Mitth'raw'nuruodo's Story

Dee snickered inwardly at the threats thrown at him, he'd had them before many times. But Internal Affairs weren't nice people, and he knew that clearly. Never turning to look at her as she spoke he continued to observe through the window of the office the city spread out before him. Finally when Claire stopped speaking did he speak.

"There are two things wrong in your assessment MacDonald" He said in his cultured voice, a soft spoken yet skilled man in his words. He held up a hand as he spoke, two fingers pointed upwards. "one, It is not my department, I was simply assigned to this planet by my commander, to get roped into this issue is my own doing as I briefly worked with some of the former staff. And two, the one you refer to a trouble shooter is everything but that. His decorations and awards would outshine yours by a vast amount."

Finally he turned to her as she was seated before the desk. "The water supply issue has been dealt with, I ensured certain parties would oversee control and all access to the main terminals" He smirked at mention of Randin Kaye, the number one trouble magnet in the police force. Stepping around the desk he looked at her.

"Who ?" He asked her, who was Randin ? Yes he knew of him, but he never met or saw the man personally. "I am not sure of who your sources are, but as far as I am aware, the plans to dismantle the police department and replace it with a new force are underway, this issue of internal investigation however has halted plans for a time until such as they can be rectifed to continue as planned.

"However, the threat of outside contractors.... You are surely mistaken" He said simply as he turned to the door as the droid floated in "Yes ?"

"Sir, your ten oh five is here, shall I have him wait ?" So he got his message.

"No, send him in immediately. If he must wait, then he will do so on his own time, not when time is off the essence and we must advance through this issue" He said

Then it was clear, it wasn't his office they were in as he turned back to Claire who was observing many pieces of art in the room, a lot of it local artworks of various institutions and governing groups, even some gang activity groups as well due to some of the designs on the slab of cement leaning carefully against a wall.

The mere fact that he so easily deflected the issue concerning Randin however left everything up in the air. And Dee could feel Claires eyes, and anger, drilling into the back of his skull as he stayed so calm, He wasn't scared of Claire, far from it, but he was terrified if he failed before Thrawn. A tactical genius.

The droid assistant left and alerted Thrawn that hey was allowed to enter, and the Chiss Male did so, flanked by his Four Assassin Droid Escorts. He had his hands behind his back, and his brand new, Stark Black Uniform denoted him as someone important. Sure he would be the new Police Chief, but that title was simply not going to be enough. No, Defense Administrator sounded more official on paper work.

His glowing red eyes fell upon Detective Dee, and the woman he spoke to. "Her features hold anger, dominance, and strength. She has reached an ultimatum. His features are a mixture of dismissal and anxiety. Dismissal to the female, anxiety towards Thrawn."

His hands were clasped thoughtfully behind his back as he strolled into the room, stopping some ten feet away from the humans in the room. His blue-black hair was glossy in the light of the room, combed neatly to the side. His Blue skin stood out like a sore thumb. His boots shined, reflecting the area around them as his eyes continued to take in the scene around him.

"Detective." He inclined in greeting. His voice was a smooth, monotonous, breathy baritone. He walked around the desk and took his seat behind it, examining the art work being projected around him. "Who is our visitor?" he asked Dee, those red eyes flickering towards Agent Claire MacDonald. Needless to say, Thrawn was unaware that she was going to be here. But, he took it in stride.

"Her body is stiff and professional, muscles tense with her emotions towards the Detective. She is someone holding authority over the Police Force. A government official."

Not at all intimidated by the new arrival, Claire would roll her eyes at Dee's misunderstanding of the entire situation before speaking curtly, "Here's how it stands Detective I have read your plans thoroughly and they may involve rebranding the force with a new name, updating specifications and such, but it is nothing compared to what handing over the entire force to private contractors would do. They would likely expect payments of some kind for their duties and they would be less likely to hire anyone. So no Detective my threat still stands. Either this force shapes up or it will be completely insolvent meaning, not even your plans will save it."

Turning to the new arrival she was aware of his reputation, "I am rather surprised an Admiral of your reputation Mr Thrawn chose to debase himself by coming here. Wing City Police Department is the biggest joke in Terra and while it may seem an advantageous position is it worth it?" she asked simply her glare drilling through any facade.

Although to someone trained as Thrawn he would recognize a former idealist who simply had become a cynic, so it was best to appeal to her sense of justice and action, "Secondly Detective..." she turned back to Dee, "Vague promises won't cut it anymore, certain parties were the ones who contaminated it last time so quit being so whimsical and unclear and cut the crap. Finally, Randin Kaye I know you know who he is, your table got his report on it, right in front of me."

