And it burned so Prettily

[Bambi Maddox]

BLACK NEBULA LAUNDERING OFFICES - KUAT

Maddox tossed the dossier on the polished boardroom table and vaulted herself into an overstuffed leather armchair. Kicking up her heels onto a small ornate side-table, she bit at a broken nail and stated over her fingers, "There it is."

The woman sitting at the table drew the folder toward her, sliding it noislessly along the table's glossy surface. Maddox watched with guarded interest, she'd never worked with Kalail before but had heard a few things. She was cousin to the big boss for one, and Bambi couldn't decide if that fact worked for, or against, her. There was something to be said for nepotism, but Maddox had had no such "in" to the Organization. Made a gril a little wary..and maybe a little jealous. Just how good Kalail was, well, they would soon find out she supposed.

"Looks like we're headin' to the big cheese" Maddox said disdainfully, "Coruscant, what a skralt-fest"

[Kalail Rotas]

Coruscant was home to Kalail Rotas. Living there her entire life, she had come to appreciate the hustle and bustle of the planet. Her dual life was one of numbers and intrigue, both giving her divergent pleasures of the psyche. Most recognized Ms. Rotas as the top accountant of the Kasajian exchange, graduating first in her class at Coruscant University. Only a few knew of her other speciality ...

"It's not that bad," Kalail said with an impish grin. "Unless you don't know all the fun spots."

Kalail wasn't sure what to make of Bambi. She was one of the newer employees but her cousin, Sorsha, trusted her implicitly. The Assassin wasn't much for small talk, and she had a feeling that she personally didn't like Kalail to some degree. It was a typical reaction that she got outside of Sorsha's inner circle that didn't know Rotas too well.

A gris head once called her out - saying that her ties to Sorsha landed her a job within the organization. A second after that comment, he had a light pen stuck in his right eye. Sorsha had been mildly upset with her for that incident, but Kalail did point out that he had one good eye left.

Bambi wouldn't be as lucky as him if she frelled with her.

"But the job is simple enough. One body. No muss. No fuss. Hell, we even got the Imps itinerary." An unlucky Imperial Officer had some information fall into his lap about Black Nebula's new operations, and that certainly wouldn't do. Sorsha wanted to keep a tight lip on certain things until she was ready to go through with them. Honestly, Kalail had no idea what this Imp had on the organization, but it didn't matter. He was a threat to her Cousin and that wouldn't do.

[Bambi Maddox]

No muss, no fuss. Maddox liked that.

"Yeah, sounds like a cake-walk dont it" she agreed.

She caught the offending nail between her teeth and gave a quick tug, "Gotchya" and, spitting it aside, took a moment to assess the job she'd done. Apparently satisfied, she moved on.

"Im just glad to have something to do. I been playing watchdog to that cripple, Xel Naga - thank goodness he still isn't fit enough to come along. Ya think he'd let bygones be bygones, but somehow I still dont think he much likes me"

Bambi shrugged, failing to grasp the world sometimes.

"We going to take your ship are we?"

[Kalail Rotas]

"Pfft." She rolled her eyes in disgust and shrugged. "I'm still not sure why Sorsha kept him except for a pet."

Her cousin didn't want to talk about it much, except that Naga attacked Bambi and then a window was involved. There was some loss of limbs and a lengthy hospital stay. Supposedly there was a snake in the story as well, but Kalail really didn't want to know the details. Kalail was never really into the details of brutal physicality unless she was an active participant. Doing was far more satiable then talking about it.

"But yeah. We can take my yacht." A gleam of mischief flashed in her eyes. "Sorshie didn't get ya a ship yet?"

[Bambi Maddox]

"Well, no, not yet" she answered with slight uncertainty. Was Sorsha gonna give her a ship? "I kinda have my pick of whatever's handy in the fleet at the time. As long as I can bring my bike along, Im generally pretty happy."

There was always a selection of transports in the Black Nebula compound and Maddox had yet to preference any particular one.

"I think Naga would make a nice pet, he is kinda ferocious but none too bright. A good mix if you can keep control, which the Boss doesn't seem to have any troubles doing. Could be a bit costly in windows, though" she grinned darkly. "Naga cartwheeling out that window was a sight to see, for sure"

She enjoyed a laugh at her fellow assassin's expense and then turned back to the task set before them.

"The entry codes for the target's building and offices are in the folder, and I think we both carry on us all the hardware we'll need. He's not too high up there on the command food chain, so I dont think security personell will be much of a problem"

[Kalail Rotas]

"You got a bike?" Her eyes twinkled with delight. Kalail loved hovercycles! It was one of her favorite ways of personally delivering a home made exploding treat, especially when you had to out run the timer set to go off sooner on purpose. Super heated air tickling the back of your neck was quite the rush. "Of course you can bring it!"

She tuned out Bambi when she went into the Naga story and perused the data again. Having a Moff in Sorsha's bed did wonders in locating naughty Imperials that were trying to black mail the new Black Nebula organization. The Imperial in question was a recently promoted Captain that had stumbled upon some shipping logs that could possibly implicate Sorsha. Trying to make a quick buck, he decided to contact Black Nebula and flaunt his fortuitous findings. Bad mistake.

"We can leave whenever. My ship was being prepped as soon as I arrived just knowing we were going to have to go somewhere pretty fast."

[Bambi Maddox]

"Good"

Maddox was eager to be on the move. She had been idle long enough and a girl like her was not good at coolin' her jets for any length of time. Grym had tried to train such impatience out of her, but circumstances had cut his instruction short. For long moment, Bambi wondered where he was, wondered if this new set up with the Black Nebula might perhaps change the circumstances of their association.

