Next Test [Nadgkema]

[Shyahwyn]

Mulling over data files in the private office below the palace, Shyahwyn had been asked to step in and offer a final test for one of their templar. Though she had seen and done much in the Penumbra's service, figuring out a way to test one of their own hadn't been in the repertoire yet. However, she found something that was interesting enough that would serve not only assuring that Nadgkema had learned everything she had been asked to at this level, but affect the galaxy in a way favorable to the Covenant as well.

Information flowed before her from several holoprojectors inset on the desk topped in an obsidian-like stone, highly polished and reflecting the individuals and places affiliated with this issue. Emerald eyes took in everything she could to help the fellow dark jedi prepare herself for this mission, as Killian had done for her some time ago. Though not for her present rank, but other things that had needed to be done.

Flanked by shelves full of slender, glowing data cubes, the glow from the variety of files collected over the past few months gave more light to the study than it's own faint candelabras. Soon, the arbiter felt the presence of the templar approach the door and Shyahwyn reached out mentally to the noble.

~ Come in, Nadgkema. ~

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

When Nadgkema felt the mental summon coming from Shyawyn, she was taking a stroll in the gardens outside of the palace. The brunette was curious and replied. "On my way, my lady." She headed back to the large building that housed the court of Ruusan and also the order of the Penumbra.

Finding her way through the hallways she had now known by heart for a few years, she eventually reached the office where the Arbiter who had mentored her and become close to her, was working.

Knocking on the door out of respectful habit, even though her presence had been sensed. When allowed inside, she did as such. She offered a curtsey to Shyawyn. "You summoned me my lady."

[Shyahwyn]

Shyahwyn smiled as the noble entered, enjoying her time with one of the many that had been helping the witch become acclimated to this life, even after all this time. "Good to see you," the arbiter greeted warmly as she straightened and lowered the holofiles floating above the desk. "I know you've done a great job in mentoring a lot of the other younger members, but today's about you," she began and motioned to an empty, plush leather chair. "I've been asked to give you a final mission before your consideration for promotion and I've been poring over some files for the past few hours," emerald eyes motioned to the hovering pages.

Mentally being in touch with the computer within the desk, the data and images of those she spoke on were revealed in turn. "Cotellier is a world in the Outer Rim that's become rich over the past few centuries for it's mining and refinement of nova crystals. One particular family has owned those companies through various means, but it seems lately their nonpartisan views have become a bit biased." The galactic map then shifted to a picture of the present CEO and known credit baron of the dusty world, his handsome features and greying, dark hair a signature look for someone so wealthy.

"Miles Vanderpelt inherited the business from his father and his wife, Catherine's a Bakuran noble from one of the higher ranking families there. With the war going on between the Galactic Empire and New Republic, we've been getting some reports that Miles' dealings on the money market hasn't been fair to the galaxy as a whole. We're also not sure, but it seems that they've been planning to crash several large markets to help the Imperial cause." She glanced to the numbers and figures affiliated with the host of stock markets that were in jeopardy. "Controlling the credit's power is even more dangerous than a fleet of star destroyers."

Silence reigned in the study for a long moment as the arbiter leaned in, creaking from the dark brown, leather chair echoing as she got down to the mission. "The Penumbra has to keep a balance in the galaxy, so I'm sure you can see where this is all going. Find out who's involved in this scam and if it indeed does go all the way to the top, then see that Miles and his wife and everyone else helping them are replaced, then go dark and return with your report. Any questions?"

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

"Likewise. I'm glad to see you doing well." Nadgkema replied with a fond smile to her fellow Dark Jedi. She liked the other brunette and was always glad to spend time with her, whether for training or leisure. She bowed her head to the comments about her mentoring younger members. "Against all odds, teaching has become more natural. I am soon going to take a few to Dxun for some survival training. This will prove a good challenge to them."

"A final mission?" She asked with a curious spark in her gem like eyes. She was always willing to help the Penumbra and keep busy. Of course, she had recently discovered that taking time to herself didn't hurt either. It had been a true epiphany after all the time she had allowed herself no personal life, as she had been clinging to a ghost.

She listened to what Shyawyn explained the situation. Her eyes darted to the information on the holo screens. "I have all latitude to do what is necessary then?" She inquired, ready to take people out if need be, before vanishing. She could blend in as much as she could shine under the spotlight.

