Private Into the Veil

[Saga Linzino]

[Theme]
09:00 hours, 418 - Military Promenade Way, Arcenon, Kalidan-Lysenia

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Saga marches with long strides down the promenade from the military hangar towards the looming Blackwatch HQ building, a structure she’d never entered but still always sat in the foreground of her mind, as she marched down through the military district as a child she’d gaze at it looming ominously over the promenade, she held the strap of her rifle on her back tightly as she took her first steps up the well maintained black marble steps, what she assumes to be agents marching down the stairs orderly clad in white with highlights of red and black, they stare at her with the glowing red light of their helmets, a cold chill crawls up Saga’s spine, she runs up the remaining steps to evade the ever cold wind of Kalidan.

Through the blackened glass doors into the main lobby Saga saunters gazing at the executive design of the interior, the same black marble floors, grand military inspired chandeliers, crimson carpet centred in the room with gold trimmings and the familiar Blackwatch triangle insignia etched in the centre in black and silver. There were far more guards in this building then most other government buildings Saga noticed, in fact out of the corner of her eye she noticed she’d been shadowed the whole way inside by security, internally she applauded their thoroughness. Nevertheless, she headed forward to the reception, a clean shaven man with ginger hair in a standard imperial suit and memory implants just above his ears including a eyepiece monitor, Saga spoke as elegantly as she could.

“I’m looking for the office of Lady Ingrid L’lerim, I have an interview with her.”

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Blackwatch HQ, Arcenon, Kalidan, Eternal Empire
Equipment: Tactical Turtleneck with this look as Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Ground forces: 2/2 Infinite Droids (Honour Guard with her, in her office)
Tag(s): Saga Linzino

Ingrid was in her office that day as well, dealing with official matters. She was just looking at the files and reading through the Rebels. There have been a lot of reports they have had to investigate since she announced the Zero Tolerance Policy. But it was also useful because quite a few people who were involved were caught. So that's why it was all worth it. Citizens could feel safe.

While reading these, the receptionist informed the woman that someone had come to her for a job interview. She quickly checked her list to see if she had any such discussions for today. There was a young girl named Saga Linzino - not that Ingrid was so old - she was the one she had to meet now. So she also signalled to the receptionist to send the girl to the office. The office was spacious and large enough, with some closets, bookshelves, and a large space. In front of the window was Ingrid's desk, and in front of the desk were some chairs that guests could sit on.

There were even two Infinite Droids in the office, supervising the Baroness as a bodyguard. Ingrid only gets up after Saga arrives at the office. Then she gestures with her hand as well to come closer to the girl. When the girl got to the table, she extended her hand for a handshake to greet her. If she returned this, Ingrid waited for the other to sit down, she only sat back in her chair afterwards.

”Greetings, Miss Linzino, what can I do for you?” she asked.

​

 

[Saga Linzino]

​

The receptionist spoke to a woman into their comm, she sounded well spoken, and calm. The bored secretary spoke without looking to her

“Silver elevator up the stairs on the right, you can’t miss it.”

“Th… thank you.”

Saga twiddled her thumbs nervously as the receptionist returned to his traditional position unbeknownst to the rest of staff filing his nails under the desk. Saga followed his instructions and made her way up the stairs to the elevator guarded by one infinity droid standing aside up her approach now acting as a lift operator instead of a body guard, punching in the floor number perhaps out of fear of spies snooping around Saga thought.

The lift door opened revealing the aforementioned executively vast office space, impressing Saga greatly, she sees the woman's gaze exit her monitor as she stands to welcome her. Saga takes a look and her up and down, inexcusably impressed, as before her stood arguably the second most powerful person in the empire, she was taller and less callous looking than she anticipated, her fiery hair was immediately eye-catching, her eyes deep as an ocean. She shook her hand, tingles went up Saga’s spine, causing her to zone out briefly, taking a moment to register what she had said.

“I’m here because of the recruitment notice I received by one of your agents, m’lady. I was told to come here for an interview although I am surprised it is by you yourself.” she retraced her words. “Not that I’m not flattered I just assumed I’d be interviewed by a middleman not yourself m’lady.” sweat dripped down from her forehead, “Sorry I’m nervous, I just... have untold respect for you m’lady.”

