Faction Contra | NIO Imperial Security Bureau

[IMPCOM]

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I M P E R I A L _ S E C U R I T Y _ B U R E A U
C O N T R A

NEW IMPERIAL ORDER​

ORINDA​

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War always changes. One of the harsh realities which directly contradicted a too commonly espoused proverb. It was up to the troopers, the soldiers on the ground and the ships high in orbit to fight the wars. It took the ISB to change it.

While the Third Imperial Civil War continued to drag on, the New Imperial Orders saw victories only sparingly more often than they ever faced defeat. It was a welcome reality rewarding the tenacity of the rebellion where almost every analytic might've spelled for a quick and decisive Sith victory. But they could only rely on brawn for so long.

Bastion was the next target set in the sights of the Braxant Campaign, the most heavily fortified planet in the Galaxy. Amidst a galaxy already scorched in the flames of war, the New Imperial Order sought to claw up the mountain to its peak and collapse the court of the dark gods in on itself.

Even still, Bastion would only be a checked box, a pointed end to a single phase of a single war. The foundations for much more would need to be laid down. The all seeing eye needed to open. Within a meeting area attached to the Command Center within the ISB Headquarters on Orinda, Thane awaited them.

​

His origins were no more enigmatic than the Imperial Order's best.

Thane. One of many Chiss liaisons to the Sith and one of the few who dared to cross the crimson curtain and into the embrace of defiance that the New Imperial Order offered. Morals, power, whatever it was he was in their service now. A list of candidates were brought to him, some names inscribed bolder than others but all in all, they were no one, nothing. Ideal for what they would be needed for. Some faces shone far too bright to lurk in the shadows.

"The Order is not without its enemies, both those who are brazen enough to meet us on the field of battle and those who prowl the darkness both within and without. The dossiers of each of you spell one narrative but you all know yourselves far more better than analytics and field reports. The ISB has deemed all of you as adept candidates to be inducted into the ranks be it as field operatives or coordinators. So do tell me, what sets you apart?" The Chiss inquired coldly.

IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU
THE ALL SEEING EYE​

Spoiler: Imperial Security Bureau | NIO

Aerith Castiella
Ivan Stadd
Zori Kapshan
Hazel Scheler
Daedalos Solidor
Jackson Vernault

 

[Mahriah Metuna]

IMPCOM

The uniform had never felt right, but the ideals it stood for certainly did. Although she was rigid in her stance and posture, beneath the fleshy prison for her ribcage beat a juvenile heart. They had tried to fix her in ‘The Hall’. They had tried to fix her in the military and all that she had learned to do was to hide it, or at least so it had been at first. Her report spoke of a recruit that excelled in leadership, breezed through standardized physical tests, and had no issue with the mental examinations. There were some questionable shooting, but her options had nonetheless landed her either a seat in artillery or special forces.

Given where she was right now, it was fair to assume that she had gone with the latter. Not because she was particularly thrilled about being in the army — at first — but because the skills one acquired in the Special Forces came in useful during many potential side-hustles, legal or otherwise. Meanwhile artillery was to load phallic explosives into a tube and watch them fly at best. Between handling phallic objects all day and being a knife in the dark, the choice really made itself.

So, with that in mind why would the ISB hire her? In reality because it would make for an even greater means to empower herself and keep her lessers beneath her boot, but also because — well, if it wasn’t this, then what was it? Regular work — a desk job — would never work out. For the past eleven years she had gone from Private Metuna to Lieutenant Metuna. When all you had on your resume was how to command a small group of soldiers to destabilize volatile situations, you really didn’t have all that many job offers to look for.

“Ideally nothing sets us apart.” The Imperial accent lingered under each rolled consonant. It was exposed with each vowel that breezed through her teeth and out her lips as she spoke. To her it felt like the most obvious answer. What were they gonna do if it was wrong? Put her back in Special Forces? Oh no, the travesty. “We’ve all lived and bled for the cause, ended threats as needed ending, kept vigil over those that are brave enough to fold under the one true Imperial banner.”

“I’d say the question is rather why you’d need to ask those that have sought you out why they should be the ones to get picked when you clearly have each of our dossiers in your hand, sir. You already know why we should be chosen or not.”

