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Aden couldn't exactly say that he was pleased about having another person aboard his ship- the X-70A Phantom had been his exclusive home away from home ever since he'd had it made and aside from himself the only things that had moved about aboard so far were his droids. Still, the information he had received was information that both he and Thrawn had decided they wanted to move on and his ship was certainly more covert than an Imperial Star Destroyer would ever be. Faster, too.

He had made a few simple rules to make everything a bit easier on both of them though- Thrawn was not to go into Aden's personal quarters, he was not to go onto the bridge or into the cargo hold, and he was to keep his mitts off of the computer in the main hold. Other than that, Aden was happy to let him get up to whatever he wanted- he had let him know that he could get anything he wanted from the bar, that the galley was open to him so long as Aden himself wasn't in there, that he could use the conference room if needed, along with the holoterminal in the main hold to keep in contact with his people. Aden did not foresee Thrawn needing to access the medbay, but its doors were open to him as well nonetheless.

And of course, the beds in the crew quarters were comfortable due to the fact that they'd never been used before. Aden had even popped a few of his paintings in there so that Thrawn had something other to look at than bare metal walls while he was in there.

Though the main hold was more the treasure trove of art that was not Aden's own creations- sculptures and the like here and there to give the space a classy feel that went with the blend of rich wood tones and more modern glass features along with the plush seating and well-stocked bar. For all intents and purposes, the Phantom looked more like a luxury shuttle than the intelligence hub that it actually was- all of its combat capabilities well-hidden, and its internal computers difficult to access unless one knew exactly where to look for them.

The Phantom had just dropped out of hyperspace as the ship's computers- and the few droids aboard to assist with computing and day-to-day tasks- worked on charting the way forward since there wasn't exactly any commonly traveled route out here and Aden took the opportunity to take a seat by the sleek desk in the main hold, the screen on the wall activating while the surface of the desk parted to bring up the keyboard hidden beneath.

There wasn't exactly a very stable connection to anything super important out here, but the ships internal computers still allowed him to work on a few things he wanted to work on- like reviewing the report he'd gotten from Watcher Three and Minder Four. The message to expect him and an ally had been sent well before they had set off, so that it would arrive before they did and allow the pair of agents on the planet to prepare for their arrival- so they would be ready to receive them along with setting up a safe house while they were there.

Glancing back as he heard movement, he spoke up, "If you want to update your people, I suggest you do that now. Signal's not the best, but it is secure, and it's not like we're going to linger here for long."

He didn't think he was telling Thrawn anything the man hadn't figured for himself, but still, "The ship's navigational computer is currently at 72%, so we'll be off in hyperspace again within about twenty minutes, I imagine."

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With Aden gone, the three of them got to conversing. Thrawn told them about his exile, being found by the Empire and enlisting in their navy, working his way up to becoming Grand Admiral, and being sent out into the Unknown Region ostensibly to map it for Palpatine. Of course, Thrawn told them about his Empire of the Hand and what they did. He told them about Nuso Esva, the news about Palpatine's death and the rebellion forming the New Republic.

Thrass and Lorana in turn told him about some of the things they'd done since Keeper's agents recruited them, and how they'd come to be known as Watcher 3 and Minder 4. Thrass also felt a little smug that Thrawn had gone gray before he did.

They knew they would have to come up with a story just in case anyone from the Hand recognized Thrass. For now, he and Lorana would have to avoid Thrawn's Chiss agents.

At the knock, Thrass waved Aden in like before. "Did you get all your errands done, Keeper?"

"My ship's been fully stocked for the four of us when we return, yes."

He'd also gotten a better look at the look of the place. Thrass's written report had told him a lot, of course, but reading something and seeing it for oneself were two very different things. Same went for reading something and talking with the people who lived here, and he'd done plenty of that too- framing his questions in a way that made him seem like some curious tourist, using his charm to get people to say more than they normally might have.

"I got a bit of a feel for what you said in your latest mail too."

Not as much as someone who had lived here for a while, but still. When one knew what to look for, seeing the things that didn't fit was easy.

