Spy Business [Zatara]

[Natalia Faucon]

"I hope that my favorite spy has a few ideas, because save for catching on that detail, I'm still a geologist and rocks and space lanes are more likely to be up my alley." Natalia grinned, before trailing a hand up Zatara's thigh. "I'm good for a few other things but nothing meant for professional endeavors."

During one of her last recon missions, she had visited a base in the Outer Rim where things had seemed off to her at once. They presented themselves as an independent scientist outpost but Natalia had had a weird feeling about them. She had made sure only to share useless information with them but had said she might return with more data.

When talking to Zatara about it, she learned there was a pro imperial network that had caused trouble to the New Republic for the past months in this area. They had decided to go back and investigate it together.

"I guess that we either get in together or you try to find another way to be on your own." She had no idea how Zatara wanted to operate. They never did something like this before.

[Zatara Dantes]

"Y'be th' dashin' scientist an' I'm yer trusty assistan'," Zatara drawled with a grin. "Too ol' t' be a convincin' student intern, I know... but I can play I'm beneath ya well enough, right?"

He chuckled at his own wit.

"If y' can bluster our way in, I'll follow yer lead. Then, once we're there, we'll figure out what we wanna know 'bout the network that could be operatin' outta here," he went on. "Yeah?"

[Natalia Faucon]

Natalia laughed at Zatara's quip. "I think you can do this very well." She drawled, winking to him. "And being my assistant is safest than being my student intern. I yell less." She smirked, knowing that it was the truth.

"They're expecting me to come back to share some of my work with them, for a possible joint research project. Of course, I have enough going on that I won't feed them anything of value to me."

Her gaze turned a little bit dangerous. "I'll use the research my former mentor ended stealing from me." She smirked. "Now I'd like to see them pit against that professor. Could be fun to watch, but I digress!"

[Zatara Dantes]

Zatara just lifted sandy blond eyebrows at the venom in Natalia's words. Of course, he knew the story, but thought it interesting that she was going to use it for their undercover work.

Well, I'm un'ercover, not 'er...

He gave a slow nod. "Well, boss me 'round an' yell much as ya want. I'll jus' spank ya for it later, when we getta chance. Y'ready?"

[Natalia Faucon]

Natalia was a rather easy going and flexible person but when it came to her work, she could be vicious if someone double crossed her. Her research was her calling and she hated anyone who trifled with her hard work.

"We have a deal." She growled and stole a heated kiss from Zatara, before they took care of reaching their destination. The so called research station was rather isolated, but it was the perfect cover as actual scientific installations could be so stranded.

As they left the ship, they had a welcome commitee. Fogar, a man in his fifties, and Dila, a woman who should be around the geologist age.

"Miss Faucon. We have been expecting you. And I see you aren't alone." Natalia shook hands with them. She had realized she had forgotten to ask Zatara about his alias for this, so she winged it. "Hi, Mr. Fogar and Miss Dila. I brought my assistant, Daniel, with me. Given the more extensive data I have with me, it was only natural I let someone else do the hard work."

Both locals laughed and gave a look at Zatara, though their attention returned to Natalia. "Come with us, we have much to talk about, especially as your information worked pretty well with some research we did in the Mid Rim system. I think we are onto something..."

[Zatara Dantes]

Daniel? Well, okay then!

Z gave Forgar and Dila an almost apologetic looking shrug for his presence. He smiled, as if embarrassed at what Natalia said about him while he stood right there, and kept his mouth shut. Since they knew Natalia, they'd know what she thought of underlings, and he was going to play this just right. He trailed along, listening to the conversation while hoping he could bluster a convincing answer if they posed any questions to him. Z highly doubted they would since Natalia was the research; he was just the paid help.

Meanwhile, he took in the sights and sounds of the facility. Zatara noted the security cams, the minimal live security presence, and the general mood of the staff...

[Natalia Faucon]

Natalia kept focused on the discussion with the people from the base, leaving the rest to Zatara. They were both taken to a large room which was somewhere between a lab and a meeting room. That seemed off to the scientist, because it would have made more senses to have both separated. Even when living aboard the Lunatica, she didn't mix everything together like this. Hell, she wouldn't stand having people meeting in her labs.

"We hope you do have research about new or rather possibly former space lanes. You mentioned it last time." Natalia knew she hadn't done that. She glared at Zatara, keeping in character. "Daniel! You've been spilling crazy things again!" She barked, but it would indicate to her partner that she wasn't at the origin of this information.

She returned her attention to the others. "He drinks too much some times. If people listened to him, they'd think I'm going to open routes to other galaxies with my research!"

She wondered whether she might have been under surveillance by other people. It didn't make her comfortable. "So, do you work on old space lanes, Miss Faucon?" She held the man's gaze. "Even if I did, there are parts of my work that aren't up for public discussion yet."

Fogar narrowed his eyes at her and tried to flash her a charming smile. "We heard about your recent work in the mid rim, and there was rumors for a few years of an ancient route close to Mon Calamari and this sector, that might be useful for traders."

[Zatara Dantes]

Zatara realized what Natalia was doing and flushed.

