Who is it that can tell me who I am?

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

The drops of water hit against the glass, a spurrious haste of journey. Energetically they dashed themselves against the surface, not caring to what purpose or what end. They slid, having spent their force against the immovable, to dribble downward in listless ambivalence and pool momentarily before gravity drew them into permanent darkness.

Adelaide empathized. She'd felt that way so often it was becoming second nature. Or, was it first? The two were melding ever more into the same. No matter, the end result was always darkness.

An expelled breath. Hers.
And his.
She was keenly aware of his proximity, his closeness. He was just a touch away..

She'd longed for this moment, this very moment. The thought of it had consumed her every thought.

She lingered in the darkness, wary of the exposing light. Her pulse raced making it hard to keep a steady hand. She heard a quiet murmur as he relaxed - a soft sigh, a life-whisper.
A death throe.

Cold steel embraced cold fingers - the blade held her as much as she the blade.
A feather touch of skin to skin, an absorbant patch to Albino flesh and her quarry fell at her feet.

A razor edge to yeilding throat - press down and flood it red.

Adelaide felt the sickening rush, dizzied by the brutal act. Pink eyes rolled back in a porcelain skull. A black hole, the mouth that released no scream.

Some one called her name and she looked up. Kazaar. He was laughing.

She pushed the blade deeper, determined. Her name was called again, a piteous sound gurgling out of tortured lips. The throat beneath her knife was tanned, the blood-soaked collar that of an Imperial airman. Del threw herself backwards in shock as Trix reached for her, disbelieving and disgusted as he struggled, vainly, to lift his head..



Her own screaming woke her as Adelaide threw herself from her bed, still not quite coherent. It was raining and droplets dashed themselves against her window, then dribbled slowly downward. She remembered now, there had been no water. Only blood.

The dream kept coming back. More often and more vivid with each occurence. She felt afraid for what it meant.

Each time Crei was her target. And each time it was someone she cared about who was ultimately beneath her blade.

And always, Aurelias was laughing.

And always, Crei was never dead.



(Title quote from King Lear, William Shakespeare.)

[Rekoj]

A sink full of dirty dishes. Various items of clothing that looked to be in a state of evacuation trailing from the bathroom to fall short at the laundry hamper. Family photo were placed face down or scattered to the floor from their wall mounts. A pet’s dish overfilling with food. She had been filling it everyday as if there was a pet but clearly whatever animal that once lived here had abandoned the premises. Rekoj didn’t blame the creature. He had broken into the apartment only five minutes ago and the Inquisitor was already starting to feel sorry for himself.

Then there was the screaming. Terrified yet filled with rage. A state of pure emotion. The sounds of which could only be heard from the insides of an interrogation chamber. Rekoj approached the bedroom with a timid curiosity. His finger tips easing the doorway open to catch Adelaide, who was a tangle of bed sheets, toppling to the floor with a resounding thump. She was facing away now. Her body heaving as whatever nightmare that had gripped her began to loose its incorporeal grip.

Rekoj's shadowed form remained in her doorway. His shoulder planted firmly against it’s doorframe, nonchalant as always. He simply watched. Waiting for the moment his presence would be felt. Then let the woman come to her own conclusions of why there was an Inquisitor standing in her doorway. Inside her locked apartment.

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Pushing her hair back from her face with both hands, Adelaide pulled her wits, such as they were, together and reversed herself back to her bed, sitting to face the window and her back to the door.

It was not yet daylight, although it would be difficult to tell with such rainclouds obscuring things. No strands of light offered even a token attempt to breach the curtains and divide the gloom. With a glance at her bedside table chrono, Del confirmed it was not yet dawn, 0448.

She was waking most mornings in this manner. Exausted from nightmares that lingered in her mind to disquiet her throughout the day. She wondered if she should just start sleeping on the floor, that would atleast save the rude jolt to consciousness each morning.

The apartment had been her idea, and one that had taken some effort convincing Corta to agree to. The Judge was still afraid to leave Del on her own and out of sight, away from concerned (or forcible) intercession should it be necessary. The Judge was worried for her mental state. But Adelaide needed room to breath, to scream, and the apartment had been the compromise. As had the cat. "No one should go home to an empty house" Eliessa had said with finality, "Cats are a solitary's best friend. No noise, no fuss, no needs."

