The Spy Who Came in From the...Cantina... (Republic)

[Mark Crassis]

SHULSTINE V
TWIN MOON CANTINA

Mark Crassis swipped his gloved finger over the datapad screen and continued to scroll through the two dossiers before him. Fixx Kearney and Ali Hadrix. They had come highly recommended for the work to be done, but Crassis was slow to trust....even if the individual who recommended them was a friend.

Fixx Kearney, age 32, Coruscanti native, raised by a single father, mother died during childbirth. Crassis glanced up from the datapad and raised his glass, indicating to the service droid that it should refill the glass. Fixx's father worked as a metrocab driver, he served with the Coruscant Security Force for a time, close ties to Kayleigh Tyven... Crassis smiled as the droid approached and he raised his drink to his lips taking a healthy swig. Crassis took the moment to glance about, ensuring that there were no private eyes on him.

He was situated in a small alcove at the back of the cantina. The table there was permanently reserved for him and it was more his office than the nicely furnished one in the government building.

Ali Hadrix, age 35, born on Commenor, parents were merchants with ties to the Mandos through her mother, father an economist, trained for combat by mother, worked with Mando mercenaries... Crassis pulled his thick framed glasses off of his face and leaned back, shaking his head and sipping from his glass of Menkooro whiskey.

"A cop and a merc." Crassis said turning to the Trandoshan bodyguard that stood to his left. "Do you think they'd be trustworthy?"

"You don't trust." Grezzk said hissing in a laugh. "And you don't pay to think." The reptilian said crossing his scaly arms across his broad chest.

"There has never been an attack my life.....I'm beginning to wonder why I pay you at all." Crassis said chuckling along with the Trandoshan and downing the rest of his drink.

[member="Fixx Kearney"] | [member="Ali Hadrix"] | [member="Jessica Century"]​

 

[Ali Hadrix]

"Why do you pay him?" she asked, turning around in the seat she'd chosen only meters from his usual table. She was sitting in a dull brown wooden chair, with her elbow propped up on the table and a drink in her hand. It was one of those girly drinks, brightly colored, like the shade of lipstick she wore, or the neon lights outside the bar. It even came with a little umbrella and a pair of straws, the little ones used to stir caf.
She wore a plain blue sweater top and black slacks, and short-cropped heels with red bottoms and a professional design. She had one leg crossed over the other, and she was leaning with her free arm over the back of her seat so that she gripped the top of it. Her hair was dark brown and lustrous, and the ends of her long locks curled. She had bright blue eyes, sharp and searching, a pleasant mouth that loved to smile, with red lips against pale skin that was never too white, but just right, in any kind of light.

"I think you should start paying me," she said, arching an eyebrow and dipping her glass his way. She knew the man by reputation, though they'd never met. He was shrewd and liked to win. He was old of body and young of mind, with many long years ahead of him. He was sharp-witted and razor-tongued, and never let it known if he understood pleasure, or simply the kind brought by victory.
He was well-dressed and professional, just like her. He was watchful and aware, just like her. But he was better at it. He'd been in the business since she was a child, and compared to him, she knew nothing of the Galaxy, or of winning. To him, she was still a child, and always would be. And she admired him, from afar. But she was done admiring, she was ready to work. She'd grown bored with administration, and wanted to return to the field. Intelligence was a risky business, it was one she was good at, one she loved.

"I think," she said wistfully, swirling her glass about with one hand, and stood. She was not tall, but neither was she short, her heels clicking gently against the floor of the bar as she walked over toward his table. "That I...want to work...for you." She said in pauses as she approached him. She set her drink down at the table and pulled out a chair and sat down.
"I'm Ali Hadrix, and I want to be a better intelligence agent."

[member=Mark Crassis] | [member=Fixx Kearney]

 

[Mark Crassis]

"He's a deterrent." Crassis said tilting his head to the side and examining Ali Hadrix with a quizzical look. "Shulstine V isn't the nicest of places, his presence deters the cheap thugs from trying anything, I am, after all, just an old, cripple man." Crassis said as a crooked smile spread across his face and his raised to his feet as she approached, leaning heavily on his cane as he rose to his feet and he extended a hand for her to join him. As she approached and sat, Crassis sank back down to his feet and listened to her. He had to give her credit. She'd shadowed him to the place without giving away her presence.

