The Tower of the Imperial Knights

"Aww, Nicolina coos with a lop-sided smirk as she teases the Imperial Knight, you're worried about me, that's so sweet. If history is any indicator, Faina will not find the comment amusing, and so Nicolina straightens up in her seat and answers the question more seriously, I want to see this through as much as you do. Call me old fashioned, but if I help with the planning, I feel like I ought to be there when the plan is executed." In Nicolina's experience plans only rarely come off without a hitch, and aside from feeling obligated to be on hand to make any course corrections to a plan she helped lay out and set the stage for and wanting to be there to lead the members of her platoon that will be participating in the op, she feels like she owes it to Nikulin to be there to watch out for her and the other Imperial Knights that are putting themselves on the line as a part of that plan.

Responding to the last part of Nikulin's comment, Nicolina arches an eyebrow inquisitively and asks, "I thought surrender wasn't an option? That changing, or are we still going to be exterminating with extreme prejudice? "

Answering Nikulin's questions about whether or not she has reviewed the plan for the op and whether her people know not to kill the loyal Knights along with the disloyal both by way of rolling her eyes in theatrical exasperation, Nicolina tacks on a dismissive wave of her hand accompanying her mildly exasperated, "Don't worry, we're all working from the same set of instructions," since the Imperial Knight is not likely to be satisfied with the eye rolling alone.

Slouching down in her chair to get into a more comfortable position and lacing her hands behind her head, Nicolina muses aloud, "Still don't see why we couldn'ta gone with my idea of wiring the place up to blow. Wobbling her head from side to side with a frown, she answers her own question in the same musing tone, Aside, you know, from the whole not wanting to create a big scene, wind up on the holo-news, and, of course, the whole maybe the explosives make the targets' Forcie senses tingle thing. Pursing her lips in thought, she asks Nikulin, Speaking of that, any chance that their Forcie senses will tingle 'cause, you know, walking into a trap and all? Waving the question away, figuring it will be answered one way or another when the trap is sprung, or before depending on whether or not things (or maybe when, since when do things ever go exactly to plan) go sideways, Nicolina says, Eh, guess we'll find out, right?"

Nikulin usually not one to chit chat once they've dealt with the matter at hand, Nicolina stands up and says, "I'll comm you when we've taken up our positions. Say around 19:00? Make sure we're there before everyone starts showing up and all. Stopping just inside the doorway as another question occurs to her, Nicolina turns around and, crossing her arms over her chest, leans against the doorframe as she asks, Veila give you any idea how many RSVPs she got for this shindig? Another pair of questions popping into head on the heels of that one, Nicolina rattles them out as well, You sure you've got enough back up going in with you? Not too late for me to add another fire team or two to go in as backup for you and your pals, you want me to make a comm?"

The Delta-Class Shuttle set down on the landing platform outside the massive tower. Commander Tagge stepped out of the ship in a jacket. He had just returned from a rather cold environment, and he knew this was the place he could go to if he wanted to warm up. Walking inside, he nodded to the two guards stationed at the entrance before heading towards the sparring areas. Normally, he would take his Death Troopers with him. However, he trusted the Imperial Knights, and was actually quite anxious to meet their new grandmaster, Faina. He had heard a great deal about her. He was jolted back to reality as he entered the sparring area. The familiar room made him feel at ease. Heading quickly to one of the side rooms, he changed out of his jacket into a pair of training pants and a relatively tight fitting shirt. Attratching his leather belt around his waist, he clipped his lightsaber and blaster to it before walking outside. He had come here many times before to train, and the Knights were at this point accustomed to his presence. Walking up to the weapons rack, he selected a quarter staff from the dozens of weapons available and set it against the wall. He then spent some time warming up before picking it up again to start training wth it.. He was attempting to perfect the use of an electrostaff in close-quarters combat, and this was a perfect opportunity to do it. As he trained, he observed a blonde-haired woman casually observing him out of the corner of his eye. Preforming a rather ridiculous trick with the staff, he tossed it in the air spinning and caught it, preforming a series of elaborate twists, spins, and such. Taking a rather ridiculous bow, he walked over to her.
“Hey there. Who exactly might you be?”
Though his words were confrontational, he said them in a joking, easygoing way, with his face in a casual smile and his body in a casual stance.

