RPlog:Nelhrn's Loyalty

The following Orders are issued from the Imperial Warlord to the member vessels of Task Force Inquisitor.


 * From: Grand Inquisitor Korolov
 * To: Task Force Inquisitor


 * Action Alert: Black

His Imperial Majesty's vessel Inquisitor is to be locked down. The 501st is instituting a shipwide lockdown. All crewmembers are to be confined to quarters and movement on the vessel is restricted to personnel authorized by the Commissar, Legion General and Task Force Commander. At Once, Legion General Petra Doom is to assume Command of TF: Inquisitor. Major Levvis is being brevet promoted to High Colonel and put in command of the Five oh First legion. HIMS Predator and Nemesis will take up HIMS Inquisitor's patrol duties in System in support of planetary lockdown Operations. HIMS Predator is ordered to return to TF: Inquisitor at the fastest possible speed. These orders will remain in effect until Condition Black is revoked.

Observation Deck -- I2SD Inquisitor The sprawling deck is littered with several 'privacy' areas and recessed booths equipped with seating arranged to focus a person's attention on the yawning view ports opening onto the star-spattered depths of space. Extending outward from the top of the Command Tower, the observation deck provides one of the most spectacular views of the ship. Whether the vessel is in hyperspace or realspace, the mammoth hull of the ship, mottled by the numerous weapons embankments that it supports, stretches out before a viewer. A raised dais in the center of the room supports a low pedestal with a quadrasteel plaque resting on it.

Keline enters from the turbolift. Keline has arrived.

Action Alert: Black. The entirety of the Inquisitor has come to understand, in ways many of the crew may never have truly understood, what it means to be under a COMPNOR lockdown. Already, dozens upon dozens of crewmen have been hauled off toward the detention facilities for varying degrees of interrogation and interviews. Dozens of others have been beaten or stunned into submission on trying to break away from the confinement decks. Stormtroopers from the 501st patrol the halls and choke points with terrifying effectiveness, and the chilling visage of ISB agents come and go, taking crew with them from time to time.

Keline exits the turbolift with a slow paced stride. She is assuming a proper military posture, a spirit that is enhanced by the well-cleaned uniform she wears and the gleaming surfaces of the black boots on her feet. The two Stormtroopers who rode with her in the turbolift usher her out with the barrels of the guns as she makes her way further into the observation deck area. Her face has her usual businesslike expression plastered onto it.

An entire wall of recessed booths has been cordoned off the ISB, blocked from sight by moveable walls. This area has been formed as a "first interview checkpoint", where ISB is conducting their interviews of ship's officers and crew before determining if more severe methods are required. The Stormtroopers pause beside Keline at the door, conversing inside their helmet comlinks with one of the CompForce troopers guarding the cordoned off area. Moments later, the Stormtrooper looks toward Keline, and motions with a hand toward the private area. "This way, Commander." At the cordoned off region, the CompForce trooper awaits, ready to escort the Naval Officer toward the booth where Director Fleming waits, intently.

Keline glances over at the Stormtrooper as he addresses her before she nods and makes her way at the same pace toward the spot the Stormtrooper indicates. Her posture remains the same, but doubtless she is not looking forward to the interview.

Keline A tall woman with an athletic build, clearly someone who doesn't stint time at the gym or at sports, and her body no doubt shows the marks from these exertions. The only one immediately visible is one her sharply angled face; a prosthetic right eye with a faintly glowing red pupil that stands in sharp contrast to her normal dark green one. A faint scar runs lengthwise above and below the artificial eye, indicating how she acquired it. Her hair is yellow, similar to the color of straw, and due to its current shortness in carries a bristly aspect. She is wearing a uniform which consists of a pair of olive gray trousers and a double-breasted tunic of the same color, along with a matching olive gray cap on her head. In addition to these necessaries there are a pair of short-sleeved black gloves on her hands, black boots on her feet, and her badge of rank (Commander) on her left breast... or, in this case, a little above it. Rank Code Cylinders also adorn either shoulder, but there's no holstered sidearm. Slightly below her rank cylinders are two differently colored bars representing her Nova Cross, her Star of Canis, her Bronze Star and her Imperial Blitzkrieg Ribbon awards. Her rank is => Comlink

The CompForce trooper beckons Keline toward the booth where Korynn is seated, then stands by to observe, weapon drawn and aimed at the floor. Korynn looks toward her, his eyes expressionless. He's not happy to see her, nor is he displeased with her presence. There's simply nothing but his calculating gaze. "Commander," he greets her. "First I want you to recount your actions over the last forty-eight hours." So much for pleasantries.

Keline takes the indicated seat, tugging at the bottom of her uniform tunic as it rides up slightly with the motion, before she looks up and directs her mismatched eyes toward Korynn. "I was invited to the Kreldin estate. It was an informal gathering, no uniforms, but there were several of us.” She pauses, apparently recalling, before she gathers herself and speaks again. "Our IDs were examined before we entered. We were brought into a study which had a desk. The Grand Admiral sat behind it. He was in uniform. He wanted to talk to us about enlisting our help in a scheme to overthrow the Emperor.

Clearly, this wasn't exactly what Fleming was expecting. His reputation of having the utmost control over his expression is dashed when he blinks his eyes in rapid succession, as if his brain had just been teleported and replaced by another. For a moment, his knuckles whiten as his fingers grip each other, and in that fleeting moment, he nearly goes for his weapon to execute her on the spot. Until he realizes that she is being loyal. In fact, she's being most loyal by actually answering his questions. Letting out a breath of air through his nose, the ISB Director regains control of his expression, leaving only a trace of cold derisiveness in his eyes. "Were you aware of this meeting's purpose when you were summoned to the Estate?" he asks.

