The Evolution Continues

[Ra'a'mah]

In the months since the fall of the Dominion, Ra had been scrambling to adjust to her new life. Without the Dominion around, she had lost some of her security and control. While she was with the Sith Empire currently, she didn't have the same position or power that she had with the Dominion. She was just too new of a face to them, they didn't know or trust her enough to give her any power. Even without a faction behind her, Ra still had the personal support and allegiance of a few people.

One of them, she had taken on as her personal guard. He had accepted her offer, even knowing she was sith. This man was one of the few Ra trusted fully. He had proven that trust and loyalty a few times and there wasn't enough Ra could do to show her thanks. She looked at her friend, guard and ally as they waited in her library from Kainan to arrive.

Her appearance had changed and she now had a new body. While it would very likely come as a shock to Kainan, Zhin had accepted it in stride. She was now Caucasian, had auburn hair, freckles and a scar on the side of her face. Her eyes still remained the natural gold she had from before somehow.

The man they were waiting on, Ra did not trust one bit. At least not yet. They had met briefly just before the Dominion fell. She had told him then, she would contact him again in the future. Keeping true to her word, she had contacted him a few days ago and politely requested he come to her home on Vjun. Here hopefully they would be able to reveal and advance both of their plans, to hold a business meeting and evolve the partnership that had started on Ession.

She had heard back from Kainan who had agreed to come and they arranged the time. Knowing the man was going to be good in keeping his word, at least in this situation, Ra had things prepared for his arrival. When he arrived at the castle, an old man would open the door for him.

"My name is Vincent. Follow me please."

He would lead Kainan to the library, taking him through the castle Ra called home on Vjun.

[member="Zhin Zondaar"] [member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

​

[-SOUNDTRACK-]​

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

The gleaming white triangle emerged from hyperspace, its bright hull bristling with weapons. At one thousand meters long, the Argent Dawn was an impressive Star Destroyer. Heavily armed for its size and capable of unleashing devastating torpedo salvos, the Valiant-class to which the Shrouded flagship belonged and was the prototype of, was designed as a ship of the line, capable of holding its own against the massive capital ships that were a mainstay of the galaxy.

Months had passed since the fall of the Dominion. During that time, Kainan Wolfe, once an unknown mercenary, seized control over what was left of the Dominion's military and a significant proportion of the civilian population. He had gathered the ragtag bunch of survivors and refugees and forged them into the beginnings of a nation. This Star Destroyer was a testament of that.

From the belly of the massive, mechanical beast, came a full squadron of TIE/Reapers and a Lambda-class shuttle, which descended towards the castle below, the ships breaking cloud cover at the same time and in perfect formation, a testament to the discipline and skill of the Shrouded Republic's military. As the shuttle's wings began to fold up, the TIE/Reapers broke formation, splitting into groups of two and buzzing about the ancient structure below. The shuttle came to rest on the empty landing pad below it and the ramp lowered, letting the foul air outside enter the vessel.

First to exit the shuttle, were ten Wolfguards, highly disciplined and fanatically loyal elite commando units who were easily distinguishable by the cloaks they wore, which included a wolf's-head hood on top of their helmets and wolf pelts on their shoulders, giving them a somewhat feral and imposing appearance. Each carried a vibrosword and a blaster pistol on his belt and held a slugthrower rifle in his hand. Lining up into two columns on either side of the ramp, the Wolfguards turned to face eachother simultaneously and saluted by bumping a closed fist against their chests.

Their overlord emerged from the shuttle at that moment. Wearing a heavy leather cloak with fur padding on the shoulders, held together by a clasp shaped like a snarling wolf's head, over a sharply-cut military uniform which bore the various insignia of rank. Kainan Wolfe carried a blaster pistol in a simple-looking leather holster and, perhaps more interestingly, an intricate looking lightsaber clipped to his belt, a weapon which he supposedly took from the body of a Sith Lord he killed during the battle for Krayiss II.

