| abstract
| - The bustle of the Via Ble'Sha blinds all those who come out in the hazy early-morning traffic here on O'Paal Major. Vendors sell nearly everything and anything along the sides of the road, and the occasional swoop buzzes the crowd, but for the most part this is like a picture out of some O'Paalini history book. A few figures dart in and out of the shadowy alleys, cloaked and mysterious. It's just another day for the scarred woman, she passes through the market with considerable ease, her blue eye glows brightly and her face bears an expression of relative calm. She has ditched her jacket in the ship, preferring to go sleeveless in this hot climate. Her scars move over her fluid muscles and the woman's mismatched gaze scans the crowd, pausing on each cloaked figure. One in particular begins to emerge from the busy crowd, more fluid and slow than nervous and quick. He walks generally towards Morganna, but not directly, and definitely not quickly. Suddenly, the crowd swallows him up and he is no more. A few seconds of drama are all he takes, then suddenly speaks from directly behind the scarred woman, "You're getting sloppy.." Not showing any signs of being startled, Morganna turns around slowly to face the figure, "What can I say, I've kinda been out of real work fer a while... the tradin's slow and things seem ta be quiet just about everywhere." With a fluid movement of her hand, with grace that seems almost alien with the harshness of this woman's appearance, Morganna motions to the small cafe nearby, "We gonna sit there, or do ya have someplace else in mind?" The man nods slowly, not taking off his dark hod and cloak. He seems more eerie than usual, perhaps preoccupied with something, or just perhaps a tad more powerful - or more responsible. He takes a seat at one of the more shaded tables, ordering a Mocha from nobody in particular.."So Morganna... The business has been slow..so I've been told. What if I were to tell you that I have some opportunities that I think you'd fit into quite well..?" The scarred woman pulls out a chair and plops herself down on it, lounging back and getting casual and comfy, she grumbles, "Everythin' in general's been fnarkin' slow." she sighs and leans foreward, becoming a little cautious, but she asks nonetheless, "Opportunities...? What kinda opportunities." The mocha arrives at the table with efficient ease...as though they know their customer's importance - and moreover, his patience level. They take Morganna's drink order as well, leaving quietly. "I've also been told," continues atrox, as though Morganna hadn't asked a thing, "that you like to spend a great deal of time in Caspar spoace. You must know a lot of people there by now.." His tone is condescendingly passive, as though e's getting to something deeper very slowly. "Tell me, Morganna, what are your long-term goals? Do you have any plan for your life beyond the next trade route, the next cargo dropoff?" Muttering 'Coffiene..' to the vendor, Morganna pauses and chews on Atrox's words, she grunts and leans onto the table, "Caspar's th' closes thing I've ever had to a home, so long as I don't cross too many lines I'm fine. The Griffons used ta hang out there, but they all went someplace else, so I'm kinda alone over there... tried ta get a place, but it's oo expensive." her left eye flashes and the woman's tone ov voice becomes even more cautious, she hesitanytly answers, "I don't plan my life, I live on th' fly, like a feather on th' breeze. I have no longterm goals at all beyond living." At the mention of the 'Griffons', a quiet noise of disapproval is heard. Digressing, the man takes down his hood quietly, his face one of new-found power and darkness. "But every feather gets carried by the breeze to some destination, Morganna. Wouldn't you like to choose where you land? Where you live?" He pauses, taking a sip from the mocha, not taking his gaze off Morganna's eyes. "Wouldn't you like that place on Caspar? The freedom to do what you want, how you want, without having to slave your life away to hard work?" Pausing to sip her newly arrived drink, a light breeze ruffles Morganna's scruffy, short hair. Her eye glows softly and she shrugs looking down sadly, "I'd love ta settle down someplace, but I can't.. if I don't work I won't get credits an' without credits I get broke real fast.." idly she spins the cup around on the saucer, the inky liquid pcks up a reflection of her glowing eye, "I also know that if I don't keep busy, or movin', I lose control.. an' I don't want ta kill an innocent, ya know.. I'm beyond that now.." Nodding and taking another sip, Atrox leans back, steepling his fingers over his chest. "What I am prepared to offer you would take the deepest level of commitment on your part.. A sacrifice of some of your private freedoms for a galaxy full of public freedoms. I can offer you fame, fortune, and success...if you pledge yourself to a cause, to a creed. Can you live with that? Can you commit to that?" Brow furrowing with confusion, it is clear that the woman is at odds with losing part of her freedom, "That all depends.." she starts carefully and slowly, her gaze meets to lock with Atrox's, "What exactly would it be that yer offerin' me? I don't want to be treated like a fnarkin' slave, I don't want to be a puppet.." Atrox leans in close, a sly grin of