[Shyahwyn]

Keeping her demeanor neutral, Shyahwyn tried her best to mimic how Killian would offer such a mission and the parameters. "Whatever it takes, just don't get caught. You've been a part of the Penumbra even longer than I have, so you know what's at stake. May the Force support you in every part of this mission." Shyahwyn straightened once again and extracted the small data disc that had been inserted into the desk with all the particulars of the case. Rising, she moved around the desk and handed Nadgkema the slender object. "Everything's here to study on your way. See you when you get back," Shyahwyn offered a smile knowing the dancer had more moves than even she did.

Once their goodbyes were said, Shyahwyn then moved back around the desk and closed all the files affiliated with the case, then shut down the computer and left the private study.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

"Blending in and staying in the shadows can be exceptionally rewarding." Nadgkema observed curtly. "Thank you for your well wishes. I will see you upon my return." She took the data disc, knowing she would be preparing for this journey right away. Without further ado, she took her leave, as there was much to be accomplished.

***

The brunette spent the next day ensuring that her ship would be prepared for her travels. The transponder was changed, as she would go there completely incognito. There were several reasons why she wished to remain anonymous. Her history with a former Imperial Admiral, supposedly - probably - dead, had her with imperial eyes upon her. She had had nothing to hide anymore, and traveled to imperial worlds on occasions. And with this business being for the Penumbra, she didn't want people to link her to Ruusan either.

She also packed her belongings, gear and weapons for the mission and went through all the documentation that Shyawyn had gathered and communicated to her. It was a lot of reading but the Templar preferred having as much data as possible for this sensitive matter.

***

The space travel to Cotellier took a couple of days, during which Nadgkema had further time to get prepared. The details she had gave her solid direction already. And this mostly desertic world made things easier, because the few pockets of civilization were easy to find. And the family and company she had to investigate. The thing was that while she understood why the Penumbra did what they could to maintain balance in the galaxy, the fact that the wife was a Bakuran noble, the same home world as the Empress, made things easy to understand, in why the company supported imperial interests.

Nadgkema didn't care for the Republic, though she didn't have the greatest love for the Empire. Yet, she knew that her personal feelings weren't at the core of what she was to do. In her mind, finding new places for the company to invest might be their best bet. She was beginning to have certain ideas, especially since the company was a grand name in the mining industry.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema had taken a room at one of the few but best hotels in the urban area on Cotellier where her mission was to take place. It allowed her to be considered as someone of value and yet to blend in as she revealed little about herself, only expressing that she was here for professional ventures if asked. With most of business being mining related, people didn't ask questions. And she kept a profile normal enough that she didn't catch attention. She had already remarked that she was far from the only one showing up for business, and had eavesdropped on a few customers discussing upcoming negociations.

The next days were spent mingling and eavesdropping as she also got acquainted with a few local representatives. She kept her cards much to herself but presented herself as someone with possible investment means which could be of interest. She let people come to her, and with the indecent wealth she was sitting upon on her own, she knew that even if she had to put in some money from her own pocket to get things going, it would be doable. That was the good thing about having inherited from her estate on Onderon, she had only had one extravagant purchase over the past years, her penthouse on Coruscant. Even with her luxurious tastes, she still spent only a fraction of her earnings.

While the Vanderpelt owned company was the leader of the game, she found out that smaller business still managed to keep small fractions of the market. She was curious as to why they hadn't been incorporated yet, but eventually found out that they were all supported by Vanderpelt's wife herself, who had a joint venture with her husband's company, and yet retained some independence. That piqued the countess's interest, especially as it would have made more sense to her that the Bakuran noble used these dealings to support the faction she had been born into.

The Vanderpelts had always shown cleverness in their operations and it was all the more surprising that they views, now risking the crash of some major markets on the mining and refining fronts, had become to drastic and obvious.

After a few days spent discussing and observing, Nadgkema knew that there must be an actual puppet master who was neither of the Vanderpelts, but figuring them out would prove a challenge.

She liked challenges.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Word of an intriguing potential investor flew quite naturally as a few more days passed by and Nadgkema even obtained a meeting with Vanderpelt's right arm, during which she danced on the edge of negociations. She presented herself as an independent trader who ventured across the galaxy to find the most profitable deals. She explained how she had mostly ties to Onderon, but wasn't limited to this world, making it clear that her exact whereabouts and fields of prowling weren't to be discussed without more on the table or anything signed.

