9.010 - Package Delivered

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri thumped her forehead down on her desk. The slick, expensive lacquered wood was cool against her skin, and for a moment she considered remaining in that position for the rest of forever. Why was she surrounded by idiots and sycophants?

An entire shipment of spice from the Hutts was lost to an Imperial interdictor, as well as the freighter and crew. The managers of the casino on Carshoulis Prime had gotten arrested for being forrrda and dominant to females in public (ridiculous charges but then, this was the Pride they were talking about). She'd just had to fire a secretary for recording private conversations. And on top of all that, Taataani was still sending messages, hinting at making nice and trying to feel her out for business deals. She'd ignored the last three.

Sasseeri moaned softly against the desk, her breath fogging up the striped wood. There was a quiet knock at the door, and then Tock opened it. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Adjerban is here, with the latest bounty. You had asked for this one to be delivered personally to you."

Her ears flicked, and she sat up slowly, eying the big grey skinned Twi'lek. His voice was a deep rumble; it was a shame that he didn't talk more often. Of course, he also hated being used for doorman duties, but hiring a new secretary was difficult and she was putting it off. Plus there weren't a great deal of applicants, what with the risk of disappearing if you did your job incompetently. Plus - her mind was like a sajoi, scurrying to and fro. Sasseeri flicked her hair back and squared her shoulders.

"Yes, of courrrse, show hjim jin at once." Hopefully this would be just the distraction she needed.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

Prent, it turned out, was my kind of guy. In another situation we might have been buddies. Sure, we would have had a falling out after chasing the same tail, but we probably would have gotten plastered on cheap booze and made up. That was our breed. That or I would have cheated him at cards and he would have tried to shoot me or something. That happens sometimes. I made if fairly clear that I didn't take any special pleasure in this, and that it was way outside my normal duties, but Sasseeri, ya know? Prent knew, probably better than I did. I did not delve into that relationship, and neither did he.

Hell, I even gave him a smoke.

Part of me felt a little smidgen bad for turning him over to Sassy Pants, but I really like my throat the way it is. When I walked through the door, I felt the same mixed feelings that I always did. One part distaste, one part distrust, and two parts lust. Many negative things could be said about Sasseeri Reeouurra: her looks were not on that list. Her body seemed to accumulate fat on very select, desirable places, and everywhere else was smooth and lean.

"Package for you, Miss Reeouura." I gave Prent a gentle shove through the door.

[Sanis Prent]

I was still beaten up and in stun cuffs, but I'd had my smoke, my chance to simmer down, and a chance to reflect. I'd had a good life, right? Maybe not the best, all told. I hadn't made it big yet, but I'd done my thing for most of it, and probably gotten away with more shit than most.

I don't know what I expected behind the door. Nobody really told me who the macher was at Black Sun who was throwing down a mint for my hide. I'd be the first one to admit I've probably pissed off more people than I realize, so I spent a bit of time trying to tease out the mystery in my head.

So when I first caught a glimpse of my captor, I was thrown a bit for a loss.

"Oh."

And then it hit me. I had kind of blown off a high paying gig and left it by the wayside for my little run at being a damn hero, hadn't I?

"Ohhhh..."

A grimace.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri was almost smiling when the door opened, and then a bedraggled male was pushed in with Adjerban just behind him. She looked at him, and then at the her pointy eared employee, and then back again.

"Who the fuck jis thjis?"

[Adjerban the Interloper]

My ears dropped a little. I was confused. What the hell? My eyes narrowed a touch, but the look on her face meant she wasn't playing sabaac.

"Sanis Prent." I said, and hoped a lightbulb would go on.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sanjis Prrrent. The name meant nothing to her. Sasseeri shoved her chair back and stalked over to the man, putting a finger under his chin and forcing his head up. Maybe... was jit Cloud Cjity? Frrrell jits been a long tjime.

