A Game of Shadows

[Mirdala Priest]

Undisclosed Coordinates
Mirdala's THEME

Usually I don't fly off planet. Navigating hyperspace lanes I leave to the professionals; my navigational sense had been honed in the atmospheric fields of planets from the Outer Rim to the Inner Core, arid deserts, suffocating rain forests, and concrete urban jungles. The coldness of Space...I preferred to leave to the dead. Not today.

Exiting the craft, I set foot on the hard packed soil of a planet not found on any interstellar map. Six years past, interrogating Evelyn Yara ( @Evelyn Yara ) I had pushed the woman past pain, beyond hope, all for a single name, a name she ultimately did not know. In my hunt for the cell leader of Deathwatch, I had sacrificed my humanity, my soul, and ended with only a set of coordinates. Until now, I the location meant nothing to me.

Aiden Fett. My friend. Executed with nothing more than the dignity within his own soul. He believed in all I had dedicated my life to destroying. Why?

Striding across the barren dusty field, I entered a lone clay home, long abandoned. A safehouse, unused for years. The coordinates I had sent to Duke Ordo, the coordinates precious Evelyn had given to me the night I sold my soul.

Resting my shield against the wall, I checked my HUD the heat of the planet was stifling in my armor. Nonetheless, I would ait at the dust covered coffee table as a Mandalorian, awaiting the only man in the galaxy who held the answers I craved. Inhaling deeply, I stilled the empty space where my heart once rested.

It was time.

@Prudence

 

[Prudence]

Kalan's Theme

Kalan had been in Death Watch for years. First he'd started out in Kyramud's Death Watch, when that was the only thing true Mandalorians had to hold onto. He fought alongside brave men and psychopaths alike to win back their homeworld. When they all reached the finish line, however, those that they had carried all this way turned on them. A new regime sprang forth, and weeks Kyramud was dead and Death Watch was disbanded. Those that had been a part of Death Watch were given a choice, integrate into the new regime, or disappear. Kalan had chosen to take up his place within the new Dominion, and had risen to be one of its Dukes. During his tenure he'd been brought in on a project by then-Prime Minister Almec, who had resurrected the old Death Watch. Eventually Kalan found himself not just a member of Death Watch, but its leader all together.

In that time he'd kept a host of secrets from the people that he worked with, some of whom he considered to be his friends. He'd worked counter to the government in some instances, and committed crimes in others—all for the betterment of the Dominion. All of that had fallen away this week, as he'd been stripped of his title, stripped of his cover, and had a killer sent to bring him in, or put him down. Amidst the fray and confusion Kalan received a message from someone he hadn't expected to hear from—Protector Mirdala Priest. Priest was a counter-intel operative, and had worked with Kalan a number of times. He'd always gotten the vibe that Priest didn't trust him—that the operative got a small taste of the depth lying beneath Kalan's composed exterior. He imagined that Priest had thought himself justified when the truth fell out about Kalan, but never expected that he'd make contact. Nonetheless Priest's message had solely been a set of coordinates, one that had formerly been a Death Watch safe house under Kyramud's regime.

Kalan had considered not attending the meeting, but instead chose to show up just to hear what Priest had to say to him. He had several expectations that he was floating around. One was that Priest would have assembled every Protector and Captain he could get his hands on, and set up a trap. Another was that Priest would challenge him to single combat. Should the former arise, well Kalan wouldn't step completely into the trap right away. Should the latter arise, then he supposed they would see who was the better combatant. Should neither arise and Kalan would be quite intrigued as to what the meeting was for. Regardless, he approached the small hovel on foot, his A-140 in hand and attached to his chest harness. He stepped near the door, enough that half of him was visible and spoke in a low tone—augmented by his helmet's speakers,

"Long time no see, Priest."

 

[Mirdala Priest]

Mirdala's THEME
Abandoned safehouse, undisclosed coordinates.

Sweltering under my armor, I felt the sweat run in unpredictable rivulets down my back, the sensation an easy focus to control my breathing, keep my mind clear of distracting internal chatter. Kalan's voice at the entryway lifted bloodshot eyes, the salt from my sweat burning into my vision and reminding me of why I was sitting here, dehydrating and near heat exhaustion on this wasteland of a planet.

Slowly, so as not to spook the Spook, I rose from the coffee table, legs shoulder width apart, hands open palmed and at my sides. "Duke Ordo," I responded, slowly clenching my right hand into fist, and placing it over my heart lightly, in salute.

Palms open and at my sides once more, I slid my thumbs into the trigger guards of my Parallaxs and slowly slid them from their holsters, at 45 degree angles, reverse gripped and non threatening to the Mandalorian admiral. Placing the twin pistols on the coffee table, I then removed my forearm guards along with their weapon attachments, and did the same. Twisting my helmet slightly to break the seal, I pulled it from my head and set it beside the weapons.

Waiting patiently for the man to enter, I remained silent until Ordo was satisfied with the current threat level.

