Unforgettable [completed]

[Ketoi Gwl]

Keto'igwl of Ryloth strode through the buildings of Coruscant, his mind fixed on his errand of the day. It would prove to be quite uninteresting, and unworthy of his attention, as usual, yet he went anyway. His new employer was quite...convincing. And he was not getting paid to sit behind a desk.

He turned a corner, took a turbo lilft up three more flights, and entered a small caf shop. Starcups it was called. He sat at a table, and watched the girl with the long brown hair as she worked. Her name was Gia Thorn, and he was here with a proposition for her. "Miss?"

She looked over at him, and then approached him, smiling slightly. "Can I help you, sir?" Her face was smiling, yet her eyes seemed dead to him.

Sharp red irises took her in as he spoke. "I would like a caf, tall and dark." He shifted his weight, settling the bulk of his body more comfortably into the chair. Lekku draped around his shoulders as the warrior Twi'lek kept her attention. "I also need a minute of your time. It will be worth your while."

[Gia Van Derveld]

I wiped my hands on a towel, and went out to the tiny seating area to scrub down the tables. I had been living with Sanis Prent (or rather, in a small apartment near him) for a few weeks now, and had managed to land a rather menial job in a caf shop not far from my new home.

Serving drinks to stuffy "ladies and gentles" all day was tiring. The only release I found was at night in my bedroom. After getting the job the day after arriving in Coruscant, I had spent my first paycheck on a tiny packet of glitterstim. After that was gone, I resorted to stealing one of Sanis' stim cigarrettes. The smoke bothered my throat, but my addiction to the spice was such that I couldn't risk withdrawals. Wouldn't, at least.

The tall Twi'lek male that walked in that morning was certainly more striking than any of the other Twi'leks I'd ever seen. He was clearly strong, and grey skinned...and dangerous.

When he asked me to spare him a moment, I refused. "I'm sorry, but I'm really busy after work."

He reached towards me, and I jerked my body out of his reach. "Look, I'll go get your caf."

[Ketoi Gwl]

Keto'igwl noticed the way she flinched from his touch, but it might have just been coincidence. Any girl in a caf bar would have done the same. He waited patiently for the girl to return with the steaming cup of caf, and he took it from her hand.

As she tried to let go of the cup, he wrapped his hand around it, catching her hand underneath. Her eyes met his, a panic inside of them. "I know about you."

[Gia Van Derveld]

I tried hard not to lose control as his hand grabbed mine, keeping me attatched to the cup of hot caf, and unable to get my hand back. "Sir, I -"

"I know about you."

I gaped momentarily, and then snatched my hand back as he released me. "What do you mean?" I rubbed my fingers and backed away from him until I was out of his immediate reach.

[Ketoi Gwl]

The big Twi'lek smiled, his sharp white teeth quite noticable. "Gia, my employer is interested in you. We have been watching you for some time now. We know what you can do."

He set the caf on the table, unwilling to drink it. Keto'igwl hated the drink. The girl gaped at him some more, and frowned in confusion. "Come, girl, your memory. Or have you been hitting the stim too much?" The Twi'lek smiled again.

[Gia Van Derveld]

I sat in the chair opposite him. "How -?"

"Gia!" My manager, an obese human who barely fit behind the counter glared at me as he frothed someone's order.

"I'm taking a break." I turned away from his red face, and faced the Twi'lek's red eyes. "I don't understand. What does your employer want from me?"

Stim was illegal, and it looked like I'd just been busted. Frell! Now I'd never get home to Corellia.

[Ketoi Gwl]

"It is not what she wants from you. It is what she wishes to offer you." He pulled a datapad from his robes, and slid it across the small table towards her.

She picked it up, and read it quickly. "Is this for real?"

"I assure you, my employer is quite serious." He had read the pad, and wondered how the girl would react. She defied his reckoning by simply raising her eyebrows as high as they would go as she read silently.

A glimmer of what he would classify as hope flickered behind those dead brown eyes of hers. "I would need to talk to your employer in person."

