Temperance Fugit

[Sanis Prent]

Port Town
- level 192 -

Sergeant Gaskar Esthamere of the Bespin Security Force had walked this beat for two years, and knew it like the back of his hand. Far from Bespin's upper levels, the inner warrens of Port Town never rated for the pretty eggshell and copper scapes of the skyline. Down here, the view was dirty. It wasn't a slum, not really. Compared to a Nar Shaddaa tenement, this was a royal palace. The people here had jobs, well most of them did. Of course that meant more often than not it was nine Ugnauts sharing a studio apartment to scrimp and cover the rent. The troubles in Port Town were the more palatable sort. Robberies. Drugs. That sort of thing.

Of course, that could always upgrade into a murder case if the wrong person met the wrong people in Port Town. That's why he was here.

It wasn't entirely civic duty that had brought Sergeant Esthamere back around to this part of his beat. A cop's wages only went so far, and they went a lot shorter when you had a string of cold hands at the sabacc table. He wasn't a crooked cop, he was just living in the real world. Sometimes you fall in a hole, and sometimes someone offers you a way out that seems innocent enough. If that was corruption, then everything had to be corrupt sooner or later.

"Hey you..."

Gaskar prodded a sleeping Ugnaut with the tip of a boot, rousing the alien who groused a few curses in guttural squeals. The thing reeked of gin. Passed out in the commons was no way to be. He didn't want to waste his time ticketing public intox. Hopefully the Ugnaut had just passed out before reaching his flat.

As Gaskar dealt with the drunk, a door opened further down the row. Unit AA14. That was the one. The beat cop made sure to keep his attention occupied with the Ugnaut situation, but he also made sure to get a decent glance at AA14's occupant as she settled up with a takeout delivery droid. Brunette. Human. Early thirties by a guess. Gaskar hustled the Ugnaut on his way. Only when he'd gone the other way did he pull the flimsi out of his front pocket to check. The face on the photo was a dead ringer.

Gaskar reached a hand to the right side of his belt by habit, pausing midway. Official comm wasn't going to cut it. This side gig didn't happen, after all. He corrected himself, pulling a second personal comm out of his left pocket, and held it to his lips.

"You wanted me to look into AA14. I think you'll find what you're looking for."



Meanwhile, on the Bespin city skyscape...


"Miss Black?"

I paused in the middle of my dressing routine, midway through buttoning my shirt in front of the mirror. It was the middle of the dead hours before dinner rush. Before the casino would pick up. Best time to change shirts, grab a quick bite, and tie up loose ends. Loose ends like Molly Black.

"Certainly looks the part."

Sergeant Esthemere was playing his part. I had him on the hook for a grand at my tables. This little favor would cut his tab in half. If I got everything I wanted, he'd get even better. As far as buying cops went, Esthemere was very affordable. I liked to work with the locals. You couldn't get white glove service like that with the Stormtrooper garrison. They wore black gloves, after all.

"Look like she's got any heat on her?"

"If she does, they're careful about it."

He was a beat cop, not a professional. Besides, I had my own people close enough to bring in if this went sour. I preferred not to work that way. Cloud City operated best with as little blood as possible. It was expensive, and it ran the risk of Imperial attention.

"Find a reason to take her in."

"I'm putting my neck out with risk like that."

I winced, fingering the next button on my shirt tentatively.

"I know, it's more than I asked. I'll sweeten the pot. You get Miss Black face to face with me, and I'll knock off another twenty-five percent."

"For risk like that, it should be clean slate."

While the man had a point, I didn't like the idea of people in my contact list with settled debts. After all, he might learn his lesson about gambling.

"...four hundred."

The line went quiet while Esthemere weighed the risk/reward. If he was going to walk, he would have told me already.

"I'll do it."

I smiled in the mirror.

"Smart man. Soon to be a debt-free man. Give her a little scared-straight talk for show, and let her off the leash at Carroga's."