Seemingly getting angry she took a breath, "Fire his ass or I'll fire your ass and I have that right Mr Dee despite your very view that the situation is under control. No, it is not. All I see a bureaucratic nightmare in infancy prove me otherwise or so help me God I'll make this force insolvent quicker than you can say 'The Aschen are never to be trusted' got it, good. Now, Detective, leave I want to discuss the situation with someone capable and since you merely got excuses I won't have it."

"internal affairs" Dee replied to Thrawns question simply, "they sent one of their agents, or rather their head woman, to deal with the implosion here. I have already informed her that we are underway in restructuring the department" He faked a smile he truly was amused at internal affairs, childish tantrum for sure giving orders.

"Again, two things, I am not in charge here, nor are you, asking me to leave as you have are not yours to give. Secondly, I told you, Randin who ? I have never interacted with the man, but I do know he is wanted on many counts by many different star systems" Dee explained, it was true, he never interacted or got to know Randin, so for all intents, he had no goddamn clue who the woman was on about.

"So let us make one thing clear. I do not take orders from you. Never have, never will." Dee said. "That is up to Defense Administrator Thrawn to decide" He sat back in his chair opposite Claire, watching her out of the corner of his eye, oh how he wanted to shoot the woman where she sat, but no, he had to put on a calm face.

However he stood seeing that Thrawn had briefly nodded in agreement. However Dee knew that Thrawn would want his input on how to go about this. "I will see to the DHEED drones to continue overseeing final cleaning of the water systems across the city." He said simply, had to say something to get the bitch out of his hair, however to Thrawn the Chiss would know what it meant "I'll be on the Chaemra"

As he turned for the door it opened, and a young woman stepped in, She carried something in hand, One of a certain attempted hit squads gear. "The effects of the prisoners as requested" She said simply. She gave a annoyed look at the IA Agent. Great, them again ? It was clear she wasnt happy seeing the agent.

After all, the last time the bounty hunter had ran afoul of IA... well.. it wasnt pretty.

Topaz handed Thrawn a weapon, and a helmet of the hit squad. "It got away before I could get a body to go with it' She said The weapon and helmet could make a great addition to the art already in the room

"Dee's body language displays amusement and confidence. He is not used to dealing with Internal Affairs and thus having someone appointed over him. As he leaves, the tension in the room falters, and shifts to Thrawn. The woman's muscles remain tense under her clothing, and her cheeks begin to flush with anger. Instinct urge her to follow him."

Thrawn waited until the door closed before speaking, holding a hand up to catch Claire's attention. "Forgive the Detective. He is unwise and unused to having authority appointed over him." he explained dryly. Thrawn clicked a button on his desk, the holograms of Art vanishing, allowing he and Claire to have a more face-to-face conversation. "Your first reaction to this may be to sever his own connection to the Police Force as you wish for this Randin. Allow me to rebut that, and attempt to make you reconsider your decision." Topaz would wait for now to present her findings. Thrawn had Dee's Career to save.

"Before that, however, please introduce yourself. You seem to be familiar with me, yet I know not who you are." he gestured smoothly with one of his hands towards Claire, before returning his hand towards his own body, forming a steeple. He leaned back into his chair slightly, keeping his back straight, and crossing one leg over the other at the ankle. Once introductions were out of the way, Thrawn continued.

"Your concern is with the Privatization of the Police Force, is it not?" he blinked slowly and raised his chin, his usual monotone had a slight twinge to it. One that meant he was down to business. "Your concerns are warranted, however the privatization of the Force is only Partially correct. While it is True we will be using Clones from a Private contributer to form a good majority of the Force, we will always take in volunteers from the willing population of Terra." he was very careful to use the name of the planet, not merely the name of the city.

He had bigger plans outside of simply the Police Force - Hence why his title was not Police Chief, but Defense Administrator.

"The Wing City Angels, likewise, will be entirely made of Volunteers from Wing City. I aim to bolster their numbers and upgrade their equipment. The police force as it is cannot be trusted with the safety of Wing City. I am screening the remaining members. If they are found unfit to serve, they will be relieved. Their loyalty to Wing City and Terra as a whole must be unshakable. Their sense of Justice cannot be strained. Training will likewise be changed. No longer will it be simple Law School and Physical and Marksmanship Training. Training will be changed to put each and every candidate under stress similar to what they will experience when dealing with day-to-day and out of the ordinary situations.

"Rest Assured, I am entirely willing to work with the Department of Internal Affairs in order to make the Police Force something to respect." he finished.

"When it comes to Detective Dee: I will be keeping him under a watchful eye and on a short Leash, so to speak. He will do as he is told or I will.... deal with his deficiencies personally. I ask you leave his fate in my hands." he added, leaning forward slightly and narrowing his eyes.

