Ask Corellia Don't Say It

[Amarante Proulx]

Mara kept glancing at the piece of crinkled scrap paper with a hastily scratched addressed as she walked cautiously. Though she knew the address of the meeting point was not for another several blocks, the anxiety of this lead seemed more ominous than the other stories she had investigated. She was told there was someone who worked for CorSec that may have a name or two of some officers who seemed to evade local laws in favor of their own image. The holonet called public attention to some other officers who had gone missing, but CorSec brushed it off. The goal was always to find something to light the fire under their toes, especially for security and enforcement detail of planetary governments. She would love to one day get in with the group who has been digging around the Sector Rangers, but that would take time, she had to prove herself with smaller stories first.

She paused as others continued onward around her, no numbers matched what she had written and scowl of dissatisfaction wrinkled in her brow. She pocketed the paper and took a closer look, finally spotting a cellar entrance way in the ally to a quiet bar in the basement of the building. Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she took a deep breath and followed down the stairs, the door opening with a chime into the rather empty bar. She preferred more people, less always made her uneasy when meeting with people who seemed sketchy. However, it was worth to investigate and she encouraged her own efforts internally. She was uncertain what he would look like as she glanced around, but not seeing anyone who stuck out to her, Mara took a seat. She would wait to see if her contact would reveal himself.

@Zay

 

[Callahan McKoy]

Callahan leaned on the brick and mortar highrise as he lit up a Corellian Spirit. He'd been working non-stop at Mrs. Kim's for the past three weeks and all he wanted to do right now was get a drink, so... he went to Mrs. Kim's. Kim's was a local bar in the lower east sector or Coronet City. It was the go-to for CEC workers after a long day. It had a distinct blue-collar feel but was surprisingly welcoming to the odd stranger that meandered in from time to time. Cal was a bouncer, which in his experience so far, was way less of a hassle than working for a corrupt government institution.

As he walked in the door he was greeted like a home town hero. Claps on the back and catcalls from various regulars were his welcome and he accepted them with practiced grace. These people were his extended family. He'd known most of them since he was a kid. Hell, he'd gotten this job as a favor someone had owed his late mother. He approached the bar and nodded to Kim, who automatically poured him a double whiskey on the rocks.

"You're a gem, Kim," he said and she winked at him which effectively meant, you're welcome, now shut up and leave me alone I'm working asshole, and he did just that. He propped himself up on a stool and enjoyed his drink. A few moments later a wiry engineer whose name was always on the tip of Cal's tongue approached.

"Cal, buddy, how ya been?"

Cal smiled kindly and replied, "I'm doing well, brother, thanks. How about you?"

The engineer seemed to squirm a bit as if internally conflicted about asking something. The silence stretched on longer than it should have and Cal took another drink before asking, "You good?"

The engineer ran a hand through his hair nervously and said, "I've got something I wanna ask you—" he looked around to make sure no one was listening and said, "It's... It's about your last job."

Cal finished his whiskey and scowled, "What of it."

█ █ █​

McKoy leaned on the bar watching the entrance as he enjoyed a finger of Dantooine cognac. Anxiety gnawed at his gut as he awaited his contact. The engineer had asked him to have a conversation with some reporter about any bad apples he knew of in CorSec. This issue was CorSec was the bad apple. The system they represented wasn't about serving and protecting it was about culling and controlling. He could testify for hours about his eight-year stint, but he wasn't interested in the danger that would put him and Molly in.

The door chime brought him back to the present as he watched an attractive woman enter and survey the room. Cal watched her and for a split second, they looked one another in the eyes, and then she looked away finished her scan of the room. She made her way to the bar and Cal took another drink of his Cognac. She was pretty and thinking that made him feel ashamed. It wasn't often someone made an impact on him, but he'd push passed it. Cal lit up a Corellian Spirt and took a drag, nothing better than a little cognac and a cigarette.

