Esbern considered him silently, then nodded rather than pressing the issue. It was Reynik’s prerogative to keep his discoveries to himself; the outcome could be judged just the same.
He watched the Sith return to their quarters and then went to the communications room, dialing in the appropriate channel to Darth Cygius. As usual, Esbern was made to wait by the Keeper that organized the bulk of Cygius’ missions, a quiet man with only slightly less cybernetic implants than Cygius himself. There was no idle chat between the two of them as the silence stretched on, but several minutes later Cygius appeared on the holo.
“Report, Hullis.”
Esbern straightened from digging out a crust of grime beneath his fingernails and nodded in greeting. “Marigon reported in, lord. She’s alive. Still digging out the originating signal of her call though; could take a few days or even a week. It’s highly complex.”
Cygius shifted and his gaze drifted down for a brief moment. “…She did not run into trouble as suspected?”
“No, and I don’t mind telling you that I told you so,” Esbern growled, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. Cygius, who had more years of experience with Esbern than most anyone, let this slide.
“And what information did she have for you?”
“Nothing yet, just that she’s landed safe and was successful in infiltrating the Exiled, lord. The call was short. She didn’t have much time.” Esbern hesitated, scratching at the mess of scar tissue on the back of his neck. “There was a complication with her carbonite freezing, though. Turns out the job was imperfect. She woke up blind like most people do when they come out of carbonite at first, only….only it didn’t come back for her.”
Cygius stroked his chin, his thin mouth pressing thinner. “Hardly a death sentence for a force user, but this does complicate things. There is a reason why many of our kind choose cybernetic replacements if something happens to our sight. Certainly one can use the force to see after a fashion, but such abilities are usually only obtained after trespassing a path more often walked by heretics and Jedi,” he said, spitting the word ‘Jedi’ like a curse. “This could complicate things, especially given her current company.”
“With all due respect, Darth Cygius, Marigon isn’t a traitor,” Esbern snapped defensively.
“Perhaps, but even the most loyal could suffer doubt when faced with something so life altering as losing one of one’s most important senses. Were she here instead of nestled in a den of rebels, my concerns would be less. I suppose we have no choice but to wait and see. Send me your report of the conversation and I will decide how we will proceed. Inform me once you have managed to track the communication source.”
Esbern gave a silent nod, his jaw setting tightly.
“And my newest acquisition?” Cygius asked, changing the subject abruptly.
Esbern gave another short nod. “So far, so good. His self-control is impressive. He’s cagey, but that’s a positive trait in this line of work.”
“How close is he to completing his mission?”
Esbern shrugged.
Cygius’ eyes narrowed. “You do not know?”
“Like I said, lord. Cagey.”
“Is it not your job to pay attention to these things, Handler?”
“You wanted judgement on how he handles himself, and you’ll have your answer when all is said and done same as me. This isn’t a test to see how well he works on a team, it’s a test to see if he has the appropriate skills to get the job done our way. He can either work well with his own leads, or he can’t. He either climbs the rope he’s been offered, or he hangs himself with it. The choices are all his.” Esbern said gruffly, going back to digging out the dirt beneath his nails. “Personally though, I think he’ll probably do just fine.”
“If you say so, but I do not enjoy being kept in the dark. You know this.” Cygius said
“I do say so. As for being kept in the dark, you’ll just have to deal with it. That’s the nature of the beast.” Esbern replied firmly. “That’s all I have to report. Any further orders?”
“No. As you were—oh and Hullis?” Cygius queried, head tilting slightly. The old man merely raised an eyebrow in answer. “I can still activate the chip in your head and blow your skull to a million tiny pieces if the whim takes me. I know it must be difficult to learn new habits when one is of your advanced age, but…you will observe the proper courtesies expected of you when next we speak, or I will be finding a more respectful and obedient Handler to take your place. She is not there to shield you from my wrath now.”
Esbern scowled, but bowed his head after a beat of hesitant reluctance. “Yes, Darth Cygius.”
The transmission cut without another word between them, but Esbern muttered several obscenities as he left the communications room and headed for his bunk.
The old man came upon the sight of Reynik’s meditation, and rather than entering the room properly, he stayed just inside the door and watched. Most Sith in his experience meditated on their rage, letting it seethe until one could feel it clear across the ship. Marigon had been different; she preferred the rarely viewed meditations used by her race. Reynik’s way was more unique than even her method, however. It was practiced, controlled. Lightsabers could be deadly to the wielder if even a single component was off, but as he dismantled the weapon and reassembled it, Esbern couldn’t help but note how flawlessly the young Sith did. He had no right to the pride that he felt, but he felt it just the same. It spoke greater volumes as to Reynik’s character than anything else had so far.
Yeah…the kid will do just fine, Esbern thought to himself again, with no small amount of approval.
Careful to disrupt Reynik as little as possible, Esbern moved with a surprising silence to his bunk and got into it, wincing in discomfort at the hard mat that was the ship’s excuse for a bed. He didn’t sleep, but rather watched and waited.
