Broken Mask

[Kalak the Raykkan]

"I require living specimens," she snapped, as they stepped through a door. She recognized an industrial freezer when she saw one. "Was I not clear?"

The door hissed shut behind them.

If Vain tried to turn she'd notice... she could only walk deeper into the freezer area. As if her legs had their own little wills. "Crystal clear, Doctor." His voice would ring out behind her. She wouldn't be able to turn her head to look at him though.

"But so was I, no?"

His lips smacked together loudly as the sound of his boots flopped against the floor kept bouncing. "I offered for you to choose yourself. You said that was all that you wanted." The flop came around, until she froze in place and Kalak came around.

Facing her.

Looking down on her.

"Such a scrawny little thing. Hmpf. I am unsure if I will be getting any nutritional value here.... but then, I always enjoy devouring for pleasure."

[member="Dr. Vain Jar'He"]

 

[Irajah Ven]

Vain of course didn't remember this feeling.

Sewn up.

When she had last encountered it, it had been right before her death at the hands of [member="Jairus Starvald"]. Then as well, her general rudeness and sharp tongue had led to the events- although in that case of course there had been other considerations. But when the new clone had been awakened, the events of the 24 hours prior to her demise had been lost- occurring after the most recent of daily 'updates'. Copying all of her memories for the past twenty four hours for just such accidents.

It made the following that much more ironic. Because she had said it before. Or some similar iteration of it anyway.

"You cannot seriously think that eating someone is a solution to a problem. Not when that someone is the personal physician of the Dark Lord himself."

She did at the moment however have regrets about not bringing her guards down. That was a lesson she'd carry with her.

Assuming it wasn't erased by her death.

"My disappearance would be noted," she said, a note of disdain in that voice. It was, as ever, impersonal. This had nothing to do with his species, or even that specific threat he was making.

"I will give you one chance to remedy this situation," she said firmly.

Regret for the first time (that she could remember, not that it actually was) that she had neglected those studies that would have allowed her to simply shuck off this sensation. Oh, she tried, but it was far beyond any of her capabilities.

"Your working relationship with the Empire, or.... whatever this is."

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Dr. Vain Jar'He"]

"Oh, don't you worry, Doctor, you are not a problem."

A problem could be fixed, of course, but this didn't need a solution. Not a wily errant that needed to be rectified. In truth Kalak was taking a chance here.... a risk that might not have been very smart. But such was the ravenous nature of his hunger. Sometimes it didn't matter if it was smart or not. Sometimes you simply took the chance and hoped for the very best.

"You are simply a pest. A rude one at that and I will be doing the Galaxy a favor, truly." He hummed a bit before smacking his lips again. It caused some of the acidic saliva to drop down his mouth.

Onto her mask.

Where it sizzled.

Of course, the mask withstood it for now. As a doctor the material of her mask would be protective. "Oh, my business with the Empire will be quite alright. This is a dangerous platform, Doctor. Hence my initial insistence to remotely hand-off the... goods, yes? It is so easy to slip, fall, be dragged away by the strong currents into the dark depths of the ocean." He flopped away, out of sight for now, but his voice carried. "But first we take care of your guards. I am not interested in you getting out a warning to them, so I will imprint a directive into your mind. You might suddenly experience a dissociative episode, I am sorry, by the time you wake up again you will be alone with me here again."

A bright smile.

Too many teeth.

"Would you kindly go to sleep, Doctor Vain Jar'He?"

 

[Irajah Ven]

She didn't flinch when his saliva dropped and sizzled. She'd be splattered with far worse in the lab, and Vain wasn't the flinching sort. She glowered at him, though it was of course unremarkable due to the very same mask that prevented the acid burns to her face.

"Excuse you- I absolutely will not-"

A blink. No time had passed. And yet he was standing farther away again, quiet suddenly.

"Go.... to sleep."

Well fark.

Eyes narrowed behind the mask. Again she tried to move, something, anything. Had he simply moved very quickly or had time actually passed? It was impossible to guess-

No. Time had, most certainly, passed. She had been getting cold before, right before. Now she was warm again, the cold just starting to bite through the fabric of her robes. A small difference but distinct.

"You rotten little creature."

Now it was a little personal.

