Intelligence and Security

[Kres'uru'camco]

The sub-basements in the Temple were not something openly discussed, and it was rare for their existences to be acknowledged.

Certainly, it was known that there was a number of Jedi and non-Force-Sensitives who worked for Intelligence. Their identities were not often made public.

There were others who worked for Security, usually within the Temple alone. They were more widely acknowledged.

They each received much the same training, and reported to the same people, updating the same archives. which was far less known. Their archives held notes on everything from the latest fleet movements on the other side of the galaxy, to comings and goings through the doors to the Temple - all the doors, not merely the main gate.

And, of course, to records of what happened to those Force-Sensitives who were deemed too old for training when they were found, and their family lines. Records and follow-ups on Jedi who had, for any reason, left the Order.

Or been declared deceased.

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

Mez glanced down at Jace, who was gripping his lightsaber even though she'd told him not to.

"Not until necessary, Jace." She stepped out, and smiled politely at the Knight holding an unlight saber in a stance she'd never personally studied.

"We're just passing through."

[Kres'uru'camco]

Suruc kept his face blank, taking in Initiate Jace's grip on the saber which fitted him well, however clearly he'd not constructed it himself, and the Knight- no. She felt more balanced than that, possibly a Master, but a complete unknown Master.

The Master who'd stared up at the cameras as though she knew precisely where they all were and said to seek her on Ossus. The one who had a key, and had used it to let that sickly-wrong creature into the Library, then had hotwired her way down to the sub-basements.

"We've been tracking your progress since you arrived on Ossus. Identification would be appreciated."

Suruc kept his grip firm on his lightsaber.

[Jace]

Jace let his grip loosen at Mez's words and followed behind her, making sure not to get out in front of her. He looked up at the Chiss and tried to remember if he'd ever seen him around before, he didn't think he had. He also decided it was probably best if he kept his mouth shut and let Mez do all the talking, after all until only a few minutes ago he'd never known this place existed.

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

Mez nodded down at Jace, ignoring the Knight for now. "See, what did I tell you? Ostentatious sign and everything."

[Kres'uru'camco]

Suruc narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Initiate Jace, please step away from your unidentified companion."

[Jace]

Jace grinned at Mez then turned to the Jedi Knight and gave him a confused look. "But she's my Master now. Besides I know her more then I do you."

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

"Jace, don't torment the Security. Now, one thing lots of people don't know about those 'There Is Knowledge' signs, is that there's one right in front of every lift. They hide the cameras and a rudimentary scanning system. If you ever have to sneak down here without me, get rid of the signs first. Right now, we're being scanned, and our biometrics and everything are being recorded, and compared against records." Mez smiled brightly at the Chiss.

"If I were to, oh, give this Knight an appropriate passcode, that code and my voice and the way I say it would be checked off against all sorts of criteria, to make sure that I were not saying it under duress. Or worse, that I had taken the knowledge from somebody else. But I've been gone so long that it would have to be a very good code indeed if it were going to get us anywhere, wouldn't you agree, Knight...?"

[Kres'uru'camco]

Suruc's jaw tightened at Initiate Jace's words. This was clearly one of the reasons Initiates should still be escorted if they ever left the Temple, to prevent them being picked up by... vagabonds like the woman in front of him.

"Then you should introduce us, Padawan Jace." The poor Initiate clearly had no idea what kind of trouble he'd be in later.

The Chiss ignored the woman's words. She was accurate about the signs with the motto on them, yes, but there would be no way she had a current password.

[Jace]

"Interesting." He nodded at Mez's words and furrowed his brow at the Knight's. "It's kind of rude to ignore somebody completely." He shrugged his shoulders and rolled his head, listening to the all to familiar cracks and pops. "Her name is Mez-Jid Fie'r and if you've been doing your job you know that that Nessa woman is going to try and kill some former Jedi named Rico. If we don't get what we've come for and leave soon she'll get to him before we do."

[Kres'uru'camco]

"Mez-Jid Fie'r died several years ago, young one." Suruc tried to gentle his voice. "We have her own recording of the event on file, and confirmation from her next of kin. Besides which, your companion is not a cyborg." However much that would explain how she got down here.

"Step away from her, Initiate Jace."

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

"New information should always be tested, rather than completely discounted, would you not agree, Knight? There is knowledge was poorly chosen as a motto otherwise. If a computer's records say a person is dead, yet another stands before you and says that person is alive, which is incorrect? I still have my key, I still know how to get down here. And aside from anything else, I still put that damn holocron away safely rather than use it."

Mez stepped forward, right into where the saber would go right through her were it turned on. "If I recall correctly, there was a massive electrical overload in the cybernetic circuits at the time. Did nobody suspect I was still alive and that Vo might have been lying?"

[Jace]

Jace didn't step away as he was instructed to do, instead he stood by her side and remained quiet. When Mez stepped forward however he stayed where he was, deciding if things did get hairy it was probably best to be out of the way. He didn't doubt that Mez was who she said she was, after all sometimes people just got better from being dead.

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

"Oh, admit it. Now you're curious. You wouldn't be in your job right now if you weren't curious."

[Kres'uru'camco]

Suruc carefully didn't sigh.
"Curiosity can get people into a lot of trouble."