The lakes of Naboo shimmered beneath the golden sunset, their calm surfaces reflecting twin shadows: the descending cruiser and the storm brewing quietly in Cassian's mind.
Cassian Voss stepped off the Specter One, clad not in armor, but a formal-cut Corellian tunic with the Voss Hypertech insignia discreetly woven in platinum thread. Beside him, a diplomat droid rattled off Naboo customs, local trade laws, and plasma refining figures.
The plasma contract was crucial. Corellia needed refined Naboo plasma for their next-gen grav-thrust warpcore reactors. In turn, Naboo would receive stealth infrastructure blueprints and advanced civic AI protocols.
But something had changed.
The king he was meant to meet—Veruna—had abdicated, or so they claimed. In his place stood a girl no older than Cassian himself, poised and commanding even in youth.
"I am Queen Amidala. Naboo's interests are mine to protect."
Her voice was melodic but carried steel beneath. Cassian blinked once twice and inclined his head respectfully.
"Cassian Voss. Corellian engineer. I came for plasma. I didn't expect royalty."
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "And I didn't expect a negotiator so... young."
The negotiations took place in the upper palace chamber, with twin suns casting long shadows through alabaster windows. The discussions were diplomatic, direct, and yet strangely personal.
Amidala challenged Cassian's clauses with sharp insight. He responded with Corellian wit and grace. Between talks of plasma conduits and logistics, their eyes met too often for chance.
When the deal was signed, she offered a tour of the palace grounds. Cassian accepted, of course.
They walked by the lakeside, where Amidala paused by the edge.
"I sense... you're not just an engineer."
Cassian chuckled. "I've been told I'm a bit more than that."
Their hands brushed by accident. Neither pulled away.
"Would you come back?" she asked softly."If I had reason," he answered, "I wouldn't leave at all."
Cassian returned to Zereth Prime with more than plasma. He carried something harder to replicate a quiet tension in his chest, a memory of royal eyes watching him as he left.
But there was no time to dwell. The system pulsed.
[Next Mission Path: Selected — Universe: Halo]Coordinates locked. Primary goal: Technological acquisition.Priority: Spartan Protocols. Forerunner Constructs. Smart AI.Target: Catherine Halsey.
Zeta-17 Science Facility — Reach
He materialized in a sealed corridor, disguised as Dr. Cassian Voss, ONI Special Contractor, the system forging credentials, background, and trust.
Catherine Halsey met him the next morning.
"Cassian Voss. Corellian, huh?""In a manner of speaking.""You're not ONI. Not really.""Neither are you, Halsey. You're something else entirely."
She raised a brow and then, for the first time in days, smiled.
"You'll do."
They worked side by side. Spartan-II schematics, MJOLNIR prototypes, neural interface implants, and discussions over ethical boundaries.
Cassian provided critical advances: mind-mapped adaptive reflex tuning, compact zero-latency armor sensors, and early-stage Forerunner resonance scanning.
Together, they laid the groundwork for Cortana though she did not yet have a name.
Cassian found himself slowly drawn to Halsey not romantically, but intellectually. A kindred spirit.