[21 BBY]
[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II}, Republic 19th Sector Army, Departing Solem System, Koradin Sector]
I preferred to avoid torture; it was unpleasant and usually gave you answers you wanted to hear rather than the truth of the matter. So I'd opted for the more methodical methods of drugs, mental befuddlement, and some arcane pressure to start small with both the Dathomiri and Zabrak prisoners during their brief bouts of wakefulness from healing stasis. Kadrian Sey, former Jedi Knight, was the more resistant of the two, but the brief periods of wakefulness, alchemy, and some Force Suppression had given some small, but very useful answers.
Answers that could be tested out in a passive manner as I noted the messages between certain levels of the Confederate Military were suddenly encryption free to our eyes. My eyes in this case, and it back up the tiny amount of low hanging fruit that Asajj Ventress had given me, as I read through a brief summary of recent CIS military orders via Dooku to forward units. Code levels that Republic Military Intelligence, nor our own to be fair, had managed to crack; and all it had taken was Ventress's damaged comp-unit and some codes. This operation had already paid for itself with this despite the former Sith Apprentice apparently realising it.
'Not that we're telling anybody we've broken them either, in case the darknamic duo hear of it' I admitted taking a sip of my kaff. That was the biggest problem for the Intelligence services of either side I strongly suspect; the second an important encryption code was broken, and the Boss found out, was followed shortly afterwards by changes in said codes where they were inconvenient to the Sith leaders. Unfortunately for them controlling the chess board required a very high level of operational control, and tapering down on individual initiative
The other revelations were a minor surprise; Dooku had less Dark Acoyltes than I'd expected, and I'd managed to take out four of them, Ventress was betrayed, and another had died during the Dark Reaper crisis. Even better sending bald and grumpy off on her merry way might prevent him having easy recruiting grounds amongst the Nightsisters. I'd known about them, and the Tund and Ko-Var, from the Temple but sadly it had been, and was, impossible to approach directly as the Jedi Order usually kept a tight guard upon their worlds. That and none of them were space capable...for good reason in the view of the Temple on Coruscant, even where it applied to the Light Side using Witches of Dathomir.
'Can't have competition after all, no not at all' I mused to myself setting down the mug as the door opened and our VIP entered dressed in a black jacket and pants over white shirt, lighsabers at her belt as always. My own was at my side too, along with my light 'public' armour under my own military uniform, so it was perfectly reasonable in my humble opinion. So I rested one leg over the other, gesturing at the table as my two bodyguard droids Aaron and Abigail waited silent and motionless behind me "Ah, Ventress, a pleasure as always. Please, have a seat, order whatever you wish"
As usual for the past two days the tense grumpiness continued, though since she'd healed and rested her emotional control was back at what I assumed was her usual level of control. But she sat without sarcasm, or threatening movements, and only a faint shake of her head and a small sigh indicate discontent at still being here and not charging off to challenge her former mentor instead of reading the menu "My information has proven useful?"
"Oh very much so, I was never in doubt about your ability to have such after all..." I replied with a faint nod as she 'ordered' her meal via the data-pad "...and I have prepared a selection of crystals and lightsaber parts for your perusal, along with some Jedi robes if you so wish, for after our working meal. Your request to make use of a training room has also been approved, with an hour's warning prior to usage"
It wasn't my private training area of course, but the Stormcrow had multiple ones, along with training droids to mimic Jedi abilities for training purposes, so it wasn't hard to set one aside. The hard part was ensuring security and keeping people unaware of the wanted Separatist military leader aboard right now. Strictly speaking she would be a prisoner of war, but the Republic didn't really believe it such things, instead leaving it up to Sector Generals and the Senate usual.
Or in this case the Jedi Order and their carte blanche to do whatever the hell they wanted with Force Sensitives; which I suspected in her case would be being disappeared and sent to that secret prison of theirs. Somewhere they'd send me to for my 'heresy' or potential Dark Side usage should they find out certain things...or at least try to anyway. That was when Daron started running of course. Now though I pushed those thoughts aside, instead shifting to confirmation of weapons details we would be providing for a potential assassination attempt on Count Dooku...
