would hold that against you - save perhaps a single dusty professor on Imperial Center with more tenure than good sense who considered himself an expert. The Angatorrians were a backwater power in ancient galactic history - right around the dawn of the hyperspace era. They controlled a few hundred worlds in and around the Tingel Arm. None of that's important - their empire rose and fell within a century. What's interesting is a snippet, just a throwaway line really, attributed to one of the Angatorrian Emperors - Cyrosidan Auro."

With a gesture to the air, Schreiger summoned a shimmering string of Aurrebesh text to appear as a hologram. The Director clasped his hands together, rocking back and forth slightly on his boots as he read it aloud.

"Woe to the journeyman who touches the horizon. Heavy be the heart of the Star Lord that reaches the stars' end. What use is there for conquerors when all of creation lies conquered?"

Wulfgarn's eyes pivoted through the luminous text, meeting Esalis's own.

"It's easy to mock Emperor Auro and his simple and provincial lament. His empire is barely a speedbump in the annals of galactic history. It turns out that the great and mighty Angatorrian Empire scarcely could call two sectors their own."

Schreiger laughed.

"Ridiculous, isnt it?"

His smile drifted away, returning him to a contemplative expression.

"But what's interesting is that at some point in time, they believed they'd conquered all of inhabitable space. So here we are, thousands of years later, reading the late Emperor's ill-informed lamentations. Are we any better equipped to answer his question?"

[R. S. Esalis]

She stared first at the letters, then him. His curious bent on history was interesting enough - even if only for a few moments.

"I doubt that anyone will be able to answer such a thing."

Her hands shifted then, finding each other at the small of her back.

"It does remind me, however, of something I have read from an... old journal."

To speak of the journal that she had so laboriously poured over time and time again - Loklorien s'Ilany's writing seemed to echo a somewhat similar sentiment. Only turned inwards. It seemed apt, now.

"The author spoke of how a person's body was far more vast and mysterious than anything the galaxy could hold. About how it could be altered and changed in ways constrained only by imagination."

The Director pursed her lips at the notion she had spent many nights pondering.

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

Wulfgarn's eyes brightened. She'd inadvertently stumbled upon his point.

"What an interesting observation."

He tapped a raised gloved finger to his chin, letting the gesture punctuate and lend focus on Esalis's line of thought.

"I'd say that what holds true for a person's body would also hold true for a body of state. It's the minutiae. Scale is so..."

Schreiger pursed his lips slightly.

"...malleable. If you can see a thing - if you can act on a thing, then you should. You and I, Director, we're in a rare fraternity. We're both Doctors. Our patient is the Empire. You've spent your career making certain the Empire keeps its arms and legs attached to the rest of it, so goes the analogy. That it doesn't get gored or maimed by something from the outside. Me? I've focused on the organs, the tissues, the cells. The little wisps of nothing that escape the naked eye but can turn to rot or cancer if they aren't excised."

Something in Schreiger's manner turned a degree grim. He lowered his hand to his side.

"What do you know about cancer, Director?"

[R. S. Esalis]

"I know that it comes in many forms."

She pursed her lips as her own expression grew a shade darker.

"Nothing is safe from it. A body, a religion, an ideal, a government; there is nothing that it cannot defile."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

She'd taken the metaphor bait and run with it quickly. Wulfgarn didn't fault Esalis for being able to see the pattern. She was relentless in that way.

"All true. And yet, it's even more insidious than that. Cancer isn't birthed from a microbe or a virus or a parasite. It isn't some outside invasion. At the genesis, cancer is us. It's the stuff we're made of. The smallest building blocks, the essence, whatever you wish. It always starts with a part of us that is invisible to suspicion. One day, it simply...changes."

Schreiger snapped his fingers.

"It may even still look like all the small pieces around it, but it serves entropy at best, or a malign purpose at worst. It grows, either reproducing or corrupting those around it or both. It escapes vigilance because it still retains aspects of the familiar. It's still us and not them. Not until metastasis."

The Director was tiring of his metaphor, having run the breadth of it. He sighed.

"To follow your lead, yes, cancer certainly exists beyond the literal sense. The Jedi Order was once the guardian sect of the Republic, right until the day they were its usurpers. That cancer metastasized. It killed the body that it sprang from. We're simply lucky that the force of the Emperor's will was enough to create something better. But now?"