And so, here she was. It was more a small cottage than an apartment really, a one level unit (so she couldn't plunge herself from a dizzying height to her death, Del assumed) and it was on the Judge's grounds, a short walk from the main building. Safe, yet conveniently close. "And no irritating commute to work in the mornings" Corta had appended, needlessly.

Adelaide wondered where the cat had gone, she hadn't recalled seeing her in a few days come to think of it. She dropped her hands in her lap forgetting the cat quickly and considered taking a shower. It was getting difficult to find a reason to do anything, her thoughts kept taking a turn down the same familiar road, making everyday tasks seem just so pointless..

..Bren had been so small. She looked at her hands - his little fingers used to fold completely inside hers. She'd killed him for Bren. Crei. The twisted, deserving bastard. Sawed his throat near through to bone. Kazaar had done him a couple of blaster bolts to the head as well, just to be sure.

Crei's blood on her soul. She didn't mind. It was only right. She had killed him though. She had. Then why did Crei keep escaping in her dreams? Why did she see herself killing those few people she cared for? Del twisted sharply as a floorboard creaked. The shadow against the wall didn't move and it took her a half-second for recognition, then to react.

For the second time that grey morning, Adelaide flung herself from her bed and onto the floor, smacking an elbow against the side table as she leapt and absently noticing that the chrono now read 0455.

She registered the uniform outline, even in the shadows. Inquistoriate.

They'd come for her atlast, she thought numbly as she cleaved close in between wall and bed.

Blood on her soul.

They've come at last.

She didn't mind.

It was only right.

[Rekoj]

What a mousy creature. Rekoj thought as the woman fumbled about between bed and wall. Little eyes peeking out from behind her bed then diving back like some gopher. Did she recognize me? Was it the face or was it the black uniform with that symbolic red stripe of the Inquisitoriate. Rekoj took a step out of the door way and the floorboards creaked again. Then, with a soft click, the room was suddenly bathed in blinding light and he could see Adelaide's elbows spring above the bed to shield her eyes. Another soft click and the lights in the room went out again. Then on again. Then off.

“I’ve come for you Adelaide Kasperian-formerly of Kazaar.” Rekoj continued flicking the light switch off and on causing a strobe like effect. While utilizing his most booming prophetic voice. “And your little pet tooooo.”

He flicked the light off.

“Unless your busy.” Rekoj turned and walked out of the bedroom, down the hall, and into the kitchen to the tune of clanging pots and shutting cupboard doors.

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Adelaide blinked rapidly, a by-product of a panicked state of mind.

Who the hell was that?

The flickering lights disorientated her, adding a haphazardness to her already leap-frogging thoughts - revelations came tumbling and bumping into one another inside her mind with each flick of the switch.

He knew her full name. He got in her apartment without raising any alarm. He'd been in here who knows how long? He was an Inquisitor and he'd come for her. And he looked like a psycho. If this was official, why was he alone? And why was he sneaking about? It would be easier to just arrest her in plain sight. Had he done something to the cat?

She got unsteadily to her feet, picking up a small hand weight she used as part of her exercise routine - or would use if she did her routine with anything resembling regularity - her fingers locating it easily in its place under the bed.

He was in her kitchen now, she could hear him touching things without regard to her property. Was he trying to intimidate her, to scare her? Didn't he know he'd acomplished that the moment she'd seen him standing in the door frame?

Adelaide followed carefully in his wake down the hall and stepped silently, she thought, into the kitchen. He turned, pulling back from delving into a corner cupboard almost immediately she entered. He hadn't seen the dumbell coming though and that, atleast, was gratifying. But he didn't fall after the initial hit, had just grunted and reached a hand up to flatten back his hair. Del pulled her arm back for a second swing. It was as she was bringing the weight down with all her strength that she realised she knew this man. She'd seen him somewhere before, his unhinged grin and deviant stare was not something one quickly forgot.

"You.......!"

[Eliessa Corta]

Eliessa peered over her black-rimmed glasses to view the holoscreen and "tsked".