Saga looked down realizing her sweaty palm was still shaking her hand after about a minute, quickly snatching it away and sitting down as tastefully as she could.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Blackwatch HQ, Arcenon, Kalidan, Eternal Empire
Equipment: Tactical Turtleneck with this look as Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Ground forces: 2/2 Infinite Droids (Honour Guard with her, in her office)
Tag(s): Saga Linzino

She didn't even have to use Force to see how nervous she was. She didn’t find this a good point, especially since she’s applying for agency work in theory. But Ingrid hadn't said anything about it yet, she still had plenty of time to put her in a more uncomfortable position if it turned out that way. Which actually came after they sat down in the chairs.

<”What makes you think you can do your job well? After all, you seems to be so nervous in a simple conversation. You don’t seem to handle a stressful situation well, so how would you be able to do espionage tasks without falling apart or without your cover was compromised?”> she asked.

She looked into her eyes with her own blue eyes, she wasn't bothered if she had to. She was not embarrassed even when she first met the Emperor, even though she was just a simple CIS spy at the time and after that meeting she returned home completely to work for the Eternal Empire. But no, she was never nervous, not at work, only in a case that was personally motivated. She never allowed herself to do this at work. But back to the present.

<”First, calm down, you learned at the academy how to do this. You are no longer a cadet or a student, behave appropriately to a soldier and an agent. If you are already able to control your emotions, then answer my question, collected and thoughtfully!”>

She wondered if the girl would freeze on this better, or whether she would be able to gather herself and behave in accordance with what was expected of her here.

​

 

[Saga Linzino]

Saga took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down, fixating on the silhouette of a ship departing a spacedock as Ingrid spoke, listening intently as she desperately attempted to clear her mind.

“Yes mistress… I do believe I will fit this job, you can take a look through my records, I have nothing to hide.” She gathered herself. “I’m sorry about that mistress, I’m not usually this anxious especially when it comes to furthering our great empire, It’s everything to me.” She looked down at her hands. “I… I was top of my class, my instructors told me I was skilled when it came to combat and stealth so I feel like I’d be a good fit, I’m good at blending in...” Saga fidgeted with their hair, ''despite my hair colour.”

Saga looked at Ingrid nervously, she had chilled out significantly but now a feeling of dread was what overcame her, acting such a way in front of THE commanding officer. She thought about running past Ingrid in a mad dash and lobing her own corpse through the protective glass down to the street below to not live with the embarrassment.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Blackwatch HQ, Arcenon, Kalidan, Eternal Empire
Equipment: Tactical Turtleneck with this look as Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Ground forces: 2/2 Infinite Droids (Honour Guard with her, in her office)
Tag(s): Saga Linzino

The girl didn't look like a Force user to Ingrid, so it was no wonder she felt all the feelings from her through the Force, most of which were quite intense. Since she had read the girl's file so she knew that she had not been hired as an Ultranaut because of it, this behavior was unacceptable from a soldier. Although the woman believed that from an agent as well, but then time will tell whether Saga can change or not.

<”My address is not a mistress, as I am just working hours, “my Lord” will do perfectly, possibly Director L’lerim, but I prefer the „my Lord”. Outside working hours, Baroness L’lerim or Lady Ingrid is the right address, perhaps my Lady.”> she said almost kindly.

Mistress… maximum her husband called her that way, but also only in the bedroom. Anyway, the titles she listed were others called her. The officials. For the mistress, it was a title by which a lover was called, not a noblewoman. After that, she listened carefully to the girl. Was she the best? Raised an eyebrow very little at this mention, barely noticeable.

<”I assume you just weren’t practicing against a Force user opponent. Based on your current feelings, I believe you weren’t trained to assassinate Force users, am I right?”>

Unable to control her emotions, she was sure of that. When she sensed the protrusion through the window from the girl, this certainty became 1000%. A force user would spot her from miles away. Though she had read the girl's file, she still wanted to hear and read answers from her.

<”What tasks have you done before? I am not thinking of mandatory academic internships that take place in a controlled environment. But to something that was an actual task, outside the academy.”>

​

 

[Saga Linzino]

“My address is not a mistress, as I am just working hours, “my Lord” will do perfectly, possibly Director L’lerim, but I prefer the „my Lord”. Outside working hours, Baroness L’lerim or Lady Ingrid is the right address, perhaps my Lady.” she said almost kindly.

Saga’s face turned a bright read like hot lava covering her mouth s, “I’m so sorry, my lord, it won't happen again.” Saga apologized as she bowed her head in forgiveness, that at least 70 story drop was looking really good right about now Saga thought to herself. “If I had to say what I think my greatest weakness is it’d be honorifics m’lord, definitely not my strong suit.” She continued bashfully.

