Ben Leitch did things carefully. His work had taught him to be like this. He powered down his ship systems in sequence, following a well-rehearsed post flight ritual. Only when each step was complete would he begin the next. He removed his flight helmet, paused for a second, the stepped out of the cockpit. Nobody paid him any attention.
”Good.”
He liked it that way. Better to be bland, unnoticeable and apparently boring in his field of expertise.
Leitch hadn't been in active service with the Order since the fall of Toledo. He had resigned... Well, as much as anyone ever really resigns from a position like that. More to the point, he had resigned himself to the fact it was probably all a lost cause. This didn't bother him much. Not much really did, these days.
He walked the route back to his quarters that he walked every time he had just finished a job. He had been 'freelancing' - after a fashion. A talented set of eyes. Not much escaped his notice, and people paid good money for someone trained to observe... Watch, meticulously record, and only act if the situation undeniably demands it.
One stop at the Eagle's Nest Cafe on deck 13. The only good coffee on the whole station. A pause to notice who was in the bar across from the cafe. Nobody he recognised. Good. A seat, then. Watch. Wait. Sip coffee. Stand. Turn...
”Hmm.”
He sat back down again. All these people all wanting something, doing something, fixated on their own little way of seeing. Seeing was a gift, but one everyone sucked at using. He allowed himself a half smile and ordered a beer.
*
”He won't be too difficult to find, Aisling. But I cannot guarantee his cooperation. The man lost faith in the Order as a cause a long time ago.”
It was sometimes difficult to acknowledge the importance of a sentence until long after it had been said. A nameless woman had been set on a path to find an elusive shade who preferred to hide in plain sight. It had taken her longer than she had expected.
The Order had been aware of this man's continued existence, for a while. They had chosen not to act, dismissing him as a threat too serious to ignore, but too feeble to act upon. What harm could an observer do, they asked. The woman found it vastly amusing and ironic, that an organization prizing itself on its eyes and ears would undervalue a man eminently suited to be one.
When she had begun her search, the trail had been cold enough to warrant substantial tracking. And at the end of the road, she found herself in an inconspicuous Cafe on a remote station, watching a man notable only in his irrelevance enter.
An abundance of blandness, I see. She knew the man would not recognize her. They had never met, and she had never been widely known where she did not wish to be. She continued reading her datapad, letting a coffee go cold on her table. The man's eyes went over her, and despite all these years it took force of will to crush an existential fear that she had carried for a very long time.
She waited patiently for the man to settle down, order a beer. Take a few sips. When she was reasonably sure that he'd marked her as someone more than an idle visitor, she crossed the distance to his table.
Might as well start with a compliment, she thought.
”Benjamin Leitch. You're a hard man to find,” She said. ”Mind if take a seat?”
If Ben was surprised, he did an excellent job of disguising it. Probably the training again.
”You found me, so it can't have been too hard.” He glanced at her momentarily. ”Please, be my guest...” He gestured to the other chair at the table with his eyebrows more than anything else. ”I'll take a couple of guesses, if you don't mind. Order, recovering lost assets, 'we want you to come in', 'more valuable to us alive than dead', mild threat of violence designed to be ambiguous yet still picked up upon?”
He studied her face carefully. ”... Perhaps... Want a beer? It's cheap and nasty.”
The woman took a seat, and shook her head. ”I don't drink.”
She listened to him with no notable expression apart from a slight incline of the head, only half-listening to the actual words coming out of his mouth. She guessed at what he was thinking, what he'd already assumed.
All possibilities covered, is it? She surmised. Throw him off his game a little, Janet. She closed her thought process with faint irritation at having used her name.
”It's good to see that you've planned for this situation.” Her lips twisted upwards in what could've been seen as a smile. ”However, I do not represent The Order.”
She left it at that, folding her hands in her lap.
