Duplicity

[Eugen Aker]

SIV Phobeter, Alaris Expanse​

The cruiser drifted through the outer reaches of the Kashyyyk system, practically indistinguishable from background radiation as it ran silently. It was one of the Silver Order's newest stealth platforms, built in-house by the SEC and off the records. Outside of the Silver Assembly, and the hand-selected crew that man the stealth ship, few knew of its existence.

Four of those people were now locked inside the SCIF with Jyoti.

"Good evening, and thank you for being here," she started, nursing a mug of pumpkin spice latte in her hands as she paced around the small round table. All around them, a room-wide holoprojector displayed a photorealistic rendering of the gas giant Alaris and its many moons in the background. "Now, it goes without saying, but nothing we discuss leaves this room."

Intuitively, Phobeter's AI generated another rendering of the galaxy map above the table, highlighting the New Republic right above Silver Space.

"Since its surprise exodus from Hutt Space to the Colonies region, our intelligence services have been keeping a close tab on the Republic Remnant, which has recently rebranded itself as the New Republic. Despite the controversy surrounding their move, we initially determined their presence to be of some benefit as to provide a buff to Mandalorian expansion into the Core."

"However, recent events prompted we take another look into Republic affairs."

The rendering over the table zoomed in on the Humbarine system.

"Recently there was an emergency election called on Humbarine after the system's previous sitting Senator, Yasmeleil Ridall, died by a heart attack. That's practically unheard of for a healthy person of her age. Then comes the special election. Yasmeleil's brother, Sullchiri, looks to be the front-runner with the sympathy vote, but right on his heels comes Ella Nova. A former Jedi Knight running on her war record."

New panes generated showing Nova, and the Ridall siblings along with some basic public factoids about each.

"My contacts in the IGBC informed that there was apparently a fortune worth of credits pumped into her campaign for a huge media blitz, but even with all the funding, she was still unable to overtake Sullchiri leading up to the election. That was until this happened--"

Another pane appeared, showing a holorecording of a Sith armada emerging over Humbarine.

"After this incident occurs, Sullchiri is sacked as Humbarine's interim representative and forced to withdrawal from the race over accusations of incompetence. Meanwhile, the Republic and former Jedi Nova are all lauded as heroes and come out smelling like roses. The locals are then practically rolling out the red carpet for Nova to take the Senate seat. Fast forward to now, and both the Republic and these same group of Sith are now seen together at Duro."

"Individually, all these events would warrant suspicion, but all together, it's all too much to ignore. Both the Galactic Alliance and the Galactic Republic were both prey to infiltration, so it's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that the same thing can and will happen to the NR. The New Republic Senate provides an easy vector for such sabotage. Now, while it's pretty clear that there is some foul play at work, without evidence, it's all just speculation at this point. This is why I will be launching a covert investigation. We will determine if indeed Humbarine has fallen victim to infiltration and/or corruption by malicious actors, and we will see if this problem is more widespread across the Republic."

"Questions? Concerns?"

[member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Drystan Marakos"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Sala'dine"] [member="Ella Nova"]

 

[Drystan Marakos]

Having listened to the entire briefing, Drystan raised her hand, awaiting acknowledgement before speaking. She was seated, hands clasped in-front of her, relaxed but attentive. "What do we know about Nova's war record? What's her experience, and which Order was she associated with?"

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson moved her finger over the rim of her cider as she watched the displays adjust around them while Jyoti explained the situation at hand. She pulled her eyes away from the displays for a moment to examine those that were in the room with her. It was the usual faces, the ones that expected to be at this sort of event. Allyson had kept herself busy for the most part, so she was ready for something to happen and be sent to the field.

After glancing towards the rest of the members of the meeting she turned her attention back on the projector images and memorized the faces that were shown. The cup touched her lips as she nodded along. Once Jyoti finished the cup found its way back onto the round table, arms crossed in front of her as she sighed heavily. The Sith were ones for infiltration and with the Republic getting their bearings straightened out with their move they could be an easier target. It was up in the air where the Mandalorians stood with the Sith, but if they were still friends, it meant that the Republic was just in the way. Allyson shifted in her seat as she brushed aside her stray strands of hair that fell around her face.

A raised hand and she spoke, “What information beyond what the cause of death was do we have on the previous senator? I’m sure they ran a tox screen on the body unless if the speculation of infiltration is true the autopsy might have been compromised.”

Allyson paused as Drystan also spoke, the woman had followed Allyson’s next question as well. She nodded and then added on, “With your contacts at IGBC, can they trace the source of the credits? There has to be a way to get some names or leads from there.”

[member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Drystan Marakos"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Sala'dine"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jyoti enjoyed a sip of her pumpkin spice latte as she started taking questions. Cool and creamy, with just the right amount of spice.

She wished this pumpkiny delight was sold year round.

