"I say turn 'em in."
Yeleen glanced over at Kaliyo, the Ratataki casually leaning against a nearby tree trunk, watching her look over the emblem of Darth Charnus in her hand. She'd been staring at it for a good half hour at this point, lost in contemplation, her head a sea of indecision.
"I've dealt with more cults than I really would've liked to over the years, and trust me, they're all nothing but dangerous lunatics. These guys are no different, just turn 'em in and let the Sith do what they want with them."
"Ordinarily I'd agree with you." She responded, her tone distant as she was still lost in her thoughts.
"But you like the idea of causing the Sith some internal problems, eh?" Kaliyo's lips parted in a sinister smirk, rousing a chuckle out of the Zabrak agent. Only a few months of working together and they could practically read one another's minds.
"Oh yes, very much so…"
Almost enough to make her go against the Empire she loved so much. When she'd first accepted the mission from Sandor in Kaas City, everything seemed fairly straightforward. Infiltrate the Revanite cult, uncover their master, then turn them in to Sandor so that the heretic threat to the Empire could be purged. She'd cared not one bit for what impact these heretics had on the Sith, but knowing that Imperial officers allied with the cult were trying to secretly shape the Empire from within, it made her stomach churn and Yeleen had been certain up until the very end that she would turn the leader of the cult over as planned.
Then the Master revealed herself, and suggested another option; leave the Revanties be and return to Sandor with the emblem, suggesting that his master, Darth Charnus, was the leader of the cult and not her. That made the steadfastly patriotic Operative stop in her tracks.
She loved the Empire, that was never in question. She adored what it stood for, adored what it had done for her in her life, how it had allowed someone who might be viewed as an otherwise "lowly alien" to become a member of Imperial intelligence, earning her a place of prestige. The Empire was her life, she would lay down life and limb for it in a heartbeat.
But the Sith were another matter entirely.
Overpowered, over-entitled pompous fools. The Sith were free to go about their business in the galaxy, interrupting Military and Intelligence operations whenever and however they pleased so that it would suit their needs, and because they were so powerful, there was rarely anything that could be done by Imperial personnel to stop them. And then if you were unfortunate enough to get in their way…
Yeleen let out a heavy sigh, her red-rimmed eyes staring intently at the emblem. She could remember one of her first missions with Intelligence, how her squad had only been following orders to get the mission done efficiently. Unfortunately, it meant they had unwittingly killed the target of a Sith acolyte.
The Sith had been furious, demanding that Intelligence produce the person responsible for taking his rightful prize. The entire squad was presented to the Sith by Imperial Intelligence, where Evvylaan, the sniper who had made the actual kill shot, was singled out by the acolyte to vent his rage.
Evvye… Her beloved Evvye…
She'd grown to have great disdain for Sith since then, and while she was still very much loyal to her Empire, the Sith were simply seen an obstruction. She couldn't even begin to describe to Kaliyo how much it made her blood boil when she found out that they had to play stooge to that blasted Darth Jadus.
Now she held in her hand a chance to strike back, a chance to disrupt the internal affairs of the Sith. The idea made her pulse quicken, and her rust-colored skin flush in excitement. Let the laughably petty Sith fight amongst themselves so that Intelligence could go back to work for the Empire uninterrupted by their agendas.
But was it worth letting the cult go on? Allowing these dangerous lunatics to continue their sabotage within the Empire, trying to reform it to their own will from the shadows?
Yeleen's grip on the emblem tightened, and her bright yellow eyes snapped shut. She grit her teeth, her mind in turmoil. Was this personal revenge worth endangering the very Empire that she loved so?
In one breath, she let out a heavy sigh, her entire body slumping in defeat. As she stood from the log she had been sitting on, she tossed the emblem of Darth Charnus into a nearby pond for the jungle to consume. She collected her rifle, slinging it over her shoulder as she began walking back towards Kaas City, Kaliyo following close behind her.
"So… for the Empire then?" she asked softly, doing away with her usually venomous and sarcastic tone, replacing it with one of genuine concern.
Yeleen lifted her head, yellow eyes meeting Kaliyo's icy blue. She knew her companion could see the defeat and heartbreak that they reflected.
"Yes… for the Empire…"