”Okay...” He remained silent for some time, his face neutral, apparently calm. Internally, his mind was racing. Who the hell was this woman? He spent so much time watching unsuspecting subjects that he wasn't used to being surprised. Contingency? Ask questions. ”Well then, to avoid making another inaccurate guess. Who are you, and what do you want?”
She did not deign to reply immediately, instead choosing to hail a waiter. ”Another coffee please, black.” She glanced at the waiter's retreating back before turning her attention back on Leitch.
Looks like I have your attention now. She thought. And now she needed to hold his interest long enough so she could approach her real questions. But first, she needed to cement her control on this conversation.
”Eli, pleased to meet you.” She had used so many names over the years, her identity was a vague kaleidoscope of different disguises, personalities and aliases so finely interwoven, she had trouble distinguishing who she was.
”As for what I want...” She paused for a moment. ”I believe you can answer that yourself. What -can- one want from an unremarkable sort such as you are?”
”Well, my name doesn't get about much. When someone uses it, they want something.” He gave a remarkably forgettable smile and watched as the waiter's eyes found somethings more interesting to look at. ”But you are particularly disinteresting too. Very practiced. Very good. So you don't represent that organisation, but you do represent something, or you wouldn't be talking to me... And not through the usual channels for work, either.”
Eli let the waiter deliver her coffee and leave before taking a sip and smiling faintly. Coffee was one of the few pleasures she was able to indulge in, and so she rationed her habit away for particularly important occasions. A miser, hoarding her precious few moments of peace and happiness.
”Naturally, you are correct. I do represent, and I merely require what everyone has required of you. The LSF, then the Order...and now everyone, apparently.” She couldn't quite mask her distaste at a talent like Leitch's wasted on trivialities. ”But before I can discuss that, we'll need to go into the past for a bit.”
She set her cup down, and what little warmth there was in her face evaporated.
”There was a time when you considered yourself a part of the Order. From what I can tell, it was because you had a belief that their efforts were directed in the right direction.” She paused. ”What changed, Ben?”
”We lost.”
He sat still and silent, letting that sink in. The last operation he had been involved in with the Order was the hurried, desperate defence and evacuation of Toledo. He knew that would be in the record. He also knew that his letter of resignation would have been available to this woman, if she was associated with the Order.
”And what a defeat it was...” Eli murmured. ”Nearly total.”
She sipped at her coffee again. ”I'd say you lost your nerve after seeing that debacle, but that would not be true. What I would say is that either you lost your faith in the Order as a cause...”
She looked at him. ”Or The Order as an organization. Which was it?”
”]I don't do faith.”
He took a drink from the glass of beer that had been steadily warming up from its originally not-quite-cold-enough state, and was now rapidly approaching a temperature beer should never really be.
”Faith involves belief in something that extends beyond the ability to see evidence. The Order were evidently not capable of fighting the Nomads. The nomads were evidently capable of finding and destroying a threat. The Order got too big and unwieldy. Too noticeable, but not big enough to fight a conventional war. I'm not one for being noticed.”
Eli nodded carefully. She had her answer, the lynchpin to the entire thing. If Leitch had answered differently, this would've quickly become a pointless discussion.
”I agree. It certainly exposed the fact that The Order's path was a doomed one. It is a minor miracle that anyone survived it.”
Another sip, followed by a raised eyebrow. ”However, it did not disprove their cause, only their methods. And there were some who had argued against those methods from the beginning.”
He considered this for a while, watching the other customers at the bar and cafe.
”See the man over there?” Ben gestured to a middle aged guy in a suit, drinking a coffee and looking a little stressed. ”He doesn't know who I am or what I look like, but he has paid for my services on no less than three occasions. He funds some certain departments of the Core's R&D branch. He thinks that his approach is the one that'll defeat the nomads and bring structure to the edge worlds. After all, the Order's one failed. His hasn't failed yet, so it must be a better way, right?”
He nodded towards a shaky looking young woman of Corsair origin.
