Interrogation

Pip ordered her crew to lay low until things calmed down. Unlike Aldric, she wasn't worried they might pick a fight with the Horde. Rather, she was still concerned that perhaps members of her crew were targets. The attack on Furyman may have simply been a coincidence, but that didn't mean the Horde weren't behind the attempt on her own life. Somebody was responsible for the long string of security incidents that resulted in her being sent up here, and the Horde had more than enough motive.

However, with Aldric's troops holed up in their base, Pip didn't want to expose her own crew to any more danger than she had to, so she passed word that they were to stay on the Tournament grounds and remain observant.

By the afternoon Pip's three crews were reclining in separate parts of the tavern, drinking and socializing. Some of the tension from this morning had bled off, and a few Alliance troops could be seen out and about once more. Few were actually in the tavern, while the upstairs was practically crowded to limit with Horde. Still, there were far more than enough Alliance attendees about to make Pip comfortable keeping her crew here.

She hadn't been there long when Mariel arrived, looking for her. Mariel engaged her in small talk for a moment, visibly trying to play the part of her 'long lost friend' to onlookers, but Pip could feel many of the Horde take notice as they spoke.

Mariel said, "You really have to come see some of the things I kept from our days back in Elwyn, Pip. You mind if I steal you away from your friends?"

"Please do," Rivv played along, raising her glass and scrunching her face at Pip.

Once outside, Mariel whispered "Something's come up, orders." Pip followed her back to the Alliance base, but at least she could enter visibly this time under the guise of visiting an old friend.

Mariel led her straight to the Command building. The first thing Pip noticed upon entering were the two rogues standing in the waiting area. They didn't speak, but just stood watchful, wearing the colors of Stormwind. She knew immediately there were from SI:7. Mariel asked Pip to wait up front with them as she walked back into Aldric's office. Through the office doorway, Pip could see an SI:7 special courier speaking with Aldric.

It wasn't long before the courier took his leave, nodding at Pip as he passed. His two escorts fell into step with him and the three departed quickly. Mariel lingered a bit longer before coming back out to get Pip.

"Remember that outpost I showed you earlier? The one way out on our western front? I need you to meet me there in an hour. Just you," Mariel told her.

"Did something happen?"

"No, but I can't say more right now. Just be there in an hour, okay? I've got to prepare a few things."

"I'll be there," Pip told her, before heading back out, thoroughly confused.

---

Rivv was none too pleased, but she told her to keep all of their crew in town.

The western outpost was basically a round, squat stone sentry tower, about thirty feet across and twenty high, that stood far out in the middle of the valley plain. It was constructed solidly enough not to need a surrounding picket, but was comfortable enough inside to house a dozen or more troops if it had to. It had two levels, a lower one that served most of the utilitarian functions (armory, supplies, etc.), and an upper one that served as a residence (kitchen, living area, and sleeping quarters). Downstairs was divided up into several rooms, while the upstairs portion was one large common area.

As she approached, Pip took note of Alliance sentries flying wide circles over the valley, keeping a watchful eye on their western front. Two guards stood outside at the heavily-reinforced door to the outpost. The stone walls surrounding the door were a good two feet thick, and she had marveled at the craftsmanship that made this outpost such a strong structure. It had to be, of course, standing so far out by itself. The door was solid oak and was reinforced outside with steel, but swung open easily enough on its thick hinges.

Inside stood Mariel, looking over some papers on a table off to one side. She looked up at Pip, but smiled apprehensively. Instead of her usual gray uniform, she was wearing a commoner's outfit, a plain brown peasant's dress that appeared older and overused. Was she to join her crew undercover somehow? Surely enough people in the region knew her face so as to make that impractical. Mariel saw the questions in her eyes.

"Sorry for not telling you more earlier, Pip, I was under orders."

"That's okay, so what's going on?"

"You may want to read it yourself." Mariel handed over an opened document, apparently the same one delivered this afternoon from Stormwind.