The warlord surveyed the scenery with his ice-blue eyes, the wind blowing against his cloak and white-streaked hair and then stepped forward as a man came and introduced himself as Vincent. The Wolfguards turned in perfect unison and followed the Lord of Shrouds, at the same time that two pairs of TIE/Reapers buzzed overhead. The entire scene was a massive display of force. Wolfe wanted to make the point that he held the power here and he would drive his point home with a hammer. With a Sith, one always negotiated from a position of strength and Wolfe was almost certain that his guest was one.

Wolfe allowed himself to be led to the library, six of his guards remaining outside, while the other four followed him in silence, rifles held at the ready. This time, the warlord would not be caught by surprise. If Ra'a'mah tried anything, he would level the place and everyone within it.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Ra knew the display Kainan did was to show he now held more power than she did. In a way, their roles were reversed. When they met before, she had been the one in charge. While technically she still had power in her own home, his show of force indicated he wouldn't go down without a fight. Not that she intended to fight him, in fact just the opposite. She wanted to ally with him.

Her friend, guard and companion stood at her side as Kainan entered the library. He had brought several guards with him. Most took a place outside the now closed door of the library, the others stood just inside.

Before he left, Vincent asked if he would like any food or drink. If the answer was yes, then he would get what was requested and then leave again.

Looking at the man as he walked in, Ra saw the change in him. While he had carried himself with confidence before, it was stronger now. When they met before, he had dressed in business attire, now he wore military gear and a lightsaber on his hip. Had he learned he could use the Force? Leaving the question unasked, she motioned to the chair across the desk from her.

"Thank you for coming, Mister Wolfe. It seems things have changed for the both of us since we last spoke."

If he sat down, Ra would sit with him. If he remained standing, she would as well.

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

The warlord thought about the offer, but chose to refuse. "Thank you, but at the moment I do not require any food, or drink," he said. Then he laid his cloak on the back of a chair, sat down and turned his eyes towards Ra. "That is quite the makeover," he said, referring to her new appearance. If he was any more surprised by that, he didn't show it. "Now, I've had this kind of situation before, where someone invited me for a friendly chat, only to spring an ambush on me. So, in case you had similar ideas, I just wanted to let you know that in addition to the guards outside and the starfighters buzzing about, I also have a Star Destroyer in orbit of this planet."

Wolfe didn't know which faction had this Sith woman alligned herself with, but this time he wasn't taking any chances. If anything happened to him and his guards, the Argent Dawn was under orders to level this place and insure that no survivors escaped.

"Things have indeed changed for us since our last meeting. Heard about what happened on Eol Sha. At the time, I was unable to intervene, as was everyone else. Though I am fairly sure that this was part of Malvern's plan all along," he said. "But don't worry. That traitor will have his due, in good time," spoke the warlord in a dismissive tone. It was a veiled warning to Ra, that if she stabbed him in the back, there would be hell to pay for it.

"I read about some of your operations. I obtained a lot of the old intelligence reports, amongst other things, after we took the library on Lorrd. Impressive work. Of course, we have yet to decrypt everything, but given enough time, we will," said Wolfe, in a way somewhere between dismissive and bored, as if all of this was routine to him. It conveyed a natural authority and added to his powerful image, the image of a man who ruled a nation. "I assume you called me here because you have a proposition?" he asked, going straight to business. "I will hear it first, but I also came with a proposition of my own."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

At his reply, Vincent nodded and left the room, leaving them to speak as privately as they could with the four guards inside. He took the offered chair and hung his cloak over the back before seating himself.

The reaction to her physical change was good, he appeared to have taken it in stride and it didn't phase him. At least not enough that Ra could tell. What he said next, didn't really surprise her and she gave no reaction to his words. There were no ulterior motives in her invitation for this meeting. She had nothing to hide from him and no reason to attack him like that.

"You were having your demonstration at the time anyway, if I recall correctly."

He had offered to show her that day when she was on Eol Sha. What he didn't know was the part she had played or may have needed to. In the end, her part wasn't required and she never did have to betray Adron or the Dominion she had given her word to.

"What exactly did Adron do?"

After they had been captured, a trial had been held and she was released. A week later she spoke again with Adron, but she didn't know what he had or had not told Wolfe. It was obvious Wolfe felt something different than what Ra did concerning the course of events that day.

"And what did you learn of my old operations, Mister Wolfe?"

