Impact

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus polished off his sandwich, blowing across the surface of his still hot caf. It was strong and actually quite good. A slightly chocolatey roast. He would have joined Kaile's level of annoyance had he paid that much for a terrible cup. With his other hand he tapped on a datapad.

"Quite. There's always a chance we'll need some credits left for transport and I'd rather not spend two hundred on a meal."

Private shuttle park and expensive caf shops. He stopped his holonet search a moment later, trying not to follow her line of sight. Something had caught her eye. Was it trouble? He carried on with what he was doing just in case it was and he was making them stand out.

"This looks nice, well rated and not too costly. Short bus from the hotel though." There was an inquisitive note in his voice, a marginal raise of one brow.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

"Hmm?" it took a few seconds for Asmus to gain Kaile's attention. When she had swiveled her head back towards him, her face held a measure of melancholy to it. A wan smile and then she took another bite of the sandwich she had seemingly forgotten in her reverie.

"Oh.. umm, what do they sell?" the agent inquired, attempting to fill the silence and the troubling thoughts in her mind with conversation.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

No, not trouble then. His head half canted to one side questioningly before he stopped. He had to remember where they were. His eyes briefly followed where her gaze had been. Just a mother and a daughter. He didn't understand, but in the days that followed there was a chance that he would return to this moment and realise what it meant.

"Okay," he said without prompt. As her hand reached for the datapad he slipped his around it. Thumb finding the back for her forefinger and gently brushing against it. Perhaps she too had been caught by the normality of the situation. He knew she was concerned for his safety here, maybe that had struck her.

"Its mixed intergalactic cuisine. Perhaps not too popular but its outside the trendy districts and good value. Decent portion sizes too apparently," he added with a grin.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

The warmth of Asmus' finger collided with her own, wrapping them up as he gently slid the fingerpad of his thumb against her forefinger. Okay, he said. Ah.

Large brown eyes met green, and for a moment, Kaile was lost in that confusing battle that was joyful at having Asmus here and hesitant of what it all would turn out in the end.

"Okay." a nod, then she finished her sandwich. Her finger lingered where it stayed, unable to quite draw back right now in the wake of those sad memories.

"Sounds good then."

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Yeah," he replied. He watched the imperial officers go. He had memorised the conference schedule. Would they be going back for a presentation on Assessing the Correct Cargo Vessels to Procure for a Modern Supply Chain or Recent Innovations in Starfighter Laser Cannons. He imagined being in their shoes. It wasn't hard. He'd worked in a few procurement programmes in his downtime, mostly as an SME and test pilot for starfighter programmes.

They'd be relaxed right now. This was a break from the daily grind. They would be corporate dinners in the evening, older officers falling asleep during talks. Young attractive sales consultants trying to get their attention and make contacts. None of them would even notice another person in civilian dress talking to a Colonel. Not unless he was being specifically watched.

All the while his thumb kept moving as he waited for her to decide it was time to head back.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

After a minute, Kaile pulled her hand away. A half smile and a glance down at her now empty plate suggested she was grateful, but back to work. Maybe it was the constant focus on work as it had been for years that allowed her to keep moving forward. One of the few things she had.

Following Asmus' line of sight, she noticed the officers. Times like these were great at picking up stray information on what was going on. However, that required standing out or becoming presentable enough to slip right in.

Kaile brought the cup of caf to her lips. Okay, it wasn't that bad. Still too expensive in her book, but what could one do?

"Folk sure do like to talk," she murmured, picking up conversation on exciting new opportunities in the Imperial Research and Development sector.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

That nod again as he picked up on her cue. Then he creased his brow, just a hint of smile lines in the corners of his eyes that hadn't been there on the Quin. How many times had he talked easily around Sullust or Fondor? Had there been a Kaile sat nearby listening in? Had he bedded one? That was a decidedly disconcerting thought. It was the kind of thing he would have been more careful about had certain individuals not kept him from the interesting information because of his 'criminal past'.

He shook the thought away. Instead he tried to find his focus. Kaile might notice something peculiar. His left hand lay flat on the table, his right hand up on its side. Perhaps because he was thinking of taking his caf in his right. Or perhaps he was imagining settling into the cockpit of Thunderstruck.

He caught the words Dubrillion and Bastion with regards to some new posts coming up. Interesting. He'd never heard of imperials linking up with that region on the far side of the Galaxy. It had been a long time since the New Order had been chased from those parts. Perhaps interesting, perhaps not. Vo was the kind of person to make those kinds of decisions.

More young officers arrived, talking loudly.

"Do you want a slice of cake perhaps?" he asked. "If we have enough credits," he laughed easily.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

"Cake?" Kaile perked up but was subsequently considering the benefit of it.

"No I'm fine." she shook her head from side to side, giving him a half smile. Almost done with her caf, they'd be okay to leave soon.

A careful glance and she picked up the mention of Dubrillion and Bastion. Also, worth noting were their commentary on Bespin.

Hmm.