His steel eyes were deadly serious.

"Now. Now.

Now I am worried that it's all happening again."

[R. S. Esalis]

Two of her fingers, hidden behind her, twitched. Not so much in worry but more a sort of impatience. Schreiger was flighty, and that he had clung to something for this long made her cautious. For all of his metaphors and careful words, the man was paranoid above all else. Which, owing to his position - it was probably a good thing. That did not mean that she was any more lenient or patient. He knew as well as she did that their positions were only as permanent as their usefulness. Which, in a way, perhaps his ever-worried inward eye served him well.

With a narrowed gaze, Director Esalis breathed in, then exhaled slowly as she allowed the dark clouds of her expression to grow.

"Is that so."

There were any number of bloated and useless programs existing within the Imperial structure, but it was just as much of a possibility that he was speaking of other more outside entities.

"Stop speaking like some old galactic soothsayer and talk plainly, man."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"You of all people ought to understand the danger that follows plain speech." he warned, drawing a gloved finger up to cover his lips. Schreiger withdrew it, but only after giving a slow look about. His eyes settled on Esalis once again.

"I invited you here to my sanctuary world because in all the galaxy, Falarys is the closest place I come to trusting in information security. So yes, Director, I'll be candid with you here, if only to make you rightfully fearful and understand my reluctance to do it a second time."

Wulfgarn took a measured step back.

"I'm concerned about the Imperial Knights. My concern is multi-faceted. It isn't simply their force-adept nature, but also the number of aliens in their ranks. Their leader is uncomfortably opaque to me as well, and you can understand my reluctance in trying to get too close to uncover him."

[R. S. Esalis]

Memories of Rossos Atrapes reared in her head, and blinking, Esalis allowed herself to angle slightly back, rocking on her heels in the barest of motions. It was not any particular amount of shock with which she received Schreiger's words, but more a flaring of macabre curiosity. The man fed his paranoia well, allowing it to gorge and grow into a veritable monster. It was not a bad thing, considering the positions that both were in, but to see how much it consumed him was what caught her interest.

"The Knights."

Again those two fingers behind her back flicked against clasped knuckles.

"They are - among other things - a very dangerous entity to goad - even in the most subtle of fashions. I would be careful, if I was you, Director."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"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."

[R. S. Esalis]

"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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"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?"

[R. S. Esalis]

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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"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."

[R. S. Esalis]

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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

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?"

[R. S. Esalis]

"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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"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."

[R. S. Esalis]

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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

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."

[R. S. Esalis]

"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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"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?"

[R. S. Esalis]

"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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"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?"

[R. S. Esalis]

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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"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."

[R. S. Esalis]

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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"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."

[R. S. Esalis]

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."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

What was she up to?

Schreiger's dark, thin-lipped expression was fleeting.

"I will inform my valet that you'll be staying for dinner - and the night."

He wrung his hands briefly.

"If you have Coruscanti tastes, you may be disappointed in the selection of dinner, Director. I have specific dietary instructions."

It was as much truth as it was an attempt to dissuade her from this farce. Schreiger detested conventional interactions.

[R. S. Esalis]

The cloud that so very briefly descended over his features was noticed, but she said nothing. Not now, at any rate.

"I'm not bound by taste so much as you may think, Director. I will eat whatever your cooks prepare, so long as it is local."

He was uncomfortable with this, and she twisted the knife just a small bit more.

"Perhaps you know of a suitable sort of entertainment that we can partake in, on this delightfully out-of-the-way planet upon which you seem to enjoy staying?"

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

"As I said before, this is a working retreat."

Schreiger's annoyance stuck to his face, pressing his lips into a thin line.

"My entertainment, as it were, is limited to my art and listening to orchestral pieces during my...analyses."

The ISB Director clenched a black glove fist close to his chin then fidgeted his fingers as he looked away, considering something that remained unsaid. A moment later, he looked back to Esalis.

"I do have something of a side project, however."

His eyes turned to the ceiling.

"Computer, display Project Dawn."

