Finding The Edge [Open]

[Alienor Na'Varro]

Alienor had only recently started to visit the military training grounds, as she got clearance as a member of the Intelligence services. Dressed in black cargo pants and a red t-shirt, she had spent the last thirty minutes running, finding herself mostly alone at the tracks.

She remembered when she had left the Sith, knowing this wasn't the life for her. She had felt the need to atone for some of the gratuitous violence she had done back then. That was why - besides her love for children - she had volunteered at the Ravelin Central hospital as soon as she had moved there, and why she still did.

She was elated to have been hired by the Chopin Institute and become one of their most famous solists by now. Developing her musical career was important to her, as her art had literaly been a life saver to her.

She hadn't expected to want to serve the Empire. Yet, joining the imperial intelligence services had been another brilliant decision. Not only did she serve the faction that had allowed her to start her life anew, but she loved the job.

Thanks to Nate and to recent missions, she had realized that her inner darkness and violence, the beast inside of her, would always be there. Embracing it under the right circumstances and making best use of it had helped her find the right edge to dance on.

Musing over all of this, she came to a halt where she had left her bottle of water and other gear. After taking a sip of water, she began to do some stretching as cooling down from the long run she had just done.

[Forse Dirum]

Running had long been a relaxing activity for Forse Dirum. It gave him an opportunity to zone out and allow his mind to drift without risk of endangering himself. The nature of Forse's duties left him very little time to let his guard down.

Forse was dressed in his typical running attire, which consisted of camouflaged BDUs. He did this as a way to get his body used to having to move quickly with a load of gear on his back. Forse did his best to keep his body in as good of shape as he could, so that it wouldn't fail him when he needed it. His age was beginning to become a problem, but he was able to keep the aches and pains of getting older from effecting his combat ability. For now, anyway.

Forse slowed up, having been running for a while. He hadn't noticed anyone around him as he ran due to letting his mind wander, and noticed a woman whom he hadn't met. She was on the Military Base, which meant she had the clearance necessary to move relatively freely on base. Forse couldn't place her face. He assumed he had never met her before.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before. Are you you new?" Forse says, lacking social grace.

Forse was curious, and didn't see the need to think up an excuse to interact with her. As awkward as it could be, Forse was typically very blunt with people he hadn't met. He also liked to know every person on base who could carry a weapon. It was a little quirk of his.

[Alienor Na'Varro]

She knew someone was staring and she looked up as she stood upright again. She saw the man coming closer, and wasn't surprised when asked - albeit bluntly - whether she was new. It didn't bother her so much. She had seen blunter people back when living on Munto Codru, including some more willing to swing a weapon at you than even say hello.

"New here, yes. I recently got my clearance. New to imperial service? No." It had been more than a year since she had moved to Bastion and about one since she had officially joined the Intelligence service.

She extended her hand. "I'm Alienor Na'Varro. And we didn't meet before, as I can't recall your face or name either."

[Forse Dirum]

"Nice to meet you. I'm Forse Dirum." He says, reaching out and shaking her hand.

Now that he knew who she was and that she had clearance to be on the training grounds, he relaxed. There was no point antagonizing people over silly things. This was an ally, and he would treat her with the same respect he would someone under his own command.

"Sorry about the introduction. I've been out a lot. I haven't had much time to stay on base, so I miss a lot of faces." He says, taking a sip from his water canteen which he had laid near a bench that was sitting off the side of the track.

"I don't blame you using military facilities. We have a few more resources than the local athletic association." He continues with a small smile.

[Alienor Na'Varro]

"Well met." Alienor replied with a slight bow of her head, her good manners never so far, except when they had no place to be. She noticed how his stance subtly relaxed now she had introduced herself. She could understand that, and she appreciated how secure imperial territory felt compared to where she had lived before.

"I am always glad to get acquainted to fellow imperials, so no apology is needed. I have only been in active service for a year, though I was already working as a musician before. And with all our duties, regardless of our branch, it is easy to miss a lot of faces. There is only so much time in a day."

She chuckled at what he said about the military facilities. "They definitely have much more to offer. It is also more practical for me to come here now, because it's closer to the central hospital, where I volunteer a few times a week."

[Forse Dirum]

Forse nodded as she spoke. She seemed to be the model Imperial citizen. He was especially impressed that she volunteered.

"A musician and a volunteer? That's impressive. What do you play?" Forse asks.

Forse had never had an ear for music. He preferred orchestral pieces to more popular music. A lot of dance music in the galaxy sounded similar to what happens when you shoot a droid with an ion blaster. If someone told him that was accurate, Forse wouldn't be surprised.

[Alienor Na'Varro]

Alienor smiled warmly when Forse seemed surprised by her activities. "The Empire allowed me to have the life I'd dreamed of, so volunteering is a way to give back." She was sincerely humble about it, having done things she wasn't proud of in her past.

"I play classical and traditional." She explained about her music. "My favorite instruments are the piano, the violin and the harp." She chuckled, shaking her head. "Contemporary or popular music or whatever you call this, isn't part of my repertoire, though people seem to be surprised given my age."

[Forse Dirum]

Forse smiled. It was funny to him that the Rebellion wished to make the Empire out to be completely oppressive an evil, when citizens like Alienor were able to pursue the life that they wanted. They wouldn't even have to worry about their rights being infringed upon by economic interests or power hungry politicians. The Empress was not out to put her boot on the neck of her citizens. Only her enemies.