Raith walked over to the rack of weapons and set the staff upon it. Walking over to Faina again, he paused. She seemed familiar for some reason... he would have to inquire more to her identity. For now though, he would play her little game of teasing.
“As you are just an Imperial Knight, I am a simple Stormtrooper.”
Walking back to the weapons rack, he paused for a moment before moving back to the center of the arena. He slowly took the lightsaber of his belt.
“Imperial Knight, eh? Would you mind doing some sparring with me then.”
He ignited the crimson blade.
“Unless, of course, you aren’t too busy.”

“This blade I found in the stronghold of an Imperial Warlord. It has served me well since then.”
He did an elaborate series of Form-III parries before turning to face her.
“I was trained in its use by the Imperial Knights.”
Deactivating the blade, he walked over to Faina.
“I am not sure how the red color was acquired; I do know that it is possible for Force-Sensitives to free the blade of its Sith tainting.”
He placed the lightsaber in Faina’s hands.
“Feel free to inspect it, perhaps even test it out.”

Before the Mission Against the Traitors
_________________________________________________________________________________________

An average sized, somewhat handsome man in a white and gold variant of Imperial Knight armor makes his way through the Tower of Imperial Knights, striding with a purpose... and swiftly gets lost.It's not entirely his fault, at least that's what he keeps telling himself as he has to ask directions for the 3rd time, from a slightly suspicious man who seemed to think that people shouldn't just wonder about the Tower looking for the grand master.After deftly evading his questions and slipping off into the tower while the man was distracted making a comm call Brock managed to find a much more gullible and less suspicious person to give him directions.Only vaguely concerned about the security that might be out looking for him now Brock begins to ponder the significance of not having yet ran into a single Imperial Knight who recognized him. Oh how things had changed in the almost 2 years he was off doing all sorts of wondrous things on a secret mission with some of the Deep Core Remnant, excuse me, First Order (he really needs to remember that's what they are now), Fleet. In fact he'd never been to Muunilist before, much less the new Imperial HQ. Well things did seem to have changed while h was away, including a few rumors about darksiders, yes DARKSIDERS, working with the Supreme Commander. While it was too prevalent to deny out rite he was sure there was a reasonable explanation to their presence, and that was one answer he was headed toward finding right now. Finally arriving at his destination he plasters a pearly white smile on underneath his dark beard and knocks on the door, hoping to re-acquaint himself with an old friend and not an old enemy, of course that all depends on your point of view of how they left things last time they had seen each other.

As she is concluding putting the finishing touches on the plan she and Commander Foresi have devised to cleanse the ranks of the Imperial Knights of the last vestiges of disloyal members, Faina looks towards the door when a knock announces the unexpected yet timely arrival of what soon proves to be an old, trusted friend.

After lifting a hand to excuse herself from Commander Foresi for a moment, Faina goes to the door and opens it. As disinclined as she typically is to permit any hint of what she thinks or feels to be revealed in her expression or posture, Faina's pleasure to see that Brock, missing, or merely on classified operations requiring that he was believed to be missing, is alive and well is plain to see, however briefly.

The rare smile that had surfaced subsiding into the customarily neutral, almost pensive set to her mouth, Faina motions for Brock to enter as she greets him dryly, "You are still alive after all, how wonderful," the brightness in her eyes retaining enough of the joy that he would know she is happy to see him even if he did not know her well enough to understand how guarded an individual she is due to how often they had served together prior to his apparent disappearance. After introducing Commander Foresi, a Shadowtrooper assigned to the ISB that Faina has found herself working closely with ever since Xenon, before the former Grandmaster's betrayal, had brought them along on an undercover mission not long after Faina had been inducted into the ranks of the Imperial Knights.

Seating herself on the edge of the desk in the center of the room, which faces the chair Commander Foresi has been lounging in as well as the one beside it that Faina had offered to Brock, Faina asks without any humor in her tone even though it is evident in the amused arching of her left eyebrow, "Should I even bother to ask where you have been all this time? The faintest suggestion of a smile briefly appearing at the corner of her lips, Faina adds, If it is classified, just say so and spare me any of your usual tall tales."



Two Days After Mission Against the Traitors



"Of course," Faina says when the Stormtrooper indicates that he would be interested in finding someone with the ability to purify the lightsaber he found and has elected to carry with him, much of the displeasure and distaste that may have been evident in her tone and expression, for one observant enough to detect them despite her typically stoic and unreadable comportment, dissipating when his answer sets her mind at ease where the weapon's origins, and the resultant taint lingering about it, are concerned.

