Ask Fly On The Wall

[Cheriss Ktrame]

There are some things worse than death.

The Killiks and their Joiners were all over the news. After the attack on Ruusan, Corellia, and Thyferra, the galaxy was on high alert. At first, Cheriss didn’t much care— so long as they didn’t interfere with her research, they wouldn’t have a problem. But then they did.

There were reports of strange behavior coming from the CEO of a medical supplies company, which happened to be one of her suppliers. When the equipment stopped coming in, she knew that something was wrong and did some digging, which ultimately led her to Ord Mantell.

She found a table near the wall of the cantina, found a glass of wine too as she waited for her contact to arrive. Involving another person in the matter wouldn’t have been her first choice, but taking care of it by herself would have brought unnecessary scrutiny considering she had no ties to the world at all. Since the Zabrak she’d asked to meet already had somewhat of a base on the planet though, she hoped that it would make it look like more official Imperial business. And she didn’t like to admit it, but some company would be nice. She’d spent far too much time recently either alone or with Kayden, and if she was being honest neither was particularly pleasant.

So she would wait and see if this was worth her time.

@Charles

 

[Bel]

Ord Mantell had a bit of a rough go these past couple years, and Bel was ready to take advantage and sway the public to join the Empire. Of course, that was highly ambitious for the young ISB Agent. He wasn't even legally old enough to drink yet on most planets. But Bel knew that he was capable of doing something big like that one day. Maybe then his Clan would accept him.

However, today was not the day Bel was going to sway the masses to an Imperial cause. Today he had been called in to assist another Sith Champion in investigating suspicious activity pertaining to a business partner or something like that. With all these Killik assaults, Bel thought that all this hysteria and paranoia had only risen. But, even if this medical company had no business with bugs, it was still worth investigating.

"'Evening, ma'am." Bel introduced himself before taking a seat next to her. "I'm Bel. You asked for me to assist you in an investigation?" The files Bel had on Cheriss Ktrame gave him a good picture of who he was dealing with. She was a pretty loyal subject of the Sith as far as Bel was concerned, but she seemed to be type of person who'd cut you loose if you were pulling her back. Hopefully, that wouldn't happen today.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Cheriss knew it was him as soon as the man stepped in the door. She was prepared to greet him but the moment he took a seat next to her instead of across, she started to have second thoughts about this. Quite unprofessional. But her face didn’t betray a thing.

“Evening.” She took a sip from her wine, decided it tasted like stale water and set it to the side as she turned to look at the Zabrak. He introduced himself as Bel, asked a question, and she smiled.

“Yes. I believe I did.” With one more glance in his direction, she noticed that Bel looked ready to receive the briefing. So she took out her datapad, opened a picture, and slid it over to him.

“I’m sure you’ve been keeping an eye on the news: Ruusan, Thyferra, Corellia. In case you haven’t, it’s simple— the Killiks are everywhere.” But what did that have to do with the man on the datapad? She nodded at the picture. “This is Solan Avock, CEO of Tonica Corp. Incredibly successful businessman… but he recently recalled all shipments leaving Ord Mantell and hasn’t given a reason. The reports haven’t exactly been clear, either.” She paused.

“Some employees have been saying that he’s been acting strange as well. It’s only rumors, but one man claimed that he was talking about ‘Joining’ and the ‘Us’. I don’t want to jump to conclusions yet, but it doesn’t look good for him.” That much was obvious, and she met Bel’s gaze.

“What I’d like from you is your help finding him and getting to the bottom of this. You’ve worked here for longer than I have, and probably have more connections too. I will make sure you are properly compensated. Thoughts?”

Spoiler: Solan Avock

@Charles

 

[Bel]

From what Cheriss had explained, and as she had put it herself, it didn't look good for Mr. Avok. Bel appreciated her quaint and to the point debrief, nonetheless. Maybe this endeavor really would favor Bel's chances in converting Ord Mantell to the Empire. Don't get ahead of yourself. Figure this mess out first.

"I'm sorry if I'm invading any personal space." Bel remarked, noticing her distaste in his decision to sit next to her. "As you've stated, I do indeed have several connections here. Some of these 'friends' of mine hold me up to a certain image that I must keep to blend in, you feel me?" He hoped that the jump from formal to informal tone would catch Cheriss off guard. "Some of these friends believe me to be out on a date, tonight, which was my cover to join you." Bel lost his smile and gave her a serious look.