No one knew of their connection of course, or that is to say, noone that Bambi was aware of. She'd lost contact with her longtime friend and mentor a year or more before she had been accepted into the Black Sun Organization and joined her allegiance to Sorsha Kasajian. Grym however, in a fickle twist of destiny, had meanwhile aligned himself with a rival Vigo, the Cizerack Sasseeri, effectively making them soldiers on opposing cartels, who's emnity was growing more and more obvious. No one had known their connection, and it would not go well for either of them if it were discovered.

Sorsha and Sasseeri were still rivals, but the Black Nebula was now an autonomous organization, free of the Sun's umbrella and all that might mean. They were still in competion, though, and thus by necessity adversaries. Maddox concluded that nothing had really changed much at all.

"Let's go ruin this Captain's day, shall we?"

[Kalail Rotas]

A grin as big as a sand panthers crept forward across Kalail's face. "Let's!"

She led Bambi down to Docking Bay 49 where her yacht, a SoroSub class 3000, was berthed. It was a 50 meter long beauty that went by the name Inelion. The crew had almost completed the refueling process and ship would be cleared for launch soon.

"Come on Maddox," came Kalail's voice from up the ramp. Bambi's partner had already disappeared inside, inspecting every piece of equipment to make sure any 'idiots' didn't accidentally mess up her settlings.

[Bambi Maddox]

"Not a bad rig" Maddox remarked as she joined Kalail inside. "Fast, is she?"

Outside, her swoopbike was being loaded in the rear cargo hatch, kid-glove treatment at Bambi's express orders, although everyone knew better than to do anything less.

[Kalail Rotas]

"Oh yeah. Sorshie made sure that it got modified nicely." Kalail led Bambi through the main corridor and slipped into the pilot's chair. She went over the controls three times until she was satisfied that no one touched anything.

Her comm light flashed and she hit it.

Hey, Boss? We got the swoop secured in the main bay. She won't move a centimeter unless you drive nutso again.

Kalail looked offended, but Bambi could hear it in her voice that she was joking. "Hey! Next time you fly through an Imperial blockade and see how frelled up your flying gets."

They shared a laugh and the comm went silent. "Ok. I got the coordinates set in. Just waiting on confirmation of departure."

[Bambi Maddox]

While they awaited clearance to leave, Maddox got comfortable in the chair beside Kalail and flipped through the dossier.

"Says here we're posing as auditors with the Imperial City Department of Approriations and Prohibitions Sector..." Maddox read aloud. "Hope to god you know what that is exactly and, more importantly, that the sleazoid Captain does too" Bambi leaned closer, reading the small type taking some effort, "We're running a tax check on him?"

Guess that was a good enough reason for the out-of-the-blue visit such as theirs would be.

[Kalail Rotas]

"Yes! Perfect! He'll be freaking out that the tax ladies are a'coming," She trilled. "I've got a great head for numbers, which is why I do all of my Cousin's transactions on Coruscant. Just follow my lead and it'll be fine."

Kalail had to give it to Sorsha to come up with a great idea for them to bust this Imp. She could rattle off tons of infractions on the fly that would make any mundane soldier's head spin. They would just push them on through to make her go away because they'll be happy she isn't auditing them.

[Bambi Maddox]

"Ya got book-smarts, eh?" Bambi remarked approvingly. She was always a little jealous and very much impressed with a girl who knew her academics.

"I'm only really good with the business end of a lethal weapon" she added, by way of sharing a little about herself. "That, and a dancers pole" she grinned, "But Im gettin' rusty on the second. Not that it matters, the first skill being the more important"

She stretched her long body and settled in comfortably for the trip ahead. Clearance for departure came over the comm and Rotas got busy flipping switches and pushing levers.

"You done any dancing?" Maddox asked after the flawless take-off.

[Kalail Rotas]

Kalail appreciated the dichotomy of their upbringings. She ran across it a lot in her business dealings with the shadier side of Sorsha's business. Both of them were born into the lap of luxury, the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths. What set them apart from the rest, is that they could put aside their Nobel births and work along all the different social backgrounds and aliens to make Black Sun, now Nebula, thrive.

When it all came down to it, everyone just cared about how many credits were in your pocket and that you were treated right. Loyalty and respect were rewarded, betrayal from the hand that fed you ... well, the punishment depended on the crime, but it all ended the same for the bastard. Dead.

"No, no dancing for me. Well," she cued up the hyperspace coordinates and was ready to punch as soon as they cleared the yards, "Not that kinda dancing at least. Jus' the usual club scene when I wanna blow off steam."

[Bambi Maddox]

"Hmm" Maddox felt her body pin back to her seat as Kalail accellerated upward, "Well, you got the body for it. And the attitude" she added with a smile. Men just loved the 'femme in-control' thing.

"I haven't had a club night like that in a long while" she said, almost whistfully. "Mostly, I blow off steam on the bike, anyway. Its more of a rush and a lot less crowded."

[Kalail Rotas]

Kalail hummed thoughtfully, "That sounds like fun, course hard for me to go joy riding since I have to attempt to be a respectable citizen and that all that crap."

She gave Bambi a winked and punched the hyperdrive engines. The stars stretched into thin ribbons and like a slingshot, the ship launched into hyperspace.

[Bambi Maddox]

"Ehh, respectability can be a bummer" she commiserated. "But, then, you dont have to deal with the jerks that think they got one on you when you come from a shadier background"

She shrugged. "Jerks learn quick, though, when they got a blaster in their teeth"

"So" she changed the subject back to the Captain, "We gonna do him quick, or make him play the singing-birdie game?"

[Kalail Rotas]

A dark grin spread across her face, making her face twist ugly. "Stringing him along is a lot more fun. Then we'll do 'em quick as soon as he realizes that each breath he takes is on borrowed time."