Perhaps he'd been riding a desk a bit too long.

"Do you now?" Crassis asked placing the cane against the table and crossing his hands neatly on the table in front of him. He almost wanted to laugh. Not because the idea was absurd, quite the contrary. Crassis was here evaluating these dossiers for that very reason.

"And how exactly would I help with that?" Crassis said, turning and glancing over his shoulder to Grezzk and indicating that he should give them some privacy. The Trandoshan glared at Ali for a moment and then stomped his way to the bar.

[member="Ali Hadrix"] | [member="Fixx Kearney"]​

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali smiled, knowing full well that Mark Crassis was anything but a crippled old man. Old, maybe. Crippled, certainly. But neither at the same time. She turned sideward in her seat and crossed one leg over the other, then danced a fingertip around the rim of her glass. Crassis rested his hands on the table and sent the Trandoshan off to the bar with a single look. Is that the power of respect, or the power of money? Ali wondered gently. Shaking a lock of hair from her face, Ali chewed on her bottom lip momentarily in thought. Her only response to Crassis' question for the time being was to let her gaze drift obviously over the man's shoulder and up toward the ceiling.
After a few silent beats, Ali lifted her glass and caught the straw between her rouged lips, then took her forefinger from her glass and pointed behind the man. Fastened to a small nook in the ceiling, hidden behind the shadow cast from the lighting at the bar, was nestled a small pin holocam. Ali set down her glass, her drink now empty, and drew a datapad from the pocket of her slacks and dropped it onto the table in front of Crassis. The screen was unlocked, and it was displaying the camera's feed. Ali leaned forward into the holocam's view and waved up at it, smiling playfully. With the datapad before Crassis, Ali was essentially waving and smiling at him.
After another moment without explanation, Ali leaned back in her chair. "You're reviewing myself and Fixx Kearney for some sort of intel related positions in whatever shady-as-all-get-out operation you're running within the government." Ali shrugged flippantly, "I'm guessing you've been blank-checked for the whole thing, minimal civilian oversight, if any. Your options couldn't be better, I'm clearly a solid pick, and while Fixx wouldn't let me tumble with his girlfriend, I know him to be a solid operator by reputation." She jerked her head over to the Trandoshan at the bar. "He's your deterrent. I'd say it's about time the Republic had one of its own. And I'm not talking about Jetii," Ali said, using the Mando'a slander for Jedi rather casually.

[member=Mark Crassis] | [member=Fixx Kearney]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Fixx sat hunched by the front window, running a finger around the rim of the caf that was now cold. Keeping himself to himself, he watched and waited. Blue eyes scanned the room, and then scanned his caf, as any normal customer would do watching the world go by without a care in the world. Was the man with dirty blonde hair waiting for friends? A lover? A work meeting? Who cared.

He was sat there in a basic navy polo shirt and tan combat trousers with his sand boots. The cuts on his face were soft pink, nearly healed after recent tragedy, but inside – the wounds would take far longer. Fixx wasn’t the man he once was, and now being called from the frigate by Republic agent Mark Crassis was something he would do out of duty.

Pushing back on the chair with a sharp squeak, he left the caf and moved over as the burly Trandoshan got up to go. Brilliant bodyguard then. Moving through the gentle mood of customers, Fixx walked to the table where a man and woman sat. The woman looked vaguely, familiar, but not enough to care about.

He sat in the vacant chair, not shifting once down and making eye contact first with the man. Crassis looked a clear thinker, methodical and plain in appearances but already Fixx had a feeling this man know what was needed - old fashioned responses to old fashioned problems.

"Mr Crassis. You called."