The pre-dawn GNN broadcast was streaming live to the CoCo district where riots had erupted overnight at a rally calling to free 150 Cormus refugees. More bleeding hearts that would see Inner Coruscant overrun with factional zealots who agreed on nothing but spilling each others blood. It was causing quite the commotion and the small neighbourhood looked like a scene from a war zone.

The Judge leaned back against her pillows and sipped her tea.

Each morning began the same for Corta - awake at 4.45am to watch the early news, drinking black tea sweetened with a little honey. The teaglass, wrapped in a delicately engraved silver holster, was a gift from a foreign embassador whom Eliessa was once fond of and who taught her that staying informed on what the day was already bringing went a long way to making her opponents look stupid.

A small knock at her door and Corta bid her maid enter. "I have an early meeting this morning Enarri, please have my lavender suit ready"

The olive green Undulan tipped her spiked head in acknowledgement before announcing, just as she did every morning, that the Judge's breakfast was ready and the papers were set out in order of her preference.

"Thank you Enarri. And please see that Adelaide joins me by 7. We will be leaving by 7.15"

"Yes, madam"

Eliessa focused back to the holoscreen as Enarri left, thinking unkindly that whoever chose the news anchor's tie was likely in the throes of a seizure when making the decision. Really, who could rationally choose such a print?

[Rekoj]

“Yes.” A cereal box crinkled within Rekoj’s grip. His free hand diving into it’s contents and pulling out a handful of cornflakes. He tossed the handful into his mouth and chewed. “Me.” Crumbs falling from his full maw with the announcement.

“But look at you.” He gave a look of genuine disbelief. “You actually exercise? I never would have guessed. You should be careful with that. You may be in danger of breaking a sweat at any moment.”

The Inquisitor attempted to side step around Adelaide to the stove behind her but she matched his movement. Her face had grown stern with the recognition of her shadowy burglar. He feigned another attempt at moving around the woman but she was quick to shooing at him with her weapon of circumstance. The small weight fit awkwardly with her tight two handed grip. Adelaide was even going so far as to raise it in a special stance she had once seen sword fighters use in a holo movie. She was a fierce sight indeed. Hair tangled and matted with a pronounced tuft sticking up like a spike at the back of her head. She wore a large t-shirt. It looked old and bore several colourful yet faded food stains. It didn‘t take a detective to deduce that more then a few were results of some late night chocolate ice cream binge. The shirt drooped down past her knees which looked to normally conceal her boxers. That is if one side of the shirt hadn’t become bunched and tucked into her waistband at her left hip.

Rekoj arched an eyebrow giving the odd mess pretending to be a woman a full look over. He sucked a cornflake from between his teeth. “You’re missing a sock.”

Adelaide glanced down. Her shoulders drooping somewhat dejectedly. It was true. “I chose to wear just one!” She raised her head with a growl but the Inquisitor was gone. He was behind her somehow fiddling with the stove.

“Stop that! Quit moving. Quit eating! Quit touching things! What are you doing in my apartment!?” Again, she shooed at him with her deadly five pound weapon.

“Tea?” The Inquisitor asked with his back fully turned to the baggy shirted defender of dirty dishes.

“Yes!” Wait, that was wrong. “I mean no! I mean later! After the questions! No! Answers! Now!”

Rekoj turned over his shoulder and gave Adelaide a look. “So that was a yes to the tea or?”

“What are you doing in my house!” A scream of frustration.

Rekoj turned around, tea cup between fingers with pinky finger raised of course. He gave a shrug and took a sip. “Mmmm. Visiting a friend?”

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

"You're no friend of mine" Del tossed back, trying to put the man's odd behaviour into something that made even a little sense. "I dont have that many friends, and Im quite picky about even those. My cup's over there" she gestured, lowering her weapon in a momentary lapse of wariness, before jerking it back up into threatening posture. "The one on the right"

Rekoj pulled the large mug with a chipped lip toward him, blew a puff of breath in it to expell any dust particals, and poured. He noticed her anger ebbing, it was hard for most people to carry on a one-way conflict.

