AN: Double release today, go back a ch!
About half an hour had passed since the start of the luncheon, and Corvus had been deeo in conversation with Hess.
Using his high level of Persuade and very minor nudges with the Force, Corvus had sussed out the Rear-Admiral's intentions, and guided the conversation along using vague generalities or 'spy talk gobbledygook' to avoid any suspicion. In return, the xenophobe had revealed that he was bitter that all his hard work and accolades always saw him playing second fiddle to a man who didn't give a damn about his work. In a way, Corvus commiserated with him.
From an outsider's POV, Tyg was like the generic boss' son who showed up to the job, didn't know what he was doing, and got paid for the 'work.' Hess, meanwhile, was the proverbial hard worker who put in his time, but saw his promotion nabbed by some wet behind the ears punk. He could understand why someone might begin to harbor feelings of malice under such circumstances.
That being said, there was only so much snooty seething one man could listen too. Corvus was just happy he was wearing a mask to hide his expression. Listening to this gaunt man unload all his dirty laundry was uncomfortable, like being at a family event and having to listen to a racist grandma chattering about 'those people.'
"The slob has no class, even now, look at him, inviting the rank-and-file to the officers table! Absolutely no class!" Hess hissed, then took a strong swig from a glass full of something alcoholic. "Almost as bad as that sword swallower, Dour, who only climbed the ranks thanks to her connections."
"Hmn." Corvus muttered concomitantly for what felt like the hundredth time.
Tuning out the self important man as he went on another rant, Corvus eyed Tyg curiously. Why had he invited Jax over to the table?
'How peculiar. Jax had been suspicious of the overweight middle-aged Vice-Admiral, and he had been brought to the officer's attention so easily? Was there truly more to this seemingly sloth-like glutton?' Corvus thought to himself with a frown.
"And another thing, these knuckle-dragging Dugs are quite the abhorrent race. They should feel lucky that the Grans rose in rebellion." Hess continued with his diatribe, breaking Corvus out of his thoughts.
"Yes, the Grans had made a massive mistake when they killed Admiral Tenant. I saw that they were brought to justice." Corvus replied with a dark tone, recalling the assasination attempt on his life just the other day when the suicide starfighters attacked.
"Outrageous. These Outer Rim scum are only useful for their resources. In fact…" Hess said lowering his voice, and then leaned close. "I overheard a rumor that the Emperor intends to enfief planetary governors." Gulping his saliva, and glancing all about, he covered his mouth. "Perhaps with my new influence over the fleet, I could attain the position of Grand Admiral. Of course, I wouldn't forget my friends along the way. Governor Bond has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you say?"
"I'm in. To victory." Corvus held up a fist, and saluted.
Corvus internally sighed, yet he decided to play along. Politics was ugly, but he did what he had to do. Eriadu was a must have. Challenging this fleet at this moment in time would be incredibly risky, and the height of stupidity. Besides, the Imperial expeditionary force was aimed at Geonosis. This was actually something Corvus could use to his advantage. By warning Poggle the Lesser ahead of the invasion, and promising to act as reinforcements, he could extract a pound of flesh from the Geonosian.
If he could install this ambitious man into the seat of power, he could leverage this event to cause chaos in the ranks. By playing politics, and then using the backing of the Tyg family, Corvus could then incapacitate Hess from afar. Ideally, he would cripple the command structure of the enemy fleet without ever having to fire a shot. That was the power of words.
Afterwards-once he was done settling the situation on Eriadu, a planet that both produced and repaired Venators/Acclamators-he would have the confidence to relieve Geonosis. Without solid leadership, and thanks to the boost of his stolen ships, he should be able to get the jump on them.
Of course, this entire plan hinged on finding a means to deeply offend Tyg, removing from his post with some incriminating evidence, and then implicate both Dour & Hess.
As he was considering how to do this, Corvus received a transmission from Jax.
