Counterfeits and Counterparts

[Dasquian Belargic]

The races at the Tiaran’grast sling racing course had yet to begin when Dasquian Belargic arrived. In a matter of hours, the rocky canyons ahead would echo with the roaring of speeder bike engines, but for now there was only stillness and silence. Only a handful of Bothans, preparing the trackside spaces for the day ahead. The first time he’d come to the tracks, a greying, old Bothan had politely informed him that he was far too early for the races, that he should come back later, but now - the old Bothan simply tipped his cap in greeting as Dasquian climbed his way up into the empty stands and took a seat near the back.

As Belargic sank down into the hard wooden seat, there was a buzz in his jacket pocket. With something verging on a grimace, he retrieved the datacard that was nestled against his chest and thumbed it to life. The screen scrolled with a stream of incoming notifications, forwarded securely from his offices in the capital Drev’starn.

Every day, there were more messages, more busywork. More matters that needed the approval or attention of the Director of Alliance Security. There was something almost therapeutic about it, at times. Working through the list of notifications, he delegated one after another with a quick swipe of his finger. Resource requests, operational reports, briefings, new personnel appointments, import charters. The artefacts of bureaucracy. The stream of information coming into Alliance Security was almost endless, but each day he would clear the queue away.

All but two messages, sitting unopened at the bottom of the queue.

A message from the offices of Senator Elaine Alastor, titled: Your brother.

A message from Grace which said only: We need to talk. Please.

Dasquian thumbed the datacard off and stuffed it back inside his jacket. He looked out to the mountain canyons, eyes narrowed.

“Not today,” he said to himself, lips pursing for a moment into a hard line. Not today. Today, the Director was busy.

[Dasquian Belargic]

By mid-morning, the stands were filling up. The crowd was a mixture of locals - Tiaran’grast residents for whom the sling racing tracks were a part of life - and off-worlders. Establishing the hub of the Alliance government on Bothawui had caused small population bursts all around the planet’s key cities and meant that the sight of off-duty military personnel loitering about places like the Tiaran’grast stands wasn’t completely out of the ordinary. The Bothan family who ran the tracks took these new arrivals in their stride, maintaining the same apparent indifference that Dasquian had come to think of as a hallmark of his interactions with the Bothan species. It didn’t bother them in the slightest, to live and work among beings of all creeds and colours, as long as Bothawui ultimately benefited from the change.

Thinking on the benefits of collaborating across cultures, Dasquian checked his chrono. He pulled himself to his feet and walked down to one of the low fences that separated the stands from the enclosure where the racers worked on their airspeeders, preparing for the race. Leaning his forearms against the railing, he watched with half-feigned interest as a pair of mechanics struggled to diagnosis an unexpected engine problem.

After a few minutes, he felt someone approaching the railing beside him.

“Bonjeu,” he said, not turning to look at the person.

[Alice Di Scarra]

Visiting Bothawui or meeting at race tracks wasn't novelty to Alice. Blending in wherever life took her professionally and personally had been a lot in life she had embraced over the years. Where most of her fellow recruits from the Royal Academy continued in military service for the Consortium, she had known early that working in the shadows was what she loved best, and had willingly chosen to work for Hapan Intelligence instead. It suited her better and she had proven her value in the past years. She mused over such things as she made it to the Tiaran’grast sling racing tracks.

The tall Hapan had moved through dim hallways and easily made her way there. While other agents had had to adjust to the lack of permanent light outside of the Cluster, Alice's tragic episode during the academy had proven a perfect twist of fate. Having lost both her eyes when a jealous comrade had tried to vie for more prestige - much to her demise, Alice had survived the murder attempt, but had found her cybernetic eyes most practical since then. Pragmatism was something she held dear, as it was fertile ground for better decision-making and survival abilities.

The brunette (https://www.mustahoyhen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/nordenfeldt_tarjaturunen1.jpg) eventually saw sight of her contact and made her way towards him. The Theselon-born agent was more likely not to express outright disdain towards men due to the particular gender dynamic on her home world, as well as having once been trained as a Sith by a male mentor, an aspect of her history obviously kept secret due to the strong anti-Force user sentiment that still prevailed in such large parts of the galaxy.