Adelaide took a moment to really look at the intruder. The uniform was crisp and fresh enough (if you disregarded the cereal flake wedged behind a front button), yet the man inside it gave the overall impression of dishevelledness and distinct unruliness. Like a closet that behind the neatly closed door lay a riot of contents all shoved in on top of one another and is in constant peril of spilling out beyond its containing facade to strew mayhem all about the place. Yet, she felt no personal threat from him, not at the moment anyway. Rekoj gave her a sly wink and held out her cup. With a resigned sigh, Del accepted it. In truth, she actaully felt a little foolish standing there in her present state prepared to fend of an assualt that obviously wasn't coming.

"Who are you and what do you want? Why are you here? If its about the Judge, I dont know anything about anything important" she said and took a tentative sip of tea. "Good" she acknowledged and set the little dumbell down on one end wrapping both hands around the mug, the warmth of it radiating into her hands. "So," she asked again, tossing her head the way people do when they are starting something over, take-2 fashion, "What do you want?"

[Rekoj]

“N’awh…Adelaide. I’ll be your friend. If you let me.” Rekoj’s brow furrowed in faux concern. His bottom lip protruding into a large pout. The subtlety of his movements if judged in retrospect were masterful and seamless like a snake sliding through long grass. It took Adelaide a full moment to realize he had coiled an arm around her shoulder in a comforting squeeze. Another moment to realize she enjoyed it and then another moment after that to shrug his arm off in disgust, but it was too late. His thoughtful venom had already been injected into an already dazed and confused prey. She would pause, questioning why such a small act felt so comforting. Maybe it was the night thrashing around in a nightmare. Was it some throw back to her child hood when her mother would come to her bedside and hold her after such an event? She knew the thoughtfulness on his part was a lie but did it really matter who it came from? It had been so long since she had been hugged by anyone. People lie to themselves all the time. Why couldn’t she?

Adelaide blinked. The steam from her tea waved in front of her vision. It’s scented aroma wrapping around her nose like a warm scarf. Wait. She blinked again. Frack. Where had he gone?

“Hey!”

Adelaide turned in time to get a ball of clothing to the face. The impact of which sent a splash of tea flying from her cup.

“What I want is for you to continue on your day. To work more precisely.” The Inquisitor shot out his right arm and looked to his chrono. “That old bags going to be livid if we don’t arrive by seven. It’s seven right? She’s probably already finished her black hearted tea. Hopefully she is still dawdling with one eye on the holonet news, like she does.”

Rekoj paused, placing both hands on his hips and gave Adelaide an impatient once over. “Common then.”

Adelaide opened her arms and let the pile of clothes flop to the floor. All except for her bra which somehow managed to cling to her wrist. My bra? Her eyes widened. He was touching my- “No!”

A chipped tea cup was flung through the air although it was effortlessly ducked by a head attached to a cheeky grin.

“I am not! Going! Anywhere! Especially with you!” The bra was the next to be flung but even though more unwieldy it somehow managed to land on the Inquisitors head. Or he had simply decided not to move out of the way this time. Her hand moved to the counter where she had placed the exercise weight but found empty space. He had taken it. Adelaide’s frustration was building. Even more frustrating was the inability to unleash it on her wretched tormentor. He was just a man but a man in uniform with a frightening reputation.

“Adelaide please.” Rekoj gave a lazy blink and settled a stare that could cow even a storm trooper on the young woman. “Don’t make us late.”

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Her breathing was loud and making such a racket in her head that she couldnt collect her thoughts, let alone articulate them.

The man is a lunatic. That thought was clear enough and definitely dominating all the others. It was probably best she couldn't put a voice to that right now, though.

"How do you----" (know so much about me?) "where----" (where did you come from?) "who----" (who sent you?). Krast, she was stammering like a fool and saying nothing.

"Stop stammering like a fool" Rekoj instructed, touching a finger to her shoulder, "and get dressed"

Adelaide started at the touch. Her mind was in disarray and she was feeling overwhelmed. Maybe she should scream, call for help.

Rekoj was leading her back to the bedroom and as they entered, she glimpsed in passing their reflection in the ensuite mirror. Rekoj had stopped grinning. That made her even more uneasy than before. She followed her own reflection and with a shock of recognition that made her gasp and jump back, she saw Crei staring over her shoulder at her with cruel eyes.