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[21 BBY]
[Executive Security Solutions Site Beta, Planet Hoth, Hoth System, Anoat Sector]
Site Beta on Hoth was a continent, and a frozen ocean, away from our primary base. Droid crewed only at the moment, and the 'Base' was an amalgam of cargo containers with medical equipment, heating, and some general stores. In truth it hadn't been designed for this task, not really, but as an initial site that had fallen through and we'd reworked to a storage site at first, and then a potential 'prison' for what we got right now; two enemy Force Users. Though hopefully it would be more storage than prison, but one was generally best not relying on hope with dangers such as this.
The snows blustered around myself, Braika, and Jacques, as the two 'packages' were transported down the ramp and into the now open hatch of the base. We had Troopers here of course, my personal kill-squad for one, but they'd be evacuating with us once our in stasis duo were put away and I returned to my duties after unleash our VIP out into the wilds. I'd done my best over six 'interviews' with both of the now currently unconscious prisoners to gain useful information, but there was still things to learn...sadly just not now, and it was agreed it was too big a risk without my presence. So lockdown and storage it was then.
"Ye done a good job securing the place Jacques..." Braika was saying through the command circuit in our armours "...but let your guard down with'em. Constant long range monitoring, droid and organic"
"Aie, Aie, I know the drill Braika, I helped write up the protocols remember?" the old half-Solemite replied as we moved in behind the packages "Don't worry, we've got the staff, and I'll blow the site if everything goes completely wrong. There's not a stitch of clothing in the base, food supplies are limited, and transmissions are limited bandwidth only, you know the drill"
"Yes, but can't be too careful after all" I replied as we descended into the brightly lit metal corridor "Anyway, how are we looking on the information provided?"
"Excellent, we've got plenty of transmissions sudden cracked with it, and we'll start analysing it against other transactions we don't have by cross-referencing them ones we have. But, CIS are transmission heavy, and we've only snippets of course, but that's still huge amounts ya know?" the old former smuggler and pirate answered, helmeted head tilting towards myself since we were on an isolated circuit "And our other source on the Clone Problem?"
I nodded "A name, someone Dooku is dealing with, possibly, probably, on the Republic side. Sidious. She has no idea who he is, or real name, but he is in active cooperation with Dooku..."
And boy had that been a surprise that Ventress knew that name, that Dooku had revealed it too her and then failed to kill her. What in the name of the Gods had Dooku been thinking letting her attend such a meeting, even via hologram...beyond perhaps actually taking the Dathomiri as an actual Sith Apprentice. Till the Boss Man told him to drop her, or suffer bad things most likely. She hadn't made the connection that Sidious was the Master and Dooku the Apprentice of course, instead thinking he might be another Dark Jedi, or just an important backer to the Count. I shook my head.
"...nor does she realise the relationship between the Clones and Jango Fett, and therefore to Dooku. I'd reckon her more middle management than inner circle like she thinks she was, but she does some info into how the Count works. Oh, and that her intended assassination attempt of course"
"You're both taking a risk with that..." Jacques muttered "...but I don't disagree, but there's always the risk they capture and get the info out of her"
I nodded faintly again "I know, but it's worth the risk, and she'd rapidly become uncooperative should we try do so. Worst case they break her and tell them what happened and what she told us, which would be very bad, but nothing provable, and it's only me in the firing line in her mind"
"It's a minor investment and nothing that can be directly traced to us..." Braika clarified "...and the odds of taking her alive are low thankfully. War is taking risks in the end. At least now we know more than we did, and that Dooku definitely has a minion high up in the Republic"
"Yes, unsurprising really, we're in giant conspiracy land after all..." I stated "...but we've got her for another two, maybe three, days before we release her in one of the smugglers route systems..."
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