Private In the Shadows

[Mia Monroe]

Set on the edge of Junction City, Fort Braxis was undergoing reconstruction. It had once been the birthplace of the Red Legion, the first iteration of soldiers who fought for the Mand’alor without holding to the resol’nare. Once complete it would serve as a barracks for Domarian and Mandalorian soldiers alike.

Mia was in the fort's centre, the war room here was already constructed, a small amphitheatre with a large holotable at its centre. The blue image of the Eastern half of the galaxy filled the room, empty of people bar the woman stood at its centre, her gaze tracking along the Empire’s borders.

The image shifted zooming in on the chasm that now rested between Tandun within their own border and Generis that rested behind Diarchy’s borders. Taking it would not be easy, sympathisers to the Diarchy would meet them at every turn, but it was doable.

The holoimage shifted at the touch of her fingers, rolling between planets, information of defenses and points of interest flowing alongside each. So engrossed in her work, Mia had forgotten who she had invited here today and why. It wasn't until soft steps and someone clearing their throat reminded her that she did actually have an appointment to handle.

"Warmaster, the Warden of Thule is here.”

Sidonia ‘s role as Warden of Thule was absolutely not why Mia had invited her here. There had been an epidemic among newer recruits, a trend of spice usage that had resulted in a handful of deaths. When she’d brought it to Aether he had given the Warden of Thule’s name as a point of contact to resolve the matter.

She hadn’t pressed, but today she’d find out why, one way or another.

"Bring her in." she said without looking round as the holoimage shifted back to a wider view, the Empire's territory rotated slowly above her.

 

[Sidonia]

Fort Braxis smelled of dust and hot metal, the kind that clung to the back of the throat. Reconstruction always carried a certain honesty to it. Nothing hidden. Just exposed beams, stripped stone, and the promise of what it would become. She appreciated that.

She was dressed in stark contrast to the unfinished stone around her. A skin-hugging black dress traced every deliberate line of her posture, the fabric smooth and severe, falling into a subtle trail that followed her steps like a shadow that refused to detach. Silver and blue high heels clicked softly against the floor, sharp and measured, each step controlled. She did not dress for comfort. She dressed with intention.

The war room was cooler than the corridors outside. Blue light from the holotable washed over the walls and over Mia’s shoulders, turning her into something almost carved from glass and steel. It caught along the dark fabric of Sidonia’s dress and glinted against the silver of her heels. She paused a few steps inside, hands folding loosely behind her back as the trail of her dress settled into stillness. She let the door close before she spoke.

“Warmaster.”

Her voice was calm, low, steady. No edge. No challenge. Her gaze moved to the projection, to the slow rotation of the Empire’s borders. She studied it in silence for a moment, as if she had simply come to admire the strategy. In truth, she was taking in Mia instead. The tension in her shoulders. The way her fingers hovered near the controls. A woman who lived in motion.

“I was told you wished to see me,” Sidonia said. “I assume this is not a social call.”

There was no hint of offense in it. Only quiet acknowledgment.

She stepped closer to the table, the hem of her dress whispering across the floor. The blue light caught in her eyes. “If this concerns the recruits, then speak plainly. I prefer facts to rumors.”

Her expression did not harden, but something behind it did. The faintest shift. Spice had a way of hollowing people out before anyone noticed. She had seen it before. Watched promising soldiers unravel because no one thought to look deeper than discipline reports.

“If there are deaths,” she continued, her tone still even, “then we have already waited too long.”

Sidonia finally looked at Mia directly. Not confrontational. Not deferential either. Just direct.

“Tell me what you need from me, Warmaster.”​

Mia Monroe​

 

[Mia Monroe]

Mia shifted at the sound of Sidonia’s heels, blur light catching on black and gold armour, her buy’ce resting at her hip as she turned to her head to look towards the woman who had entered, sharp sapphire gaze flicking from head to toe once before shifting back to the projection.

“You assume correctly.” Mia replied softly, but before she could give any further explanation, Sidonia stepped closer, coming to the table's edge already aware of Mia’s chosen topic of conversation. Mia turned fully then, angling her body to face her, truly taking her in now. The even tone, the impassive mask. This was a woman who played well at politics, but the shadow that flickered behind her eyes said there was more.

“You are remarkably well informed, for a Warden.” Mia said, fingers moving over the controls again. The holo image shifted, shrinking to display below their eye level and shifting. Five files displayed, each marked with the face of the recruit who had passed, two women and three men.

“Five deaths, all spice related. Not Wildfire, thankfully, but close enough. Aether said you were the person to bring this to for a solution. So I’m bringing it to you.” She leaned to tap each file, images and evidence spilling out across the table for her to peruse at her leisure.