Del spun around expecting to see the Albino Crimelord close behind her, his thin lips pressed together in a mocking sneer. More shocking was that he was not there at all and as she backed up trembling to bump into Rekoj,the Inquisitor's hands folded around gripping her arms to her sides, and he whispered, smiling into her ear, "Nightmares come out in the day too, do they?"

[Eliessa Corta]

The Judge shuffled through her papers, a look of distate turning her lips into a thin, down-turned line.

She held in her hands numerous petitions for pardon from families, loved ones and/or highly placed government officials (the three not being mutually exclusive each from the other) on behalf of individuals Corta remembered well. Individuals who were well-deserving of the harsh sentences they had received at her bench.

Corta ran a cool, appraising eye over each one and all of them to a man was a political grenade waiting to detonate in her lap. Even the woman. Especially the woman. The daughter of one of Imperial Center's police cheifs, put away for twenty-to-life on charges of alien trafficking and spice dealing. A reprive for her would make police co-operation in future investigations go a lot smoother and likely result in some high profile arrests that had been long eluding the Order of Solomon, but at the cost of her integrity. A lapse the Judge would relentlessly be reminded of and exploited through by the very same law keepers she had aided. Corta pushed them across the table away from her.

"I told you not to bother with setting out this type of correspondence for me, Enarri. It puts me off my appetite." She eyed the chrono on the wall, it was almost seven. "Take this away" the Judge waved her hand to indicate papers, plates and her juice glass. "Leave the tea."

Eliessa lifted her eyes to the large morning-room bay windows, taking in the mood of the day - another wet and dreary one. She tired of the rain. She tired of many things lately it seemed - the corruption that seemed to be all around her, the lack of progress in tracking down who was responsible for the missing Moffs. She even found Adelaide was wearying her - the girl appeared to be regressing in her recovery of late. Instead of improving, Adelaide was beginning to withdraw again, as if that was even really possible. She had hardly been outgoing at the best of times. Corta blamed that acting pilot fellow, Idalix. Somehow - Corta didn't know how - he was to fault.

Adelaide just needed to be kept busy. Exaust the girl and she wont have time for introspection and depression. The chrono chimed and Eliessa sipped her tea.

What a dismal day.

[Rekoj]

“Fear not peanut. Rekoj is here.” The Inquisitor bowed low over Adelaides shoulder planting a kiss onto her cheek. The wet feeling of flesh was enough to snap Adelaide back into her state of depressed reality. Breaking free from his grip she was quick to treat the man with her fiercest scowl before escaping into her bedroom to the tune of a slamming door.

“You have fifty seconds to get dressed.” Knuckles rapped across Adelaide’s bedroom door. She didn’t reply.

Rekoj twisted his head like a dog attempting to decipher the common tongue. Silence. The Inquisitors face scrunched suspiciously and he braced an ear to the door.

“And don’t let me catch you trying to crawl out of your window…” A pause. Then the thud of a window sill being slammed shut. “Good girl.

“I wish that boss of yours was just as dutiful as you. A few months ago I gave you a data stick with some very important information.” The Inquisitor turned, once again perking his ears at the sound of raspy crunching coming from the kitchen.

“So?” Adelaide’s muffled voice called back through her bedroom door. She sounded out of breath. “What does that have to do with me?

“I’m not her boss. She barely listens if I ask her if she wants a pastry with her tea.” Adelaide gave a sneer, noting the rising irritation she felt with the observation. “Not like anyone else actually does. It feels like my one constant in this crap filled universe is to be constantly treated like the wet dog. Always under foot. Ignored. Pushed around.”

Silence.

“Hello?” Adelaide cracked her bedroom door open. A tangle of panty hose was sagging at her left ankle but at least now she was dressed and her hair was half brushed. “See. Exactly my point.”

“Yes but master’s love their pets.” Rekoj replied, abruptly turning a corner back into the dim picture less walls of Adelaide's hallway. Adelaide jumped back and slam the door shut again. She held the door handle tight for a moment before realizing he looked different. He was carrying something. Something furry.