 

[Aerith Krayt]

IMPCOM

She had been here before. She had told herself she wouldn't be here again. Yet, here she was. Why? It was simple. The front line just wasn't cutting it for her. Her disgrace on Borosk still stung at her, and in all honesty she felt like she was being put to waste. She was born in the Empire, she knew how it worked, how it's people thought, and most importantly how to get into the Sith ranks. It made the most sense that she would go forward. She was never going to fit into a normal civilian life, nor a military detachment. Her squad already gave her side eyes when she would tank blaster shots and the synthetic flesh peeled away. She was a freak, and that was that. A child soldier used by another Sith for some screwed up scheme he had thought up. Was it a risk? Absolutely, but deep down, she felt it was the only way to make the nightmares stop.

She had convinced herself that this time it would be different when she went in. Unlike with the Sith, she wouldn't be murdering innocents, no more children being left orphaned, no more questioning who she was killing, or the guilt that came with it. They had no more control over her, their cybernetic war dog had gotten loose and wasn't going to let them control her anymore. She had the leash, and she was going to bite them right on their rear. It was the least she could do after all. This would be her redemption.

She waited for the one woman (Mahriah Metuna ) to finish, giving her small answer as to why she should be accepted. It seemed a reasonable response, though a tad bold. Perhaps that's exactly what they were looking for though, you couldn't be a spy and be weak and meager; hell, you couldn't be most things with that poor attitude. Standing at attention, the cyborg woman would answer next, her posture almost freakishly perfect as she spoke. "We each have a set of abilities and skills that will prove useful in field operations. The reason we are here, is we show a degree of flexibility, intelligence, and know how that is invaluable for someone within ISB. We wouldn't be here if we didn't show that result. With respect sir, I see the question as redundant." Aerith's shoulders arched up just a hair before they popped back to their natural position. "You already know what sets us apart. That's why we are here." As much as she hated government agencies, she knew they didn't like wasting their time with recruiting.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

In all actuality, Ivy would have liked to know why she was here.

As a war veteran she'd seen nigh all aspects of battle, and though she had always tried to maintain the moral high-ground there were moments in her life she regretted. Many she wasn't proud of. Others that would haunt her until they no longer could. She couldn't run those battleground operations anymore, not like she used to. Taken one-too-many hits, died a few too many times. It was never easy to admit when you aught to retire, but she reached that point about ten years prior after her run with the Moross Crusade.

I don't fight anymore, she'd told a man over a drink a few nights ago, don't have it in me. My body can't keep up.

But I do help people, and I'll continue to do so until I can't.

She'd given him her Mercenary calling card and the rest was all on file. Skills, jobs, experience, history. All there to read in black and white.

Now she found herself invited to join a group of people likely half her age. The Merc sat, listening to a talk she felt she'd heard a dozen times before. Ivy sighed and kept her silence. It had been a long time since she had to sell herself and, frankly, she was too old for it anymore. Best to let the others have their spotlight, she was plenty content to let them speak and watch them, read them, begin to understand them. Paid to know the people you called comrade.

 

[Rowan Corde]

//: Tender Lies //:
//: Mahriah Metuna//: Aerith Castiella //: Hazel Scheler //: IMPCOM //:

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The message was sent, feelers reached out, and Rowan answered. Only a few had the address to the inbox where the letter was sent, the sender had something interesting to say. Also, had a bit of flattery in the legal wording, but she could always find something flattering even when the words were dull and dry. Rowan had wondered when the Imperials were going to get things up and running and stop wasting her time with contracts that were far and few between. Having left the Saaraishash when Vaulkhar and Tavlar made their grand exit, Rowan decided they were the stronger of the two forces, which meant work would be plentiful. ​

What a lie. ​

Upon reading the summon, she scoffed and thought about seeing if the SIA in the Alliance had use for someone like her. Though that little beskar horn on Tavlar head always gave her that good chill, she bit her lower lip. The man just had a presence, but that’s all he did for her. Either way, Rowan decided that she had made her bed with the New Imperials, so she might see what that bed felt like. She quickly moved about her apartment and gathered the few bits and bobs she owned and left, ignoring the entirety of that constricting and stiff Imperial uniform. She hated the thing so much it was still in the plastic that it arrived in. ​

Heels hit the hard ground as she rounded the corner into the room where everyone seemed to be waiting. Eyes made contact with each woman’s face, memorizing it and catching any little twitch they had. It was interesting how people were, small movements or shifts could tell you more about someone than their own words. After her examination, the Atrisian pulled the dark glasses from her face and folded them with care. In one of her short trench coat pockets, she fished out a designer case and placed the glasses in, then to her pocket. ​

