Ask Breakthrough

[Talak Rand]

Talak had been reviewing parameters and operations for his old missions as a Sith when he'd found it. Over the course of his years with the Sith, he had done so many things that many had simply faded from his memory. Even since the Sith returned from the Unknown Region he'd been to dozens of planets. Perhaps that was why he'd never followed up on this lead or anything else.

With a frown, he'd called up Max - this time not picking something so distant as Naboo - and set up a meeting on Yavin where either of them were more likely to be at any given time.

He'd landed the Nomad and made his way inside the temple, heading for Max's office. Which was its own topic because Talak found it hilarious that right after their talk on Naboo, Max had been put on the Council and given an office whether he wanted it or not.

But things that he thought were funny should probably wait. The information he had - while perhaps not incredibly urgent - still needed addressing sooner rather than later.

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Why the heck did he need an Office now?

He'd checked and it even had the capital "O" on the map Padawans were given access to when they were trying to learn their way around the Temple. Given that he was a liaison to the Senate it made sense for him to have his own space, but it was still really bugging him that it was already literally on the maps. Still, rather he use it now that he had it and it was nice to have it so he could get used to his new workload.

"Isado, could you check on the reports we received from New Alderaan about when their leaders are available for a talk about the Embassy?" he asked over the com built into his desk, "Thank you Isa, you're a life saver."

And it came with a young Knight who really preferred desk work and answering holocalls. Isado was an odd duck of a Jedi but Max was happy to have him, even if he had had to stop the young man from introducing himself as his secretary. It was weird enough that he was acting the part of a Jedi Master crossed with a politician, the kid didn't have to make it weirder.

"Of course Master Tionson. Oh and Knight Rand is on his way up to see you - will you be needing any caf?"

... attentive young man but very much too into his new role already.

"No thank you Isado, I've got the drinks Talak will want right here." he assured the young man, "Head on off for the day."

As Talak arrived at Max's office he would pass through Isado's small office before reaching Max's office itself - where Max would be busy pouring out a measure of whiskey into two whiskey tumblers. His left arm was doing the pouring, currently without a sleeve because the prongs at the elbow kept getting caught on his robes.

"Talak... you thought hard about your first joke about me being a Council member?" he asked with a smirk, "Better make it a good one - Hans got a few in before you."

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak wasn't expecting to see Max with a secretary. He tried to suppress the look on his face as he passed by, giving an awkward "smile" and nod toward the young man who motioned for him to go inside.

He seemed to be on his way out, though, and Talak pressed on inside and toward where Max was standing. And it seemed he was already pouring them both some drinks. It wasn't unwelcome, but he also wanted to keep a clear head for the conversation at hand.

Maybe I'll just settle for an "I told you so," he said with a snicker. At literally their last meeting Talak had pointed out that Max was on the route to the Council, and here he was. What a coincidence.

Hans has the wit for both of us, he said.

I see you're settling in already. Secretary and everything, he said, feeling like that would be a weird experience if he were on the council. Not that that was going to happen, mind you, but in another universe. @Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

An "I told you so" was the least he had expected - though it was also enough to reassure the paranoid old man that this was, well and truly, Talak Rand come to see him and not some body double. Honestly, he was probably just getting spooked from all the 'threat assessment' documents the senate's people had sent through to him. As though a threat great enough to pose a legitimate threat to him was something they could plan for... he'd noted that most of their 'in case of Sith' plans boiled down to "run away until Rangers/Jedi appeared".

Made sense he supposed.

"Perhaps your gift of foresight has come in early." he joked as he took a seat behind the desk that he had managed to grab for a decent price while on Chandrilla the last time, "If Hans has wit enough for the both of us, I worry what that says about the state of our minds."

Jokes of course - though sometimes he did feel as though he was missing out by not having the same aptitude for calm that Hans had. The ability to just take in a problem and laugh in it's face? He'd appreciate having that himself that was for damned sure. Still, he leaned back in his chair and groaned ever so slightly.