”Her... I was hired to keep track of her a while back. Turned out she wasn't all that interesting to anyone, poor thing. Jumped off Crete and joined up with our friends The Order. Seen some terrible things happen with Nomad incursions into Gamma, thought that she'd be able to help put an end to it by joining the right group. Of course, her old dad, now he thinks she's run away to join the circus, obviously some boy is involved in it, and his poor daughter has been duped into running away from home. They both think they're doing the right thing to protect people too. Can't all be right, can they...”
He paused, realising he was being unusually verbose.
”You could pick any individual in here, and I could tell you, accurately, why they think they're doing the right thing. They all have a cause, reasons behind their actions. But they're all pulling in different directions... So, you tell me. What's right? It's very easy to know in hindsight, isn't it... There's an objectivity in the actual results of an action that doesn't exist when you're planning and plotting it. What are you plotting and planning, Ms. 'I'm-not-with-the-order', and more to the point, why does it involve me?”
He sank back into looking as irrelevant and unremarkable as ever he could, but aware that one set of eyes wasn't sliding off him as all the rest did. This was exposing and uncomfortable, and not to his liking... But in a way, he enjoyed the sport.
Eli couldn't help it. She laughed mirthlessly, bitterly.
”And there you have it. The human mind has a predilection for wanting to do the quote unquote right thing, it seems.” She waved her hand around slowly, stopping briefly on each of the individuals Leith had pointed out. ”That gentleman over there, financing the Core. He is aware of the no-holds barred approach to research they have. I am aware of this because I told him.”
Her smile remained in place, but it was no more genuine than her laugh, a pale mockery of what could've been genuine joy. ”We have an obsession with being right. That man justified it away as 'necessary.' He was confronted about his choice, and he chose to deny it.”
She placed her thin hand on the table. ”The pirate justifies his actions as necessary. The rapist wraps himself up in notions of perceived superiority and granted right. Nobody is wrong, apparently. Nobody.”
A small pause. ”And then we have the Nomads. An extrasolar race that operates on levels entirely unknown to us. Beings of energy and consciousness. We do know that they want us destroyed. That much is beyond contention. But they cannot do that on their own...so they use our weapons against us.”
”Across Sirius, people are manipulated. Turned on each other, added to one equation, removed from another. Our individuality is our greatest blessing, and in this case also our greatest curse.” Another pause. ”You were right. The Order has failed. It was always going to fail, the moment it decided to oppose might with might. That was never going to work.
”The way to fight them lies via understanding the enemy, and more importantly...understanding ourselves. The damage has been done, and now instead of fighters we need people who can understand a developing situation and reverse it. And there is where you come in.”
”So you want a pair of eyes and a mind that can make some meaning of what the eyes see...?” He rearranged his face in a way that if he were more expressive, would have been a raised eyebrow. ”How flattering.”
”But nothing can be reversed once it's already happened. You can only change course... I think I might need to know a little more about the people who sent you. Of course, you could refuse to tell me, but I would probably go and find out for myself anyway.”
Eli folded her hands. ”I suppose that's fair.” She glanced around for a moment. ”A few weeks ago, a segment of the Liberty Navy went off the grid. They then approached The Order for assistance, and were granted it. They proceeded to set up a new initiative, under a command that's not fully naval or Order, to find new approaches against the Nomads.”
She smiled faintly. ”And that is where I came in. We don't need warriors, although I've been told you can hold your own in a fighter. What we need is intelligent people who can understand the games the Nomads play...and perhaps throw them an oddball or two.”
”Two days. We negotiate an RV point now, somewhere in open space. I assume this organisation has its own base of operations, and I will be working from there, correct?”
He paused.
”It seems you are more than aware of my skills and what I would bring to such an operation, given you sought me out. If we are looking for new ways to combat the threat, then you have my interest. However, if I find the same failed approaches to the work being used, I will take my leave. I trust I would be free to do so - If not, you would have an extremely hard time tracking me down a second time. I will need some assurances from your superiors - assuming a hierarchical structure... I doubt a woman of your attitude would allow herself to be present in an organisation without at least a designated leader - regarding my role and freedom to act within certain acceptable parameters. My role and responsibilities will need to be made clear-cut and well defined. Further, I will need certain equipment, but that can be negotiated at a later date - although I warn you now, if you want me to be able to do what I am best at well, it may run a fairly steep bill.”