She was interested in hearing his answer, considering she had made sure her records were fully destroyed after the Dominion fell. Of course, she had kept personal copies of everything herself. Only one other person knew about them though and she was sure Anya hadn't shared anything with this man.

"Well, when we last met, I had been thinking on your offer of a future demonstration of your ships. At the time, I couldn't take you up on that. I was also going to propose an alliance of sorts between you and I. However, with the fall of the Dominion, I no longer have a faction at my back to use. Basically, what you see is all I have."

She still had a facility on Helska and that was public record within the Dominion archives. The fact she was able to produce Dark Troopers may also be included. It wasn't something she had ever tried to hide, but nobody seemed to remember that about her. So as time progressed, she was quietly building herself an army she would use in the future. When the time was right and hiding in the shadows was no longer needed.

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

The warlord responded with a slight nod. "Yes, I was. And then the entire Sith fleet jumped right on top of us," he said. "We fought them as best we could, given the circumstances. I even had a confrontation with their leader, one Darth Carnifex, though without air support I was forced to retreat," Wolfe said, referring to his now infamous encounter with the Dark Lord of the Sith, a moment seemingly captured on holotape by some civilian bystander. The tape showed Wolfe reacting to the Sith Lord's display of force with only four words: 'It speaks. Kill it'. The recording cuts off after that.

When the topic shifted to Malvern, Wolfe did not allow any emotions to show. However, he suspected this woman craved information, so he decided to feed her some tidbits, just to get her appetite going. "I reached out to the Empire to find a peaceful settlement to any conflict which may exist between them and my faction of Dominion remnants," he said in a half-dismissive tone. "Malvern, who has apparently been appointed High Moff in the meantime, agreed to parley. I went to offer his Empire an alliance and instead, he tried to have me killed. Of course, I also learned that the reason for his promotion was that he had a previous agreement with the Empire," Wolfe said, leaning forward to catch her attention. "Our defeat at the Krayiss sector wasn't an accident. We were sold out."

Leaning back in his chair, Wolfe resumed his dismissive tone. "I will deal with that traitor in due time," said Wolfe, implying a mysterious plan that he had for taking vengeance against the man.

Ra then asked him about what he knew of her operations. "Admittedly, not much," he said. "Which is impressive in and of its own. I know you have a facility at Helska, where you are training an army, though that location might be compromised in the near future. Based on that and on the fact that all of your records were scrubbed, I think it is safe to conclude that you weren't a simple agent within the intelligence department. You were its leader."

"Which brings me to my proposition. You mentioned earlier that you no longer have a government backing you. I, on the other hand, have resources at my disposal that are quite vast. I have the contents of the library at Lorrd, which has already produced more than a few valuable secrets. I have a fleet, an army, an economy going and a network of spies, agents and informants quietly inserting themselves into governments and organizations all over the galaxy. What I need, is someone to organize that," he said, leaning forward once again. "How would you like to take up a position within my government?"

 

[Ra'a'mah]

After the Dominion fall and her loss of position, Ra did not have the full access to the information network she had before. So while she was aware of the attack on Krayiss, she didn't have all the details.

"Why reach out to the Empire? They lead some of the attack on Eol Sha. They captured me, Anya and Adron. A few days later I was released to return here."

She had met with Adron and found out what happened, but Wolfe didn't need to know those details or even her own part that she never played in the eventual fall of the Dominion. The fact alone that she knew it was going to happen before anybody else. Luckily, it was not required of her to betray anybody through the events.

"Any ideas on who sold you out?"

It was an honest question and one she didn't have the answer for. If he didn't provide one, perhaps she could have it looked into on the chance that whoever it was might still be around. He said he had plans to deal with the traitor, but was he talking about Adron or whoever the sellout was?

"I'm not training an army there, I am creating one. There is a difference."

Her tone wasn't unfriendly, but clearly set. The army was robotic and the only training they needed was programming. His assessment of her position was accurate and Ra gave had to give him credit for that. There had been two leaders, herself and the now Anya Malvern. This bit, he may not know and she wanted it kept that way. If he had issues with Adron, then the fact his wife had worked with her might cause issues between them. Not something Ra wanted to deal with yet.