Pip examined the broken seal and recognized Renzik's insignia. She unfolded it and began reading. It contained, not new orders, but a temporary interruption to her mission. Stormwind Intelligence, like any large organization, had it's very own layer of bureaucracy. It was a small layer, fortunately, but it existed nonetheless. Somebody, somewhere, had pointed out how long it had been since Pip had led an active mission, and raised the concern that too much time had passed since her last security evaluation. Active field operators went through rigorous training in all aspects of both gathering and protecting sensitive information. Apparently her little stunt with Orgrim's Hammer had rattled a few of them enough to wonder if she was still at the top of her game.

She doubted Renzik had any concerns, but with so much going on right now in their struggle against the Lich King, Stormwind could afford to be a little cautious.

Hence, the order stated, she would be given a field evaluation by a member of Aldric's staff. She almost laughed at the idea, given that she had been sent here to unravel a problem that Aldric's staff could not. Renzik, in his wisdom, must have vetoed the usual practice of bringing someone back for a "real" evaluation by people who knew what they were doing, and figured he could appease the bureaucrats with a simple field evaluation that Pip would likely be able to pass in her sleep.

"Any questions?" Mariel asked.

"How'd they sucker you into this?" Pip asked.

"Actually, the Commander was going to have Cennian do it but I asked if I could instead. He was hesitant, but I insisted."

Pip chuckled. "Haha, okay, so what do we do, play cards all day and tell them you weren't able to get anything out of me?"

Mariel smile back, but shook her head. "No, Pip, I could never sign a false report, you should know better than that. I just wanted to make sure everything was done right. From what I understand, your interviewer has pretty broad leeway as to how they test you."

"That's true, when you first go through your security training it can be incredibly rough. The instructors know exactly which buttons to push, and they force you right to the breaking point. Two who were in my class never passed their evaluation. They still got assignments, but not out in the field."

"Well Cennian's pretty harsh with the base personnel, and I didn't want to put you through that."

"Fair enough, so what did you have in mind? Why bring me out here?"

"Oh this wasn't my idea. I am going to write your evaluation, but only as an observer. I chose another to handle your interview. He's running late, he should have been here by now. In the meantime he said you're to change into this." Mariel handed over what appeared to be a peasant's dress similar to her own.

Pip looked at it with distaste.

"Apparently it's psychological, something to do with forcing you out of your element. I can see where he's coming from, your gear is quite intimidating."

Pip, familiar with the layout from her last visit, went upstairs to change. She was still amazed at how homely they had decorated the common area. Soft fur rugs on the floor, drapes along the walls, and small windows looking out over the valley plains. It made sense, though. Whoever stayed here was as far away from the base as they dared, some measures had to be taken to make them feel at home.

It occurred to Pip once she got up here, however, that there were no room dividers upstairs. The place was empty but for her and Mariel, however, so it didn't really matter. She shrugged, walked over to one of the beds, and began unstrapping her armor. Hopefully they could get through this quickly so that she could get back to work, but she guessed that depended on who her interviewer was and how long it would take them to realize Pip could not be broken.

She became a little self-conscious when she got down to her shirt and shorts. She definitely did feel out of her element without the secure feeling of her leather armor and weapons, and the alcohol she'd consumed in the tavern wasn't making things easier. She hadn't planned on anything more taxing than intelligence gathering this afternoon, and had drunk a bit more than she should have. She could already feel the buzz, but wasn't overly worried about it affecting her performance.

As she unbuttoned her shorts she cast a quick glimpse back at the stairs, but Mariel was still downstairs. She didn't know why it mattered, they had known each other since childhood, but something about seeing her again had thrown Pip off. Mariel definitely had grown up. She still had the same dark red hair Pip remembered, but it was longer and straighter now, and her eyes if anything were more mesmerizing. Those eyes... deep blue eyes swimming in a sea of red hair, something about that sent a shiver down Pip's spine. She shrugged it off, maybe it was just a chill.

Despite the snow outside there was very little actual chill in the room, due to the fire blazing in the hearth. But that was at the opposite end of the room, and as she stepped out of her shorts she felt her skin tingle in the air, making her look back again to the empty stairs. Standing now in just a shirt and panties, Pip unbuttoned her top, each button letting more cool air touch her chest.

