Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249 
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on May 8, 2019 20:39:00 GMT -8
Within the farmhouse, the far perimeter sensor alarms picked up the movement of a ship and started blaring. Seconds later, the alarms were silenced by the lethan Twi'lek. She studied the sensor readings for a moment, then pulled out her commlink and ordered the four commandos to cease their patrols and return to the farmhouse. The Twi'lek then returned her attention to the various holo-screens around her. There was still a lot of information that required her attention to sift through...
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Post by The Elusive Man on May 28, 2019 20:08:21 GMT -8
Operative Strahovski's wrist mounted holo-gauntlet pinged, indicating they had tripped some kind of sensors. Waving her right hand over the gauntlet, an orange hued holographic display appeared over her hand and forearm. Typing in several quick commands, she spoke to the pilot.
"Here. Grid Two-Two-Seven-Five. Sensor grid detected. Be on your guard."
As a result, the shuttle dipped lower, skimming the tops of the crops growing in the fields, as the shuttle arced around and sped off towards the direction indicated by Miranda. Minutes later, the shuttle arrived at a farmhouse. Approaching from the east, low and fast, the shuttle suddenly banked left and glided to a hovering stop a dozen meters away from the farmhouse. As the side hatch opened, Miranda, flanked by several armored soldiers, dropped down. Motioning for her troopers to secure the area, Miranda drew her side arm and made her way to the main door...
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Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on May 29, 2019 18:40:24 GMT -8
As the strange woman and her armoured escort approached the farmhouse, a voice called out to them from seemingly nowhere.
:: That's far enough. ::
Covering all sides of the small entourage, four beings suddenly decloaked, their F-11D blaster rifles raised and positioned to potentially open fire. Wearing what appeared to be Katarn-class commando armour, each trooper had a unique paint style and colour. The lead trooper standing between the group and the farmhouse, the one who had apparently spoken, had orange lines and markings over his armour. The trooper behind the group was painted with similar lines and markings, though in green. The trooper to the left of the group was splashed with red, patterned like a blood splatter across his armour. The last trooper to the right of the group had the least amount of paint on his armour, mostly just yellow highlights. These four made up Alpha Squad, the finest commando unit of the Intergalactic Confederation of Planets, or at least they had been, before ICOP had been reduced to a single fleet. Regardless of that fact, their skills and training remained. The lead trooper spoke again.
:: You're intruding on private property. Identify yourselves and state your business. ::
Inside the farmhouse, the lethan Twi'lek was watching the scene from hidden cameras around the outside of the farmhouse, ready to activate her hidden defenses if necessary. She held off though, as she studied the displays. Now that she could actually see the ship that had set off the perimeter sensors, she realized that she recognized the design. So, they had finally tracked her down again. How interesting...
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Post by The Elusive Man on May 31, 2019 16:53:53 GMT -8
Freezing in her tracks as the commandos materialized, seemingly out of thin air, a smirk pulled at the corners of her mouth. She had expected nothing less from a former Organization operative, though actually locating Tanara was easier than she had hoped. Analyzing the situation, Operative Strahovski straightened her posture and slid her side arm into its holster on her right hip. Holding her hands up in surrender, even though this hardly qualified as such, Strahovski replied to the orange marked commando.
"Who I am is of little concern. Who I represent...that is a much more pressing matter. A former employer seeks Ms. Tanara Ajahn for a debrief. I did not come here searching for a fight, however, I have a task to complete and I intend to see it through. My employer do not tolerate failure very well..."
Out of the eight soldiers that had accompanied her, only two were present with her right now. Two had crept off to the left after they had landed, to secure the area, while two had crept off to the right. And two more, remained at the shuttle that was hovering above the ground a few dozen meters behind where Miranda now stood. While her soldiers were most certainly outclassed by these Katarn-Class Commandos, she was not. Faster than the average human, or clone, for that matter, she was smarter, more beautiful and would likely outlive the average human by at least twice their natural lifespan. If things when sideways in a hurry, her soldiers would keep the commandos busy long enough for her to take out the green armored commando and make it two the shuttle. But, she had been instructed to bring Tanara back to The Illusionist unharmed. So she was hoping to avoid an incident here.