"You are correct. I was head of Intelligence. As for your proposition, I will need a little time to consider it."

She would rather stay in the shadows and not be a known figure. It was the life she knew and didn't really want it to change. If he could offer that, then there was a higher chance she would join. As it stood right now though, she would be known to the people there. Very few within the Dominion even knew she was there and watching, keeping tabs on details and preventing whatever she could from happening.

"Tell me, Mister Wolfe. If I do accept, what would be in it for me besides a position within your government? What would you require of me in return? In business, nothing is ever free."

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

"I reached out to the Empire because I wish to avoid the mistakes of the past," the warlord responded. "I want a peace treaty and non-aggression pact, so that I can focus on rebuilding a nation," Wolfe said "You have to understand, I have to make objective decisions that are in the best interest of the nation I lead," Wolfe explained. "That the Empire had captured the Malvern family, was completely irrelevant to the needs of the state," Wolfe said in a dismissive, businesslike tone.

It didn't take long for Wolfe to decide on a response to her next question. "I have more than just an idea of who betrayed us," said the warlord with certainty in his voice. "I know for a fact that Malvern was the traitor. He admitted it, himself. Bastard sold us out, in exchange for a comfy position as High Moff in the Empire. Though, to be honest, I don't understand the reasoning behind the Empire's decision to actually hand him the position. Quite frankly, that man left me the impression of being insane, incompetent and unreliable at best. He doesn't handle stress well and that isn't the kind of man you want in charge of anything, let alone a planet."

Wolfe responded with a knowing smile when the mysterious woman told him about building her army. "That is something I can understand, though our projects differ quite a bit. I am building a nation. And that is only the beginning of my plans," said the warlord, his serious tone implying massively ambitious plans that could have sweeping repercussions across the galaxy.

"Taking time to consider is something that I can understand," Wolfe said, when the topic of his offer came up. "However, don't take too long to decide. There are plans set in motion that can not wait too long. My intelligence network is growing exponentially and I need someone capable in charge of it, soon."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

He answered her question as to why he reached out to the Empire and she nodded in understanding. Though he wanted to grow his own faction from the ashes of the Dominion, he went about it the wrong way in her opinion. These people had wanted to kill the Dominion, so of course they wouldn't allow peace or an alliance with what was left.

"So perhaps you did not know the Empire had a hand in the fall of the Dominion when you reached out to them?"

While she spoke this out loud, her tone was more like she meant to think it to herself. Nothing she did as without purpose and that was to maybe rile him up slightly, to break that façade he wore or to imply he was incompetent. No so much the last part, but he may interpret it that way.

"For the record, I exchanged nothing to keep what I have. And what I do have, I have worked for to maintain. Now I stand alone."

Their projects may not actually be as much different as he thought, but Ra wasn't going to enlighten him on what hers were. When the time was right, she would come out of the shadows and take over a nation already established. Perform a coup of sorts. However, right now, she didn't have a government to undermine. Having the feeling Wolfe would anticipate such a move, she didn't feel his government was the right one to do that to. In time she was going to do that to the Dominion, but sadly that opportunity had been taken away from her.

He understood that she wanted to think on his offer, but he didn't answer her question on the price. What would he require of her?

"I know what it takes to run intelligence and just how difficult it is."

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

"Oh, I knew that the Empire had a hand in the Dominion's fall," Wolfe said. "Which is why I wanted a peace treaty. I know how the Empire thinks, which is why I believe that a peaceful resolution can be found," the warlord explained. "If I give the Empire a deal that they benefit from, they'll take it.

Wolfe considered his next words for a few moments. "Perhaps, you should have reached out to me earlier," he said. "I have considerable resources at my disposal, which I am willing to make available to you, under certain conditions," said the warlord. He had finally reached the part where he explained what the catch was, for his offer.