She also ensured to emit valid concerns about how the Vanderpelts' partisan arrangements which had been unveiled could be of concern to some of her customers and that she would need extensive guarantees before considering an actual deal with the company. She noted how her deep knowledge - though she had been careful not to mention too many details but only spoke of what she called "rumors" - threw Vanderpelt's second in obvious turmoil. Obviously the situation wasn't even to the taste of the company owners and employees in the first place.

Nadgkema mulled over the best approach to get answers, but truth was that there was no perfect one, given the circumstances. So she spent the following evenings surveying the Vanderpelt estate, becoming one with the obscurity. Stealth was something she had been trained in since a child and it could be extremely useful in such situations. Due to the low criminality level, the security wasn't as extensive as it could have been on busier planets or greater cities.

After four nights of research, she had found out that Vanderpelt spent long evenings in his study. The climb to the higher floor would be challenging but very much doable for a Force user. She had already used her telekenetic abilities to test for movement detectors and possible technical devices. She knew where they were and she would be able to neutralize them prior to her entrance.

She was going to get answers from the CEO himself and finally find out what was exactly going on and how she would be able to remedy to this situation.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

The night Nadgkema went to interrogate Vanderpelt, she was totally unrecognizable. She was dressed in a dark brown suit, with gloves and no lightsaber to be seen at her belt. Her brown mane was hidden beneath a hood and she wore a scarf around the bottom half of her face, which included a voice altering device. She had even gone for colored contacts given her unique and memorable eyes.

She used subtle but deadly Force energy to fry some of the security devices. Her extensive talents in anything telekinesis came in handy. She didn't want to make everything stop at once. Giving a detailed attention was key in her sneaky break in. She used the Force to leap on top of the roof and landed smoothly and without a sound. She progressed to reach where the study's balcony was and descended there.

Pressing herself to the side of the window, she saw that Vanderpelt was inside, as expected and was alone. Yet, she didn't know whether cameras of any kinds were there, so her choice was to kill the lights. After all, storms had been announced, so it would make sense if someone was watching.

She heard Vanderpelt's surprise and annoyance when the room went dark. With no hesitation, she sneaked into the room, having remarked how the window door wasn't locked and grabbed the man from behind. "Can we speak safely?" She whispered into his ear, knowing that taking him by surprise wouldn't let him any time to think twice before answering.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

The man began to nod but felt the grasp around his neck and simply replied, his words whispered. "No." Nadgkema began to force him to walk. "Lead me where we may." Keeping her grip on him, so he wouldn't try anything foolish, she let him take them to a smaller boudoir in another area of the house. The Vanderpelts preferred their service personnel to remain downstairs at night, and only his wife's maid was present.

Once they were there, she let him go, so he could face her anonymous silhouette. "You don't work for Reginald." He remarked, almost desperately. "I am here to take down your puppet master. Consider me your saving grace." She had understood that he and his wife had been coerced into doing what they had openly been doing.

"We, especially my wife, are supportive of the Empire cause, but we want to remain independent. This man... Reginald. Found out about some bad dealings we had. He wanted to use us to crash some markets, some large ones. So, everybody would point fingers at us, maybe even the Empire, because of how badly done everything was, we would become a disgrace. Reginald promised that we would remain safe and have enough money to move elsewhere if we did what he wanted."

Nadgkema could feel the man's despair fill the atmosphere. "A man like you must have powerful lawyers and good security. You could have taken care of this Reginald."

The man sighed, his horror and guilt plaguing him. "He has our children. We kept this secret from the public, from everyone. Sabrina and Sebastian aren't gone on some humanitarian mission. They are Reginald's hostages."

Now things were falling into places. Nadgkema's observations skills as well as how attuned she was to the Force allowed her to understand that Vanderpelt was completely honest about this. "I could bring your children back. Take Reginald down." He looked at her in shock. "Could you?" His voice was pleading. "You would owe me, but yes, I could do that."

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

For all she had learned, Nadgkema knew that if Vanderpelt could be won over to do Ruusan's bidding, this would be a great asset with how successful the company was. Getting him back on track was more useful in the long run than taking both the puppet master and the victim down. This could be very beneficial and Vanderpelt was ready to eat from her hand even as she just said she could fix the situation for him, and especially save the children.

"My price will last a life time but I will keep my word. Now tell me where I can find this Reginald." She said flatly. "I'm unsure where his base actually is but he comes here twice a month to discuss the company and tell me what he wants. He doesn't like to rely on communication technologies. He is old fashioned in this." That was good to know.