greed and power passing over his thin lips. He looks Morganna in the eye.. "How would you like to have that place on Caspar? How would you like to be a Casparian power figure, to have your credits and your fame and your limelight, and be able to feel like you're truly doing something worthwhile for the betterment of the Galaxy? How would you like it..." he pauses for effect.. "..if I were to offer you a position as Imperial Ambassador to Caspar? With your own staff, your own facilities, and autonomy to do your job as you'd like?" Morganna has a slightly uneasy look on her face, she has been promised power before, but those offers were from people she despised.. this is a little different. Her eyes light up, literally, at the thought of power and limelight, but she breaks into laughter as Atrox states the position, "Ambassador?" she asks incredulously, pointing a hand to herself, "Come on, I'm th' least diplomatic person in the whole fnarkin' galaxy..." As if to punctuate the statement, Atrox leans back and laughs. "Exactly. We've tried it the easy way, the nice way. We need a ringer in there, someone who will do whatever it takes to get the job done, even if it means breaking protocol.." he trails off, implying more than what he actually says. "Can I count on you for this? I can tell you, the Emperor himself would be most pleased by such news.." Seeming to be put a little at ease by the laughter, she shrugs and sighs, "I dunno, Atrox.. I mean, I ain't good at protocol and all that crap.. and.. well.." she looks down and sips her coffee after staring into the inky depths, "I dunno about signin' my life away to th' empire.." "It's Amazing," he says. "the fates of entire systems are in the balance here, and nobody outside this little cafe booth even knows. They al go on with their lives, oblivious to the power being offered here. THAT's real power, Morganna. Affecting the lives of millions with a word, over coffee on a sunny morning in a restaurant. Say that word...say yes." The words swim around Morganna's head, she isn't a stupid woman by any means, but all of the situations in her life have left her screwed in the end. She scratches her chin and frowns, "Hmm.. it would really piss off the red eyed bastard whose..." she snaps her gaze to Atrox and snarls, "Ozzle wouldn't be able ta fnarkin' touch me, would he?" Atrox grins greedily. "Ozzle who? He'd be one of the masses you could affect with a word. Think bigger, Morganna. The galaxy is on a plate at your fingertips... Will you sieze it, for its own betterment, or pass the opportunity by, and leave the galaxy up to fate, up to the whim of the Force?" He leans back again, pushing a datapad towards Morganna across the table. A black datapad, with a gold embossed Imperial symbol sealing off the screen till it's broken - this is an official Imperial High Command document.. The woman smiles evilly at the thought of being able to actually be above the red-eyed bastard, she scratches her chin and still seems to doubt a little, "I spend most of my time here or on Caspar anyway.. and to be able to get out of that bastard's fate, to finally have some power... tangeable power" she sighs and looks at the datapad, "I wanna read, first though... who would I be answerin' to, though, I don't wanna answer to someone that'll exploit me or piss me off.." The Lord Director shakes his head. "To me, and me alone. Caspar is too important to the Empire to have it otherwise... Go ahead. Read. I'll wait.." He leans back, taking up his mocha again and looking off into the bazaar. Her right eye moves from side to side swiftly as she scans the text, her sharp intellignece shining as she accesses the datapad nimbly. Her left eye, however, remains frozen in place eerily, it neither moves, nor blinks. She raises her eyebrow, "To you? I thought you were only a captain of th' OSG.." At the word 'only', Atrox is a bit taken aback and smiles. "I've become the Lord Director of the Ubiqtorate, head of the Imperial Bureau of Operations. I'm in Imperial High Command now. I'm moving my offices to O'Paal and Dreven." His smile is modest, as though he'd expected no less for a man like himself.. Now Morganna looks surprised, and also relieved in a way, "Hey.. didn't that bastard Dixon used to have that position?" she growls and drains her coffee, "Now there's a man I loved ta hate.." Never the less, Morganna looks impressed, "Congratulations, it's nice ta see one of our lives are goin' somewhere.." the end of her sentence trails off and she looks at the pad, "I dunno if I'd wanna be a diploat all th' time, I'm inherently violent.. I like kicking ass.." A this, Atrox merely nods, as though he kind of expected this coming. "Our Ambassadors are more than mere politicians. They are assigned agents and act as operatives when they see fit to fix something going wrong in their area. They are charged with maintaining Imperial interests within their systems...and that means doing whatever it takes short of self-sacrifice to get the job completed. If you can't handle it, we have...people. They'll take care of anything you don't have the resources for." His tone implies you shouldn't ask too much more on these people.. Scratching her chin, Morganna nods and hmms, "Advisors, huh? Well.. You know that I can be stubborn and firm, maybe all I've needed all these years is some sorta