Introductions

[Davin Jusik]

Max sat tied to a small metallic chair in a tiny box of a room. One lone light hung in the center, which slightly illuminated his immediate area and the one way glass opposite the chair. He'd expected this when he defected, and would've thought less of the Rebels if they hadn't. The light flickered slightly.

All the years of killing and spying his way across the cosmos for two fascist power hungry governments his conscious had finally caught up with him. The crash on that backwater world with Morgan had put things in perspective. The dead friends, that blasted sense of duty, and everything he'd thought he'd done for the "greater good". Despite damning evidence to the contrary. It seemed as if the universe itself was shouting at him.

It'd been easy enough to defect, Max had simply left his apartment on Coruscant one morning, booked passage under one of his false names, and cut the chip out of the back of his head after getting out of system. After a few weeks of searching he ended up setting a meet with a recruiter and promptly had a black bag placed over his head. His research was solid, so unless the Empire had some other compartmentalized section he wasn't worried that he'd been taken by the wrong people.

Now he simply waited to be spoken to.

 

[Corruck Kazen]

Corruck was watching from behind the one way glass. He was watching the man for a moment, just to observe this defector, trying to see if there was any uncertainty or guilt. He didn't know where this man was from, he didn't know why he was joining the Rebels, and he didn't know whether the man could be trusted. Corruck had been the Rebels Intelligence Officer at one point, but now he was only a military General. Now, he didn't have any trouble with the change in rank, there wasn't too big a difference between the jobs and what one had to do.

He had hoped that someone else would take care of this, however as others were busy he decided he should take care of this. Seeing that there was little to no point in waiting, Corruck walked slowly into the the somewhat dingy room. He closed the entry door way, making sure to keep himself appearing to be as confident as possible. He expected that [member="Maximilian Vinticus"] would know that Corruck was not as stoic as he pretended to be. It would be that mutual acknowledgement that both sides knew what this was all about and that it was nothing personal that would allow this to be done without any permanent damage, psychologically.

Corruck held a datapad in his hand, which he held and constantly read from as he began, it had some small information on Maximilian and open areas for future information. "Hello, Maximilian. My name is Corruck. Are you comfortable?"

 

[Thane Drexel]

[member="Corruck Kazen"] [member="Maximilian Vinticus"]


"Forgot the glasses, I had to forget the glasses. Stupid clerk and her dumb questions. Made me late."


Thane steamed through the hallways and into the interrogation center with a bittle of Corellian Whiskey and a stack of disposable cups. He walked into the observation room and looked on as Corruck began to talk. Flipping the switch on the mike he began recording the session, a red light on the console denoted it was functional. Thane would wait a spell before entering. Manners and what-have-you.

He poured himself a cup of whiskey amd sat in the chair a moment and awaited Maximilian's response to Corruck's question. He'd give Corruck some time, but he knew how Corruck got around those who aren't of the RA. Thane couldn't enjoy his drink, he merely nursed it, he would need his wits.

 

[Davin Jusik]

"Relatively." Max said to [member="Corruck Kazen"] while looking at [member="Thane Drexel"] with a grin. "This isn't an Imperial dungeon and I haven't been put up against a wall so that's a plus."

The irony was so delicious that Max had to stifle bursting into laughter. He'd went through numerous training exercises with this exact situation in mind. Had his reactions drilled into him as if they were second nature by his overlords. Now he was about to willingly give up all of those secrets he'd been sworn to protect without so much as a hint of resistance.

He figured it served them right. For John. For Ericsson. For all the other naive troopers and agents he'd led into the field under the presumption of fighting for the greater good, or order, or any of that other horse shit they were fed over the years. Only to have their lives cut short in the most violent ways imaginable.

 

[Corruck Kazen]

Corruck smiled as he replied, "I'm glad we could avoid that sort of business, after all you are coming to us."

He turned as he followed [member="Maximilian Vinticus"]'s look over to [member="Thane Drexel"]. "Ah, you. Well we couldn't have a proper interrogation without a party huh." He thought to himself. He took a moment to school his features back into a less emotional appearance. "So, part of the Imperial Remnant... Agent was it? Were you within military jurisdiction or part of the Imperial Intelligence section?"