She smiled, almost. ”That follows my own conditions for signing up nearly verbatim. It's interesting how that works.”
She shrugged at the conditions Leitch set out. ”It would be remiss of me to promise you anything that our 'leader' may not be able to deliver. However, I can tell you this.”
She focused her gaze on him. ”You're likely to be working under me, for the most part. The leader is experienced enough in her own right...but taking the fight to the nomads is an entirely different cup of tea. One that I specialize in. Our resources are extensive but not unlimited.”
She paused. ”Improvisation is something that we've built careers upon, after all. Your rank, role and responsibility will be determined by our leader, when she meets you...but I can assure you that it will be pertinent to your skillset. As for leaving...”
She conceded that point with a nod. ”You would be hard to stop, and if you took that step we've certainly made a mistake along the way.”
Ben Leitch did something unusual. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. On it, he wrote a series of coordinates and a comm signature. ”You'll find me here in precisely 49 hours’ time.” He said, handing the paper to Eli.
”Electronic things can be so very easily traced. I have such a hard time when people use hardcopy and destroy it after memorising the contents. Almost as irritating as when 'someone' doesn't require a comms system at all...”
He stood up, finishing the glass.
”I look forward to meeting your leader... Appears to be recruiting the correct people.”
He picked up his belongings and walked off, vanishing in the crowd.
Eli watched him go, and let the last figments of her assumed identity dissipate in her mind. That went according to plan… She thought, smiling faintly. With that done, she hailed the waiter and ordered another cup of coffee.
”Might as well indulge myself.”
*
A lone Bastet with full - and forged - Order clearances drifted idly in space. Leitch was used to waiting. He enjoyed it. His conversation with 'Eli' had replayed itself in his mind a number of times in the intervening days. He had drawn his conclusions, and they were laced with words such as 'competent' and 'capable'. It he hadn't known better, he would almost have thought 'Eli' had been herself throughout.
Those in the trade... he thought to himself while watching his scanners.
Should be here any time now.
It was difficult to conceal any sort of an approach in deep space. The empty vacuum had very little to hide or disperse radiation, save distance and time. The Bastet's scanners picked up an incoming IFF signature from fairly far off--reading Order affiliation, and on a trajectory to intersect the rendezvous point.
Leitch smiled to himself, broadcasting a single simple unencrypted message, text only.
”Location as arranged. You are on time.”
He was interested to meet this as yet nameless leader of an as yet nameless group. This was the sort of risk he wouldn't never have dreamed of taking if anyone else relied upon its success, but given this impacted only upon himself, it seemed acceptable - Not that he wsn't prepared to make a hasty exit if necessary.
He watched his scanner readings as the contact got closer. Soon enough, gravimetric readings came in, and the sensors seemed to indicate a massive craft. It didn't take long for a transmission to come in afterward, a text-based reply. ”Thank you for keeping your word.”
As the vessel approached, it became clear, both on scanners and visually, that it was an Osiris-class battleship. Leitch raised an eyebrow and made a mental note to find out where the money was coming from.
He opened a video comms channel. ”I think you might need an accountant or logistics genius rather than a spy. Are you sure you're looking for the right person? Or maybe you wanted to make a bit of an entrance. Either way... Very impressive.”
He paused. ”I take it this will be a face to face meeting?”
The video feed flickered into life on the other end to show a woman with short blonde hair, cut neatly at about the nape of her neck around, and wearing what passed for a commander's uniform in the Order... Nothing so formal, but she certainly carried herself with an air of seriousness. ”Apotheosis actual. The Director would like to speak with you face to face, yes.” She gave a firm nod. ”If that's acceptable, then we'll provide you with docking clearance.”