"Speaking of- let's get that report out of the way."

The one who would be doing the heavy lifting was Thrawn- Aden had thought the information to be of particular interest to him and Thrawn had agreed based on what Aden had presented him with, which was why they were both here. Still, it was information he too wanted since he would be the one directing the flow of it all if it became necessary.

"Technically we could do that on the way back, but..."

He gave a dismissive gesture, "Might as well get it out of the way here."

Thrass and Lorana would need to pack their things too so it'd probably be dark outside by the time they were ready to leave again. Technically it had been supposed to be a longer visit, but. Unforeseen circumstances and all of that.

"Oh, yes, the report," Thrass said. "For the past couple of weeks, we've noticed some odd activity. Taken separately, they seemed innocuous, but when looked at as pieces of a bigger picture, it seemed to be worth noting." He brought out his datapad to review his notes. "At one shipyard, I noticed that parts for starfighters were being shipped, and at another shipyard, weapons were being smuggled in, both going to the same planet."

"Hm, I find that too sloppy for Nuso Esva's work," Thrawn mused. "It could be another warlord he has convinced to join him, or it could be an independent."

"With the changes in local economy and the overall look of the place as compared to only a short while ago, I'd say you're looking at a warlord who's seeking to have this world act as either a base or at the very least as a staging point."

Most of the natives seemed to have been run off into the slums surrounding the wealthier and more fortified parts of the city. It wasn't exactly a haven for degenerates, but with a little more effort to push civilians off to the fringes, it could become just that. Run off the honest folk and it would be easy for someone to swoop in- take over the planet's resources, communications. All the things that mattered.

Reminded him a little of Rishi, really.

There had been that jumpiness in the natives Aden had met too, along with individuals who clearly didn't belong, and yet moved about as though they owned the place. Whatever plans were in motion, whoever was behind the scenes was decent at pulling strings.

Not decent enough- had they been smarter, then a slower and more natural approach would have been better- but decent. Move slowly enough, carefully enough, and the people living on the planet may not even have noticed that their way of life was being choked off by outsiders. Perhaps Thrass and Lorana would have taken longer to notice.

Perhaps the mastermind didn't think anyone was looking or listening in.

"Whoever it is, I'd say putting a stop to it would be best. While the planet itself may be out of the way, the routes around it are important enough that if someone should take control of them, it'd be a pain."

A warlord could choke off trade much the same way that they were choking off the local economy, and that would have effects on nearby sectors. They could reroute traffic to suit them too. Starfighter parts and weapons were worrisome enough, but Aden knew bad news when he saw it. Should this become a hub of activity for some warlord and his unwashed cohorts, then this Nuso Esva could move in once the groundwork had been laid too Aden thought. Take out the competition once the dust settled to avoid doing the heavy lifting.

That's what Aden would do if he was a warlord anyway.

"Of course I'm only capable of controlling information- smothering any calls for help, for example. Whether it's swooping in to save the day or leaving things as they are, that's not up to me."

He didn't have the same resources as Thrawn did, after all. Aden's spies had what they needed, but a large scale operation was beyond his network.

"Most likely a staging point. The next-to-last staging point before the home base, even."

Lorana tilted her head quizzically at Thrawn's deduction, to which Thrass said, "He does this all the time. Even I don't know how he does it, and we grew up together." Thrass wondered how much of the intel he'd given Keeper during his time as a Watcher Three had gone to Thrawn, and whether it had helped during his various battles and campaigns. To think, he was still helping his brother without even realizing.

"We shouldn't act too quickly. I want more reports from your Cipher while I plan my attack." Charging in with only half the needed information could be dangerous and cause more harm than good.

"If you say so, then I suppose that's a safe bet."

What information Aden had dug up on Thrawn had more or less told him that his deductions were worth putting some amount of faith in. It would be a nice test to see whether or not that was true on a larger scale like this or if he should continue to trust only himself and his own judgement.

"If you want someone to get into their ranks, I can assign a couple more Ciphers if you'd like. I've got a few who are currently sitting around twiddling their thumbs."