Mom and pop Togrutan restaurant two levels up. And not by coincidence, a Company holding. Esthemere was a smart guy, he could do the math.

"Done deal."

"I'm on my way."

[Molly Black]

The kitchenette in the little rented apartment in Port Town had all the required appliances. What it did not have was an abundance of space. When it came to prepping food, Molly was an old fashioned kind of girl. She preferred chopping her own vegetables, rather than rehydrating previously chopped and prepared portions. She'd rather simmer than flash heat, and without a doubt she made her own sauce.. While she was cooking, she had the News on, but aside from an HNN special report with a weirdly attractive Arkanian Minister, there was not much of interest.

The door chimed.

"Yeah, just a sec.", she called out, figuring on Ali being early for dinner.

Crossing the tiny rented space in her traditionally high heels, she sucked a bit of sauce off her thumb before sliding the door open. It was not Alienor, and she had just screwed up big time. She knew that uniform. BSF. It seemed her time was up. Molly's heart beat increased to epic proportions in an instant, but she played it cool.

"Officer? You lookin' for that tall blue drink of a Chiss? He's not here."

"No, Miss Black, or is it Mrs. Minock? I'm here for you. Sergeant Gaskar Esthamere of the Bespin Security Force. I need you to come with me quietly."

And just like that her doom was sealed. There was no flirting her way out of it, not with this guy. He did not seem to particularly enjoy wrecking her dinner plans, but neither was he going to budge an inch.

"Am I in some kind of trouble, Sergeant?"

"I'm sure it was all a big misunderstanding, Miss. You don't look like the type to perpetrate what you are being accused of. If you'll just come with me, give your version of the events..."

What she was being accused of? Sneaking past Storm Troopers. Stealing evidence from their crime scene. Fleeing Cloud City with said evidence and meeting up with the wanted man, Doctor Barton Henning. Yeah, she was going to disappear, for good this time.

Some sense of self preservation kicked it.

"Yeah, ok. Let me just turn the cooker off, alright? I hope I'll be home in time to eat with Mr. uhhh....Minock."

Oblivious to the BSF Sergeant's reply, Molly returned to the kitchenette. She did not turn anything off though, she turned it up. Nothing like a nice fire alarm to let Vilen know she was in a spot of trouble. The kind even he might not be able to save her from...

"Alright, Sergeant. I'm all yours...", she grabbed her purse, and followed the BSF officer to her fate.

[Sanis Prent]

My cloud car arrived at the inbound junction nearest Carroga's. It was six levels down from the equatorial landing deck, but that was better than dealing with the main lifts and the tram. Pulling weight had it's privileges. From there, I stepped out with a pair of incognito hard cases. We were dressed nicer by far than the mining crowd. Much like in nature, you paid heed to bright colors. Sometimes they were a warning.

The Togrutan eatery hadn't quite hit the dinner rush, and the moment I darkened the door, the proprietor knew the score. The back half of the restaurant could be closed off for private events by a curtain. Behind that curtain, the shopkeep installed a soundproof door. It was a quick fix to ensure that he didn't have to shutter the restaurant for an evening when Company business went down. Mr. Carroga knew which side of the bread got the butter, so to speak. He took two percent of the money we laundered.

As far as the food? It wasn't haute cuisine. Togrutans were always a bit one-note. If there were 87 ways to cook thimiar, then a Togruta was responsible for 86. I was a fan of the Zubaatri hot fry. With enough batter and hot sauce, rodents started to look like food.

We took our seats in the back room. Mr. Carroga made sure the bottles of lager were out on the table. All we needed from this point was someone to fill the extra chair.

[Molly Black]

When they arrived at their destination and it was not Imperial detention, or the offices of the Bespin Security Force, that was when Molly started to sniff out possibility. It was there, cleverly buried under a haze of cooking Togrutan cuisine, but there all the same. She eyed the sarge, but made no comment about the location as she accompanied him into Carroga's. That was the nice way to put it, accompanied. Another way would be to say he led her inside with his fingers wrapped around the slender curve of her upper arm, directing her toward the distressingly quiet back room.

