Binary Goals

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

With a forlorn face, Nikoletta looked at the jungles past the starport of Myrra on the planet of Akiva. Her face continued to droop lower in disgust as she remembered how hot and humid the planet would be. The lush and happy climate control aboard their ship was highly preferable than gallivanting through the jungles to oversee Adrijana contractors digging up a temple found near Chenza Hill. She hoped the venture would produce monetary gain if they could procure artifacts from the ancient Ahia-Ko, a species that worshiped the waters of the planet.

That hadn't happened yet, which is why the identical twin Adrijana sisters personally came to see what the problem was. Nikoletta had taken care of the details - renting a bala bala, a narrow speeder used on the planet to travel the tight spaces of the city and planet - supplies, and contacting the foreman to meet them here.

"Ah, there we go, Tasia," Niki said from the co-pilot's chair, noticing the tall, burly human leaning on what had to be the speeder she requested. "Our ride is on time."

She unbuckle herself free but didn't move, still warring with herself. "I know we're here, but do we really have to be here? If this ends up being a wash, it's not like we can't recover our losses with the upcoming auction that Tonyh's hosting."

The twins were a wealthy pair that had a penchant for finding very expensive items that would sell for millions. This would be a minor set back. Of course Niki knew what the answer would be from her beloved sister. Adrijanas never admit defeat. Which meant traveling in the humidity which would utterly ruin her hair in a frizzbowl.

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Tasia loved getting hands on with digging sites every once in a while. Yet she disliked being forced to do that when their employees and contractors didn't turn up anything useful in a given time frame. She especially hated this kind of humid and hot planets as Akiva was. She'd trade this hell hole for a bloody desert, even literally. Sitting in the pilot's chair, she was staring outside, making a face at the whole place. That was not her ideal vacation or even business trip. While Niki made everything better; this planet was just not up their alley.

With a growl, she powered the ship down for good, before pulling her lush mane into a tight and high ponytail. Her hair would be ruined anyway, but she was still set on minimizing the mess. She grinned a little bit at her sister's mention of the upcoming auction. The network they had built over the years was outstanding, just as their reputation was for anyone interested in unique, rare and tragically expensive goods was.

"You know the answer, darling," she replied with just the tiniest trace of sadness in her voice. She would go anywhere with her twin; but Akiva was so not on the list.

She finally extricated herself from the pilot's chair and gave a brief hug to her sister, before kissing her as much for reassurance as for good luck to brace herself. "We'll get something out of here, one way or another," she whispered into Niki's ear, before finally stepping back.

Groaning, she went to gather the light but practical gear she needed before venturing towards the boarding ramp. "We got this."

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

The ship powering down was answer enough and just like her twin, pulled her hair up, but into a tight bun.

"Yeah, yeah ..." She pouted before the hug from Tasia made this hellhole feel a little bit more palatable.

She gently touched her cheek with the kiss, an act of grounding herself and accepting the reality of the situation. Her twin was right - they would find a way to make this expedition work. An Adrijana never admitted, or accepted, defeat. There was always an angle to exploit for their greater good. They just had to get to the site, gather all the details, and develop a plan.

With a smile, she followed her disgruntled sister to where their gear was ready to go. Niki slipped one of the packs over her shoulders and checked the holdout blaster before that was tucked into place behind her back next to the secured macrobinocular. Her face scrunched in preparation for the vast amounts of humidity that awaited them as she hit the panel to open the hatch and lower the ramp.

"Ah hell," she hissed, feeling the humidity immediately pour through the small crack of the exit.

It was suffocating, dense, air. Even with the lighter clothes on, Niki knew they'd be strategically damp by the time they reached the excavation site. Despite it all, Niki walked down the ramp confidently towards their contact, mentally cursing this planet's existence.