[member="Mark Crassis"] | [member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Mark Crassis]

Crassus let out a roar of genuine laughter as she placed the video feed before him. She was a bold one and forward. He liked that immensely. "I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just fine." Crassis said as Fixx Kearney entered the cantina and made his way to the table.

"Hello Mr. Kearney, I'm glad you could make it." Crassis said and waived over the serving droid to who had already prepared a refreshment of Crassis Menkooro Whiskey. Crassis sat the empty glass on the tray and picked up his new drink, taking a health sip of the red liquid. "What can I get you?" He asked Fixx and wondered if the man drank martinis. "And would you like a refill?" Crassis said to the young lady across the table. Crassis waited for the two of them to place their orders and studied them both for a moment.

He envied them a bit, he could admit that to himself. His career in the field was long since over but these two were just getting started. The constant fear and paranoia. The constantly looking over your shoulder. The mistrust and plotting.....gods how he missed it. Though it never truly went away, the thrill of it faded with time. Once the orders had been placed and the droid had brought them, Crassis finally continued.

"I'll speak plainly, which seems to be the general theme," He said casting a raised eyebrow at Ali. "The Senate is currently voting on a measure that will revamp the GIA....though I'm not sure it will still be called that when this is all said and done." Crassis said swirling his drink and glancing down into his depths before looking back up at his young companions.

"Regardless, Republic Intelligence has long been a joke to the other powers in the universe....that ends now!" Crassis said, his voice taking on a hard edge. "We don't have a 'blank check' from the Republic, but we'll make due for now. We'll be starting small and building back up. We can't trust any of the old lines of information, so we're going to have to create our own."

"What sort of connections have you both built up already?" Crassis asked, sitting back and running his hand over the head of his cane. It was carved to look like a raven, an animal that Crassis respected.

[member="Ali Hadrix"] | [member="Fixx Kearney"]​

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali had accepted the refill of her drink, enjoying the silence that rested on their shoulders until the orders arrived. At that point, Crassis began explaining the details of his endeavor. Ali wasn't much bothered by a current lack of funds, her short stint with the Rebel Alliance had taught her to be stingy with her resources when necessary. Goodness those folks were poor. She reminisced, glad to no longer be apart of their misguided little band. Ali tapped the bottom of her glass absentmindedly on the table in thought as she considered Crassiss inquiry regarding her and Fixx's intelligence assets. Clearing her throat, Ali answered first. "I have contacts within the Rebel Alliance, though I wouldn't bank much on them," Ali said, shaking her head at the thought of their silly band of merry folk. "I didn't spend long there, though I'm in touch with a few key members." She sipped from her drink before continuing. "I'm currently building a few relationships on Hapes, within one of the more prominent Consortium families," Ali twirled a loose lock of hair around her finger in thought, remembering precious Pelin'a Têhra, the young woman she'd met just recently. For a moment, Ali was lost in thought, a vague smile marking her lips as she envisioned Têhra's rouged lips, supple breasts and...Quickly, Ali decided knew whom to mention next. "I've also got assets from my mercenary days, a hot shot pilot in the Republic Navy--" Ali rolled her eyes, "You know, in case there's any interior work needing to be done..." At this point Ali brought her free hand up and began marking off fingers. "There's the Red Ravens on Coruscant I'm in touch with, though I picked a fight with the Red Dress just for fun, so I'm not sure what they think of me at the moment, annnnnnnd then I've got resources on Nar Shaddaa in the form of an old Hutt's personal army." Ali snapped her fingers and reached for her drink again. "And that's about it." She glanced over at Fixx, giving him the floor with the tip of her glass. She knew the man had been in the business long before herself and expected a much more useful-sounding list than the one she'd provided, though Ali knew most assets were unavailing until the right job came along. "Oh," Ali added, catching Crassis' attention once more, "My mother served as Ori'ramikad in two wars." Ali held up a pair of fingers to emphasize the last. "She's well retired by now, but I can probably cull her assets." Ali narrowed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, then remembered, "And don't worry, I've got dossiers drawn up on all of these assets."