"I do not care what your previous affiliations were, or what deals you made with what powers, behind the Dominion's back. But if you take my offer, know that I will not tolerate any deals made behind my back, or against the interests of the Shrouded Republic. By working for me," he said, emphasizing the word 'for', "you stand to gain a lot. The power of the Shrouded Republic grows each passing day and so does its store of knowledge. In fact, we have uncovered the location of several Sith holocrons from the library on Lorrd, which I could grant you access to, once they are recovered. But in exchange for all that I give you, I expect one thing: unwavering, absolute loyalty," spoke the warlord, his tone and posture making it clear that his one term was not negotiable and that the consequences for betrayal, would be horrifying to contemplate.

Unknown to her, Wolfe had already taken into consideration the possibility that she may betray him. Plans had been made, in case that happened and should she try to stab him into the back, she would swiftly find herself at the mercy of a certain Rodian named Tsesh Ovrak, who would be more than happy to teach her a very final and painful lesson about loyalty.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"I honestly doubt there is anything you would be able to offer to the Empire."

The words weren't meant to anger or irritate him. Ra saw them as a statement of fact. The Empire was an established faction that had been around for a while, they would have themselves already set with everything they needed.

She leaned forward as Wolfe spoke, both in saying she should have reached out to him sooner and to give the terms of his offer. What he asked for, she would not give. Having been young and foolish enough to do it before had taught her not to do it again.

Placing her elbows on her desk with her hands folded to rest her chin on, her gold eyes met his blue again. He may read some of her thoughts, but there was only one she would speak on for the moment.

"I agree I could stand to gain a lot, however, I would only offer you my word. There would be no vows spoken or pledges given. You see, I've done that before and now the Dominion is gone. Upon learning the lesson that it was unwise of me give a vow I found unable to keep, I cannot give you one. All I can say is if I do accept your offer, I would give you my word and as a businesswoman. My word once spoken it is not something I will break."

The only condition where she would break her word was if she would die by keeping it. Such had been case with the Dominion and its fall. The vow she had spoken, she actually ended up being able to keep. That vow had been to stay loyal to them until they were no longer around. Ra had stayed with them until the end and kept her word.

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

Wolfe responded with a short laugh. "You underestimate my capacity to reason with them," the warlord said, chiding her. "I understand how the Empire thinks. They care about results, not methods. If they can achieve their goals in a peaceful manner, they will."

Wolfe then listened to her response, taking a few moments to dissect her words and consider a reply. Maintaining a detached posture and tone, he gave her his decision. "A spoken vow is of no more value than a word given," he said. "I suppose your word will have to suffice," spoke the warlord. He needed someone to unlock those Sith holocrons for him, as this wasn't the sort of thing that Tsesh could be trusted to do. The Rodian had his uses, but in this case, he was more likely to get bored and destroy the holocrons as a result, something which Wolfe could not risk.

Besides, if the strange woman did not keep her word and indeed betrayed him, he would be ready for it and his retaliation would be swift and extremely painful. "I suppose, then, that you accept my offer? In that case, I grant you the position of Lady of Whispers," spoke the warlord in a gallant, formal tone.

"In this case, how long would it take you to be ready to depart?" he asked. He had other plans to attend to and needed to keep things on schedule. "I can have a ship made ready for you, or I can assign you quarters on my flagship, the Argent Dawn. The choice is up to you."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"Oh I have no doubt of your ability to reason with them, Mister Wolfe. What I doubt is their ability to reason. Peace is very fickle and what one person views it as, might not be the same as how another person does."

Ra sat back now she listened to see if what she said made sense or if her word would be good enough to satisfy him. His posture indicated he was rather indifferent to the definitions of the words. She felt though he had more interest than he displayed.

When he spoke again, he had accepted that her word would be good enough, granted her a title in a tone that was rather like a showman or a lord. Maybe it was a bit of both. She raised an eyebrow at him and nodded. However, what he said next gave her a bit of pause. He wanted her to come with him and potentially leave behind what she had here. Shaking her head, Ra stood up.

"Please, follow me Mister Wolfe. Bring your guards, if you wish. You do have my word that I mean you no harm here though."

With or without the guards, Ra would lead Wolfe to another room. In this room it was clearly seen this was where she gathered her information. There was nothing that didn't deal with investigation. Datapads, computers, holonet and communication devices were in plenty and even if she wasn't head of intelligence within the Dominion anymore, he would know her connections were still there.

