Angle- Watcher One

Watcher One frowned at the field report that was clasped between his gloved hands. Three more patrols dead, all killed with marks of a lightsaber scorching their bodies, and the men containing the serum he had requested were delayed or worse; all evidence suggested that it was highly possible they too had been intercepted by the lightsaber-wielding interloper.

Jedi, he mused. Such an invigorating challenge. "Fixer Eight, I need you to patch me through to Keeper."
The young, blonde-haired man looked at One with surprise, then hesitation. "Sir? Keeper gave us orders not to be disturbed-"

"I am aware," One acknowledged professionally, clasping his hands behind his back as he strode away from his desk to gaze at Doctor Godera, imprisoned on the operating bed mounted against the wall of their small base. The old man was asleep, sheer exhaustion having claimed his body hours ago. "However, there has been a development he must be made aware of and we may need assistance in the matter."

Eight considered, then inclined his head. "Very well, sir," he responded, moving to the holocomm in the center of the base and tapping controls into its apparatus.

One looked at Godera in the eye, appraising him. Such a fuss for one man. If you had been born an Imperial, you'd have been one of the greatest Intelligence operatives ever born.

"The signal is coming in, sir."

Watcher One moved to stand before the hologram of Keeper, the balding man appearing stern as he gazed down at his subordinate, who saluted smartly. The man before him was second only to the Minister of Intelligence himself, exceptionally smart and cunning to boot. Without a doubt, there were few that One respected more. "Watcher One. I gave you direct orders to avoid contact. The Republic could very well intercept this transmission."

"I remember, sir," One agreed. "However, I thought it prudent to report that at least one Jedi Knight has landed on Taris and is apparently searching for clues amongst the bodies of my men, no doubt looking for our doctor."

Keeper's frown deepened, and he raised a hand to his chin. "Interesting. After all this time, they are now once more invested in Godera. Something must have occurred." Watcher One could see the gears in Keeper's head turning, began to perform his own analysis.

"It is certainly an indication that they are moving towards an attitude more conducive to open war," he said carefully.

"The Republic is," Keeper confirmed crisply, "but this is not a symptom. While you've been on Taris for the past months tracking the doctor down, events in the larger galaxy have been occurring that are most troublesome."

Watcher One frowned to match Keeper; if something had the brilliant man worried, it was worth noting.

"Darth Angral has recently been creating a superweapon mounted on his flagship in an attempt to spark total war between the Empire and the Republic. Many of the components of this weapon use Doctor Godera's technology or theories."

Watcher One caught on instantly. "Therefore the Jedi intend to use the Doctor to combat this threat. I see."

"While Angral's tactics are crude and dramatic, we cannot act decisively until we know more. Until I do, your mission has been upgraded to Status Five. This is now a top priority assignment, and it is of the utmost importance that the Jedi does not interfere with your work."

"That was why I called you, sir," Watcher One continued. "I wish to request for a Cipher to deal with the Jedi."

Keeper shook his head. "Impossible at the moment, I'm afraid. All Ciphers are currently preoccupied. Our newest, Cipher Nine, has just left Dromund Kaas for a mission that is of similar priority. We have no more resources that we can transfer to you save something such as a warship, which would defeat the purpose."

Watcher One nodded. "Very well. Then I request clearance to begin interdiction operations against the Jedi if necessary."

Keeper's reply was instant. "Granted. You must succeed, Watcher One. If there are any further developments forward them along the standard reports. Keeper out." The older man vanished in a haze of blue, and Watcher One turned to Fixer Eight. "Fixer, I want a layout of all the locations the Jedi has been on a map in the next hour. In addition, find a capable agent and have them tail the Jedi; I want a profile, fighting style, personality. If we are to combat this threat, information will certainly be power."

Information was always power, One reflected as the Fixer ran off to his duties. No matter how powerful one was, with the right intelligence any weakness could be exploited. Even the Emperor was not invincible; it was merely that Imperial Intelligence had not yet been assigned to kill him.

