Tarnished

[Solaris]

Trigalis, Juris Sector
New Coronet City
Katarina Forge sat in a cafe, watching the people of the criminal haven go about their day-to-day lives. She wore an open aviator jacket over a shirt and trousers tucked into calf-high boots, the only acknowledgement of her femininity the buttons at her collar being undone low enough to show a hint of cleavage. Her collar-length honey-brown hair was pulled back into a club ponytail at the base of her neck, though a few strands had fallen loose and were constantly floating back to her face. Katarina's hazel eyes were distant, not really watching the people so much as scanning them for potential threats while her mind wandered elsewhere. She sighed, having just realized what her train of thought had been.

All Katarina ever thought about these days was the war. She had no family, and all of her friends were either dead or in hiding. She herself couldn't make new ones, given how she was constantly on the move and always engaged in operations against the Sith. The war against the Dark Side consumed nearly every waking minute of her days, and even gnawed at her dreams at night. Of course, judging by the dark whispers in the back of her mind, there were probably worse things for her thoughts to dwell on.

In Trigalis for more than just dark thoughts and people-watching, though, Katarina was waiting on someone. The Imperial Knights had contacted a criminal organization known as the Initiative, giving no indications of their true identity but hinting at lucrative contracts in exchange for their services and discretion. Katarina smiled wryly. She was not a fan of this cloak-and-dagger stuff. Still. . . it was for the Emperor, may he rest in peace, and if the service to the Empire demanded she drag her honor through the mud and consort with criminals, then so be it.

But that did not mean she had to like it.

 

[Nevermore]

The menagerie of blended lights, colors, and sounds did nothing to stimulate Julara's senses. She had never stepped foot in Coronet City before, and she was here now only because of business. The Initiative member, chosen for a meeting for reasons she was ignorant of, took a drag on the cigarette resting lazily between her fingers. She exhumed the smoke, watching it flutter away into the sky before dissipating entirely. Lazy footfalls stopped in front of the café she was instructed to rendezvous to, and the prominent "No Smoking" sign written in aurebesh dangling in the front door dampened her mood only slightly.

The exasperated woman took one final drag, then threw the cigarette to the ground. Smoke flared from her nostrils as she exhaled and entered the building, her mismatched eyes scanning the facility. She was told exactly where to sit, and even what to order if she chose to. The seat came into her line of sight, and Julara took notice that her acquaintance had already arrived. Thin fingers wove through red hair, attempting to make an improvement upon her appearance. The tail of her coat bobbed with each step taken, and she could feel the fur trim tickling her cheeks as it swayed with her movements.

Julara took a seat directly across from Katarina, giving her a feinted smiled.

"Katarina?" she asked plainly. As the woman crossed her arms, the tip of her finger inconspicuously strayed into the folds of her coat. She felt the smooth, comforting formation of her blaster pistol resting snugly in its holster greet her finger. Simply a meeting or not, Julara was a skeptic through and through. She went nowhere without some armament or another.

 

[Solaris]

"Julara," Katarina replied coolly, looking the redhead up and down. "Won't you have a seat?" She spoke without a trace of her usual accent; exotic speech patterns were usually a giveaway that few covert agents could afford. She noted the woman reaching for what was probably a blaster pistol and seized, her reflexive response to go for her own weapons arrested just a moment too late for her to pass it off.

"I'd appreciate eef you deedn't do that," Katarina said with forced calm. Her heart was pounding, and her accent was starting to show. "You must understand, the organization I represent 'ave found themselves 'unted down wherever and whenever we emerged. Many believe us exteenct. We 'ave become. . . paranoid, to survive."

 

[Nevermore]

Despite the peculiar accent, Julara made no inquiry. Her lips curled up into an acknowledging and understanding smile, removing her hand from its place near her blaster. She laced her fingers between each other and set them on the table in plain sight. Her thumbs pointed up into a temple, something she commonly did when carrying on an idle conversation.

"I do understand," the Initiative member replied calmly, "but given both of our situations, it behooves us both to be cautious," she finished. The waitress of the café approached and, assuming she would be in this place for a while, Julara went ahead and placed her order. She wasn't permitted to deviate from what the Initiative had told her to order, but at least in their monotony they had chosen something she liked. The waitress turned to Katarina, ready to take her order if she had one. Julara pondered her acquaintance's curious accent, but she knew it wasn't her position to ask.

"So," Julara began again, breaking the brief silence between the two. "What is it we're here for, again?"

 

[Solaris]

"Dze organization I represent wishes to enter eento an alliance," Katarina replied, recovering her composure. She didn't bother covering her accent again; if that had been the Initiative representative's intent, then she had succeeded. Katarina had to admit, cloak-and-dagger was not her forte. "I cannot say who we are, only dzat we are supposedly exteenct. That should be enough, I dzeenk, for a clever woman."

"We weell need your asseestance widz certain operations," Katarina continued, swallowing her pride. Her service to the Emperor demanded she say what had to be said, do what had to be done. "We cannot provide much more dzan eentelleegence, perhaps sometimes experteese, but we can provide you opportuneety for profeet and power you would ordeenareely meess."

 

[Nevermore]

Shortly after Katarina concluded her terms, the waitress arrived with Julara's drink. The Initiative member gave her a quick smile and a dismissing wave, then took a sip of the scorching hot liquid. It singed Julara's tongue, but she offered no flinch. The steaming beverage slid down her throat, and she felt it boil in her stomach. A few idle moments passed before she was able to get a response to her associate.

"It is enough," she answered, giving a nod of assurance to Katarina to show she understood entirely.

"It's to my understanding that the group I myself represent is willing to offer full cooperation," she continued. "Profit and power are both crucial to us. My executive officer is all in, considering that things are played fairly."

Julara took a small cube of sugar from a nearby bowl, dropping it with a quiet plop into her beverage. She brought it to her lips once more, taking another agonizing drink. She was willing to submit herself to brief pain if it meant she could enjoy it.

"Was there anything specific you had in mind for us to start on?"

 

[Solaris]

"One or two dzeengs," Katarina said, arching an eyebrow at the steam and the pain she sensed from Julara. She reached out and took the cup, applying a subtle application of tutaminis to draw out the heat and bring it down to less scaldingly hot levels while she blew gently over the drink. Katarina placed it back in front of Julara, then reached into her blouse and pulled out a pair of tiny holowafers in transparent plastic cases as a gout of steam signaled the rapid evaporation and radiation necessary to knock a few degrees off the drink. "I find eet helpful to blow eet cool," she said with a smile.

"Dzese are our targets," Katarina said as she palmed the wafers and stood up. "Dze data you weelll need ees on dzese." Katarina shook Julara's hand, discretely passing the two wafers into the redhead's hand. "Good day to you, Mademoiselle DuRain."

 

[Nevermore]

"I torture myself sometimes for shameless self-indulgence of a good drink."

Julara felt the wafers pass into her hand, shaking Katarina's as a distraction to slip the items up her sleeve. She smiled pleasantly at the woman as she stood up and bid her farewell.

"To you as well," she said as she remained seated. She was going to stay behind for a bit and enjoy her drink, especially now that it wasn't as hot as it was before. She would get the information back to the Initiative soon, but right now she was going to enjoy the time to herself.

"It was a pleasure. May we cross paths again some day."