“N… no most instructors were all not force sensitive, one year though me and the other like two force sensitive students were put into a program with a retired shroud member, it wasn’t much, 6 months? My instructor said I was very proficient with the physical aspects of the force such as pulling, pushing, running jumping and general melee combat, so much so that at the end of the program my master gifted me this.” Saga removed her Nelvaanian Longsword and sheath drawing the sword itself and placing it upon its sheath on the table, then sighed. “But that’s about where it ends.” She clenched the grip of her sword on the table, “I’ve known I was force sensitive for ages but something’s always been missing, never had foresight beyond reactionary, I’ve never been able to meditate and I’ve had nothing prophetic happen to me. But that’s sort of part of the reason I came today, when I saw the message to join. I was at a low point in my life and somehow it just called to me y’know?” Saga noted, a slight gleam in her eye, continuing to listen to Ingrid’s every word.

“Besides mandatory internships, not much, hunting beasts on Vassek and infiltrating a camp used by anti-Imperial terrorists on Lotho Minor, other than that I’m pretty fresh.” She responded humbly

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Blackwatch HQ, Arcenon, Kalidan, Eternal Empire
Equipment: Tactical Turtleneck with this look as Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Ground forces: 2/2 Infinite Droids (Honour Guard with her, in her office)
Tag(s): Saga Linzino

Ingrid nodded, seeing perfectly that this wasn't really the young girl's strength. So she was Force Sensitive, but not so much to be a member of the Wardens of the Shroud. That, too, was pretty telltale. As well as the fact that then the girl's place would not simply be in Blackwatch, but in the Psi Corps. She didn't really know if she would be right there. She seemed too unstable for all this. But the time will tell this.

Plus, she said she was quite a warrior-minded rather than a wizard. Although that wasn't really a problem. But after all, it might really be a good idea to give her to the Psi Corps, at most, to find out if that’s enough. If not, she may still be suitable for simple service. According to the saying, she was really a very fresh agent. Her own upbringing was also much different because of Nite, because she had to kill her first opponent as a little teenager. But it wasn't Ingrid here that mattered. Nodded again at the girl’s words.

<”All right, I get it. Then you will need to sign up to the Psi Corps. You may not have heard of it before. This is the secret section of the Force Sensitive and Force Users members. Those who come here on special missions are not strong enough to become members of the Wardens of the Shroud. You will probably need some further training to learn to control your emotions because we cannot risk accidentally unleashing your strength during a mission.”>

As she spoke, she watched Saga all the way, wondering what she was going to say about it all, or whether she knew the Psi Corps at all. But she was also wondering if she would accept this or just run away. Ingrid couldn't blame her for either.

​

 

[Saga Linzino]

Saga watched Ingrid look at her intently as she spoke oh so softly, she felt naked, invisible as if she was staring directly to the wall behind her, she knew far more about Saga then she knew about herself, she thought. When Ingrid mentioned the Psi Corps Saga shook her head passively, “N… no I’ve never heard of them.” she replied quietly, she had no idea what she was talking about, but caught on very quickly.

“Yes m’lord I promise to work harder” Saga said with a bow of the head. She needed this and she got the impression Ingrid knew this, yet she continued, “I will work harder! I want to make myself better, anything, I’d do anything to myself to aid my empire!”

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Blackwatch HQ, Arcenon, Kalidan, Eternal Empire
Equipment: Tactical Turtleneck with this look as Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Ground forces: 2/2 Infinite Droids (Honour Guard with her, in her office)
Tag(s): Saga Linzino

<”A little dignity, Ms. Linzino, if I may. Behave worthy of the Empire!”> she said coldly.

It seemed to Ingrid that she had experienced this whole thing as some kind of punishment, as if it had been this whole punishment and would be assigned there, not for her own merits. Which in this case was the Force Sensitivity. She waited a few moments for Saga to calm down herself again, if that happened, she would speak again.

<”It seems to me that you will experience this as a punishment. That's not it. Not everyone can be a Warden, don’t feel bad about it. However, it is commendable that you can still benefit the Empire with your special abilities. Rather, feel honoured to be a member of the Psi Corps. The rest is just a formality, in our job we have to stay in training for the rest of our lives anyway.”>

She continued to speak in a cold, distant voice, though this was perfectly normal in her case. Especially during working hours and in a formal setting. If others were present, she used to talk like that to her husband, or to Adrian, but her own parents were no exception.

