Log:First Order: Dermout's Alive?
Fuze is surprised by some unexpected news
OOC Date: January 16 2017
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Participants: Cybil Greer, Fuze
A steaming mug of stim tea and a report in her hand, Cybil was on the hunt. Not for something like intel, not this time. This time, she was searching for someone. Squad Commander FZ-4792, Callsign "Fuze". Recently she had acquired some information that she thought the commander would definitely be interested in. Once her report had been written up, it was just a matter of finding her... and that was no easy task. Since the Lockheart incident, everyone was working longer hours, Fuze included, and that meant she could literally be anywhere. So far she had scoped out the rest of the base, and there were only a few places left to check. One way or another, this report was going to make its way into the commander's hands.
Agent Greer finds FZ-4792 in the hangar bay. She's watching with a critical eye as a component is replaced on one of the TIEs by a group of mechanics. With the hot-seat utilization of the TIEs approaching 24/7, any downtime critically impacts mission effectiveness, and so there is pressure on the mechanics; possibly more so when a pilot is looking over their shoulders. Fuze steps back, rubbing the bridge of her nose as some minor but irritating delay occurs.
There she was. The Agent silently approached the Commander, letting her presence be known physically before she actually said anything. Sneaking up on someone in any sort of military was a bad idea.
"Commander." Cybil offered a First Order salute before carefully eyeing what was happening with the TIEs. It must really be rough being a mechanic right about now, what with so much pressure being on them to keep what little resources the FO had operational. Cybil returned her gaze to Fuze and silently held out the stim tea. "I have a report I think you would be interested in reading, Ma'am."
Fuze blinks, dragging herself away from pressurizing the mechanics, and accepts the tea on autopilot. As well as the stress of manning and whatever issue there is between her and the Resistance TIE pilot Dermout, there is also the issue of the missing cadet flight hanging over her head, particularly as she was the face of the First Order when it came to recruiting the children. "Agent Greer," she greets, tilting her head in curious query. It occurs to her that it is unusual, to say the least, for an Agent to approach a low-ranking officer such as herself directly; standard operating procedure is that data flows up, and orders (and other things) consequently flow down the chain of command. "What do you have for me?"
Cybil cut straight to the chase. "I was ordered to investigate Spark 4's downed X-wing. I was able to make it to the craft amidst a firefight between what appeared to be scavengers and other First Order troops, and I was able to gather some data." Cybil handed the report to Fuze to read in full, but figured she would summarize.
"It is my belief that Spark 4 was not killed in the destruction of her craft as we previous thought. There was no corpse, charred or otherwise, or any sign that anyone or anything had perished within the cockpit of that craft." She paused, remembering the situation. "Granted, I was... a bit preoccupied with the battle at hand to take as close a look as I might have wanted." The Agent paused, gaining a vague and far away look on her face when she remembered the fine red mist of the AT-ST pilot's head, and the screaming of the trooper that had been crushed.... before quickly regaining herself. "...However from what I was able to ascertain, Spark 4 somehow managed to walk away from that crash."
The effect on FZ-4792 is shocking. Her mouth drops open, her face paling as the blood drains from it, and she stares at Cybil. "Dermout survived the crash?" She moistens her lips, staring blankly into the distance. "It still doesn't mean she survived," she mutters, a train of consciousness rather than carefully thought-out words. "She could have been pulled clear and died shortly afterwards. The Resistance fighter with the callsign 'Corsair' said she was dead. That crash was barely survivable. It can't have been survivable." The debate rages in her mind before she focusses on Cybil, "You think she's alive?"
The Agent let a silence hang between them for a moment. "I checked for signs of a second party removing Spark 4 from the scene, and could not find anything. Admittedly, it was a quick search based on the situation but... given the data and what I saw? It is my belief that Spark 4 survived."
Cybil quickly let out a sigh and used her pointer and thumb to rub gently over her own eyelids, the universal signal of being tired. "I will return and scout the area. If she was pulled clear and injured, there could be clues in the surrounding area about who did it. If...and I mean if, she was able to walk away unassisted, I will find something more concrete and report back my findings but... I, ah... I figured you would have wanted to know about this report." The Agent finished flatly, not quite sure how to word it. It was indeed strange for an Agent to fraternize with someone removed from the circle of Intelligence, but Cybil felt Fuze needed to know. She knew what it was like to be kept in the dark, and her job was to bring to light information that would help the First Order, right? Right.
