Malavai Quinn sat at his office's coffee table early the next morning. His legs were crossed as one hand held a cup of black coffee and the other held a holopad featuring the news of the day. Balmorra was much quieter than he had seen it in months with reports across the planet of defusing Republic assaults. In one day they were nearly on the brink of defeat and it had everything to do with the sleeping Sith apprentice a few meters away. From what he could tell, Elaena had slept all the way through the night as soundly as a child. Either she was extremely naive or extraordinarily tired to be a Sith who could sleep so thoroughly through mortar shell firings.

Darth Baras, to Quinn's curiosity, had not tried to contact him or his apprentice to his knowledge in almost 36 hours when he had given her the first mission details at the Republic Crater Outpost. He had expected someone like Baras to check in quite often, especially with no contact from their end in a little over a day. Perhaps he expected his apprentice to take longer with the mission objective. A long obnoxious yawn from the doorway made him look up from his holopad. The blue Twi'lek slave walked in casually and stared at him intently.

"She's still sleeping?" She nodded towards the motionless red head.

"Obviously." Quinn went back to his coffee, hoping that the Twi'lek would find a spot in the corner and stay silent until her master awoke.

"Well, why haven't you woken her up yet?" Quinn blinked slowly. Why on Earth would possess her to propose such a preposterous idea? Bothering a Sith Lord while she's sleeping was suicide and he still had a long planned out life he needed to fulfill.

"If you wish to shorten your life span you're welcome to do just that." She laughed loudly and his eyes shot to the top bunk across the room. The Sith still remained motionless, taking long slow breaths.

"What are you expecting her to do? Kill you?" The Twi'lek walked over the beds stepped on the small ladder. "Elaena? You alive?" She placed a hand on her arm and shook her gently. Quinn set his coffee cup down and readied himself. She stirred slowly and rolled onto his back. "Well, welcome to the world of the living."

"How long was I asleep?" Came a soft groggy voice and Quinn blinked slowly.

"Quite a while. It's morning."

"What! Oh, why didn't anyone wake my up! I was only meaning to take a nap..."

"I apologize, my lord." Elaena looked around Vette as Quinn stood up and bowed suddenly. "I took the liberty of allowing you to sleep. Lord Baras hasn't attempted to contact you and the Republic investigator hasn't made any unusual movements. I figured waking you wasn't necessary."

"Oh. Well, okay then." Vette smiled and jumped off of the ladder as Elaena pushed the blanket off and sat at the edge of the bed.

"Who knew you were so worried about pleasing Baras." Vette teased and Elaena gave her a look as she slowly ran her hands through her long red hair. Vette knew how much she detested Baras and his politics.

"I will alert Lord Baras of your mission success immediately."

"Thank you." She leaned back and her shoulders cracked as she stretched. She still hadn't gotten used to sleeping on a moving vessel and with no one at the helm driving apart from the auto pilot computers she was nervous. She hadn't slept well in a few weeks. This was the first full night sleep she had gotten on the ground in almost a month and she felt much better.

"Lord Baras is pleased and wanted me to inform you that you are ready to zero in on your prime objective and is awaiting your contact. The holocommunicater in the corner of the room is secure. I will be outside if you need anything." Quinn bowed and exited the room. Elaena sighed as she jumped from the bed, she was hoping to be free of Baras just a while longer but he seemed to be unavoidable.

"I hope you can see the smile on my face, apprentice. You're turning me into a true believer." Elaena blinked slowly, was he making fun of her? Of course she couldn't see the expression on his face, he was wearing a mask.

"Enough small talk, what are we doing now?" Elaena crossed her arms stiffly and waited for the mission details. The shorter the conversation with Baras the better.

"I'm sure you're ready to complete your time on that little rock. With the satellite tower computer destroyed and Commander Rylon's son neutralized my spies tracks are covered. Now the only threat to Rylon ever being exposed is the man himself. It's time to end that threat, permanently."

"Do I have to kill him?" Elaena saw no need for violence. Rylon was a military commander. With the help of Imperial Intelligence it would be easy to stage a raid on his whereabouts and make it look like he had been killed while extracting him from the enemy lines. But Baras wanted to take the easy way out and simply put the blood on her hands.