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Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on Jun 7, 2019 11:42:00 GMT -8
The commando shook his head, keeping his blaster leveled at the unknown woman.
:: Your employer is going to be sadly disappointed. It's our mission to protect Lady Ajahn from threats, especially from those of former employers. ::
He put a strong emphasis on the word 'former' to help make his point.
:: I'm going to have to ask you to withdraw your men and leave. Lady Ajahn generally frowns upon blood being spilt on her front lawn, but we're authorized to use deadly force if necessary. ::
A few seconds after he finished speaking, the front door of the farmhouse slid open with a faint hiss. Focused as he was on the trespassers, the commando still heard it. It may have not have been spoken, but the implicit order was clear enough.
:: Well well, I guess today is your lucky day. Lady Ajahn wishes to speak to you after-all. Recall your men and have them wait here. You will leave your weapons here, and come inside. Any funny business and we won't hesitate to shoot. ::
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Post by The Elusive Man on Jun 7, 2019 19:04:25 GMT -8
With a slight smirk, Miranda plucked her sidearm out of its holster on her hip and tossed it to the ground with indifference. Swiping across the gauntlet on her left arm, she typed in several commands. Four soldiers came around the farmhouse, weapons raised above their heads in a show of cooperation. Motioning to the door, Miranda posed a question to the lead commando.
"Shall we? It's rude to keep people waiting..."
While she was mildly annoyed with the commandos interrupting a simple op, either Tanara was incredibly paranoid, or she was incredibly clever and kept all of her options open. Either way, it was impressive, for a former Organization operative.
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Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on Jun 7, 2019 21:47:54 GMT -8
The other three commandos ushered the remaining troopers into the center of their formation with the others, as the lead commando lowered his blaster to a ready position across his chest. He motioned for the woman to start moving as he began to walk back towards the farmhouse.
:: Stay where I can see you, and don't touch anything. Let's go. ::
The interior of the farmhouse appeared to be nothing more than a regular Dantooine home. A small kitchen and eating area, a few bedrooms, a small tool room, and a decently sized sitting area, with several holo-book shelves on the walls. The commando guided the woman into the sitting area, and motioned for her to wait as he walked up to one of the bookshelves and raised his hand to pull one of the holo-books a quarter of the way off the shelf. There was a faint click of a lock disengaging, followed by the hiss of a small floor panel near the woman's feet sliding open to reveal a staircase leading to a lower level. The commando motioned again for the unknown woman to start moving, and guided her down. This lower level, in direct contrast to the main floor, appeared to be a massive tech R&D lab and vehicle garage on one side, with a ramp leading up to a large hidden door behind the farmhouse, and an intelligence listening post on the other, where the Lethan Twi'lek could be spotted, surrounded by a dozen hard light holo-screens being projected from above her head. The commando lead the unknown woman to within five feet of the Twi'lek.
:: My lady, this is the woman that claims to represent a former employer of yours.::
The Twi'lek was facing away from the two, her attention focused on one of the floating screens around her. She gave a vague wave in their direction.
"Thanks Boss, you can head back upstairs and rejoin the other Alphas."
The commando gave a wordless salute, then turned his head to briefly look at the woman he accompanied down, before following his orders and left the two women alone. The Twi'lek waited until he had returned to the stairs before speaking again, her attention still focused on the screens around her.
"I was beginning to wonder when you guys would track me down again."
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Post by The Elusive Man on Jun 8, 2019 15:13:12 GMT -8
The farmhouse was nothing special. At least, until the commando revealed the concealed staircase that led down into a massive underground R&D lab, not dissimilar to the one on the Nexus. Walking silently, Miranda's eyes wandered, taking in every egress and potential hiding spot or escape route. Her face, however, remained pointed forward. Pausing as the commando introduced her in a less than spectacular fashion, Miranda watched the Twi'lek while the commando regarded her for a moment, then left. A small, cocky smirk tugged at the corners of Miranda's lips. Clearly Tanara was as good as The Illusionist claimed she was. Which was a good sign. As Tanara finished her statement, Miranda replied confidently.