"That's just for the senate stuff." he assured Talak with a wave of his right hand, wincing slightly as leaning on his left caused another duo of impressions into the wood from the points at the elbow, "Going to need to put rubber balls on those things... anyway Talak, what can I do you for? More political assignments? Requisition for new robes?"

Yeah he could approve requisition orders now - funny that.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

You could say it's my new specialty, he said deadpan. No, foresight definitely wasn't his specialty. He was pretty sure he'd never had much of a "Force vision" or whatever it was people claimed they had.

Yes, well, we all know I'm known for my wit, he said with a shrug, taking the glass and sipping at it. It was refreshing.

Senate things. Lucky you, he said. He knew that his own specialties definitely didn't lay in politics. He would be happy to let someone else do that. But as Max asked what had brought Talak here, his gaze turned a bit more grim.

No, he said. I think I might have a lead on Sith activity, he said.

When I was with the Sith, we started working on operations on Serenno. We were planning to overthrow the government and instate our own, he said. We had operatives on world, and while I left before anything came of it, they'd be stupid not to have continued pursuing it, he said. @Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Ah there was that deadpan - honestly Talak probably had a career as the straight man in a comedy duo with a deadpan that solid and a stone face that strong. But, alas, here he was doing Jedi things with Max in his shiny new office. The Galaxy would never know what kind of comedy legend they lost out on!

"Oh it's half the reason I keep you around." he teased Talak back with a smirk, "Your sense of humor and your winning good looks, Talak."

All jokes of course; Talak's looks weren't Max's taste at all. He grimaced at a reminder about the Senate and rubbed at his beard again as he thought about some of the issues that were being debated. Some of them were fairly basic but some of them had a real chance to make drastic changes to the Galaxy as a whole. There was talk of a military and Max was... conflicted about that on so many levels it was hard to truly process them all.

At the mention of Talak's time as a Sith though, Max frowned and became far more involved in the room. Serenno was... difficult for the Jedi to actually interfere with. He scowled a little bit as he drummed his metallic fingers against his desk for a moment before tapping away at his desk's console to bring up a holo of Serenno.

"Outside of FWA space, close to old Sith territory if not actually a part of it itself if you go back far enough... fiercely against outside interference." he scowled a little bit, giving Talak a slightly playful glare, "Could you have, maybe, done us all a favor and NOT been such a model of efficiency and good planning at whatever you turn your hand to?"

He let out a slow breath.

"Alright... you've been removed from the situation for some time by this point and that needs changing. We need to know what's changed and how far those plans have progressed since you laid their foundations." he eyed Talak for a moment, "I hate to ask this of you Talak but you're going to need to go back. Take a partner you can trust to be discrete because this needs to stay away from the Order... we can't afford to be seen messing with an independent planet."

... kark he'd become the old Police Captain who warned people about playing things by the book hadn't he?

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak had done the easy bit by coming and telling someone about it, now the hard things would come next. He was no diplomat and he could easily find ways to get himself into all kind of trouble on any given world. A part of him said that he should entirely pretend not to be a Jedi while he was doing this, but was that how this was supposed to be done? Somehow Jedi pretending to be un-Jedi felt a bit too much like the "bad old days."

So nothing officially Jedi? he asked with a knowing nod. Yes, this was all a bit too familiar, but this time around there wouldn't be any murdering or vigilanteism. Though, the thought of the man that Trys was almost sold to didn't sit well with him, it was a lead they would need to follow. No murder. Period. That was behind him, and he was not going to fall back to the dark.

And if we find something, then what? We can't arrest them or kill them, he said. He was trying to play inside the lines on this one, but he wasn't very experienced with that. @Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max was sure that Talak's mind had immediately gone to the darker places and the darker results that could come from the investigation like, for example, killing people and hiding the bodies. He wasn't naive enough to think that that wasn't a possibility but he was Jedi enough that the idea made him want to avoid it at all costs. Indeed he was sure that Talak wasn't exactly looking forward to the possibility of combat, given that by it's nature it would likely be clandestine and dirty as all hell.