Molly went without a fuss. Whoever it was back there, she'd rather be meeting them than a firing squad, or whatever the Empire had in mind to do with her.

Coming around the curtain, she spied just who it was that wanted to see her.

Sanis Prent..

Of course she knew him. She'd be pretty bad at her job if she did not recognize this man on sight. They had not had much cause to deal with each other directly, but she was confident that the man who ran the Cumulus at least knew her by her own reputation among their rather shady peers.

"Mr. Prent...?" There was a definitely question mark hanging on the end of her greeting.

[Sanis Prent]

My BSF helper was dismissed by a slight wave of the hand. Gaskar Esthermere gave one last look to Molly Black, then exited the way he came. I'd rather not sully the man's reputation any further by involving him in this business. Besides, I might need him again.

"Molly, Molly, Molly."

I cracked a grin, leaning back just slightly enough in my seat to cause the front two legs to lift off the ground.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes. Thought you'd shook the clouds off your feet a few cycles ago."

[Molly Black]

In all honesty, Molly wasn't sure what Sanis Prent saw when he looked at her. That grin could have been in appreciation of how her high heels gave her slender calves their trademark, well turned, shape. Or it was just as likely he was giddy about all the credits he could swim laps in after he sold her off. Either way, she responded in kind. Her cherry-red lips curling up into a slightly sheepish, rather grateful expression.

"I did, yes.", she admitted it.

Without her escort leading her about, she felt slightly better about the situation. So far as she could see, caution was going to do nothing for her, so Molly clicked forward on her heels fearlessly. Her hands curled around the back of the chair opposite Mr. Prent's.

"Home is where the credits are, right?" Shrugging, she pulled the chair out and sat, crossing her legs and curling her hands around one knee cap to prevent any nervous, bouncing, tell.

"I wondered who would find me first. I'm actually kind of glad it was you."

[Sanis Prent]

"Me too. Salut to that."

I tipped back a level from my glass of lager, running a finger along it's rim as I set it back to the table.

"The thing is, I know I'm not the only one looking. I'm not an infochant, I just...collect them, let's say."

She knew all of this. We were just catching up. The Company didn't exactly float downstream on low draft.

"I'd like to talk about where you fit into that, but I need to know the full picture about you. There's keeping a low profile in Port Town, and there's keeping a low profile. You were dug in pretty deep. Who are you ducking?"

[Molly Black]

Molly's fingers flexed around her knee. She had known of course. She'd tried to tell Vilen. While the City in the Clouds was a bustling place, faces in and out from all over the galaxy, her face was known here. She had a damn drink named after her at the Cloud 9, of all things. It was enough that anyone with even a vague remembrance was not going to buy the 'Temperance Minock' alias for long. She was not so sure she was exactly eager to become part of Sanis Prent's Collection, but the alternative was probably a lot worse. Besides.. what she wanted was what the Black Sun could give her, Sanis was her way back in. Just as soon as she convinced him he was better off, that the Black Sun was better off, with her alive and well..

"Imperials.", she put it baldly. "All of them."

At that she reached for the other lager, which she assumed was for her and not the BSF sergeant who had skedaddled. Taking a sip, she licked her lips before setting it back down on the table. Temperance, not so much. Neither was she a Prudence, though she did figure she was safe for now. Molly had never heard tales of Sanis as a poisoner..

"They think I have information."

[Sanis Prent]

"Safe bet." I commented between a bite of my Togrutan fried lunch. "An infochant without it doesn't pay the bills."

I leaned in slightly, propping my elbows on the table.

"Suppose you did. What would you do with it? Once it's past your gums, so to speak, the genie's out of the bottle. So either you've got a pocket full of nothing, or you're looking for the right paycheck."

Canting my head, I shrugged at the little thought experiment.

"Hypothetically, that is."