"Must be like home here," Kaile said with an off comment, stirring conversation while she studied their surroundings.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus flicked his eyes to the newcomers. He'd never been interested on cake. He had really, he didn't turn down cake often. He wasn't as obsessed with keeping to almost zero body fat these days. But he had just been testing in case she wanted to stay and listen longer.

"Blocky architecture, wealth, clean streets," he listed off. He didn't add the undercurrent of imperial support that still existed. "Makes you wonder why I left..."

The thought was hidden away, deep down away from his focus that was very much on the present. But it galvanised itself without his intervention. He wanted to go somewhere new and go with her.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

"Still is home."

Kaile added, recalling what Kurt had told her long ago. That the Messa was her home. Always would be. Truth be told, it had been the only home she ever known between going from one end of the 'verse to the next.

"One way or another." she added, taking another sip of her caf. Glancing up, Kaile studied Asmus, watching him move. How he sat on his chair. The way his hands seemed to move on their own accord, much as if he was still in the cockpit of his starfighter. That prompted a a twitch at the corner of her mouth.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Yeah can't dispute that,” he replied, tilting his head back and forth as if considering her reply. A smile crossed his face as he heard one of the junior officers talk very loudly about how good the catering was at the conference.

“And you won't even have to pay,” he remarked softly. That group of officers sat themselves two booths over and started to talk about themselves. Clearly they'd just met at the event and we're getting to know each other a little. One on their table was an industry rep, as Asmus had guessed from the suit.

He had been about to stand up and make for the door when he picked up a line.

“...Yeah I'm with Project Essen with Colonel Hacken”

Asmus settled back into his chair and picked at the crumbs on his plate. That was the name of their contact.

 

[Jhyrack]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Vo was reading the latest report. They'd finally put in place a direct line to the Intel they were getting on Valdamir's troop. Apparently they're embedded agent had been executed by the imperials so it was coming for a less direct source. However, everything suggested they were planning something that would interfere with his planned operation. That annoyed him.

"Vo?"

The sullustan looked up to see one of his analysts had escorted a girl in engineering overalls to his desk. She was playing with her hands in front of her.

"Can I help Lucy?" He asked. Vo preferred to use first names most of the time. Especially when the captain wasn't around. He had been a scientist before military after all. It was generally in his nature to put people at ease.

She didn't meet his eyes. She was worried. "They're saying, well, around the flight deck. They're saying Asmus and Kaile were shot down?"

Vo stayed silent for a moment. Emphasis on the Asmus, not the Kaile. Didn't tell him anything new as the mechanic didn't know Kaile enough to be overly concerned. Still, it was his nature to analyse everything out before him.

"We're in contact with them both and that's all I can tell you Lucy. Agent Vera is a proven field agent."

There were a quirk of the lips. Relief and something else. The anthropologist in Vo wanted to prod more, as obvious as everything was to him. Instead he simply added: "the mission is proceeding just behind schedule."

"Thank you."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Project Essen? Now what would that be? It was second nature for Kaile to pick up on stray conversation and file them away. A glance over at the officers and Kaile took an extra second or two to memorize their faces. She’ll tuck them away for later and see if she could find anything. Always picking up information. Always filing it away. It was why she had the data split in her head.

Asmus wasn’t aware, but the full breadth of her cybernetics are made to be as indistinguishable as possible. Only highly advanced medical scanners would be able to register them. Socket guard protection, as well as other key bits of technology, served to keep the espion in tip top shape for infiltration.

“When’s the last time you’ve been home?” Kaile inquired of Asmus, turning back to face him.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus thought back on that. “Must be about nine months ago now I was back on...Back home. Spent a week on the beach to unwind and a few days with the family.”

He snorted in amusement. His mother had ensured he came to a ball. She'd become quite defensive when a friend of the family suggested it was a shame he had been discharged from the GADF. He was fairly certain some back there knew he was still serving in a capacity of sorts. Didn't matter as long as the navy had deniability. He was also fairly certain she'd been entertaining the notion of getting him married off as well.

In fact he'd been quite certain. Especially when his mother had bluntly asked 'If you saw yourself settling down would it be with a man or woman? Or either!?’. Asmus lowered his head and shook it with a soft chuckle.

“Still much as it's been the last five thousand years.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile read the nuances that went rippling over Asmus’ face. There was a bit of sardonic humor to it all. The mention in the past about his mother, the expectations, his desire for freedom came back up again. How he had felt smothered and as if he'd been suffocating under the weight of those expectations.

"Only been there a few times myself." a slight frown, then another sip of tea. The imperial officer to their far right mentioned more about specific research systems. Hmm. Wait. A name. The one of their asset.

"When the Dark Harvest plague came.” it had been a long while ago. Part of Omega Pyre among other aid services had come into help the locals quell the plague. It had completely taken over the capital city at the time. A vicious virus much like the Blackwing long ago.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus’ expression would tell Kaile all too clearly that she had evoked a long chain of questions. “If only that had been the worst thing to happen back home,” he reflected. He did well to keep his emotions in check. He referred to the scars across the world left by the imperials on their retreat.

