Ask An Inside Job

[Kalique Baize]

Desevro - Tion Sector


The reddish surface of the urban planet Desevro was surely a sight to behold, even if vasts parts of the planet were covered with swamps. Kalique wasn't there to admire the view though, the mission she had been assigned was to keep an ISB agent, namely Guinevere Delevigne, safe.

Their target wasn't the swamp, but it was a security building right in the middle of the capital. Discretion was their highest priority even if Kalique already knew she was about to become the one that would have to make an appearance at some point.

Shipyards were much needed and Desevro was a world with the exact thing. Thus, the planet would become a valuable asset, given that the ISB's plan would work. Kalique was reporting to Agent Delevigne today and the rendezvous point of the two women, dressed as Civilians, was right outside the local spaceport. Kalique waited for an update on the mission and thus waited for the other woman.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

Excitement was the word that would best describe the aspiring field agent after being given this assignment. Given her skill set, the imperial officer was often found behind a desk in some dreary office trying to decrypt or navigate some kind of code. While that was something she was good at, it wasn't exactly the glamorous type of work she had hoped to get into when she had originally dreamed of working for the ISB.

Okay, surely you can give a girl a break right? It's hard not to be drawn into the spy holo's and see the drama and intrigue and want that for yourself. But the reality is often disappointing. That wasn't to say she didn't find enjoyment in her work, there certainly were moments where she could pull an all-nighter just to crack the hardest case on the floor, all for the smug look of satisfaction that you could give that bitch Julia across the hall.

But to actually deploy in the field for a mission? now that was not an opportunity that the lieutenant wanted to mess up. If everything went alright, perhaps she would wrangle some more missions as well.

Reading the briefing, she got a sense of why she had been picked. In her civilian clothes they would fit in with the crowd fairly easily, which was the point, she supposed but the excitement was beginning to build up. It was a little uneasy that she would be so reliant on an Imperial Knight for protection in potentially a hostile environment as if anything went wrong there wasn't really anything that she could do herself but run and hope.

Arriving at the rendezvous, she spotted the woman she was looking for. With a cheery smile, she leaned in to hug her as they played the part. Whispering while they were briefly locked she said, "Everything we need is in my bag, protect it with your life. Hehe sorry, I always wanted to say that. I'm ready when you are."

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique was casually scanning the crowd and pretending to be the civilian she was posing at, waiting for her 'friend' to arrive as she already spotted the woman that fitted the description and the file she had seen earlier. While the admittedly beautiful name was new to her, it also seemed like the woman's excitement was already alluding to how those kinds of a job were new to her.

It wasn't uncommon that ISB agents were desk workers, but it was sometimes complicating things a little and judging from her nervousity, she wasn't fully comfortable with this just yet. Still, as she leaned in and greeted her as informally as expected, Kalique couldn't help but the smirk as this kind of excitement was also a little adorable-given that she could still get the job done properly.

"Affirmative, and I'm ready, too" she whispered, leaning back and joyfully adding, "It's so good to see you again" so as if they actually knowing the other woman. While the Knight was very field proof after all she had done during the last months, such a covert mission was still something that required not only full discretion but also a flawless execution of the plan, so they had to avoid mistakes and slip ups at all cost. She was relying on her to take the lead as she was responding to her orders, but for now all she had to do was to trail alongside her until they'd reach their destination.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

Guinevere might have shown an outwardly friendly disposition, but she was a highly motivated individual. Despite her inexperience in the field, she was determined to make the most of it and prove that she was quite capable of excelling outside of a desk job.

Casually like old friends, she chipped back into the conversation with excitement. "Likewise, ah it feels like the first time meeting you again. Come with me, the place we're staying at is simply to die for." Both women would be able to collect their things and make their way toward where the taxi speeders were located. Nodding to the driver, they would be able to talk freely finally.

"Don't worry, he's ISB too. Now tell me do you have experience dealing with battle droids? Our target today is to infiltrate the home of the local planetary governor and retrieve some highly classified data he has stolen from the ISB. Given the planet's recent decision to withdraw from the Empire, it is also a very volatile time and we mustn't be caught snooping around."

