Chapter 7- Constant Evaluation
When Kyrah and Evaliya returned to the temporary headquarters, they were summoned to the director's office. Upon entering the room, Kyrah noticed her lightsaber remained on his desk.
"Evaliya," Isard acknowledged. "How is the introductory period going?"
"Aris still has that classic Jedi chip on her shoulder, but I think she's going to make out alright."
"Very good. Evaliya, I need to speak with Aris for a moment, you are excused to speak with your case officer."
"Right away, director."
Evaliya left just as quickly as the two had come. Isard watched her leave the office before turning his attention to Kyrah.
"And how would you say your introductory period is going?"
Kyrah wasn't sure she'd ever get used to his cold, calculating eyes or the feeling she was constantly being evaluated. It unnerved her almost as much as the faceless specter on Arkanis.
"I'm learning, sir," she replied as evenly as possible. From his fixed gaze, Kyrah could tell he was analyzing any subtleties in her body language and tone of voice.
"Very good," he replied. His tone indicated he had expected a particular answer. Kyrah didn't think there was a correct one, but nothing seemed to conform to expectations anymore.
"Was there anything else you needed me for, director?" Kyrah asked. She was getting rather tired of every interaction feeling like a test.
"Time will tell," Isard answered. "For now, you are dismissed. Third door on the right."
Before the urge to counter him with a witty remark got the best of her, she started for the door.
Kyrah stood outside the indicated door for a moment before it slid open. Inside was a small desk, some accompanying chairs, and a computer terminal. The setup was not unlike the director's office, though it was much smaller.
Evaliya stood behind the desk, carefully observing the display on a datapad. The man holding the datapad had dark hair, fair skin, and held a distinguished air about him— not unlike the director, though he seemed far more approachable.
"Aris," Evaliya greeted. "Glad you could make it for part of the briefing. This is Case Officer Rancit."
Rancit glanced away from the datapad to briefly acknowledge her, but he said nothing. Despite his brevity, Kyrah could sense he would be far easier to converse with than the director.
"What is your assignment?" Kyrah asked.
"We are going to be checking out an arms dealer in the lower city," Evaliya replied.
"Please, join us," the case officer beckoned.
Kyrah obliged and walked over to stand directly in front of the desk. Once the datapad screen was visible, she could see a dossier with an image of a human male. The best word she could use to describe the man was 'sleazy.' His blonde hair was meticulously styled, and his eyes held an air of arrogance that not even Coruscant security footage could obscure. She had yet to meet the man, and she couldn't stand him already.
"This is Rix Darand," Rancit continued. "Darand's been accused of partaking in arms dealing for some time now, but Coruscant Security Force has yet to gather enough concrete evidence to bring him in for it. One of CSF's informants passed along a tip that Darand is a Separatist sympathizer and is working to begin operations to support the faction. Your objective is to infiltrate the nightclub he owns in the lower city and find evidence of this."
"Do we have a specific plan to accomplish this?" Kyrah asked.
"I defer methods of execution to my field agents as much as possible," Rancit replied. "This assignment is no different."
Though such degrees of operational freedom were not unfamiliar to her, Kyrah found herself mildly surprised at the nonchalant response.
"Just follow my lead and you'll be fine," Evaliya interjected. She then redirected her attention to the case officer. "Do I have permission to begin mission preparations?"
"Yes," he responded. "I believe I already gave you the coordinates. Good luck. Aris, may I have a moment before you join her?" Rancit paused as he waited for the door to close behind Evaliya. When it did, he began to speak.
"Thank you for waiting, Kyrah," Rancit said. He paused as he noticed the surprise on his agent's face. "I only use my agents' codenames when more than one is present," he explained.
"I see," Kyrah replied. "What was it you needed to speak with me about?"
"First and foremost, I wanted to inform you that I will be serving as your case officer once you begin operating on your own. You'll be receiving assignments and reporting directly to me. I also wanted to make sure you know exactly what you're getting into."
Rancit paused as he stood up to walk to the other end of the desk before making direct eye contact with Kyrah.
"Intelligence-" he continued. "It's not glamorous work. There's no glory here, no recognition. We manipulate the puppet strings from the shadows and much of what we do is a waiting game. We catch the glass before it falls and if we can't, we clean up the mess when it does."
"As it so happens, much of my work within the Jedi order bears a great deal of similarity," Kyrah replied.
"Yes, I gathered as much," Rancit acknowledged. "However, it's your background as a Jedi that concerns me. The director thinks your unique abilities increase your value as an operative. Though I'm sure they will, I understand your Jedi code is pretty restrictive."
He paused for a moment. Whether the pause was for emphasis or to collect his thoughts was unclear. "I'm concerned that - when it comes down to it- you may not be capable of doing what's required."
"I believe I understand, sir," Kyrah responded. "All I can say is that you can trust me to do what's right."
"That's all I can ask, Kyrah. You should get going. Good luck."
Kyrah turned to leave but stopped dead in her tracks outside the door. A sudden chill washed over her, and a familiar but unwelcome voice whispered in her ear:
And so it begins….