Perfection etched her face as she didn’t look towards any of the women that spoke; it seemed the last one didn’t wish to talk, so after a few moments of awkward silence - she cleared her throat. Unlike the others, she didn’t have an Imperial accent. It was easier to mimic others if she had erased her own born tone. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips while she spoke, “Results. That’s the difference between me and the others. I deliver the results you and your bosses want.” The smirk widened as she rested her hand under her chin, “By any means necessary.” The NIO already had her dossier, there was no reason to sit here and act like she needed the job they were offering. ​

Since the beginning of this war since the split, she was loyal since the division, and she wasn’t going to grovel to some government. The woman felt her dues were paid, and they knew her results. Some part of her was irritated, but she hid it quite well behind the soft smile that followed the conceited smirk. If the ISB didn’t want her, there would be someone else out there who would pay her price. ​

Though, her father’s disgusting streak of honor and loyalty bled into her heart. So, she hoped that her answer was just enough to warrant the ISB contract. ​

 

[IMPCOM]

T H A N E​

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So for the first wave of these candidates had now assembled within this meeting chamber. And they were all...well, as much precognition as Thane claimed to wield in his subconscious, he did not expect...this. All the same, on first glance, they'd all do the job well. Whatever job they'd be assigned on. He could only glean an expertise from each of them on first glance but he'd been involved within this arena long enough to know that appearances can be deceiving.

The initial responses from Aerith Castiella and Mahriah Metuna were endearing to the Chiss's own inquisitive nature. Were he seated in their position, he might've asked spoke along similar lines of inquiry.

Hazel Scheler presented herself in silence, not as if she had to explain any of the storied career.

Then came Rowan Corde , another vessel of sweet lies. All the ISB could ask for, at least for what their line of work required.

"You're all correct...at least...in some form or another. Whatever you were before, you are now integrated into the all-seeing eye. Together, we will snuff out the enemies of our order both within...and without." Thane stated outright.

"None of you should be surprised when I tell you that our mission will concern the Sith Empire. They are our primary opponent, the crippling darkness that seeks to rot out order as a machination of the chaotic Sith. All the same, the military campaign along the Braxant Run continues." The Chiss presses a button on the meeting table to display a holomap of the warring Imperial territories. The front between the Sith Empire and New Imperial Order. The long reaching tendril of the Sith Empire puncturing through the Crimson Curtain lingering just before Bastion, the throne world.

"Bastion, unsurprisingly has been dictated a priority target by the Imperial High Command and it can be expected that it will be the venue of our next offensive. However...preparations need to be made if we are to field a successful assault. The analytics...as they are...are not all too favorable toward us. What we need now, is intel. The primary focus of course is Fortress Carnifex, the Imperial Palace. It needs to be infiltrated and all data concerning its defensive capability collected and sent to the Imperial Security Bureau and Imperial High Command. This will require two of you...both of you, disguised. "

"However one will be embodying an individual of importance within the Sith Empire, Moff Madelyn Lowe . As of now, she is within New Imperial custody and thus we can assure she does not reappear where she is not wanted. Our story is that somehow, she evaded or bargained out of New Imperial capture on the surface of Prefsbelt IV only to reappear at Bastion for further assignment. She will have the clearance to get us where we wish to go." It was a plan which embodied extremely high risk...all the same, a very fruitful reward.

"The other assignment... Maou , the Galactic Alliance senator of Corellia. Recently, his life was attempted by the Jedi Knight Lanik Dawnstar , a man who has known connections with the Sovereign Imperator, who also appeared at his unlawful funeral. It is...for all purposes a potential dumpster fire of public perception and while we've yet to contact Alliance authorities on their investigation of the matter, the ISB sees it better to take matters into our hands...and find out the truth of this assassination attempt. Though, this is precarious in that it might damage relations with what is now a strategic ally of the New Imperial Order. Regardless, the truth of this matter will determine relations going forward and thus, the truth of the Senator need be uncovered. Though I understand... Rowan Corde might have relations which could act as an 'in' to this operation." Thane iterated.

Mahriah Metuna | Aerith Castiella | Hazel Scheler | Rowan Corde

 

[Isaiah Dalman]

TAGS: Aerith Castiella | IMPCOM | Hazel Scheler | Mahriah Metuna | Rowan Corde

Isaiah rushed into the room, panting as he closed the door behind him.
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"I apologize for my tardiness, I had an unexpected detour." called Isaiah, instantly coming to a halt regaining his composure.