"As far as my thoughts go..." Bel examined her datapad for a few seconds before looking back at her. "We need to subdue him, take him to an isolated area he can't recognize, and interrogate him there. We can't risk him calling out to his, uh..." He looked over his shoulder at the quiet patrons of the bar. This place was not the place to rouse suspicion. "Buddies, if you will. Even if he's not being mind controlled, I don't want him to remember our faces. So, I hope you're okay with a bit of masquerading." Bel's smile returned. This was essentially going to be the kidnapping of a huge corporate executive- which was going to be extremely difficult. If it wasn't obvious enough, both Bel and Cheriss would have to perform almost flawlessly to pull this off.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

The first part sounded all well and good. She could accept the apology. And then Bel said, in all seriousness, that his “friends” thought they were on a date. Cheriss could only stare back, and this time her displeasure was evident.

“You mean of all the things you could have come up with, you chose to tell them that we’re on a date?” She shook her head, placing an elbow on the table as she took her datapad back with her other hand and put it back into her pocket. Only then did she look at Bel again, but this time it was more of a glare.

“Masquerading is fine. But don’t expect me to be all over you like some sort of streetwalker.” Other than that, his plan sounded decent, and it was good to know that the agent’s brain wasn’t completely empty.

“Let’s get going, then. CEO’s not going to turn himself in.” With a smile that was more akin to a smirk, Cheriss would wave over a server, pay the tab, and head out of the cantina. The headquarters wasn’t far from here, and they would just have to find a way to get inside.

@Charles

 

[Bel]

Bel only gave Cheriss a smug grin with a little wiggling of his eyebrows. She was right to think that Bel's cover could've been anything else, but Bel wanted to enjoy himself a little. Besides, it could've been way worse. If anything, this was a mercy granted by the Zabrak. It also gave him unintentional information due to Cheriss' outrage. Most people probably wouldn't have reacted so bluntly, which probably meant she had been or is currently in a relationship. Not only that, but whoever it was is either a jerk that she thinks will change or...they're dead. Maybe he'd press on the information later, but for now, Bel was more worried about Tonica Corp.

"If you're one of his beneficiaries, then maybe you should arrange a meeting. Use whatever means you have to persuade the front desk to let you through." Bel assumed that Cheriss was clever enough to understand what he was talking about. "Go under a fake name. When we get to his office, I'll pull an emergency fire alarm switch," Then, while they were walking down the street, Bel 'borrowed' a pair of extravagant looking party masks from a nearby kiosk. One was a simple black bird mask with an elongated snout for the nose while the second was a red mask with long devil's horns that curled back and over the head.

"Choose which ever one fancies you. Once I pull the switch, we'll wear these, grab the CEO, flee with the masses of employees, and take one of these back alleyways. Then, we'll knock him out, take him to said isolated spot, question him there, and then we go our separate ways." The plan, hopefully, would go without a hitch. Bel, politely (and teasingly), opened the front doors to the Tonica Corp. building for Cheriss. "Ladies first, darlin'." He cooed with a wink.

Man, I hope she understands I'm joking. I thought it was funny! Maybe it wasn't...what kind of jokes does she like? Self-deprecating ones? Does she even like jokes? What if I try to act a little more professional...yeah, I think she's the type of person who prefers business to be business. She is cute, but I don't think I'd last long with her. She'd probably literally cut my heart out, heheh...heh...oh boy...

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

On the way to the headquarters, Cheriss tried to listen to Bel’s plan while keeping a straight face. Like before, what had started out decent was slowly turning into something she wanted no part of.

“I have a feeling my idea of persuasion is not what you have in mind, my dear.” She didn’t know why she was putting up with this. “And there is no way in Malachor that I am wearing that.” She eyed the masks. If anything, it would draw even more attention than the last part of his plan where they were supposedly going to grab the CEO and run out. But why fake a fire when you can start one?

When Bel opened the door for her, and had to do it with a wink, she only gave him a look before making her way inside. It was quite a place, and the lobby looked more like that of a luxury hotel than an office building. At the other side of the room was an elevator, and right next to it was a desk with a very bored looking Devaronian man sitting on the other side.

“Don’t do or say anything. Got it?” Cheriss whispered to Bel before walking up to the man.

“Identification, please.” He held out a hand, not even looking at her.

“We have a meeting with Mr. Avock.” Her voice was laden with the Force as she reached into his mind.

“You have a meeting with Mr. Avock.”

“You will tell me where he is.”

“Fifth floor.” She let him go, and the Devaronian was still looking at his datapad. Did that even work? He didn’t seem to be lying, though.

Glancing back at Bel, she gestured for him to come along as the elevator door opened for them.