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Dr. Vain Jar'He"]

A wet chuckle.

Like a gargling of noise and slime.

There was nothing pretty or beautiful about it, no, no, there wasn't. "Your arrogance, hubris and sense of worth has no real grounding, Doctor. You have been sheltered your entire life!" He exclaimed with his sharp smile. "What do you know of suffering? About working to get somewhere? Hmmm?" He flopped towards her. Eyeing her up and down, up and down.

Until she finally felt her arms slooooowly rise up.

"Trust me when I say I have fought for every scrap I possess. Nothing freely given."

It was her rudeness that made him so frank now. The illusion of politeness gone. "Kindly remove those gloves, Doctor, I'd like to.... sample the wares, so to speak. Not to worry, by the end of this you will truly come to understand just how low you rank on the food chain." It was not a request. Not really, not the way the arms moved themselves without any internal order given.

Some time would pass before they were finished there.

There are times you need to savor the moments, yes?

 

[Irajah Ven]

There was no whimpering. No pleading. Oh, a bit of yelling once or twice.

A LOT of cursing.

A truly impressive array of swearing in fact.

By the end of it, Dr. Vain Jar'He was still standing of her own accord. Shaking. Sweating. But standing.

Still cursing.

Perhaps she was fully cognizant now of the fact that he was going to kill her. That awareness had come late in regards to [member="Jairus Starvald"], but then, he hadn't been the sort to play with his food. Not that she could remember any of that. What she was thinking now was that there had to be a better methods of updating memories than at the end of every day. Because if she died here, she was going to be PISSED that she couldn't remember any of it so that she could arrange for this creature to be beneath the knife in her lab.

She didn't bother trying to hide that thought either.

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Dr. Vain Jar'He"]

"Clones?"

Head tilted as he listened to her thoughts, then the rush of thoughts, before they suddenly dried up as Vain tried to think of anything else.

In the end her mind started racing through chemical alterations and other formulas. In a steady hard cadence, so that he couldn't coax out any more of her secrets. That was actually... very smart and Kalak was truly impressed with her there. Not enough to leave her alive, of course. "Why don't we look at your face then, Doctor, I am most interested to see what can spout such vile words." There wasn't really an option there either, truth to be told.

Instead.

Her arm moved.

Towards her mask.

And would slowly pull it off, no matter what her inclination was there. When that happened and the mask finally dropped to the ground? Kalak blinked. Once. Twice. Now that was something he hadn't been expecting to see right here.

"Um. Doctor Ven? I didn't quite imag-" Head tilted again. "Oh. I see."

 

[Kuzo]

The glare he received could have curdled milk. Of course, he liked it that way so it probably didn't have the effect intended.

Things were about to get very, very interesting for Doctor Vain Jar'He. She just didn't know it yet.

*****

Kalak had been very cagey about this meeting. Which was unlike him. Almost coy. He had a proposition and it was something out of the their usual business deals she had to assume, or else he and his partner had just had a particularly enjoyable weekend. Raj honestly wasn't sure.

It wasn't the first time Irajah had traveled to Raykkan for a meeting with him. But it was a new warehouse- larger, she realized on the approach, from the others she'd seen. Business must be good.

Stepping out of the skiff carefully, a rebreather settled over her nose and mouth, she headed inside. There the air was still not easy to breath, but for a short time it would be fine, and she preferred not to meet with him wearing a mask if she could avoid it. Part of it was politeness. Part of it was also the open nature of their business dealings. There was no hiding what either of them were or did, so neither pretended to. There was something that made it too impersonal, and while she did not call the Raykkan a friend, there was respect and appreciation for who and what he was.

Even if she had never taken advantage of the discount he had offered at his restaurants.

She smiled, the expression bemused, as she caught sight of him. Her hands spread in a gesture of greeting.

"A pleasure to see you, Kalak, but what in heaven's name is going on?" Tone pleasant, a mixture of confused amusement rather than anything else. "You've kept your mystery but I am hoping part of this visit is finding out what you have for me."

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

In the beginning his mannerisms and expressions had been a mystery to her.

Maybe they still were to some point.

