Creative Accounting

[Malina Annigan]

Junction.

The planet lied just outside Sith space, though by all accounts--except officially--it was Sith controlled. The trade world was one of the more productive passageways for business to and from the Empire, and Sith imperial agents used it as a front for covert operations and more illicit activities.

For Malina, it was home to her alter ego, Eilish, an ambiguous accountant who had their hands in all sorts of pockets.

It was here, on this world, that a particular plot began. One whose journey and destination would be shaped by a most unlikely partnership. Two people with opposite goals, who needed each other to see them through.

"Are they here yet?" A modulated voice came in through the commlink.

"Nope." Said the man on the other side. He peered through his macrobinoculars from a vantage point just above the dark alley. Steam and smog escaping nearby vents concealed his position from the naked eye, and his respirator worked extra hard to filter out the harmful particles.

There was a pause in their communication. "Let me know when they arrive."

"Want me to send in the courier when they do?" He asked.

"Just let me know." They said.

[member="Evoros"]

 

[Evoros]

She had wasted no time. Loose ends never took long to tie up; by design, Evoros had few. Under normal circumstances, a safety precaution--the world of criminal espionage was never a good one to be trapped in. Today, it was a matter of convenience. Yvonne Evoros had been waiting for this opportunity for as long as she'd carried that name.

The sooner the better.

It wasn't lost on her all the ways this operation could go horribly, horribly wrong before she got what she wanted. She had arrogance in spades, just one more thing to lock away where it couldn't endanger her success. The agent had been very careful through every step of arranging this meeting, down to each hidden weapon, down to the darkened sky hanging over the city.

The alley was exactly as deserted and grimy as she'd come to expect of meeting points like it. Evoros had always appreciated how hidden she was in places like these, so easily concealed by darkness and a thousand other sounds of the city. She looked at her comm. Two minutes past the hour. Yvonne Evoros was late.

[member="Malina Annigan"]​

 

[Malina Annigan]

The macrobinoculars zoomed in on their target.

"Here," said the man.

The line on the other side opened, but there were no words initially. Just low static over the waves.

"Send in the courier." Finally said the voice on the other side, still androgynous to mask their identity.

Yvonne would be waiting about a minute or two longer, when finally the distinct sound of mechanical movement echoed in the distance. Through the smog was a silhouette, then the unmistakable details of a protocol droid as it got closer. An older model, one designed centuries ago but clearly refurbished by the looks of it.

The droid continued to walk towards her at an annoyingly casual pace. Hardly rushed, but not cautious either. Finally it slowed to a complete stop with a comfortable distance placed between them.

"Greetings," the droid began, "please provide the pass code." It stood there and waited for her to utter the phrase for authentication.

Back alley meetings like these were hard to stumble upon, but one could never be too careful.

[member="Evoros"]

 

[Evoros]

Evoros raised an eyebrow at the sight of the droid, and just as quickly her expression was neutral again. By the time the droid reached her (noticeably long, even if she gave no sign that she did notice it), the agent was relaxed and anodyne.

On the outside, anyway.

Paranoia, too, could wait for a time when there was less at stake. She was wary of droids--people were fallible, and programming wasn't. Too long with droids and she'd grow skittish, but her caution now was pure cynicism, and that helped nothing.

For now, time to focus.

Passcode.

"Sweepstake," she told the droid.

[member="Malina Annigan"]​

 

[Malina Annigan]

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

It was the right amount of time for a time bomb within its chassis to go off.

Click. No explosion, instead a small panel on its chest popped open and out extended a little tray holding a data chit.

The droid did not step forward, let alone grab the chit from its tray. It merely stood there was plain as a Huttese stripper if such a thing even existed. One would probably hope not, even a Hutt.

"You are who I'm expecting," said the droid.

Much further back the man above continued to observe the scene below. Though he didn't say a word into his comms, not that it would matter anyway. Even if Yvonne had some means of listening in, she decided to make it this far regardless of his presence.

The droid still waited.

[member="Evoros"]

 

[Evoros]

She did not know with certainty that the exchange was being watched, but it was her habit to assume. If not a mercenary, Evoros would seem an overly paranoid conspiracist. As a mercenary, she still was--just with reason.

A few more moments of silence passed before she decided she was safe enough to proceed.

"Wonderful." She spoke half to herself, neglecting to voice the you're not quite what I was expecting that flit in her mind. How did the saying go? Good manners opened doors. This was certainly not a door she was ready to let close.

Another second ticked, as if she was giving the droid one last chance to unveil a blaster, a bomb, and neither happened. Contented, she took the data chit.

Her eyes didn't leave the droid. "Should I know your name?"

[member="Malina Annigan"]​

 

[Malina Annigan]

The data chit contained a location and a number. A nearby apartment complex, just within walking distance. The number would take her all the way to the 32nd floor. What awaited her there was not mentioned, however.