[member="Mark Crassis"] | [member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Fixx gave a nod as the drinks came from Crassis and sat back to listen to his speech. As with most things, it sounded perfect, but words were easy – it was the action that would define a plan and root out those able and willing to make something of it.

When the girl began to talk, his eyes moved over to her and watched, taking a note of her body language, her overt and covert expressions, trying to build a mental picture of her. She was pretty, and enthusiastic, but easily distracted; was there some emotional ties that could lead her to where Fixx was now; on the edge?

He tipped his head as she finished her impressive check-list.

"I don’t have anyone."

Taking the drink, he took a mouthful and let the statement hang.

"No, that’s a lie. I have a Felicity Vorana working in the same unit as I have been. She’s a slicer and she’s got balls. You’d like her. That’s it."

He felt cold, a barrier coming down over him. He wasn’t going to drag [member="Kayleigh Tyven"] into this mess – whether she was going to make it or not was another matter and not one he wanted to dwell on.

"I’d rather build connections from scratch, with the minimal amount of people involved so we know who to trust and who not to trust. Leaks occur when everyone things their connections are unique, but more often than not they’re already on the pay list of someone else."

He looked to the girl.

"Be careful who you drag into this because they will get hurt, sooner or later."

Taking another mouthful of drink, he sucked in the air through his teeth and licked his lips, offering a wry smile to her.

[member="Ali Hadrix"] | [member="Mark Crassis"]

 

[Mark Crassis]

"Sound advice but I'm glad to see you both have some connections to get your started." Crassis said taking another sip from his drink and glancing around. They couldn't know they weren't being watched....there were never absolutes. But Crassis wasn't overly concerned here. Crassis had cultivated the appearance of a corrupt politician on Shulstine V. This allowed him to operate within the city more easily than if he were thought to be an honest man. As a crook, Crassis was just another of the many disreputable individuals who lived or spent time on Shulstine V.

"In time you'll build larger networks." Crassis said leaning forward and setting his datapad on the table and crossing his arms. "We are going to operate in cells." Crassis said, elaborating on the work that they would be doing. "Each of you will be in charge of a separate cell tasked with gathering information. The flow of information between the two cells will need to be limited.....in case one of them falls." While the older man wished he could believe it wouldn't happen, it was an inevitability in this sort of work. Cells fell apart and then needed to be rebuilt....try as you might, security can only go so far.

"The bright side of all this is you'll have autonomy. You'll get information back to me and on occasions, though for security concerns rare occasions, we'll meet in person. Most of our meetings will be done through encrypted networks. However, aside from this, you'll be free to do what is necessary to serve the Republic." Crassis said, emphasizing the word. He wasn't going to warn them about going rogue, he knew they were seasoned enough not to need him to threaten them.

"The downside of this is that you're on your own." Crassis said shrugging. "If your network crashes, we sever all ties....we won't negotiate for your release, or make trades....we can't have anything tying you to the Republic. That being said....I try not to leave my agents behind. We'll come for you if we can, it just won't be anything official and it might not be immediate." Crassis admitted, his mind wandering to a time when he saw in an interrogation cell for a few weeks. The experience had been....enlightening.

"I can't emphasize this enough, however." Crassis said leaning forward to press home the point. "I don't care what you do, I don't care how you do it. Nothing is off limits if it gets us the information we need and it is done for the betterment of the Galactic Republic. However, I. CAN'T. KNOW. ABOUT. IT." Crassis said, speaking slowly and pointedly. "I am the bridge between the work your doing and the Galactic Republic government, I need to be able to look the Senate in the eyes and tell them you're not breaking any laws....and as far as I'm concerned your not!"

"You provide the information....I'll keep the funding and support coming." Crassis said raising his glass and his eyebrow to see what they had to say.