Drystan was the first to pipe up with a question, asking about Nova's history. Funnily enough, this was something Jyoti was personally familiar enough with to a degree, in another life.

"She was part of the original Jedi Order, and dabbled a bit with the Republic Order after the schism that left us with multiple Jedi Organizations today. She participated in the One Sith Republic war, where most of the fighting occurred within the Core. However, between then and now, there really isn't much on her in public record. It is suspicious in itself how a former Jedi probably only living on stipends was able to amass enough connections and wealth to essentially buy herself a Senate seat."

Her silver eyes lingered on Drystan for a moment before she turned to Allyson, a subtle warning delivered.

"We currently don't have access to the autopsy report, so we have to go off what was reported to the public. Again, a natural heart attack for a healthy rich Senator at the age of 32 is almost ludicrous. It will be a priority to get a hold of that autopsy and check out the crime scene for ourselves."

"Beyond what I have gleaned from my contacts at the IGBC, I doubt they will be any more forthcoming. Hell would have to freeze over before they would ever allow a glimpse of their ledgers. Let's just say they're pretty...agnostic about their clientele."

Again, she glanced over at Drystan.

"As far as leads go, I think we have plenty to start with. Oh, also, we're not bringing the Republic into the loop until we can confirm that they're not compromised. I'm supposed to meet with their Chancellor soon, so I may probe a bit then through official diplomatic channels, but otherwise, this investigation needs to remain under wraps."

[member="Allyson Locke"] [member="Drystan Marakos"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Sala'dine"] [member="Ella Nova"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson paused at the mention of the new Senator being a part of the Republic. She didn’t say or do anything after that and covered her face with her cup again. Mention of the autopsy being something they had no access to already raised several other red flags. Allyson let Jyoti finish and then spoke again.

“The autopsy report won’t be too difficult to get a hold of.” As much as Allyson wanted to have her hand at poking around IGBC, she decided against it. They had done enough, and it wouldn’t be in good taste to poke further. Exhaling softly, she figured she didn’t need to go into detail about obtaining the autopsy report. It was something they all knew she could do.

“I think something we need to uncover is what Ella Nova has been up to between the One Sith War and now.” It could be that the woman just went away and disappeared until now, still that didn’t make much sense either. All of this was far too strange to not being something, she understood why Jyoti wanted this investigated.


[member="Jyoti Nooran"] [member="Drystan Marakos"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Sala'dine"] [member="Ella Nova"]

 

[Sala'dine]

Sala'dine sat there as she was listening to them speak. The news and the ideas of what was happening... was interesting to her at least. A possible murder mystery, corporate ledgers and intrigue. It seemed like everything she wouldn't normally be involved in but she could still offer some of her insight to them and the proceedings. "There is always the chance it was natural, a heart attack can happen if they had a bad reaction to something. The more likely is foul play but it is always best to have perspective just in case." There was a look on her face though when she thought about it she doubted it was natural.. still doubt was important when investigating otherwise you might be trying to find proof that wasn't there.

"As tot he rest, I am not certain... infiltration or at least subtle infiltration does not seem to be the siths main thing. THey usually have been pretty obvious about it and we have seen a number of padawans and others preach sith philosophy and clai to be jedi then suddenly they reveal themselves to be sith. Or they just jump to killing everything that they can to prove they know how to stop the darkside." She shrugged while sitting there and was looking at all of it to try and take in some other parts. If they were going to be doing infiltration or something then her part was generally clear.... She was the ride.

"Though finding out how a jedi managed to get credits to buy a seat is more easily done. Likely someone somewhere was crossed by these problems and so just have to look for them to spill what has happened. I am just sort of surprised at how quickly the Republic might have been infiltrated or come under corruption and scandal. Might be a new record compared to some of the others who have tried to replace it."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

https://imgix.bustle.com/elite-daily/2015/03/05175344/resting-bitchface.jpg?w=945&h=574&fit=crop&crop=faces&auto=format&q=70​

"This is like Monday for me."​

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A picture is worth a thousand words, and the picture above summed up the Jedi Master's one single facial expression throughout Jyoti's entire speech. What was he feeling right now? What was he thinking? Well, there was the lack of surprise, to start. Those who did not learn from history were doomed to repeat it and the Republic was notorious for their inability to learn history. And while he had all the respect in the world for Alexandra, he did not have confidence in her ability to find and stop a Sith uprising within the Republic despite all of the Jedi at her disposal. And the Republic's Jedi... Well, he wouldn't say anything on the matter. Only that he'd seen it all before and knew how this story ended. The only thing that came out of Josh's mouth was a sigh, as he placed a hand to the side of his forehead, and the sigh turned into a low groan when Jyoti would show the next panel. The holo-recording just made it worse. Josh had expected this, but he had really hoped it wouldn't be the case.