But there was clear excitement in the way his ears wiggled. "Ah, Irajah, your mere presence reverses the dryness of skin." That was a big compliment for a Raykkan. The one thing they hated more than anything else? It was dry skin. It was why the Dalan often accompanied Raykkans off-world as well. Not just for muscle. But to keep their skin hydrated with spraying flasks and the sort.

Just one of those things.

"Thank you for coming as soon as you could, because DO I have a surprise for you."

Toothy grin, acidic saliva slipping down to burn into the ground. His head tilted and a Dalan waggled in with a screen. It put it next to him. Before turning it on. On the other side of the screen?

One Doctor Vain.

She was cursing again.

That made Kalak purse his lips just a bit. "Very unruly one, unlike her primogenitor." A smile towards Raj. "What do you think?"

 

[Kuzo]

She had taken the time and effort to learn a bit about the Raykkans, once she had started working with them. Not just their history, but general trends, expressions, turns of phrase. She accepted the compliment as genuine and at his face value without batting an eye.

Perhaps that was why she was well liked by those she met, despite everything else. Irajah had a genuine desire to know, to understand. Not just mysteries in the galaxy but the individuals she met. She saw each as something unique, a person worth the time and effort to get to know. Irajah for all of her darkness, was polite and friendly.

Nice, however, did not always equal good.

She waited patiently, not bothering to hide her curiosity as the screen was brought out. And when it was turned on-

Irajah actually clapped her hands in elated surprise.

"You got her!"

She had been angling for a time to lay hands on the woman, currently cursing up a storm on the other side of the screen. Her plans had fallen through when her agent had been delayed, the window of opportunity closing. She hadn't yet found another one that would reduce the risk of it being traced back to her or Jairus.

"I had been told that she was an unpleasant little creatures but I can see all reports were accurate," she said, eyebrows rising with some amusement as she leaned in a bit closer to the screen.

"I am delighted," she said, glancing over at Kalak with a genuine smile. "I greatly appreciate that you brought her to me." Irajah knew what his business was. Vain could have very easily have ended up in a line of lunch meats.

It was not, however, a gift, and she knew that. That was not how it worked with the Raykkans in general, or this one in particular. It didn't bother her, it simply was.

"I hope that I can coax you into selling her to me." Her smile widened into a grin. No assumption even implied that she expected anything less than a business proposition between them. It was in its way a sign of respect to Kalak, one he would understand.

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

He bowed lightly on his feet.

It pleased him to see her pleased.

Not because her subscribed any particular importance to her feelings specifically. But because an acknowledgement of his good deeds always merited pleasure. It wasn't often that those he worked with, truly understood the efforts he went through, to make them happy. Only his sugar ears understood him completely. Kalak briefly wondered what Ao flick Xian was doing right now.

Perhaps by now the Xykan would have discovered the tasty present Kalak had left at her home.

That would be good.

"Anything is negotiable, Irajah, this is the Raykkan creed." Kalak responded with his sharp smile. It turned a touch sheepish though. "I enjoyed her hand, before I realized who was singing for me." No apology though, just an admission of damaged merchandise.

Raj needed to know what she was buying, after all.

The sheepish turned pleasant once more as Kalak radiated his smile.

"You do have a pleasing palette, Doctor, it was truly wonderful for what its worth." In his eyes that was the ultimate compliment. "What do you have on offer for me today for her? If you need some time to take stock, I would understand, of course." Vain was a prized possession and Irajah hadn't know this was what she was coming for. If she needed an hour or so to take stock?

That would be understandable.

 

[Kuzo]

"Fortunately it's not her hand I need," Irajah said with a slight smile.

She would not pretend that the concept did not unsettle her slightly. Oh she didn't care about the clone, but being complimented on her flavor by Kalak was certainly an uncomfortably familiar compliment. One might say overly so. That said, she still recognized its intention- not to make her uncomfortable. But she would have been perfectly happy for the Raykkan to not be familiar with that particular.... aspect.

"Hmm," she murmured thoughtfully, hand coming up to rest against her chin. "I don't believe I have anything that would quite be worth it to you on hand," she admitted.

It wasn't about money after all. Oh, she could offer him an enormous quantity and it still wouldn't be enough. This was about an experience here, wasn't it?

She paused, as if belated noticing the pun.

Tilted her head slightly, she considered.