"He smells bad and needs a hajirrrcut. But jI suppose jI rrrememberrr hjim now." She slapped his cheek lightly. "You werrre gojing to do somethjing forrr me, werrren't you, Prrrent."

[Sanis Prent]

At first I was pissed off that she didn't know who I was. I'm Sanis Fucking Prent! Everybody should know who I am! Baby, I rocked you!

Then, I quickly hoped she wouldn't remember. Yes ma'am, I'm Sanis Prent, of the Ithorian Itinerant Missionary Society. Have you accepted the Ithorian Nature Spirit as your Lord and Savior? We have pamphlets and cookies. Completely harmless ma'am!

Then I was mad again. Smell bad? Haircut?? I ignored her question for a moment, and tried to check my vapors as discretely as possible, which probably didn't help my case.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

Oh thank the Force she remembered. I watched her dress down Prent when the lights went on.

No shit you don't smell good Sanis. You've been bagged by a Cizerack and then shipped. You stink faintly of body odor and a cigarette. As for a haircut, I'm not one to talk. I had a long, black mane and some of the ladies liked it. It was a pain in the ass, but I took good care of it.

I waited. Sassy hated being interrupted when she was humiliating someone.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She was much shorter than Prent, but being short had never stopped her from staring down her nose at others. "Seventy thousand credjits. (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?p=278219#post278219) Half was up frrront, as well as the forrrged paperrrs and trrransponderrr we had to arrrrrange forrr you, that you neverrr pjicked up. jI may forrrget a face but jI neverrr forrrget a brrroken contrrract. jIn addjitjion to what jI just had to pay to brrrjing you jin, you owe me qujite a bjit of money, Mjisterrr Prrrent."

Sasseeri narrowed her blue eyes. "jI can't decjide jif jI want you to worrrk jit off, orrr jif you should just be kjilled for yourrr jinsolence. Any jideas, Prrrent?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Work sounds great!" was out of my mouth faster than light speed, as I put on a genial smile.

Hey, I'll do all sorts of things like swallowing my pride and working for nothing to avoid certain death.

"Got any clerical openings? Something with low danger, good benefits?"

About all I had to fight back with at this point was a sense of humor.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

Sanis you moron. Clerical work for Sassy was fraught with danger. The further you could be away from her, the more legal the work was, the better off you were. Which is why I sort of liked my job. The pay was tolerable, catching cheats was both challenging and interesting, and Sassy didn't live in her casino. Thankfully for me.

"Heh."

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She raised an eyebrow at his flippant answer, and turned her back on him, crossing to her desk. She needed to look at whatever sort of file Black Sun had on him, to refresh her memory. "jI do need a new secrrretarrry," she said. "But you look morrre ljike a pjilot than a competent typjist."

Sasseeri sat back at her desk, tapping a few commands into her console that was cleverly worked into the design. Prent, Sanis. "Hmmm."

Blue eyes flicked back up to him. "jI'm surrre you wouldn't rrrun strrrajight back to the Alljiance the fjirrrst chance you got, rrrrjight?" Sass smirked. "Not that they can prrrotect you. Perrrhaps you gave them my money, and bought yourrr place on... Rrrrogue Squadrrron?"

[Sanis Prent]

Her intel was correct, but I resented the insinuations that she used to fill in between. I didn't buy anything to get into Rogue Squadron. That was my own skill at work. And I didn't give them a damn cred, that's for sure. I invested that money in an honest way, by losing it to whores, gambling debt, and bar tabs.

"Sasseeri, Sasseeri, Sasseeri. Is the money really that important? I mean, yes, you're right there might be a little bit of a shortfall, but my stock's only been rising since then. You picked me up as three star talent, and I've come back to you as a five star name brand."

The cuffs were kind of keeping me from laying on the swagger that I needed, but I worked in my element. Really, whatever just kept me from being murdered and put in a few suitcases would do. I'd sort the other details out as I went along.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

I gave Sanis's arm a jerk, and the stun cuffs popped him good.

"Ow! Fuck!"