This Jedi may be dangerous, but was hardly going to stop them now that they had time to prepare. Watcher One returned to his desk and began to sift through the datapads containing their latest reports from the reclamation base, courtesy of their moles. One of them, belonging to a soldier named Ruk, was of particular value; it detailed Governor Saresh's new policies on patrols. Apparently, something had urged her to become less bold. Perhaps it was the rakghouls.

Or perhaps, One's trained mind noted, it was something more along the lines of the Jedi.

Fixer Eight returned within the hour with the map as promised with a datapad containing the known locations of the dead patrols and extrapolations of likely routes of travel. It seemed the interloper had been all over the continent in the past month, including the wreckage of the Endar Spire.

A stirring from the table to the side made One's head turn to Godera, observing the doctor neutrally as the man awoke from his tired slumber. "Yo-... You..." he gritted out, eyes narrowing in recognition. "I should've known it wasn't a bad dream."

"Come now, Doctor," Watcher One replied calmly, standing to move to stand before his captive. "We've been most hospitable."

"Hospitable?!" Godera barked, voice echoing around the compound; a few of the Intelligence agents turned at the sound, then ignored the old man. "Is that what you call invading my base and executing my men?!"

"It was hardly an execution," One debated rationally. "We gave you a chance to surrender, and you opened fire. We did what was necessary to defend ourselves."

"I'd never surrender to the likes of you."

"Ah, and there is the crux of the difference between us, my good Doctor," Watcher One sighed. "Where you are set, narrow-minded and immovable in your views, I see everything. The universe is possibility, and I will never turn away a potentiality because of the past."

Godera turned his head away, clenching his fists and straining against his bonds. "The past is what makes us," he spat. "I learned that when you sacked Coruscant, and dozens of other planets, and killed millions of innocents."

One blinked. "Did I? I seem to have forgotten those particular actions of mine." He motioned to one of his fixers. "Get the replacement serum. Until the-"

He was interrupted by the door to their base opening to admit a squadron of Imperial soldiers, carrying a thick briefcase with them. "Apologies, sir," the sergeant said instantly, saluting as one of the privates brought the case forward and laid it on One's desk. "We were delayed."

"The Jedi," Watcher One sniffed.

"How did-"

"Never mind that. You have the serum?"

"Yessir. It's right there."

"Excellent. Return to your posts, men. You've done well." He nodded approvingly, motioned for the fixer to get the more effective serum.

"You didn't pull the trigger," Godera growled, staring at Watcher One again, "but you sure as hell helped the ones that did. You're on their side. What the Empire has done is as much on your conscience as any soldier's."

Watcher One frowned, then turned to the Doctor, walking up to him to look him in the eye. "As everything the Republic has done is on yours?" he asked darkly, voice lowering as a rare moment of emotion bubbled inside his chest. "I remember when my family burned in their transport because they happened to be carrying military goods for the Empire; I recall that your Republic cared not as it blew the ship from the sky."

Godera swallowed, considering, still glaring daggers at Watcher One.

"I was six," he finished, closing his eyes and moving away. "I do not blame you for that. It was a war. People die in war, as is war's business. This is no different."

Godera was silent as Watcher One removed a syringe from the briefcase which the fixer unlocked. He filled the injector with the purple liquid inside, smuggled to Taris from Intelligence headquarters in Dromund Kaas, and flicked the tip to remove the bubbles.

"You will find that I am an honorable man, Doctor Godera," Watcher One said as he approached the man, holding the syringe aloft. "Once I've your secrets we will leave Taris, as I promised. We want nothing with these people."

The fixer rolled up the uniform sleeve on Godera's arm. "Get it over with," the old man murmured, looking away. Not from fear, Watcher One realized, or from pain; the serum would render no agony to him. No... what he was feeling, trying to deny, was shame.

A pity, how few people can truly see every angle. All they can ever notice is right in front of their nose. "As you wish," Watcher One said, inclining his head, and he plunged the needle into Godera's vein.

(O)(O)(O)

A/N: I really like Watcher One, and all of Imperial Intelligence, actually. It's a pity that he wasn't utilized more, but we have the Agent storyline for that.