<”Rather, you will try to perceive them as the elite division of Blackwatch. They are the infantry, communications and interrogation specialists. This way you can prepare for this, that you will receive further training in this direction.”>

​

 

[Saga Linzino]

Saga coyly knotted her hands together nodding to Ingrid's words, staying completely silent roomingating on the ideas she put forward. Think that this role may be less glamorous and postered than her dream but in the grand scheme of things it could be far more important and give her skills she wouldn’t have trouble learning in the ultra combat heavy and nuance lacking Ultranaut Corps. Perhaps this was the path for her, away from the military parades and holonet new articles and instead to protect the dignity of the Empire from behind the curtain. Saga’s colder demeanor began to ever so slightly lift to near enjoyment.
“Th… thank you m’lord I won’t take this opertinued for granted.” Saga responded nearly patriotically, as she eagerly awaited Ingrid’s next orders.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Blackwatch HQ, Arcenon, Kalidan, Eternal Empire
Equipment: Tactical Turtleneck with this look as Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Ground forces: 2/2 Infinite Droids (Honour Guard with her, in her office)
Tag(s): Saga Linzino

Ingrid waited patiently for Saga to finally calm down and possibly be able to respond to what she had told her. As the girl's thoughts were still fluttering, she still felt the top thoughts perfectly. She thought the other was infinitely naive and dreamy, but she was still so young. Of course, she understood why she wanted what, for someone the guise was the most important. But there were more important things.

<”We are equally part of the parades. Another issue is that our name is not mentioned publicly. But there we are, and the merit is ours. Given that we do a lot more important work than they do. We explore the planets they occupy. However, if you want glamour and fame, I suggest you change careers and apply as a politician, possibly an actress.”>

Took another stern look at her and waited for an answer. If it was to stay and cope with the task, then Ingrid got up from her seat and motioned for the girl to follow as well. She walked out of her office to the elevator, the droids not following her.

<”I will take you to Psi Corps and show you the organization and the building. If you think you have questions, feel free to ask them.”>

Waited for the girl to join her, then pressed the button to take them down to the underground levels. After all, the building also had countless floors, not just on the surface. While travelling, unless Saga spoke, Ingrid was speechless throughout.

​

 

[Saga Linzino]

Saga nearly chuckled at Ingrid’s suggestion of becoming an actress, sure she may have thought about it once when she was maybe six but not in a long time. “No, no, no the performing arts are definitely not for me, I’d be terrible in front of an audience, I joined my academy’s debate team one year, and regretted every second of it.” Saga rambled, realizing halfway through she may have been oversharing.

And held back from continuing, her face lit up at Ingrid's mention of showing her around Psi Corps, she shot up and followed the woman obediently as if she was her pet. Within the elevator Saga looked down thinking, “I’m not really sure if it is in my place m’lord but may I ask you a question?” Saga paused, fixing her posture “How old were you when you started?” she said softly as to not unearth anything, listening to the lift as it whooshed downwards.

Ingrid L'lerim

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Blackwatch HQ, Arcenon, Kalidan, Eternal Empire
Equipment: Tactical Turtleneck with this look as Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink
Ground forces: 2/2 Infinite Droids (Honour Guard with her, in her office)
Tag(s): Saga Linzino

<”However, if you become an agent, you will have to constantly act in front of many. So you definitely have to practice this.”>

Although, if she becomes a member of the Psi Corps, she may need less. But since she was likely to be proficient in higher circles because of her work, it was definitely necessary. This was mandatory among the nobility anyway, no one could survive without acting and shadow plays. In the elevator, when Saga asked if she could ask something, Ingrid nodded. It was actually quite a personal question, but she decided she would answer it. After all, she had no real shame about it, and she was from Nelvaan, for them it was natural.

<”I was ten. Ten months old, because I started walking then. And according to our customs, I was already given a weapon to my hands. I guess you just started it all at the academy. I’m right?”>

She glanced at her, how she would react to that. Meanwhile, the elevator arrived at the level they were heading to. The door opened and there was a long, dim corridor in front of the two women. A few agents walked here as soon as they noticed them, immediately saluting Ingrid, who returned it in their direction. Then she walked down the hall.

<”Below are the interrogation rooms, as well as monitoring stations and special rooms. Members of the Psi Corps typically spend their time here. There are always those present who supervise the interrogations, none of them happening without them. If you want to see how it all works in practice, there is an option to it.”> she offered the opportunity.

​