Alice briefly smirked to herself, considering how her odd nature and traits collided fine to make her good at her job. Walking up to whom she had come to see, she stopped by his side, returning the Hapan greetings. "Bonjeu," she stated quietly, waiting to see what exactly was expected of her.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Belargic turned his head a fraction, regarding the woman out of the corner of his eye. She was beautiful, of course. There was no reality in which the Hapes Consortium would dispatch an agent who was anything other than beautiful; their innate, collective vanity would simply not permit it.

That Dasquian had left the Hapes Cluster over a decade ago had done nothing his command of the Hapan language. He’d been born and raised on the throneworld of Hapes and still spoke his mother tongue with the accent of the Consortium’s capital. “Could you confirm for me the passphrase provided by your Director of Intelligence?”

When the agent responded with the correct coded phrase, Dasquian nodded to himself. “I’m Dasquian Belargic, Director of Alliance Security. Good to meet you,” he said, turning to face the agent directly. There was a time when the name of House Belargic would have caused outrage in the Consortium, thanks entirely to his father, a reckless pirate who boasted of a claim to the throne, but there was every chance that the years had worn away the scandal attached to the Belargic name.

[Alice Di Scarra]

Her own Director had failed to mention that her contact was Hapan, although his command of the language was one of a native. Speaking in Hapan outside of the Cluster was also a good cover she thought. She observed the man at the corner of her eye, and responded to his question with fake but credible nonchalance. "The lion aimed for the rainbow gem but the throne crushed him." She had always found code phrases to be intriguing; for most of them made little sense in the specific context, which was their strength; but some could have meanings. She wasn't privy to whatever this one might possess though, if it was the case.

"Good to meet you as well, Director Belargic. I am Special Agent Alice Di Scarra."

She was unlikely in need to provide her information; but it was the polite thing to do regardless. Even when she operated with fewer details than the contact, she preferred being upfront about matters, in this case, her identity. The name sounded like one she must have heard in the past; but she couldn't think of the situation. She pushed that aside, instead focusing on whatever the Director had to discuss with her.

[Dasquian Belargic]

“Depending on your perspective, you either have the good fortune or the misfortune to be part of an… experiment. As Director of Security, I’m.. partly responsible for uploading the law within Alliance space, which it seems the Hapes Cluster is now part of.”

It had yet to sink in, for Dasquian, that the Consortium - the isolationist, arrogant Consortium - had elected to throw their lot in with the Alliance. Granted, he was glad to have the might of the Hapan Royal Navy alongside the Alliance fleet, rather than against it, but it was still difficult to believe. Growing up on Hapes, Dasquian had only ever heard the wider Galaxy spoken of in sneering terms, if at all. Self-sufficiency and primacy defined everything about Hapan society, which shunned foreigners as eagerly as it did physical imperfection.

“‘Technically, I ought to have direct supervision of your agency, but…”

For all their newfound willingness to cooperate, however, there were certain lines that House Alastor evidently would not cross. Most members of the Alliance retained their sovereignty, but ultimately submitted to the oversight of central agencies like Alliance Security. Though Hapes had dispatched it’s agents into the various branches of the Alliance military, the arrangement was not reciprocal. Not yet, at least.

“For now, we’ve agreed that it would be beneficial if my agents, and representatives of your agency, could work more closely together in our monitoring of the borders between the Cluster and the wider Alliance territories.”

[Alice Di Scarra]

On a personal level, the decision of the Consortium to join the Alliance baffled Alice. By all means, she was but a cog in the grand scheme of the Consortium; but it didn't mean she could figure out why in the galaxy certain political choices were made. Yet she had pledged to serve the crown, and by extension working with their allies. She remained awfully quiet as she listened to Director Belargic's explanations. The mere idea of her agency being controlled by an outside force made her skin crawl; but she had learned to conceal so much in her life that it was an easy feat.

"What are your expectations, sir?"