[member="Fixx Kearney"] | [member="Ali Hadrix"]​

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali considered Fixx carefully as the man spoke. He seemed, damaged, hurt, but beyond that Ali couldn't glean much. His words of caution fell on deaf ears however, as Ali didn't form relationships with assets. In her mind, it was better to drag an asset down in case she needed something to step on on her way back up. That being said she wasn't without morals, but criminals and foreign intelligence operatives were not her friends, they were sources. Ali continued looking over at Kearney until Crassis started talking. Fixx was certainly tore up about something, but he clearly wasn't about to share. Ali looked back to Crassis and sipped at her drink, not bothering with the umbrella or straws this time, no matter how cute they may seem.
Crassis' plans seemed pretty much along the lines of what she expected, though this sort of work was new to her. Gathering information was the easy part, knowing what to do with it however...that she would need to better learn. Information was everywhere and anyone could go dipping into the pool. But guiding information, using it to shape people, nations, worlds, wars...Ali shivered mentally at the thought. It would be years before she knew what she had truly gotten herself into that day.

Crassis wrapped up his part of the discussion, leaving Ali slightly uncomfortable. Her morals were rooted in a strong sense of self-assurance and common sense, not the kindest of bed-fellows when it came to the security of an entire Galactic government and its people. Do whatever you have to do...well fecking hell that doesn't tell me much about right and wrong. Ali sighed inwardly, but nodded as Crassis ended his speech. "I'm guessing funds will come through typical government accounts?" Ali asked, swallowing the rest of her drink. "And what about oversight...is there a government or civilian oversight committee you report directly to? If so, who's on the committee?" Ali inquired. To any passersby it seemed like a boring political discussion, but knowing what members of the government had power over you and which ones didn't could mean almost everything to a spy in the right circumstances. Primarily because it gave you a list of people you could pressure in case you needed something special out of the government. It also told you what you could get away with and when, and whom might be responsible for covering your ass if an operation went haywire. Crassis' had a need for plausible deniability made sense considering he could be osik-canned right out of the gate, but Senators didn't deal with job applications, they dealt with elections, which meant keeping their spies happy was an important aspect of their job if they had any direct involvement with black operations or illegal methods and procedures.

[member="Mark Crassis"] | [member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Swallowing the rest of his drink, Fixx held it in his mouth letting the strong alcohol burn his throat before he took it down with a sharp breath. He pushed the glass out on the table and sat back in his chair, resting his chin in the cup of his hand.

The girl spoke first, asking fair questions, to which Fixx glanced over at Crassis.

"I guess you know how rotten the Republic is right now, Mr Crassis, because you’re certainly trying to convince yourself what you propose is on the right side of the law. Give me the direction, and you’ll have the job done – no trace, no recrimination to you or the Republic."

He looked at the girl.

"A committee shouldn’t be something we focus on as important, because there will always be a leak. Maybe not now, maybe in a year, but leaks happen and we need to be careful who and where our intel goes to."

Fixx looked to Crassis again, and was aware he was becoming colder in his outlook and building up the armor to let no-one in again.

[member="Ali Hadrix"] | [member="Mark Crassis"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali rolled her eyes at Kearney, "That's the point. Knowing the members of an oversight committee can save your ass in the case that something big enough breaks out." Ali dragged her fingertip across the rim of her glass. "That way you can force them to work for you." Ali waved her free hand, "I hate dealing with civilians officials as it is, but having bosses is beyond me these days. I could never do it." She nodded politely toward Crassis, "You being an exception of course...though I'd kick your ass too if I had to to get the job done." Ali winked and sipped from her drink.

[member="Fixx Kearney"] | [member="Mark Crassis"]

 

[Mark Crassis]

"We don't actually know....not yet." Crassis said shrugging apologetically. "As a political committee, membership comes and goes. At the moment, with the restructuring happening, there isn't a clear committee in place." Politicians came and went. Committees were established and dissolved.

Turning toward Ali and giving a mischeouvous smile, Crassis dryly responded. "I'd love to see you try my dear." And raised his glass in a toast before downing what was left of his drink. Then he turned a curious look over to Fixx.

"Mr. Kearney, I love the Republic." Crassis said smiling warmly. "And I will do whatever is necessary to protect it. The law has nothing to do with intelligence gathering. We aren't a police force. We aren't a military unit beholden to convention."