"Master Corvus, Admiral Tyg is a Jedi sympathizer. He claims Jocasta Nu-the Order's chief librarian-has escaped to one of his residences. I was given a piece of paper with her contact information and sent on my way." Jax dutifully reported.
Corvus's eyes widened as that bombshell information took an extra second to process. Jocasta Nu wasn't particularly powerful, but her knowledge was first class. Furthermore, she had made a copy of some very important documents. Whatever Corvus hadn't stolen on his raid of the Jedi Archives, Nu had likely taken for herself! This was great news for the Order.
For the first time since he engaged in this luncheon, Corvus found himself smiling. Order 66 had been pretty brutal, and it was always a relief to discover any Jedi survivors.
Just as he was taking in the implications of this important information, the third and final guest for the luncheon marched her way into the building. Tall, blonde, and gorgeous, she gave off an icy feeling, her boots stomped their way up to the table, and she slammed her hands down like the lawyers from Ace Attorney, rattling plates and loose cutlery.
"Agent Bond. I have examined the spaceport, toured the fuel depot, questioned the locals, and was denied access to the Gran camps. You have some explaining to do." Dour said in a curt, accusatory tone.
Corvus turned from the window he was standing by, and calmly met Dour's glare. His visor hid his thoughts, but his posture was languid, as if her words had no effect on him.
"Rear-Admiral Dour, this is most unbecoming of an officer. Special Agent Bond here put down a revolution. All that passed were a few aliens, and a bit of property damage. That is hardly grounds to demand accountability." Hess rose to the occasion, and said in a chiding tone, as if he was scolding a child.
Out of the corner of his eye, Corvus saw Hess glance at him, and very briefly incline his bead, as if to say 'see, with us working together, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.'
Corvus weakly smiled, his expression hidden by the helmet. If this was 5 minutes ago, he would have gladly helped fuel the flames of this dialogue until it escalated. Now, however? Now that he was aware of Tyg's sympathies, he wasn't so sure.
Briefly entering Pause to think this matter over, Corvus realized that he didn't need to change the plan at all. In fact, this random encounter was all the chaos he needed. With Hess and Dour biting into one another, it would be much easier to dismiss them…and with them out of the way, he would have the opportunity to secure THREE more Legions.
Of course, nothing was guaranteed. That even if Hess did come into command, and the inhibitor chips were removed, that the clones would suddenly root for Team Republic. However, since he hadn't directly killed any of the clones in this Imperial fleet-like he had with those stationed on Malastare-then there was a chance to win their loyalty!
If he could breath from Pause, he'd be sucking in a deep breath right now from how awesome this opportunity was! A second ago, he feared arousing their suspicions, worried that the three Legions would unite, and crush his force. Against such overwhelming odds, he'd likely have to flee. But now, when he was at risk of being exposed by this Dour lady, he saw the glimmer of opportunity!
Taking some time to think up a plan, he mentally grinned to himself, and then got to work. Un-Pausing, Corvus was quick to issue orders to Yon and Jax over their closed comms channel.
"Yon, go get the Bad Batch, and tell Tech that I want 'Gran' rebel messages to be sent to, and acknowledged on Rear-Admiral Hess's laptop." Corvus said in an urgent, serious tone.
Yon looked sad that he didn't get to stick around for the drama, but nodded his head, and stepped into the elevator. Thankfully, for all his precociousness, he was still a war veteran, and knew when to take matters seriously.
"Jax, I need you to sneak aboard Rear-Admiral Dour's flagship, and plant a lightsaber in her personal quarters. If you need an extra saber, I've placed some back-ups in the Falcon."
"Yes, Master." Jax nodded, and joined Yon in the elevator.
"I was very pleased with your mission to take down the planetary shields, so I'm trusting you boys with this too. Time is of the essence. Do not reveal yourselves for even a second, I will be relying on your identities as 'junior officers' of the inspectorate. May the Force be with you." Corvus said, and then watched as they disappeared from sight.
All his ordering took less than a minute, and in that time, Hess & Dour were just about having a full on screaming match.