Topaz was then permitted to come closer, and Thrawn Examined the helmet and weapon carefully, blinking slowly. He nodded, and gestured for Topaz to take a step back until the matter with the IA was taken care of. Certainly these additions to his collection would aid him in his research and planning. But now was not the time.

The Internal Affairs Agent listened to this explanation and his reassurance with an air of respect since he was not making excuses, unlike the previous detective who was trying to make claims that were contrary to the actual facts. "I am Claire MacDonald, Head of Internal Affairs for this department. You yourself your reputation precedes itself, Mr Thrawn, I do believe you prefer to be called." as he tried to summarise the situation she shook her head, "Not exactly I am making the threat of privatising the force to make the Detective understand this is a serious issue..." as he further explained himself he would nod, "Yeah, I heard of the tragedy of Wing City Angels there Captain in the newly reopened RIP having lost his mind seeing his whole force destroyed in that disaster. There were about ten survivors and the only ones still willing to work with it are Ms Perlo and another individual."

Acknowledging what he said she continued, "That is not vague although for sake of records could you send over the documents explaining this to my office so I can look them over. Paperwork is essential to my job and I must check your promises are not pipe dreams, I do hope you understand that?" she asked.

When he proclaimed wish to work for the department she smiled slightly, "Well that makes a change, most tend to consider us the enemy because of how we operate so it is rather a relief to see someone smartly address the situation and realize we are allies."

As Thrawn continued now describing Dee she sighed, "You have at least alleviated some concerns so I will trust you to handle the Detective correctly nonetheless my department investigation is not over. I wish to see these changes happen and for the paperwork in triplicate. If we change this department it must be all done by the book." she would pull out a file and place it on the table, "I think this department needs to remove the policy of hiring only humans. We are an extremely vibrant city full of many species we should do all we can to make use of them. This one here Elizabeth McCarthy, she's somewhat introverted but I have heard from many that she is dedicated just needs a good partner to help her out and accept her. I have been told she is known as a Big Sister and she is deadly and extremely quick, feel free to look over her file."

Topaz handed Thrawn the items she had picked up on her mission. The helmet was standard issue, as was the weapon, yet Thrawn was in need of such effects in order to begin his new puzzle. She regarded the Agent with a careful eye. The last thing she wanted was to be a target of such a group. When she was infact not a part of the department but a Bounty Hunter hired by Thrawn to pick up a few items, and hopefully a prisoner. Which sadly was not able to be done, so she managed half the deal and she never expected to get paid for a half done job either.

She went quiet however as the Agent introduced herself. Great, head of IA for the police department, soon to be restructured into Wing City Law Enforcement and Thrawn elevated to Grand Admiral once again. At some point, Topaz already didn't much like the IA agent and couldn't help but wonder who polices those who police the police ?

It did not matter, Topaz wasn't there to start a fight only make a delivery of items. However she did confirm Dee's story of the sealing off of the access points for various areas of Wing City concerning the water control systems by activating a holo on the desk "I just came from one fo the access points, as you can see, its been walled off from most outside eyes, security cameras are in place. And no outside access card space is on the walls around the only door in or out of this location."

The holo faded "From what I understand, all access codes are to be given to Thrawn, and he will have final say on who gets access inside each location with a code from his ship" How Topaz knew that only Thrawn knew. She took a step back and crossed her arms, the metal work on her right arm and hand glittered in the city light through the window.

Thrawn examined the items Topaz had retrieved for him, and set them to the side for a moment. He would deal with them when the time was more appropriate. He looked to the holo-projection of the water-access points as they were brought up, and tilted his head slightly. He may put guards there some time in the future, but for now, merely fencing them off and putting cameras would do until he had the necessary man power to properly guard them. He had indeed been given the access codes, and then had immediately changed them to something only he would know.

'Claire seems more relaxed than she had been. Thrawn's words have shown her reason to relax.'

"Once all of the paperwork on my end has been finalized, I will send it all to you in an encrypted file. Everything from Uniform designs to plans for the future of Terra as a whole. You will have access to them." his Monotonous voice did well in concealing his hidden agenda. He of course had one - everyone did. Concealed even from those documents were just how many Clones he was planning to hire, how many actual citizens he planned to hire, and his plans for the Terran Defense Fleet. For now, anyway. She'd learn of those in due time, but now was not the time. Best to start small, and easy to absorb.

He made a dismissive gesture towards the subject of Dee, and nodded. "The Detective will be dealt with accordingly. If he will not comply, I will.... dispose of him." Something in Thrawn's tone implied more than simply firing the over-zealous Detective, but he would leave that in the air for now.