The ISB lieutenant then handed Kalique a datapad with a map of the facility that they were attempting to break into. It had layered defenses of both humans and droids in nature, but that wasn't going to be an issue for her, Guin suspected. The real pain would be trying to be prepared for breaking into the security without really knowing ahead of time what to expect. With the tools at their disposal, she figured they had more than enough prep for it, but they were also be working against the clock.

"Intel suggests the governor is busy meeting with donors at some fancy club, so we shouldn't expect him to just randomly pop in while we're there but we also shouldn't just rely on luck. I'll be able to patch their security cameras to hide our entrance but then I'll be relying on you to get me into his office. Any questions?"

In theory, she sounded confident, but it was unknown how she would react if the situation went south. Although secretly armed with a blaster pistol, her basic training wouldn't make her into a superhero all of a sudden either.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

To the untrained eye, the two Imperials could even seem like relatives or at least good friends until they had reached their transport. After Guinevere revealed that the driver was also in on it, she herself to relax a little and to focus one more time, before the actual perilous part would begin.

Kalique attentively listened to her outlines while taking one specific note: Once behind closed speeder doors, the Lieutenant seemed more than focused and as if she had immediately overcome that initial excitement. "I've dealt with battle droids during my training, but admittedly it's been a while". Security droid, depending on the exact model, were highly dangerous and not as responsive to the Force, so Kalique would have to be ready, which was why the information is much appreciated.

"No more questions though. I'm prepared and ready. I'll keep you safe and you'll be inside in no time" she responded confidently, double-checking that for now her weapons and equipment were neatly hidden from sight. I take it you're versed in slicing then?" she asked her, also wanting to know a little more about her before they'd start, but their speeder was indeed already slowing down.

The speeder pulled over a few streets off the property and while Kalique memorized the blueprints, she was already beginning to check for corners that were fit for peering around and rooms where she expected more security in. "Very well then. Shall we?". Kalique didn't know whether she was already accessing the cameras from here, or whether they had to get closer first, so she was waiting for her command.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

While Kalique was busy pouring over the map and making their entry plans, Guin was conducting last-minute checks on the equipment that she had brought for the mission. The slicing gear would make short work of any flimsy security the man was likely to have, barring the unlikely outcome that he had actually been bothered to invest in military tech.

When Kalique posed her question, Guinevere looked up from what she was doing with a quiet smile. "Uh yeah." It was then she realized that it wasn't just a question but in fact an invitation to speak further on the subject. "Well actually, I'm really good! like winning awards kind of good. Before the academy, I used to be able to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I even had a Slicer name and everything, but then I guess you gotta grow up right? and become career-focused and all that. Don't get me wrong I love my job but I do miss the freedom of the old days, you know?"

Oh. Did she overshare again? Guin hoped that the other woman wouldn't mind and then in turn asked her about herself. "What about yourself? With that lightsaber you're technically a slicer too, right?" Ehh.. okay so the nerves were picking up a little now that they were getting closer to their destination, her earlier confidence at the airport waning a little.

The first stop was not quite the target's house as taking out the security cameras would take a little time, but fortunately, there was a little junction not far from the house that they could access which connected them to the outside world. From here she'd be able to patch over the cameras and prevent the targets from calling out temporarily, but they would still need to find their way into the house undiscovered and then physically open whatever was in the office.

Pulling up near the junction, Guin got to work with a port scanner, biding her time until it was complete which would also give the pair a little more time to speak. "So uh, what do you think the best way in is?"

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

As Kalique's gaze scanned the equipment the Lieutenant had brought, she realized that she had surely seen most of it before, but couldn't tell what half the stuff even was for. She didn't have to as her approaches were usually much more direct, but it was interesting to see how much tech she carried around to get her work done.

Once the two were both prepared and ready, Kalique had listened to her explanation in subtle amusement as her enthusiasm was truly cute and she was a little surprised by how much she decided to disclose about her past. While it made sense, it did leave her wonder she was doing this here for the wrong reasons as 'I had to grow up' sounded a little weak as a reason to do this job. For her, it had always been different as she had always had this of helping shape and work for the great Empire that was now finally even on a fresh new course.

She didn't comment on it though and lightly replied, "Oh interesting. Yes, I understand". It didn't surprise her that she returned the question as Kalique interpreted it as genuine ans reciprocated curiosity. She answered the pun with a chuckle, however it wasn't fully geuine, but a little politeness could do no harm. "I'm afraid I'm not as versed with tech, but I can stab and strike perfectly". Her reply functioned as an additional means to reassure the Imperial, hoping she'd be fine with putting her life into the hands of Kalique.