[Nastasia Adrijana]

This wasn't going to be fun; but at least Tasia found some solace in her sister's presence. Adrijanas didn't admit defeat; and they had proved it over and over again since they were born. Today wouldn't be any different, regardless of how unpleasant the whole thing would be. She had a bad feeling not so much about the horrendous weather; but about whoever they were dealing with. She was still utterly baffled that the digging site had turned up nothing of value so far. It made no sense at all.

At least, Niki and her were as well geared as possible, from survival equipment to weapons. They had got entangled into enough unexpected trouble in the past to jump into such things carelessly. Granted, she bet that Niki could still accuse her of being quite reckless at times; but Tasia had always survived it.

She wanted to say something about what her twin scornfully observed about the placating weather; but it was too suffocating for her to crack a joke or even come up with verbal encouragement. With a groan, she gently and briefly brushed her hand against Niki's before locking the ship behind them.

Their contact was awaiting by the rental speeder, which seemed less spatious than some spider bikes they had used in the past. That didn't bode well; but it was in par with the whole mess.

"Misses Adrijana? I'm Orel Davar. We should get on the way soon. There might be thunder storms coming our way. It has a bad effect on the local predators."

Fine, just fine, Tasia inwardly fumed.

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

"Of course it does," muttered Niki derisively, tossing her pack into the limited sized storage compartment the speeder had.

She waved Orel's offer to assist her into the speeder and climbed aboard. There was enough space for her sister to join her, or Tasia could sit up front with their contact. Either choice was going to be cozy.

"How long are we talking until the weather hits?" asked Niki, trying to gauge it herself with the darkening clouds in the distance but she was no weathergirl.

"I'd give it a few hours before the lightning and thunder starts rattling the hungry locals. But if we leave now, we'll get to the site well before we see the first bolt." Orel engaged the twins as he closed the hatch once all their gear was stored.

"Least that's something ..." she huffed quietly to herself before focusing the topic on their lackluster site. "How badly will it delay the tour?"

"Eh, best when weather's that bad we stay in the plastents nearby. I know ya really wanna see the site and as soon as we get there, I'll have a better idea if we can ride passed it or go right for cover. Trust me..." His piercing blue eyes accentuated his warning. "... ya don't go fucking around the site if the storms are bad. Had an idiot die on the job because he didn't listen cuz a fengla got spooked and clawed his leg off. Bastard died of blood loss."

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Tasia briefly debated where to sit; but she chose to be by her sister's side. If she had to be crammed into a tiny space for an undefined amount of time, let it be her twin. It might also help her tame any murderous tendencies that might develop should their contact get on her nerves even more.

She listened to the exchange between Niki and Orel, not even trying to roll her eyes. Some might take them for spoiled and sheltered ladies, but that was far from the truth. They had been to the most unpleasant places when business demanded it, and this hell hole was nothing new to them.

"How many more idiots do you have on site?"

Her voice cut through Orel's ramble and he glared at her briefly, before thankfully returning his attention to maneuvering the speeder.

"This place is bad, Miss! I've been through a lot..."

Tasia interrupted him without hesitation. "We went through your credentials and at this point I'm wondering whether you might have fluffed them and are handling things that are beyond your abilities, despite the substantial paycheck."

She heard the grumbling, and raised a brow in his direction.

"I didn't hear that. Speak clearly."

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

Niki squeezed Tasia's leg, knowing that look. She just wanted to ground her twin as she watched her sister chew Orel's head off, who was confused at the questions of idiots on site. Their exchanged would have been amusing if they weren't pressed for time. They needed answers and Tasia was cutting through the excuses.

Orel muttering something was not doing him any favors. At this point, Niki was tempting to shoot the man, dump the body for the predators to eat, and drive to the site herself. Nothing that she hadn't done before.

As she was pondering this, Orel cleared his throat, a ploy to think of some lame response to cover up what he really said. "I said I didn't do no such thing. The area is honestly bad and it's hard to excavate. With the weather being unpredictable and the predators about, it's caused the delays."