“I want a cure for the epidemic before it takes any more lives and I want it today.”

Sidonia

 

[Sidonia]

Sidonia did not look away when Mia studied her.

If she noticed the armor, the buy’ce at her hip, the weight of rank and history carried so openly, she gave no sign of it. Her heels were still. The faint trail of her dress pooled neatly behind her, black against the cold floor. Blue light from the holo washed over her face, but it did not soften her.

“You are remarkably well informed, for a Warden.”

The corner of Sidonia’s mouth shifted, not quite a smile.

“I make it my business to be.”

Her eyes dropped to the files as they appeared. Five faces. Young. Ambitious. Now reduced to still images and data streams. She did not rush to touch the display. She read first. Cause of death. Toxicology. Patterns. The silence stretched, not awkward, just deliberate.

Five deaths, all spice related. Not Wildfire, thankfully, but close enough. Aether said you were the person to bring this to for a solution. So I’m bringing it to you.”

“Not Wildfire,” she murmured. “But close enough.”

That was not a comfort. It was a warning. When Mia leaned in and laid out the evidence, Sidonia finally reached forward. Her fingers moved through the projections with careful precision, isolating one report, then another. Her expression did not change, but something colder settled behind her eyes.

“This isn’t random indulgence,” she said quietly. “This is supply. Someone is feeding them something consistent. Cut product. Refined enough to pass casual inspection. Strong enough to kill.”

She straightened, meeting Mia’s gaze directly. “You don’t have an epidemic. You have distribution.”

There was no heat in her voice. Only clarity. “A cure by today?” She tilted her head slightly. “Then we start by containment, not chemistry. Lock down leave for new recruits. Full toxicology sweeps. Quietly. No public tribunals yet. Fear drives secrecy, and secrecy drives usage.”

Her gaze flicked back to the five faces.

“I will trace the supply chain. Interrogate without spectacle. Follow the credits, not the addicts. If you want this stopped today, Warmaster, you give me authority to operate beyond Thule. No interference. No political restraint.”

Her posture remained composed, hands now resting lightly on the edge of the holotable.

“I can end this. But I will not do it gently.”

​

Mia Monroe​

 

[Mia Monroe]

A Warden that made it her business to be in the know regarding criminal activities? Between that and how quickly her name had been offered as the solution, it was easy enough to deduce that Sidonia was more than just a Warden. Mia didn’t press, the mystery would reveal itself quickly enough.

She watched Sidonia work, flicking through the files methodically. Her conclusion drew a heavy sigh, a distribution line within the base was a bigger problem than some shcutta in Junction City thriving off vulnerable recruits. She leaned forward, hands splayed as she leaned on the holotable, chewing the information and suggestions over, her eyes on the five faces. Young and eager only to be reduced to nothing by a drug.

Wordlessly, she tapped the console, a small holoimage coming to life, a Mandalorian who stiffened the moment he realised who was calling him.

“Warmaster?”

“Commander, are all our recruits in the barracks?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, lock them down discreetly, no leave today. If they ask why, give them something to do.”

The Mandalorian tipped his head, amusement creeping into his tone. “I can think of more than a few drills to keep them busy.”

“I figured you could. Ask Dee to run full health sweeps on all of them first.”

“That’ll piss her off. You want to tell me why so I can at least keep the beast at bay?”

“I need toxicology reports on all of them. Preferably without them being aware.”

He swore. “Understood, Warmaster. I’ll get it done.”

The image faded as she terminated the call, letting quiet fill the room again before she straightened. “You have full authority to act as you see fit, without interference, Sidonia.” she agreed looking at her finally. “Aether trusts you, and by extension, so do I. As this is clearly your area of expertise and not mine, I will follow your lead.”

Sidonia

 

[Sidonia]

Sidonia didn't interrupt while Mia handled the call.

She stood still, hands resting lightly against the edge of the holotable, listening to the exchange. The commander's tone, the efficiency of the orders, the lack of hesitation… it all told her what she needed to know. Mia did not freeze when things got complicated; she acted.

When the holoimage blinked out and the room fell quiet again, Sidonia gave a small nod.

"You move fast," she said, her voice calm but sincere. "That alone will keep this from spreading."

“Aether trusts you, and by extension, so do I. As this is clearly your area of expertise and not mine, I will follow your lead.”

At the mention of Aether's trust, her gaze shifted slightly. It wasn't surprise; more a quiet acknowledgment of the responsibility that came with it.

"Trust isn't something I take lightly," she replied. "If he gave you my name, there's a reason."

She stepped back from the table then, pacing slowly, the soft click of her silver and blue heels measured against the stone floor. The faint trail of her black dress followed behind her in a smooth line, catching the blue glow of the projection as she moved.

