Let's get down tonight

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri smoothed her miniskirt, and adjusted the tank top she was barely wearing. It consisted of a white piece of fabric that covered her breasts, and then was tied on in the back with four little strings. She entered the club alone, although her body guards were always watching.

They had just been instructed not to be noticeable tonight. Sass didn't want anything getting in the way of her and the dance floor.

The music was bumping and the lights were swirling around crazily as she threaded her way through the crowded club. Friday night, and everyone had come out to play. Excellent. Humans, Cizerack, and other aliens were bumping elbows, and other body parts, as the music threatened to carry them all away.

For once, she didn't want to have to think. Just...to do, with no ulterior motives. The half breed made her way to the center of the dance floor and started moving to the music, letting it seep into her bones as she danced alone.

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

The Cat-Scratch Fever Club. An island oasis cesspool in the midst of an already-hedonistic Carshoulis Prime. Enter Commander Zemil Vymes...a man on a mission. He was a long way from home, and out of jurisdiction, but he wasn't content to let trouble go looking for him, when looking for trouble was always quicker.

It all went back to two weeks prior, on a tip-off on a swoop gang, playing muscle for some pushers at mid-level Coco. A turf war heated up, and some skags got wasted, with a bit more prejudice than usual. The heaters weren't mom & pop hand-me-downs. The swoopers were using Cizerack blasters. It didn't add up, since the only thing worse than Zem Vymes on a case, were Cizerack on a case. Felix was awfully tight-fisted about business, and interruptions were never appreciated. So, with one and one not adding to two, Vymes decided it was time to go "on vacation", and see what he could uncover at the likely source.

The club was full of Felix, and various alien riff-raff, including humans. Booze ran like amazonian rains, and PDA was the SOP. A hot little number in a neon jumpsuit asked to take his order.

"You got caf?"

Arching an eyebrow, she obviously didn't jive.

jYou mussst be mjissstakjing thjisss place forrr sssomewherrre elssse. We ssserrrve harrrd ljiquorrr herrre. Go to a book ssshop forrr caf, Forrda.

Vymes had to admire her honesty.

"Forget it, then."

Zem fished around in his pocket for a half-smoked, bedraggled cigar. Clenching it in his teeth, he lit the charred stump, puffing until red embers appeared. Through the haze, he spotted a familiar face. Which is hard to do in a place like this. Felix all look alike. But this one number had a face like a lightning bolt, and you pray it only strikes once.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri was really getting into the music, her eyes closed as she felt a hand snaking around her waist. She turned her head to look behind her and found an attractive male dancing behind her. Grinning, she backed up against him, and he tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her backside against him as they danced.

It was relaxing. Sass purred as the collared male behind her ran his hands slowly down towards her thighs, and she felt her heart beating to the rhythm of the music.

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

"May I have this dance?"

Sasseeri's enjoyable little time was about to be...interrupted. Vymes glanced at the Cizerack male, who scowled down at him. He then shifted his eyes to the half-breed, and smiled through his five o'clock shadow.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri looked up into a strong looking forrrda's eyes, and blinked, some sensibilty filtering through the music enduced haze she found herself in. Vymes.

Piggy-backed on that first thought cam another. On Carshoulis? The commander of the Coruscant City Watch rarely left the planet. In fact, this may have been the only time he'd ever been spotted off Coruscant. Sasseeri beamed a slightly toothy smile at the Commander, "Cerrrtajinly."

She pushed the Cizerack male off her, and stepped towards the hyu-mann male, wondering what exactly he meant by "dance." Was he going to try and arrest her? And if so, for what? He couldn't pin a thing on her. Nothing at all. The Sector Rangers had even helped him on one of his cases a few months ago. Something to do with spice smugglers from the Arkanis Sector, of all things.

Someone had to take a fall in order to continue to protect the rest of Black Sun's interests. They weren't any good anyway, and would have been caught eventually with their bumbling. Better sooner and on her terms than later, and unravleing something important.

Sasseeri wiggled a little, her arms moving to the music in an exotic fashion.

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

Vymes moved to the music somewhat, but his rhythm wasn't his defining talent. So his dancing was a bit more conservative than Sasseeri's moves, or those around him. Yet they both knew the dance wasn't about how you moved your body. They were moving to a whole different tune.

"Nice place. Not exactly where I'd expect to find you, Miss Reeouurra."

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She raised her eyebrows at his dancing, and allowed her body to slow a little in response to her partner. "Even a CEO gets to let herrr hajirrr down everrry once in a whjile. Carrrshouljis jisn't my favorrrjite vacatjion spot, though, jI'll gjive you that."

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

"I'm suprised they still manage to honor your passport here. Cizerack aren't too keen on your business, last I heard."

Vymes knew he was treading on thin ice, so he quickly added to his statement.

"Not that I'm about to let Carshoulis steal my thunder. So, mind telling me about your vacation?"

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri's ears flattened a bit at his first comment. "jI have famjily herrre stjill. Not that jits any of yourrr busjiness, but my sjisterrr jinvjited me overrr forrr a weekend. Attemptjing to mend a famjily rrrjift, orrr some such nonsense."

