Port Authority Administrator's Office
Mos Eisley Spaceport
"Your Excellency, I do--"
"Minister," the Sith Lord's deep voice cut in for the second correction now. There would not be a third.
The Weequay Administrator of Tatooine's Port Authority bobbed his head several times as he raised both hands. "Yes, of course. My apologies, Minister. As I was saying, I just don't see how you can expect to control these criminal elements without increased funding. Perhaps even a more robust presence from the Confederacy's Defense Force?"
Aiden was silent and still. His face was an expressionless mask, and his silver-green eyes tore straight through the skin of the Weequay with an intensity that seemed like it would set the Weequay on fire. Indeed that was possible.
The Weequay shifted uncomfortably at the silence before hazarding further speech. "Minister? Is...is everything alright?"
"No," the intensity with which the word was spoken certainly did not match the otherwise soft tone. "Things are quite unsatisfactory, in fact. You see, Administrator..." Aiden paused only long enough to prop one foot on the Weequay's desk and then drape the other over top. The folds of the Sith Lord's midnight blue overcoat fell slightly to reveal an arcane tattoo that covered Aiden's chest. The mark of an ancient Sith Order shifted its shape based on the Sith Lord's emotional state. "I was recently here prior to assuming my current post. I'm sure you recall...the Hutts somehow had managed to gain not just a foothold on this world but damn near seized total control. A campaign of terror, mostly. Yet when travel restrictions and bans were ordered, they just seemed to keep slipping through your fingers."
Raising a hand to indicate this was most certainly not the Administrator's time to speak, Aiden continued. "So I did some checking recently. We most certainly did send aid in more than just the form of the Knights Obsidian and military assets. We also funded quite a bit in security improvements and upgrades. Care to take a stab..." A sarcastic shrug of Aiden's shoulders accompanied the statement. "...at what my team found during this surprise inspection?"
Silence lingered between the two before the Administrator was sure he was allowed to speak. "Minister if you could just let me ex---"
Aiden's facial expression flattened completely as he raised a single finger of his right hand. Mid-sentence, the Weequay's air supply was strangled. "Oh I'm sorry. Were you just about to ask for the opportunity to explain the flagrant discrepancies in your reported financial expenditures and the acquisition records of your own department? I mean honestly if you wanted to steal from the Confederacy, you could have at least done so with a little more finesse." Lowering his finger, Aiden released his hold on the Weequay's air supply.
Lowering his feet back to the floor, the Minister of War stood to his full height in one fluid motion. "You should be happy that I happened upon this before Minister [member="Alessandra Creed"] inevitably discovered what you were doing. She's for sure a lot less...well... I just like to think I'm more stable than her. So!" Aiden clapped his hands together for emphasis before reaching into his pocket. "As a favor for your months of service, I'm going to extend you a courtesy." Withdrawing a relatively simple knife, Aiden placed it on the Administrator's desk. "I am going to let you choose your fate. You can either..." Aiden pointed towards the door to the office with his left hand. "Walk out that door and be taken into custody for transport back to Geonosis to answer for your crimes. Or...you can go out on your own terms," Aiden lowered his left hand and lightly tapped the knife with his right for emphasis.
Turning, Aiden began to retreat towards the office's exit. The choice was false. The Confederacy was not the Empire. The Administrator likely was not going to be drawn and quartered for skimming off the top. Prison, after all, was probably better than death...particularly if the sentence wasn't life. However, that wasn't what made the choice false. The moment Aiden stepped into the hallway and the door sealed behind him, the Sith Lord allowed his presence to expand and engulf the Weequay's mind. The effort to manipulate the Administrator was minimal. Images and an ethereal voice commanded the obedience of the Weequay's subconscious. In a moment a blood curdling scream erupted from inside the office.
Smiling thinly, Aiden initiated a local pace towards the nearest cantina. They always pick the knife in the end.
Choice was false.