As they alighted, they neared the targeted house within a few more moments which left them yo discuss what to try first. Kalique attentively scanned the house from a safe distance, comparing the layout with the one she had memorized from the blueprints and assessing their possibilities as best as she could. "I'd suggest we circle it and look for an opportunity to enter a basement's window" she explained, hoping the other woman would agree with the idea. Kalique could open windows silently rather easily and there were probably not that many guards down there, so it was worth a try.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

It was a little vulnerability that she wasn't used to sharing with strangers, perhaps a byproduct of the situation or the seriousness of their endeavor. Right, she thought. Best get to it and not disappoint. There was a little difficulty in bypassing the firewalls at first but the civilian-grade equipment would end up no match for the tools the ISB had at its disposal, even for a lowly lieutenant.

Guin listened as her companion spoke, nodding along as she multitasked.

Tapping her fingertips across the datapad, the seconds went by until a smile crossed her lips and a muted cheerful scream escaped. "Got it!" With the cameras patched in a loop, there would be no record of their entrance or exit, leaving only those on the premise to deal with. There were some parts of the network that she wasn't able to access remotely, but she made a note to take a closer look at those later.

As they neared the target Guinevere drew her blaster pistol, holding it clearly not entirely used to its weight.

"Okay, that sounds like a plan. You lead, I'll follow. Ideally, we're not seen but if we are, we cannot allow them to escape. We can't leave evidence that we were here."

Clearing around the house they would notice the first guard walking around on the ground floor, unconcerned without a care in the world. Continuing on they would eventually find a suitable basement window for Kalique to open. Waiting quietly while she did that, Guin kept her head on a swivel watching for any movement and would follow her in if she was successful in getting through. From there they just had to navigate to the governor's office without alerting anyone.

Easy.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Their approach towards the house went all smoothly and before Kalique gave her the 'work your magic' -look, she made sure there was truly no one watching. The cameras were allegedly disabled and while there was no way for Kalique to prove that, she trusted the ISB specialist and her work.

"Keep watch for a moment", she told the other woman, wanting to give her and her blaster a seemingly important job although obviously, Kalique kept scanning for movements with the Force. For now, it truly seemed as though the coast was clear and so Kalique opened the surprisingly low-tech window by removing the bar that kept it shut with the Force before she pushed it open.

"Alright. Let's go". With that, she gracefully swung herself inside and waited for Guin to do the same. As the ground was a few feet away, she immediately positioned herself in a way that she could support the other on her way down before she directed her attention towards the basement.

No witnesses. Kalique kept that detail in mind however knowing that animate guards were easier to deal with then droids that collected footage. Thus, she was being extra careful as a droid would have to be disabled before it could spot them. So far so good though. Once Guin was safely landed, she carefully closed the window with the Force. After the woman passed through the first corridor, they ended up in a storage room with countless racks and expensive looking wine bottles. She paid the booze no attention, however a pair of wooden clogs (@Braden !) on the floor caught her curiosity for a second before carried on, also not caring about the Governor's interesting style choices at all.

She glanced over her shoulder every now and then, ensuring the Lieutenant was close by before she already picked up that not one, but three living beings were approaching. 'Go hide somewhere. I'll take them out silently and one by one' she quickly spoke to her, voice lowered and her tone hushed as she gestured towards a niche on the left. The Lieutenant simply had to be quick and quiet before Kalique would begin to move in.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

Their entrance seemed to proceed smoothly as Kalique made short work of the primitive defensive shielding, commonly known as glass. Watchful as a hawk, she kept them safe as the knight completed her task as vulnerable as it made her. Following that the ill-equipped lieutenant gladly accepted the assistance offered by her compatriot, which ensured that she would easily slip down into the basement without the risk of rolling her ankle.

Once inside Guin pulled out a small datapad and dimmed its light setting to a bare minimum. She wasn't able to connect to any networks from the basement but as soon as one became available, she'd do what she did best and slice her way through their defenses. In the meantime, she did as directed and made her way out of the way like a pair of wooden clogs passing by a small table and chairs with a stack of playing cards laid out.