"That being said, I'm not telling you to go out and start committing murder....or to start breaking international laws left and right." Crassis said sitting forward and resting his hands on the table. "What I'm telling you is to get the job done.....and that when the rare occasion pops up when you need to violate a law or two to do so, you can." Crassis said shrugging.

[member="Fixx Kearney"] | [member="Ali Hadrix"]​

 

[Connor Harrison]

Fixx smiled, more of a dry smirk, as Ali spoke and ignored her. Obviously she hadn't seen the horror Fixx had first-hand.

When Crassis came with the world-weary speech, Fixx just looked at him and leaned forward on his elbows, slightly hunched. His blue eyes spoke volumes as he replied.

"Crassis, don't tell me how to get the job done. I've been doing this for years and when I turn to the Republic, they let me down. I know the rules, and I know the red tape that goes with it. Sort out where your love lies first and if it's well placed and then come and get me when you're ready to actually do something about it."

He pulled a credit from his pocket and placed it gently between them both on the table.

"And the law always plays a part in intelligence because it's the law we have to convince we are on the right side of the fence. Sometimes vice versa."

Fixx glanced over at the girl, and then back to the old man.

"Thanks for the drink."

He pushed back on his chair with a sharp scrape on the floor and got up, without giving them both a second glance and made for the door, patrons making a gauntlet to get through.


[member="Ali Hadrix"] | [member="Mark Crassis"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali frowned, rather unconvinced by Kearney's clear penchant for self-loathing. She watched him leave after dropping the credcoin on the table, then turned back to Crassis and rolled her eyes for a second time. "What crawled up his bum and died, seems he cares more about how his exit looks than his grit." She asked rhetorically, sipping again from her drink. After Kearney had left the bar, Ali leaned forward and took back her datatablet, then began drawing dossiers up on the hard screen that she had collected on those in her list of contacts with several flicks of her fingertips.
"Look, I'm ready to get to work, but I need more time to gather assets. Soon enough though, we can start outlining operations." She pushed the datatablet back across the table in case Crassis was interested in viewing the displayed data. "I'd also suggest we start carving out territories, and I'd recommend they overlap." After a brief moment Ali explained further, "You say compartmentalization is important, in case there's a fire in the building, and that's fine," Ali began. "But we ought to work our agents' territories the same way. If we only have one guy working over the One Sith, and that guy goes down, we lose all his intel. But if two agents split the One Sith and then each cover half of an alternate territory, we never lose all our assets." It was common sense to Ali, sure enough, and she expected Crassis to have such a thought already in mind, but Ali wanted to impress him; she wanted him to know she came prepared and was serious about their efforts.

[member="Fixx Kearney"] | [member="Mark Crassis"]

 

[Mark Crassis]

Crassis glanced at the operative as he stood to leave, turning to cut through the crowd. He raised an eyebrow curiously at the sudden decision to walk out of the meeting. Kearney seemed to be on the edge and it was something that certainly concerned him.

"I believe we were talking about doing something Mr. Kearney." Crassis said to the man's back as he walked away. "But we don't know each other, and what I've read about you in your file means nothing to me. I will judge Ali and you based on how we work together, not based on what is in these reports. If that means I seem to be taking your for granted, then I might be, but until I know I can trust you to get the job done I'm going to be that way." Crassis said, not meaning anything bad by it but rather just trying to explain where they stood.

"And for the record." Crassis said, raising his voice louder to be heard by the man walking away. "There is no right side. Just the side your on." Crassis said meaning every word of it. Everyone always perceived themselves as being on the 'right' side of a war. There were good men and women serving the One Sith, convinced that their way of life was the right way just as there were those on the Republic's side convinced that they were in the right. Right and wrong depended on perspective and circumstance.

Turning back to Ali, Crassis nodded along to what she had to say. "Of course. Any territories we determine would never be set in stone. There will be ops that draw you into other territories and as you network you may gain contacts outside of your own cloud of influence. This is to be expected." Crassis said smiling and pulling his glasses off to clean them on his tie.