Maybe it was the fact that her longtime friend was just downstairs, or that the building they were in was so isolated, or simply the fact that she was undressing in the cool air, but Pip found herself getting excited, her body starting to tingle and react. True, she had been on detached service for almost a week now without a moment of time for herself, but Pip knew that this was hardly the time for her to show a lack of self control. The interview was likely to be unpleasant, and she would rely on that to calm the urges that were welling up.

She tried focusing her mind on what was to come, but as she unfastened the last button her shirt fell open and the cool air flowed right across her now exposed breasts. Instantly her nipples stiffened and the sensation caused a soft gasp to escape her lips. Damn that cool air felt nice. She brought her hands up to cup her breasts and shield them from the chill, but the sudden contact of her warm palms against her nipples produced an even stronger reaction in her, and Pip had to bite her lip to keep from moaning.

It took her a moment to regain her composure. She slid her shirt off her shoulders and laid it with her gear, picking up the dress Mariel had given her.

"They've got to be kidding," she thought. The dress was much shorter than Mariel's and probably only came down to mid-thigh. It was made of a thin green material that seemed far too flimsy for use as a house dress. She considered objecting, but how would that look on the report? There were far worse things than short dresses. Better to just get this over with, she thought.

As she held it up in the light she realized just how thin the material was. She held part of the material up against her light panties and realized one could see the faint outline of them through the material. Why couldn't Mariel have told her before she came out all this way? She could have changed. The panties she had on were slightly less than covering. There was a tiny triangle of material in the front, long thin straps over her waist, and very little at all in the back. She hadn't actually planned on anyone seeing them. Then again, she thought, this could be fun. She may actually be able to tip her interviewer off his guard, and that would make him far less effective. The wicked thought made her smile, and sent another sexy shiver through her body.

"Mmm nice." Mariel said, coming up the stairs behind her.

Pip jumped and held the dress bunched up against her breasts, looking back as Mariel approached with a linen bag.

"I hope I didn't scare you, part of my instructions were to put away out of sight any of the items you brought with you, including your gear." Mariel approached and bent over the bed, collecting Pip's things and putting them in the bag. She had a smile on her face now, and Pip watched as her eyes momentarily skimmed over her body. Pip held the dress tightly to her breasts but realized her panties were clearly on display, as tiny as they were. Mariel gathered the last of her things and smiled at her, but seemed unable to hold back from one last glimpse down Pip's half-naked body.

"It's okay," Pip stammered, caught off guard. "It's actually common practice. If I were ever captured and interrogated the enemy would do no less."

"Hmm... and wouldn't that be fun?" Mariel smiled as she said it, then headed back downstairs.

Pip, flustered now, was wondering what Mariel meant as she slid the dress on over her head. It was a short-sleeved peasant's dress, with a wide low neckline that just barely hung at her shoulders. The top was adjusted using a single string-tie at the top below her neck. A seam there ran down a few inches, right between her breasts, so she tied it as tight as possible to keep that gap closed. Mariel's dress was also of a peasant-style, and had a similar tie in front, but at least hers reached below her knees. Looking down, Pip realized this one barely fell to mid-thigh, and she found she had to let it out a bit at top so that it would hang lower. She had a difficult time finding the right balance of not showing too much up top or too much of her legs, and this was both frustrating and exciting her.

This really was ridiculous, she thought. And was sure Mariel would agree when she saw it. Even the serious interviews in Stormwind were meant to break you down, not humiliate you. Oh well, she thought, at the very least it might be fun to see what psychological damage she could to to the interviewer dressed like this.

As she walked back to the stairs she peeked outside the window, and saw that the winged sentries had gone, and the two out front were now riding back to town. A figure was unsaddling his horse outside and she guessed that would be her interviewer. He was crouched on the other side of his horse at the moment, but before she could get a good look Mariel's voice called her downstairs.

Pip was barefoot, but the downstairs hearth was blazing so it was just as warm down here. Mariel turned from her papers and seemed lost as to what to say when she saw Pip. Her eyes travelled up and down, from her legs to neck. As comfortable as Pip thought she would feel around Mariel, she was very self-conscious, and was hoping it didn't show. Mariel's eyes were lingering, though, and Pip had to ask a question to break the silence.