There didn't seem to be any suitably sized hiding places at first glance and if someone waltzed in at that moment she would have been caught like a deer in headlights. Instead, she quickly but quietly made her way along a line of boxes, lightly pressing down on each one until she found one that seemed empty.

With a lean that almost turned into a fall, she slipped down into the box and disappeared below the cardboard lid. Suddenly, the door opened and three armed beings entered the basement from upstairs and made their way toward Kalique at a casual pace.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

There were only a few seconds that Kalique used for getting into position in a niche between two decorative walls, but once she was already ready to pounce, she glanced over her shoulder to ensure that Guinevere was safely hidden. As her gaze fell onto the woman right as she slipped into box, her mouth flapped open.

'Delevigne what-' came the telepathical, concerned and not exactly pleased remark before the woman actually disappeared without a trace and still on time. 'Nevermind. Stay until I'll call you' she added because of that, immediately directing her attention towards the approaching guards and already coiling the Force around her.

Kalique was well hidden from sight and waited until the three clueless humanoid guards walked right passed her as she held her breath and gestured towards all three of them. With a dismissive movement, all three would suddenly find themselves completely incapacitated before a second later their visions would blacken and they'd fall into an unconscious state with all senses dulled.

They wouldn't know what hit them, but it would be a while until they'd organically wake up and she actually didn't expect more guards to show up down here and find them. Still, right after she called for the agent in a hushed voice, she quickly dragged them behind the nearest shelf, so that they were not laying right in the main corridor.

"That's all I can sense for now. Let's start our approach on the staircase" she said to Guin, waiting for her to climb out with a slightly amused smirk.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

Guin heard the sudden intrusion into her mind loud and clear, but it wouldn't have stopped her from falling in regardless. The sudden movement paired with violent cracks indicated that her companion had completed her task with zeal, much faster than she had anticipated. Waiting until the signal was clear, the agent pulled herself out of the box with an intriguing smirk, making her way over to the other.

"You won't believe what I just found, take a look." In her now extended hand, a small piece of packing paper had been crumbled up into a ball. It didn't have anything suspicious on it at first glance but the company logo was definitely not Imperial. "Something funny is going on here, no government official would be getting secret deliveries on an off-the-books charter like this one. Keep an eye out, something doesn't feel right."

As the pair approached the staircase they would find it rather empty, the climb upwards would be a dull affair despite what she had just said. Once they reached the top of the staircase, Guin would hold for Kalique to make her own assessment about the best way to the governor's office.

"There still might be droids about, but I'll follow as before."

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique kept scanning the environment carefully, however there was something slightly suspicious about the silence and lack of guards. Admittedly, they were only in the basement, but the Govenor seemed even shadier in her eyes. "I was convinced you wouldn't fit inside but the lid was perfectly closed" she admitted with a hint of amusement in her tone as she still found her hiding place rather unique.

As she revealed the paper she had found, Kalique immediately raised an eyebrow. "That's...interesting indeed. I don't like how this is getting weirder". While she had been optimistic at first, her feeling wasn't the best now, but she wouldn't let a few suspicions keep them from accomplishing their mission.

The tech lady definitely had a keen eye and was clever, so Kalique was beginning that maybe this wasn't just babysitting. She jutted her chin towards the stairs and took the lead, but there was no other presence around. Narrowing her eyes, she turned to Guinevere. "Do you have anything fancy that can detect sensors? Maybe droids or other systems are activated upon movement". Before proceeding, she'd wait for her answer, but even if it was negative, she'd carry on, just much more carefully.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

The lieutenant watched and waited while the knight scanned over the paperwork until her casual remark caught her off guard. "Uh..well it worked, didn't it!" she remarked with a little smile. Admittedly now that she was out and able to take a bit longer to assess the room there would have been easier spots to hide in, but that was hindsight for you.

Her second question was more interesting and one that she did have an answer for. "Okay now that we're inside the connection has updated let me have a look..." she scrolled through the file systems for a bit before coming across something that looked like she was hoping for.

"Okay so I can't access them remotely without connecting directly to their mainframe, but I can see there are six droid connections to the house. I think one each is near the front and back door, one in the hallway ahead of us, and two in the governor's room. The last one is in a conference room off to the side of the house. That's a lot of security droids, sure you can handle it?"