Unfortunately, the information that had been given to Corruck was by far not that comprehensive. It was lacking and so Corruck had to begin filling in the spaces. Hopefully, by the time that this was over, the Rebels would have quite a few secrets added to their knowledge.

 

[Thane Drexel]

[member="Corruck Kazen"] [member="Maximilian Vinticus"]

Thane raised his glass to Max and Corruck when they looked. He figured he could go in now. Grabbing two spare cups and the bottle, he entered the room, set a cup down in front of the pair and poured. He sat between the two, facing the door.

"Thought this might loosen your tongue a little more Maxy, may I call you that? I'm just gonna call you Maxy. Makes me feel like old pals, cause we all know who's the old fart in the room." He openly pointed at Corruck.

He cheersed the trio and took a drink.

 

[Davin Jusik]

"Little bit of both. Sith Empire Stormtrooper Corp for seven years, First EOD Company. Was an officer for three of those years, reached Captain young. I followed the unit we were assigned to after the fall. Was selected as a candidate for Intelligence Service by Caius Flavian, IR, after my entire company was killed when the ship we were stationed on tanked over some backwater hellhole. Completed their training, did undercover work against the former President of the Ravens and conducted numerous counter insurgency operations within the home systems. They promoted me to Handler for those." Max said, with a tinge of regret, recalling the horrible things he'd done to achieve his mission. "Trained a few agents before leaving shortly after Flavian did. He was my only real connection there after my unit was.... lost. I didn't have any reason to stay. Linked up with the other reformed version of the Empire under Tmoxin Temi. Did a few assignments for them. Things that didn't feel right. Oh, and I was shipwrecked on a backwater moon with a protocol droid for a few weeks, after which I deserted my command and came here." [member="Corruck Kazen"]

[member="Thane Drexel"]
"Thank you but my hands are presently occupied. Not the first time I've been called that." Max replied with a chuckle. "But it is the first time another male soldier has addressed me as such."

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

Grayed boots clopped down the hallway beneath the barracks, the Red Fleet's leader having been communicated information about a new asset the Alliance had just so recently acquired. She scanned the files pulled up on her datapad, checking his titles and history--as much as they could possibly know about him at this point. Ex-Imperialist to the 'T', now defecting from the One Sith and associated factions. Rumor had it he was an intelligence agent, so he could either be a lagoon of knowledge or just someone who had awaken from their fascist nightmare and decided to take up the flag of freedom.

Setting her pad down upon entrance of the observation room, Krasnaya looked on at the three men in the interrogation room--Generl Kazen and the drunk Benefactor-or-not Drexel. Surprise, surprise--he had liquor in his hand, even while questioning this Maximilian fellow.

But the Admiral was present. Not that they would know that, as she had yet to step out into the room. For now, she would just watch and listen, gleaning from whatever the two other Rebel leaders could draw from the man. He seemed willing enough, and the Alliance interrogators showed no signs of tension. All she really felt was necessary was to stand by until he could be deemed knowledgeable enough to be worth her time.

[member="Maximilian Vinticus"], [member="Corruck Kazen"], [member="Thane Drexel"]

 

[Corruck Kazen]

Corruck would have smiled at that last comment, both the one directed to him and the one directed towards [member="Thane Drexel"]. His response was almost immediate, however he bit it off before it escaped, "Well, that's enough to make any man want to leave whoever left him with a protocol droid." He declined the drink with a small shake of his head. Better to keep his mind clear, set something of an example. Or, at least not make the Rebels appear to be a band of very unprofessional pirates.

Instead, he continued, keeping to the direct and necessary questioning, "That is quite a resume. Are you willing to reveal the details behind your assignments, operations, and leadership?"

Corruck had decided that at this point, near the beginning, he would not force [member="Maximilian Vinticus"] to reveal anything that he did not want to yet. The man probably had some guilt as it was, no need to push on that. It was a wound, one that Corruck could exploit, however one that he chose not to. That wasn't a line that Corruck would cross at this point, that did not mean he would not cross it later, but for now he would keep to the simple and open. Driving too deep too quickly sometimes made people a little jittery and difficult to keep hold of and Corruck wanted to avoid that.

