Private Truly Cursed

[Aela Cohn]

How had things come to this point? Aela had gone off to the Outer Rim to search for easy targets and somehow they had managed to militarize enough that the Vanishing Point had gotten in over its head. Her Crusader-class corvette was now impounded somewhere, and she was in the custody of law enforcement for the first time in her entire life. It was astounding, to say the least, but the ambush had not been anticipated and it was clear that she had been trapped by pirate-hunters that had been tipped off to her plans. How else could she have been beaten so soundly?

The Corellian was just staring at the wall of her holding cell, totally as a loss. Taken prisoner by some merchant and their big brother. The humiliation would have been palpable if her expression was not that of cold and calculated rage. The defiance against authority that was strong in her blood and bones was now stuck. It was a principle thing. She valued her freedom and to be held against her will was the most egregious breach of that fundamental stance. Under certain circumstances, she would sacrifice that for something, but this was a situation that demanded reprisal. Unfortunately she was properly incapable of avenging the insults leveled upon her.

Aela was snapped briefly out of her dazed anger by the cell door opening. Some brutish thug of a guard dragged her to her feet and began forcing her down the hallways of her prison. She would normally have been mouthing off here, but she was bound and in no position to spit venom in the eyes of someone holding the stick. The use of force continued until she was thrust roughly into a seat in a room with a table. She had been in these rooms before, on the other side of the table. She knew all the tricks of interrogation so she had no real worries. It would take a much firmer hand to make her talk, and most people did not have the stomach to force information out of someone. Her methods were always criticized in Cor-Sec, but she got results even if her hand was heavy and her justice was hard. Now that she was the pirate, the irony was quite palpable.

The guard had offered some useless statement about her being pirate scum and some platitude that the honest workers of the Outer Rim would not be bullied anymore. Aela just rolled her eyes at him, which was met with a hard slap to the face. She tasted blood. This guard might have been the kind of person she would have wanted in her squad in Cor-Sec, but right now she wanted to skin him. The small Corellian spat blood in his face, only to be struck again. A few tense moments of staring back and forth and the guard informed her that she was to be interrogated and that the interrogation was to begin shortly. All she answered with was a sneer. It was obvious by how he struck her that he was a hired hand more than an official representative of some supposed trade league. It would not be good press if their mercantilism was backed up by brutes with heavy hands.

It was just a matter of time now. Aela was contemplating how to escape the entire time so depending on how the person interrogating her was, she might have an upper hand in trying to get out of this terrible place.

 

[Veino Garn]

Aela Cohn

Veino studied the datapad outside the door, allowing himself a small smile before hitting the button. It slid open with a hiss and Veino strode into the room, taking a seat at the table.

The door shut behind him. He didn't say anything for a while, but just sat, scrolling through the datapad as the minutes ticked by.

Silence and stillness were powerful. They unsettled people, especially if they were used to authority or defiance.

Everything in the file suggested that Cohn was one who would fall back on defiance. Corellian. Cor Sec. Captain.

Those were always a dangerous trio. And what was dangerous was often useful, especially with war brewing in the Outer Rim. New Horizons Shipping Combine. Final Dawn. Possibly even the Eriadu Authority, depending on what they chose to do and who they chose to side with.

He lowered the datapad and stared across the dimly lit room to the woman across from him.

"Anything you want to say?"

 

[Aela Cohn]

Opening the door for her to talk was one thing, but to do so after trying to brick wall her with the silence, was a tactic she knew too. If anything it bored her. Aela just kept her head leaned back and stared at the ceiling. She could be quiet too, even though she was one more inclined toward spitting venom. That was why the silence continued for a few more minutes before she managed to actually have something to say that was not questioning the sexual integrity of this man's family.

"You should court martial the captain of the ship that captured mine. He threw away at least two dozen lives in his stupid reckless ambush. You captured me but did you really want that many people to die for it?" she said, not knowing just how high the bounty had been on her head. Aela was unsure if people really knew the extent of her criminal activity. Executives kidnapped, finances embezzled, an entire casino literally stolen, she had participated in or was the direct author of some of the bigger hits in the recent years.

The Corellian woman finally looked down, "Hope you didn't train them. That's a lot of blood to wash off your hands and letters of condolences to write to families wondering why mom or dad aren't coming home."