They weren't in the best position to sit tight and wait for reinforcements, but wouldn't that be preferable to be sliced up into itty bitty pieces? Still, these force-sensitive types were far more capable than she was at taking out droids, even at a number of disadvantages like this. The risk was that if they lived long enough to send out an alert, all of them would come barrelling toward them on short notice.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique watched her check the data before she gave her answer that immediately draw a subtly irritated look from her. She had expected guards and droids, but six?! Fantastic. It was not like they were their only concern...she could also sense people milling about.

She surpressed a sigh and gave her a confident "yup, absolutely" as an answer before she pressed on slowly. Just like a predator cat, she carefully silently moved forward and gestured for Guinevere to stay close to the wall before Kalique peered around the corner to check for their robotic friends.

The first droid then came into sight and admittedly, Kalique was a little unsure at first. She was used to dealing with animate enemies and guards and it was easy to take them out by dulling their senses, but damn. Droids were something different and the tall bipedal metal guard was a sight to behold.

What bothered her the most was that she had no idea whether these things were recording and transferring data in real time, so for her what mattered was dealing with them quickly. Using her lightsaber was an option, but then again, they'd give too much away.

Internally sighting, she thus opted for something she hadn't tried in a long time. Without knowing any of the droids built up, she used the Force to reach right inside it, targeting a point in his very middle before she produced an immense heat that would easily fry his circuits.

Holding her breath, she realized that the droid beeped a few times while it's eyes flickered before the head dropped downwards and the arms were just loosely hanging at its side. So that was how you'd disable a droid...quick and easy, excellent. "One is down, we're headed for the Governor's room now". Her voice was lowered to a bare minimum as she checked in with Guin again.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

It was remarkable to see firsthand the overconfidence unfold, Guin was quite aware that force sensitives often ran head first into battle without care around them. At least that was her experience with the Sith which had left a bad taste in her mouth. She waited to see how this knight would react to the imminent and deadly threat, it was no surprise that she jumped at the chance to engage them but the way she did would surprise Guin and make her pause to consider if her prejudices were justified.

From a safer distance behind, she saw and heard little other than the droid being spotted and quickly dispatched. The feisty clunker didn't even have an opportunity to react as she dispatched it with haste, seemingly without even touching it. "That was impressive." the lieutenant said quietly as she followed behind Kalique. Checking her datapad for any network activity, she could tell that things were still going well.

"Okay, it didn't alert the others, but you're either gonna have to take out both in the room before they can send out a message, or I'll have to lock us inside before the others can respond."

Taking out the security spike from her small bag, Guin set to work breaking into the secure door. It wasn't a hardened military target and so it would be a piece of cake to bypass its security. Due to her earlier work, the droids would not be able to call for outside help, but any of the security on site would be aware of their presence if a message got out of this room.

By locking themselves in they probably would be able to complete the task, but leaving would require fighting their way out. She really hoped that Kalique would be able to pull through on this one.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

"Thanks" she curtly replied as her mind was mainly focused and aware of everything that was going on all around, but she was glad that this had been rather unproblematic. Still, there was much more to come.

Two in one room, the position unknown. Focusing on the Force and bringing up enough concentration to fry both of them would take some of the time they didn't even need, or at least that was what she assumed, so she narrowed it down to a different approach.

She had her weapons with her, so why not use them? The human guards in the basement didn't have their memories wiped so maybe she had been too careful at first. If she could still frame it in a way that it would aid them, why not? "You stay behind. I'll take them out asap".

Kalique carefully sneaked towards the door and took another deep breath. She reached for both lightsabers and put them on stun, knowing it would incapacitate them...but as for the positioning, this still remained a surprise. She then slowly opened the door in an attempt to use the moment of surprise in her favor and right as her gaze fell on droid one, she threw her first lightsaber.

There was a beep of alertedness but it died down soon after. The lightsaber made contact with the droid who started twitching in response. She didn't watch the spectacle longer than a split second as her gaze immediately found the second one that was fortunately not facing her and immediately used the Force to do both, hold him in place and fry his circuits. As a sizzling sound announced his demise, she let out her breath in relief and immediately pulled Guin inside. "This went...well" she summoned the other lightsaber and deactivated both. "It seems like he hasn't invested in the best models...Okay let's find his computer".