@Charles

 

[Bel]

"Wait...you're not going to use the Force-" But Cheriss, being the lovely woman she was, had already shushed the Zabrak. What in the Force did she think he meant by- Holy mother-bitcher...I owe her, like, all the drinks in the galaxy. Bel thought with amusement. Perhaps she was more clever than he had given her credit for. Either way, Cheriss had already done well getting them into the elevator.

"This going wonderfully, wouldn't you agree?" Bel teased as the waited for the elevator to hit the fifth floor. After the doors opened, Bel let Cheriss move out first- Because chivalry ain't dead! -and followed behind her. "I know you don't like the masks, and honestly...neither do I, but we can't risk him recognizing us regardless if he's a Joiner or not."

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“Mhm. And he won’t recognize us when he looks at the security footage.” She kept her voice low as she tilted her head pointedly in the direction of the camera outside of the elevator. “But if you want to wear it, be my guest.” For now, she was only here to talk. What came afterwards depended on whether or not the man was actually a Joiner.

The pair would make their way down the hall, and when they passed by some of the office rooms, Cheriss would look inside to see if anyone was looking back. But strangely enough, every single room was empty. The computers and desks were all neatly set up, chairs pushed in. Even the lounge was devoid of life. Strange.

There was definitely something off about this place. Soon though, the pair had reached an office with a golden nameplate on the door. CEO of Tonica Corp, it read, and underneath, Mr. Solan Avock.

“This is the place.” She pressed the button to open the door, and surprisingly it slid right open.

“Stop right there! I have a blaster!” A Siniteen man practically jumped out of his seat, his hands shaking as he pointed the weapon at the pair. His eyes were wide open, and his gaze went wildly back and forth between Bel and Cheriss.

“Who are you?”

@Charles

 

[Bel]

"Ah," Bel subtly agreed with Cheriss, a new idea almost immediately popping into his head. "New plan. Forget the masks. Knock him out and give me time." He was planning on rebooting the security system software, implanting a virus during the hard reset that would corrupt any tracked data within a twenty-four hour period. This way, their entire kidnapping would be gone forever. Cheriss just needed to trust him. Bel thought he could trust her for the most part, anyway.

"I'm not worth shooting. And she's hardly worth it, either." Bel introduced themselves with a small salute. "So...here's how this is gonna work; Option A, you put the blaster down and we chat like civilized creatures..." The Zabrak flashed the Siniteen a friendly smile, but the blaster was still shaking in the CEO's grip. "Or; Option B, I force you to put the blaster down and we interrogate you until you piss yourself." Bel's smile slowly faded as he explained the second option, taking a few steps closer to Avok.

"Not a step c-c-closer!!"

"Huh," Bel stopped with a sigh and looked at Cheriss with a bored expression. "It's always Option B."

Then, with a quick and subtle snap of his wrist, his fake code cylinder slid into his right hand. In another instant, Bel through the sedative before the CEO could react, striking the Siniteen's neck. Avok managed to fire a single shot, but he was too deluded to aim and only shot the floor at his feet. Finally, Salon Avok was passed out in his own office.

"Give me a few minutes- make sure he stays unconscious and no one gets up the elevator." Bel slid over the CEO's desk and immediately fired up the computer. After getting through the fire wall, Bel began the system reboot. It would take ten minutes for the virus to do it's job, so the duo would have to hold down the fort until the download was successful.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

It looks like we’re doing this the hard way.

Cheriss’ face remained expressionless as she watched Bel work. While she would have preferred to resort to using force as a last resort and give the CEO the benefit of the doubt, the Zabrak seemed convinced that the man really was a threat. However, they would still be able to get the information out of him either way, and Avock wouldn’t remember a thing.

“Make it quick,” she said to Bel before walking out into the hall again. As she made her way back to the elevator, she couldn’t help her earlier thought from entering her mind again. Why are the rooms empty? Avock, the CEO, was the only one here. He had a blaster, and he had clearly been on edge. What was going on between him and his workers? That was a question she’d have to remind herself to ask.

She would wait just outside the elevator, a little to the side so that whoever would come out wouldn’t see her until they turned. But then she heard voices coming from the stairs.

“I heard blaster fire. You think he found out?” Footsteps came closer down the hall and Cheriss slipped into a nearby room. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that they were carrying weapons.

“No way— it’s too early. Besides, we only planted a couple rumors and that’s— ahh!” The moment both men passed her, she gathered the Force inside her and projected it outwards in a push that knocked them both down. But the moment she stepped out of the room to further engage them, the elevator dinged and a group of six more masked and armed men rushed out. So much for no interruptions.