Luckily for them both, Max didn't want any bloodshed.

"Nothing official, no." he agreed with a small frown as he sipped at the whiskey in his own glass, "But covert doesn't mean black ops in this regard, Talak. I know what you used to do - and you know I'd never ask you to do it again."

Force but he wanted a cigara.

"I don't want any bloodshed on this mission Talak; it's recon and reporting back first and foremost. If and when we know more about the lengths the Sith have gone to to infiltrate? Then we discuss counter espionage options." he reasoned softly as he took another drink of the whiskey, "Talak... we can't afford for this to go public. No sabers, no insignia."

It left an ache in his gut that he had to say these things, that he had to plan out worst case scenarios to save public opinion of the Jedi Order. But he was at the top now and he couldn't afford to think solely about the little picture any longer. He longed for the days when the biggest problem he had to face was the one right in front of his face and not the nebulous threat of his people being hunted by an executive senate order or the like.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak was glad that the equation didn't improve... those things. He wasn't about that life anymore, and he nodded soberly in agreement.

Good. I'll get you the information, but I'm not good at the politics side of things, he said, realizing that Max was going to be unlucky enough to have to do the politics. Welcome to being in authority with all of its splendor.

I guess I have my work cut out for me, he said, sipping his drink. All the more reason not to become intoxicated. He had planning to do. Back in the shadows again... not Force-shadow. Just literal shadows. That was off topic.

Any other advice or instruction? he asked. This would be the time to say it before Talak went out there and started causing trouble.

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max finished the whiskey in his glass and already he had a hankering for a second glass and he had to actively resist the urge to indulge. It wasn't a good sign for how he was going to deal with things like this in the future but he thought it was a reasonable allowance... though he carefully didn't pour anymore for himself. Instead he pulled out a cigara and started rolling it around his metallic fingers.

He didn't want to light up in his office but it was becoming a near thing.

"Leave the politics to me just... try not to make my job too much harder?" he asked in a half-joking and half-pleading tone of voice, "I don't think I have to tell you how or why; you know all that."

Plus he didn't want to have to hear that Talak was in trouble on the evening news for a number of reasons - one of which was that he knew himself well enough to know that he'd likely leave a senate session mid-motion to go help his friend if it came down to it. The urge to light the cigara rose as he smiled a little bit.

"... don't do anything stupid Talak." he advised quietly, "You are worth a lot more than you might think to an awful lot of people. No matter what you might find while out in the Galaxy? It's unlikely to ever be worth more than you so come back. Live to report what you've discovered; that's an order."

He sighed as he lit up the end of his cigara with the Force, giving in to the temptation and taking a long pull before blowing a smoke ring.

"Hopefully the next 'official' visit to my office has nothing but better news, eh?"

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak gave a nod. No, he wasn't going to make this go any worse than he had to. If all went well, no one would even realize that he'd been there.

I know how not to make a fuss, he said, mostly honestly. Sometimes the fuss found him, but he would go out of his way to make this as discreet as possible.

And I'll make sure to make it back, he reassured. And he'd make sure that the others made it back with him. The Jedi needed all the help they could get, even from a terrible Knight like him. There was a lot of work to do.

Or at least results, he agreed. Coming back with evidence that the Sith were on Serenno may not have been "good" news, but it would be results at the least.

Thanks for the drink, and keep your head above water. Your work may be cut out for you, but peace and serenity and all that are still important, he said. Fine, so using all the right phrases wasn't Talak's strong suit, but the idea that Max needed to take time for himself was still there. And it was true. The Jedi Master would be all right, Talak was sure of it. And if he wasn't, then Talak was still around. He'd been there for Talak, and the KNight would return the favor eventually.

With that, he stood and turned to leave. There was a lot of work to be done, and he could already feel his heart beginning to quicken. This was the kind of work he loved.

//Exit