"But even still, you've found nothing at all? You've been here for months. A trinket, some broken pottery, even remains would suffice to prove we're not wasting our time with you, Orel," she snapped back.

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Niki's squeezing her leg help Tasia not end their pathetic contact on the spot; although her patience was running extremely thin. She knew it was the case with Niki as well, although she had always believed her twin was more likely to exhibit restrain than herself. Yet she knew too well that if one crossed a certain line, nothing could save them from the wrath of the infamous Nikoletta Adrijana.

When he tried to come up with some more excuses, she was fuming. And their being in the middle of nowhere on a hellhole type of planet didn't help assuage her concerns about the mission which had so far been a financial disaster. The sisters were aware that supporting new digging sites, or even any sort of ventures in their career might not provide as many benefits as they hoped. But this place was proving to be a mess, and not just a calculated gamble that proved dissatisfying.

Tasia couldn't help thinking that something was up, which had motivated them to step up and travel to the planet themselves.

When her twin snapped, Tasia knew that Orel was getting closer and closer to getting into deadly trouble. She had not one ounce of sympathy for him.

"Nothing. This place is either cursed or just empty."

Tasia glared at him. "Cursed? If it's cursed, it means something is down there, you idiot."

She didn't care about ghosts and spirits, but she had been in this line of work often enough to know that it was a typical sign before finding relevant objects.

"I don't know. People are just scare."

In the distance, lightning pierced through the dark skies and loud thunder soon followed suite.

"Great, just great," she groaned.

"Go faster," she snapped at Orel.

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

Orel complied, focused on driving and remaining quiet for the rest of the trip because he was getting no where with the sisters. Which was a shame because depending on how things went down at the site, he might have to bury their bodies with the ones the planet had claimed, or him if the workers got too nosy with questions.

Niki gave her twin a sideways glance, suspicion deeply rooted within her gaze. She didn't like this one bit and returned her attention towards the back of Orel's head, wanting to blast a hole through it.

Thankfully he was true to his word and got them to the site before the storms broke. The leaves rustled with the increasingly strong winds, spooking creatures that skittered along the ground, whines and hisses of irritation and fear. They needed to get inside quickly.

Orel locked the speeder down. "Hurry!"

He hopped out and ran around the speeder, opening the storage compartment and slinging both their packs onto his shoulders.

"This way!" he shouted over the winds, leading them to the nearest tent.

Niki cursed under her breath, unable to get a good view of the site from here. Clouds blocked the sun, casting a darkness along the land that made it appear like night. The first drops of rain pelted Niki's already ruined hair, only increasing in numbers with every step towards safety.

"Here!" Orel opened the door, ushering the twins in before joining them.

He set their gear down and stretched his back. "Should be safe for now. My tent's next to yours. I can pop out and let you two settle while the storm's going."

And prepare the crew to make it appear everything was fine and none of the artifacts that he found were already catalogued and stashed for pick up on the far side of the camp, safely hidden under a camo net. He wasn't going to let the ladies screw this up for him.

[Nastasia Adrijana]

When she met her sister's gaze, their silent understanding was evident. Orel was highly suspicious, and it was difficult not to just shoot a hole in his head already. It might not take too long before it happened though. Tasia was certain something must have turned up at the dig site. It was fairly impossible nothing had cropped up. The sisters were good enough at their job to pick fruitful spots. Some were more than others; but there was always something valuable.

She groaned as they had to rush to the tent while being whacked by the storm. She hated not having got a good view of the site but with that weather it was impossible.

Orel's sudden "well-meaning" behavior continued to raise her suspicions about him.

"Setting sounds like a good option," she managed to say with enough courtesy in her voice that her murderous intentions seemed quenched for now. Niki would know better, but it wasn't her she had to convince.

Orel nodded and left them to their own devices.

Once alone, Tasia muttered as for now she removed her drenched jacket, and tried to twist some of the water out of her pony tail over the entrance mat.

"Do you think he's working alone or with other workers?"