[Molly Black]

Molly cringed. It was unclear whether it was due to her poor choice of words, or the contents of the man's lunch plate, but either way she managed to mutter distractedly. "Yeah.. Of course."

When Sanis leaned in, she took that as her cue likewise moving forward. It was all cozy like, a quiet little chat, just them. She'd worked with less before..

"Supposing I did?" She arched a speculative brow, picking up her drink.

"First, I'd curse the change in schedule that had me working that day instead of Mu." To that, she drank.

Setting the glass down, she pondered her answer, always toeing that line between what she could say and what she would say. "You want to know if I'd sell my information." Ding, ding, ding! Winner,folks!

Her brightly painted fingertip swirled around the top of her glass. "To the right person, it's very valuable, yes. I'm not sure how selling it helps me though. The Imperials would still be sore about it all."

[Sanis Prent]

"The Empire's sore about a lot of things. The trick is to know how to salve the sting."

I could see the gears turning. That internal risk and reward scale teetering back and forth. Everyone here looked before leaping.

"Here's what I can do for you. Whatever you've got, I'll buy it off you at a fire sale discount. We wash the info stream through a few channels, and feed the hot potato to someone who we can afford to get cooked. I wet my beak first, you get the heat turned off, and someone else gets fingered."

I sipped my lager again, raising an eyebrow.

"You think the Empire doesn't know we're here? They'd be fools not to. The thing is, they know how painful it would be to dig us out of here entirely. Why do that, when they can play the game just like John Q. can?"

[Molly Black]

What if it's a matter of selling out a friend?

Molly wanted to ask it, but the question stayed tucked behind her glossy lips. In her line of work, she could really not afford to keep her heart pinned to the straps of her little black dress. Too exposed. Too soft.

In the end, what was she protecting? Sure, sure.. she suspected what was up with the doc, but that kind of made him a good guy. No matter the shit storm he'd left her to face alone. She'd really like to slap Dr. Barton Henning soundly, but point the Empire after him? That was low, even for a wanted criminal lady such as herself.

Her hesitation alone was a tell, and she hated herself for it. Frowning, she made up her mind. This was about her continued survival dammit! Surely there was a creative way she could spin it..

"I want my job back." For the minute, the information was hers to bargain with.

Free from being hunted by the Empire. Free to be Molly Black again in all her simple, curly headed, glory. Free to earn a slice of the big pie in the sky for herself.

"My Black Sun job, as well as the Cloud 9 gig."

[Sanis Prent]

Of course she did. That was what I wanted too, but the aforementioned reality complicated shit to a high degree. I sucked on my lower lip a little, buying some time to frame things the way they ought to be.

"I know you do. That's why you haven't cut bait, despite holding hot merch. You're a good infochant, and I'd like to have you on the team. But before you cross that threshold, I need insurance. Insurance that you don't bring the Empire to kick down my own door in the process."

We were back to square one, and this had to be dealt with.

"Dump the info. Get the heat off your name. I can meet you in the middle, but you've got to give it up. That's my offer."

[Molly Black]

"Shit." Molly took a long pull from the glass of lager.

"Alright look, it's like this.. you remember Doctor Henning?" A part of her almost said; 'that friend of Mu's?', but dragging Mu's name into it was not part of the plan, and not at all the smart thing to do. The Empire she could deal with, she still had a few cards up her sleeve to pull in times of only the most reckless desperation, but she was not quite there yet. Mu on the other hand, no way Molly was suicidal enough to make her mad..

"I got this call (http://theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?19087-Collect-Call) from him...." For the second time in a matter of days, Molly found herself spilling the tale in all it's mind boggling drama. The call. The key. The maids uniform. Every sordid little detail.

"So I shipped myself.. literally, to the Knightfall, his ship. It had already left Nar Shaddaa, part of some beat up convoy. I can identify several of the ships if need be, down to the paint and hull damage. The thing I lifted from his apartment was no medical tool, like I had assumed. It was...a laser sword." Molly's big blue eyes widened dramatically as she nodded to confirm what she was saying. "A lightsaber."