"So who's to be my interviewer?"

"He's just outside, actually. I wanted someone I could trust to be both thorough and discreet."

"Thorough" sent another chill down Pip's spine. What did she mean by that? Before she could ask there came the sound of a key in the door and she turned to face her interrogator. The door swung wide and light flooded into the chamber. Pip stood at attention.

At 6 foot 5 inches, Hood dominated the door frame as he stepped through it. Pip's breath caught in her throat, and all thoughts of 'tormenting the poor interviewer' disappeared. Hood knew her better than most of her crew, and would see right through any games she tried to play to put him off guard.

He set a satchel down beside the door and looked at her. She expected that stupid grin of his to appear any moment, or for him to make some lewd remark about her dress, but he did not. He watched her for several moments, then spoke to Mariel without taking his eyes from her.

"Nice choice of outfit, Mariel."

"Thank you, it took me a while to find it."

What? Mariel had specially picked out this half-dress? She saw Mariel eyeing her again, and looked down to see what she was looking at. To her horror, the light flooding in from the doorway made her dress nearly transparent. Not just her dark areolae, but the entire shape of her breasts was clearly visible through the thin fabric. Oh my god, she thought, they're both staring at me. She wanted to cover herself, to turn away, but the moment that door opened she knew her evaluation had begun, and she did not want to show one bit of weakness. Was modesty a weakness? Her mind swam and her nipples stiffened again, clearly poking out through the light material. Could Hood see that? Oh please no. She knew that the tiny white triangle of her panties was no less visible in this light.

Showing no reaction, Hood turned and closed the door, then walked over to the papers Mariel had laid out on the table. Mariel, for her part, had a hard time tearing her eyes away from Pip, until Hood started speaking.

"As I understand it, these evaluations cover four major parts of intelligence security - Gathering, Records, Communication, and Concealment."

Pip was again caught off guard. Normally Hood was jovial and lighthearted, and rarely seemed to take anything short of a raid seriously. Now he stood there with his back to her, very much in his element, while she stood here feeling completely exposed. That thought sent another shiver down her spine. She had to give him this, he really must know what he was doing. He had been here all of 60 seconds and already he had her off guard and struggling to retain her composure.

Hood continued, "I've not been briefed on your current mission, only some of it's parameters. I doubt you'll have any need to securely store or protect sensitive records, so I'll skip that section entirely. You've already shown yourself capable of meeting with your contacts stealthily, according to Mariel, so she can write that part of your evaluation without my help. That leaves us with gathering and concealment. I've no idea how much information you gleaned from your raid on Orgrim's Hammer, but you pulled it off with no loss of life and without revealing your role in the matter. I'm still a little concerned as to your sledge-hammer approach, but can't fault you out of hand without knowing more. We'll return to that area last.

"You are, however, deep in the field on this mission, and so concealment will be my primary focus." He turned back to face her, and although his eyes never left hers, she felt as if he could see all of her without even looking.

"Concealment includes everything from keeping your identity hidden to keeping information hidden should you be captured. Mariel told me about your run-in with the Scourge the other evening, and that hits on both of these points. It would appear they both saw your real identity and were intently focused on capturing you.

"That being the case, I'm going to begin with your interrogation and see what I can learn. Take a seat upstairs, and I'll be right up. Dismissed."

"Yes -" Pip caught herself, then turned and walked back to the stairs. Dammit! Hood had no rank that she knew of, yet his demeanor almost had her saying 'Yes sir' to him. She knew he'd caught it. He probably planned it with his 'Dismissed' comment. WIth no rank he had no authority to dismiss her in such a manner. She chastised herself for the slip up and clenched her fists, vowing it would be the last. As she reached the stairs she couldn't help but wonder if they were watching her ass through the thin dress. Dammit again! Why couldn't she get these thoughts out of her head? She hadn't drunk that much. Halfway up the stairs she just had to turn her head, and sure enough, their eyes were locked on her as she moved. Her breathing quickened.