"This isn't just recruits experimenting," she continued, more thoughtful now. "Five deaths from similar product means someone is supplying something consistent. That takes coordination, access and confidence."

She stopped pacing and looked at Mia directly. "If it's inside the base, then whoever is doing this feels safe. That's useful to us. People who feel safe make mistakes."

Her eyes drifted briefly to the five suspended faces before returning to the present. "I'll start with shipment logs and private deliveries routed through Junction City. Anything that slipped past standard inspection. I want to speak with quartermasters and logistics officers; quietly. No accusations yet."

She folded her hands loosely in front of her.

"I'll also need internal security footage. Barracks corridors, cargo bays, common areas. The last three months at least. Patterns show up when you give them enough time." There was no dramatic shift in her expression when she spoke again, just steady resolve. "When I find the source, I'll handle it. Discreetly. Completely."

She held Mia's gaze, not challenging; just honest. "This won't be clean. But it will be effective." she allowed a small pause before continuing,"Are you comfortable with that?"​

Mia Monroe

 

[Mia Monroe]

Mia noted the way she shifted at the mention of Aether's trust and by extension her own, the way she held that weight and let it settle told Mia that it was well placed. Sapphire eyes watched Sidonia pace the length of the holotable explaining the depth of the problem. Mia's jaw tightened at the suggestion that it was within the walls of the base, her gaze dropping back to the five faces. She did not like the suggestion that those deaths were in the hands of one of their own but that was why she had asked for help, because she could not be objective.

Mia straightened as the list of requirements grew, her hands moving to a datapad resting beside the tables controls, drafting a letter of authorisation, marked not just as Warmaster, but as Warden for this sector, sealing it with a swooping signature.

"Everything you need to access within the base you can pull up here," she gestured at the table. "No one will disturb or interrupt you and the access remains until I revoke it." She moved from where she stood at the tables head extending the datapad to her "This will get lips moving where you need it beyond the base perimeter. As for it not being clean?"

A grim smile crossed her features. "I am a woman of war, Sidonia. Nothing is ever clean. Do what you have to do."

Sidonia

 

[Sidonia]

Tag: Mia Monroe​

​

There was something reassuring in the way the woman moved through the problem; quick, decisive, without hesitation. No wasted time arguing over possibilities or trying to soften the situation. Just clear action. Sidonia watched the stylus move across the datapad as the authorization was drafted, the quiet sound of it filling the war room while the holotable continued its slow rotation of the sector around them.

When Mia stepped forward and offered the datapad, Sidonia reached out and took it from her. Their hands came close, close enough for Sidonia to notice the strength in Mia’s grip before she released it. It was a small thing, but it told her enough about the woman standing across from her.

She glanced down at the authorization only briefly. The titles attached to it carried weight; Warmaster and sector Warden both. That kind of authority opened doors that normally stayed sealed tight, and more importantly, it made people talk when they would otherwise stay silent. “That will make things easier,” Sidonia said, her voice calm.

When Mia spoke about war never being clean, Sidonia’s gaze lifted again. She studied her for a moment, as if measuring the truth behind the statement rather than the words themselves. The grim smile on Mia’s face wasn’t bravado. It was experience.

Sidonia gave a small nod. “Good,” she replied quietly. “Because whoever is behind this didn’t just move spice through the base. They watched recruits die and kept selling it anyway.”

There was no anger in her voice when she said it. If anything, it sounded colder than anger.

She turned back to the holotable then, setting the datapad down beside it as she began pulling up the base’s internal systems. Streams of information flickered into view ; shipment logs, security feeds, personnel access records. The blue light from the projections washed over the room, catching along the dark fabric of her dress as she worked through the data.

“This won’t take long to start narrowing down,” she said after a moment, her fingers moving steadily through the displays. “Distribution inside a place like this depends on routine. The same corridors, the same meeting points, the same delivery paths. People get comfortable with patterns.” She paused on a cluster of shipment records, reading through them carefully before continuing. “But routines break the moment pressure is applied. Now that the recruits are locked down and the base starts tightening its grip, whoever is running this line is going to feel that shift.”

Sidonia lifted her gaze back toward Mia.

“And when people feel that pressure,” she said, “they panic.”

She straightened slowly, lifting the datapad again and holding it loosely at her side. “That panic is usually when the first real mistake happens.” The quiet click of her heels returned as she stepped away from the holotable and began moving toward the door. The faint trail of her black dress followed behind her, brushing softly against the floor as she walked. “I’ll start with the cargo logs and work outward through Junction City. If the supply line runs through this base, it’s tied to someone outside it. These things rarely exist in isolation.”