[Sanis Prent]

I'd been angling a bite to my mouth when Molly teased me with a morsel of a different sort. Yeah, I knew Barton Henning. From a lifetime ago. He'd seemed like a guy with good intentions out on the fringes, back in the days when Jedi Knights flew in deep space in secrecy.

I should've guessed there was a little more to it than that.

"So Barton Henning's a Jedi?"

Setting my fork down, I opted instead for the lager, giving one of my associates a side glance as I eased the glass down.

"I haven't seen the man in at least a year. Depending on what side of the wire he's residing, getting outed could be complicated."

To put it mildly. The Empire had more or less halted it's war against the Rebel Alliance - now Alliance of Free Planets. Their policy regarding Jedi Knights hadn't changed much, last I checked. The Inquisitorious had been replace by a more public friendly terror police - the Imperial Knights. If Barton's secret was coughed up and he was in the wrong place, he could be a hunted man.

"But that's not my problem."

Not anymore. I had enough problems of my own. Still, it gnawed at me.

"This information needs to get burned on someone else's watch. For you. For us. It'll screw Dr. Henning, I'm sorry about that, but we're playing zero sum. The best I can offer is that if there's a way to throw him a tip, we can at least make sure he's on the right side of the galaxy before it happens."

[Molly Black]

Molly felt a little queasy, having spilled the figurative beans on the Doc, but the man had left her little choice. She liked him, admired him, hell she even thought he was kind of hot, but none of that had amounted to a hill of denta beans. Finishing her lager in one gulp that made her blue eyes water, Molly set the glass down with a bit of a thunk. "It's not.. Our problem.", she agreed. It was a small consolation to know that if the Empire was already watching the doc, they probably already suspected him.. "Still.. I would like to give him that heads up, if it's possible. He's not a bad guy, he just left me in a bad spot. You think this is going to work? Give it to me straight."

[Sanis Prent]

She wanted the honest take, so that's what she was gonna get. I leaned in close.

"You'd better be a lot more careful dropping this dime than you were when you picked it up."

It was as blunt as I could be. She wanted to be the one to fly the kite. She needed to know how bad the storm was.

"If you pick up even a sniff from the Moff's cronies - if I even suspect that we're not airtight - I don't know you. I'll cut the line. You'll be a free agent on Bespin, for what that's worth with that gundark on your back."

That was enough accentuating the negative. I leaned back a bit, gesturing with my fork.

"If you kite Doc Henning properly, you'll be doing a friend of mine a favor. We don't get many good deed cases. Settling for half a good deed is more feast than famine."

[Molly Black]

"My only mistake was in thinking it was a favor for a friend, not work.", Molly sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. She was so ready to be done with all of this. She'd really like to think putting this in the hands of Sanis Prent and their Black Sun connections was the way to go, but something told her it was not going to be quite so easy as that.

She didn't say that to him of course..

"I've since seen the error of my ways. We're always working, aren't we?"

Wiping her fingers on the provided napkin at the table setting, Molly tossed it back down next to her empty glass.

"You don't need to worry about me, Sanis. If the Empire catches up with me, names will be handed over to save my ass, goes without saying, but not the names that matter. I know my job."

[Sanis Prent]

Then we had our understanding. I let the unsaid hang for a moment, and nodded my head.

"Alright."

I glanced to my associate standing off to the right, and he stepped forward, sliding a data chit across the table to Molly.

"Clean Net codes. Don't use 'em all in one place. As long as you keep your nose clean, that should give you the edge you need to reach out and touch the Doc."

It wasn't a guarantee, but it was a good head start. Molly was a good infochant, but even being good only got you so far. The rest of the distance, having a little institutional help worked wonders.

"Until you fly the kite, keep your head below the skyline, know what I mean?"

I'd found Molly with a modest amount of resources and a dash of corruption. That meant it could be done again.