Twenty-Four

Sith Intelligence Headquarters, Dromund Kaas

14 ATC

Thaera frowned down at the datapad in her hand as if her displeasure could somehow change its contents. A few steps away, Keeper looked as pale and solemn as always. She had recovered from the incident with the Star Cabal well enough to return to active duty, much to Thaera's relief. Intelligence was far too much for one person to manage alone.

"How is this possible?" Thaera muttered.

"I'm sorry, sir. I wish I could give you a better answer," Keeper said, reluctant to meet her eyes. "But with Intelligence at a fraction of its former capacity over the last two years…"

"Anything could have slipped through the cracks. I know. It was a rhetorical question." Thaera sighed and laid the datapad down on the desk behind her. "So, what do we have?"

Keeper's mouth tightened. "Very little. This is the first mention we've seen of this 'Agent Eclipse.' If the Republic forces on Tatooine had used a better encryption for their communications, we might not have even gotten this."

"Knowing is half the battle, or so they say. I assume you've put the best people on this?"

"Of course, sir."

"Good. This is a matter of the highest urgency, Keeper. A Republic spy in our ranks cannot be tolerated."

Keeper nodded. "We'll find them."

Thaera stared grimly at the nearest wall, memories drifting unbidden to the surface of her mind. "I will not permit the SIS to get the better of me. Of us."

Then her holocom went off.

She activated the device, audio only. "I thought I asked not to be disturbed."

"I'm sorry, sir," said the voice of one of the Minders in charge of internal security. "But there's a Sith here asking to see you. She says she has an appointment."

Thaera frowned. Darth Nox wouldn't ask, nor would she need to. What Sith would possibly…?

Then she remembered that she did, in fact, have an appointment.

"Keep her in the entrance hall," she said. "I'll be down shortly. Seeker out."

Keeper moved towards the door. "I should get back to work."

Thaera nodded. "Notify me the instant you find anything on Agent Eclipse."

"Yes, sir," Keeper said, and left.

Thaera took a moment to collect her thoughts, then headed down towards the entrance hall. The discovery of the possible existence of a Republic agent embedded somewhere in the Imperial hierarchy had caused her to completely forget her other business.

Darth Nox had made very few requests upon taking control of Intelligence, but she had made one that had made Thaera question the Sith Lord's capacity for reason.

Nox wanted Sith apprentices to go through the training Intelligence gave field agents. Only a select few, of course, she'd said. Those who fit the appropriate personality profile. And then she'd suggested that should these candidates pass the training, Thaera would use them as actual agents. Combine Intelligence discipline and resourcefulness with Sith power, and you'll have the perfect operatives.

Thaera personally felt that Sith should stay as far away from Intelligence as possible and let them do their job, but she was in no position to argue with a Dark Council member, let alone the one who was now her direct superior. She had been surprised, however, when she received a message informing her that Nox had already found a possibility.

She stopped short before walking into the entrance hall, taking a moment to study the person waiting quietly off to one side.

Darth Nox's candidate was a human female a little over five feet tall, with a build so slender that her plain black Sith robes seemed to envelop her small form in a shapeless cloud of darkness. She had golden-brown skin and deep black hair that framed an oval face. Her small, delicate nose, full mouth, and heavy-lidded dark eyes would probably be considered pretty by most humanoid species.

Thaera was never sure about human ages, but the Sith looked quite young, possibly still an adolescent. That was a smart move on Nox's part. If this idea of hers was going to work at all, it would have to be with younger Sith who were open to new ideas.

The Sith noticed Thaera lurking in the doorway and moved forward with confidence.

"Hello," she said, smiling. "I know this is probably a bit weird, but I'm supposed to meet with whoever's in charge here."

Thaera kept her face impassive. "That would be me."

The girl's eyes widened; up close, Thaera could see that her irises, which had appeared black from a distance, were actually very dark blue. "Oh. Uh, I'm Kettrien Byrd. You probably already knew that."

Seeing a Sith, even an apprentice, become visibly flustered was certainly one of the odder things Thaera had ever experienced. "I am Seeker, head of Sith Intelligence," she said coolly. "Darth Nox has informed me that you are a potential candidate to undergo Intelligence training. Is this correct?"

Kettrien nodded. "Yes, sir."

The title seemed to come easily to her lips, another thing Thaera had not expected. "You are currently an apprentice in the Sith Order?"

"Yes, sir. Lord Savadar Ekari is my master—this was his idea, actually. He heard about Darth Nox's initiative and thought I would be suited for it."

"And how do you feel about it?"

Kettrien shrugged. "Honestly? Being a spy seems pretty cool."

Thaera's blank expression slipped as she found herself raising an eyebrow at that comment. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

It seemed she was getting better at estimating human ages. "Excellent. Most Intelligence agents begin their training at a similar age."

"Makes sense," Kettrien said. "I assume I need to go through some kind of approval process? I mean, you can't just dump a Sith in with everyone else. It would be awkward."

Thaera's eyebrow climbed higher. "Are you always this candid, Kettrien Byrd?"

Kettrien winced. "That's probably a bad trait in a spy, isn't it?"

"Our training program will help with that, if you qualify." Thaera turned and started down the hallway towards Operations. "Come with me. There are a few tests you need to fill out."

Kettrien trotted up next to her, radiating excitement. "Sir, I know saying this probably won't make a difference, but if I can help out by doing this, it would be really great. I was born outside the Empire, you see, and I actually have some experience with this type of—"

"We'll see," Thaera said shortly.

Kettrien fell silent.

Thaera had to admit, the girl had spirit. It was a shame that Intelligence work would almost certainly break it. Assuming, of course, that her test results showed her to have the suitable character for it in the first place.

Perhaps Nox's idea had some merit after all.