He smiled and stood to his feet, at two metres he was a foot taller than she. "But of course." Gia Thorn rose, secreting the datapad inside her half apron, and then she turned to her boss.

"I need some air, I'll be back to finish my shift after lunch, okay?" He blustered, but Keto'igwl laid enough credits on the counter to silence a bantha. The girl noticed. It was her gift to notice without seeing.

She made Keto'igwl nervous...but only a little. He led her to a waiting car, and they sat in silence until they arrived at their destination.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Her heels tapped on the polished floor as she paced back and forth in the conference room. They should be herrre by now. Gwl, her newest addition to her security personnel, was picking up a person...a "hyu-mann" as her fellow Cizeracks would say.

Gia Thorn had fallen into Sasseeri's attentions quite suddenly and through no fault of her own. She would have fallen through the cracks if Sanis had not insisted on keeping her in the apartment. As it was, Sasseeri had investigated her throughoughly. And through her investigation, she had noticed something. Planned random encounters with Kal Olorin and others had confirmed her suspicions.

The doors opened, and Gwl entered, followed closely by a meek looking human girl with long mousy hair. Sasseeri smiled, and waved them in. "Fjinally, we meet. Gjia, jI am Sasseerrrji Rrreeouurrrrrra, head of the Sectorrr Rrrangerrrs." She walked around the long table and held out her hand to the girl. Only twenty orrr so. A shame rrreally.

[Gia Van Derveld]

I was a little wide eyed at the expensive furnishings inside the building we entered, tagging along behind the immense Twi'lek. He was a little over six foot, and didn't look like anyone I wanted to mess with. The datapad in my hand (I had left the apron in the caf shop) had convinced me to come.

If there was a way out, I was desperate. My gift was a curse, and this woman offered me hope. I shook Sasseeri's hand, and offered her a small smile. "I am pleased to meet you, Ms. Reeouurra. But I am full of questions."

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She smiled, and offered the girl a seat, which she took. Gia looked thin and emaciated. Probably hadn't been feeding well with her tiny paycheck. Sasseeri sat at the head of the conference table, only two seats down from her guest. Ketoi Gwl stood near the door, impassive and huge. He was...impressive in so many ways. Sass was quite pleased with herself about him.

She returned her attention to the wide-eyed girl, and smiled. "jI am surrre you arrre. But fjirrrst, jI have some questjions forrr you."

"What sort of questions?" Gia looked slightly puzzled. She jis morrre najive than jI thought. Thjis wjill worrrk betterrr than jI hoped.

Sasseeri waved a hand reassuringly. "Sjimple ones. When Keto'jigwl handed you the datapad, whjich hand djid he use to drrrraw jit out wjith?"

"His left."

"And when you enterrred thjis bujildjing, how many people werrre jin the foyerrr?" Sasseeri leaned forward eagerly.

[Gia Van Derveld]

I replied without giving it much thought. I just knew the answer. I could see all of their faces, and read their name tags as well. At least, on those that had been wearing them. "There were thirteen people, six men and seven women. Three of the men were wearing suits, one had a red tie with a gold pin, and the other two had solid blue ties of different shades. One had a tie tack, the other, none."

I paused, "Two of the women were talking about their husbands. Marital problems. Another was filing her nails behind the desk. There was a jar of nail paint on the desk...Spice White was the color." I raised an eyebrow. "I trust this satisfies your curiousity? Yes, I have a perfect memory. But you said you could help me forget."

[Ketoi Gwl]

Keto'igwl stood against the wall, listening into their conversation. His lekku signed an expletive when Gia finished talking. He had used his left hand to bring out the pad. He stood still, listening intently to Sasseeri and she laid out her offer to the girl.

He officially knew nothing about it. But that morning Sasseeri had shared her vision with him. She had a big ego..and could back it up. Nothing could stand in her way when she set her mind on something. And that was something the Twi'lek could admire in his new employer.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri sat back in her seat, and crossed her legs. "Yes, jI djid offerrr you that jin the datapad, djidn't jI." She motioned to Gwl, and he poured some water for them, and offered a glass to Gia. She took it, and Sasseeri sipped the one he gave her.

