The Twi'lek soldier lied naked next to Dark, who was remarkably more dressed than his partner. She cuddled with him, exhausted from the repeated love-making that occurred during the hyperspace trip, just prior to this moment. It was moments like these that filled Dark with a great sense of metaphysical awareness that others achieved from interactions with other sentients, which Dark never really had the chance to engage in. He did not speak, and so did not have such interactions with other beings frequently, and made up for that through physical means, chiefly, sex.
As they docked on Imperial Center, the pair 'said' their farewells. Dark ran his palm into her trousers and his fingers across her very private areas. She smiled at him as he departed, onward to the Imperial Center branch of the Inquisitorius. Onward to meet Hydra for a new mission.
On his walk there, he took the atmosphere of his home in. The upper levels were populated by the wealthy and Imperial troops. If not, they were off-world nobles visiting Coruscant on negotiatory business with the Empire. The bank was particularly busy today, many sentients, primarily humans, bustling noisily about the platforms that topped the world-city.
A pair of Rodians made their quiet, shy way through the upper levels, their green skin standing out among the human skin colors. The couple received looks of disgust, disapproval, distrust, from the others who made their way past. Dark observed this silently from behind his visor, disgusted himself, by the attitudes of the Imperial humans towards aliens.
The presence of the headquarters of the Inquisitorius was intimidating and commanding; it was built from the remains of the Jedi Temple after Order 66. The Imperial cog was displayed on massive banners that hung from the walls of the imposing tower. The entrance was guarded by two Royal Guards, their red cloaks with black visors the negative image of Dark's own black cloak with red visor. They greeted him with a bow as he took his steps into the Inquisitorius HQ.
Dark made his way to the briefing room where two Stormtroopers stood, they knelt as he entered the room and took a seat at a rectangular table. Hydra sat at the opposite end of the table, and Krayt sat in the seat adjacent to her. There was a second Inquisitor, a female, of unknown identity but high rank if her clothing were any indication of her status. The room had the Imperial crest displayed on banners around it, and the cleanliness of the room was a symbol of the Empire's efficiency.
Hydra spoke first. "Dark, your next mission is of grave importance. There is much conspiring among the nobles of many worlds to spark a rebellion against the Empire. Darth Vader awaits, here, to deliver your orders, straight from the Emperor. We're going to go meet him. Now."
Krayt rolled his eyes at the High Inquisitor's orders. The tall, muscular, Force adept was the only one save for the Emperor whose word was law to the Shadow Guards, and so the leader knew that unless he sounded his opinion, Dark wouldn't have to follow any of Hydra's attitude-laced commands. Krayt, regardless, knew that Dark would not protest, and so he got up shortly after Hydra rose to her feet and followed the High Inquisitor through the Inquisitorius headquarters to Darth Vader's chambers within the towering Citadel.
As Hydra took her steps from the door, Krayt and the second Inquisitor followed, as did Dark. As they made their simple way to Darth Vader's chambers, Dark's eyes slowly gravitated towards Hydra's rear end. Her disciplined stance did not affect the swing in her hips that Dark so greatly appreciated. As a high-ranking Inquisitor, Hydra donned robes that flaunted her immense wealth, her Imperial status, and her pleasant assets. Of course, Krayt noticed Dark's particular attention to Hydra's bottom, more out of knowledge of Dark's own behavior than knowledge of the current situation.
"She's old enough to be your mother, kid," Krayt said with a chuckle to his much younger companion.
The second Inquisitor laughed at the statement. Her dark hair drifted gently over her forehead; the rest of it was in a high ponytail that extended gracefully down her back, over her bottom, nearly to her thighs. It was interesting to see anyone with hair so long, but that caught Dark's attention for but a few moments. Her face bore some signs of the dark side: her eyes had sunk, the veins around them making blue images on the skin above them. Despite this, she still took some time to dress her face in minor cosmetics; her lips were clad in black lipstick and her eyelids were donned with dark eyeliner. Her ears were adorned with intricate earrings that hung from her earlobes. "Give him a break, he's taking advantage of the one thing she's good for: eye candy!"