”I am sure you understand this is quite some leap of trust. That said, send the clearances over. Once I am aboard I would prefer to be met by no more than three personnel, none of them armed, one of them being your good self. It does so help to recognise a face, as I'm sure you understand. Furthermore, I would strongly advise that none of your crew make any effort at entering my ship while I am not in attendance. Nobody wants an accident to happen, and I have turned my ship into a particularly risky environment for those who are not myself. I will be unarmed.”
He paused, maintaining a completely straight face.
”Beyond those conditions, I am placing my trust in your ability not to abuse it.”
The fighter's engines engaged and the ship began to move slowly towards the Osiris.
Opulent architecture for a warship. Leitch thought to himself. Unnecessary.
A closer look would betray scoring on the hull panels, repair work done not from a shipyard, but from an external repair ship. Nevertheless, the vessel seemed to be in functional condition at the moment. ”Of course. The director, your previous contact, and myself will all be there.” The hangar bay doors swung open.
The bastet rotated, aligning itself with the docking bay doors and entered the ship before slowly sinking under the artificial gravity inside, landing on the ship elevator and being transported to the hangar. Ben removed his flight helmet and ran a hand through his hair. It had been a few years since he'd been on board an Osiris. It brought back memories. The last time was shortly before the fall of Toledo.
The fighter came to a standstill in its allotted bay. He disengaged the cockpit doors and stepped out onto the deck, leaning against the wing of his ship. He folded his arms and waited.
A few minutes passed of waiting. Many other fighters rested in the hangar, though only about half of them were of Order origin. A number of Guardians and Avengers sat side-by-side with Nephthyses and Bastets. The hangar deck wasn't quite deserted, as a few technicians went about their business, but none of them seemed interested in Leitch or his ship.
Down the stairs from the side of the hangar bay, a collection of women approached. The first was the apparent CO of the battleship, the same woman he'd seen just earlier, accompanied by the woman who called herself Eli. The third of them was tall, with long, pure white hair, perhaps 6'3”. Of the three, she was perhaps dressed the least officially, though she still maintained formality with a black jacket over an ankle-length white dress.
The CO stopped before Leitch, and nodded respectfully. ”Welcome aboard Apotheosis, Mr. Leitch.”
”Probably a pleasure. Please, call me Ben. Given I don't have a rank currently, formality tends to seem a little absurd.”
He extended his hand for the purposes of shaking, well aware of the irony of such a gesture after the previous comment.
He glanced at Eli. ”I see our meeting produced a little more interest from on high.”
‘Eli’ nodded briefly at Ben in response, and then followed it up with a tiny inclination of her head towards the white-haired woman, before a ghost of a smile appeared and went.
”So it would seem, Mr. Leitch. I imagine you are not too used to large greeting parties, but my presence here is necessary.”
”Three is alright, if I'm honest my concern was more about a group of order marines. Evidently an unfounded concern... But you did send an an entire battleship. And one that's mostly in one piece. Wasn't quite what I anticipated.”
Eli's shoulders moved slightly in a small shrug. ”Being surprised is a perpetual human condition, really. What makes people different is how we choose to react to it.”
”I am Alyssa Siravane, Apotheosis’s commander.” Siravane gestured to the tall, white-haired woman. ”This is Aisling Cenncroithi, our fleet director.”
Aisling stepped down from the stairs proper, and extended a hand to Leitch. ”It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ben.”
He shook her hand. ”Mutual.”
”I heard a little bit about what you're trying to achieve, and it's ambitious to say the least.” He looked at the three very different women in front of him, taking in body language and posture trying to gather whatever information about how these people prefer to relate to others.
Could be a challenge here, Ben. He thought to himself. Too different.
”Might be you can tell me a little bit about why and how, if there's somewhere to sit down and talk.” He smiled a very well-practiced smile.
