Spies in the Wires

[Armand Temi]

Since the new Empire was spending much of its time in the Unknown Regions, obviously Ezra’s intelligence was particularly good on planets which neighbored Byss, like Selvaris and Csilla. While he still had an office on Byss, he spent most of his time on his ship where he could be alone and monitor the information he received from his sources.

While Ezra was dedicated to the Bureau, he occasionally struggled with bouts of anthropophobia. Whether he feared the judgment of others or just the presence of people, he wasn’t sure. But at times like this, he would retreat to his Scarab-Class Corvette, The Anubis, where he would be free from distractions, small talk and forced smiles.

Csilla, in particular, had interested him because of a rise in chatter among the Ruling Houses of the Chiss. While the planet was occupied by The Sith, he wondered if the Chiss were plotting a coup. Or perhaps it was just your typical complaints from another oppressed race. Either way, he wanted to keep this on his radar. The Chiss on a whole had always been friends to the Empire. It was only fitting that he would want to cultivate this amicable symbiosis on a more personal level to retain information which could predict sedition towards the Imperials, either from the Chiss themselves or from their own enemies.

He landed in a shadowport, close to Csaplar and sent [member="Magnoliidae"] and encrypted message:

Lady Fantana, I’ve arrived. Where would you like to meet?

Even though his communication was extremely secure, he signed off with his real name. He only sought information from the young, Chiss Lieutenant. Anything more clandestine would require operatives after all. Ezra fancied himself as somewhat well known in circles familiar with Imperial Intelligence notables. But whether the Lady knew him beyond his initial request to meet with her, remained to be seen.

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

The encrpyted message came over Fantana's datapad just as she was descending the steps of the House Palace in the subterranean city of Csaplar. Long manicured nails tapping over the touchpad, the Lieutenant instantly responded to the missive with a similarly safeguarded note.

"Please meet me in Ac'siel in one hour. There is a cafe in the city proper called Taza's. Don't be late."

There was a currently meeting of the Colonial Phalanx Commanders at the House Palace, and the Expeditionary Library contained too many watching eyes. Ac'siel was a much better place to meet with an Imperial spy.

Having just attended a transportation summit at Parliament, The Lieutenant was resplendent in her yellow diplomatic robes with grey trim. Even though House Chaf's traditional garments did not change over the centuries, House Chaf was now a shadow of its former self. Someday Fantana would see to it that her House rose again to the forefront of Chiss politics, even if her House's traditional color made her look like a red-eyed canary.

Fan quickly caught one of the tubes that connected Csaplar to Ac'siel, and in forty-five minutes was strolling into Taza's, with not a hair out of place. The well-regulated temperatures of the underground cities of the Chiss were luckily very kind to appearance-obsessed women like Fantana.

She sat at one of the tables, crossing her legs demurely and ordered a stimcaf. Although the cafe was virtually empty, the high-ranking Lieutenant felt uncomfortably exposed. Ever since the Great Disappearance, assassinations had been on the rise. As Fantana waited for Mister Klev to arrive, she made a quick note in her Datapad to contact the One Sith about providing her with an Imperial bodyguard. By Edge's sake, she hoped that they would at least give her a Chiss.

[member="Ezra Klev"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Ezra hadn’t planned on being late, but there was an electrical malfunction on his own tube to Ac'siel. After checking his chrono, he picked up the pace and ended up running the rest of the way to Taza’s, and after locating Lady Fantana in the somewhat empty café, he gave her an apologetic look, running his fingers through his dark hair.

Slightly out of breath, the Imperial Agent sat down at her table and signaled a server to bring him a caf. Lady Fantana was a striking woman and the yellow of her robes nearly made her blue skin vibrate, his own blue eyes soaking in her rich color.

“I apologize for making you wait. There was a problem…”

He trailed off under the glare of her cold, red orbs. His excuse didn’t matter. That was as crystal clear as the ice which covered her home planet of Csilla.

“Thank you for meeting with me, Lady Fantana. I hear there have been problems on Csilla. Reports of Rebel fighters in the air. Rumors of attacks. Evidence of terrorism."

His stimcaf arrived and he sipped it. It was too hot and scalded his tongue, but he didn’t flinch.

“I’m here to pledge the Empire’s help to you if you so desire it.”

This wasn’t wholly the truth as Ezra was mainly speaking for himself and not the entire contingent of Imperials in the Unknown Regions, but Fantana didn’t need to know that.

“While I haven't seen any firsthand evidence, what do you know of these attacks?"

His hand crept into the pocket of his dark peajacket, and he turned on the recording device inside.

[member="Chaf’anta’natrano"]