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

If she weren't a lady, Niki would have spat at the door, disgusted with Orel. Instead if looks were a weapon, the door would have melted to join the puddles outside.

Grabbing their gear, she hoisted them into the table and started to unpack. "Way I see it, there's three possibilities."

She lined up first aid kits, binoculars, portable tools for hands on digging since neither of them trusted the lot here. They were going to get their hands dirty and dig to prove their venture here would produce something.

"One - Orel's working alone on this and has everyone duped. This is the least likely scenario because the man is an oafish fool. He talks too much. Probably wanting to distract us or wear us down with repetition until we believe him or get scared off. Obviously that's not happening ..."

She set down a journal they were keeping on the site - leather bound and full of scribbles, doodles, and important notes.

"Second - Orel is working with a select few and stringing the rest along. We've established he's not bright and would need help moving anything of value here. We hired him for muscle, to be our taskmaster. It's quite unfortunate he decided to be greedy."

Gently she freed her bun, allowing damp hair to fall against her shoulders, and began to brush it. "Last possibility is really the second one expanded. Orel got cocky because someone is paying him to screw us over."

The twins fortune was partially built on the backs of misfortune of others. And some of those others had become enemies. It wasn't farfetched to believe that one of them could have orchestrated this.

"If that's the case, we need to work out who we've pissed off the most to do this."

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Tasia had stopped counting how many times she had wanted Niki's eyes to be actual weapons to burn an idiot to the ground. She took a brief moment to appreciate the hotness of her sister's stare though. Even looking like a hot drippy mess, Niki remained the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Also, she could really use a little pick-me up given the shitty situation. So stealing a few seconds to lovingly look at her sister was fair game.

Right after, she went to the nearby table and began to unpack her own belongings, while she listened to Niki's observations. She had a few ideas of her own, but was curious about what her twin thought. Niki had a knack to lay things on the table that was straight to the point and very well organized.

Orel working for someone else made a lot of sense, because what they expected to find on this hell hole should be quite rare and pricey.

"Come here, let me help," she purred as she extended her hand for Niki to hand her the brush, so she could help with her sister's unruly mane.

"I can't help thinking that whoever Orel might be sold out to, he'll try to double cross as well. He fits the bill of the greedy moron who's in way over his head."

She pondered on who they might have angered enough to pull such a feat on this site.

"Also, this is a fairly niche market here, but if the point is to get rid of us or diminish our gains, it can be a lot of people."

She hummed quietly as she kept thinking.

"Georjiana Ader, maybe? We did sink her forgery business for sure. Or maybe Zuker what's his face? He was such a misogynistic dewback. And we outbid him on a few auctions."

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

If Niki knew what was going through her sister's mind, she would counter that Tasia was the most beautiful woman in the entire galaxy. The argument was cyclical. They were identical twins with a hubris the size of a supercluster and not one being could come close to their standards. It was an impenetrable barrier of well established arrogance based on intelligence, beauty and financial means. Why look further than their own perfection?

She smiled, almost giddy, that Tasia offered to help with her hair and thrust the brush into her twin's hand before sitting. Tasia was gentle, knowing how to pull the tangles loose with little to no pain, and the light scratches of fingernails along her scalp was divine.

"He's probably that dense," she purred, completely at the mercy of her sister's ministrations.

"Zuker Vanto?" Niki pondered that, her soft features lining with intensity. "That was pretty recent. Would he show his hand this soon? Hm."

Her shoulders sagged comfortably after retrieving a datapad. She pulled up the most current information that had on Vanto. "We were able to turn profit on those ancient Tython necklaces really fast. Double and tripling our profits. Would be a bit of a sore spot for the asshole that a bunch of women outsmarted him."

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Niki's reaction when she offered to brush her hair made Tasia happy. It was funny how she could have little patience with her own mane, but could take all needed time to gently untangle her sister's locks. And she also knew it would help her twin relax.