”Yes...I had thought maybe we could meet in my office? We can answer whatever questions you may have there, and perhaps you may answer some questions of mine.” Aisling carried herself with a relaxed, straight posture. Fluid, but alert, and composed behind her pleasant smile. Siravane, on the other hand, was a bit more rigid, if not stiff, and less outwardly approachable. The CO eyed Ben with cautious curiosity.
Eli's posture and expression remained neutral, her hands folded behind her back and her face carefully blank. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched her newfound comrades react to Leitch differently, and made mental notes. Perhaps some feathers might be ruffled in the future.
”Sounds excellent Miss Cennriothi, and fascinating no doubt. I'm sure we've plenty to discuss. Might be best for you to ask the questions first. After all, I'm the stranger here, and I would feel rude bombarding you with questions, after such a demanding entrance.”
Authority. He mentally pinned the word to Aisling's image. Definitely...
He made momentary eye contact with Eli, hoping to read something, but there was nothing there to read.
Very good. he thought to himself. Like a stone... Excellent.
”Very well. You needn't hesitate if anything comes to mind, however. You're quite right when you say that formality at present is absurd.” Aisling turned for the stairs and glanced back at him. ”Shall we?”
Siravane stepped aside to allow Ben to follow, taking up the rear.
Ben nodded and followed, keeping pace with Aisling.
Two characters and one blank slate. Easy to see which party I fit in. He modified his body language slightly to give the impression of his guard going down, relaxing a little. ”So, how exactly did you acquire the ship? Or is that a question best not answered?”
He gave a half smile.
”It would be complicated to explain. But, to put it simply, she has always been Commander Siravane's vessel.” Aisling's hand trailed on the rail as they ascended the stairway and made their way into the corridors on the battleship.
”Impressive ship, Commander.” He meant it. No matter how many times Ben saw a warship of this scale, and no matter how much distaste he had for direct combat, a vast space-borne mobile fortress would remain an astonishing sight. There was something about the daily running of a battleship that impressed him. A complex system of worker ants and Queens. Logistics, routine... Not necessarily his style, but certainly a wonder to observe.
He wasn't all too keen on discussing more sensitive matters in public. With a ship of that size and the crew required to run it, infiltration was comparatively easy. He'd know after all, having done so on more than a few occasions. One more busy ant in a crowd of them is hardly noticeable.
He smiled to himself, amused at the line of thought, saving any further questions until they reached a more private space.
”Thank you.” Siravane's voice came from behind Ben. Her tone was formal, but not cold. ”She's been through a lot.”
No one spoke for the rest of the journey through the corridors of the battleship. Aisling's office was tucked away in one of the halls not too far from the bridge. The pale woman opened up the door, glanced at Ben for a brief moment, then stepped inside, leaving it open behind her for him to follow.
The office was sparsely furnished and utilitarian, mostly decorated not with art or awards but with computer readouts and stacks of paper. A few comforts were spared - the chairs were lined with leather, and the desk was polished rosewood, with a neatly organized workspace.
”Please, take a seat.” Aisling wove around the desk and sat down, clasping her hands in her lap.
Ben glanced around the office briefly, taking in what he could before sitting down. The coolness of Siravane unsettled him slightly. A group attempting to recruit him would normally be a little more welcoming, but individual quirks were something to be worked with.
”So... When Eli tracked me down - Was that on your orders, or following a suggestion of yours - Or was that a more autonomous thing?” He paused. ”They're both fine with me, just I'm attempting to gauge the way things work around here.”
His face showed no judgement or preference either way, and this actually reflected his attitude to the question. It just helped to know, and in this situation, being straightforward appeared to be the most productive path.
”It was her prerogative to do so, not mine, though I certainly had no objection to such a thing.” Aisling gazed across the desk at Ben with a smile, while Siravane closed the door to the office and took a seat of her own in a chair near Ben. ”Her description of your capabilities was rather flattering. Espionage and intelligence skills rivalled by few, or so I was told. But, perhaps you can tell me better than she could.”