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

From the comfort of the door cover, Guin watched with a quiet hush as Kalique made short work of the droids. Her mouth was a little agape at the speed and precision executed in both attacks, but she quickly snapped back to the task as the lieutenant was called in. With a click on the datapad, the door securely locked behind her and she stole a glance around the room.

"Yes, of course. Uh, I'll check the desk. Can you look around and see if there are any hidden doors or safes in the walls?" She wasn't aware of any on the floor plans but that was also the point of a secret hidden compartment, right?

The desk itself wasn't impressive but then again neither was the man that they were investigating. With gloved hands, the investigation began in search of the prize they were after. There was just a messy pile of books and paperwork sitting on top, as she riled through there was nothing of interest to the ISB immediately found. Next, the agent pulled out the first of a series of draws, noting its contents but otherwise finding nothing relevant.

With a slight annoyance, Guin considered whether the man had taken his computer with him despite what the scanner had said until a hint of spycraft theory hit her. With a cautious smile, she slid her hand under the desk and across until it hit a small button. A click sound resonated and a hidden compartment in the desk fell down just slightly to reveal what they were after.

"Found it!" she said enthusiastically, confident that Julie would have missed such an obvious hiding place. Lifting its lid she connected her datapad to crack its security and then clone its contents. If the man was hiding anything, they would shortly know and more importantly, how to exploit it.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

With the lightsabers clipped to her belt again, Kalique barred the door by slowly and quietly moving one of the shelves at the side right in front of it with the Force. While it would raise suspicions, it would also buy them valuable time if they'd find a way to bypass whatever Guin had just done.

She then proceeded to the tall windows and carefully drummed her nails against it in order to test its material. Lucky for them, they would allow for an emergency evacuation if needed, but Kalique's preference was still to slip out unnoticed. "Mhm, right on it" she confirmed before she started to check the walls just like she said, eagerly searching for hidden buttons or levers and even pulling out suspiciously looking books like in those holo-detective movies.

The women searched carefully for a few moments before Guinevere proved her keen investigation skills once again. "Oh nice" Kalique remarked as she walked back over after having ensured she had neither left traces nor fingerprints due to her gloved fingers.

While Guin started working her magic Kalique turned back towards the droid she had stunned with her lightsaber. Now that she had a little more time, she pressed a hand on the metallic chest and fried a few of his circuits just like she had with the other, so that her lightsaber attack would go unnoticed. It might be a detail that would be of relevance later, so she wasn't risking being sloppy.

Once she was done, she positioned herself in front of the door and listened attentively, however always glancing back over her shoulder to check on Guinevere's process.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

Whilst Kalique was busy with first the walls and then the droids, Guin anxiously watched as the timer ticked on. The datapad was alight with information as the security protocols were finally cracked and the files started becoming accessible. With a signature grin, the agent started to shift through the structures and hidden folders.

Oh boy was there a lot of data saved to the desktop, had the man never heard of proper filing? it seemed like he had never emptied his recycle bin either. "What an amateur," she said under her breath. Continuing on she skimmed and bypassed anything that didn't look promising including several folders of pictures and videos under a number of layers of new folder (1)(2)(3). From the one preview, she saw it looked like he enjoyed keeping his selfies under wraps, and she wasn't interested in his galaxygram folder anyway.

Skipping along once more Guin identified something that looked more promising although at first, it was just a huge data dump of some kind that didn't immediately make sense. Without the right program it would take forever to understand it, but she had more than one trick up her sleeve to help. It wasn't just cracking passwords that she was good for, but knowing how information transferred through networks was something that she was quite adept at.

"I've found something." Her focus remained on the work as she had a sudden thought. Instead of making sense of what it was, she instead opened the data file to identify that it had been downloaded from the governor's email and the date and time. It was simply then a task of opening said email and ....

Her eyes widened.

"This is worse than we feared." The governor had recently taken advantage of recent events to call for a referendum to succeed from the Empire and declare independence. With a decisive 69%, he had claimed a mandate to do so, and aside from a small section of vocal complaining, the population went along with what they thought the majority decided.

If Kalique made her way over to the screen she would see the same thing that Guin was staring at.

From: Chief of Staff
Re: votes

This is the finalized & verified count. I'm sorry that it didn't go the way you wanted but we can discuss the steps going forward. No one else knows the tally yet, will call you tomorrow.

@LadyRen