[member="Krasnaya Xue"]

 

[Thane Drexel]

[member="Corruck Kazen"] [member="Krasnaya Xue"] [member="Maximilian Vinticus"]

A visible shiver sent Thane's skin tingling all over as he began to feel like theybwere being watched by someone very judgmental. Mid sip, he put his drink down. Corruck turned his drink down, so Thane grabbed it and pulled it to his side of the table. He had missed that Maximilian was cuffed to the table, inconvenient.

"If you are so willing, I'm sure our great Admiral of judgelessness wouldn't mind that we remove the shackles and allow you that drink before you." Thane plugged in after Corruck's next question.

He gave a glance at the two-way mirror between the rooms. He was only really here because he'd been in clntact with the Rebel Defector prior to his arrival. Strange, the Drunk Benefactor was allowed such a privilege. He must have greased some wheels up at the top. He was happy either way, a wry smile eaked out at the thought just before taking another sip of his whiskey.

 

[Davin Jusik]

"Yes." Max said to [member="Corruck Kazen"] with a slight gravel, shifting the overall tone of the conversation. There was a long list of things he wanted to stay buried underneath layers of paperwork at the IIA Building. Alcohol. He'd abstain from it for now. It had a way of bringing out terrible things in a man.

"I'm fine, thanks." He said to [member="Thane Drexel"] in a less than jovial tone.

The glass being what it was Max had absolutely no idea [member="Krasnaya Xue"] was there.

 

[Corruck Kazen]

Corruck hoped that [member="Maximilian Vinticus"] understood that this was simply necessary procedure and nothing personal. Corruck was not one to normally be straight forward and without even a little bit of humor, hwoever sometimes it was necessary... Though, in all truth, this was nothing like the interrogation that Corruck had undergone with Dredge, that had been quite the ordeal. The current situation was not anything that Maximilian would have to worry about, Corruck had no intention of using torture, or any other standard interrogation tactics to obtain information.

"Well that is a start. Would you mind starting with your most recent mission, the plan, members, who set up the mission, and what not?" He had to take his time collecting information, had to be as thorough as possible.

As with Maximilian, Corruck was not aware of [member="Krasnaya Xue"]'s presence behind the one way glass. He didn't really care too much whether there was anyone watching or not, the information would be passed around soon enough.

[member="Thane Drexel"]

 

[Davin Jusik]

That was actually a more loaded question than [member="Corruck Kazen"] realized. "Well, the official one, was passed down through Sergeant Major Ulysses, an Imp military man who occasionally handled intelligence connections. I was to eliminate a Naval Officer who planned on going defector, to you fine folk, who just happened to put his trust in the wrong friend. I dressed as a dockworker, hung out in the cantina were he thought he was supposed to meet his rebel contact, posed as said contact and then led him into an alleyway before putting a vibroknife through his guts. I stole his credits and shoes to make it look like the typical wrong place wrong time bad neighborhood scenario and ditched everything on another level. Reported in via com and went to sleep." Max said in a neutral tone. His conscious buzzed with guilt as he spoke. The thought of the man's eyes rolling back into his head stuck with him. He hadn't killed since that night.

"The unofficial one also given by the SM, slightly more recent, was to pull an intel Colonel out of an undesirable situation with command, which I did, and she's doing fine. Tmoxin Temi."

That one had been a standard retrieval op.

[member="Thane Drexel"] [member="Krasnaya Xue"]'s

 

[Corruck Kazen]

Corruck did not let any emotion appear on his face. His place wasn't to judge, at least not yet. He might not have agreed with the mission, however it was this man's job at the time to follow orders and the Officer he had killed was an enemy. Rather than ascertain how much blame to put on [member="Maximilian Vinticus"], Corruck felt more inclined to reading the man. He hid emotion well, understandable him being an agent. Corruck guessed, that Maximilian was not currently proud of his actions in regards to that mission, or at the very least he felt some vestige of guilt. If that was so, then that was proof more than anything else that the man was at least a little trustworthy.

He had to keep from appearing to blame the man, he just hoped that what he was about to say would be taken in the intended way. "Sounds like you were quite professional and good at your job. I'm glad that you are on our side now." Corruck typed into the datapad the information, making a mental note to notify Doctor Temi of this man meeting with his sister. "Were you employed often on missions of high value?"