The droid would have blinked, if it could. Instead it remained awkwardly posed out in the open, and waited for the transaction to conclude.

"If that is all, miss." It replied.

A nearby vent expelled more exhaust into the alley, and loudly too. With it came the unpleasant smell of chemicals.

The man beyond the smog put his macrobinoculars away before slinking off to elsewhere. He made no discernible sound during his departure.

Like a ghost, he was never there.

[member="Evoros"]

 

[Evoros]

She didn't hide her relief at not having to deal with the droid any further, immediately moving to retrieve her datapad. If she had to guess, she could afford to take a few minutes before moving on; and normally she would've done, if only to have a cigarra and review her plan of action. But that night, caf and impatience had made her restless. Evoros moved at once.

---

Thirty-two floors did nothing to improve her patience. She was careful all the same, more keenly aware than usual of everything around her. For all she liked to keep emotions firmly separate from business, Evoros was abnormally excited as she opened the door.

[member="Malina Annigan"]

 

[Malina Annigan]

As the door slid open, a man with a blaster waited on the other side.

"You weren't followed?" He asked. He was serious, but far from anxious. It seemed to be mostly rhetorical question, if any as he gestured her to come inside. The way he held his blaster was relaxed, aimed close from the hip as if to conceal it.

He was indeed the man hidden above, though she would never know the truth. He wore a black jacket with an imperial navy shirt and slacks, and pilot boots. Behind him on the counter that curved away into a larger room was a respirator mask, and a pair of macrobinoculars at their side.

"I need any weapons you carry." He said. "Don't worry, you'll get them back."

He awaited her compliance, or refusal.

@Evoros

 

[Evoros]

Oh, right. Her weapons.

She didn't like these moments. With or without weapons, she wasn't much good at throwing a punch, and with or without weapons, she did her best to avoid having to do so--but she grew skittish without quick ways out of a situation. Still, precautions could be forgotten every now and again. In the ever present calculations she made of cost against benefit, risk against reward, there was no question. An entrance into her very own one-last-job was always going to beat out the slightly increased odds of getting hurt.

It took more than a few moments to hand over her array of knives, though. If she had been less preoccupied, she might have had the grace to look uncomfortable as her mechanical arm held out the handful of weapons.

"I'll hold onto this," she quipped with a gesture at the cybernetic. The arm looked human enough at a glance, but from where the man stood it was clearly synthetic, even if its only advantage was a stronger left hook.

Fleetingly, she considered if it was time for an upgrade, then dismissed the thought. Another time.

[member="Malina Annigan"]

 

[Malina Annigan]

The man made sure her weapons were set aside on the counter next to where his body could guard them.

He grunted at her comment about the arm. "Go on." He gestured her forward.

The poorly lit apartment offered only the vaguest details of what lied within. There was some furniture here and there, and maybe a few decorative art pieces, but mostly the place was empty. Her footsteps would echo across the floor as she walked, and it wouldn't take her too long to notice it wasn't just the two of them.

Whilst the man remained where he was, another person sat in the corner opposite where Evoros was now standing. Their face conveniently masked by shadow.

"Please, sit." A woman's voice. If they gestured to a chair, it wasn't like there was room for error. Only one other seat was in the room, and only a short step away from Evoros now.

"Tell me what you need and what you're prepared to offer. Waste my time and I'll be sure to rob you of yours."

[member="Evoros"]

 

[Evoros]

She appreciated those who cut to the chase, and even more so in moments as long-awaited as these. Sitting comfortably, she took barely a moment to choose her words.

"Good to know. I need identification, and I need it thorough enough to pass extensive screening. I have plenty of detail on both, but we'll get there. I can meet whatever price you're looking for in exchange, unless you'd prefer a more useful payment, let's say data or some such."

There was a time and a place for the charming facade she was so used to, but this was neither; the agent spoke instead with blunt impatience. Oh, she was hardly having a bad time (after all, she was in a good mood; things were going so well), but this, comparatively, was the boring part.

Well, she thought, eyeing the shadowy scenery. Comparatively.

[member="Malina Annigan"]

 

[Malina Annigan]

"You're right," she began. " I don't need your credits."

The woman's voice was cold, but not offensive. Kind of like the tired tone of a school teacher who had been repeating their practice day-after-day for years. Without amusement of any kind.

"However, I don't need your information either. I will give you a genuine ID chit with foolproof records. You'll be able to access just about anything, short of military installations or the emperor's outhouse." Now this is usually where the catch came in.

"... But, what I need from you is a job to be done. You'll accept it, no questions asked. No details and no identify unless you agree right here."

In the shadow of the room, the woman crossed one leg over the other and awaited Evoros' answer.

[member="Evoros"]