A very brief smirk passed on her face, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. She definitely could see why she had been assigned to this particular mission. As "hard ass" as she could be, according to many a whisper among her peers, she got things done, and she managed not to eat every male alive when working outside of the Cluster's borders. It wasn't that she didn't want to eat some of them alive; but she was more comfortable interacting with their kind in a non-matriarchal setting than other Hapan agents.

"The only detail I got from my own director was that this assignment was a rather long-term one. Will it require me to move out of the Cluster, or will I remain in transit, as I believe you will still need me to interact extensively with my own people."

[Dasquian Belargic]

“You will be working with me, mainly operating at the intersection between the Cluster and the rest of the Alliance. We’re unlikely to stay in one place for any… significant amount of time.”

Dasquian paused as a group of young Bothans passed, offering them smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“For the duration of the assignment, which is unknown at this point, you’ll report to me directly. I’ve been asked to provide frequent updates on our work to your superiors, and I’m under no illusions that they’ll privately ask you to do the same. If we can work together well, this could be the beginning of a... mututally beneficial relationship between our two agencies, so I'd appreciate your.. candor in anything that you do decide to share privately.”

[Alice Di Scarra]

"Choosing what to disclose is at the core of what we do," she remarked curtly, for she had her personal card to play in this assignment. Regardless of her personal opinion on the new ties between the Consortium and the Alliance, she knew when to play by the rules.

At least the Director wasn't delusional. It was a good trait to have, especially for a man in his position. After all, Alice could recognize that some male were more capable than others; but she may not have very high hopes about Belargic yet. Even though he was much higher in the hierarchy than she was in either Agencies, it didn't mean she would by everything coming out of his mouth at face value. And field work would also see how skillful and reliable he actually was. She knew too well how some agents climbed up the ranks and then settled all too easily behind a desk, such as her own Director.

One of the reasons why she was looking forward to this new assignment was building her own credentials and eventually work hard enough that she would become the Director of Hapan Intelligence. It was her goal, one she kept private. She didn't hide her ambition; but had always worked hard and smart. The exact aim of her ambition was for her to keep concealed for now.

"What's next?" She didn't have any more practical questions, for she knew how to travel light, and was always ready to go to her next destination. So there was no reason to linger and do small talk.

[Dasquian Belargic]

“Umbara.”

Dasquian reached into his jacket, retrieving a small datacard. He handed it to Agent Di Scarra. It detailed a brief profile of the planet and the surrounding Ghost Nebula. Unless they were working at the bleeding edge borders of Hapan space, Dasquian felt it was safe to assume that Alice had no knowledge of the wider galaxy. Known colloquially as the Shadow World, Umbara did not directly border Hapan space but sat on a hyperspace route that skirted close by.

“I understand you have a better tolerance to darkness than your peers.”

Decades outside of the Hapes Cluster had given Dasquian the ability to see in the darkness, in a way that Hapan’s who remained within the Cluster rarely could.

“The Umbaran’s are being… awkward. They have intelligence to share, but they're only willing to discuss the matter face to face.” At that, Dasquian looked directly at Alice and lifted an eyebrow.

[Alice Di Scarra]

Alice had heard the name Umbara before; but she hadn't been there. She nodded as she took the datacard the Director handed to her. She appreciated whatever information he was willing to provide. She had traveled beyond Hapan space on a few occasions, but frankly she knew the Cluster way better. That was another reason she was looking forward to this new assignment. She had been chewing on her leash for a while, and needed to expand her horizons and stretch her skills.

Belargic's observation about her sight was met with another nod. "Better tolerance than most humanoid at this point," she replied, for it seemed obvious that the man knew about her cybernetic eyes. She had chosen not to affix any sort of extra interface at the moment; but it was always an option she had, based on the model she had been provided with. The doctor who had operated on her had made sure she had potentialities beyond her original choice after she had lost both her eyes. All things considered, if life hadn't got in the way, plucking her own eyes to get cybernetic ones would have been smart anyway, now that she had enjoyed the great difference it made.

"How soon should I be on Umbara then? Yesterday?"

[Dasquian Belargic]

“We’re taking a transport this afternoon,” Dasquian said, turning his back to the sling racing track. “Abre Vorasq, the Umbaran's representative in the Alliance Senate, has.. kindly provided us a berth aboard his ship.”