 

[Veino Garn]

Aela Cohn

"Privateers know the risks when they sign up for a cruise," Veino answered, not looking up from the datapad. "Especially those here in Karazak. But did you know the risk, Aela Cohn, Captain, Corellian Security?" He looked up from the datapad, considering. "It's a long fall from the famed ranks of CorSec to stealing a casino building."

He set the datapad down on the table and slid it across so she could see it. "You've got quite a file here. Fortunately here I was here on another operation and was able to reach you. Usually, the government here is not so accommodating towards foreign representatives. It would be intriguing to see what would happen if the slave consortium became aware of your true history as a law enforcement officer."

Veino leaned back in the seat, considering for several more minutes, before finally leaning forward. "You have skills, ambition, talent, experience, and most important- passion. And for the most part, you mostly leave the innocent alone. The wealthy, not so much, but let's be real. They undoubtedly deserved it. Same goes for the Hutts. Is that all you want from life though? Making a few credits here and there with some big scores, making enemies out of cartels, for what?"

 

[Aela Cohn]

Veino Garn

Aela pulled a cigarillo out of her sleeve and produced a lighter that had gone unnoticed in the searches as well. It was clear she was crafty, that was for sure, but she was not some kind of idealistic crusader on some kind of mission quest to stick it to the wealthy. With the lit stub between her fingers she pointed at the man, "You answered your own question. It's exactly about the money. My passion is being on a ship and being in danger. If pushing authority around does that then so be it. I have no interest in your ideals or your morals. It's not about sending any kind of message, it's about taking what I want. Poor people don't have anything that I want, so of course I don't go for them. What kind of criminal profile did you build on me to not put that in there? Nobody targets people in poverty!' she said, clearly pissed off that it was even in question why she committed acts of piracy and larceny.

The Corellian tipped the ash off of the cigarillo and leaned back again having been a bit more riled up by that, "It's not about who deserves their things taken. I don't care about the wealthy, I don't care about anything else, but what I want. And I'm damn well not going to pledge myself to another authority figure looking for thugs to keep their credits neat and tidy. I want my ship, I want a crew, and I want my freedom. Nothing more." she said, pretty clearly laying out that she was a very simple woman with very simple needs.

 

[Veino Garn]

Aela Cohn

"On the contrary," Veino answered, leaning back in the chair. "The Hutts, Black Sun, and most other major organized crime syndicates nearly always target those in poverty. The gains may not be as much, but the risk is much lower. Poor people are less likely to have the resources to fight back."

He considered for a moment, tapping the table with one finger. "I have to say I find your statements a bit contradictory. A ship, yes. A solid, material, practical thing that you can use. A crew, sure. Also practical and necessary if you have a large ship. But then, if you just wanted a ship to travel around, you could use a light freighter and not need a crew." Veino raised an eyebrow.

"Is that suggesting you're looking for a community of some sort? Or do you enjoy being in charge? And you say your passion is being on a ship and in danger. Do you like putting the crew in danger as well?"

After a moment, he leaned forward and clasped his hands on the table. "And you want freedom. What sort of freedom are you looking for?"

 

[Aela Cohn]

Veino Garn

"I don't think too much about it. Most of my crews have been Corellian and danger doesn't phase us." she said, notably putting her legs up and intentionally displaying her bloodstripes. The highest honor any Corellian could receive, and hers were the class that were typically posthumously given. She had survived more than most people her age and that struck most of her cheery demeanor from the record. Aela might have been personable, but she was never described as someone with whom it was easy to cooperate or co-exist. Stubbornness was a cultural trait of her people and even on Corellia she was called bullheaded.

Aela only thought very briefly, "And my want for a ship is not to just travel. I live for the fight and flight. The chase is better than the catch, that is the whole point. It really isn't about making credits but whether or not I can do it. That is what freedom means to me, finding a challenge and chasing it down through hellfire." she said, tossing the spent cigarillo butt on the ground after putting it out on the table.

 

[Veino Garn]

Aela Cohn

"I've known more than a handful of people who wore those stripes," Veino responded, gesturing to the bloodstripes. "And every single one of them I trusted with my life and was ready to die for them if that came. What I'm trying to assess..." He trailed off, consideringly. "Are you of the same mettle?"

