The mouse droid shrieked, wailing out a melodic, yet awful mechanical squeal as every speaker in the room came alive with the stranger's voice with through the static that blared to life. The sounds rattled through the old archive chamber, bouncing off shelves of half-restored data cores. The sudden appearance of a new voice had startled the mouse droid so badly that it had sent the droid skittering behind Braze's boot as if some how the young man could protect it from the techno-ghost haunting their archive systems.
Braze's exhausted gaze shifted from the blank terminal to the demonic neon smile blooming across the screen, then down to the trembling mouse droid pressed against his ankle.
"…Easy, Chirper," he murmured gently before looking back up staring at the terminal's black glass as sickly neon colored light spilled across his face seemingly zoning out the way some one who was far too exhausted would do when trying to think but coming up with mind fog instead of cohesive thoughts. Then he leaned back in his chair slinking down a little.
"You bypassed the dead-drop condition... I'll concede that you are capable, dangerous, and worth the expensive price tag." He said softly in that oddly tiered tone. "You're exactly the kind of skilled person I need. " He said considering that the may also need a leash before being allowed near Jedi archive systems. He was struggling to make good decisions whilst in this oddly delirious state of effect.
"I can see you find circumventing rules an exciting challenge to be savored rather than a warning to be heeded;"
Braze reached into his cloak and pulled out a slim data card, holding it between two fingers for the camera of the screen to see.
"You have shown and proven that you are both clever and capable..." Braze said, his tone kept light. "
But I need someone I can trust to deliver the information I need. "
He eased the card into the main terminal.
The moment it clicked into place, the program auto-executed. Pale green text rolled across the screen as the screening packet opened itself, one line after another, without Braze needing to touch another key.
"So here is your actual screening."
A short packet appeared in the empty window: a sealed fragment wrapped in false metadata, marked with one simple request.
[ ENCRYPTED SCREENING PACKET ]
● RECORDING IN PROGRESS
SESSION LOGGING ENABLED // INPUT MONITOR ACTIVE // TRACE RESPONSE CAPTURED
TRACE THIS ONLY TO ITS FIRST FALSE WALL.
DO NOT BREACH THE WALL.
DO NOT COPY THE PAYLOAD.
DO NOT WAKE THE WATCHER.
SYSTEM READY. ENGAGE SCREENING PROTOCOL?
┌─────────────── INPUT NAVIGATION ───────────────┐
▶ ▣ ENGAGE ▢ DECLINE ▢ TERMINATE
[ ↑ ]
[ ← ] [ ↓ ] [ → ]
[ ENTER ]
USE ARROW KEYS TO SELECT // PRESS ENTER TO ENGAGE
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
"Show me you can stop." Braze glanced down at it, then back to the screen, then to
0-7
"And apologize to Chirper. He is sensitive." 
