Private 2300

[Kaelon Virex]

Kael listened without interrupting, his expression steady but thoughtful, the curve of his mouth hinting at a smirk only when she threw shade at the Jedi. When she finished, he gave a small nod—slow, deliberate, the kind that said he wasn't just agreeing for the sake of it, but actually taking her words on board.

"Alright," he said quietly. "I hear you. No compass-twisting from the Jedi side of things."

His gaze flicked past her shoulder for a moment, the kind of distant look he got when gears started turning in his head. Then it came back to her, a little brighter now, his smile sharpening into something conspiratorial.

"So… speaking of choices," he said, leaning in slightly, voice dropping to a low murmur, "what if we made one before we even land?"

He tilted his head, gauging her reaction.

"I've been thinking—when we hit Endor, guard zero-zero-one is bound to be on the perimeter. We take him out—quietly—and I pose as him. It gets us in without alarms, gives me a chance to move around the grounds like I belong there. Learn patrol patterns, weak spots… all of it."

One corner of his mouth tugged up into a crooked grin.

"What do you think?"

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade's lips quirked at his conspiratorial grin. It was tempting, the way he spun his ideas, almost the way she did, seemingly random but very much at pace with an inner clock only he could hear.

But she tilted her head, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "You make it sound deliciously simple," she said, her voice low, almost indulgent. "But think about it… We don't know patrol routes, we don't know shifts, we don't even know if zero-zero-one is going to be standing where you imagine him. If you slip into his skin, sure, you'll look the part… but what happens the second someone expects him to know something you don't? One wrong answer and we're burnt before we've even sniffed the perimeter." She paused, "Well, you get burned."

She leaned back, gaze steady, "I'm not saying no. I'm saying we need more than a hunch to gamble everything on." Then her lips curved into a dangerous little smile. "Give me something solid, a sliver of intel, a crack to pry at, and I'll help you turn the whole perimeter inside out."


Kaelon Virex

 

[Kaelon Virex]

“Fair,” he admitted, tilting his head. “You’re right. If I walk in blind, I’m not infiltrating—I’m volunteering for a firing squad.”

He shifted his stance, arms crossing loosely as if to keep his thoughts from spilling too fast. “So here’s the adjustment: we don’t go for him cold. We watch him first. Track his shift, see who he talks to, what doors he’s trusted with, whether anyone salutes him or ignores him.”

Kael’s eyes flickered with that same mischievous spark she’d seen before. “Once we’ve got that sliver of intel, then I move. By then, I won’t just look the part—I’ll know enough to fake it. And if anyone asks something I can’t answer…” He smirked, leaning closer. “…I improvise. You’ve seen me improvise.”

He gave her a small, questioning lift of his brows. “Would that make the gamble worth it?”