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss before we part ways for now?" Thrawn asked.

Nodding in an approving manner she would reply, "Very well then I shall be leaving please don't let me regret this trust Thrawn, I expect the paperwork ASAP." hearing next bit she frowned before saying, "I admit it has been a long time since Wing City Police Department had such dedicated driving force. For a long time, we were rudderless so I am not used problems actually being addressed."

Pausing she would soft exhale, "No I do believe that is everything, Mr Thrawn, so I bid you adieu." stepping back she turned to head out, turning back to only say, "You give me optimism for this Department and it has been a long time since I have experienced anything but contempt for this department."

Caprica City Spaceport, Caprica City

Even after the ISD Chimaera arrived over Langara, through carefully coordinated stellar checkpoints, Thrawn would be greeted by the rigors of Aschen paranoia, in the form of nearly two thousand capital ships placed carefully in orbit above the planet, four Reverence IIs, and two Imperious class Command Carriers.

In addition, the Aschen had thousands of fixed geosynchronous orbital defense platforms orbiting the planet, from heavy missile stations, to several singularity drivers seated back in massive Orbital Defense platforms, and that was after the Chimaera had to navigate being escorted through Aschen space by the Classis I, a large and rather capable Aschen fleet that seemed to watch the movements of the Chimaera closely.

It took quite a bit of coordination with the local Aschen authorities, the larger central Imperial Government, the Province of Caprica, and the Caprica City Transit Authority to facilitate the arrival of a rather controversial guest of the Aschen Empire.

Security was tight, with the arrival of the spaceport under escort from six Imperial Aschen Raptor Talon starfighters. Each Aschen Raptor Talon seemed to glimmer in the Caprican sun, shimmering as it's fluid movements guided it through the Langaran Atmosphere, and around the Lambda shuttle.

In comparison, the Raptor Talon was larger than a TIE, but not quite as large as the X-Wing, but in both cases, with it's twin Voram-Thraxon MEC-A6 30mm Autocannons, nimble acrobatics aided by a G-diffuser, and inboard inertial dampener. The Raptor Talon's superiority to either star-fighter counterpart was unchallenged. The Aschen Empire literally believed the Raptor Talon could litewrally fly circles around any potential competitor, likewise a few of the escort pilots opted to demonstrate the Raptor Talon's acrobatics by executing a formation break into tight immelmann turns, darting off at nearly breakneck speed to return to their carrier.

As the shuttle broke the cloudline, the skyline of the city could be seen spread out before them, wide streets lined with greenery, traffic moving in a smooth, and orderly fashion except around the spaceport. The observant eye would see the entire city section around the spaceport had been cordoned off by local police, and the Military, with armored vehicles, barricades, and armed personnel.

There were also dozens of Stormbringer AA emplacements manned by military personell all throughout the city, camouflaged and situated in city parks, along greenery, atop roofs. Each of these twin-barreled high-energy laser emplacements tracked the shuttle as it made it's final approach towards the spaceport, which was completely cleared to accept their arrival.

"Shuttle TA-7738 this is Spaceport Control, you're on final approach, we have you on scopes, checker's green, call the ball."

A trio of F-11x Apollo fighters swooped by the shuttle, before coming to a complete stop, hovering above the skyline and keeping their weapons trained and missiles locked.

"Final approach calculated, transmitting coordinates to landing pad three."

A landing pad near a heavily guarded section of the spaceport lit up with flashing LED beacon lights, Admiral Claire Hanley was waiting by the landing pad, along with hundreds of news reporters whom had affixed their cameras to the approaching shuttle.

Quietly, she watched, and waited for the shuttle to land.

"The Aschen, as predicted, are highly militarized. They are also paranoid, unused to visitors to their home world. All guns are on Thrawn's Shuttle as it approaches. They are waiting for the slightest deviation, whilst simultaneously showing off their prowess. The Aschen have a right to be Over Confident. They would destroy anything Terra currently has."

The pilot of the Lambda Class Shuttle TA-7738 followed their orders precisely, a nervous bead of seat trailing down his neck. Thrawn places a hand on his shoulder as he readies himself for the following events. The shuttle landed, and the ramp dropped down. Ten Fully Armed and Armored Kinara Clones marched down either side of the ramp, and Thrawn strolled down the middle in the middle of their formation. Their armor was painted a crisp Blue to match the skin of their Leader, and their helmet visors were tinted Ruby Red. They marched with practiced perfection and confidence. They were designed and trained to handle damn near everything in the Multiverse, and were armed enough to do so. Their blaster Rifles and pistols made most other weapons seem like pop guns while at full power, and their armor was not only resistant to other blaster bolts and projectiles, but even to Lightsabers, to an extent.