Adelaide was quick to open the door this time. “You found him? Where was-” Her reaching fingers fell short of the soft fur she was expecting with Rekoj flinching back beyond her touch.

“As I was saying. Master’s love their pets even wet dogs. They’re cute and helpless and their owners love to dote over them. They become an extension of their personalities. Little reflections that they can’t help but love or laugh at.

Rekoj held his arms aloft for Adelaide to take her pet back. “Now if you put these reflections of love in harms way. It’s almost as good as attacking the owners themselves.”

The sound of snapping bone preluded the limpness of the tiny creatures body as Rekoj forced it back into it’s owners arms. Adelaides breath was stolen. Her eyes wide with shock. Her cat had been alive just seconds ago mere inches from her fingers. Now the Inquisitor had simply snuffed it’s life out and she was left holding something completely alien.

“Let’s go see just how much the Judge loves her pet.”

[Eliessa Corta]

"Here she comes"

Enarri's mild observation elbowed Corta from her inner thoughts and lifted her gaze once again to the large windows.

The tick of irritation that had been developing on the Judge's demeanor from waiting on her assistant deepened into a frown, causing Corta's eyebrows to pinch together unattractively. Her mouth opened in a half-formed question, Who the hell..?

Corta stood, clearly taken aback as she watched Adelaide stroll towards her across the gardens, the Inquisitor beside her insinuating himself under the inadequate cover of her umbrella. With a sinking feeling, Eliessa recognized the ludicrous grin the man wore and, as they approached, Rekoj waggled his fingers at her in a wave. Not a moment later, Adelaide was ushering the fool into the Judge's morning room with a timid and apologetic half-shrug.

The Judge's eyes bore heavily in on Rekoj and her face was stoney.
"You have one minute to explain yourself before I have you arrested for trespassing."

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Adelaide was aghast.

"That was my cat!"

She took Whisker Jack from the Inquisitor's grasp rougher than she meant to, but it was important to get him out of Rekoj's grimey hands. She then craddled him gently against her chest. He still felt the same, was still warm - only just very, very still and no soft purring was elicited at her touch.

"How could you be so cruel?"

Tears welled in Adelaide's eyes as she stroked the lifeless form. She knew she had neglected the poor little fellow of late, but it nevertheless broke her heart to have this brute snap his innocent little neck. It was so unnecessary. It pulled her mind back to the memory of another dear, little innocent who suffered at a wicked man's whim.

Del rolled against the wall and away from Rekoj, unable to look at his horrible face, wanting to shut out the memory that had been evoked.

"You didnt have to do that" she said, her voice muffled in Whisker Jack's fur. She looked around for something sharp to stab Rekoj with and found nothing to hand that would do. That was ok - she knew how to repay in kind, knew how to find the right time to do it. It was something she had done before..

Crei had been in the refresher, in his own home - unwinding, destressing. He thought he knew what he needed to be afraid of and who he needed to fear. Adelaide smiled despite her tears. The Albino had never seen her coming. She didn't allow Rekoj to see the fever that lit her eyes right then. He would never see her coming either, she decided.

"I would have taken you to the Judge, you didn't need to make a point"

She placed the cat on her bed and pulled the covers up over him, taking care to leave his head clear. He looked like he was napping.

"Feel free to snap my neck if the Judge doesn't show enough concern" she tossed to Rekoj as she plucked up her umbrella and pushed passed him to exit from the apartment and into the rain.


Corta was furious at the Inquisitor's unannounced presence, as was expected, and her wrath made Adelaide feel protected and even a little bit stronger. Rekoj may be able to just steamroll in and shake her up with his breaking-ins and his murderings, but the Judge was a very different story. Intimidation and needless point-making would not be suffered here. It was more likely his neck would be the one getting the snapping.

Adelaide stood apart from the Inquisitor, allowing him to take the full brunt of Corta's displeasure and smart-mouth his way into a dark cell with no key.

[Rekoj]

“Well that’s not very nice.” Rekoj cringed, tonguing at a cornflake that had become lodged in his back teeth.