As it seemed, the agent had arrived quite literally just in time. Not three seconds after he entered the room and joined the nearby crowd of recruits did the Chiss leading the discussion introduce multiple assignments for the agents to choose from. One involved the infiltration of Bastion, the Sith throneworld. Another operation called for the investigation of a relations scandal within the Galactic Alliance.

The agent gave himself a moment to think. In his time with JanFathal's intelligence agency, infiltration had been among his most common assignment given to him. With his charm and wit, it was often not difficult for him to slip in and out of a facility undetected carrying crucial information. While Isaiah believed that he could be of at least some assistance in the Alliance operation, he had much less experience in the type of mission to be carried out there. After all, he was by no means a professional detective. With that in mind, it was not difficult for Isaiah to make his decision.

"I'm Isaiah Dalman, I've been working with JanFathal's planetary intelligence agency for almost a decade and the ISB for a few months." stated Isaiah. "Don't let my rare moment of tardiness discourage you - even the best of us are bound to slip up once or twice. I believe that my experience in the field would make me an excellent candidate for taking my service in the Bureau to the next level."

"I would be interested in taking up the offer to infiltrate the palace at Bastion. I assure you, I am intimately familiar with infiltration and extraction missions."

 

[Mahriah Metuna]

IMPCOM // Hazel Scheler // Rowan Corde // Aerith Castiella // Isaiah Dalman

The Sith Empire. The mere uttering of the words caused her to shrivel up in visible disgust. Her face contorted into a grimace similar to that of a woman who had just caught a whiff of something from a sewage grate or seen a hutt in heat. Her throat clogged and the impulse to gag grew hard to keep down. And yet she did, for the sake of the mission and the sake of her own liberation from the shackles bound to a chain of command. She needed to be this tool, and more than anything she wanted to be one as well.

That made her pretty damn handy, Mahriah would figure.

“It’d be dangerous if I go to Bastion, sir. There are too many familiar faces that could give my position up. I would request the Alliance job since it sounds like it needs a hammer for when things will go wrong.” Mahriah remained in her rigid stance, her back as straight as the plank she had been strapped to when they tried to beat the disobedience out of her in the youth programme. “I wouldn't count on that op going smooth, sir.”

“In the end I am unaware of the contents in my file, sir, but I am going to assume it mentions where my abilities lie. I trust you will put them to use no matter where I am stationed.”

 

[Hazel Scheler]

Bastion. Alliance.

She'd never been to Bastion and she'd had prior relations with the Alliance, though Ivy couldn't be sure it was the same Alliance today that she'd know several years ago. The woman leaned back in her seat, legs shifting forward to stretch out, crossing at the heels. Sounded like the Alliance job needed a bit of finesse and probably a pretty face - neither of which were quite her M.O.

"I'm with him," Ivy hiked a thumb over her shoulder and jabbed it the way of Isaiah Dalman

 

[Iryss]

IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU

C O V E R T

O P E R A T I O N S​

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Thane's Meeting
ISB Black Site on Orinda
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Thane was an interesting senior officer of the Imperial Security Bureau. Chiss have always been entrenched with the Empire due to their remarkable similar styles and values, even when the Empire was humanocentric. The strict meritocratic stratocracy of the New Imperial Order enabled Chiss that were formerly choked out of opportunities due to their differing races a momentous opportunity to progress and be members of the organization. While Iryss was valued for her immense Force abilities in forcing the truth out of others as well as her assassination skills, Thane was the complete opposite. He was a strategist and tactician at heart, blending his combat veterancy into adaptive and cunning planning.

She probably valued her cold, logical Chiss counterparts more than most Imperials as they shared many commonalties. However unlike her, Thane gave up on the front lines for a more administrative position and Iryss believed that although he may not have been Force Sensitive, he could have easily taken up cybernetic and genetic enhancements to be at the forefront. It was mildly disappointing, but his impressive track record made him alright in her books.

Silently walking behind the late agent into Thane's mission briefing, she hung in the back of the room silently. Iryss had always gotten on Thane's nerves, partly due to her playful mocking of his old age and partly due to his gut instinct that something was off about her. The latter was absolutely on point, but her deceptive acting abilities made it impossible for Thane to discern her true intentions and personality.

Just like any good agent.

As the new operatives and agents discussed their assignments, Iryss waved at Thane casually and cheerfully jabbed, "You should smile more Thane, you're going to scare the new operatives and agents away."