[member="Thane Drexel"] [member="Krasnaya Xue"] [member="Armand Temi"]

 

[Davin Jusik]

[member="Corruck Kazen"]

"Yeah, especially in the IR...... I..... tortured a lot of HVTs." Max said with a bit of sand. Those files were buried in the IIA Department somewhere in IR land. They tended to move it more than Max cared to track.

 

[Thane Drexel]

Thane sat back and sipped on his two cups of whiskey, te others may not want a relaxed vibe to flow, but Thane was more than happy to support the room with plenty of warm fuzzy feelings.

His cheeks began to flush from the alcohol and he felt his head lighten up. It was wonderful.

"Now, being the man you are, Maxy. I can say for certain that you were an asset of importance to the IR and OS. With all of your skills and knowledge, what would you surmise from your time, would be the reaction if your bosses when they realize you're not there any longer? Are we safe in assuming your tracks are covered. If not, I'd like to get set for some unhappy former landlords of yours. As I'm sure you understand, we'd like this little group to stay afloat a while longer."

Turning to Corruck, "Not to interrupt the festivities. Must be safe in times like these, you understand." His tone was lite and playful, with a touch of lucidity. With a strange sense of direction, Thane winked at the mirror, looking right at [member="Krasnaya Xue"].


[member="Maximilian Vinticus"] [member="Corruck Kazen"]

 

[Krasnaya Xue]

So far, not much had surprised Krasnaya. Typical asset elimination had been the primary missions he had listed. Nothing about fleets and incursive operations. She needed a little more before it was worth stepping into the room and dividing the attention from Corruck's thorough questioning. She would give the general some more time to gather what he could before she would interrupt anything. The subject was being particularly open about things without too much nervousness. There was still the possibility that he was counterfeit, but the odds were steadily declining.

Fetching a cup of tea, the admiral resumed her unwavering observation of the interrogation process from behind the one-way glass. The Benefactor turned about with that goofy look on his face and waved directly at her, startling her for a moment--which nearly resulted in the spilling of her tea. That crazy drunk somehow was eerily perceptive. She started to keep on eye on her leader more often than on the defector at that point.

"Insane..."

[member="Corruck Kazen"], [member="Maximilian Vinticus"], [member="Thane Drexel"]

 

[Corruck Kazen]

Corruck shook his head slightly as [member="Thane Drexel"] spoke, he could never really understand how the man was given a leadership position. The way he kept looking at the one way glass annoyed Corruck a little, if there was anyone behind there it wasn't Thane's job to point them out. The whole purpose of one way glass was to make it almost impossible to tell if anyone was behind it! He had intentionally avoid putting attention on the glass, after all whoever was there wasn't as important as [member="Maximilian Vinticus"] at this moment.

He spoke again, once again removing an emotion he may have felt from his voice. "Well at some point we will probably need to debrief you on those. That will be later though, for now was there any operations ongoing when you defected that you were aware of?" It could give them some information that otherwise might be learned the hard way, especially if the Imperials had decided to try and infiltrate them.

[member="Krasnaya Xue"]

 

[Davin Jusik]

Max scowled at [member="Thane Drexel"] before turning his attention back to [member="Corruck Kazen"]. "They're eyeing you fine folk." Max said with a bit of a glare in his eye. "I don't know what exactly it is they're planning but some of us were given lists of names. HVTs. Before being put on standby." [member="Krasnaya Xue"]

 

[Thane Drexel]

[member="Maximilian Vinticus"] [member="Corruck Kazen"] [member="Krasnaya Xue"]


Thane smirked at Max. He had a way with words. Max was going to be a great asset. If he would give the names of the HVT's then that would simplify who had to be removed or attacked to stop the advancement of the Sith and their evil friends.


"Much oblidged Maxy. See I knew you'd be a great help. Once this is over, I'll share this bottle with you as promised."

Corruck and, Ooh, the admiral should join us! Have you got a peek at the admirals here yet?" He said with a wink. "Don't let them catch you, but they're quite the lookers. If their looks could kill as well as their tactics, then we'd be the galactic superpower."

Thane loved the idea of lightening the mood, even if he got in trouble with Admiral Xue. In fact he was planning on it getting him a good "talking to".