Thrawn, for the moment, dawned his old Grand Admiral's Uniform. The Stark White standing out in the surroundings as he walked with his hands behind his back, relaxed as he observed his surroundings with those glowing red eyes. Through the flashing of the lights from the hundreds of the reporters, Thrawn's eyes fell upon Admiral Claire Hanley.

"The woman is one of Authority. An Admiral in the Aschen Military, likely of the Defense Fleet. She holds herself with earned confidence and pride, and does well to hide her nervousness. This situation is new, and alarming. Thrawn's Personal Guard stroke smoldering hostility in the guards around the landing pad, but the publicity stays their hands. For now."

The Guard came to a halt, turning to face outboard towards the crowd, looking for threats to their VIP. Thrawn came to a halt within hand-shaking distance of the Adrmiral, and as he was a guest, inclined his head in a sort of bow, keeping those glowing red eyes on the woman as he continued to observe her.

"Good Day, Admiral." Thrawn greeted. "It is an honor to have been invited to your home world. I look forward to building a positive relationship with the Aschen on behalf of Terra."

The tension was palpable once the shuttle finished it's landing sequence. Aschen soldiers were lined up at parade rest, forming a corridor which was lined with a red carpet for the VIP, this red carpet led to where Admiral Hanley was standing upon the tarmac of the spaceport.

Once the ramp lowered, and the guest of honor began to disembark from his shuttle, an Aschen could be heard among the crowed.

"Legiones! Ad Operam!"

In unison, the Aschen soldiers lined up on either side of the red carpet immediately snapped to attention, shouldering their rifles and bringing their eyes to Thrawn and his retinue.

Each Aschen soldier had his uniform neatly pressed, dark grey trimmed with a dark blue on the lapel, the pleats, and the pockets, insignia, medals, and ribbons adorned each of their single breasted uniform jackets, polished leather sam browne style belts glinted in the sunlight, while disruptor rifles, polished, chromed, and accented with a flag were held at attention.

"Bellatorem imperii, dicere!" Another voice shouted, and while Thrawn made his way down the carpet, the men shouted, ten thousand voices of young Aschen men screamed in unison.

"Ad Victoriam! Ad Victoriam! Ad Victoriam!"

The thunderous boom of artillery rang in the distance, followed immediately by the fanfare of the anthem of the United Aschen Empire.

Four more F-11x Apollos flew over in tight formations, their engines screaming just as Thrawn reached hanley, the Aschen officer standing at a paltry five foot, four inches could be described as relatively short compared to Thrawn. Hanley's bright red hair also contrasted with her sky blue uniform, bearing the phoenix like crest of the Imperial Defense Force.

Her hand stretched out to take Thrawn's, for a woman her size, her grip was remarkably strong, no thanks to muscle conditioning through nanite injections.

"Sto ad otium!" A voice bellowed, and the Aschen formation moved to parade rest, bringing their rifles across the front, stock resting on the ground, and hands firmly placed on the muzzle.

While she maintained her best to seem composed, and disciplined, there was the slight hint of disgust at the way she regarded Thrawn, abject Aschen racism thinly concealed under the veneer of discipline and honor.

"While I appreciate your pragmatism, Commander Thrawn." Hanley said calmly. "With respect, I would like to iterate that your guards are unnecessary, you are in no danger here, to further that point; your guards will not be permitted through quorum, or palace security."

Hanley's voice was confident, but her disgust with the fact that here stood before her was a xeno, an alien, was difficult to hide.

"You've been quite the talk among our government, please, this way, we've arranged transport with our most luxurious vehicles to take you to first, your hotel. The Caprica Panoramic is perhaps our finest achievements in hospitality, and you... and your security should find themselves... comfortable between meetings... I have been assigned as your guide, courtesy of our transitional government, and would be pleased... to answer any inquiries you may have." Hanley explained, gesturing for Thrawn to accompany her into the terminal concourse.

"The Admiral's eyes betray her codial words, and her distaste for Thrawn's presence is evident beneath her words. Thrawn's Personal Guard continue to unnerve her."

Thrawn's expression remained rather neutral, and he returned the firmness of the handshake in kind. The fanfare and presentation the Aschen Military was putting on was impressive for sure, and Thrawn took it all in. All of it, down to the most minute details. Even a subtle twitch under a Soldier's uniform that betrayed his discipline was noticed, and yet Thrawn's face remained neutral. His voice likewise was monotone, still conveying everything it needed to do so, however. Thrawn stood at least a good foot taller than the Aschen Defense Admiral, and he was more broad than she was as well.