She smiled fondly and let her trail of light scratches line from Niki's scalp all the way to the back of her neck for a moment. The purr in the other Adrijana's voice confirmed that her idea was working.

She laughed at Niki's observation about Orel.

"It'll likely make him easier to confront or stop. Sure, he mightdo stupid things, but at least there won't be three thousand layers to peel off to get to the bottom of the matter."

Tasia stayed quiet while Niki checked what current information they had on Zuker, and how it might or might not tie into the current predicament.

"Orel is the kind of sexist pig he would hire. And if he was really pissed and wanted to retaliate so early, it would also explain why he wasn't that careful either. I mean, we gave this digging site a while before coming here ourselves, so it gave whoever's behind it some time to organize their petty move."

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

Oh how she wished this was a luxurious vacation! They could talk fun shop about their upcoming exhibit that Vankar was opening along with the auction and properly enjoy one another's company. Not be surrounded by a volatile landscape, trapped with inclement weather, and dealing with a spiteful competitor because he wasn't as good as the Adrijana twins.

"So what's our next move? If its Zuker or not, we need to find proof once this blasted storm ends. Interrogating everyone is just as important as searching the camp and site." She scowled. "I rather not split us up ..."

It was a rare occurrence when the twins separated and it gave Niki anxiety when it did. She hid it well, refusing to show weakness in front of anyone, but she didn't feel as sharp or in control without Tasia's presence.

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Tasia eventually finished going through her sister's long locks, having eventually tamed and smoothed them again. She pondered Niki's words about their next step. And she knew well enough that being separated was the last thing her twin was eager to do. As much as she dreaded it herself, Tasia tended to be alright going her own way for a short bit, although it could end in snappiness and violence way more easily than when Niki and her grounding presence were close by.

"If we go by ourselves we will cover more ground, and quicker. Yet we might also raise suspicion and risk getting cornered depending on what Orel decides to do."

Setting the brush aside, she laced her arms around Niki's shoulders, kissing the top of her head.

"Since he seems to think we're a package deal, if we stick together he might think we're buying into his crap; but we can always start taking a tour of the place before he shows up again, as soon as the weather gets better."

Pausing, she listened to the downpour and thunder outside.

"Hell, as long as it passes away from the site, I'd be willing to step outside, so we're sure that we start snooping around before he thinks we're lady-like enough to step a toe outside of the tent."

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

Niki bent her arms to quickly bring her hands up so fingers could curl around her twin's forearms, finding as much comfort in the contact as the soothing caresses of the brush through her hair, or the gentle kiss. Warmth spread throughout her body and could tolerate the idea that they might have to be separated.

She looked to the small translucent window that was several meters above the door lock. It illuminated with each bolt of lightning, highlighting the vegetation swaying in the fierce winds.

"Then we wait for the weather to let up and begin our investigations, dear sister," she said firmly, tightening the hold she had on Tasia, determined.

They would get to the bottom of this one way or the other and with how incensed she was that they had to be here. She briefly thought of the holdout blaster on her and was itching to use it on Orel ...

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Tasia smiled when Niki kept her close. Her sister always helped her stay grounded as well. As twins they had been very close from their first moments, and it had definitely proven true as they had grown up. They brought the best out of each other; and they were unbeatable together. That was why they had built not only a good business, but a happy life too.

She frowned at the sight of the lightning still going on outside. The storm wasn't over and done yet.

Niki's embrace tightening helped her relax for now.

"Do we have the full list of employees Orel brought on for the job? I think there is about fifteen people working here, but I'd like to review that. I also know that we sent in a surveillance droid that got supposedly accidentally damaged when surveying the area. Due to the regular tempests, we didn't think much of it back then, but I wonder if where it crashed or the few bad pictures we got might be of help."

While she could think of a lot of funnier ways to spend the time stuck in this tent, she wanted to be ready to investigate as soon as weather permitted.