Cal finished his drink and held up his hand for another when the bartender looked his way. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell the lady who'd just come in was restless. She seemed a little nervous and was clearly waiting for someone. He absently wondered if she was on a first date. It was only after he'd taken a swig of his new drink that he realized she might be the one he was waiting on. He pulled the scrap of paper he'd been given and read the terrible passcode.

With a sigh he casually slid down the bar landing beside her and said his portion, "Sorry, to bother you, but do you know what's worse than a Monkey Lizard laugh?"

Now, all she had to do was say the second portion of the bit they'd identify one another and this show could get on the road, of course, he could be completely wrong and this woman would think he was a creep, but hey, that was a risk he was just drunk enough to take.

@GABA

 

[Amarante Proulx]

The moment she sat down, she felt dumb for not ordering a drink, now she looked out of place and even more so without a drink at hand. Though part of her did not wish to get back up again and nor did she need to as she was joined by another as he glanced at a piece of scrap paper and read off the phrase.

Mara leaned forward some, propping her chin up with her palm, a small smirk on her face "Only just the deep chuckle of a Hutt from the shadows." the girl replied, knowing he was who she was supposed to be meeting that evening. She instinctively let out a soft sigh, feeling a moment of relief that she had finally found her contact. However, that was usually the easy part, the more difficult pieces involved having them talk and not everyone liked to talk. Before continuing she waved down the bar tender and ordered herself an old fashioned. Her expectations set low, especially with the look she got from the bar tender, that she may not get what she had ordered.

"I thank you for taking the time to meet with me." she told him, "I'm Amarante, any information you give me will remain an anonymous source, your name won't be revealed." however, she never received a name, and some times that was just the better of options, it kept her printers from hassling her for her contacts. She glanced away from Cal and back to the bar tender who set down her drink. Picking up the glass, she took a slow sip, hesitant to know the results...

It was passable...

"I hope it was not too much of a hassle to meet me tonight." Mara was never afraid of a bit of small talk before delving into story and her questions, it helped her gauge with whom she was speaking.

@Zay

 

[Callahan McKoy]

Her response was spot on. A lopsided grin split his lips and he took a drag on his cigarette. Callahan relaxed a little against the wooden lip of the bar and took a swig of his drink. His heart was racing a little and he was suddenly hyper-aware of his surroundings. Admittedly, he'd assumed this whole thing was nerfshab. His hesitation would've been as fleeting a breath in the cold. He regained his composure and smiled as she spoke.

"No worries, it's a pleasure," he said offhandedly. "I haven't decided I'm going to tell you anything yet, but I appreciate your candor," he replied to her introduction. Trust was tricky, it required a naivete that he wasn't sure he possessed anymore and when it came to topics involving CorSec, talking about anything was a risk for him and for Molly. Why was he here?

Cal took a drag on his smoke and said, "I'm not great at small talk, mind if we cut to the chase?" He nodded toward an empty booth in corner of the bar. "Why don't we take a seat."

The Corellian would let Amarante lead. Callahan was very aware of how intimidating he could seem and he didn't want to complicate things by trying to control the situation. Once they'd moved to a more secluded spot he asked, "Why are you after CorSec?"

@GABA

 

[Amarante Proulx]

Ah, yes there was always the possibility that she was not going to get anything of use for her story, but that was part of the game and she was going to continue to play. He nodded toward an empty booth and Mara looked around him to see, deciding whether or not it will be worth the move. Mara lifted her glass to her lips, taking a slow sip before responding, her eyes locking onto his gaze before she looked him up and down, taking mental note of his features from the color of his hair to the specs of nodded.

Sliding into the seat, Mara set down her glass and brushed back her dark hair behind her ears, but it wouldn't stick. She took another sip, waiting for himself to get comfortable and speak first, of course, he seemed to be just as curious as her own interests as she were of his. "Why Corsec?" she raised her eyebrows and shrugged, "Why not Corsec?" she asked, it was rhetorical, but even though it seemed like a secret, it in fact was not. "Everybody knows, but no one talks about it. Its time to get people talking about CorSec." Mara explained, "Generally once it hits media, then we can get some traction."

@Zay