"Let me put jit ljike thjis. Someone wjith yourrr gjifts could come jin handy arrround the Sectorrr Rrrangerrrs. jI have a deljicate operrratjion comjing up that wjill rrrequjirrre a knowledge of the layout of a bujildjing. Knowledge that could only come frrrom someone jinsjide...orrr frrrom someone who can memorrrjize complex sjituatjions wjith ljittle to no efforrrt."

Gia thought about that a moment. "You want me to do a job for you...and in return you offer me freedom from my own memories?" Her hand unconsciously touched her cheekbone which three weeks ago had been bruised and blackened. Sasseeri had seen the survelliance holos. She was not a great fool. It had taken only a small amount of digging before she had found out all about Gia Thorn and her pathetic story.

Cirrseeto had been more than willing to tell him all he knew. Of course, that was summed up in how good to eat the girl seemed. Sasseeri still didn't know what Saarrreeaa saw in that lunk of Cizerack manflesh. Gia's story was sad, and could no doubt squeze a tear out of the most hardened tyrant.

...too bad for her that Sasseeri had no patience for females that would allow males to walk allover them. Sass nodded to Gia's question. "jI offerrr you a memorrry purrrge. You wjill neverrr have to rrrememeberrr yourrr husband, orrr what he djid to you, everrr agajin. jI only need you to sjign thjis paperrr, agrrreejing to assjisst me jin the prrroject that jI lajid out to you."

Sasseeri slid a stylus and a data sheet to Gia. "jIt jis all wrrrjitten therrre."

[Gia Van Derveld]

Reaching out my hand, I took the datasheet, and read it quickly. I only needed to scan the writing, and then I could review it at my leisure. It seemed agreeable enough...and I was desperate enough to take this Cizerack up on her offer.

"Just one misison, correct?" I looked at Ms. Reeouurraa, the question in my eyes.

She nodded, "Of courrrse."

I sighed. "And the procedure is safe? I mean, I don't want to lose all my memories. I want to remember my mother and my home. But everything since then..." My voice broke.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She leaned backward again, resting against the back of the conference chair. "But of courrrse, Gjia. jIt jis not unljike a memorrry wjipe on a drrroid, yet morrre deljicate. You wjill not be harrrmed." Not when jI have such a good use for you, you ljittle morrrsel.

If only the girl would sign the contract. Sasseeri kept eye contact with her, not allowing her eyes to dwell on the stylus Gia held in her right hand.

[Gia Van Derveld]

I took the stylus and thought for a moment. To be able to finally forget the look on Jahn's face after he hit me the first time. Contorted into confusion and sadness as he swore he'd never do it again. He had been lying to me since he met me.

A tear dripped off my nose and splashed the sheet as I shakily signed at the bottom. I pushed the datasheet back to Sasseeri, and sniffed a little. "So when is this mission going to be? I mean, I hate to cut this short, but I have to get back to work before I lose my job."

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri thumbed a call button, and two burly looking men entered the conference room. Gia looked around, confused. "jI am afrrrajid that you wjill not be rrreturrrnjing to worrrk at the caf shop." She motioned with her slim brown hand, and Gia was hauled out of her chair by the men.

The girl barely struggled, she was so shocked. "But I don't - what are you doing?!"

"jIt jis qujite sjimple. You arrre gojing to underrrgo the memorrry wjipe. Don't worrrrrry, my experrrts tell me the surrrvjival rrrate jis qujite hjigh, actually." Sass sat back, enjoying the look of terror on the girl's whitened face. "The contract you sjigned says nothjing about whjich comes fjirrrst. You wjill recjieve what you want beforrre you pay forrr jit. A lovely deal."

Sasseeri flicked her fingers away from her, and the men started to wrestle the now struggling girl from the chamber.