Hess's typically pale, gaunt countenance was beginning to redden, and Dour's fingers twitched, as if she were going to draw the blaster strapped to her side at any moment. Curiously, Tyg was looking at him between bites. The hefty man looked like he was out of his depth, but based upon Jax's conversation, he knew that Tyg was more than he seemed.
Corvus then turned to regard the woman who came into the citadel chambers, if he was to believe Hess, she was a low-class woman who slept with many men to achieve her position. From what he could tell based on her current actions, however, was that she was a by-the-books, no nonsense type of individual. Not the type to be on their knees under a desk.
The stark overhead lights hummed as Officer Alyssa Dour stood ramrod straight at the head of the table, gloved hands clasped behind her back, boots polished to a mirror shine. Her uniform was immaculate, regulation-perfect down to the rank pin at her collar. A data-slate rested in front of her, its contents evidently a report on Corvus's misdeeds.
"Special Agent Corvus," she said coldly, eyes narrowing as she regarded him casually leaning back into a window sill, "You had assigned troops to supervise perimeter drills at the spaceport hours after Admiral Tenant's death. Not only did you fail to report, but your access logs show you were in the officer's lounge until 1935, a whole hour after the incident. Care to explain the discrepancy?"
Corvus internally winced at the accusation. Time was pressing, so he had had Tech fabricate many of the logs, and other sensory data to go along with the story that the Gran had risen up in rebellion. Unfortunately, Tech, for all his genius, had dumped everything into intelligence, with wisdom taking a backseat. He'd trust the nerd to make him a Death Star if given the time & resources, but just because he could build such a technological marvel, didn't mean he should be the one to point where it goes.
Deciding to go with it, and play with her-since he needed to kill time for his plan to work-Corvus leaned back in the window sill with theatrical casualness, one boot crossing over the other. His cape flapped with a dramatic flare thanks to a small application of the Force, and his posture screamed 'I do not respect you.'
"Ah, yes, the drills," he said, drawing the words out like he was savoring wine. "A misunderstanding, I assure you. Sergeant Telk was briefed earlier in the day. He had command authority to execute the procedure. Delegation, Alyssa, it is a wonderful tool. I'm sure you've heard of it." Corvus replied in a smug, and condescending tone, his voice dripping with scorn.
Hess-standing to his side-had a look of schadenfreude on his face, swimmingly pleased that someone was finally putting this woman in her place. Tyg, meanwhile, was sipping on some warm beverage, the steam elicited a smile on his face, and he gasped in pleasure.
Dour's lips pressed into a thin line. "Admiral Dour," she corrected icily. "And delegation does not absolve you of direct oversight. The regulations-"
"-Are a living framework," Corvus interrupted, fingers drumming idly on the glass window. "Meant to be interpreted with discretion in the field. I trusted Telk. He performed adequately. No injuries, no losses, drills completed."
"Protocols exist for a reason," Dour snapped, stepping forward and activating the holoprojector embedded in the table. A blue shimmer revealed a flickering timestamp and a grainy feed of Corvus reclining in the lounge, boots on the table, drink in hand.
"You made no attempt to verify outcomes. You filed no report. That constitutes dereliction of duty under Regulation Forty-One-Delta."
Listening in to their conversation via speakers, Clip quickly explained the regulation to Corvus over closed comms, and a feral grin spread across his face.
"Well Agent, what do you have to say for yourself? This act is grounds for termination during a time of war." Dour hissed.
Corvus feigned a wince, his body slightly staggered forward. "Ah, Forty-One-Delta. So grim. Though if I recall, the section also grants an exemption in cases of 'non-critical operational exercises conducted under pre-cleared delegation.' Which, lucky me, we happen to fall under." Corvus spread his hands in a 'what-can-you-do' manner.
Dour's eye twitched.
"You are exploiting loopholes." She said sharply. "And your flippancy endangers operational cohesion. The fuel depot was at great risk. How would you answer to His Majesty if His fleet could not arrive where He directs it!"