The stands around them were getting busy. Dasquian took one last look around, then nodded off towards the path that would lead back into Drev’starn. He walked side by side with Alice in silence, until they were a short distance outside of the tracks. Then, considering the special agent with a sidelong glance, he continued.

“Have you had much in the way of contact with non-Hapans?”

[Alice Di Scarra]

Alice was the kind to travel light, always ready for wherever work would send her. She had learned that from her training, both for Hapan Intelligence and her Sith education, although the latter was a private matter. Given that until fairly recently, Force users were still looked down upon in the Cluster, and that in other places in the galaxy they were still persona non grata, she had no interest in revealing what she was. She also liked having a few aces up her sleeve that no one could predict.

"I will meet you at the landing bay," she commented about their imminent departure. Getting into the swing of things right away was to her liking. Space travel offered opportunities to figure things out, especially when only a couple of agents were on a mission. Large scale operations could require extensive logistical preparation, but this seemed not to be the case for this first joint assignment.

The next question made sense, and she admitted the truth, for it was in both their interest. She didn't have to explain everything about said truth after all. "I have interacted with humans, some Ithorians, assorted humanoids, and a couple of grumpy Wookiees over the years. Still limited by your standards, I presume. I haven't interacted with Umbaran before today."

[Dasquian Belargic]

The Director nodded faintly to himself as they walked. “There’s no particular… customs or etiquette you need to keep in mind. They’re humanoid and think very highly of themselves, so perhaps it’ll feel just like being back at home.”

Most residents of the Consortium would go their whole life, never looking upon the face of a ka'zaqash, a foreigner. Was it her assignment with Hapan intelligence that had lead special agent Di Scarra to meet not one but multiple Wookiees, or something else? Whatever the case, Dasquian hoped that she had enough experience to be unphased in the face of the gaunt, ghostly appearance of the Umbarans.

He paused, and turned to look directly at Alice. “The transport is docked in a bay attached to Senate building, under the Senator's name. I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

With that said, he continued on ahead, to wander into and become lost in the crowds of Drev'starn city proper.

[Alice Di Scarra]

"That's good to know." Alice didn't comment on how it might feel like being back at home. That was quite a stretch really. It wasn't so surprising though, given that Belargic had been away from the Cluster for so long. While Alice may not have such deep prejudice against males as other Hapans, she nevertheless knew that males could misunderstand the quality of Hapan life more often than not. She was here to get a job done; not argue over cultural semantics.

She nodded to the Director's information about where and when they would meet next. She didn't even try to follow his silhouette blend in with the crowds. She had more pressing matters to attend.

She went back to the place where she had been staying the previous night to retrieve her light luggage, essentials ranging from clothing, ration bars, to some portable equipment and weapons. As always, her lightsaber was safely tucked away in zipped pouch that disguised its shape at her belt. She never trusted having it anywhere else than on her person.

She made it to the Senate building early enough that she took time to get some food and caf, for she didn't know how the space travel would unfold. Once she was done, she killed the little extra time she had by getting a better idea of the areas of the Senate she had access to, before making her way to the docking bay, finding it with ease.

[Dasquian Belargic]

It was not difficult to spot the Umbaran party. The dozen or so figures moving about the docking bay appeared as if viewed through a monochromatic filter. Pale-skinned and white-haired, even their clothes were in muted shades of charcoal and bone-white. While dock workers helped to load unmarked cargo onto the ship, the Senator himself - a middle-aged man, dressed immaculately in a suit and waistcoat the colour of durasteel - stood overseeing the proceedings with shrewd eyes.

An aide, a nervous young man in a waistcoat matching the Senator’s, approached Alice. “Quist Dala, ma’am. Aide to Senator Vorasq. The Senator was informed that two military personnel would be accompanying him,” he said, his white eyes shifting to either side of the woman as if to note the absence of a second person.

“Are we ready to depart?” called a voice from the docking bay entrance. Long strides carried Dasquian Belargic towards the ship. A detour (https://www.theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?57857-Like-Passing-Ships) on route to the city had cut his arrival time close, but he had made it.