"When one rebuilds from the ashes, picking up all the pieces takes time...and sometimes not all the pieces are present..."
Trailing off, Miranda was alluding to the three dead former Organization operatives that had worked alongside the Mysterious Man and his original crew. Tanara may or may not have been aware of what happened to all of them. It all depended on whether or not she deemed keeping tabs on her former associates important. At this point, Miranda had one job and she was going to see it through.
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Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on Jun 10, 2019 19:24:26 GMT -8
Yes, the Twi'lek was intimately familiar with the difficulty of rebuilding with missing people and resources. She was still trying to locate her friends, though was having little success. Even so, she was certain she would eventually track them all down. But of course, that wasn't what was being discussed here. Ever since the attack on the Nexus, she had lost touch with everyone associated with the Perses Project. She had long since assumed the Organization had collapsed as a result. Evidently, that wasn't the case.
"True, but the Organization seems to be doing well despite that. I see you guys finally pushed the Kodiak shuttle into production as well. Tell me, did they ever implement my recommendations about automatically rotating the power-cells to lessen the overall consumption costs?"
She never officially had the clearance required to know about the secret ship designs in development, but that was only a minor inconvenience for her. She had sliced into multiple databases and gained all kinds of top secret information when she still worked for them. Despite that, she usually only ever got a slap on the wrist for the trouble. Eventually, the Mysterious Man had simply granted her the clearance necessary, if only to try to get her to stop slicing into forbidden databanks. It didn't of course, just less frequently.
"And you also may as well tell me who you are."
She swiped something on the active screen she was working on, and suddenly the dozen other floating holo-screens displayed all the dossiers the Organization had collected prior to the Nexus attack. The Twi'lek half turned towards the woman and gestured vaguely to the screens.
"I don't recognize you from any of these, so I assume you're either a new hire, or your dossier was never officially added to the rest."
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Post by The Elusive Man on Jun 11, 2019 16:28:56 GMT -8
Listening to the lithe-framed Twi'lek speak and ask her questions, Miranda couldn't help but be impressed. For someone so hard to find and so far off the grid, she was certainly well informed. Though, she was a hacker. And information was currency to a hacker, Miranda reminded herself. Raising her left arm and running her fingers across the orange holographic keypad, she swiped a file across to Tanara's screens, beside the dossiers she was currently displaying. The file contained all the specification on the Kodiak-Class Troop Transport and Kodiak-Class Assault Transport, the two variants of the shuttle that were now in circulation within the Organization's fleet. Tanara would find, within the schematics, technical readouts and specifications, that they were indeed utilizing her recommendations. Lowering her arm, Miranda then answered Tanara's question.
"Well, you have the new part right. Operative Miranda Strahovski, at your service. I've been under the employ of the Organization since The Illusionist took the reigns from his mentor. And you may want to update your files...Kaldera, Rikard and Asikari have been terminated. Permanently."
Trying to be as professional, yet informal as possible was fairly easy with Tanara. She didn't seem to be to big into pomp and protocol anyways, which was unsurprising, given her nature as a slicer.
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Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on Jun 22, 2019 6:40:16 GMT -8
Terminated. Permanently. Two words with huge ramifications when used in that order. She had no love for the Sith Kaldera, and she had never met Asikari...but the news of Rikard’s death saddened her. He and his team had always made her feel welcome and valued. She let herself grieve for a moment as she updated her files, then turned her attention to the two files that Operatice Strahovski shared. They were indeed using her recommendations.
“Ah, I see! You solved the complement issue by splitting into two variants. That was Rikard’s suggestion as I recall. Such a straight forward and practical man.”
With a sigh, the Twi’lek waved her hand, and the holoscreens vanished. She then turned and finally faced her guest, a resigned expression on her face.