I don't usually kick a guy when he's down, but I was getting bored, and something had to be done.

"Five Star talent in boot-licking, maybe. Really Prent? Rouge Squadron? You must be damn good in bed. You punch lefty or righty? Maybe a bit of the left-right combo?"

So bored.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri didn't much care about his pain, or his banter. She leaned back in her five hundred credit bantha leather office chair and steepled her slim fingers against her lips. "jIt happens that jI have busjiness jin the Carshoulis Clusterrr. And that the trrrade embarrrgo jis stjill jin effect arrround Calan, whjich means that rrrunnjing the blockade jis stjill fajirrrly prrrofjitable."

She paused, tapping her fingers lightly against her mouth and mulling it over in her head. If he got captured or killed running the blockade, too, all the better. Though she was beginning to remember their previous meeting at Cumulus. If he was cleaned up... Her train of thought derailed into the gutter.

Clearing her throat, Sasseeri said, "You wjill accompany me to Carrrshouljis Prrrjime. And afterrr that... we wjill see what you can do to pay off yourrr debt."

[Sanis Prent]

I gave Adjerban a long look and and a smirk.

"Yeah, I might be a schmuck who's seen better days, but I've run down the Empire where they live, and got them by the short hairs. Can't bullshit your way out of a Star Destroyer bombardment."

Back to Sasseeri and her words, I gave a little grimace at the thought. Of course we'd be going back to the Cluster. Makes sense really. Whenever I'm broke, destitute, and desperate, it just seems to suck people in like a singularity.

"Running a branch out of Prime, now? Not bad, not bad."

Of course this time I had other enemies on Prime beyond Sasseeri, although if what Saa said was in any way true, hopefully they would be in no position to make my life worse than it was right now, which was pretty much in a dumpster.

"There is just one small, tiny, almost insignificant problem..."

[Adjerban the Interloper]

Fuck. I hate "Carrrshouljis". I'd been dragged there once, and I was OK with going, having never been previously. I was wary, of course. Only someone insane would be unwary with a bunch of Cizerack running around. They always were thinking about eating or fucking a thing. Sometimes both. It only took one trip to decide I never wanted to go back, and the two previous "opportunities" I'd managed to disappear for a few days. Sassy wasn't happy about it, but there wasn't anything she could have done in a sane amount of time to find me.

"Oh yeah?" I asked sarcastically.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

"jI am not jinterrrested jin morrre prrroblems, Mjisterrr Prrrent!" Sasseeri's voice cracked like a whip. "Perrrhaps a blasterrr bolt to the back of yourrr head wjill make thjis prrroblem of yourrrs even morrre jinsjignjifjicant?!"

[Sanis Prent]

"Fine, fine, fine."

I backed off, again waving my cuffed hands in front of me. Yeah, thin ice alright.

"...it's just that my ship, uh, kind of, maybe, uh, exploded. A little."

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She shook her head exasperatedly. "jI was not plannjing on lettjing you use yourrr own shjip anyway." Obviously her initial assessment of the man, so long ago, had been based merely on looks.

"Take hjim away, Adjerrrban," Sasseeri said. "Get hjim cleaned up, and tell Tock to keep an eye on hjim."

[Adjerban the Interloper]

I shrugged and took Sanis by the shoulder. He looked a little relived that things hadn't gotten any worse.

" 'Aight Sanis." I opened the door for him.

"C'mon Tock. we've got to get this bantha-dung a bit presentable." Sanis shot me a glance, but most of this was an act for my own entertainment.

I led them to the staff facilities, which included a full suite of showers and all the other needed things for bodily functions. There was likely quite a lot of DNA scattered about the drains. Sometimes beatings were administered to "improve morale". Morale got real low when the wrong hand went in the cookie jar. Once we arrived, I took the stun cuffs off and gave him a shove way, in case he wanted to take a quick swing at me. Sanis rubbed his wrists.