Ben raised an eyebrow momentarily, glancing at Eli. ”I tend to go unnoticed - which is normally for the best.” He smiled. ”I handed in my resignation after the fall of Toledo. Seems that going unnoticed works rather better than a big conspicuous planet. The trick is to be bland, ordinary, forgettable. I have a bit of a gift for that. I'm pretty certain my career file with the Order is available to you, and the details I made available to the Order about my service with the LSF will be included.”
He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. ”I tend not to talk much about how I do things... But I gather information. It's astonishing what people will say when they think you're nobody of any importance.”
”So you can imagine that I felt a little uncomfortable about being tracked down. It means somewhere along the lines, I failed.”
Aisling glanced to Siravane momentarily, then back to Ben, her brow furrowing ever so slightly.
”For the sake of possibility, let us not assume that we can access your career file. But, I can understand your apprehension. To share the secrets of your trade would be to present a liability to your work, and I shouldn't like to put you in that position.” She raised her brow. ”Being forgettable only goes so far though, as when someone does not wish to forget you, it places you in an awkward set of circumstances, doesn't it?”
”There are ways and means. But often the best is to make a very silent exit and wipe whatever security data the organisation had that may have recorded me being there in the first place. The exit strategy under favourable and unfavourable circumstances has to be planned prior to infiltration. I spent a few years training under LSF guidance in how to handle all sorts of security systems, both electronic and otherwise... Although it's not my preferred method, if I have to I'll 'silence' any individuals who might pose an issue. I dislike doing so immensely - killing doesn't appeal to me... I'm not a soldier - but I can handle myself well enough in a firefight - be that in space or on foot.”
He smiled, feeling a little self-conscious. ”I'm really not much of a fan of talking about myself. But the trick is always in the planning.”
Eli stirred, looking faintly irritated. ”If it took me that much time to locate him, most people would not have found him at all.” She said, glancing at Aisling for a moment. ”I wouldn't worry about it however, Ben.” Her faint smile was sardonic. ”If we're to exist in the world, we'll need to hold to some habits. And that's where people get caught.”
Aisling nodded slowly in assent to Eli. ”Well, Ben, let's focus a bit less on you, and more upon ourselves.” She tilts her head with a smile. ”What is your impression of us so far, acknowledging that you know little about us?”
He glanced at Eli ”Well, I know what little I was told.” He looked back at Aisling ”...That you are looking for personnel with a skillset roughly matching mine, that you act against the Nomads, that a number of ex-navy personnel are involved, and that this organisation is partly but not completely affiliated with the Order. As far as I understand and have observed, you seem to be taking a slightly less brute-force approach to combating the blue man group.”
”Accurate.” Aisling gave another nod. ”I suppose I cannot expect you to know much more than that. We are the Nadir Reprisal Initiative, a number of Order and Liberty Navy personnel collaborating together to oppose the nomad threat, though I would say that we are not strictly affiliated with either. The primary body of the Order chooses not to interact with us any longer, and I am certain that the Liberty Navy would not be happy to see us again.” She waved a hand. ”But that is less important now. We are here not simply to destroy, but also to understand our enemy.”
He nodded ”Eyes to see, mind to interpret. Was a time when the Navy's command... Hmm.” He trailed off. ”Not really relevant now. Still, probably a few useful contacts in Liberty who tend not to toe the same line as the government.”
His brow furrowed in thought for a moment. ”You say the Order primary doesn't associate with you anymore. Can't say that's a bad thing. Autonomy is a useful thing to have even if resources get a little harder to come by... But, do you mind if I ask why?”
”To put it simply, the Order does not appreciate such intimate collaboration with those who have, all things considered, only barely left Liberty. They view us as a security risk, and in light of recent events... They would rather not take the risk that we pose.” Aisling shrugs vaguely. ”They will not let us access their intelligence network, for that reason. And, as we ourselves are lacking in much intelligence at the moment, which brings us to you.”