Not entirely truthful, but he did have a few who could be pulled away from less immediately pressing operations.

"Very well. I will defer to your judgement for who to send. Make sure you order them to not try to be heroes and get out if they think their covers are compromised." It probably didn't need to be said, but Thrawn felt the need to put it out there anyway. While he'd never been led to believe that Aden would sacrifice his agents, there was a ruthless side to Aden.

"Once they gather more information, we can cut off their supply lines in such a way that is not immediately noticeable, and won't affect the local economy. Then we can strike at the warlord directly."

"I don't sacrifice my agents, Thrawn. The information they bring is important, but not more important than their lives."

Aden knew what it was like to be seen as disposable. As only a tool. His agents were people to him. His people. He preferred to keep them out of situations where they'd have to give their lives in order to complete their mission. But of course admitting that would be a bit too much like vulnerability.

"I've put a lot of time and effort into finding and training them. I won't lose them to a warlord and his idiot cronies."

He snorted then, "So use their plan here against them except not in a way that sucks? Got it."

Show them how it was really done before springing the trap shut. It'd be funny if he thought that they'd realize that that was what had been done.

"We should pull out for now though. Pack up here and then make our way back to the Phantom."

Thrass and Lorana were likely to have things they wanted to pack and bring along.

"You three can pack up and I'll make sure nothing that can be used to identify any of us remains."

"As it should be." Especially when Thrass was one of his agents. The loss of life would be bad in an of itself, but there was also the fact that losing those agents would mean having to find and train more. Loss of life and resources was to be avoided at all cost. It was nice having the confirmation said aloud.

"Yes, Keeper," Thrass said, as he, Thrawn and Lorana went into the back rooms to pack up their things. Thrass and Lorana didn't have much to pack, with their things mostly consisting of a few changes of clothes and some equipment and weapons. Lorana was used to traveling light, since Jedi often didn't have much to their names anyway.

Once packed up, Thrawn helped carry his brother's things back out in the den. "We are ready to leave." Thrass said.

While they were occupied, Aden swept the house. Experience guiding his hand in sweeping away the traces of the life Thrass and Lorana had lived here. There would be nothing to find in the house for anyone who might be curious. No trace to lead anyone to any of them. Just an empty and abandoned house to either go back on the market or to sit abandoned.

He was waiting by the time the others returned, near the window with his arms crossed.

People outside going about their days as normal. But not too normal. They'd be able to make their way back to the Phantom just fine, he thought.

"Then let's go."

He headed for the door to open it- eyes open just in case. But not particularly expecting any trouble on their way back.

Thrawn couldn't help but do a visual scan of the area, like he thought that Aden would miss something. By all accounts, he'd covered their tracks well, and there was no sign that anyone had lived in the house. The agent was quite thorough.

The three of them followed Aden outside, not saying a word. Thrass looped his arm through Thrawn's, in order to look more natural. It was also just his own way of showing affection for the brother he thought he'd never see again.

Aden rolled his eyes very subtly at Thrawn's check of the area- like Aden was some sort of amateur who'd miss something. But then, he supposed it was true that Thrawn had no idea about the sort of education Aden had had, and the training. Aden was an independent- not exactly easy to just trust that he was experienced. Even so, he couldn't help the slight eye roll. But at least he hadn't said anything.

Their trek back to the Phantom was as quiet as he had predicted. Outside of Aden's ship, a pair of droids stood guard- assassin droids by the look of them, though the way they moved and held themselves spoke more to guard or bodyguard programming. Either way they stood down at Aden's approach and disappeared back up into the ship along with a mouse droid that came scurrying from somewhere to drive back up into the Phantom as well- obviously coming back from some subtle surveillance of the spaceport they'd landed in.

Aden led the group inside then, "I already prepared two more bunks in the crew quarters- there's space for all your belongings as well. Other than that, the common areas are open for use, but the cargo hold, my quarters at the front, and the bridge are not."

His rules for Thrawn were very much still in effect for Thrass and Lorana too.

"Feel free to help yourselves to food and drink, too."

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