[Ketoi Gwl]

Keto'igwl stepped forward towards Sasseeri as the human woman was wrested from the conference room. The Cizerack half breed's plan would work. He smiled, revealing his sharp teeth, and stood next to her chair, resting his hand on the back of it.

[Gia Van Derveld]

I opened my mouth to scream, but one of my "escorts" clamped his hand over my mouth, effectively ending my attempts to be heard. I wanted to curse at my naivete - and I wanted to go home.

Tears started running down my face, and I yanked futilely at my arms, trying to get away from my captors. The men chuckled at my efforts, and hustled me out of the conference room and down a hall. I was not heading towards the lobby I had come in, but was now being dragged through completely new territory. I let my body go limp, trying to slow down the men, but after one tripped over my foot, they simply stopped walking and picked me up.

The largest of the two slung me over his shoulder, pinching one hand and my two ankles together in his huge grasp. I ineffectively pounded on his back with my other hand, crying too hard to produce any noise.

Ten more steps, a turbolift ride up three stories, and twenty seven footfalls later, I was thrown into a reclined chair and strapped down tightly.

The lights went out, and I sat in the dark, choking on my sobs and pulling at my bonds.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She let her hand caress Ketoi's for a moment, and then she leapt to her feet. "Come, we have worrrk to do." Sasseeri checked her chrono, and smiled slyly. "jI have fourrr hourrrs to kjill, and so we wjill rrrevjiew the plans. jI stjill have questjions forrr you about the storrrehouses."

The Twi'lek warrior bowed courteously, and followed her from the conference room. "What is it that this one can tell you? I have told you all I know already, Sasse'eri." His mispronunciation of her name was almost cute. Almost.

Sass strode down the hall to the 'lift she would take to her office. "Whjich jis why jI had to securrre the serrrvjices of the gjirrrl. And she sjigned a contrrract, so jif Sanjis decjides to grrrow a conscjience overrrnjight, therrre jis nothjing he can do about jit." She laughed, "Not that he would carrre about a gutterrrrrrat. jI stjill don't know why he pulled herrr frrrom the strrreet jin the fjirrrst place."

They entered the turbolift and rode to her office in silence, Sasseeri occasionally allowing a trace of another smile to touch her lips.

[Gia Van Derveld]

A bright light shone in my eyes, and I blinked against it, my eyes adjusting slowly. "What are you-?"

Three persons in medbay masks stood over me, one jabbing my arm with a large needle and another holding some sort of device to my temples. As I struggled again, I had a fleeting thought that the needle would leave a bruise, as it dragged painfully to the side inside my arm.

Fuzz appeared at the edges of my sight, and the three shadowy figures were lost from view as I plunged into a dreamless void.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri paced impatiently while the Emdee medical droid brought the Thorn girl back to consciousness. She let out an unconscious held breath as the girl's brown eyes blinked open, and she looked around in confusion.

The businesswoman sidled up to the bed, and laid a warm hand on the girl's arm. "Gia."

Gia looked at her, and seemed to recognize her. Sasseeri shook her head to keep her from talking. "You are coming out of the procedure now, and the drugs will probably still blurr your memories for the next day or so."

The girl shook her head, she remembered no procedure. The felinoid smiled reassuringly, and stroked the pale arm that lay on the sheet. "Your memory is your only asset, and it keeps you alive. As promised, you will no longer remember certain things from your past. And as contracted, you will preform several duties for me, in payment for the gift of forgetfulness I have granted you."

Gia frowned, "What duties shall I do for you? Sasseeri, isn't it? I remember...I do not remember much."

Sasseeri managed to keep a smug smile off her face as she replied, "Most will return to you in a few days. It takes time to see what survives a procedure such as the one you went through. It took time to find and erase the memory engrams in your mind, and ...well I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say, your talent survives," ..at least we'll see if it did in a few days time... "And the bothersome memories are gone."

Sasseeri took her leave of the girl's bedside, and was soon stalking around her office, suddenly full of energy, and planning her next move.