The halls of the ISB headquarters were, as could be expected, stark and sterile, though the building itself was imposing, built to dominate and above all convey to anyone who looked upon it their irrelevance. For this was the nerve centre of state security, seemingly all-powerful, all-seeing, able to identify any opponent of the regime and smite them.
Black-armoured stormtroopers wielding blaster rifles stood guard, staff aides and agents went about their business, all under the watchful gaze of security cameras, both visible and invisible to the naked eye, though the enhanced perception of Moira picked up upon the latter, but she did not let it trouble her. As she walked through these halls, her stride soft but precise, every step seemingly calculated, she could not help feeling a certain sense of familiarity.
As if she had been here before, much like she had felt a peculiar sense of deja vu as she looked upon the ruined, radioactively contaminated, lifeless surface of Donayd, the pyre of a holocaust so many seemed to have forgotten. Like she had...helped pull the trigger once. Such flashes were puzzling, they indicated lack of control, perhaps a glitch. But answers would come to her time, logical reasoning and violence would achieve this, and as a machine she could not angst.
"General Kalel will see you now," the General's secretary, well-dressed, with a skirt just a few inches short of regulation, a smile on her face that seemed forced, spoke to her. "The ISB is taking these abductions very seriously. He was expecting to meet with..."
"The Directorate Chief is indisposed and sends her regards. Special Officer Terran is heading the operation. General Kalel will be briefed about the joint investigation soon. Thank you for your time," Moira said emotionlessly, not having moved or sat down throughout the entire time. Her weapons had been taken from her after entering the building, but then she was strong enough to break people by the hand. As the heavy doors to the office opened and she walked through, two stormtroopers followed her, not particularly discreetly, but then their master was a General of Imperial State Security.
About to be a corpse.
General Kalel sat in a leather chair behind an expensive looking hardwood desk, probably imported. He straightened, trying to look in control, but appeared tired and stressed. Moira's sensors picked up on the alcohol he had consumed and her nose crinkled just slightly in distaste before her features returned to their placcid state. Kryf, older vintage, not something that came cheap. The General seemed to have been doing well for himself and the view of the city was majestic. The desk was stacked with datpads and flimsi reports, perhaps hastily put up to simulate activity.
"General, sir, the agent from the IIB investigative team regarding the abductions," the secretary addressed him, looking just a bit like she wanted to be somewhere else. Perhaps she sensed the shift in power. Smart girl. Not that it mattered.
"Welcome to Koribin. I must say the IIB's arrival is rather...unexpected. The ISB is taking these...disappearances very seriously and we have devoted an entire commission to finding the rascals behind them. Our efforts will not fail and we will crush those behind them," he said with an air of drama, though she noted his hands were shaking slightly. He was compensating now that the Empire had turned its attention towards his little fiefdom.
"The slum areas are...very hard to police and the local gendarms are frankly incompetent. I suspect some of them might be...colluding with gangs but a for a long time my hands were tied. But the ISB has some very promising leads for a roundup of enemies of the state. I strongly suspect that Case Officer Ming is...unsafe and have taken measures to order his arrest and of his accomplices. The Emperor's will be done. We are...doing our best to..."
"Irrelevant. We require the best of someone better," Moira cut in coldly, not reacting at all to his rousing speech. Roundup. The usual suspects. Figured. "This is not a social call or a joint operation. As of now the Atrisian Empire is taking direct intervention. You are no longer in command. You are either in collusion with the elements responsible or incompetent. Koribin will be purged of traitors, wreckers and sloths. You failed to live up to your responsibilities and apprehend those responsible, you have covered up evidence and let rogue elements run rampant. Such is either incompetence or...treason. You will answer any questions the investigation has about your...collusions. We are here to bring the truth to light and you will answer."
Kalel spluttered and frothed for a moment, unable to speak. Finally he narrowed his eyes at her. "You will pay for this insult, girl. Long and painful. I am a General of State Security, a loyal officer, and this it not Atrisian territory. I have protected this world for decades and will not yield to bullying. Guards," he stood, making a gesture.
"Sit down," Moira said sternly. "Koribin's 'indepedence' is superfluous, for the men at the top have proven a failure. On behalf of the Imperial Government I am here to execute the sentence of death upon you. You will confess your errors, name your accomplices, then die. Either swiftly or painfully. The Empire will assume direct control over Koribin and terminate traitors, wreckers and sloths."
"You think you can just come in here and treat me like a slave? Guards! Kill her. She's a traitor. Defend Koribin."
Moira reached down her leg to remove a concealed blaster. Black-clad guards entered, swarming her and firing, opening up a volley of blaster bolts, but they no more affected her than hail on stone. Calmly she raised her blaster and shot two, grabbing the blaster rifle of one who toppled over while it was in mid-air, stoicly shooting down each guard in turn, able to concentrate on firing both weapons without any difficulty.
One guard came at her with a vibroblade as she crushed the throat of a falling guard with her boot by stomping upon his throat, and drove it into her back. The droid twitched as as the tip of the blade penetrated her clothes, then she dropped her guns to grab the hilt of the blade to pull it out...the frightened guard backed away, weakly raising his blaster to fire, but she was faster and simply tossed the sword through the air to chop his head off. Then she faced Kalel, who had gone white and sat limply in the chair, then suddenly tried to dash out and run but she simply raised a blaster and squeezed the trigger, a laser bolt hitting him in the back of the right leg, then roughly grabbed him by the shoulder in a grip bound to break bones.
"I don't think running will save you," she spoke flatly, holding him up with one hand like he weighed nothing. She pressed a button on the communication device on his desk, hailing his command staff. "You will confess your failings before your minions. Then you will be executed. Fail to comply and you will be...in pain." For emphasis she grabbed his right hand when he tried to beat her, and squeezed hard, breaking it.