So she had been with Omega before the Alliance. That made sense of course.

“Do you really think that mad man will try something?” He heard.

Asmus filled the space before the reply with some words so it didn't seem as if they were listening in intently. He turned his datapad back towards him so he could pretend to study something on the holonet instead.

“What did you think?” Asmus asked.

“The colonel seemed worried on the way here.”

“Bah they won't get anywhere near us here. You can't litter these streets without getting a ticket.”

Asmus considered that. Had the colonel been nervous about Pute or the extraction. They'd moved the mission forwards, had he made their inquisitors nervous?

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

With the last sip of her caf, Kaile was done. They could only linger so far. At the very least they managed to pick up a bit more information. Pute’s antics had placed everyone on high alert, however, some of the Imperials believed that there was no way that the extremist would be able to affect them. Pride had a way of getting many people hurt.

“Come on,” Kaile smiled out to Asmus. “It’s nice enough for a walk and some fresh air.” she suggested, although it was also for more surveillance. A couple walking together to enjoy the scenery wouldn’t be suspicious. Not with as many patrons coming in for the conference itself.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Walking wasn't really what Asmus wanted to do. He wanted to sit down a while longer or stretch out some of the sore muscles.

He followed her out onto the street. It was a nice day. The sun was starting to dip behind the buildings overhead but the heat was still fierce coming off the concrete. A patrol car passed them and Asmus slipped her hand into his, threading his fingers between hers.

Something about the patrol car bothered him. Not just its very presence. It took him a moment to realise what it was.

“No helmets,” he murmured softly. How cushy was an imperial city where the stormtroopers went on patrol without their helmets, almost certainly against protocol. It wasn't a central work, out on the borders of their space, but it was wealthy. Maybe the locals were afforded certain privileges for their good behaviour.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

There it was again. That surreal sensation of this particular moment of ambling down the street with Asmus’ fingers threaded against hers. A bit too normal. So typical. Nice. Please tell as it was troubling.

Part of Kaile wanted to linger in it. To sear this little quiet moment to memory. Another reminder her that it was just a cover to glean more information on their surroundings, the patrons of the conference, and anything that could be picked up on Pute’s movements or plans.

Maybe that's why Kaile flexed her fingers a bit. As if hesitant, but unsure. Brown eyes followed the line of sight to the patrol, noting the lack of helmets and Asmus’ commentary.

“Complacent.” Came her reply, a single word that could have different meanings.

A stiff breeze flew between them, bringing with it a rustle of leaves and cold wind.

“If you're tired, you can go back to the room.” She relayed, able to pick up the nuances that suggested his reluctance to have left the cafe.

 

[Asmus Janes]

He couldn't keep the impish grin from his face. As attuned as he felt he could be to Kaile at times, the way she read him in return was incredible.

“If you think it would be best?” He asked. Hopefully he conveyed his true meaning. If you would be better off scouting around on your own. He wouldn't like to let her go out of his sight in a town full of staunch imperials and potentially well armed, extreme rebels. Yet he had to repay her trust in kind. They'd still have audio.

“I'm just a bit stiff to be honest, walking it off wouldn't be the worst thing.”

They wouldn't be alone here. A big tech conference with ranking officers. There would probably be agents from half the factions in the region benignly gathering any information they could. If Kaile could read him so easily, might be another could. Actually being with her helped. It was relaxing to be with a professional when outside of his comfort zone, but more importantly this was a cover that came quite naturally. It was the simplest thing to distract himself with thoughts of her and take his eyes away from their surroundings.

---

Outer City, Freeway 17

Valdamir sat on the military green case, heedless of its contents. The speeder shook gently and the cigarro nearly fell from his lips.

“Joot says the streets are pretty clear. Feck even stormtroopers going about without helmets on. Did they not think we were coming?”

Pute turned to the speaker. Beneath a deep brown robe he had a worn, black flak jacket on. A pistol hung easily from his hip.

“They didn't think we could ever get here. This world dances to the tune of their drum. They'd never imagine any citizens throwing some discord into the rhythm.” He paused, putting out his cigarro on the metal case in the middle of a warning label. “They never look past their gleaming cities, out to the destination beyond. Out to those who would betray them.”

“Blind,” a trandoshan hissed. They all had civilian clothing barely covering the weapons and armour the wore naturally.

“Any word on that crash?” Pute asked.

“No, but our contact says another cell might be working in the city. Should we try and send a message?” It was the first speaker. A slender human male. His face was weathered, eyes barely visible beneath his brow.

Pute shook his head. “They'll get out of the way. How many is it going to take to bring it down?”

“Four.”

“Four? That's slow. Leaves us none for that gunship.”

“We can do two with grenades from the back.”

Pute considered this. “Alright, we'll need teams on each exit to keep them from escaping. And we still need somewhere for the two from the front.”

“I've been looking. There's this hotel…”