"I appreciate your hospitality. Rest assured that my Guards will not accompany me within the meeting chambers, but they will be with me every where else. I know that the Aschen are not the most.... tolerant people of aliens." he stated. "I'm sure that if you were to visit Terra, you'd have your own Guard, whether in a show of Force with our fleet, or a personal guard of your own as I have."

Thrawn began to walk as he was escorted, his Guard following their rifles held at a low, ready as they walked, fingers firmly straight, and away from the triggers, safeties on. Their thumbs, however, trailed along the safety switches every now and then, and their heads were on swivels looking for potential threats.

"Her pauses in speech are not due to the noise. She knows Thrawn can hear her. She is choosing her words carefully."

As they came upon the vehicle that was to take them to their destination Thrawn's Guard subtly scanned it with their sensors within their armor. They deemed it safe, and allowed Thrawn to enter, entering as well, or entering equivalent vehicles so that they could further protect him as they were tasked out to do.

The motorcade that arrived to take Thrawn to his hotel was fairly well guarded, a single black armored limousine for Hanley, and Thrawn, which was escorted front, and back by black, large and imposing SUVs filled with agents of the IIA, their dark glasses, clean pressed black suits and ties, and careful survey of their surroundings betrayed their extensive training.

In front, and behind them were Lynx IFVs, which had enough room for Thrawn's security to ride with the Aschen military personnel inside.

Military personnel which regarded the guards with suspicion, and distrust, they also made it a point to converse amongst eachother in Anquietas, rather than galactic common.

Once seated inside the limousine, and the doors secured, they began to move through the streets of the city, effigies of big brother, the physical manifestation of the living Aschen state adorned the avenue as they drove down, surveillance cameras were ubiquitous, and they watched the people closely.

Along the streets, cordoned off by police personnel, and barricades were protestors waving signs in anquietas, many of which were hand painted. They were protesting Thrawn's very presence, and their angered shouts intensified as the limousine drove through the city.

"Ah your fleet..." Hanley commented once in the safety of the limousine. "I believe that's one of the reasons you're here... Tell me... you're not a native Terran... That much I've gathered. There's been little mention of you prior to your sudden appearance in Terran politics, and your ships, your technology, we've encountered many variations of these designs, but our intelligence apparatus have been unable to link you to the Sith Empire, or their allies." Hanley said, pouring herself a glass of ambrosia, the sweet, emerald green liquid sloshing into a crystal chalice.

"Shall i pour you a drink?"

Thrawn's guard remained outwardly silent, communicating privately through their comm systems in their helmets. They could sense the distrust and slight hostility between them and the Aschen Military, but did nothing about it, merely keeping an eye on them, and each other in order to provide safety. Once the convoy stopped, they exited the IFV's and formed their formation on either side of the door that Thrawn would exit from.

Within the limosine, Thrawn nodded in acoordance with Hanley's comment. "More than a simple fleet, Admiral. But a military force in general, for Terra. Even if only defensive in nature, is my chief concern. After all, my title within the Terran Government is [i]Defense Administrator. Not War Administrator."[color] he paused slightly, letting his statement sink in. He had accentuated certain words, rather than continue to use his usual monotone. His face remained neutral upon mention of the Sith.

"She is starting to relax as she offers Thrawn a drink."

He raised a hand in rejection of the drink - he wasn't here to drink. "You are correct. I have no affiliation with the Sith Empire. While I did pledge my allegiance to an Empire - one ruled by a Sith, no less, my ultimate loyalty will always remain with the Chiss Ascendancy." he answered. He smoothed leaned forward slightly, inclining his head to continue his observations, and then leaned back, crossing his legs with an ankle over his knee, and his hands steeple'd. His eyes narrowed. "The technology and tactics I intend to use for Terra's new Defense Fleet will be similar to what you have already encountered. How I will employ them, however, is a different story. Much more than you have likely encountered." Thrawn was a brilliant strategist, and it showed.

He made no mention of why his loyalty was to Terra, but then, it wasn't explicitly asked. Regardless of that, from his explanation, it was evident that he pledged his loyalty to those who he found most beneficial to him, or to achieve a sort of higher goal. What his goals were, however, only he knew.

"Your fleet is in violation of a treaty the Terrans signed at the conclusion of the Tripartite occupation; Article two, section nine of the Aschen-Terran resolution of non-aggression stipulates that the Terrans are forbidden from maintaining a military capable of threatening the Aschen Empire."

The Admiral took a sip of Ambrosia, enjoying the taste of the drink briefly, as the imposing structure of the Aschen Imperial palace began to come into view.