“Okay, Agent Strahovski, let’s get this over with. If you wanted me dead, you would’ve done so by now. So, you’re hoping to bring me back into the fold, or you want my copy of the Nexus datafiles I saved during the attack. Or, I suppose, both.”
She paused, folding her arms across her chest. She was intrigued to see just what Miranda had planned to try to persuade her.
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Post by The Elusive Man on Jun 22, 2019 12:13:06 GMT -8
A smirk crossed the woman's lips as Tanara pieced it all together rather quickly. She certainly was quick. Placing her hands on her hips, Miranda looked over to the Twi'lek as the holo-screens vanished.
"If the Organization wanted you dead, we never would have allowed ourselves to be in a position to get captured. No, your death would be counterintuitive to what The Illusionist has planned..."
Raising her left arm, once again, here right hand danced across the holographic interface, displaying the plethora of new ships, project and operational codenames and potential operatives. All coded or redacted to a degree, to prevent too much knowledge from being apprehended, should something ever happen to Miranda out in the field.
"Since The Illusionist reclaimed The Organization's assets from his predecessor and started rebuilding, we have been attempting to track down and locate any former operatives that still be interested in working for us. Since then, I tracked down three deceased operatives and you. The Mysterious Man trained you all well. You were difficult to find....I would formally like to offer you a position within The Organization once more, if you want it. Full compensation, unrestricted access to our datafiles and resources, and the ability to partake in the numerous operations that are underway or in the works."
A fresh new dossier of the Twi'lek appear, thought it was heavily redacted. All that was required from Tanara was a fingerprint, and she'd be in the fold of the Organization.
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Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on Jun 26, 2019 12:05:11 GMT -8
Well that was certainly an intriguing offer. She wondered how many people would have simply accepted without question. It really was too good to be true, and absolutely not without major concessions and requirements.
“That’s quite an impressive invitation. I hope you won’t be offended if I don’t accept your offer at face value. Why don’t you tell me what you want in return for all of that generosity.”
Out of curiosity, she opened herself up to the Force again, and stretched out to gently brush the mind of the human woman. She had a feeling the agent would be trained against such invasions though. Even so, she only searched the surface level thoughts and emotions, not wishing to probe deep enough to be detectable.
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Post by The Elusive Man on Jul 6, 2019 14:31:13 GMT -8
A smirk tugged at the corners of Miranda's mouth as she inclined her head at the Twi'lek's request. Clearing her throat, she spoke to Tanara.
"Someone with your intellect, I wouldn't expect you to take such an offer at face. However, you really should consider it. All the Illusionist requires in return for his generosity is your loyalty and service to The Organization once more. You've been apart of this once before. You know exactly what to expect, with the added bonus of being more included in what the Organization does."
Due to the fact that Miranda was genetically augmented to be perfect in nearly every sense of the word, the subtle mental probe emanating from the Twi'lek would go unnoticed. Miranda's surface thoughts were of loyalty to The Illusionist, dedication to The Organization and various other parts of her training. From an emotional side, she was calm, cool and collected. Nothing out of the ordinary, as she had been given a task and she would complete it to the best of her ability and accept what what, regardless of the outcome.
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Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on Oct 1, 2019 15:35:20 GMT -8
As expected, her probe yielded nothing particularly useful. The woman had definitely been trained exceptionally well to hide her true thoughts and emotions. Satisfied, she withdrew from the other woman's mind and once again suppressed her connection to the Force. Unfortunately, it was then that she suddenly felt light-headed. She knew what was about to happen.
"Oh, for Force sak-"
As she reached for the emergency comm button on her wrist, instead of the loss of consciousness that she expected, a sudden sharp stab of pain shot through her mind. With a cry, she dropped to one knee, clutching at her head, convulsing slightly with each painful pang. From the other side of the room, a faint whirling could be heard, followed shortly by the sight of a tiny spider droid, no bigger than a holocron box, moving quickly across the floor towards it's master. The pain in the Twi'lek's mind was subsiding as the droid closed the distance, coming to a stop beside her. The droid came to an abrupt stop as Tanara waved a hand in it's direction. Her voice was a little strained as she spoke.