The group had reached Vader's chambers by this time, but the High Inquisitor Hydra was not impressed by this obvious humor. "You," she said crossly to the long-haired Inquisitor. "Shut up." She then turned to the young Shadow Guard and chastised him. "Dark, quit staring at my ass and pay attention for long enough to receive your orders from Lord Vader so that you make no mistakes. I will not be punished for your failure."
Krayt followed the High Inquisitor into Vader's chambers after replying to Hydra's scoldings in place of Dark. "The Shadow Guard does not fail." Dark's eyes met with those of the second Inquisitor, who smiled and with her hands made a gesture that bade Dark go before her. He smiled back underneath his helm and obliged her request. She fell into step behind him, smirking as she looked up and down his figure as he had done to her as she stood back in the briefing room.
The Sith Lord Darth Vader stood in his chambers facing away from the door. It was unknown what he was doing prior to the entrance of the small fellowship that he would be facing such a way, but it was not their place to question the Dark Lord of the Sith. He did not turn around when he asked his first question. "Which of you is the agent I requested?"
Dark stepped forward without a word, for he was not permitted to speak.
"You are to bring these dissidents to light, and then you are to destroy them. These are not mere planetary resistance, these are influential politicians that can spark a rebellion with the flick of a wrist," Darth Vader explained. He remained facing away from Dark and his companions, his breathing apparatus drawing air and hissing as it released it.
Dark nodded. Hydra knew this meeting was at its end and bowed deeply before the Sith Lord. She awaited the mirrored movements on the part of the three other members of the small party. Dark bowed second, almost making his torso perpendicular to his lower body. The second Inquisitor and Krayt bowed simultaneously, and then the group departed.
The two Royal Guards posted outside Vader's office knelt as the group stepped through the office entrance. The meeting was short, and not much had changed since the group entered; the lesser Inquisitors and Imperial troops went about their business as usual.
The pointless briefing was telling; it let Dark know that Darth Vader had no means to his desired end and left it completely to the Inquisitorius to develop a plan and execute it. Such disapproving thoughts were dangerous and considered borderline traitorous, but Dark did not care. He had been trained to resist mental infiltrators, and for reasons known only silently to him, he could even resist if Darth Vader attempted to read his mind.
Krayt was the first to speak up after the return to the briefing room. He addressed Hydra with a sense of humor laced with care in his tone. "You ought to send the cute one with Dark. He could use the company," he said. At that, the younger Inquisitor smiled and blushed, playing with her hair and moving her leg back and forth shyly.
Hydra rolled her eyes in a mixture of disgust and amusement. "Dark does not need a cheerleader. Laela's abilities are needed here," she replied, with a hiss on her tongue.
"I don't know, Hydra," Krayt chuckled. "Dark needs some entertainment on those long trips through hyperspace, with nothing to do but-"
"Silence," Hydra interrupted. "Dark, you need to leave Imperial Center immediately. We will contact you with your first op's details when you arrive on Naboo."
"Naboo?" Krayt laughed. "What, are you sending him on vacation?" Naboo was not quite the place that many thought of as the place of work. Krayt secretly also knew that Dark would be able to have his fun on the planet, for the art was pleasant, the food was good, and the girls were sweet. Krayt figured Dark could find a lover in the daughter of some relative of the Queen. In fact, he would not be surprised if the young Shadow Guard managed to seduce the Queen herself.
Dark smiled at the thought of Naboo. He went there nearly two years ago, when he first began his tenure as one of the most reliable Shadow Guards in their ranks. He took a young noblewoman to bed when he was last there, and only barely managed to escape detection by the girl's father. He remembered the beautiful scenery outside of Theed as he sat, holding hands, with his short-term lover on the beach. Guard Command did not mind, as his objective was to investigate dissidents within the princely house from which the girl originated.
Krayt quickly calmed his laughter and sent the young Shadow Guard on his way. "You better get going, lest the one with a rod up her ass will get mad."
Dark bowed and was on his way, with the intent of sparing himself Hydra's noise as she yelled at Krayt for his snide remarks concerning her attitude. Little did she know by shouting at him she was only proving his point.
A short trip to the spaceport proved uneventful as the agent entered his personal corvette. He told his droid crew to plot course for Naboo, and so they did. It would be a short ride, but he had no one to accompany him, and so he sat, bored, his helm sitting next to him and his armor removed to ensure his comfortability.