"Under normal circumstances, such military buildup would be construed as an act of aggression, and we would pre-emptively neutralize not only the fleet, but any manufactorums capable of producing weapons and starships of that capacity." Hanley explained, rather matter of factly, if slightly arrogantly.

"Our society, our military, and our technology are vastly superior in every way to theirs, and to yours; and while I disagree with their sentiments, the transitional government wishes to avoid unnecessary military expenditure, and approach this matter diplomatically; this meeting was called to challenge your buildup of military assets in open political court, before the highest echelons of our government, before we opted to take military action."

Aschen hostility began to reveal itself, through Hanley's words, and actions. Her foremost concern however, was securing the integrity of Aschen dominion within their own borders.

"We've also been renegotiating a more formal treaty with representatives from the Terran National Government, including Prime Minister Khayyam, so it was determined to not be in the interests of the Aschen Empire to take action, and sabotage those talks."

Hanley moved from relaxed to pointed, but not outright hostile in her words, she kept herself composed, and matter of fact, even if every word she spoke was laced with Aschen racism.

Claire Hanley was no diplomat, and she knew it, but it was Kesslee's idea to assign her here, as he attended to other duties.

"The Aschen Arrogance shows itself at last, and the Admiral believes she has complete dominance over Thrawn, and therefore of Terra."

A small twitch of Thrawn's cheek hinted at slight amusement at the woman's words and tone. His stance remained neutral yet relaxed. Blinking slowly, he spoke with his usual monotone. "At no point did I ever claim to be building a military capable of threatening the Aschen. Merely one to defend Terra. There is no way a single planet, even as one as populated and developed as Terra, can afford a large enough military force to stand any kind of substantial threat to the Aschen Empire." Thrawn explained, his eyes trailing to the Palace in the distance.

"I am however glad you decided to call this meeting. Fighting another guerrilla war against The Aschen would only serve to destroy Terra, and only tire out your resources on discontented farmers." Thrawn said nothing of the upgrades to the Terran Military he intended to make. To the intense training, to the new ship designs and armaments, anything. To further put her mind at ease, he added one last thing: "Furthermore: I do not know enough about the Aschen as a people to properly formulate any sort of viable strategies against them."

His calmness and unwavering attitude for the situation, to some, could be completely unnerving, and his otherwise stern appearance likewise added to the visage of an intimidating figure. Thrawn wasn't one to be taken lightly in the least. And he was hard to read, which made him all the more dangerous.

"That's a matter of perspective; a military can be trained, and equipped to pre-emptively crush your enemies, fulfilling the 'goal' of defense through offense." Hanley retorted, while sipping another sip from her glass of ambrosia. "Our Peace through Power doctrine outlines such methods in detail." The Admiral added, crossing her legs in the plush leather seat of the limousine.


Hanley considered her next words carefully, as the palace began to draw ever closer. She was calculating, but in the grand scheme of things, offensive war calculations weren't her strength, she was trained and drilled in Aschen defensive doctrine, how to best respond to the manifold threats against the Aschen Empire.

"We have no quarrel with the people of Terra, any action would be limited to curtailing military armament." Hanley replied, while placing the glass of ambrosia down into the cupholder, quietly she tapped her communication earpiece, everything was moving on schedule. One thing that set the Aschen Empire apart from the numerous foes that Thrawn has likely faced in his long service, was their sheer tendency towards irrational paranoia, and unpredictable capriciousness.

Aschen officers ordered the destruction and methodical genocide of entire civilizations over the slightest perceived insult, and they boasted about it.

The Limousine stopped short of the road to the Imperial Palace, at the doors of the Caprica Panoramio, a lavish, opulant, and luxuriant hotel that was worthy of great kings.

Standing in front of the main doors to the hotel were four individuals, three women, and one man. As the limousine came to a stop, along with the motorcade, the Hotel's doorman moved swiftly, adorned in a brilliant red uniform to open the door, allowing Admiral Hanley, and Thrawn to step out.

"This is Chairman Gina Inviere, supreme commander of our military; Fleet Admiral Sheila Nagala, supreme commander of the Imperial Navy, Her Honorable, Defense Minister Helene Chaska, and His honorable, Sire Thomas Zarek, Sire of the Province of Sagittaron, seated member of our Parliament." Hanley said, gesturing to the individuals standing at the curb to greet them.

"Tango is in sight, mind the security contingent..." An IIA Sniper chimed into the radio, as EVE's voice played in the earpieces of every Aschen officer present.

"IIA Operatives, and CPF Personnel are advised to maintain sights on security personnel, in the event of hostilities they will need to be dealt with first by rapid response... whom have mobilized and cordoned off the area, scans indicate resilient armor, but will require further field testing to update parameters..."