“Ah, yes - yes, sir,” Quist stammered, turning to follow the Director of Alliance Security as he strode towards the Senator’s ship.

Dasquian didn’t appear to be waiting for an answer, however. He came to a stop at the bottom of the boarding ramp and turned, glancing back towards Alice and then Vorasq.

“After you, Senator,” he said, with a tight smile. “I’m sure you’re eager to get under way.”

[Alice Di Scarra]

A few years back, Alice would have probably gone slightly crazy over all the aliens around the city, even the Umbaran party before them, as she reached the docking bay. Her Sith training had broken some habits out of her, and her spy work had helped complete that. She would be lying if she said she was enjoying being with aliens that much; but at the same time she had a very good sabacc face, and altogether body language.

She recognized the senator from the file Belargic had given her, and which she had reviewed on the way. She nodded to the aide. "Alice Di Scarra," she introduced herself in response to the younger man.

When the Director showed up, she noted how late he showed up, though at least he was on time. Chewing out your mission leader for being late would have probably looked bad on her file, but she would have very much likely done it if necessarily. Unreliable people were plagues.

Catching up with Bellargic, and standing by his side, she waited for the Senator to board, and then they followed. She had little idea of how this space trip would unravel; but she wasn't the kind to bail out on a challenge. Maybe some fellow Hapan spies were glad not to have her around for a while, but she was having once in a lifetime opportunities to become even more skilled and build further credentials that would take her higher up the Intelligence food chain.

[Dasquian Belargic]

“Preflight checks are complete,” said a voice over the Consular-class cruiser’s internal comms. The thrum of the engines vibrated through the decking beneath their feet. One of the Senator’s staff elbowed their way past Dasquian and Alice, jogging off down the corridor ahead with the urgency of someone who wasn’t expecting to be taking off so soon, while Vorasq himself took a more leisurely stroll to the ship’s interior.

“I will be in the salon pod (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Salon_pod/Legends), Quist,” he said, without looking back, or even so much as acknowledging the two Hapans. “I don’t expect to be interrupted.”

“Yes, sir.” While Vorasq walked away, his aide turned to Dasquian and Alice. “The Senator has a lot of, uh, Senate… business… to deal with, sir, ma’am.”

“We’re only passengers, Quist,” Dasquian said. “We aren’t looking to take up any of the Senator’s time, only space on board his ship. Is there anywhere in particular you’d like us to go, to keep out of the way?”

Quist chewed his lip in thought, and shifted awkwardly out of the way as one of the cruiser's droid crew members rolled along the hallway past him. “The, ah, upper deck state rooms should.. be.. fine, I think.”

“Brilliant. Thank you for your help.” Belargic smiled, a genuine smile, then gestured for Alice to follow as he set off into the ship.

When they were on their way to the upper deck, he spoke in a lower voice. “It shouldn’t take long to reach Umbara,” he said, lapsing back into Hapan without even thinking about it. “Unless you have any.. private matters to attend to during the flight, I’d recommend spending some time getting to grips with the layout of the ship. These diplomatic cruisers are all built with the same deck plan. It’d be worth you familiarising yourself with it.”

[Alice Di Scarra]

Alice was already taking in all the surroundings out of habits. She remained silent as she let Belargic do the talking with the Umbarans. She had no qualms about speaking up; but she also knew when staying quiet was the smartest course of action, as it was at the moment. She didn't always blend in with the greatest ease, depending on the settings, and right then and there, keeping to herself was the best idea. By drawing less attention to her, she could also observe with more ease. She listened to all the information shared about who would be where. She definitely wanted to explore the ship, for it was the first time she was aboard one of this kind. She knew the Hapan cruisers and assorted ship classes quite well; but this one was different.

Falling in stride by Belargic's side, she noted how he reverted to Hapan, which was most fine by her. "No private matters here. I was already planning to get familiar with the ship, even more now that you say it is a pretty standard layout. The last thing I want is getting lost or even looking lost."

With a last nod to him, she didn't linger and ventured further into the ship, for they could reunite prior to their arrival. And if the Director suddenly needed her, she bet he could find her easily enough.