WHY WOULD I PARTNER WITH THE WEAK?

    “ we handle enough serious threats as it is, ”   he murmurs, mirroring her in lifting his glass to his lips again.   “ we can spare a little leisure time. ”

a single ear flicks in acknowledgement, more toward the bartender than to gnov, but he otherwise doesn’t turn his head. instead, he says a little louder; “ i don’t think we need to do anything. we all know what happens to those who don’t keep their mouths shut. ”

sendak finishes off his glass, and then rather promptly stands up. it isn’t that he’s eager to leave, per se, but rather that he doesn’t quite know what else there is to do here– he and gnov were two of the same in that they bothered little with what was beyond necessary. 

in all honesty, he wouldn’t mind spending more time with her, but cold professionalism digs its claws in deep.

         “ are we done here? ”

     “I believe we are.”

     Counter to his cold demeanor, Gnov took the opportunity to stretch out, one long arm stretching across the back of her seat while she idly swirled the remainder of her wine in its glass. Her gaze stayed distant, reaching past Sendak, remaining ever on the bartender as he scrambled to look busy.

     “I’ll be in contact once I receive a response. Likewise, if you should hear anything in the meantime...” The statement hung, unfinished as she directed her attention back to the charts still hovering before her.

      a knowing half-grin tugs up at his mouth. having been here as long as he has (longer than gnov, to be certain), he’s all too aware of just how little proof it takes on his behalf to do as he pleases. so long as he remains the most cunning soldier in zarkon’s army, permission to rid the empire of someone he holds distaste for has little to do with physical proof.

that was always haggar’s preference. zarkon was always largely indifferent. he doesn’t say as much, of course; even if the bartender is too scared to say anything, it isn’t advisable to tell gnov that he could technically murder him and get away with it.

       “ why send him running, when we can trap him? ”   his voice lowers to match gnov’s; both of them are close enough to plainly hear their primary voices underneath their translators.   “ scare him and let him think he’s escaped. i think he’s put a thorn in our side long enough to warrant a little… game. ”

“I like your thinking.” She picked her glass back up, taking another sip. “I suppose can spare a little more time for some fun. It isn’t as though my other duties are going anywhere.”

     “ i don’t see how that helps his case.”   sendak peers over the datapads again, expression sinking into a slight scowl.   “ if anything, that worsens it. does he believe himself a worthy enemy? ”   what a fool. 

sendak scoffs, and then abruptly leans back in his chair, forwarding the half written message to gnov and taking his glass himself. she can finish it– making suggestions is her job, after all– and not an easy one for someone serving emperor zarkon.

         “ it seems he’s been distanced so long from high command he’s forgotten our power. request investigation into this issue– we’ll handle it. ”   a small sip is taken, and the glass is barely lowered from his lips before they spread in a menacing, too-wide and curled smile.   “ let’s have some fun with this. ”

     “I’ll see to it forthwith.” She glanced down at her datapad, opening the message and scrolling through it. And for a moment, her eyes drifted up to the bartender, who snapped his eyes away from the pair a bit too quickly for his own well-being.

    two fingers flatten on the surface of the datapad and drag it over, his eyes raking across the rather plain looking map. plain on first glance, only to illuminate with strings of red light that point to trails and targets, revealing intel that would have otherwise been easily missed. 

this general in particular had always been a thorn in his side, but someone like him has hardly had the time to investigate it personally. with gnov and janka, however, this becomes child’s play at best. a corner of sendak’s lip twitches– whether it had been intended to be a smile or a sneer remains to be seen.

    “ curious. ”   he states simply, and then looks back up at his company.   “ personal feelings in this matter aside, our emperor will want this explored. ”   he pulls a hand back, letting a ring of purple-red light illuminate around his forearm. a document is brought up, words visible to gnov, even if mirrored backwards to her.   “ the arrogance of believing himself above any simple explanation aside, this could easily be rebel activity. ”

"That could have been the impression he was hoping for. He just wasn’t counting on anyone putting any thought into an investigation.” She sighed, shoulders slumping, her chin sliding into her palm. The more she dug for information, the more boring the prospect of putting this dullard down became. She relished the thought of challenging a worthy enemy, but the deeper the rabbit hole ran, the clearer it was becoming that this was to be little more than a rout.

        a shallow smile coils up crookedly at one side of his lips. gnov was always a delight to interact with; like-minded and straight to the point, no unnecessary hows and whys. there was nothing frivolous about her.

he swipes away the tab of communications, barking a gruff order to the navigator at the bridge. it was nearing the tail-end of his own work day, and thus he’d decided easily on retiring for the ‘night’, intent on creating a small dossier for their topic of conversation, as well as get some shut-eye.

the journey to kraimor station is quick, no matter how obscure the locale. typically high commanders such as themselves didn’t bother visiting places such low-brow and back-end, but they couldn’t risk any prying eyes and ears. (save one, who would know better, anyway. galra bartenders often know when to keep their mouths shut.)

and exactly twenty varga later, on the dot, commander sendak strolls in, clad in the same armor and equipped with the same dangerous weapon, still tethered to his gauntlet and hovering dangerously in the air. a set of datapads are tucked under the opposite arm, though he wonders about their necessity upon laying eyes on the array of information gnov clearly already has.

they lock eyes briefly, and he crosses the distance between them, sliding in chair opposite to her.