”I see.” He nodded. ”The hostility between Liberty and The Order should have ended some years ago, and were it not for certain circumstances and particular individuals, would have done. However, I can understand why the Order command might be a little hesitant about simply welcoming outsiders with open arms, especially those from Liberty, considering the recent rather more focused nomad efforts within the house, and one particularly intriguing set of occurrences... Although I'm sure there are other people who might be able to shed a little more light on those events.”
He glanced at Eli just long enough for her to notice, and he hoped, not long enough for anyone else to do so.
”Anyway, if it's intelligence services you are after, then you will find me best suited to working in the field rather than coordinating an effort. Of course, I will require a certain degree of autonomy in my actions, but you've already shown this is something you allow for.”
He smiled.
”If you were to decide to employ my services, on what sort of basis would I be working for you? I've been, let’s say... A freelance set of eyes for some time now, since I resigned my post within the Order itself. Although I find that a little lacking in structure and purposeful direction...”
Eli had spent most of her time looking at a datapad, content to let the Director handle this interaction. This report regarding the Baron de Montfort was delightfully extensive, and she found herself reading with interest, losing track of the conversation.
A single sentence from Leitch brought her back into it with the elegance of a ballet. She raised her head, and caught the unassuming order operative's glance. From most people, she'd have dismissed that as without meaning. With those words, however...
She placed her datapad back on the table, folding her hands. Outwardly, her expression did not change apart from a hint of feigned apology at having drifted off. She spoke quietly.
”What we've seen does seem to mark Liberty as a... Nexus, shall we say? What we have seen there, and-” She nodded at Aisling. ”The Director will confirm this, but focusing our efforts on Liberty is a sound tactical decision. We'll certainly have to start there, and I do believe that your services will be extremely beneficial in this regard, Ben.” She used his name casually. ”The usage of force seldom gets things done, and this is especially true when working in Liberty.”
She leaned back in her chair, considering. ”The final call for this rests with the Director, naturally. But I'd personally like to see you employed in a permanent fashion, and with extremely clear objectives and agendas. You have probably noticed that we're a little short on manpower.” Her smile was faintly disparaging. ”So even with several leads and projects on the go simultaneously, we'll likely need to move you and others like you between all of them.” She paused briefly. ”I can only hope that you are not averse to the notion of travelling.”
”Eli is absolutely right.” Aisling nodded firmly. ”Liberty is the one of the places I imagine we will focus our efforts, along with Rheinland. I seem to recall that the Buro der Marineintelligenz has had some consistent dealings with nomad materials that we would want to look into. During my time in the ESRD, we discovered that much.” She idly played with the tips of her long white hair, peering across at Ben. ”This is not a part-time affair. Either we would have you committed fully, or we would not have you at all.”
Despite the professional subject matter and undertone of formality to her voice, she still seemed relaxed, almost elegant. ”I'm afraid we would not be able to pay you much, either, given the nature of our fleet and work in general. If that is a deal breaker, then I'm sorry.” She sighed, then leaned forward on the table, hands clasped together. ”None of us are here to profit, nor are we here to make a living for ourselves. We are here to combat a great threat. Perhaps the greatest humanity has ever seen, other than itself.” She let out a small laugh. ”Regardless. Your skills would be invaluable to us, and there are few in the sector who would match your expertise.”
”Payment isn't an issue... Don't worry about that. Certain things require materials, funding, but there's no point in trying to jump that hurdle before we reach it.” He paused, thinking for a while, studying the face of the white-haired woman opposite. ”Other than itself. You're not wrong. You and I and everyone in this room are a part of that mess, best any of us can hope is that we're taking the right steps through the maze - But that's only ever a hope. You can only know in hindsight.”
He went silent for a time, weighing options in his mind, tracing lines of possibility and probably to the point at which they became too complex or vague for him to comprehend. This choice was never going to be an easy one, a risk either way, but at least... His thoughts trailed off, a decision had been reached.
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