"Aiden Fett." My friend's name came out easy, the heat had settled a zen like exhaustion over both my countenance and my internal degree of give a *censored*. "Walk me through this."
@Prudence

 

[Prudence]

Priest was slow and calm, and it soothed some of Kalan's anxieties. The man rose from where he had been seated, his body language unthreatening, and addressed Kalan by his former title. Kalan just gave a nod in return, his eyes glued to Priest's hands. Kalan's own were rested atop the stock of his A-140, ready to drop Priest if he lurched. His hands moved towards his pistols, and Kalan's hands tightened, sliding closer towards the grip on his rifle. However Priest was still remaining unthreatening, holding his pistols only by their grip, and reverse gripped as to point towards himself rather than Kalan. His body language relaxed a bit as Priest laid the pistols down on the table, and began to disarm his gauntlets. Kalan released his rifle and stepped into the room slowly, his eyes still focused on Priest as he removed his helmet.

Content that Priest was offering good faith, Kalan unclipped the harness for his A-140, and tossed the rifle aside. He only wore two of his many trophy-sabers, one obviously hanging from his belt, and the other tucked under a plate as to be hidden. Kalan removed the visible saber and slowly moved to set it beside Priest's weapons, moving deliberately as not to spook the Protector. Priest was far less paranoid than Kalan, but he was still a man of battle and Kalan knew that he could be easily spooked. He removed his visible TS-15 pistol, setting it beside the saber, and leaving his sunspear hidden along his thigh plate. A good soldier knew when to show good faith, a good spy knew when to keep a backup plan. Finally Kalan clicked the clasps on his gauntlets open and tossed them onto the table. He hesitated a bit, his hands hovering near his helmet, before he decided to follow suit and remove his helmet as well. He gingerly placed it on the table and turned his hardened face to look at over Priest.

His words were short and pointed, and left Kalan feeling a little sick inside. Priest was under the impression Kalan had something to do with Aiden Fett, which would make this meeting....dicey. Kalan pursed his lips and hooked his thumbs in his belt loops, "Aiden wasn't part of the organization." The statement was simple, and it was true, but he doubted Mirdala would believe it outright. "I thought about recruiting him several times, but he didn't seem to show an aptitude for our line of work. I suppose I was wrong, all things considered." He took a step back, leaning on the wall to the hut as he wiped the sweat from his brow, "I had no idea what he was going to do. That's the truth Priest."

 

[Mirdala Priest]

UNTIL DEATH DO US PART

Aiden was not a member of Deathwatch. His name was now cleared of any association with the most dangerous terror organization in Dominion Sector Space.

Rest my brother.

To call Deathwatch a terrorist organization would be a loose combination of exaggeration and Dominion funded propaganda. The man before me was no terrorist. He was a patriot, who valued his people's future more than his own self righteous moral programming. It was not his fault if others were too soft and close minded to see reality as it was. It was not his fault that he was standing less than 3 feet from a Protector, sworn kingsguard to Manda'lore Ral Vizsla. Duke Ordo could not be to blame for being the most high valued target to enter my peripheral, playing in a hunt that has nearly spanned the last decade of my life.

Two patriots. Spymaster and spyhunter. An eternal struggle, an eternal love between the misguided and the malcontent. We were born to stand here today, and I was as calm as the currents lapping at the Sundari shoreline.

Face blank, my mind drifted to Priest Homestead. Soft sands, salty sea breeze, the smell of herbs and cocoa curry.

Evelyn would soon be Countess, leading clan Priest into an era of honor, and diplomacy, unheard of in our inestimable history. @Evelyn Yara

Ral and Talia would soon be married. The past and present uniting to create an unstoppable future. @Kori Buor. @Sreeya

And my life's work...

I bowed my head to Duke Ordo in sincere thankfulness. It wasn't everyday an artist lived to appreciate his greatest masterpiece.

"Thank you Admiral."

When I had checked my HUD prior to leaving the ship, it was to be certain my vocal preset had been changed correctly. Upon saying Ordo's name, my helmet's computer activated audio recording directly to Sundari's command center where Talia and Dak (@Phoenix ) would hear in real time of Aiden's unaffiliation with Deathwatch.

Bringing my fist to my chest, slowly, in salute to the spymaster, I bowed my head once more.

When I had checked my bandoleer prior to leaving the ship, it was to ensure my detonator had been fastened securely, inside, over my heart. Pressing my fist a bit more firmly, so slight that even if noticed there would he no time to act.

The thermal det hanging outside my bandoleer, made no sound as the detonator inside my bandoleer compressed.

I would be evaporated where I stood. As the explosive was pointed outward, towards my archnemesis, leaning against the wall less than 3 feet away, he would no doubt paint the single room as my greatest work of art. That is, if there was a wall left in the small clay hut.

To be honest, that was all just wishful thinking.

A hut this small would be scattered to the winds in the explosion, as though it never existed. Undisclosed coordinates. Two Shadows. And then...

Nothing.