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

With reluctance, Niki let go of her sister's arms and brought up the information that Tasia requested. "Yes we do. Here."

She set the device on the table so they could both read it. "Here are the hired hands."

A list scrolled past on the left hand part of the screen with names, profile pictures, and the job they were hired on for with a link that could expand their file. On the right, Niki cued up the surveillance droid's information. "We didn't get a lot of information after it was deployed. Just some shots of the jungles, a few aerial ..."

She cued up a map of the area where the droid was last seen marking its first location with a blue arrow and a red arrow for where it was destroyed. "No time like the present to go frame by frame to see if we missed anything."

Which was possible as her twin pointed out. They were dealing with the mind set of bad fortune instead of saboteurs and jealous competitors. Now with a more critical eye, they watched the first few images the droid took begin to flash on screen ...

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Tasia pulled a seat next to Niki's and took place by her sister's side. Out of habit, and still seeking as much comfort as they could in the current ordeal, she draped an arm around her twin's shoulders.

"Thank you, darling," she answered as she began to go through the documents that came up on the screen.

The list of hired hands still didn't bring up red flags, which had been why they got hired in the first place. Tasia doubted they would find any real clue there; but the few surveillance images they had might be an unexpected goldmine.

"It didn't survive long, though now I am unsure I believe it was due to weather conditions," she grumbled.

She gave her full attention to the images they watched together, and by the third time they were going through it, she began to worry that there wouldn't be anything useful on them.

Outside, thunder and rainstorms still pelted the area, effectively trapping the Adrijanas inside.

"Again," she asked, her tone weary, as they had hit the last image.

She rubbed her eyes, and started thinking about the largest cup of caf she could get.

"Am I just stupid or is there really nothing on there?"

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

"No," she growled tiredly, not wanting her beloved twin putting herself down. "You're not stupid."

Nikki replayed the images as she thought of a different angle. "Perhaps we're looking at this wrong."

She leaned forward, fingers dancing along the keypad as a crack of violent thunder rolled over the campsite. "Maybe the attack didn't come from the outside but within."

Maintenance logs prior to the droid's departure scrolled by as Nikki looked to her twin. "Maybe the bastard paid off one of our own to sabotage us. Planting a detonation device on it. Blowing it up to try and make it look like an accident ..."

[Nastasia Adrijana]

This was becoming a bigger headache by every minute, Tasia thought, letting out a very long sigh.

At least she was in this with her twin, so that always helped, even when she felt stuck in a dead end.

She listened to what Niki explained, nodding in agreement as her sister continued to expose her theory. That would make sense, as much as she hated the thought.

She pulled her own datapad out, and then opened the list of employees they had at the digging site.

"I hate to say it, but we should check everyone we have leverage on, because they might be the ones who can talk and help us. The others, even some who've been working for us for a while, could all be suspects."

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

With the extensive research on the site crew, Nikki already had one in mind.

"Vasie Ubrien. She's got a secret gambling addiction that her family's unaware of. Right now that addiction's on the precipice of becoming a problem. Why she took this assignment from hell, because it pays well. Can pay off her debt and start up a new tab. Win win for her. But ..." she leaned back and gave her twin a wink. "... if we threaten to pull payment, she'll talk. The tab at The Eldest Brother Casino is a Black Sun establishment. They're not going to be gentle when the due date comes and goes with no payment from Ubrien."

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Tasia quirked a brow as she recognized the expression on her sister's face, indicating that Nikki already had an idea. Her twin was always beautiful but there was something about her plotting that made her even more weak in the knees.

She pondered on what Nikki said, nodding her approval. That was a very good point where to start.

"Yeah, she doesn't want to mess with Black Sun for sure."

She flashed a slightly devilish grin at her sister. She gestured towards the door.

"It seems the storm is finally calming down. We should hit the camp as soon as possible. We should wander around until we find Vasie. I'd rather not take chances at being separated with so much shit still up in the air."