"I would be happy, however, to create something for you. I have an.... extensive genetic data base. Perhaps something that suits your particular tastes.... something with a high regeneration rate? I would not rest until the results were exactly to your specifications."

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Alas.

Her taste was now firmly rooted in his palette.

Perhaps there was still a digit somewhere.... hidden.... because sometimes Kalak just couldn't help himself. But that was something Irajah didn't need to know. Not because it was a secret, but because... he was polite like that. It would only serve to distress her. An errant compliment was one thing (once you knew a Raykkan), but the knowledge somewhere the Raykkan might still be eating her?

That was probably too much.

Even if it was for her own good. A Raykkan's hunger was not easily dispelled after all.

His eyes went WIDE and the grin became sharper. "Genetics, yes! You can truly help me with something." He waggled back and fro, pondering on the request, before making a decision with himself. This would be worth it. "I have a different specimen... RUDE one. Ruder than Vain, if you could believe it. Sadly she managed to get away, but, I still have something left of her."

Kalak flopped closer to Irajah.

"If you assist me with creating a new clone out of her? We will be square, Irajah."

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah glanced up at the screen, to the snarling, clearly cursing, version of herself.

Oh, she could be that person. She had been. In not dissimilar circumstances. Taken, hurt. But at least until those moments, Irajah was, in her way, nice. Nice of course didn't equal good. No lies about that. She owned, full and deeply, what she was and what she had become.

No.

What she had always been. She had simply stopped lying to herself.

"That," she said with a smile, "can be easily arranged."

Irajah didn't know the person in question. Therefore she did not care. She was simply pleased that he hadn't asked for anything more personal. That would have been a difficult choice to make while also continuing to work with him. This was much tidier.

"Would you allow me to arrange for transport," she waved a hand at the direction of the screen, "Immediately? Or do you require delivery of payment first?"

Easy and neutral. He knew she was good for it, but Irajah also knew the Raykkan's did not do business on faith. A fair question here.

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Brilliant.

He had been pining for some taste of Cassandra Paige for a while now. This would be absolutely brilliant, yes. But even with the obvious pleasure Kalak was having in this deal? He was all business. At least when it came to the terms of payment.

It wasn't anything personal.

It was business.

"Delivery of payment, Irajah, is a must. I have a reputation to maintain, I hope you understand." He flopped on over. Next to her. Watching the rude and obscene Doctor from the screen. There was clearly something that the Raykkan was weighing in that moment. Clear enough that he shouldn't be interrupted. Should be allowed to consider. Then finally, he sighed and glanced on over to Irajah. "I am becoming sentimental. It's horrid. I will allow you to talk to her in the flesh right now without payment. If you'd like?"

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah waited patiently. She made no attempt to prob what was happening there, either with words or the Force. Between allies, that was simply rude. And then. A small blink, the only sign of surprise. She had not in truth, been expected him to make that offer. Oh she had to ask, it was just business. But she had been prepared to be required to wait.

"I understand your reputation and do not wish to tarnish it," she said quietly. "Simple access to her for now will more than suffice. Perhaps I may again, when I deliver the prototype for a quality check? Assuming any changes will need to be made of course, in case it is not up to your specifications. Cloning is as much an art as a science after all. Entirely at your discretion."

It was a risk, yes. But not so much of one. Once Kalak gave his word he would keep it. If he agreed to trade Vain for a clone of his choosing, he would. But Irajah had already waited such a long time.... a few more weeks would not change plans she had been building for over two years now, but to start now....

That would be better indeed.

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

He held her eye there.

During that request.

Watching and weighing as she voiced it out loud.

Part of him was immediately inclined to say no. Simply, because he had already offered a compromise. But. The Raykkan genuinely liked Irajah Ven. She was polite and.... she was exceptionally hungry. That was part of why he even respected this request. It was very... Raykkan thing to do, no?

"I believe that would be a reasonable addition." A smile then. "You are truly becoming one of us. I am proud."

Gesture of the head.

Suddenly Desmond loomed over both of them. The tree was large compared to even Kalak, so that probably went double for Irajah.

"You can follow Desmond here. He will lead you to her." A pause, then- "....and Doctor? Do enjoy yourself."