The Rebel Faction

Vance followed the young Captain, taking note of the path they followed, and the number of beings they passed. As was expected, the internals of the craft were filled with Imperials, each taking on their required tasks; it seemed as though the Captain had taken Vance through a network of passageways, until finally coming to a large automated door that led into what appeared to be a conference room.

Looking beyond the young man, the Sith Master noted the round table and the number of chairs encircling it. At the motion to sit, Vance walked to the seat on the far left, where his back would remain to a wall, before he slid into place, adjusting his robes as he sat.

"Would you care for something to drink Master Jas?"

"No, I am quite content," Vance said, as he smiled, watching Zokolev with the same intensity the Captain directed toward him. As the young man sat, the Sith Master gained a clear sense of confusion; obviously Zokolev hadn't been briefed as to Vance's part of the mission, and this caused the Sith to sigh inwardly.

For all their restrictive protocol, the Imperials seemingly had trouble passing along simple messages.

"Can you inform me on what your mission here at Mendrosia is Master Jas?"

Vance nodded, easing back in the slightly uncomfortable chair, noting that it had probably been constructed with a hard backing to encourage straight-postured sitting.

"Simply put: I am here to aid you in your attempts at taking over this planet." The Sith Master said, shifting his feet to be flat on the durasteel plating underfoot. "I was sent here, at the request of the Vice-Admiral, and was informed by him that you would be able to make use of my abilities, as it were."

Smiling, the Sith raised his eyebrows beneath his hood. "I, on the other hand, have had little to no real information supplied concerning how you might seek to ask for my help. Though I assume that we can come to some decision on the matter once you have told me what you are doing here, and what problems you have come across that require a Sith to assist you?"

Vance followed the young Captain, taking note of the path they followed, and the number of beings they passed. As was expected, the internals of the craft were filled with Imperials, each taking on their required tasks; it seemed as though the Captain had taken Vance through a network of passageways, until finally coming to a large automated door that led into what appeared to be a conference room.

Looking beyond the young man, the Sith Master noted the round table and the number of chairs encircling it. At the motion to sit, Vance walked to the seat on the far left, where his back would remain to a wall, before he slid into place, adjusting his robes as he sat.

"Would you care for something to drink Master Jas?"

"No, I am quite content," Vance said, as he smiled, watching Zokolev with the same intensity the Captain directed toward him. As the young man sat, the Sith Master gained a clear sense of confusion; obviously Zokolev hadn't been briefed as to Vance's part of the mission, and this caused the Sith to sigh inwardly.

For all their restrictive protocol, the Imperials seemingly had trouble passing along simple messages.

"Can you inform me on what your mission here at Mendrosia is Master Jas?"

Vance nodded, easing back in the slightly uncomfortable chair, noting that it had probably been constructed with a hard backing to encourage straight-postured sitting.

"Simply put, I am here to aid you in your attempts at taking over this planet." The Sith Master said, shifting his feet to be flat on the durasteel plating underfoot. "I was sent here, at the request of the Vice-Admiral, and was informed by him that you would be able to make use of my abilities, as it were. I, on the other hand, have had little to no real information supplied concerning how you might seek to ask for my help; though I assume that we can come to some decision on the matter once you have told me what you are doing here, and what problems you have come across that require a Sith to assist you?"

Vance watched as a small holoprojector hummed to life, activating and filling the space above the center of the table with an alien creature. The Sith Master didn't require the information that told him this being was the source of the sense of unease within the Imperials around.

"These are the creatures that infest this planet. We believe these bugs are responsible for killing whole populations of this planet. If there is anyone alive down there, we haven't detected them yet."

Vance studied the image, nodding after a short moment for the Captain to continue.

"During the time our forces have been on this planet, we have analyzed these bugs as well as we can. From what we can tell, it seems like something is controlling them. Sometimes they seem scattered and uncoordinated, but others they work together like well trained troops. I believe they are being controlled by one queen or master bug and if that entity was killed, the rest would stop acting hostile. Or at least be easier to kill..."

The message was clear, and Vance could read between the lines. In fact, even before the young man had finished, the Sith Master had already begun formulating ideas of how best to aid the effort of defeating the, seemingly, native creatures who were causing such a troublesome time...

"Master Jas, I have heard that the Sith are able to detect life forms and are well versed at locating individuals. If it would be possible, I would like for you to help us find this single controlling entity and help us dispatch it."

Vance nodded slowly. "We are, indeed," He said, lifting his hand to rub at his chin. He had been thinking over the possibilities of sensing the difference between the queen and drones, and of the similarities compared to the last hive species the Sith had run into. "I'm sure that I will be able to help in this case. What plan do you have in mind for the queen creature when it is found? Will your people attempt to subdue and capture it? Will they be tasked with killing it?"

It wouldn't do for Vance to venture into the heart of the hive, to locate and calm the creature, only to have the Imperials suddenly jump in and try to take control. If they wanted to capture, study, or such, then the Sith Master wanted to know beforehand so he knew what to expect from the Imperials... but, then, he could hardly take what they said for granted, and tended to heed their words with a pinch of cortosis.