{O:RT} [Contract 001 - Celevon Edraven]

"Celevon Edraven," Marick Arconae's voice was clear and precise over the portable holo-comm. "As Battleteam Leader of Arcona's Forward Recon team, I have a special task for you."

The assassin shifted somewhat excitedly at the prospect of a mission. He had been itching to get back into action after being eliminated from the Championship Ladder.

"Head to the archives below the Citadel, and pull up every piece of information we have on the Chiss."

Celevon blinked twice before the request settled fully in. He was a soldier, meant to be leading the tip of the spear getting intel on the front lines, not some bookworm...

"The only issue is, the files have 'mysteriously' gone missing. This is a C-Class mission, and you will work hand in hand with the DIA to conduct the investigation into finding that data. There is no doubt a leak in our midst, and we need to know for sure if it's the enemy, or a coincedential strike from one of the other Houses or Clans. One way or anther, find that data. Failure is not an option. Marick out."

The holo-comm winked out and Celevon was left to his thoughts.

"How hard could it be?"

The Assassin adjusted the unfamiliar lightsaber hilt on his belt as he walked towards his quarters at a quick pace to grab his ‘go-bag’. The lightsaber he had been using since his return following the events of the Great Jedi War had been damaged during a training session with some of the newer members of Spectre Cell. “I never truly thought I would become the ‘drill sergeant’ like Sashar was. Those guys have definitely learned for the better for it, though.”

After quickly grabbing his travel bag and a few other essential items, the Templar locked the door and walked towards the shuttle bay at a swift pace. The hilt design itself was remarkably similar to the chosen lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker, though there were a few slight differences. Within several minutes, the Onderonian had boarded a shuttle that was mainly used for Summit purposes. As soon as the Templar took his seat, the holocom activated to reveal the youthful pilot.

“Where to, Captain Edraven?”

“The Citadel, Selen. With all due haste, Lieutenant,” Celevon spoke softly, drawing a cigarette from a pocket of his robes. The flame was reflected eerily in the man’s argent eyes moments before a plume of smoke expelled from between his clenched teeth.

“Yes, sir. ETA is two hours, though I can cut it down to half if I really punch it into gear,” the fair-haired officer explained, sounding eager. “If I do, however, the ride may get quite a bit rough.”

Celevon flashed back to landing in the thick of battle during the war with the rest of Soulfire Strike Team, mere hours before his Master’s demise. “I’m sure I can handle a rough flight, Lieutenant. Just get us there,” the Obelisk responded calmly, no trace of the effects the memory had on him.

“Understood, Captain.”

~()~

Summit Shuttle
Outer Atmosphere, Selen, Dajorra System, Unknown Regions
An hour and a half later...

The Assassin was silently reading the datapad on the Chiss, which consisted mostly of their known history. Grand Admiral Thrawn.. One of the few non-humans to serve directly under the Emperor. I do remember hearing stories of him as a young lad, Celevon thought to himself as he frowned at the lack of information contained. The Qel-Droman Quaestor was one of the few of that species he had ever met, though the Templar was unsure if the insanity was common.

The Obelisk resisted the urge to jump as the holocom activated directly before him with the image of the young Flight Officer. “We’re approaching the Citadel now, Captain. One of the DIA Agents approved our landing and is awaiting your arrival.”

“Very well, Lieutenant. Bring us in for a landing,” Celevon replied after a moment of thought. I wonder who it could be...

“Yes, sir. Arc One, this is-” The Assassin deactivated the link, since the pilot had evidently forgotten to turn it off again. Within moments of shoving the datapad into a pocket of his robes, Celevon felt the repulsars reverse their thrust to land as he instinctively curled the fingers of both hands around one of his daggers and the grip of his blaster pistol. Shaking himself from the lingering memories of battle, the Templar approached the exit. Even as the door zoomed open and the ramp extended, the Onderonian had already begun to walk, his ebony cloak billowing at his feet.

A honeyed, feminine voice spoke up from just beyond the safety zone, her exotic accent captivating. “Welcome back to the Citadel, Templar Edraven.”

“Must we have another conversation about formalities, Socorra?” Celevon grinned cheekily.

The Aedile shook her head, an amused smirk alighting upon her full ruby lips. “Timeros and I will be providing assistance in your endeavor, as the ProConsul has requested. All the files we have on the Chiss have been pulled for your mission, even the logs of those who have pulled the files in the past five years.”

Celevon snorted. “More like I’ll be the one assisting. You know that technological tracing is far from being one of my strong-suits. Let’s get to it, then.”

~()~

Twelve Hours Later..

Celevon ran a hand through his hair, suppressing a growl of sheer frustration as he exhaled a plume of smoke. They had traced the video feeds and sign-in logs down to the moment when the information itself had been downloaded and subsequently erased from the archives. Now he had the privilege of explaining to Marick that the trail had gone cold, save a lone image before the video feeds had gone down. The feeds themselves had returned within five minutes, only the archives had been empty of any persons.

Reluctantly, the Templar typed out a message to the ProConsul before attaching all of their data and results. The part of his message that stood out was at the beginning:

Commissioner,

I have attached the results of the investigation below. To summarize it, one of our lower-ranked Journeyman was down here retrieving data for his Master. Whoever hacked our systems sought to frame this Acolyte to make us believe we had a traitor in our midst. Luckily, between Timeros and Socorra, they were able to trace the hacker and discover all of this. I’m reluctant to believe this, but the results speak for themselves. Someone we once believed a firm ally has turned traitor...

Sighing after having sent the message, Celevon activated his comlink with a direct link to Marick. “It’s done, Commissioner. I’ve sent you a message with all the data, as well as the results of our investigation.”

“Very well, Captain. Marick out.”

Contract Completed..ish.

Grade: "Needs Work" [ 1pts ]

Comments: Nothing wrong with the post, per say, but everything leading up to the meeting with Socorra was fluff. It really didn't do anything to enhance the story in anyway. I'm being harder on you because you've done contracts before, and I know you can do better than this. I wanted to see an actual struggle to find the data. Celevon is an assassin, not an intel person, but he was put on the mission for a reason. Show me how he handles the assignment. Is he angry, is he just doing his duty? Is it so bad he has to spend times with a hot Socorran? It's basically; "Celevon was frustrated, and then you use one sentence to 'answer' the whole contract". It's expository and doesn't do well for a reader in terms of giving an engaging story. Also, the contract didn't seem like a confident success. It was just a weak ending overall that felt like a cop-out and a complete lack of effort. I know you can do better, and expect you will going forward.

-W