"With regards to territory....I assume you feel more set to operate around Mando space?" Crassis asked, judging from her background.

[member="Fixx Kearney"] | [member="Ali Hadrix"]​

 

[Connor Harrison]

Three steps from pushing past a group of Grans to the exit of the cantina, Fixx turned to Crassis as he spoke, and knew that he made sense. The very reason Fixx swore not to let his heart rule his head was now making him look inept and useless. He wouldn't let that happen; she wouldn't want him to let it.

With a small sigh, Fixx turned and moved back to the vacant chair and sat as the two agents were in conversation. He let Crassis finished and wipes his nose, and the his lightly stubbled jaw.

"I'm sorry. You were saying, Crassis."

He looked to the girl, still not knowing her name. Fixx offered her his hand and a limp smile.

"Forgive me, it's been, ah... a rough couple of days."

[member="Mark Crassis"] | [member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali nodded at Crassis' response as Kearney retook his seat at the table and offered her his hand. She shook it limply with an arched eyebrow, as if to say, Is this really that important?, then looked back to the older man, who asked her summarily about Mandalore. Crossing one leg over the other, Ali leaned forward and swiped at the datatablet's screen, while explaining her answer. "That's part of the deal here, between you and me." Ali began, drawing up the Galactic map on the small holoprojector and setting it to the soft screen. The image appeared hanging above the tablet, rotating slowly enough for Ali to point out the areas she intended to show.
"If I'm going to work with you, which I am," Ali glanced up at Crassis, who's wide-rimmed glasses reflected clearly the Galaxy, briefly foreshadowing Ali's theory that the man had a plan in mind for the masses, then pointed out Mandalore and another planet with her fingertip. "Then I'm going to want everything along and between the Hydian Way and the Perlemian Trade Route, starting from Chazwa, and ending at..." Ali shifted her finger appropriately, "...Korriban." Ali's finger rested at the stopping point of the Daragon Trail, which lay somewhere between Elom and the ancient Sith homeworld. Ali looked back up at Crassis. The territory she'd carved out was a large piece, but most of her assets rested in those areas anyway. She'd spent most of her life in Mandalorian space, and knew the Hydian Way like the front of her hand, which she knew even better than the back. Crassis didn't know about Têhra, the Hapan princess, and Ali intended to keep it that way; he didn't need to, but keeping her work near enough to the Consortium worlds was personally important. Ali tapped at her glass and brought it to her lips, "So, sound fair? It carves up Mando'ad space well enough and lets me dip into two other major territories without eating the whole pie."

[member=Mark Crassis] | [member=Fixx Kearney]

 

[Mark Crassis]

Spoiler

sorry for the wait, weekends been crazy!

Crassis sat back and eyed Ali and the map as she spoke. It was certainly a large chunk of the galactic map, but Crassis didn't mind as long as Fixx Kearney didn't.

"Doesn't raise any flags for me, but what about you Mr. Kearney." Crassis said turning to the man who had returned to the table. "What territory do you plan on working in? Do you have a preference?" Crassis asked, wanting to include them both in this. "The most imminent threat is the One Sith....do you have any interest in the core worlds?" Crassis asked. It would be the most supported place and the place where most of the funding would go as that was the current war effort.

[member="Ali Hadrix"]
[member="Fixx Kearney"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

While Fixx didn’t want to risk hurting Kayleigh anymore, not that she probably would care if he DID get hurt or even killed after everything, the agent nodded to Crassis as the Core worlds came up. While his contacts were sparse, he didn’t see this as a bad thing – less chance the Kearney pipeline would spring a leak.

"We can discuss the Core Worlds, yes. We’ll need some ground there and I was born and raised on Coruscant, and know the surrounding planets well. At least I think I do, depending on the state of them now.”

He glanced at the girl.

"Have you got any collateral damage that could arise from this, anyone close to you who could be hurt?”

[member="Mark Crassis"] | [member="Ali Hadrix"]