Taking a datapad from a pouch on her utility belt and asking for how best to notify the Stormtrooper when her inquiries yield fruit, which has the added benefit of potentially revealing his name to her, Faina adds whatever contact information he provides to the device as she replies to his thanks and subsequent statement about making her full acquaintance in what most come to believe to be her most frequent speaking tone, a dryly delivered, "Thank the Knight that is ultimately able to do what you have asked to be done, not me. Turning towards the entrance to the sparring arena as a female Lorrdian Imperial Knight with a light olive complexion and a mane of inky black dreadlocks tied back in a ponytail enters, Faina lifts a finger to excuse herself from the Stormtrooper and calls over to the Lorridan, Nilda, this as yet nameless, simple Stormtrooper here was looking for a sparring partner. I do not suppose you would mind obliging him in my stead? I have inquiries to make, she adds with what might be an ever so faint hint of humor in her tone as she glances towards the Stormtrooper to explain her invitation to the Lorrdian to take her place. After Nilda indicates that she does not mind, Faina inclines her head in a bow of farewell as she tells the Stormtrooper, Until next we meet, simple Stormtrooper."


Sometime later that day, her inquiries having met with success, Faina sends a message to the Stormtrooper to request that he meet her at the Tower of Imperial Knights, at a time convenient to him, with the Imperial Knight she has learned possesses the skill required to purify his lighstaber. The message, which includes her name, without any title, in the signature, will either confirm he was correct about who he believed her to be, or reveal her name to him, whichever the case may be.

As formal as she is in her own bearing and way of conducting herself, Faina shows no sign of being perturbed by Brock's pronounced lack of it; not only is she familiar enough with him not to expect him to behave against his own nature, but Faina would also be annoyed were Brock to act differently in her company due to the recent elevation of her rank, which she imagines he has heard of despite the matter not coming up yet, which suits her just fine.

Nodding soberly when Brock's question, light tone aside, requires that she turn her thoughts to the two issues that plague her most, one soon to be resolved where the other is likely to remain an issue for the foreseeable future, Faina does not answer immediately, and when she does it is not as complete an answer as she would give were she and Brock alone. Though she trusts Commander Foresi, the Shadowtrooper is not a Force Sensitive, and therefore cannot ever understand the deeply held mistrust an Imperial Knight, aware of how insidious the Dark Side is, how dangerous it is to believe it can ever be used for long towards good or noble ends. Nicademus, her Emperor so far as she is concerned though the title has not yet been made official, has convinced her of his ability to remain untainted by the allies he has drawn to him, and Faina has witnessed firsthand how he has successfully directed the efforts of Dark Side aligned groups and individuals to bring peace and order to the many worlds that now enjoy those things thanks to the First Order that Nicademus has built, nourished, and directed, and yet deep down, as firm and unyielding as she was raised to hold to it, Faina believes that it is only a matter of time before the Dark Side, one way or another, will seek to corrupt all she has fought for by virtue of the fact that it is in the very nature of the Dark Side to do so. Her duty as an Imperial Knight, so far as Faina is concerned, is to remain vigilant for signs of the inevitable corruption to be revealed, and to be ready to act accordingly when the time comes.

"The only Darksiders at our doorstep are our allies, Faina says without any hint of her misgivings, meeting Brock's eyes to silently add the 'for now' that she trusts he will understand is implicitly attached to the statement for those such as the Imperial Knights who understand the nature of the Dark Side in a way no non-Force sensitive can, and the disloyal among our ranks will soon be no more. Lips pursing in thought as she considers asking her old friend to stand with her again, no matter how odious the task they must face now, when it is those who were once brothers and sisters to them both who must be confronted and eliminated, Faina is silent for a moment before she says, The Commander and I have a plan, which will be executed tonight, to strengthen the Imperial Knights by removing those among our ranks that have betrayed their oaths. We could, Faina continues in a heavy, almost reluctant tone that suggests she does not ask what she asks of Brock lightly, nor would she have him mistake the request for an order, use your help in seeing it through, if you are willing to give it."

After his sparring, he had departed the tower and made his way to the Officers Mess for a quick bite to eat. After receiving his summons, he returned to the tower and made his way back to the tower. He made his way up one of the many staircases of the tower before spotting Faina. Her signature on the letter had confirmed to him the identity of the “Mere Imperial Knight”. He had known Faina to be one of the most talented of the Knights, a covetable asset on any mission. Entering one of the larger Atriums, he noticed her standing next to a different Imperial Knight. Walking up to them, he did a small bow in front of them.
“Knight Nikulin.”
He was wearing his crisp Commanders uniform, the snowy white contrasting against the crimson of their uniforms. Detaching the lightsaber from his belt, he presented it to them.
“Here is the lightsaber that I requested to be purified.”