She knew that desperate people could pull real dangerous things, and she'd rather keep forces as one with Niki in case someone tried to corner or silence them.

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

Thunder and lightning had let up and Niki couldn't recall the last time she heard or saw any indication of the volatile storm continuing. Even the winds had died down, the tent no longer swaying under its might. There was still a light rain pelting against the tent as a reminder that the weather had once been terrible.

She locked down her datapad and nodded. "Getting a head start's a good idea, darling."

She quickly kissed her sister's cheek. "Let's start making house calls, hm?"

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Having spent some time alone with Nikki, and having a course of action had helped Tasia feel a bit better. She was ready to tear apart the assholes working against them. It was horribly tempting to just go and do it even though they only had suspicions.

She had been too trigger happy a few times in her life, but she didn't lose sleep over it.

She smiled and tugged her sister close for a quick embrace.

"Let's do this, hon," she replied without hesitation.

She double-checked that all their stuff was in neatly locked cases, and then made sure she had her weapons on her.

She had no want to get back outside in this stupid jungle; but they had things to do.

The moment she stepped outside, she groaned and felt that a ton of humidity was trying to pull her down.

She forced herself to look around. She rested a hand on the small of her sister's back as they headed towards the rest of the camp, taking in the various workers who were beginning to come out. Thankfully no sign of the asshole yet.

"I'm gonna do it, but I'm gonna curse every step of the way," she whispered into her twin's ear before focusing on their surroundings.

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

Niki fiercely returned the embrace and inhaled her scent, fueling her drive to continue this investigation. Like her twin, she locked her gear and double checked her blaster out of habit before joining Tasia outside.

She frowned so deeply that her face hurt. The humidity had thickened after the storm and made it harder to breathe. Teeth grit because she hated being here because some asshole decided to get revenge on them for being far more savvy businesswomen than Zuker's or Ader's lack of acumen. Even if it were them or someone else ... someone was going to die today. Niki's had her own taste for revenge and it wasn't going to be soothed until she shot someone. She just needed the proper target to take her aggression on and then after this ordeal was completely over, Tasia could finish alleviating that itch on the way back home in their quarters ...

As Tasia rightfully groused, Niki looked around as well and saw Ubrien walking through the camp doing an inventory check. She squeezed her sister's hip and nodded in the suspect's direction. "Shall we start with her?"

Ubrien was highly suspect given her gambling issues.

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Tasia had been able to keep higher spirits but she was turning really wary and even more pissed between the weather and the situation at hand. It was disgusting and she wanted off the damn planet, with the goods that had certainly been unearthed. She just knew there were goods to make cash from in those ruins, no matter what bullshit they had been fed because of whatever traitor was around.

She saw the frown on her sister's face, and there was something in the way she stood, that look in her eyes. It was that thirst for blood coming to life. It gave her renewed energy to a degree. She always loved when Niki got in a killing mood. It was a sight to behold and she needed that right now.

They had such a close relationship, a bond that defied societal expectations but made them unbreakable; that they always ebbed and flew in complimenting ways so they would always push through.

When her twin pointed towards Ubrien, she nodded to the suggestion. "Let's do this," she confirmed.

Arm linked with her sister's, she led them towards the suspect. Ubrien gave them a polite nod but there was something uneasy about her posture for sure, though it could be for various reasons.

They exchanged some brief noncommittal words at first before Tasia led the conversation towards the situation at camp and the lack of findings.

"It's just been bad weather that caused the malfunctions..."

That made Tasia quirk a brow.

"I didn't mention any equipment issue," she retorted in a venom-laced sweet tone.

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

Where Tasia was speaking sweetly with intent, Niki's smile mirrored the tone perfectly. "Interesting."

Her arm carefully unwound its way free from her sister and laced warmly around Ubrien's. "Why don't we all have a nice little chat about these equipment issues that are occurring. Hm?"