"Strip. I've got to get this shit cleaned until we can get a wardrobe sorted, as to not offend her royally fantastic hiney's Cizerack sense of smell." I ordered. If he tried something, Tock would pound him into last week.

[Sanis Prent]

I did as I was told. No sense in playing the indignant card now. We both knew it would be a waste of our time.

The partition gave me the barest sliver of privacy as I skinned down to my birthday suit, tossing my get-up over the divide as I did.

"Sounds like you're real chummy with your boss, eh?"

I started the sonics, leaning against the tile wall. Felt good to wash some of the shame of the past two days away, at least.

[Kal Olorin]

"Hey Adjerban, enjoy your time away from the Core?" I gave him a friendly nod as I entered the refresher, my brain slowly registering the sonic shower in use and Tock standing like a statue nearby. My eyes narrowed. "Did I interrupt something? Hang a sock on the door or something."

I stood at the urinal anyway, a safe distance from whatever perversions might be happening in the showers, and contemplated getting into a line of work where someone getting tortured in the employee restroom was less of a given. Of course it wasn't like they were waterboarding anyone with the sonic shower, but I'd seen those things overloaded to make a person's eyes and ears bleed, not to mention the havok it would cause on your skin -

I glanced back over as I was finishing up, and raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Prent?"

[Adjerban the Interloper]

"We have a complicated relationship." I explained as I picked up the discarded clothing. Wearing the same thing for two days made it, and the bearer, damn stinky. My face folded up and I held the stuff at arms length. I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination but I am not for reveling in filth.

"I do my job for the most part, and every now and again I raid the special part of her liquor cabinet for the good Corellian brandy." And then Kal decided to socialize. Really dude? Now?

""Did I interrupt something? Hang a sock on the door or something." Kal said.

"Nah, just getting a long-term guest cleaned up." I explained. Kal took another look.

"Yeah. You know this joker?" I asked. I still held the offensive garments away from me. I was going to wash my hands four times, I swear.

[Sanis Prent]

I gave the newcomer a look of vague recollection.

"You must be Kal Olorin."

I'd seen the toadie before, back on Bespin. Of course that was when he was a toadie and not a Vigo. Tough to read a guy who looked like the sort of inoffensive sort you'd find in a caf shop on a couch in the corner reading holos. I wasn't surprised then that he knew me in passing.

The sonics switched off, and I took a moment to stretch a bit, still covered up by the partition.

"Complicated relationships and Miss Reeouurra seem to be familiar bedfellows."

Feeling well-cleaned, I got a second wind of false bravado.

"Speaking of bedfellows, don't suppose I've got a change of clothes on deck, or does she prefer all of her gifts come to her unwrapped in advance?"

[Kal Olorin]

I raised my eyebrows, washing my hands, and shook my head slowly. Tock handed Prent a pair of janitorial coveralls and then resumed his statue pose. Sanis was about my age, maybe a little younger, and you would think that the man would know better than to joke about Sasseerri Reeouurra. Then again, you'd think the man would have known better than to get on her bad side in the first place.

Gallows humor, perhaps. I wasn't unfamiliar with it.

"You're up shit creek, Prent. You know that right?" Adjerban had slipped out to dispose of the smuggler's odoriferous clothing, but now the pointy eared bastard came back in, looking impatient. "See you around." I nodded to Tock and Adjerban, and left.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

I took a moment to watch Kal disappear, and wondered what his damage was. Prent had probably kicked sand in his face, maybe burned him. Who knows. All this crap was before my time.

"Nah." I said after Tock numbly handed Prent the coveralls and he had started to dress. "Something satisfying about a nice gift wrap for Sassy." I explained.

"I have to wash your clothes, mostly because they stink like bantha shit, and partly because I have to make sure you haven't stashed anything clever in them, so you'll get them back later. After I've made sure there are no laser guided poison tipped hairpins."

Prent had finished dressing.

[Sanis Prent]

"If I had a credit every time I heard that one."