"I already have a place set up here and on Helska. There is no need for me to join your fleet."

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

"War and peace are just another means to an end," the warlord explained. "The Empire will pick the most efficient solution to further its interests and as long as peace gets things done with less effort and risk than war, they will choose that option. It is a simple matter of pragmatism and practicality, my dear, which is why I believe I can get the Empire to see things my way," he said, in a tone that a teacher would use when explaining things to a student.

He let her lead the way, though his four guards were joined by the six at the door and the entire guard complement took positions on either side of them as the woman led the way through the castle's winding and cavernous corridors. The room she led him to, was filled with communications equipment and computers and it was clearly the setup that she used to coordinate her network of connections. He made a mental note of that, in case he ever needed this information later.

"An impressive setup," he remarked, his tone casual. "I have seen better, though not a lot. Very well, then. I will make sure that the intelligence network is routed to this location and inform them of how to contact you and where to report to," he said, omitting the part that he would also be including several loyal informants into her network, which would secretly report to him about the dealings within this base.

"Also, since you are taking up a position as a government official in the Shrouded Republic, security is an issue that will have to be addressed," said the Warlord. "A complement of troops will be assigned to this location, as well as a squadron of fighters. Additionally, there will always be at least one ship in the system, usually an Admonitor-class cruiser, in case a quick evacuation is necessary," he explained, his tone making it clear that the decision regarding this issue had already been made. The troops, particularly the Wolfguard squad he would assign to Vjun, would also serve as an insurance policy, in case she tried to betray him. Her word was good enough for him, but she would also have to accept his terms.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Ra decided to let him say his thoughts on dealing with the Empire. Mentally wishing him the best of luck and let the subject drop. His casual tone on her information set up also lead her to think he had more interest in what else she may have elsewhere. Her Helska set up was the same, but the one she had on Serenno had been far greater. Her destruction of that facility and wiping of all her work there was well done and accomplished. That was why he couldn't find anything much about her other than what had been known about her before.

"Ah this was a secondary set up, eclipsed only by the headquarters on Serenno and Ession."

It was a slight reminder of where they had initially met, the small façade she had worn then. Her almost pretending to be just an investigator and not the head of intelligence. That office they had been in was just a room, not the system itself. Her network while now smaller still worked.

Turning now to look at Wolfe, she listened to his terms. Knowing how the information trail worked, she knew he would be planting spies of his own within her network. They would just reinforce that the information she gave him was accurate. However, she would control what they learned.

"Very well, I accept your terms, Mister Wolfe. Rooms will be found for them to stay in. However, I don't feel I have enough servants to take care of their needs all the time. I expect them to follow any schedule I set for them and report to us both on what they learn. If I find they mislead me in anyway, there will be consequences."

Her own voice matched his in its decision making quality.

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

"You misunderstand," Wolfe said. "The entire intelligence department falls under your jurisdiction. They answer to you, you answer to me," explained the warlord. "Whatever way you choose to deal with incompetence and misinformation is up to you, provided the punishment is not in violation of the law."

"The troops I am stationing here, will be security personnel. You will not need to assign servants to them, I will see to that. Their schedules, patrol routes and mission specifications also fall under my juristiction. If you wish to make any changes to their activities, you need to take this to the guard officers that will be stationed here and follow the proper chain of command. We are a government, not a band of rebels, therefore we will act and behave accordingly," he said, his tone serious.

"Now, operational budget is also an issue that needs to be resolved. The topic of budget distribution is on the agenda of the Assembly's next meeting. I expect you to come up with a draft for the operational budget required by your department, until that time."

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Tilting her head at the man and his words, she nodded and blinked her eyes. She would be in the same position she had within the Dominion, but on a smaller scale. Ra would be able to continue to build her personal powerbase for the day she could come out of the shadows and make a move. The fall of the Dominion had put a halt to that, but Wolfe offered her a potentially stable base to start over on.

"I would say your security detail and the ships you want to leave here are unneeded. Vjun is a dead world. Nobody in their right mind would dare consider this place to be important. Of course, I highly doubt you would do that."