"My flippancy." Corvus echoed, as if tasting the word. "Or your obsession with bureaucratic purity? There's a war going on out there, Admiral Dour." Corvus returned, using her own words against her. "You can't micromanage every drill from behind a polished desk."
She stepped closer, voice low and venomous. "Your days of gaming the system are numbered, Agent. The next time you maneuver through regulation with this…casual contempt, I will see to it personally that your record reflects the truth."
Corvus was now eye to eye with her, just where he wanted her. Using his enhanced speed, and abilities with the Force, he withdrew a small-coin sized-emblem. Embossed with the symbol of the Jedi Order, he had made thousands of these when he went around healing strangers on Coruscant. Now with some leftover, they came in handy once more.
Slipping an emblem into her uniform pocket, no one-except perhaps Tyg-had noticed this action.
Corvus offered her a lazy salute. "And I'll be sure to spell your name correctly in my commendation report. Assuming, of course, the fleet bound for Geonosis doesn't collapse under the weight of your moral superiority before then."
Dour's jaw clenched, but she said nothing more. She turned on her heel, boots clicking against the floor as she strode out, the holoprojector flickering out behind her.
[It's done.] Jax messaged him.
[We did it. The evidence is planted.] Yon sent a second later.
Before Dour could make it to the elevator doors, Corvus loudly, and theatrically snapped his fingers. Using the Force, he slammed those doors shut right in her face.
"You!-"
"You have spoken. Now is the time to listen." Corvus said in a grim tone.
Seconds later, the sound of marching boots reached their ears, and dozens of Starcrusher Corp clones marched into the meeting room with their weapons drawn.
"Alyssa Dour, you stand accused of Jedi sympathies, and treachery to the Imperial order. Search her, men."
At his command, the clones moved to subdue her. The blonde drew her service pistol, and aimed at Corvus. As a shot got off, a clone trooper jumped in front of the bolt, his armor ate the round, and then Dour was on the ground.
"We found this on her body, sir!" A trooper held up the pin.
"Take her to the brig. Have someone search her quarters too. Perhaps there is more evidence of her treachery." Corvus said in a righteous tone.
"Get your hands off me! I'm not a traitor, he's the mmnmn!" Dour yelled until her mouth was covered, and then, the clones not wanting to deal with a catty woman, shot her with a stun round.
"You play deeper than I had expected, Bond." Hess said with wide eyes. The gaunt man then side eyed Corvus, and grinned meaningfully.
"I'm just getting started." Corvus replied in a stone cold, predatory tone.
"That's what I like to hear." Hess muttered, his breathing increased, and his eyes dilated in excitement. Doubtlessly he was awaiting Tyg's loss next.
Another round of boots came marching in, and more Starcrusher Corp clones entered the room. In a Sergeant's hands was a dataslate full of evidence.
"Sir, we picked up encrypted messages between the surface, and one of the Venators. It seems the Admiral had been communicating with the Gran. Special Agent, sir, he was intending to sell the M-Fuel to the Separatists and finally live out his dreams." The trooper reported.
"Very well, take him away."
"Yes sir!" The trooper saluted.
"Ha! All these years, I've been your lackey, Tyg. Now it is my turn to come out on top!" Hess crowed, his expression was a full on, maniacal grin.
"If only you saw things my way, Ran." Tyg said, slumping his shoulders in defeat.
A moment later, cuffs were placed on Hess's hands, and the maniacal glee was soon replaced with confusion, and then horror. The pale gaunt man began to stutter in confusion as he was dragged away.
All the clones had left, and the chamber was now empty, save for Corvus and Tyg.
"So, what crime will you invent for me?" Tyg raised an eyebrow, and made sure to scarf down a few extra bites.
Lifting his mask off his face, it hissed as the air pressure changed, and by quick-swapping into another helmet, Corvus revealed the mask of Revan.
"I heard you know the location of Jocasta Nu?"
~~~~~~~
AN: Thus ends the Malastare arc. Eriadu ho!
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