Keline waits until Korynn addresses her again. Her hands are in her lap, her gaze still on Korynn's face, as she shakes her head. "No. I doubt I would have gone if I had. It was all very secretive until we all arrived."

The ice in Korynn's eyes begins to dissipate even more. He tilts his chin forward just slightly and examines Keline with a meticulous look as he goes on. "I'd like for you to provide me with any details you can about what Kreldin told the gathered, along with a list of who was present."

Keline takes a breath, arranging herself slightly on her chair, as she nods slightly while keeping her gaze on Korynn's face. "He told us that he faked his own death. He said a lot of things about the Emperor...that he was an alien who was hiding his appearance from us. The Grand Admiral was… angry. Somehow he saw the broadcast the Emperor made when he took the throne... it was the comment about chaining the Navy that irked him. I came with Commodore Caiton."

The moment Keline mentions Commodore Caiton, Korynn holds up a silencing hand, as if to ensure that she doesn't continue. "One moment." He lowers his hand and tilts his chin back just a bit, his eyes locked into Keline's. There is something to be said about a Naval Officer who shows the confidence that she is showing. Korynn has to remain silent for a few moments while formulating his thoughts, but his gaze never leaves. "Give me your opinions on Emperor Vadim, and about his broadcast to the Galaxy." His pacing is slower now, as if to suggest that this question is the very hinge upon which Keline's fate rests. Here he watches her most closely.

Keline opens her mouth to speak, but closes it again as Korynn raises his hand, before waiting as Korynn gathers his thoughts. She pauses herself before she speaks again. "We were surprised… many of us here… to find that we had a new Emperor. His statement about chaining the Navy worried us… and apparently angered some. I was worried myself, but he is the Emperor. I didn't join the military to mutiny when I felt like it. I know there was a delay between my return to the ship and my admission now, which means that I was a fool. I accept that I was and what that means for me in the future.”

Fleming draws in a slow breath, and nods his head again. "There is something to say about your honesty, Commander. Your confidence, and your loyalty." He takes a free hand and taps a finger lightly on the table between them. "This Empire has been through the rise and fall of many Emperors. It has suffered through three internal civil wars. Yet it has remained strong through the ebb and flow of the war against the Rebellion." He draws his hand back, silent for a few seconds before speaking again in a decisive tone. "Your loyalty to the Emperor is not in question here. Nobody can blame you for being skeptical. The only mistake you made is the one you admitted to. That mistake will be brought to the attention of your superiors and they will exact proper corrective measures, I am sure, but fortunately, the charges of treason will not be measured against you.          "All I need..." He motions for the CompForce trooper, who obediently withdraws a datapad and sets it down before Keline. "Is for you to write down the names of every Imperial officer and crewman you recognized present at Kreldin's meeting."

Keline nods, her expression still set, but her muscles don't seem quite as tightened as they were a moment ago. She keeps her eyes on Korynn as he speaks. "I understand, sir." She looks at the pad as it is set before her. She picks up the provided light stylus and begins to enter in the names she is aware of… slowly, as her brow furrows. She pauses a moment before she looks back up at Korynn. "May I ask a question, sir?"

Korynn nods his head. "Of course."

Keline steadies herself before asking. "What will happen to Commodore Caiton when she returns? I still respect her, sir… but I understand if you say if it's not my business to ask, sir."

Korynn folds his hands together and is silent for a few moments. "Commodore Caiton will be given the same chance to speak honestly of her involvement as you have." His eyes and face only give away a sense of duty when he says this. He glances toward the datapad before Keline then, as if to suggest that there is more to say, but not until she's finished.

Keline nods at this answer, lowering her gaze to the datapad again, before she finishes writing out the names she knows before setting it down and setting her hands in her lap. She is working on keeping her bearing. "Those are the faces I recognized, sir."

Korynn turns his eyes to the CompForce trooper and nods his head indicatively. As the trooper reaches for the datapad, Korynn looks back to Keline. "You serve the Emperor well," he says. "I'm going to clear you of any charges on a temporary basis, Commander. However, there is something critical we need to discuss before we're done here." He makes a hand gesture as he goes on. "I need to preserve the ability for ISB to interview each person you've implicated, and I need then to remain unaware that you or anyone else have been questioned. They can think what they'd like, but I need to foster an environment where these people have the opportunity to be as honest as you have been. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

Keline nods. "You don't want doctored testimony… is that right, sir?"

Korynn nods his head. "Precisely. While I'm willing to provide you clearance to go back to your post, I need you to keep utterly quiet about this interview. As far as anyone aside from you and I, this meeting never took place. If that's not something you can handle, I can have you comfortably sequestered until this crisis is solved."

Keline shakes her head in answer. "I have to do my job, sir. Thank you for your offer, sir."

Korynn nods his head. "Keep silent about this meeting. People may question you about it. Do not answer, and do not give away that you are trying not to answer. Use the confidence you've shown here today and you will be fine. Otherwise, ISB will be forced to detain you and you will be held accountable for disobeying a COMPNOR directive." He turns his head toward the CompForce trooper, and squints his eyes somewhat. "Escort Commander Nelhrn to the Security Level. Award her digital identification with a free-duty authorization under my discretion so that she may resume her duties as Navigator."

Keline nods to show her understanding of Korynn's words, but keeps silent, as he address the trooper. When he finishes she says. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Then, Korynn actually offers Keline a smile. "Thank you for your loyalty, Commander. Glory to the Empire." He looks to the CompForce trooper and nods his head. "Come along, Commander," says the trooper, ready to take her to the security wing where her authorization can be granted.

Keline stands up from her chair, straightening her tunic attention, before she comes to attention and offers Korynn a salute. She then lowers her arm before she turns to follow the COMPNOR trooper to the security deck.