I replied to Kal as he was already on the outs. Did he come to gloat? I didn't get the appeal. Sick jollies from mingling with the apparently-condemned? Maybe. He had a reputation as an organizational guru so maybe what they said about madness alongside genius was true. I wasn't in much position to wax philosophical over it either way.

I put on the coveralls, which were stiff, heavy, and boring. I wasn't feeling much like a high valued prisoner right now. Maybe my captor just needed reminding.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

Sanis looked like a dude having a bad day. He was a dude having a bad day. I'd been in those shoes before. They were damn uncomfortable shoes. They cramped your toes. They had tacks in them. Rusty tacks, with citric acid.

"Cheer up, man. I'll give your clothes back to you once they stop smelling like a hutt's underside." He shot me a look, the kind a man reserves for the person who ran over their pet. I cuffed Sanis again.

"Well, provided you survive this next meeting." My ears dropped wide, and I shrugged. I led Sanis back to the lift. The walking wall Tock followed.

The three of us entered the Lioness' Den, once again. Cripes this was gonna suck for Sanis.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri delicately pulled apart the fish fillet with her fingers, the hot fish not quite burning her as she ate it. She'd been making an effort to have better table manners, but still mostly ate without utensils. It felt unnatural to have to use tools to take apart one's meal.

The door opened as she was finishing up the last bite, and she dabbed her lips with a napkin and pushed the plate to the side. "We wjill be leavjing forrr the Clusterrr jin two days." Sasseeri eyed Sanis carefully, noting that he looked much better with his hair slicked back and slightly messy from the shower. He still needed a shave, though.

"Untjil then, you wjill ejitherrr be housed jin ourrr cells, orrr..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't trust the man enough to keep him at her penthouse, however tempting the idea was. "An employee aparrrtment, underrr guarrrd of courrrse. jIf you attempt to leave beforrre you have pajid back yourrr debt to me, you wjill be shot on sjight."

[Sanis Prent]

I slid on a confident smile in response to Adjerban's dour appraisal of my chances.

"I wouldn't worry about my odds. I think your boss knows what she's got her hands on."

A knowing smile.

"She should remember from past experience, that is."

We were whisked into the Lioness's den, so to speak, and I made do with what I had, taking the seat opposite the crime czarina like I owned it.

"Are you giving me a choice, or just not quite sure what to do with me yet?"

I still wore my smile resting my hands on a crossed knee.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

This crap was way over my head, way before my time. I leaned back against the door frame, crossed my arms, and frowned. Fuck this gangster shit, cuffing people and making them change clothes. I carry a blaster and I hope I never have to use the damn thing again. Every time I use it.

I've seen all kinds of heinous nonsense. All that underground sex club BDSM nonsense, the illegal fights, the deathmatches between exotic creatures, but there is nothing shittier than seeing another being shot in front of you for some dumb shit like credits.

And now here they were, circling each other like a pair of wompas for dominance. It hit me: was Sassypants grooming me for something other than heading loss prevention? I hope not. I like doing loss prevention. Worst we do is break a few bones, take the credits, and kick them out.

"We includes me?" I asked.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She looked sideways at Adjerban, as if she were seeing him in the room for the first time. "jIf you want to. The Draa'guurra'naatarr has been brrrjingjing less than usual the last few months. Rrrevjiewjing thejirrr prrrocedurrres and jinterrrnal loss prrreventjion measurrres would be a good place to starrrt."

Sasseeri sighed softly, thinking about having to dive into the mire of the Cizeri legal system. "As forrr you, Sanjis Prrrent..." She walked up to him and took the stun cuffs off of his wrists. "jI trrrust you know enough to not trrry to weasel out of yourrr debt to me."

[Sanis Prent]

Haha, yes!

"Wouldn't dream of it."

I was the epitome of carefree, a confident smile on my face. Of course I wouldn't...well...until I did. Uh. Somehow. I didn't have to figure the nuts and bolts of it out right now at least. I had some time to think it over.

"I can be a stand-up kind of guy."