All around them, holographic screens flickered to life, showing dozens of humans - presumably from the village Esalis passed - busy with their day-to-day lives. It was 360 degrees of pure voyeurism on full display. Schreiger said nothing, ignoring Esalis for a moment as he glanced from video to video. His expression turned to one of self-satisfaction.

"Emperor Palpatine held as a foundation of the New Order the primacy of the human race. Their history of adaptation and proliferation against every possible threat in the galaxy meant something more than just happenstance. The human race has shown - time and again - to be the standard of proficiency amongst all sentient life.

I'm interested in that treatise, Director. I want to distill it into its most fundamental essence."

[R. S. Esalis]

She gave only a passing glance to the display that showered around them.

"Is that so."

She was well versed enough in what the Emperor had wanted, and was equally knowledgeable in what their Empress wished. Even so, old habit and inclination pressed to the forefront, and R. S. Esalis was happy to oblige those - especially when they aligned with her own wants. Not necessarily what she needed, no. She tended to those well enough. It was not often that she indulged in her wants. Those came secondary.

But, what Schreiger spoke of now, it was something that she was willing to indulge.

A hand lifted to wave dismissively at the projection, even as she let the other reach to him.

"Then let us move on, yes?"

There was a strange curiosity that fueled her actions. And yet, it was also a drive to know more. This strange creature that was so fastidious, so intent to remain pure. She needed to know what drove him, and what fueled his own needs.

"We will discover this treatise. You wish to distill it; let us... explore that."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

Schreiger took a half step back, eyes narrowing slightly.

"What are you doing?"

[R. S. Esalis]

Even if he had intended for their observations to be something different, Esalis was unwilling to back away. His half-step back was futile, as she held him close. She pressed into him further, even as her hand gripped the neckline of his uniform. The stiff, starched collar bent to her will, and she used it as thing to bring him ever closer.

"Indulge me, Director," her words were huffed out in a husky purr.

Crisp, cool eyes went from his midsection up to his eyes, "Show me the standard of proficiency that the Emperor held above all else."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

Indignantly, Schreiger pushed away Esalis's hand with his own black-gloved one.

"You are mocking me, Director. I do not appreciate it."

She had barely given his work consideration, and instead was either turning it into a caricature, or worse, she was actually intent on turning this invitation on it's head.

"Eugenics is hardly a laughing matter, nor is it a pretense into, into..."

His words failed him, and Schreiger simply frowned at his gloved fingers as he inspected them.

[R. S. Esalis]

"... into your weakness," she finished coolly.

Her grip relented, and she let him gain the space between them that he so craved.

She herself stepped back, tired of the exchange. The reaction she had been witness to was enough, and she filed it away to muse upon at a later time. Half-turning, both of her hands returned to wind together at the small of her back.

"Have one of your underlings see me to my room, Director. I will take my dinner there, and tomorrow I will happily depart your presence."

[Wulfgarn Schreiger]

Hot and then immediately cold again. What was Esalis's game here? He was annoyed, deeply annoyed that he'd brought her into his confidence in order to be rebuked in this way.

Schreiger re-adjusted his collar to return it to order.

"My valet will see to your needs. Good evening."

His attention again returned to the ceiling.

"Computer, close projection."

The holograms disappeared, and Schreiger strode out of the living room onto a balcony, giving him much needed space from his guest.

[R. S. Esalis]

It was a strange thing to see, his flustered nature at being derailed in such a fashion. But it was necessary, and it was a thing that she could learn from. He seemed distracted, unhappy with how she had moved close, then allowed him the space that he so indignantly demanded. It was a thing to ponder over, there was no doubt of that.

The valet was swift, ushering her away to a room that was as simple as it was clean and elegant all the same. Nothing out of place, everything as it was supposed to be.

There was a bed, lavish and made with sheets of the highest threadcount, no doubt. A desk of polished teekwood. A lush sofa that had been imported, she guessed. A low caf table of the same teekwood, a small rounded table with two chairs. It was all spartan, yet luxurious in the same breath.

The valet turned to leave, but she turned to him.

"My pilot has my sundries. Make sure that they are delivered with speed."

"Yes Ma'am, I will."

"Good."

An unspoken dismissal, and she was alone once more.

Moving to the foot of the bed, Esalis slowly lowered herself to sit, one leg crossing over the other as she let her thoughts return to the behavior that she had been witness to not long before.