what is thy bidding, my master Who: Glasya and Issan. What: Master and student compare notes, and Issan gets an assignment. When: Following this KoR thread. Where: On a First Order starship. Rating: G.
The room cleared slowly; the knights had little to say to one another, unless they were paired for a particular mission. Issan had formed no ties within the ranks, content enough to keep to herself and those she'd established loyalties long before being brought into the First Order fold. Glancing at Glasya, she led them out of the room and down the hall, where the two fell into step. Silence cloaked them for a moment until they were well out of earshot of anyone in the corridor -- no soldiers, no other signs of life.
"I feel each time we step out of one of those, we know less than when we went in." Issan knew it was not intelligent to voice her dislike of the Order and its practices aloud within one of its ships, but her unruliness was already well known. She took a moment to feel for electronics in the hallway, and was pleased to find nothing. They were complete and wholly alone; she turned a smile toward her master. "How was your trip to Naboo?"
“Fruitful,” Glasya said. “Bellamy is an excellent prospect. Perhaps not as a knight, but for the Order. He is very driven. His attachments are deep, but that is easily turned to ambition. Ideally we would win some of his people to our side, but I’ve yet to contact them.” He gave her an expectant look. “And you?”
The grin deepened out of excitement; Issan reined herself in, but her mouth could not fully lose its curvature. "The woman I told you of before has already reached out. We're to meet on the planet's surface, where I will begin her training...but also measure her for other expectations." Her pace didn't quicken, but her steps seemed lighter as the skirts of her robes were kicked up as they moved along the hallway.
"I really think this might be it. The beginning." Despite her bravado of speaking against the First Order within its own halls, she was forever careful to remain vague about her true mission.
Glasya’s excitement fed off her own. He very nearly smiled, but curbed the urge as they walked past an open doorway. He lowered his voice. “I agree,” he said. “I feel it. Things are changing right beneath everyone’s feet, and they stay blissful and ignorant.” He smirked. “All the better for us. After you take this woman’s measure, we can delve more into the datapad’s contents. The faster we identify additional candidates, the further ahead we stay.”
A thrill ran down Issan's spine; to feel the things she'd worked so hard for, for so long, to come within her grasp... But taking Glasya's measure, she pulled herself back yet again. There was still much to be done, and she knew getting ahead of herself could be her undoing. She schooled her face, pulling forth a more reserved expression.
"Is there anything else you would have me do while I'm planetside? I was hoping to turn off communications during our training sessions for at least a day. I don't think the Order will need me, not within a short span of time."
He nodded. “That’s probably wise. And I do have one task for you, which may be helped by your being unreachable during that time.” The faint quirk of a smile he had worn now disappeared utterly. “One of my agents within the Resistance has been out of contact for too long. I’m concerned he has been compromised or killed. I’d like you to go to his assigned base and find him. Bring him to me if possible; if not, ensure he is dead. There is a shapeshifter by the name of Gemini, currently on Naboo. I’d like you to take her with you. He will not trust you immediately, but if you appear to have me with you he’ll be more tractable. Keep a close eye on her, Issan. She’s proven to be an asset in the past, but she needs to be tested further.”
Issan's excitement immediately dissolved; working with the knights had been one imposition she had been willing to tolerate, especially since it brought them so much closer to their respective goals and allotted them resources they could never have dreamed of. But to be paired with someone she'd never even met before to complete such a simple task?
"Could I not simply use an illusion?" She did her best to keep any tinge of a whine out of her voice; from studying relationships between past Sith pairings, most did not brook questions to their authority. Thus far, Glasya had never penalized her for seeking further information; she hoped that day was still a long ways away. "Is this shapeshifter a newcomer through the rift?"
His patience showed no signs of waning in the face of her questions. His voice remained steady and even, his face a mask of calm. “She is,” he said. “Your illusions will be invaluable; I’m sure the Resistance will have no shortage of safeguards in their base. But she offers a unique asset, in that she is apparently without connection to the Force. Where some in the base may be able to sense you, she will pass completely unnoticed. Unless she acts particularly foolish and someone picks up on the void that seems to follow her.” He shrugged. “Should that happen, abandon her and complete the mission. Your safety and the recovery of my contact are my only priorities.”
Her interest piqued at the thought of someone who existed solely as a void within the Force; that alone made her want to meet this entity, though it still pricked that she was being given additional weight for the mission. She swallowed further complaints and nodded.
"As you wish, master. I will contact you once the mission is complete." She came to a stop in the middle of the hallway, her body turning to face his. His motions mirrored hers with eerie accuracy. "Is that all?"
“For now.” In the distance an Order stormtrooper rounded a corridor’s edge. Glasya’s lips pursed. He looked down to his charge, and nodded quick farewell.
Issan nodded in return, leaving Glasya in the hall. She was headed for the ship's docking bay, which would take her to the planet's surface. She would complete her assignment first, then follow up with Dee. She was too eager to begin the woman's training, too hopeful that it would lead into the rebirth of her people. Infiltrating the Resistance base would give her time to put her head on straight and think clearly about the bigger picture. Besides, who knew where this new contact, Gem, would lead?