He had low expectations and he was still disappointed.

Josh let some questions be asked first while he began formulating ideas. This Nova woman had basically bought her seat accompanied by some fantastic timing for a Sith sacking. Josh knew better than just about everyone in this room what the pay was like back then. Her funding definitely did not come from her personal coffers. It couldn't have. And then there was the fact they couldn't access the autopsy... Also very suspicious. While he didn't understand half of what in the world 'Dine was saying, her question of where the funds could have come from was worth considering.

"This Nova woman sounds like a walking, talking bag of sketchy" Josh would admit. "The last time a Jedi, or former Jedi, who had recently belonged to an Order, especially that one... Attempted to take an office within the Republic... It was done with an agenda in mind. One that at the time, I was too young and naive to realize the consequences of it. I think it's almost completely safe to say that this is the same... Especially if a Jedi is running on their war record. Which means the former Jedi is either very, very militant... Or we might be looking at something more sinister if they choose to glorify their wartime that much. Jedi, present or former, even the militiant ones... If they did not go dark, they just... Don't really seem to do that. Couple that with the sudden death of a very healthy person in a spot that needed to be vacated for this election to happen... And there are many possibilities that follow that. The Silver Jedi knows very well what one that can wield the Force can do.

It is very possible that there is dark side involvement in the form of this Nova woman. Just from how she has treated this alone, and the sudden death of what would be someone standing in her way. But that is just speculation on my part. Then bring in the timing of events that followed... Well, it doesn't paint a very good picture of her, does it? And then we have to factor in the issue of her funds, the fact we can't access the autopsy of her predecessor... And the Republic and Sith being shown together soon after her election."

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes a moment as he allowed himself to reach a full state of calm before speaking again. With his disdain for the situation settled, he was entirely on business.

"I see a lot of red flags here. And many of them point toward Ella Nova. There may be more Senators in on it as well" Josh would suggest. "While I'm hitting the old Republic hammer quite often here... Here's something I don't talk about often. My late father, he went by a psyenduom of Philip J. Halen... If that name is familiar to any historians here, that's because I am referring to the former Vice Chancellor and Interim Supreme Chancellor. The man who famously walked into the Senate chambers, started the election knowing that everyone around him was looking to cut him and others down... And proclaimed to the entire world that he was a Force User. He outed every darksider in that room, which was composed of several Senators, and half the candidates for the election he had just started. And then he quit and walked out with his head held high, proceeding to disappear until the report of his death during the invasion of Coruscant by the One Sith. Nothing was ever done about those darksiders he outed, as far as I remember, and I'm surprised that the Republic managed to survive past that."

Talking about his father was... Painful. But Josh didn't show it. His expression remained stone, and would until he was far out of sight himself.

"The reason I bring this up, is because the possibility is very real that we could be looking at a similar situation after the evidence we were shown by Grandmaster Nooran just now. At the least, it's a possibility to consider. No Senator can be trusted now, I don't think. Anyone that stands to gain in the Senate right now, is someone to be wary of.

As for what to do at present to begin our investigation... I agree with the suggestion of Knight Locke, that we bridge the gaps in Miss Nova's history. I get the feeling there are pieces that she doesn't want people, especially us... To know. Finding her funding source should also be a priority. If we find the source... We can research the source, find what it's linked to. Getting all we can on the source and their links and affiliations could tell us a lot about it's business and their relationship with Nova."

 

[Drystan Marakos]

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]'s subtle warning, following her mention of a Jedi obtaining political power through wealth, gave the professional spy a humorous half-grin; without saying much, Jyoti had said plenty. While her companions knew little of Drystan's own operations in the Galaxy, it was true that the blonde woman was capable of wielding power in a similar fashion - unlike this Senator, however, such pursuits did not romance her. She did not seek to direct governments, or ply power in such circles... Hers was a silent strength, best applied invisibly; a Master of Secrets & Illusions.

The blonde Jedi Knight agreed with [member="Allyson Locke"], and said so; "You'd have the best shot..." she muttered, nodding her agreement.