"Sorry, ma'am," he mumbled.

Dropping his head to stare down at the table, he took the moment to slip a bug down his sleeve and into his palm. He affixed it to the underside of the conference table so they could start listening in on future meetings.

"I didn't say anything about Mon Cal, I swear," Zatara added, looking mortified for effect.

[Natalia Faucon]

"Yeah, be bloody sorry." Natalia snapped back. "But please, tell me more about your work here. This research facility is larger than I expected. This could be very useful for my research to benefit from new and skillfull eyes."

She barely looked at Zatara when he added, having a very hard time not to laugh at his mortified look. Thankfully she managed to keep a straight face. "And you'd better shut up right now." She growled.

The research presented seemed rather superficial to her as she listened to what the others said. Yet, the observation of secondary space lanes was definitely something they were working on. "I might be able to help you, though my work was mostly accomplished in another sector." She had stuff close to her home world up her sleeve, that wouldn't endanger either her Wild Space work nor New Republic territories.

"Daniel, give datadisc C7D3 to Miss Dila so I can show what I'm talking about."

[Zatara Dantes]

"Datadisc C7D3...?"

Z gave his best apologetic look and rummaged through the briefcase he'd carried. Of course, they'd planned for this and he did not have it on him. The disc was back at the ship to give him a reason to leave the conversation.

"...I... seem to not have it here?" he said timidly, making it sound like a question instead of a statement. Z swallowed hard, looking to Natalia. "I... yes, I can go back to the ship and pick it up, if the lady wishes...?"

[Natalia Faucon]

Natalia knew that she was still learning the ropes of this whole intelligence stuff, but by sticking to her field of expertise as scientist, it helped her go through the motions with more ease. It definitely helped that Zatara had been into this for a very long time.

She rolled her eyes when he said - as expected - that the disc had been left aboard the ship. "Stop calling me a bloody lady and go get this! Quick!" She snarled, before returning her attention to their host, as if he didn't exist.

Once he had headed out, she knew that she would have some time on her hands with Fogar and Dila. "It's getting so impossible to get decent assistants these days when you don't stick to big planets." She sighed in an exasperated way.

"Yet, most large cities don't have more skilled choices." Fogar admitted, which inwardly surprised Natalia. "I don't have much experience in this, as my work sees me travel a lot." She leaned subtly forward with a serious look in her eyes. "Maybe if we set an agreement for joint research, you'll let me know which planets and cities to avoid."

[Zatara Dantes]

Dantes shook his head, glad to be away from the scientists. The tedium of their conversation was gnawing at him, even though he was used to bizarre assignments and locations from his years of work in intelligence. Staying in character, he scurried along to the ship to retrieve the disc that Natalia wanted.

Knowing they'd expect him to take awhile after his bumbling performance, Z used that to his advantage to hack into the security systems from the ship's computer as planned. He wasn't a slicer per se, but he knew enough to accomplish what needed to be done for this mission. Accessing the security cams, he began pulling and downloading feeds, running them through a filter program that would help them find what they were looking for... if someone was stupid enough to be taped while talking and working. In his experience, most of the so-called geniuses of the galaxy were that dumb indeed.

He also started up a program that would start worming its way into secure documents, then picked up the disc he was supposed to deliver, and started his way back to the meeting...

[Natalia Faucon]

The discussion that ensued didn't really give much insight to Natalia about what might truly be up. There was this recurring hints at New Republic planets, but they were in passing. The geologist wondered what the hell might truly be up.

"Where the hell is your assistant?" The brunette shrugged to Dila's question. "I'm his boss, not his baby sitter. If you're unhappy with all of this, we can as well leave and let you figure out your own research." The woman seemed ready to pounce, but the geologist wasn't impressed.

"Dila, enough." Fogar returned his attention to Natalia. "Please, understand that we are under tight schedule to obtain more funding and your assistance would be utterly precious, Miss Faucon." The brunette took one step foward. "And my own funding requires me to know what I'm getting into before offering assistance, as you put it."

She was threading on a thin line, but she wasn't reacting any differently than if she hadn't been secretly working for the NRIS.

[Zatara Dantes]

Zatara re-entered the room, looking embarrassed as he passed the disc silently to Dila. Of course, it too had a tracing program that would search her machine when she used it and transfer data covertly back to him.

"Sorry, ma'am. I mean, boss. Er, Miss Faucon," he stammered. "The disc wasn't where I thought it'd be and I had to sort through a whole... anyway. You'll see later. And hate me. For now, uh, there it is. Right."

[Natalia Faucon]

"If you broke anything, I swear you're fired!" Natalia said as she glared to Zatara and grabbed the datadisc from him, before handing it to Dina, her expression softening. "Here you go. You should get an idea of what I have to offer, should all conditions be optimal." The woman shrugged and took it, her eyes lingering on Zatara for a moment too long. The geologist had to restrain herself as not to give a stare of death to the woman. She couldn't help it, she was territorial, possessive, call it however one wanted!

Charts and data soon showed on a few holo screens. Fogar seemed impressed, but too impressed. A real and skilled scientist would have found it decent and promising but not stellar.