Giving my wrists a cursory massage, I downplayed the cruelties I'd endured and looked up at my captor warmly. She hadn't changed. Still every bit the powerful siren I'd met on Bespin. Something sobering about looks that good combined with the power to destroy my life with the snap of her fingers. Danger's an aphrodesiac, they say.

I cracked a smile at Adjerban's discomfort at the notion of travel to Carshoulis. Seemed a popular point of view for us non-chosen forrda.

"Prime, eh? Not my first choice for a vacation spot, but I suppose even there you can hide a rap sheet."

Sasseeri obviously didn't sweat a trip, and if a Black Sun Vigo could find a way to avoid the sort of problems that smugglers and pirates often found themselves in, you developed a bizarre sense of well-being by proximity.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

"Right." I said, knowing full well that meant my ass was on the line if they kept fucking up over there. Gods, Carshoulis could be miserable. Then again, maybe this time I wouldn't be stalked by a wrinkly old lady who fancied my ears. Maybe, just maybe, one of the younger pretty ones would find my unusual ears fascinating.

Oh who am I kidding? I'm screwed.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri waved them out of her office. "Fjind Prrrent somewherrre to stay the njight, Adjerrrban. jI wjill see you both tomorrrrrow, forrr ourrr trrrjip."

[Sanis Prent]

"What, no honeymoon?"

I feigned surprise.

"I mean, I take all this time out of my busy schedule to become your prisoner or indentured servant or whatever and you sock me up with the motel treatment?"

A winning smile.

"You know, it's all about return on investment. I'm a much better pilot after a night on a king sized bed, a bottle or two of fizz, and room service."

Leaning forward, I propped my chin up with a hand as I rested my elbow on the table.

"Do you still talk in your sleep?"

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Her slap caught him open handed across his face, and then she flexed her arm and followed through with a back hand. "Keep a cjivjil tongue jin yourrr head, Mjisterrr Prrrent." Sasseeri's eyes glittered darkly.

[Adjerban the Interloper]

I winced sympathetically for Prent. Sassy wasn't pulling any slaps, and a thin trace of blood escaped Prent's lips on the first slap. When the second came around, he spat a tooth. If she had been punching instead, he probably would have spat all his teeth. Damn Cizerack. Prent winced, and grinned. I hauled him up by the collar and shoved him toward the door.

"C'mon stupid, we have to pack." I said, and guided him out the door. Once clear into the hallway, I opened up.

"You godddamned Force fucked Fanback fondler." I shook him by the shoulders. Now I had to be somewhere shittier to keep an eye on this asshole.

"I was going to put you up somewhere decent, but now I have to keep an eye on your mouthy ass in shittier quarters. You keep this up and I'm going to start taking pleasure in making your life difficult, because you're making mine difficult." I threw my hand in the air.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed, still angry, and kicked Prent in the shin.

[Sanis Prent]

I was kinda bummed about the tooth. Not the first I'd lost in my hard knock life, but my line of work doesn't really include free dental. Still, it was worth it.

All I had to retort with to Adjerban was a bloody smile, and as he kicked me, I hobbled along with him. My head was killing me, and I'd probably hate myself in the morning, but I was alive at least.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She waited for the door to close behind them, and then crossed back to her desk, flexing her hand as she walked. Sitting down she made a valiant effort to become interested in some busywork that needed to get done, but ended up with her forehead on her desk again.

Just another headache. Why did she do these things to herself? Better to shoot Prent for costing her time and money and being done with it.

Still... He had a certain roguish charm about him, no doubt what had drawn her to him in the first place. And perhaps he'd get shot down over Calan. Sasseeri's lips curved up in a smile as she got up, packing it in for the day. Tock followed her as she walked the halls of Reeourrra Inc.

She was Sasseeri Reeouurra, CEO of a multi-billion credit company and head of the biggest criminal organization in the galaxy. Sanis Prent was merely an insect caught on the windscreen of her speeder.