"I like that idolness makes you disagreeable. Just make sure to give Rylon an honorable death, it's the least we can do. I've had him behind enemy lines for decades, his contributions to the Empire's interests is unrivaled."

"The man is a hero. It's a shame that he has to die like this."

"He has always known the risk." Elaena sighed inwardly. That was how Baras would justify his actions. "The Jedi investigator must have no hard evidence that Rylon was killed to silence him. It must look like anything but a targeted execution. Annihilate everyone there."

"That sounds extremely uncalled for."

"Your objection is noted, the order still stands." Baras crossed his arms and she knew then that there was no point arguing with him anymore. He wasn't going to listen to anything anyone else had to say. "I've summoned Lieutenant Quinn, he will prepare you for your final task." Baras switched off the communication abruptly.

"Oh boy, he's not happy with you." Vette put her hands on her hips.

"I'm sure killing one of the best Imperial spies we have for him will put me back in his good graces." Vette looked at her as she turned from the holocommunicater.

"You need to work on your sarcasm, sometimes I can't tell if you're kidding or not." Quinn walked into the room shortly after.

"Your final target is the Balmorran Arms Factory." Elaena blinked slowly. She hoped that he was kidding but she knew in her heart Quinn more than likely didn't have the ability to make a joke. "The resistance recently captured it and made it their headquarters."

"What...?" Quinn looked up from his holopad.

"I'm sorry, my lord. What part are you confused about and I will clarify."

"I'm going to assume by the name that the Balmorran Arms Factory makes weapons. And the Balmorran resistance somehow captured one of the most important structures on the planet?" Quinn blinked slowly, he seemed unsure if she was asking him a direct question or simply voicing her displeasure. "Never mind, go ahead."

"An incursion into the factory will be a monumental feat." Well, of course it will. Baras was having her dive head first into a large fortified structure that probably had more weapons than people inside. "I'm excited by the prospect of you laying waste to that place." Elaena crossed her arms as a smile tugged at her lips.

"I excite you?" She seemed to have hit a spot as he shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"I.. Well, um, what I meant was... When I imagine all the ways you will shape the galaxy, I get very excited. Yes." Elaena tried so very hard not to laugh at the obviously uncomfortable military man. She wanted to poke more fun at him by commenting on his phrase of 'imagining her' but she figured she wouldn't get more than a stammering response anyway.

"Aw, I was hoping you'd say that you like me. You like me, don't you?" Elaena batted her eyelashes at him.

"My lord! Is this really the time and place for such an inquiry?" Elaena looked around at Quinn's bedroom and he blushed slightly. "I grant you that. It's not the place perhaps, but the time that leaves something to be desired."

"Relax, I'm only teasing you." Quinn relaxed considerably and Elaena looked at him softly. She was almost sure that Quinn liked her, even if only a tiny bit. But perhaps she was mistaken.

"May I continue to brief you on the Balmorran Arms Factory?"

"By all means..."

"I appreciate your mercy and grace, my lord. The Republic command center is deep within the arms factory. In order to reach Commander Rylon you will have to first make your way past the factories defenses which are considerable."

"How many will I be up against?"

"Unknown, my lord. But the factory is sure to have state of the art security systems and attack droids." The most important building you would want to keep tabs on in a war and the Empire didn't even get a look inside before it was taken. Remarkable. "Stationed inside are an estimated 1,000 if the Republics best trained soldiers. Notably, Rylon's Elite Squadron is known for some of the most precise and unprecedented resistance victories on the planet. They are legendary."

"High praise indeed."

"I've marveled at their tactical exploits, that's all." Quinn was quickly attempting to explain himself as if she were going to throw him to a pack of Tukatas if he didn't answer correctly.

"I don't doubt that at all."

"It will be a bright day on Balmorra when they are eliminated. One final thing. The investigator that the Jedi have sent has been concentrating her efforts around the arms factory. If she becomes a problem, I will contact you on your comlink."

"I'll answer if I have the ability. Hopefully all 1,000 of those soldiers you mentioned don't all attack at once."

"I hope there will be no reason to disturb you, my lord. I will be here to salute you when the Balmorran Arms Factory is a smoking husk." He bowed deeply and she smiled at him. Hopefully that happened sooner rather than later.