They weren't talking again. It had only taken two hours for the temporary peace between Meeorrrei and Reeouurrra to be rent assunder. That had been yesterday. Sass's hotel was comfortable, but she was merely biding her time until she could catch a flight off planet.

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

"Sorry to hear."

Vymes spoke with no emotion, using words and the puff of his cigar as mere filler in time.

"So...how's business treating you? You've made yourself quite at home on Coruscant, and I couldn't help but notice. You've pushed half the dregs off planet, and the other half are keeping you from getting your hands dirty. Can't ask for better than that."

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

The CEO of the Sector Rangers raised an eyebrow. "I assurrre you, Commanderrr, that the Sectorrr Rrrangerrrs arrre dedjicated to keepjing the trrrade rrroutes clearrr and busjiness rrrunnjing smoothly. jI myself overrrsee the Arrrkanjis sectorrr perrrsonally, and jillegal trrradjing has morrre than halved sjince jI rrrose to my posjitjion." Her voice was tinged with a little pride.

"Howeverrr, jI djid not come herrre to djiscuss worrrk." The male she'd been dancing with earlier brushed up behind her, and she was ready to fall back into that easy rythmn. Vymes danced like a hibernating bear, and the cigar was no doubt getting its smoke all in her clothes and hair.

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

Time to make a tactical withdrawal. Vymes wasn't getting anywhere with dropping the obvious insinuations. Not like he thought he would anyway, but it was worth a try.

"I've got a half crate of Cizerack assault rifles, back on Coruscant in a forensics warehouse. I lifted it off a swoop gang in the Coco district. Sound familiar?"

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Coco Djistrrrjict. Her ears perked forward a bit as she pondered that, and then she leaned forward a bit so she woudln't have to shout over the thumping music. "jIt does rrrjing a bell actualljy. jI had a skjip evade a rrroutjine stop two njights ago on the rrroute frrrom Calan. Could be the same perrrps."

Her lips were almost on his ear as she talked to him, stretching up to make herself heard. A dancer behind her clumsily bumped into her, and she fell against Vymes, grabbing him to catch her balance.

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

The possibility was always that these hood rats were on Miss Reeouurra's employee list, but in the general interests of getting the job done, Vymes had to overlook that distinct possibility. She would always sacrifice the little fish, given that it meant that the big fish got away. There was the chance that she had nothing to do with it whatsoever, but Vymes was always suspicious. Vymes never met a person that he wasn't suspicious of in some fashion.

"You wouldn't happen to have any names, would you?"

Vymes braced as Sass fell against him...their faces mere inches from each other. He arched an eyebrow, and smiled thinly.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Her hands felt his hard body under his shirt, and she matched his arched brow with one of her own. "jI'm surrre jI can fjind the rrreporrrt frrrom the Rrrangerrrs who werrre prrreforrrmjing the stop." It was hot on the crowded dance floor, and so Sass took Vyme's hand and led him to the bar.

Less crowded, and the music wasn't quite as loud. "Eyeblasterrrr, fjizzed." Sass turned to Zemil. "What wjill you have, Commanderrr?" He got the impression she wasn't just talking about alchohol, although it was an innocent enough question.

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

"I'd ask for caf, but I was told this isn't quite the place to order it."

Vymes could cut through the small talk like the best of him, and his radar was well enough attuned to recognize when he was being propositioned. He instinctively reached up to re-light his cigar, but hesitated on the look Sasseeri gave him.

"Ah, what's a guy to do, I guess."

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She turned back to the oiled and gorgeous male bartender. "Make that two." The dark haired male nodded, and turned to mix together the potent drink.

"You arrre allowed to smoke jin herrre, Zemjil. Can jI call you Zemjil? Afterrr all, nejitherrr of us arrre worrrkjing at the moment." The drinks arrived at her elbow, and she pushed one over to Vymes.

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

Vymes pushed it back, with a pained expression on his face.

"No thanks, Miss R."

With that, he tucked the gnarled end of his cigar back between his teeth.

"Gave that up a long time ago."

Lighting his cigar again, he seemed to sigh heavily.

"Only tax collectors and politicians call me Zemil."

He half-smiled from behind his stoagie.

"Call me Zem."

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She made an intense effort not to wrinkle her sensitive nose against the strong odor of the cigar smoke. Instead, she smiled, even though the drink was rebuffed. Sass sipped hers, and nodded. "Zem jit jis, then."

The half breed let her eyes wander the club, and then ended up looking at him once more. "Tell me, Zem, what brrrjings you to Carrrshouljis?"

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

"I got lots of questions, but no answers."

Zem sat there across from who was essentially his arch-nemesis, on a playing field that was more or less out of bounds, and they both knew it. It made the pleasantries they exchanged surreal, and the haze from the cigar seemed to create a dream-like atmosphere. Her eyes, like his, were sharp and piercing. He'd seen the face enough times in the mirror to know the type, and that's what frustrated him. She was fierce, resourceful, and had the rare kind of street cunning that could make you more survivable than a cockroach. Zem knew in that moment, the day that Sasseeri was behind bars, was the day that he'd retire. It was a watermark on his life that he couldn't explain, but only knew.

