CT-312
Character
Recently, the Princess had taken another individual into the estate on Eshan.
Valaine Valentine
. Quinn had given the young woman a cottage of her own on the grounds. A place from the main residence to offer privacy without placing her beyond the estate’s security. Very few people knew that she was brought under as an apprentice. CT-312 had been so occupied by recent events that the Scout had only performed a brief background check.BARCA compiled whatever scattered pieces of information that could be gathered without drawing unnecessary attention and had it compiled into a quiet little dossier. Nothing in particular was alarming. Nothing suggested that the Queen of Eshan had somehow managed to bring an active problem directly onto the estate or that it was an underlying threat. There was, however, one recurring incident that connected to the younger woman that BARCA kept flagging and CT-312 knew all too well.
A certain individual attached to Valaine’s history had managed to trip enough of the estate’s quiet alarms, that CT-312 and BARCA had picked up on the overcautious patterns every time the said individual appeared and ‘sneak’ in. She had not found anything worth acting upon yet, instead keeping it in mind.
Her eyes looked at the dossier that was compiled on the HUD. Text can only reveal so much. CT-312 would do her own assessment. Sooner or later, she and Quinn’s newest apprentice were going to meet face-to-face. BARCA had suggested sooner was preferable. That… and decided that meant she should make an effort to be social.
BARCA had combed through the holonet and from its observations from interactions around CT-312 during assignments and missions on how people were supposed to become acquainted without making the encounter feel like an interrogation. A socially acceptable manner. According to BARCA’s research, people generally become more comfortable and encouraged through shared activities: conversations, travel, and situations that allows the individual to appear not overly threatening.
CT-312 stared at BARCA’s list of civilian lifestyle recommendations, wondering if BARCA had been allowed too much unrestricted access to the holonet forums. Early morning light barely reached into the kitchen. The room itself was washed in muted gray and pale gold from the windows. Everything in the cottage remained quiet. CT-312 occupied one side of a small dining table.
Her camouflage-patterned armour looked distinctly out of place against the domestic surroundings. The chair where she sat had been partially turned away from the table so she could watch the entrance without having to reposition herself. Both legs were extended slightly outward, while her arms remained folded across her armored chest. CT-312’s helmet faced toward the kitchen’s entrance and beyond. Waiting.
The time remained at the corner of the HUD. Her eyes drifted toward it for a moment before returning to the dossier suspended across the display. It was early enough that most would probably have objected to being awake at all. Giving Valaine’s profile one final look, then dismissing the file with a small movement of her eye controls. The information from her HUD cleared, leaving CT-312’s view unobstructed.
Going into the remains of Black Sun territory qualified as a “get to know each other” trip, didn’t it?
Quinn and CT-312 had conducted business throughout those territories before the Black Sun disappeared as a meaningful galactic power. What remained of the organization had fractured or disappeared entirely, but criminal networks like that never vanish completely. There were still a few things worth checking and a few loose ends that needed to be cleaned up. Technically it involved travel and spending time together… there might even be conversation.
CT-312’s helmet tilted a fraction, speaking in the confines of her helmet for only BARCA to hear. “That counts as a bonding trip, right?”
[ SOCIAL ACTIVITY PARAMETERS: IT FALLS WITHIN ACCEPTABLE PARAMETERS ]
A second line appeared beneath it after a second pause.
[ PROBABILITY CIVILIAN SOURCES INTENDED ARMED TRAVEL INTO FORMER CRIMINAL TERRITORY: 3.7% ]
Her gloved index finger began lightly tapping against the armored plating covering her opposite bicep while her arms remained folded. “3.7% still counts.”
[ TECHNICALLY. ]
Air pushed softly through her nose, trapped within the sealed helmet. CT-312 found herself wondering how different Valaine would be from the Princess’s previous apprentice. She even listened to BARCA’s suggestion, choosing to come here voluntarily unannounced and wait in the kitchen rather than simply barging into her room and informing her that they were leaving on an impromptu trip. That qualified as cordial. Probably.
CT-312’s finger continued its slow occasional tap against her armor while she remained seated. Waiting. She would give Valaine another thirty minutes. If Quinn’s newest apprentice had not fully awaken by then, BARCA’s advice about appearing approachable was getting discarded entirely. She would wake her up herself and she already had several methods in mind.