cause.." Her empty cup makes a clinking noise as she impulsively twirls it on the table, "Why Me, though? I mean.. my first runins with th' empire were none too friendly, and even now I still have people that don't like me.." "Well.." Atrox begins. "The Grand Admiral and myself decided that the current Ambassador was not 'cutting it'. So we transferred her to a different type of sector. I was tasked with finding a replacement, and I could think of no more qualified candidate than you." He sighs, finishing off his mocha. it is replaced in a few seconds. "You're a rebel without a cause, Morganna, a lit fuse looking for a target. I knew that if I handed you a banner of a cause to carry, that you'd do anything to make sure that cause was the best it could be. You have a knack of making projects realize their full potential. Well this is the ultimate project - the fate of millions, perhaps even this sector of the Galaxy." He takes a gulp of the hot liquid, wiping his mouth as he says, 'Don't let this one pass you by..." Something alien flashes in Morganna's organic eye.. pride? Perhaps. People have rarely spoken highly of the woman, and even fewer have realised her full potential. While she is chewing on the thought, her empty cup is filled. One of her scarred hands graps the cup and she stares at it as though it is made of a precious metal. The woman bites her lip and then takes a long gulp of the inky, hot liquid and remains silent for a long time. Perhaps the only thing holding her back is her self doubt, about her worth, which was fueled by a lifetime of humiliation, "That's alot of repsonsibility.." she says softly in her gruff voice, "This is th' firs' time I've been offered somthin' that opens more doors than it closes." Atrox remains silent, allowing the situation and the offer to speak for themselves. He slowly finishes off his mocha, but waves off a replacement, leaving a hefty tip for the Twi'lek waitress with an almost-believeable smile. He leans back, then looks at Morganna. "Can I count on you? Not just as Lord Director, but as a personal friend, I'm asking you...can I count on you for this?" Morganna sips her coffee and scratches the back of her neck, she stll seems slightly apprehensive, but she nods. The words seem to come with some difficulty, "I've been runnin' away from responsibility fer too long.. I just hope I don't end up gettin' killed or nothin' cause of this." she swallows and looks around at the bustling crowds, the traders scurrying and running ragged, the woman actually looks somewhat afraid, she extends a shaking hand, "I don't really have much to lose.." she admits in a low tone. Atrox takes the hand gently, but firmly, picking up the datapad from the table and placing it in her hand slowly. "You will now." he reminds her "Take this..it's your official appointment by Imperial High Command and your commission to work for the Imperial Bureau of Ops as an Ambassador. You'll have to undergo training here on O'Paal, which I and a few of my associates will be leading. You'll be given the latest and best in equipment and technology, and a hefty bankroll. You are our front-line effort now, Morganna Tazecks. To the Caspar Democratic Union, you ARE the Empire..." As he speaks, his voice becomes increasingly loud and hollow, as though he were speaking directly from mind to mind, without projecting the sound. His eyes are locked on hers, and his face is serious. Anara caresses the Datapad and looks down at it, something inside her is screaming at her and she silently wonders if she has done the wrong thing. As Atrox beegins the spiel, her fierce gaze locks with his and she nods her head slowly, "I've never been anything important before.." she states distantly, "How long will I have ta stay here fer training? As long as it takes to hammer all that stuff inta my brain?" Atrox nods. "In a manner of speaking, yes. Don't worry, you'll pick it up quickly. You're a smart woman. " He looks around. "I have to be going...do you need anything from me before I go?" Morganna looks around and lowers her voice to a level that doesn't carry too far in the crowd, "Is this gonna change much with.." she waves a hand, "Us?" the woman almost blushes at that and she stares down at the table. Atrox shakes his head, pushing away from the table. "Only in public, and the thing about my job is that I'm not out in public all that much." He rises, his cloak falling in cascading billows around his body. "Take this pad and present it to a man in a red coat here at this cafe' in three days' time. He'll help you from there..." He pushes forward the datapad in Morganna's hand towards her a bit, leaning down to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "And welcome to the Empire...we're glad to have you aboard, my dear.." He turns on heel and backs off wordlessly, gliding into the shadows of an alley and disappearing.. The Scarred woman rubs the scarred side of her face and nods, "Well, I can keep it outta public, it's my best kept secret anyway.." she turns the pad over in her hand and stares at it for a long time, "Man in a red coat... I'll be here." A slight smile crosses her lips as Atrox touches her shoulder, it causes her to relax a little. Morganna remains in her seat for a long time after the hooded figure disappears, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)