She reached the door but didn’t open it right away. Instead, she paused with her hand near the controls, as if another thought had just surfaced. “One thing before I begin,” she said, turning slightly back toward Mia. Her expression was still calm, but her eyes had sharpened. “When I start pulling on this thread, there’s a very real chance it leads to someone inside your command structure. Someone with rank. Someone your soldiers trust.” She held Mia’s gaze steadily. “If that happens, what do you want me to do? Do you want to know the moment I confirm it,” she continued, “or would you rather I deal with the problem before their name ever reaches your desk?”​

 

[Mia Monroe]

Mia stepped back as Sidonia set to work, folding her arms across her chest as she watched the holoprojector shift, data streams rising at Sidonia's command. She appreciated the efficiency of it, the Warden of Thule, like herself, did not waste time. They couldn't afford to, not with lives on the line. she followed the data, lingering where Sidonia paused it to study, trying to catch the pattern she was looking. There was subtlety in this that Mia could not quite grasp, not because she lacked the capability, but because she lacked the patience for it.

If there was to be panic in the base, Mia wouldn't feel it here, she'd need to walk the base, she'd see the crack quickly enough if it showed. Her eyes shifted back to Sidonia as she moved back from the table, the click of her heels echoing slightly in the empty chamber as she moved towards the door before pausing to meet Mia's gaze, the question making her jaw tense. For a moment, she didn't answer, turning her eyes back to the faces that still sat beneath the data streams.

Her expression hardened as she turned back to Sidonia.

"If you find anyone under my command caught up in this, I want to know as soon as its confirmed. They are my men, they're betrayal is for me to handle." She turned back to the table stepping forward to rest her hands against it as she let out a heavy sigh, the blue light briefly highlighting the tiredness in her face before it vanished behind composure.

"Good luck, Sidonia."

Sidonia

 

[Sidonia]

​

Tag: Mia Monroe​

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Sidonia didn’t move right away.​

​

She watched Mia as she answered; really watched her this time. The tension in her jaw, the way her gaze lingered on the five faces before turning back, the weight behind the words they are my men. It wasn’t just authority speaking. It was ownership and responsibility. Sidonia gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. “Understood,” she said quietly. There was a faint respect there; not for the decision itself, but for the fact that Mia didn’t shy away from it. Not everyone could look at something like that and still choose to carry it themselves.​

​

She stepped closer again, just enough to rest the datapad back against the edge of the holotable. The blue light caught briefly in her eyes as she glanced down at the five faces one last time. “I’ll bring you proof, not suspicion,” she added. “Names only when they’re certain.” Her gaze lifted back to Mia, steady. “And when I do… you’ll want to act quickly. The moment one thread gets cut, the rest tend to scatter. If...there's more than one” Her voice was a bit quieter nearing the end of the statement.​

​

Sidonia turned toward the door, the soft, measured sound of her heels breaking the silence as she crossed the room. The panel lit at her approach, but before it could fully open, she stopped. Something had caught her attention. She turned back slightly, eyes narrowing just a fraction as she looked toward the holotable again. “Before I go,” she said, ]“there’s one thing I need from you.” “These shipments,” she said, gesturing lightly to the logs. “There’s a gap here....small, easy to miss, but consistent.” Her eyes flicked back to Mia. “I need to know who signed off on these entries; not just officially, but in practice. Who actually clears cargo when it comes through. The person people defer to, even when they shouldn’t.”​

​

She held her gaze, calm but intent. “Because if this is as embedded as it looks… then someone isn’t just letting it happen. They're protecting it....”Sidonia straightened slightly, giving Mia just enough space to answer. “Who in your command would have that kind of quiet authority?”​

 

[Mia Monroe]

Mia looked up when she stepped back to the table, her promise to bring names with proof so that when the accusation fell it was truth. The implication there could be more than one made her jaw tighten her gaze moving from the Warden to the five young faces still displayed. Five recruits, young and with their whole lives ahead of them dead. The betrayal sat heavy on her chest, her expression darkening. She didn't answer her promise with words, but with a small nod of her head in acknowledgement.

Sidonia turned to leave again, the soft click of her heels filling the room as she moved towards the door, before coming to a halt. Mia looked round, straightening as she did. A frown flickered across her face as she pulled up the same records on the holo before her, skimming over them.

"Rally Master Venn is in charge of overseeing the docks. He and his clan make sure everything moves as it needs to. I don't interfere unless I need to, Mandalorians don't respond well to micromanaging." She sighed a hand moving to deactivate the holotable. "I'll come with you to talk to him. He can be a little rough around the edges and won't take lightly to a stranger sticking their nose in."

Sidonia