Her hands went behind her back and she stood up a little straighter as she listened about the rules of command. This would be the first time she had more than one or two people staying in her castle. As well as the first time, she would have to deal with the staffing issues here.

"How many agents ill I have? Additional question, are the men you leave here as guards under that same budget or another?"

It was a key question when it came to budgeting and its costs. Scheduling, planning and her own personal security arranged wouldn't be an issue. Ra knew of ways to keep people out of areas where they didn't belong.

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

"Let us hope they are not needed," Wolfe said, referring to the security detail. "But even so, its better to have them and not need them, than the other way around. Besides, as a ranking official within the government of the Shrouded Republic, certain protocols must be observed. Security is one of them," the warlord explained. Of course, he omitted the part where the security detail was also here to keep an eye on her and report on her activities to Wolfe, in case she decided to entertain the thought of changing loyalties.

"The security forces fall under military jurisdiction and as such, their budget, supplies and other needs are also the responsibility of the military," the warlord explained. "You also do not need to concern yourself with non-military personnel such as servants for the security force. The military will handle that," he said. It was clear that Ra'a'mah would have little control over the military contingent that was to be stationed here. "The security detail will consist of three hundred troops, including a squad of Wolfguards and a squadron of starfighters."

"As for the number of agents you will have, the Precision and Contingency Operations Department currently consists of almost one thousand personnel, though that number is increasing and will continue to increase as we recruit more people to our cause," said Wolfe. "Unlike the security force, those agents do fall under your jurisdiction and as such, accomodations, supplies and equipment are also your responsibility, hence why I expect you to come up with a budget draft so quickly," spoke the man, pacing around the room.

"So far, we have operated under a provisional government, using provisional budgets. This changes as of the next Assembly meeting. Ahead of us, is the difficult task of building a nation. As a member of my government, I expect you to work hard and I expect you to come up with solutions, but I do not ask you to do anything more than I am willing to do, myself," Wolfe said, turning to face her. He always had a hands-on, hard working approach to things. As when he ran a mercenary company, he would lead by example.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

"You know these protocols weren't done with the Dominion and I was perfectly safe here."

Tilting her head to the side only slightly and raising an eyebrow, he should have figured out that she was onto his ruse. Ra would allow him to maintain the detail here and she would worry about the budget for the branch.

"As you can see my own setup here is meant for one person. I assume then the others will be on the fleet?"

If he wanted her to have agents actually on her property, it would cost a great deal more to get them set up in castle or a separate facility. Technically there was another facility on Vjun that had been made by the Dominion for the training of agents under her command then. It could just be reactivated and put into use again.

"On second thought, if you rather they be kept here, then there is something I could offer for the cause, if you will. There was a training complex here and I also have my Helska facility that can be set up to hold more people. The down side of that one is Helska is as much of a dead world as this one."

Why she built her homes on dead worlds was all part of her plan. In them she could gather her intelligence and knowledge as well as build her powerbase.

"This is not the first government I have helped set up. I understand what you require of me, Mister Wolfe."

[member="Kainan Wolfe"]

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

Attn: [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Zhin Zondaar"]​

• Vjun
  Neutral Territory

"Yes, such protocols weren't observed by the Dominion," said Wolfe. "As was the case with other protocols which are normally observed by a functioning government. One might wonder how much of this was the cause for the Dominion's eventual fate," spoke the warlord, his tone almost reproachful. Whether or not she deduced his other intentions, to have the security forces keep an eye on her, was irrelevant, as their presence was not negotiable. "I will not make the same mistakes that Malvern made. This government is to be run properly and will observe the proper protocols, in accordance with procedure and the law."

Then came the subject of housing the intelligence agents. "Housing and deployment of the intelligence operatives is up to you, although if you have access to training facilities, I advise you to make use of them," he said. Her explanation that she understood what he asked of her, seemed to satisfy him somewhat and he nodded.

"Good. Then all that remains is for you to assume your position, create a budget draft for next week's Assembly meeting and begin your duties," said the warlord. "There is also the matter of the holocrons who's locations we have acquired from the library at Lorrd. I would like you to look at our data and come up with a few proposals for acquiring them, though that is not as urgent as the budget draft."