Hazel eyes studied [member="Sala'dine"] carefully. The Admiral's yellow-green gaze caught Drystan's attention, and she found the taller, raven-haired Jedi to be quite attractive (though Drystan, herself, remained entirely unreadable). The Jedi Operative disagreed with the assertion that Sith were inherently unskilled in infiltration - in her experience, it took quite a studious & discerning eye to uncover more powerful users of the Dark Side; skills which she'd used in the past, stalking two Dark Jedi in her career before entering the fold of the Silver Jedi; One of whom, she'd killed... and the other, long since vanished. "The Republic has a... bit of a reputation for being a haven for the Sith. What surprises me is that, if they were attempting to hide their existance, why a Sith Fleet would openly arrive over Humbarine. Whoever thought that was conducive to secrecy was a fool - and we likely wouldn't be discussing it now, if they hadn't. A drastic miscalculation, to be sure."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]'s extended dialogue & personal story drew the Agent's unwavering attention, and she listened, searching beyond his words to read what was hidden within them; she sensed a wall of stone surrounding the Jedi Master's heart regarding mention of his father, and she made a mental note, one day, to ask him about it - such an act of bravery spoke volumes about the man who'd sired the Battlemaster, and Drystan could not help but feel a little intrigued. She agreed with his assessments. "It's certainly possible this Ella Nova may be a harbinger of something greater - perhaps a larger group within the Senate itself, possibly involving much of the leadership within the Republic. For The Sith to arrive, openly, over Humbarine shows that they felt they had little to fear - a meeting of like-minds in The Sith is quite an affair indeed, and does not bode well for Humbarine... or for The Galaxy."

Drystan shifted in her seat, crossing her fingers on the table, taking a breath, then exhaling.

"I believe we all agree that The Republic is likely compromised; I think it's safe to assume any official inquiries we'd make could potentially be stonewalled, and might inadvertently drive any subversive elements deeper underground - gathering strength & conserving their energies, rather than making their presence known any further than they already have." She glanced between each of her companions, confident. "We must operate in deeper shadow than they, if we have any hope of shedding light upon their activities."

 

[Eugen Aker]

"If there is a time to infiltrate the fledgling Republic, it would be now," she replied to Admiral Sala'dine. "While the foundation is still being established and the NR is eager to reel in new membership, infiltrators will have an easier time embedding themselves in government molding the NR to their liking."

As they all went around the table sharing their thoughts, it was clear that they all shared one burning question.

Just who was Ella Nova?

"Thank you all for you for your input. I have a better idea about how to proceed with this investigation. As I said before, we're going to limit the scope to Humbaraine and Nova, but if we do find evidence of widespread corruption, then we will expand the investigation. I hope that won't be the case."

"Allyson, Drystan, I would like you two head down to Humbarine. Review the original crime scene and autopsy reports, discretely. Neither the local authorities or the Republic should know of our presence, not at this stage. Here at HQ, analysts will begin the probe of Senator Nova as well as the previous candidates from the last cycle. We can try to look into Nova's finances and her network, but as I said before, the IGBC may not be much help with the former. Finally, I'll look into this Sith group personally, and make contact with their leader. If these Sith are willing to speak to the Republic, then they're at least civil enough for some diplomacy."

She turned back to Sala'dine. "This is where you will come in. I want some eyes on this new Sith group, regardless their role in this matter. We can't let any of them roam without keeping tabs."

[member="Drystan Marakos"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Sala'dine"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Sala'dine]

She listened to them and then the plan itself as she leaned there a little. "We can do that, setting up teams to track and observe but it will require more information. Tracking a ship is one thing, tracking a ship and its crew to see who might be important is more. We have limited stealth ships for following and tracking them without compromising operations." She tapped her chin though thinking about it. "Might be easier to." She had a grin on her face and knew a few things about the older designs. Hell she knew some things about the manufacturing and ideas. "That might do if Alyisa and her team can get in." THe grin was on her face though while she ran fingers across the top of the table. "Do you have any names of people of interest to go after first?"

 

[Drystan Marakos]

Drystan listened to hers & Allyson's orders, nodding and turning her gaze toward her fellow Shadow. She and Ally were professionals, each capable of tackling their mission in a unique way, and they worked well together - they'd have those reports, and nobody would be the wiser.

Drystan shifted in her seat, but remained.. content to allow the meeting to wrap up before she and her companion began planning. It sounded like [member="Sala'dine"] might have the more dangerous of the assignments... one which Drystan, herself, had considered likely to be her own. The mention of a team and developing intel on their enemies sounded more like Drystan's skillset, but the blonde woman said nothing - [member="Jyoti Nooran"] had her reasons, and that was enough.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

A hand covered Allyson’s mouth as she took everything that everyone said. She raised an eyebrow at Drystan’s comment about the Sith. What did the woman mean by ‘if they were returning’? It struck home for a moment, but she pushed it aside. The Sith were very much already around and there was no escaping them – it was time to fight back. Leaning back in her chair she thought about her assignment and shifted in her seat.

She could handle what she was given alone, it was odd to have her placed with someone. Her mind began to work how to get this done the quickest and without the slightest notion of alerting anyone that would be interested in knowing the Silvers were investigating. Tilting her head to the side, finger tips tapped lightly on her lips as she kept her attention straight forward. She could feel Drystan glance at her, but Allyson was already deep in thought as to how she wanted to do this.

Her mind was made up and she waited for the meeting to end. The faster they found their information the faster they could see what this Ella Nova was up to.

[member="Drystan Marakos"] [member="Sala'dine"] [member="Jyoti Nooran"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"]