"When is he scheduled to come next? I need the name under which he travels as well as information on his craft." Vanderpelt told her what he knew. It wasn't much but she could work with this. "Speak of this to no one, not even your wife. If you fail me, be sure that your children will be returned to you piece by piece." As he had said they were grown up offpsring, she'd have no qualm turning her threat into a reality.

Vanderpelt nodded and within the next minutes, Nadgkema had disappeared into the night. She had work to do.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema had little but enough information to make do. The next few days were spent continuing to maintain her cover and surveying the space port in between. She found out what she needed to know to be able to slip unnoticed aboard this Reginald's space ship. Going to wherever his base was would be dangerous, but so were many missions she had undergone both for the Penumbra and for herself and people dear to her.

When the day arrived, she had already checked out of her hotel. If anyone looked to her, there would be a cover story about how she had been personally invited to one of the minor company owners' estated. Good enough to make suspicions die and vague enough so nobody could figure things out so well.

She had left everything aboard her ship and only had her survival gear with her. The small backpack strapped over her shoulders had everything needed in it.

Reginald had traveled aboard his yacht, though she could tell that it wasn't a newest generation. Slipping aboard demanded to wait and utmost stealth, but with how large the craft was, she easily found a hiding spot where to stay away from any prying eyes, until they left to return to the man's lair...

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nobody found her during the day or two it took to reach their destination. Nadgkema could have tried to spy on whatever was happening, but she had stayed in her hiding lair, resting and being ready for whatever would happen once the ship she traveled aboard would arrive wherever it was heading to. It would have been counter intuitive to do otherwise, as she needed to get to Reginald's headquarters to retrieve Vanderpelt's children.

She felt the exit of hyperspace and then the landing a few hours later. They had entered a planet's atmosphere and touched ground. She let people move and open hatches, lowering boarding ramps and she waited for the right moment to make her exit.

Blending in the little crowd of what must be a private spot, she managed to follow Reginald from afar. He didn't even take a speeder to proceed to the estate that was his and so close to the landing pad.

She didn't get the liberty to get inside the estate right away, so she had to disappear and wait for a while before she could find an access. She had remarked that Reginald owned several ships that were all in good use, so she had the means to escape once she had gathered the children.

The moment she got inside the estate, she used the next two days to survey and learn the area like the back of her hand, so that she wouldn't be caught by surprise once she figured out the best course of action, not only to take down Reginald but to free the Vanderpelt heirs.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Once Nadgkema - still unrecognizable and with her lower face masked and wearing colored contacts, had figured out where everyone and everything was, she decided to strike. She had decided to strike Reginald first. Sneaking into his bedroom was easier than expected, but she didn't mind it. She simply broke his neck with her gloved hands. She knew that not everything would be that easy, but she knew what the stakes were.

Afterwards, she waited until dawn, unsure of the shape the Vanderpelt children would be in. She had to go through the several guards standing by the apartments they had been kept in. She explained herself and said she was here to take them back to their family. The two young adults, barely younger than the brunette, didn't hesitate and followed suite. She was grateful they could use blasters too, which they took from the dead guards.

The trio battled their way to a backdoor exit of the estate and reached the ship Nadgkema had decided to use for the escape. With discreet use of the Force, she had ensured that the Vanderpelts remained unharmed. She felt worn out as they reached their craft, but left nobody see it in her body language.

When they took off, she knew that the trip back to Cotellier would be a good opportunity to rest.

[Nadgkema An'Telkis]

Nadgkema declined - politely but sternly - to reply to any of the Vanderpelt heirs questions. The trip back to Cotellier went without issue. She personally drove them back home at night. Before they could offer her to come in, she had vanished into the night. The only one she wished to speak to was their father.

Just like the previous time, she was able to see him in his study later in the evening. She was on her guard, in case he wanted to try to make her shut up. The man was waiting for her, relief rolling off of him. He bowed his head to her.

"I ignore who you are, but you have my family's eternal gratitude. Is Reginald truly dead?" Nadgkema nodded, before speaking, her voice still sounding modified. "You can go back to the life and business as it was before this man threatened you. I will have an envoy coming to you in the future, one who will seek agreements for certain worlds and courts. Listen to them. I brought your children back. I can take them away again if you forget your word."

Vanderpelt looked scared for a moment, understanding too well how she spoke the truth. He bowed again. "I won't forget. I am forever in your debt." With a last nod, Nadgkema disappeared into the night. Her work here was done. And new use for this business and its owner had been found. This would serve Ruusan well in the future.

Now was time to return to Ruusan to tell Shyawyn how things had gone.