"Preliminary scans indicate security has armor comprised of high-thermal tolerating alloys, recommend redistributing loadout to Magnetic Carbine series of weapons..."

A series of cameras, and high fidelity sensors slowly swiveled to orient themselves towards Thrawn, and his clones, focusing in, their movements likely went unnoticed by nearby Aschen, as these surveillance systems were ubiquitous. These specific ones were mounted on a light post across the street from the Hotel.

Sire Zarek was the first to extend his hand, and offer a smile.

"Indeed..." Thrawn responded simply to Haley's retort. His own research into the Aschen was still ongoing, and likely would continue to progress as long as he was ever convinced that they would pose any kind of threat to the Terran people, or simply as long as his curiosity existed in and of itself. That would be a long time - to the point where after a while, Thrawn would be so knowledgeable to the point where he may as well have written Aschen doctrine, law, and language. But that was a long ways away. As the woman set the cup down, Thrawn leaned forward, taking his legs and uncrossing them - They had arrived.

His eyes turned to those outside the limo while his Personal Guard formed on either side of the door they exited from. Up close, now, the Aschen dignitaries could likely see the differences of male vs. female. Notably, slightly shorter, and more slender shapes in the otherwise relatively unisex armor. Their discipline was unshakable, and their armor was well maintained, as were their weapons.

Thrawn emerged from the Limo and looked to each of the Aschen dignitaries as they were introduced, offering slight nods in greeting to each. As Sire Zarek extended his hand, Thrawn extended his own, and firmly shook the man's hand. "An honor to meet all of you, and to have been allowed this opportunity to come and negotiate." Thrawn said in turn, then extending his hand to the others he was introduced to. "I am Mitth'raw'nuruodo. But you may call me Thrawn. I am acting as Defense Administrator for the people of Terra, and hope to have a productive meeting with you while I am here."

The clones knew they were being watched. Their sensors didn't say anything about the Snipers, but they had that gut-feeling that someone was watching them. They stiffened a little, and became more alert, their heads scanning more frequently. One tightened her grip on her rifle - a slight nervous tick she was working on. But where were they being watched from?

The Sire took Thrawn's hand in a firm shake, before whispering briefly in Anquietas to Minister Chaska.

Inviere briefly cast a glance to a nearby camera, which adjusted itself and honed in on the clone's nervous tick, EVE was using everything, from stance, to the very nervous tics and subtle movements that the clones were exhibiting. These subtle behaviors were compared to a database comprised of trillions of different psychological profiles, these were analyzed and fed real time to Inviere's earpiece.

"Analysis update... detecting increased psychological, and psychological stress in the guards."

Inviere looked to the clones, and nodded for a moment. "Your guards are not allowed to have their weapons past this point, they can either surrender them, or wait outside in a secure location." The Chairman said, while Zarek gestured them inside.

"You've made enough of a statement." The Sire responded. "In order for these negotiations to continue, your guards must surrender their weapons, and armor, we will not tolerate armed foreign soldiers on Aschen soil." The Sire said flatly. "Nor will we tolerate provocateurs." The Sire added.

"Our government has a lot of hard questions about your intent, and this army of yours, but these things are best discussed over a hot meal, one that our finest chefs would be pleased to provide.

"Admiral Hanley, you're dismissed, you may return to your duties." Inviere said, offering the woman a salute.

"Ad Victoriam!" Hanley said, bringing her fist across her chest.

"Ad Victoriam." Inviere replied, repeating the motion.

"We've prepared a conference room for our meeting, while your rooms are prepared; Unfortunately our Emperor is preoccupied at the moment, so we will be handling negotiations from here." Minister Chaska explained, her demeanor calm, confident. Even with the statement being made by the presence of the clones, the Aschen officials did not faulter, they trusted EVE's work behind the scenes, as she worked to analyze them, their movements, their weapons, and their armor. The slightest shift in posture, even heart rhythm, breathing, digestion, all was under EVE's purview through highly sensitive surveillance equipment.

Her analyses were like an open book for the Aschen officials, and every one of them knew it.

EVE had already put into motion messages, to be delivered via courier to embedded operatives in the TNG to acquire as much intelligence as possible, through infiltrating the ranks of this new army, EVE had also began preparations for protocols to be delivered to Aschen privateers, and state sponsored terrorists. All machinations of Aschen domination being slowly set into motion while the leadership was preoccupied.

The lobby of the hotel was opulent, towering marble columns inlaid with gold, and precious stones, well dressed Aschen socialites attending a cocktail party in the nearby hotel bar.

Large propaganda posters adorned the lobby as well, with a common motif.

"Big brother is watching you."

A motif that Thrawn would likely do well to take to heart during his stay on Langara.