"I'm alright, Snitch. You can get back to work."
The droid sat motionless for a moment as it processed the order, then turned and made it's way back to the other side of the room where it had been working. The Twi'lek, still holding her head with one hand, carefully returned to her feet and looked over at the other woman with a slightly pained humorous expression on her face.
"Well, that was unusual. Normally I black-out and suffer a seizure. At least it didn't last long."
With a slow, light shake of her head, she lowered her hand back to rest on her hip, then turned her attention to the heavily redacted dossier that the other woman had transferred. She seemed to study it for a moment, then flickered her eyes over to the woman.
"You're right, I do know what to expect from the Organization, from when the Mysterious Man ran things. New leadership always brings change, and that's not always a good thing. I suppose a conversation with the Illusionist himself wouldn't go amiss in that respect. But, now we come to the real question. And please, be honest."
She made a swirling motion with her free hand, re-activating all the holoscreens that had been floating around her. Once more, the heavily encrypted information that she had taken from the Nexus was visible. The Twi'lek turned to face the woman proper, her eyes narrowing with focus, and her voice dripping with the hint of a veiled threat.
"What will you do, if I say...no?"
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Post by The Elusive Man on Oct 18, 2019 16:07:17 GMT -8
Miranda watched the odd behaviour, but thought nothing of it. The dossier on Tanara did mention some mild medical issues, though she seemed to have them in hand well enough that it wouldn't hinder her abilities. As the holoscreens reactivated and formerly classified data from the original Nexus appeared on the screens, Miranda caught the hint of a veiled threat. Normally, Miranda would resort to asset denial, though this wasn't a normal situation. Tanara was a former Organization member, one that had managed to survive after its collapse. While her skills would be a considerable asset to the Organization, she was currently under strict orders to recruit, not eliminate. While she saw Tanara as a potential security leak and wouldn't hesitate to eliminate such a leak, The Illusionist held a different stance on the matter. Tanara would remain alive and well and under Organization surveillance should she refuse the employment offer. She could go back to whatever it was she had been doing before Miranda interrupted. Crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight on her left leg slightly, she replied.
"Honestly? I would eliminate you. However, it isn't my call to make. The Illusionist trusts that if you decline, you wouldn't become a problem for future Organization operations. Aside from keeping an eye on you, I would depart and you could return to whatever it was you were previously engaged with..."
Blunt, but honest, Miranda made no effort in glossing over how she would have executed this operation, were she in charge. Though she also demonstrated that she would follow her orders, regardless of personal opinions. She had been given an objective to complete within specific parameters. She wasn't about to disrespect The Illusionist's orders due to her own personal reasons.
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Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on Oct 20, 2019 20:33:02 GMT -8
The Twi'lek maintained her stare for a few seconds after the other woman finished speaking, then softened her gaze. A smile crossed her face as she tapped a key on one of the holoscreens, causing all the screens to disappear once more, except for the one showing the new, heavily redacted dossier the other woman had given her. She turned to study the dossier as she spoke.
"I appreciate your honesty Operative Strahovski. I have no doubt your skills are quite impressive, and the troopers you brought are certainly formidable. As tempting as it would be to see you in action, my curiosity is insufficient to warrant such a confrontation."
She pressed her finger near the bottom of the dossier, allowing her fingerprint to be scanned into the file, then flicked the screen back towards the woman, wirelessly transferring the dossier back to the woman.
"There you go, mission complete. Congratulations Operative Strahovski."
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Post by The Elusive Man on Oct 27, 2019 17:19:14 GMT -8
As the file was transferred back to Miranda, she smirked.
"Given that you've decided to rejoin us, I imagine you'll get to see me in action soon enough. But, someone wants to speak with you..."
Miranda trailed off and swiped across the holo-pad on her wrist. A life-sized hologram of The Illusionist appeared. Sharply dressed in finely polished black shoes, neatly pressed black slacks, a white button down collared shirt and a suit jacket that was currently undone, he was holding a lit cigarette in his left hand. His suave voice filled the room they were currently occupying.