He pulled a piece of old-fashioned piece of thick paper from a pouch and lay it on the table between them. It was a letter of marque and reprisal with the Rimward Trade League, all signed and official. It was just missing the name of a captain, their ship, and the signature.

"The peace in the Outer Rim is a fragile, temporary thing. The Final Dawn moves to reinforce its position at Kal'shebbol to fuel this hyperspace war of its masters in the Maw. They have made multiple attempts to annex worlds in the Outer Rim through various nefarious means. The Empire in the Core proves what most of us have been saying since they split from the Sith- that they are nothing more than power-hungry conquerers. The Alliance is beset on all sides and has shown itself to be easily manipulated by Sith agents as well as corporate interests. And while governments are busy with those, crime syndicates and pirate coalitions see a chance to make an easy profit off people who cannot defend themselves."

Veino studied her face for several long moments. "I'll be frank. The Outer Rim is going to need people with your skills and experience. Feth, the galaxy will need people like you shortly. And yes. The League will pay for all prizes captured, pay half the value of prizes destroyed, as well as military materials seized, as well as provide what intelligence and resupply are able. The only stipulations are the targets- any and all pirates, crime syndicates, as well as governments and affiliated corporations. No targeting civilians or neutral vessels. We'll get your ship back to you and your crew."

 

[Aela Cohn]

Veino Garn

"You are putting me in an undesirable position, you know that, right? You want me to prioritize the Outer Rim territories when my heart belongs to Corellia." she said, making it clear that she was actually dedicated to one thing alone, and that was the safety of her home planet. Pirate that she had become, Corellia mattered the most to her. It was let slip not because she had forgotten she was being interrogated, but because she was being honest with someone who had thus far at least been honest with her. He had at least earned that from her.

"The Outer Rim will burn before I abandon my home to some foreign invader. I'd rather die than see it turned into some smoking crater, so if that is going to be some problem for you then you'll have to get over it. We all have our priorities and I will not place Corellia beneath some league of jumped up merchants. As much as I can respect you and your little cosplay commandos for standing up against people that would exploit you, you're on your own when it comes to my home." she said taking the piece of paper and smearing a truly heinous signature on it. "And the only reason I agree to this is so my people can be free. You let them go now, and without injury, because if they are hurt then I fully expect you to compensate them for the trouble you put them through."

 

[Veino Garn]

Aela Cohn

"We're all in an undesirable position," Veino agreed, leaning back in the chair. "And protecting Corellia is something we wholeheartedly support. Pirates are a nuisance that need to be kept tamped down. But the forces in the Core are the primary threat that concerns us. Between the Empire and the Maw, it's only a matter of time before we officially get drawn into the wars of the Core. "

He glanced over his shoulder to the door. "We managed to force an agreement with the Kazarak Slave Cooperative for a brief period of time to ensure there would be no sales or harm done. They called in some favors for some reinforcements though, so we'll have to move quickly. And don't worry, I think the League intends to return here in force shortly, as soon as we can secure our flanks, and put an end to the slave's cooperative."

Veino stood and moved to the door, speaking softly with a wave of his hand to impress the Force upon the mind of the guard, before turning back with half a smile. "I hear Tion will have rich targets."

 

[Aela Cohn]

"Send some people to negotiate dropping my bounties with the Hutt Cartels and the IBC. The banking clan has it out for me ever since I ransomed one of their top executives and still stole their credits." she said kicking her feet off the table and not caring whether or not her chair fell to the floor. It did, with a loud crash.

"And the Tion Cluster is pretty big, you're going to have to point out actual destinations. I don't like going in blind, much less blind into a nightmare hellscape that close to Imperial territory."

 

[Veino Garn]

Aela Cohn

"We'll take care of them," Veino agreed, letting the door slide open. He stepped out into the corridor, glancing up and down the hallway.

"New Aldera will be a bit spicy, I expect," Veino replied over his shoulder. "The Empire just murdered their own ambassador to justify their invasion. We pay well for captured and destroyed Imperial supply ships which they will need to maintain any sort of extended campaign. If you have any buccaneer contacts, perhaps let them know that."