So now they would enjoy the night in wary company, and exchange loaded questions and symbolic answers. An entire conversation full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing.

"Cliche? Or maybe I'm just lonely. After all, if that's what ails me, this must be the place to cure it, right?"

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She made a non-committal sound, and then shrugged her slim shoulders. "Lonely? Pjick yourrr vjice, Commanderrr. Therrre wjill be someone herrre who can assjist you wjith whateverrr you desjirrre." She looked around the club, taking in the crowd.

"But jif jit jis answerrrs you want, that sjimply depends on the questjions."

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

"Who's putting those guns on my streets?"

I came out with it, holding nothing back. The deadpan expression on my face should be a clue as to what I wanted.

"Lets pretend that it ends there, for now."

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She sat back, holding a stimcig to her lips and allowing the bartender to light it for her. He wanted to play games... Verrry well, let's play. Sasseeri exhaled slowly, extending her hand delicately to hold the cig away from her lips. The smoke wafted through her lips, and then she answered.

"jIf jI werrre to trrry to ljist everrrjy grrroup that jis known to supply Corrruscant wjith weaponrrry, then you betterrr have a lot of tjime on yourrr hands. The Hutts, forrr one. jI've been seejing them encrrroaching jin on the Arrrkanjis Sectorrr. jI've lost morrre than a few convoys jin the last few months. Trrryjing to out thjink a Hutt jis ljike trrryjing to out thjink a vynock. Thejirrr jinstjincts arrre rrrelatjively prrredictable, but thejirrr actjions arrre totally unprrredjictable. jI've had to rrrelocate shjips to prrrotect the merrrchants. jIt was starrrtjing to get out of hand." She took an unhealthy drag on her cig, held it in for a moment, and then exhaled, making a point to look to the side and keep the smoke away from her companion.

"jI hearrrd the Hutts put a prrrjice on my head. The Sectorrr Rrrangerrrs arrre bad forrr busjiness." She looked unconcerned.

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

"Would explain the swoop gangs." I conceded. Of course, Sasseeri's word wasn't worth the breath it was carried on...but it at least was a hint.

"That's the Hutts' style, yes...but it still doesn't explain why. They could get more weapons with less effort if they wanted. Why hijack military-grade Cizerack arms?"

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She raised an eyebrow, and sipped her drink. "Cjizerrrack arrrms showjing up on Corrruscant jis a new one. People don't usually mess wjith the Prrrjide. But, jif jI werrre to guess... jit could be the Hutts. They thjink they'rrre jinvjincible sometjimes. Sounds ljike somethjing Black Sun would be jinvolved jin, howeverrr." Sasseeri frowned, and finished off her drink. "Of courrrse, once jI djig up the rrreporrrt, the names may shed some ljight on the sjituatjion."

"As you know, my company deals majinly wjith smuggljing and actjivjitjies jin the hyperrrspace lanes, not on patjicularrr planets, although we arrre based on Corrruscant. jIt jisn't rrreally my forrrte, but ... jI wjish Black Sun werrre done wjith, once and forrr all. jIt seems when one Vjigo jis caught, another one jis alrrready jin jit's place." She slammed her glass back down on the bartop, clearly frustrated with the biggest known organized crime syndicate in the galaxy. "jIt only makes my job that much harrrderrr."

[Commander Zemil Vymes]

I arched an eyebrow, taking Sasseeri's performance in while keeping a straight face. To the uninformed, it would pass for sincerity, and to the informed, she'd be behind bars. I was somewhere in the no-man's-land between the two.

"And who is the vigo on top of the hill of beans right now? Who has the connection to the Hutts, and the influence to do this?"

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She shrugged, slim shoulders lifting lightly. "Who knows? One of my skjips pjicked up some spjice rrrunners who tossed the name Seyxerrr Koze arrround. jI've hearrrd a bjit about thjis one, but he doesn't ljike to leave hjis fjingerrrprrrjints anywherrre. " She took another drag off her cig, and smiled politely as a handsome Cizerack male offered himself for a dance.

"Ah, excuse me, Zem." She got up from the bar, her tail barely brushing the Commander's leg as she did so. "jIt was jinterrrestjing to see you herrre, but jI came to dance, not talk about worrrk. jIf you'll excuse me?" She allowed the male to take her to the dance floor, and the music swallowed them, enveloping the pair in a world lit by flashing colored lights and sweaty bodies.

She'd flicked her stimcig in a paticular way, allowing one of her Cizerack bodyguards to move in and extract her, unbeknownst to the Watch Commander. Zemil was charming in a rough sort of way, but completely predictable. Throw a dog a bone, and he'll be happy for hours. Until he realizes there's no meat on it. Then he'll come around for more.

But for now, Zemil had his bone, and Sasseeri still had all the treats. She gasped as the male danced up against her, her thoughts going straight out of her head, and instinct taking over.