Ms. Ajahn. Welcome back to The Organization. I assumed that speaking with me should you accept our offer of employment, would help allay any doubt you may harbor. If you have any questions or need some clarification, please feel free to speak your mind.
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Tanara Ajahn
The Organization
Posts: 249
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Tanara Ajahn on Oct 28, 2019 17:51:20 GMT -8
The lethan Twi'lek folded her arms across her chest as the image of a familiar looking human appeared before her. She hadn't expected a conversation with him so soon, but even so, she took it in stride.
"How amusing, you're using the same image as the Mysterious Man. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised at that, with the moniker of The Illusionist, though I wonder how anyone would be able to tell you and the Mysterious Man apart. Unless that was the intent, I guess. In any case, I suppose I should thank you for instructing Operative Strahovski to pursue the peaceful route. As I'm sure my commando bodyguards mentioned to her, I dislike blood being shed on my front lawn."
She turned her head slightly to give the other woman a small smile, then returned her attention to the hologram in front of her.
"If you had simply wanted your files back, you could've attempted to purchase them. You, of all people, would know that information is money to a slicer like me. But you didn't. If you merely wanted my assistance with a single job, you could've hired me through anonymous channels, or simply hired someone else with skills such as mine. There is certainly no shortage of slicers in the galaxy. But you didn't. Instead, you took the risk of sending a messenger, knowing full well she could've been killed without ever meeting me, to attempt to recruit me once more into your ranks."
She unfolded her arms, waving one idly in front of her while moving the other arm to rest on her hip.
"After the attack on the Nexus, and the dissolvement of the Organization, you most certainly lost the vast majority of your resources. Since then, I highly doubt you've recovered enough to have replenished your ranks sufficiently to match or exceed your predecessor. Sending an operative like Strahovski was no small matter, which tells me that for as highly as you no doubt value her, you thought re-acquiring my services was worth the risk. I'll admit I'm narcissistic enough to accept that compliment."
She let the arm she had waved come to rest by her side as she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"You didn't go to all this trouble to bring me back just for the sake of having me on the payroll again. You're planning something. Something big."
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Post by The Elusive Man on Nov 8, 2019 14:12:30 GMT -8
Waving his free hand dismissively, The Illusionist replied to the Twi'lek before him.
Thanks are not necessary, Ms. Ajahn. You were a valuable part of my predecessor's operations. And I am not in the habit of removing assets that are useful to our cause.
Taking a drag from his cigarette, he exhaled slowly.
To be clear, the Organization never truly dissolved. As part of the contingency plan my predecessor had in place, all operations and activities ceased and everyone went to ground until such time that either myself or my mentor were able to assess the situation and resume our operations. I will admit that things remained dormant a lot longer than I'd have preferred, but given our current progress, we have been successful with everything we've undertaken thus far. And, as Operative Strahovski has no doubt shown you, we have managed to get a fair amount accomplished in a short amount of time. Including several redesigns and reassessments of facility security and product viability.
Taking another drag from his cigarette, The Illusionist exhaled slowly and eyed up the Twi'lek thoughtfully.
If you have learned anything about my predecessor, I, like him, am always planning something. With an intelligence network that has become vastly superior to its previous iteration, the Organization is now one of the largest privately funded corporations within the galaxy. Information is a commodity. And we exchange, trade and sell to the highest bidder. You, I am sure, know the ins and outs of information dealing quite well. And with the right information comes prestige, influence and even support. Since its revival, the Organization has seen a 200% increase in recruitment as well as a 250% increase in productivity. Supplying the galaxy with everything from information down to luxury starships, we've managed to build a significant name for ourselves.
Taking a final drag from his cigarette and snuffing it out in the ashtray off-screen, The Illusionist spoke once more.
As much as I would enjoy explaining in detail, my reasons for hiring you back, doing so over holo is impractical. If I have managed to ease your concerns somewhat, perhaps you would be willing to accompany Operative Strahovski back to the Nexus? We can speak more there. And I can debrief you. Personally.
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