FZ-4792 draws in a deep, if shaky, breath, and expels it in a hiss, and she punches the palm of her left hand with her right fist. "Sonofabitch," she mutters, and for a moment it might almost look like she is grinning. "Sonofabitch!" She wipes the smile from her face with another deep breath. "Thank you," she adds softly. "Thank you for letting me know. If she's out there still, I'll find her. I'll find her." Those last two sentences are really not addressed to Cybil.
Cybil nodded. "I will do what I can to assist. Any information I find on her will be forwarded directly to you assuming it is not classified." She could have sworn she noticed a smile on Fuze's face as she swore, and for a split second, she could almost sympathize. While she had no idea what it was like to be a pilot, she knew what it was like when a 'game' between players has ended. Recieving news that the game has not ended, that the players are still very much active, was enough to make someone smile, laugh, swear, or anything in between. From what Cybil could gather, the rivalry between Spark 4 and Fuze could be something similar.
The pilot nods at Cybil's words. "I appreciate the work, Agent Greer. Take care of yourself out there. I heard about the ground encounter, and I'm glad you were able to make it out alive." She's studying Cybil's eyes now, fully focussed. "There's a reason I'm a flygirl," she quirks a crooked grin, "I'm useless on the ground. I think my life expectancy would be measured in minutes. Thank you for not dying."
A very, VERY small hint of colour rose to the tip of the Agent's ears. "Unfortunately, I was not involved in the ensuing ground conflict, Commander. While the others fought the group of scavvers, I snuck into the cockpit to investigate. I owe those brave troopers for the intel I was able to gather, and by extension, my life. Were it not for their sacrifices, the mission would have turned out decidedly darker, I would think." Cybil looked at the TIEs and was silent for a moment. "Besides...flying through the vast expanse of space with such firepower, it would feel somewhat... freeing, wouldn't it? The life of an Agent is much less so. You would think that we might be the most free of the bunch, what with all the stealth and lies... but they always find a way back to you. Always."
"We're all neccessary parts in the machine, Agent Greer," reminds the pilot. "Without any one of us, the machine would fail. We are here to build a new Order, casting aside the stagnant pool that is the New Republic. They will fight us at every opportunity to preserve the status quo. That is, the so-called Resistance will fight, but in the big picture they are but a minor irritant in us achieving our ultimate goal." Fuze is a good little indoctrinatee, regurgiitating the boilerplate speeches from the higher ranks. "You are necessary to our success as much as I or EK-9405 there. Hey, you got that shield generator replaced yet?" she shouts.
Cybil is silent, her expression hard to read as Fuze gives her the impromptu pep talk. What she was saying wasn't wrong, and she remembered giving Rhona the exact same encouragement when they met at the turbolift not that long ago. Parts of a machine... her blue gaze was cast towards the TIEs under maintenance once more. Like a machine, every cog needed to do its function for the end result to be achieved. Their end result was stability and order for the Galaxy. Why couldn't the Republic or the so-called Resistance see that? Why did they fight something that would bring peace and balance to the Galaxy...?
When Fuze shouted to the mechanic, Cybil let out a single laugh that could have just been her exhaling. "You are correct, Commander. I apologize for interrupting your duties. You may keep that copy of the report, as I have already made a copy for Intelligence itself."
There's another crooked grin. "No apology needed, Agent. Thank you again for the intel. I'll let you know if I encounter Dermout again." She slides the report into her breast pocket and offers a hand to shake. "Take care out there."
Cybil accepted the handshake, her own somewhat awkward but firm. "You as well, Commander. Fly free and safe, for the First Order." The handshake was followed up by a First Order Salute. As she turned to leave, she paused for just a moment. "...if you do find Dermout, I hope you are able to keep your game alive, Ma'am." And then she was gone, walking briskly down the hangar bay, her boots reverberating dully.