      “ gnov, ”   he greets cordially, lacking the title. they’re off duty for now.   “ i see you’ve already gathered your own dossier of intel? ”

“Sendak.” She mirrors his casual bearing, her attention sliding back to the screens as soon as she’s acknowledged him. “Things have been dreadfully boring lately. I’ve had the time to spare.”

She spins one of the datapads around to face him and slides it across the table. It displays a map of the next quadrant over—one largely ignored by the Empire for its sparseness and its general lack of resources. 

“Our ‘friend’ fancies himself the clever sort, using space he thinks nobody will investigate to hide things he believes nobody will look for.” She zooms in on a portion of the map comprised of what largely looks like a field of debris. Strands of red light point to targets in several sections, revealing all manner of facilities. “Perhaps if he were a better judge of character, he wouldn’t have left a slime trail that lights up like a bunch of khoronan cave slugs.” Several more points on the map illuminate, each indicating a ship hiding among the fields of rubble.

MSG [CMDRSENDAK] : Yes. I will meet you there.

It was tough to suppress the smirk threatening to dimple Gnov’s cheeks, put there by the flutter of glee welling in her blackened heart at the nervous looks that met her. Members of High Command didn’t often have cause to visit tiny, backwater posts like Kraimor Station, and they left their ships even less often than that. So the presence of an officer of her rank usually made for quite the stir, not that it was her intent this time.

Instead of making for the bridge to give the commanding officer a heart attack, Gnov headed to the crew lounge. She wasn’t exactly here on official business, necessarily. More casual surroundings would be sufficient for planning something that was shaping up to be more of a game than anything.

“Clear out!” she barked, barging her way into the lounge only to be met by blank stares.

“Now.” 

A chorus of grumbling followed, what few soldiers who lingered in their varying states of drunkenness gradually extracting themselves from their seats to begin their tired march back to their quarters.

MSG [CMDRSENDAK] : Why else would I suggest my name on it?

MSG [CMDRSENDAK] : Do it and include you’ve done it under my jurisdiction.

MSG [CMDRSENDAK] : I want our ranks purged of this filth.

MSG [CMDRGNOV] :: Tempting. I don’t necessarily fear repercussions if I pursue the matter, but the endorsement is apreciated.

MSG [CMDRGNOV] :: Although that does leave me with one question.

MSG [CMDRSENDAK] : Always so precocious of them when they think they can fool us.

MSG [CMDRSENDAK] : How convenient, however. I’ve been looking for an excuse to be rid of him.

MSG [CMDRGNOV] :: Indeed. I believe that if we were to go and investigate, we’d find more than enough evidence to warrant his removal.

MSG [CMDRSENDAK] : General supplies, or an influx of something in particular?

MSG [CMDRGNOV] :: Quintessence. Armamrents. Nothing out of the ordinary, under normal circumstances. The quantities are concerning, however.

MSG [CMDRSENDAK] : Commander Gnov.

MSG [CMDRSENDAK] : Have we any updates on our current issue?

@loyaladvisor​

MSG [CMDRGNOV] :: Commander Sendak.

@loyaladvisor continued from [ x ]

    “ A break? Don’t tell me you’re tired already, Commander. ” She quips back playfully, panting lightly at the extertion. Her veins felt positively alight with adrenaline, indeed, it was unfortunately seldom that she had the pleasure of facing a more equal match. It’s educational as much as it is purely fun to cross blades with someone that can keep up.

    Nakul levels her own sword, the hum of energy sending goosebumps up the exposed fur of her forearms. Then suddenly, she goes low, lunging forward with an uppercut aimed at the Commander’s midsection, her blade singing through the air with the ferocity of the action.

     There was nothing quite like the sound of a blade cutting through the air. Perhaps the only thing better was the clash of steel when it met with another as Nakul’s did with Gnov’s, metal screaming against metal when she swung to redirect the attack.

{{ Continuation for @loyaladvisor from Here }}

Velums eyes widen a little, and she nods, blushing in embarrassment as her feet are firmly nudged into a proper position.

“Yes, Commander.” She replies, looking down at her feet’s new positions to better remember it later. At the comment of her shoulders, she tries to slack, but she can’t help but feel as though her arms dragged in response.

“I feel like my shoulders are helping me lift, though. I guess it’s cause my arms need to get used to it still?” She asks, wondering vaguely if her wings had something to do with it, but she had a feeling that would just be wishful thinking.

     The lines of Gnov’s scowl deepened. It’d been bad enough that she’d agreed to try and train a civilian in the ways of handling a blade, but this one seemed particularly... spindly. Weak. Filled with complaints and excuses that had her grating her teeth at the thought of even trying to teach her anything beyond a proper stance. She should have rescinded her part in the agreement the moment she laid eyes on the girl, owed favors be damned.

Sparring/Training Starters | Accepting | @nefariouslycrafted​

     Gnov smirked, The line of her lips cracking just enough to show a bit of tooth. “It’s been two rounds already. You’re sure you don’t want a break?” Not that she was complaining. It was something of a relief to test her skills against someone on her level for once. And already she’d assumed a defensive stance, her sword poised to defend against whatever the other commander had up her sleeve.

Sparring/Training Starters | Accepting.

     “That weapon is too big for you,” Gnov shot back, as blunt as ever. “Try to overcompensate for your stature like that will end up having the opposite effect.” She whipped her own blade out to the side, loosely gesturing to a rack standing against the wall behind her.