Ubrien recoiled at Tasia's predatory look and couldn't refute as she was being escorted to the nearest tent. Her hand slowly rose up the woman's back to grip her by neck as Niki reached for the door handle. Slowly she pushed the door open and peeked inside, noting it was empty and similarly arranged to their provided tent. "Expecting anyone here?" she asked.

"N-n-no ..." Ubrien said and was forcefully pushed further inside.

"Excellent." Niki circled the woman to cut off any attempt at escape towards the back of the tent. "Now, my dear ..." Niki began, fingers flexing and ready to pull out the blaster for any reason, "please expand on these equipment issues."

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Push and pull, venom and velvet, angel and devil.... The Adrijana twins were so in sync with each other that they cornered any enemy in their deadly web. There was no need for even a fraction of communication that most people would need, even lovers or other twins, for they had demolished any supposedly moral limitations in their relationships years ago.

Tasia marveled at how Niki took over in the most devious and demanding way with their suspect. Oh Ubrien was going to break, and sooner than later.

She followed inside and let her sister be between Ubrien and the door, while she eventually positioned herself closer to the back of the tent.

She let her sister lead the interrogation for now, enjoying the sight tremendously.

Ubrien's shoulders tensed up and she couldn't bring herself to look at either of the sisters.

"The weather has been bad here," she repeated as if trying to convince herself.

Tasia cleared her throat right behind her, and it startled Ubrien.

"I.... Will you..."

She bit her lip and cursed under her breath, realizing there was no way for her to get away from the question.

"I told him trying to bullshit you would never work."

[Nikoletta Adrijana]

Ubrien was intelligent enough to realize that lying to the Adrijanas was unwise. Niki was mildly disappointed that she couldn't torture the woman for answers, but it was better that they got their information quickly and save time.

She took a step forward, jutting out her chin with a narrowing look. "He who?"

Ubrien gulped at the deadly tone in Niki's voice despite never once raising her voice. "O-o-orel..."

She briefly looked to Tasia before continuing. At least Ubrien confirmed their suspicions that the sight manager was tampering with the dig. "So he was deliberately sabotaging the equipment.

Ubrien nodded, eyes flickering between the twins. Seeing the same pair of eyes looking at you differently was disconcerting. The one that threw her in here continued to hold a murderous gaze and the other one that was breathing down her neck looked just as deadly. "Yes... just like I said. He wanted to make sure that this place was a disaster so you'd pull out."

"Well, that was a major oversight on Orel's part. We never pull out of an investment." Niki ceased flexing her fingers.

"Heh," she chuckled nervously because she rather liked the woman looking conflicted on whether she was going to be beaten up or not. Niki going still made her hope that it was the good outcome. "Clearly..."

"But ..."

Ubrien tensed.

"... Orel's too stupid to come up with this himself."

To that, Ubrien couldn't argue and shrugged. "Yeah...he talks to someone that's been giving us supplies. Dunno who it is tho."

Niki looked to Tasia. "Well ... do you believe her?"

[Nastasia Adrijana]

Tasia was far from a religious person; but the way her sister made for such a magnetic angel of death could make her see the higher powers for a stolen moment. It was quite ironic how pragmatic she was; and yet her beloved Niki could bring her to her knees in more ways than one.

She didn't miss one thing that Ubrien said though, as she remained too close to comfort to hold the woman between her twin and her.

There was no surprise upon the admission that Orel was dumb enough to tamper with the site. At least they didn't have to go on a wild womp rat chase to get confirmation.

Ubrien's body language made her fear evident; and Tasia liked that, a lot.

Upon meeting her sister's gaze, she pondered on her question.

"I don't buy the last part."

She rested a hand on Ubrien's shoulder, slender fingers digging hard into the woman's flesh.

"You confess too eagerly, and you deflect blame even quicker," she purred into the woman's ear, while still staring at Niki.

Ubrien gulped and tensed even more.

"Should we discuss that gambling addiction you're trying so hard to hide from your family?"