-Adagio for TRON music-
Previously on the Cognito Chronicles: Arya had returned to her darker side with the slaughter of multiple innocent people on Denon after her crash landing and awakening from a bacta tank. She escaped Denon heading to Corellia in hopes of tracking down her best friend and personal assistant, Arisa Talos.
NOW to Arya's villain of the week story:
An utterance of a deep sigh. Closure of her light tan eye lids over her light brown eyes. A pursing of her deep maroon lips. Lifting of her right blaster pistol filled hand vertically to the vicinity of her face. A thin tear line passes down her cheek. Arya wheels around the corner column into a conference room. She reopens her eyes. Arya's mission is stopped with an abrupt revelation.
Her mission was a personal one. It was to kill Calon Kent, a member of the original group of crime bosses that had met with Nixara on Makeb, working for a part of a Zann remnant company based on Corellia. He'd captured Arisa after the Denon incident for use as his personal servant. She had broadcast her signal to Arya some weeks ago while Arya was in bacta stasis on Denon. Arya discovered that Arisa was being treated horribly and was sending out a distress beacon not a simple navigation beacon. That is why Arya landed on Corellia. She wanted to rescue her assistant and find out what happened to the Zann Consortium.
Arya notices a red skinned, black tattooed Zabraki woman, Arisa Talos, looking meek, bruised, battered and abused at the side of the perpetrator, Calon, a scraggly maned, scarred up Cathar. Arisa's eyes bulge out in fearful optimism at the sight of Arya. Calon and his group of four board members look toward Arya with shock and anger. Calon removes a blaster rifle from the underside of the head of the long, shiny, metallic black conference table. An evil smirk crosses Arya's lips.
"Arya freaking Cognito! It's such a surprise to see you alive. You are supposed to be dead on Denon. When I ordered that attack, no one was supposed to live through the attack on your ship." Calon said arrogantly as he began locking his gun's aim on Arya.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Calon. Your plan to kill off the heads of the company and myself failed in a grand fashion. I figured this would happen sooner or later. Power hunger is dreadfully contagious. I suppose Nixara and Corruck are unaccounted for. Do you have any clue how badly you have pissed me off by capturing my best friend?" Arya said tightening her grip on her blaster pistol.
Arya did not hesitate to rapidly pull against the trigger and unload a barrage of bolts toward Calon first. Her bolts sailed across the length of the dimly lit conference room, a few landing against the broadside of his rifle and a few others sizzling against the orange-tan fur of the Cathar's forehead. Calon fell backwards in a rapidly forming pool of his own blood and smoke whisps from the wound sight.
The other members of the board present in the conference room eyed Arya in fear as she went down the sides of the table giving them the look of time limit based mercy. The four members quickly fled the room. Arya holstered her pistol and ran to Arisa's side. Arisa was chained Calon's chair near his lifeless body. Arisa did not say a word, she waited until Arya was in range and wrapped her arms around Arya. Another tear streamed down her cheek at warm feelings the hug brought to her. She had deeply missed Arisa. Arisa had deeply missed Arya.
Arya shot the chains off of Arisa and helped her up to a standing position. "You look like you've seen better days, dear." Arya said holding Arisa up as they walked out of the conference room. "We have a lot we need to catch up on."
Arisa weakly uttered, "I just want...sleep. I wasn't allowed to sleep much when Calon wanted my body...which was almost all the time."
Arya boiled with rage for a moment at the revelation, but was satiated at the thought that Calon would not hurt her any longer. "I have a suite not far from here. I'll take you there to rest. I will have to go though. I have to meet up with someone for work. When I am done with business, we'll get you some proper care." Arya said reassuringly.
-------------
An hour later, Arya ceased her care and her watch over Arisa as Arisa fell deep into sleep. Arya stepped into the hallway and pulled up the holodisplay on her armband comm. She noted her contact 's file had indicated a certain candidate for muscle for hire was in a local cafe down the way from her hotel. Arya made her way on foot in a black business suit and heels. Her pistol still dangling in it's holster around her waist. She was doing away with her pure white business power suits. The style was more befitting of a benevolent leader. Arya was angry. Angry that the Zann Consortium hadn't checked in to see if she was all right. They had vanished and left her to nearly die on Denon. She did not care that the reasons behind the loss of the Opulence and the Zann connection were because of an internal betrayal. She vowed never to work for a faction again and to only work for herself.
Madame Arya Cognito would only look out for her interests while wreaking havoc for the highest bidder. In order to wreak havoc as she wanted to, Arya would need a team. That is where this contact had put her. Corellia was a Core World hotbed of the disenchanted freelancers.
Arya entered the cafe and plopped down in a seat near the cafe's bartop seating. For a moment, she studied the male that matched the picture her contact had sent. After the initial study, Arya walked from the bartop area and gently placed herself in a seat across from the candidate.
"A simple cup of coffee." Arya said flatly while not even looking over to the green twi'lek waitress as she stepped up and started to speak. She glued her eyes on the green/hazel eyed, lightly browned haired male across from her. "Scrawnier than I thought, simple clothing, unkempt hair, and a predisposition for staring downwards. Off in thought, no doubt. Contemplative natures tend to lend themselves to an interesting story. I am not impressed yet, but the unimpressive hold the most surprises in my experience." Arya stated in a tone that seemed more like she was conducting a job interview than anything else.
[member="Leon Heath"]
