The Turn of the Screw

[Robert Abbotangelo]

Bob was never a man who liked hunting others. Despite the skeptical looks he received whenever he brought this particular nugget of information up when he was being assigned missions. No he didn't like hunting others, but he was very, very good at it.

So it came as no surprise when he found a recent defector from the Sith order. Now usually this would be then grounds for an immediate strike force to come down and smite the ever living hell out of the silly defector, but Bob was smelling some sort of opportunity here.

So, he proposed a meeting on neutral ground. Dubrillion to be precise. Bob hadn't sampled the local brew's yet, so even if this turned out to be a bust, the trip wouldn't have been a total waste. He was sitting down in one of the planets many cantina's, for once not boisterously spinning fables to the local yokels. Instead, he was calmly sipping his drink, awaiting patiently for his target to arrive. It was odd to think of the man as a target, but, such was life.

@Cinderella

 

[Isaac of Inok]

Isaac had told no one of the message he received. The Empire didn't always act with honor, he knew that firsthand. He had been on the opposite end of such arrangements before. Nearly all of them had been traps. He spent his whole life in the service of the Empire, and he held no ill-will towards its people. The Sith were still his family, and he would honor their meeting. The Order may disagree, they may even have stopped him, which is why he would keep this meeting to himself.

He'd been to many worlds, but this was Isaac's first time experiencing the simple beauty of Dubrillion. It almost reminded him of Alderaan, with much more water. Wealthy architecture, silver spires rising from a natural estuary, clean suspended walkways over the water and a well-maintained spaceport. People were dressed well, and the air was clean. Wealthy neutral worlds like this could make it easy to forget the rest of the galaxy was being torn apart by war.

Isaac arrived in the high-end cantina not long after arriving on the world, he had come without his droid, and via public transportation to Dubrillion. If he was captured, he hoped he hadn't been a part of the Jedi Order or the Rebellion long enough to have any useful information. If this meeting turned out to be a mistake, he planned on paying the price alone.

"Overseer," Isaac bowed. "An honor to finally meet you formally. I am Isaac of Inok. I have heard many tales of your exploits in our youth. You are a hero to the Empire."

@Shax

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

With an exaggerated gasp and the look a teenage girl would give her bff when acting surprised about something, Bob waved femininely to Isaac and said "Stop! Your making me blush." Before dropping that little act with a boisterous belly laugh. "No no, you are too kind my friend! I merely did as I was bid in the service to the Empire and its people." He said, always happy to have the chance to act humble despite he enormous pride.

"I suppose formal introductions are in order if you think you should bow to me!" Bob continued with a smile. "Names Robert Abbotangelo, though I suppose you already know that eh? Anyways, you can just call me Bob or any other shorthand you like. Being called Robert always made me feel like my mum was about to berate me." He finished with a slight chuckle, taking a sip from the local's favorite drink. Unfortunately the brew held nothing special for Bob beyond a slight fruity aftertaste. A little disappointing, but not the whole purpose for his visit to Dubrillion.

"And you my new friend, are Isaac of Inok." Bob said, getting a little serious, though his grin never really left his face. "Ballsy move you've pulled my good sir, not many folks can claim to have left the Sith and lived to tell about it, let alone defect to their most hated enemy." He continued, leaning forward in interest.

@Cinderella

 

[Isaac of Inok]

"Indeed," Isaac answered grimly. "I only pray that it is not in vain." The mood had been so light, this peaceful world so distant, it was as if all was right and peace prevailed, and two old friends were meeting for dinner. That was the goal. But how to achieve it?

"I will not lie to you Robert... Bob," he corrected awkwardly. "Apologies, I'm afraid I'm rather accustomed to the court of Alderaan." He continued. "I fear the coming war. The real war. While the Empire recovers, the rebellions grow in strength. You and I have served the Empire all our lives, we know what real war is. Millions will die, perhaps billions. And even when it is won, we will see another age of darkness. I left because these wars have nothing to do with the Empire. It is the Sith who wage these wars, who burn the galaxy at the expense of it's people. I have always done my best to do what is right, for the Empire, but I have done everything I can from within its confines. So long as the Dark Lords remain in power, like a cancer, they will continue to consume the Empire from within until it is but a husk, reflecting those who rule it. There will only be slave and master."

@Shax

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

Bob honestly held no animosity towards the man, at the moment, he was just another assignment. He was however, echoing Bob's own thoughts about the Sith and the Empire's future. He didn't particularly subscribe to the rule of the strong that was so prevalent within the Sith's moral dogma. In fact he found little use for the continued existence of the Sith order as a whole, as he found the idea of preaching hatred and fear to be generally repugnant. But, he couldn't do much about that at the moment.

Bob listened intently, absently waiving to the bartender to pour them both some more drinks. War was Bob's business. Or, it was his business to prevent them as an Imperial Agent. Problem was the war had already begun, so most of his job was just assassination or leading tens of troops. He was no stranger to this of course, as Isaac had pointed out he had spent his whole life fighting for the Empire, but it was getting tiresome.

"My friend, I'm going to be straight with you. When I was tasked to find you, it was with the assumption that this would end with you dead somewhere." Bob paused and sipped at his new drink, letting the tension build a bit. "However, I understand what you have done and why. Its nothing I don't agree with. I find the whole Sith order repugnant and generally reprehensible. But I'm not fighting for them, I'm fighting for the average Imperial citizen who will be most affected by this war. I don't want this meeting to end in conflict so I'm just going to say what I came here to offer. I want you to be my agent. I want you to let me know what kind of movements the Alliance are taking against the Sith, not necessarily because I want to stop it, but because I want to be able to make a decision on the matter."

@Cinderella

 

[Isaac of Inok]

Isaac inhaled deeply. For the briefest of moments, he doubted his resolve.

"Leaving the Empire is perhaps the hardest thing I have ever done. But it may be the only way to earn the trust of the Jedi. They are wary to accept me into their order, and with good reason. They fear I will betray them. I believe the Jedi may be the key to saving the Empire, if not a piece of the puzzle. If I break their trust, this avenue may be lost to us indefinitely. We are at a delicate turning point in history. The galaxy stands on the precipice of the darkest, bloodiest war in its history. One misstep, and we may lose our chance at preventing that horror."

Isaac took a long swig of champagne, like a man under great stress, letting some trickle into his beard. It was rather a break of character for someone who bowed and used formal titles.

"Apologies," he said, coughing and wiping his beard. "Here's what I propose. An alliance between the two of us. Our goals are the same. I will do what I can from within the order, and I will remain in contact with you, but I will not betray them. If the high command or the Sith get a hold of sensitive information, this whole thing will be over before it's started, and we will lose any chance with the Jedi. Keep on the look out for others who may share our sentiments. Be on the lookout also for Sith who may be swayed. If what I've heard of the new Emperor is true, then perhaps this plot may even gain his support."

What Isaac was suggesting was risky, deadly. If they were caught they would likely both be branded traitors, then tortured for information, and executed publicly as an example.

"Tell the Empire that your mission here was a sucess. We can avoid scrutiny for time. If things go south, I am prepared to give my Iife to save you, that these ideals do not die with the two of us."

@Shax