"You obviously have good taste, then." Forse says with a grin. "Music like they have in the Rebel territories is indicative of their focus. They focus on themselves and what they can do for their own interests. Not the interest of their neighbor. I saw that first hand from the Organas on Alderaan. They'd have big soirees that allowed them to flaunt their wealth, while the working class lived paycheck to paycheck working in a mine. There's not a lot of people left that know the truth of Alderaan. It's been held up as a Republican ideal for the rebels to latch on to." Forse says.

Forse pauses.

"My apologies. I tend to get passionate on socio-economic matters. What branch are you with, if you don't mind me asking?" Forse says, sitting down on the nearby bench.

[Alienor Na'Varro]

Alienor loved the imperial life. Sure thing, the citizens were expected to be up to the highest standards, regardless of their place in the social landscape, but she had seen many have a good life and the system seemed to be working well. She had no illusion that some bad seeds had to be removed, but it was also why she had willingly accepted to serve in the Intelligence services. If she could help protect the people she was now part of, she gladly did her part.

What Forse said about Alderaan and the nobility didn't surprise her. "I saw first hand what diseased higher circles can do in certain territories. Being told right away that I need to give my best, be loyal and that I can - and actually get - rewarded for my deeds is something I much prefer, as things are in the Empire." She took another sip of water. "I learned young that fancy titles and fake ideals don't make for a happy or true life."

She chuckled and grabbed a snack, munching on some berries. "No apology needed. As you can see, I can get passionate on such matters as well. You may ask and all I can say is that it is classified." She replied with a smile. It made it easy to guess she was with intelligence, but she always offered the official answer. "What about you?"

[Forse Dirum]

"Intel, huh? I'm in the Army, myself." Forse says. "We may end up working together at some point." Forse says.

Forse had often thought about changing career trajectory and joining Imperial Intelligence, but he knew that once that happened, his days as a soldier were done. Sure, he'd be able to pick up a blaster and fight, but he wouldn't have the same operational freedom he has now. Also, he wouldn't be able to fight in open war, which was something he enjoyed doing, as sick as that sounds. He had been fighting for so long, it'd be crazy to do anything else, even if the side effects of his constant exposure to battle were taking their toll.

"i did a tour with the Strategic Insertion Battalion after I was on for a few years as a Stormtrooper. We'd coordinate with and gather HUMINT for what was then the Inquisitoriate. Do they still make you wear the shimmery black robes?" Forse asks with a grin, poking a little bit of fun at her.

[Alienor Na'Varro]

"We may indeed. I've remarked that collaboration across branches seems to be not so uncommon." Alienor observed with a smile. She wasn't surprised when he said he was with the military. She had understood as much but had been unsure whether he was Army or Navy.

"I think the only shimmery black outfits I've worn are some of my concert gowns." She chuckled, knowing that her work as a musician had often been a clever cover to have her be eyes and ears in certain places.

"I have been doing a lot of combat training for the past while. Finally found my shooting weapon of predilection. I'm originally trained in unarmed and close range combat. You might probably see me around the training grounds, including the shooting range, in the near future."

[Forse Dirum]

"Let me know if you need a shooting buddy." Forse says. "And you just may find me at one of your concerts. I don't usually spend my paycheck on anything but supporting my tabac habit or buying replacement parts for my custom slugthrower. I'd be happy to see you again." Forse says.

Forse chose not to comment on the awkwardness of his last sentence. He hadn't meant it to come out like it had. Forse had a way of bumbling about when he was talking with someone outside the military. Forse didn't often take time off unless the Empress commanded him to. Usually after he pulled several shifts of guard duty in the same week after his own shift ended. He always felt on edge if he was off base. He always expected something bad to happen.

[Alienor Na'Varro]

"I might indeed! With my boyfriend often deployed off world, I have extra time besides my busy schedule to log in more practice time. And we are with lighter houses at the Chopin Institute because some of the musicians are off world for some performances." Alienor had been invited to join but she had declined, saving her opportunities to go off world when she needed to use her music as a cover up for actual intelligence missions.

"The Institute does some special prices for people in active duty for the Empire. Feel free to say I mentioned it to you if you contact them to purchase a ticket. The institute also gives back some of its earnings to some of the local schools." The volunteer in her couldn't help show in her discourse. She had been delighted when finding about this after having been hired.

[Forse Dirum]

"Then that's not much incentive to get a discount, if it's helping out the schools. Room and board at the barracks are free, and I haven't had debt in years. All it takes to get that sort of lifestyle is to get shot at a lot over several decades." Forse says with a smile.

Forse pauses. He looks down at his time piece, which showed a flashing display.

"Shift change. I get to go stand on a wall and smoke until the shift changes again. Although there was almost an attack at the barracks the other day. The Empress' daughter took them out. I was smoking and not doing my job, as usual." Forse says, grinning.

"Take care of yourself, Alienor." Forse says, holding out his hand.

[Alienor Na'Varro]

"Then I look forward to see you at one of our performances." Alienor replied with a smile. She had been so glad when hearing how the Institute supported some worthy causes. It had confirmed how this place was the one for her to live her art.

When it was time for Forse to go, she nodded. She was glad to hear that the Empress's daughter was back to active duty. She didn't know her personally but she was aware of the lengthy time she had spent in recovery in the past few months, due to some friends. And the whole ordeal had been semi public anyway.

She accepted the handshake. "Thank you and take care as well Forse." Once he was on his way, she returned to her running, enjoying the tracks the military grounds had.