Hands on hips the Judge awaited the explanation for the Inquisitors presence but none came. Instead there was only silence interrupted intermittently by wet sucking as Rekoj warred against his gums. Presumptuous bastard, he’s going to wait the full minute, Corta gave a ‘humph’ and promptly reached for the intercom panel on her desk.

“Some time ago I gave you a piece of information.” Rekoj chirped finally, “The location of a Moff who had gone missing.”

“And?” Corta shook her head dismissively. The Judge wasn’t known for her boundless patience at the best of times even now her weariness was on full display, arms folded across her chest, neck craned to the side so her cheek was resting in a cradle between her two fingers and thumb.

“And” Rekoj bit back sharply, “Where has your investigation taken you?”

Corta let loose and incredulous laugh, “Please, Inquisitor or not, I‘m not about to let you in on my investigation.”

Now it was Rekoj’s turn to be smug. “It was rhetorical Judge. I know you have nothing. You are at a dead end with one lead from a man you do not trust.”

“So where does that leave us?”

“With the need for leverage. If you do not trust me then I must force you to take action in a different way.”

“That sounded like a threat.” Corta bristled.

“I’m not in the industry of making threats my dear Judge.” The Inquisitor reached out and snagged Adelaide by her arm. She squirmed for a moment but ultimately relented under the steely grip. “Follow the lead.”

[Eliessa Corta]

"Your lead," the word was heavily emphasised with derision, "went nowhere."
Corta flicked her finger, "Unhand the girl" she said, sitting to resume sipping her tea. "The two Moffs were not at the location your intelligence supplied and I will not waste resources sending good people after bad intel"

"He killed Jack" Adelaide blurted out as she attempted to peel the Inquisitor's fingers from her arm.

There was a breif hesitation as Corta searched her memory to place just who Jack was. "You killed the cat?"
She couldn't quite believe it, yet the accusation in Adelaide's eyes confirmed it was so.
"What a twisted little fellow you are" she remarked dryly. Complete sociopath, she thought to herself - no wonder the Imperials had a use for him. Could she make use of him too?

"Where do you suggest we go from here, or would you like me to find a small bird for you to set on fire?"

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

The knife would go into his side so easily, like pricking an omlette.
She could slice in deep and lift up the bloody edges of skin to see the juices and filling inside.


Rekoj was speaking, his adams apple bobbing like a top on a pond. His voice rumbled deep from inside his chest and climbed up his throat to crawl out his mouth, draped in a cape of sarcasm and threat.


His pale skin would rebel feebly against the blade, yeilding up its place with small resistance only to be usurped by a dark deep hole that would leak his inner bile, much as his lips always had.


Corta seemed coy. She was playing her game. The both of them were. Was this just a farce to them? No. Not a farce. There were things at stake. Things that mattered. Somehow, Del couldn't remember what they were.

"He killed my cat" she repeated, mostly to herself - her lips barely moving.

Rekoj was still smirking. Imperial bastard. Del tried emulating the smile, tried it on for size to see how it felt. In her mind she saw a knife in her hand and Rekoj's exposed side waiting its kiss. The smile came easily and felt good.

The conversation had stopped and both Corta and Rekoj were looking at her expectantly. Had she missed something?

[Rekoj]

“Please, you think my source wouldn’t inform me if you had actually followed through in your investigation? Not to mention the Inquisitors who have you under constant surveillance. To play the part may amuse me from time to time but I am no fool, Corta.”

“He killed my cat.” The diminutive voice of the Judges assistant wasn’t enough to break Rekoj’s attention, until that is, the judges focus shifted along with her expression.

Adelaide was smiling. The Inquisitor had seen that face before in the sanatorium wards of the Inquisitors Citadel.

The Inquisitor cringed. “Well, that’s somewhat unsettling.”

The only response from the judge was a frustrated shake of her head as if to tell the man to be serious. Rekoj could see the stain of worry impressed upon her brow.

A quick survey of Adelaide showed no immediate threat, her fists balled as they were held no weapons. The nearest weapon was a small pen set next to a data pad on the Judges desk. It was three steps away for Rekoj which meant it was four for the girl. The Judge was two steps away. That would be enough time to use the old bag as a meat shield if the situation warranted it.

“I fear I may have broken your assistant.”