The Wild Hunt [The Imperium]

[Darth Metus]

This was it.

Having managed to prove himself worthy of membership within the Inquisitors, a former Imperial Knight soon received a summons. It was a standard, encrypted missive that expected him to present himself before the current head of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). Now, common sense dictated that such a summons meant one of two things: either he had karked up before even starting his first assignment...Or this was his time to shine.

Although Ravager was the furthest thing from being a blind optimist, he did know one thing. He had made sure to dot his "i"s and cross his "t"s since the meeting with the Grand Inquisitor. As such, he highly doubted that simply browsing the facilities available to a Captain-ranked Inquisitor would be cause for trouble or concern. So, with that in mind, Ravager found himself rather...excited. It had been far too long since he had been out in the field, getting his hands dirty. If had been far too long since he carried the banner of a beloved Empire.

Now was his chance to do just that.

The meeting was set to take place in a rather simple conference hall. The space was dim and only illuminated by the azure projection that awaited him. The Director had not personally arrived to address him, but rather came in via holo-call. This was...smart...Ravager assumed? After all, the Grand Inquisitor had the Force to fall back on, so smacking him around would be no problem. But the Director? He wasn't sensitive...or at least, that was Ravager's assumption.

Lowering himself to a half-bow, the new Inquisitor greeted the Director's projection with all the respect due his position. "Ishmael Verd, codenamed Ravager, reporting in as ordered."

Now he just had to wait for the other dude to show up.

@Darth Carach

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The Imperial Security Bureau focused itself on threats coming from the [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]inside[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]. Traitors; be that assassins, thieves, saboteurs or anything else that came close to that description. The fact that the ISB was currently busy with this operation already told Gregori enough - the Triumvirate suspected foul play and a decent amount of inside information. They wouldn’t have contacted the ISB otherwise, courtesy of the [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]friendly[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] rivalry the IIB and the ISB had. No, the only reason the ISB was currently on this job was because of internal threats.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]He had been summoned to an auxiliary conference room. The ISB Director was careful, rarely showing himself directly in public and preferring to handle things by Holocalls and intermediaries. Careful, paranoid and [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]very[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] competent at his job. Gregori could relate to such wariness though. If history taught him anything it was that a good sense of paranoia could save your life in a pinch.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Footsteps heralded his arrival into the room. The blue holographic representation of the Director was already looking down on the kneeling ‘Ravager’, his expression was strictly neutral, but Gregori knew better than that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]A neutral expression could hide anything and everything. He continued into the room. Behind him the doors hissed to a close, leaving them in solitude and privacy. Gregori did not bow, instead he continued his walk and ended it next to the kneeling Inquisitor.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Director.” Starvald took his time. His eyes carefully and patiently studied the characteristics of the Director’s face, before giving a small inclination of the head.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The Zerek Initiative was his brainchild. His baby. It was a separate cell within the structure of the ISB that had quickly found itself assigned to most dangerous, hazardous and [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]sensitive[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] matters - matters that the Director could not assign to anyone else.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Starvald crossed his arms behind his back and finally spoke again.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Officer Starvald, reporting for duty, sir.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The Director’s mouth turned slightly upward. As if secretly pleased by the combination of boldness followed by the thinnest veneer of respect given to his station.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Verd, Starvald. The situation is dire. The Triumvirate has personally and [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]directly[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] requested the ISB to solve it, before it gets out of hand.” [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]the gaze sent to the pair of Agents told tales[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px].[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“On the table are two datapads with all the information you will need. Officer Starvald, I am assigning Ravager to Zerek. His expertise and experience will serve you well. Do Not Fail Me. Control, out.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]And with that the transmission ended. Starvald just stood there for a moment, letting it all sink in, before stepping up to the table. One datapad was handed to Verd and the other one to himself.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]This was going to get interesting.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Ravager"][/SIZE]

 

[Darth Metus]

Aside from the obvious differences in knowledge and experience, the two men who entered the conference room were vastly different. The officer who introduced himself as Starvald was one tuned to the veiled intricacies of the Imperial Security Bureau. He knew how to read his superiors. He knew how to assess the nature of a situation just by the circumstances of their summons. On the other hand, Ravager was a soldier. He had a good head on his shoulders and suffered from a trait known as obedience.

Oh, and he could light things on fire with his mind.

After Starvald arrived and made his brief greeting, the Director wasted no time in giving the two men a very vague rundown of the situation. Apparently the powers that be personally handed this mission to the Director...who then passed it along to their capable hands. Ravager's stomach fluttered momentarily: his chance had truly arrived. However, despite the excitement bubbling underneath his skin, the Inquisitor kept his wits and his bearing.

When it was all said and done, Ravager stood tall once more and cast a glance over to his now-superior officer. Apparently he was to be assigned to something known as "Zerek" and the Inquisitor had literally no clue as to what that was. So, as he accepted the datapad into his hands, he asked.

"What is this 'Zerek' exactly?"

He then took a gander at the first file in the list. A...ship? A big ship.

[member="Gregori Starvald"]