Unfortunately, before she had a chance to draw her saber, a stun bolt hit her right leg and all feeling in it promptly disappeared. She fell, rather ungracefully and catching herself with her arms as the group of men closed in around her.

“What are you doing here?”

Spoiler: Dice Roll

Rolled 2

@Charles

 

[Bel]

Blaster fire was not a good sign, even if Bel recognized the sound of a stun bolt. Cheriss could handle herself, though, right? The Zabrak looked back at the computer's progress on downloading the virus and sighed. Eight more minutes... He began bouncing his leg with anticipation, keep a close eye on the CEO office doors. No sign of Cheriss. Huh, maybe she'll be owing me every drink in the galaxy...

Bel drew his blaster pistol, thinking it would be enough for whoever had Cheriss occupied, but when he turned the corner to exit the room, he had run into an armed masked man. Hey! I knew masks wouldn't have been terrible! Bel thought before quickly using the Force to knock the mercenary back into two of his comrades who seemed to have Cheriss pinned. For... for reasons Bel couldn't explain, seeing the woman on the ground with a blaster in her face pissed off the Nightbrother incessantly. He balled his free hand into a fist and gathered the strength of the Dark Side, using his surprise attack to give him time to release a volley of Force Lightning.

It was meant to hit more than one target, but apparently Bel's subconscious only wanted the idiot of a man with his blaster pointed at Cheriss' lovely face to suffer. The others began to open fire on the ISB Agent, who evaded the first round of shots and delivered his own, hitting two of the mercenaries in their neck. With the remaining three still trying to gather themselves after being knocked down by one of their own, Bel decided he'd be asking the questions.

"You may stay right where you are, fellas," Bel ordered, offering a hand to help Cheriss back to her feet. His expressionless gaze at the woman hid his strange feelings of admiration for her, but maybe she could sense it. Bel was trained to hide his motives well during his training, but...he felt vulnerable next to her. Oh, why did he feel this way? Cheriss Ktrame probably wanted nothing to do with him, yet he wanted her admiration more than he envied the Empress's, herself.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“Get your blaster out of my karking—” Cheriss was just about to explode when one man stuck his blaster right in front of her face. She reached to draw her saber, but before she did, the two men she’d pushed down earlier suddenly had another one of their buddies thrown into them, knocking them down yet again. Soon after, the man who held the blaster right in front of her began to scream in agony as lightning enveloped him. Turning her head sharply, she saw Bel coming over. Oh, great.

With one thrown over and one electrified, two down, and two more dead, that left the last two. Channeling her rage now wasn’t difficult. When they lifted their blasters to fire at Bel, Cheriss would extend her hands to grab both by the throat with the Force. She clenched them into fists, they dropped their weapons as they reached for their necks, and then came the sound of bone cracking. They went the way of their blasters and fell to the floor, and Cheriss now looked at Bel as he offered his hand. What was he doing here, anyway? She absolutely refused to admit that he’d probably just saved the mission. And maybe her too— just maybe.

“I had it all under control. You should be with him,” she whispered furiously. She definitely would not take his hand and glared at Bel, opting instead to grab onto the side of the door to help herself up. She had no feeling at all in her right leg, and she nearly collapsed again when she tried to stand. Kriffing stun bolts. Fortunately, she was able to catch herself with her other leg before leaning on the wall for support.

“He’s right. You aren’t going anywhere.”

“Neither are you.” One of the men snickered, and she recognized him as the one who’d been trying to question her earlier. A blaster promptly flew into her hand and she pointed it at his head, switching it off stun. That shut him up.

“Now, you tell us. What are you doing here?”

@Charles

 

[Bel]

Ah, I see how it is... Bel mused as he watched Cheriss struggle to her feet after refusing his simple aid. Even with a limp leg, she was still capable enough to steal a blaster from the sneering mercenary who seemed to be in charge of this sting operation. Oh! Now it all makes sense. Sudden realization slammed into Bel and his train of thought took off like a mad man who had just figured out the key to immortality. Salon wasn't under any Killik mind control- this was all just one giant ruse for these guys to take advantage of the maelstrom of paranoia that ran rampant across the galaxy.

"You really think I'm gonna tell you-"

"The same as us, right? Here to 'investigate' on false rumors to take over this medical corporation? You aren't half bad for a lowly thug." Bel stowed his weapon- Cheriss had her own as of now and the Zabrak wasn't at all worried about her aim. "And you ain't half bad for...uh, whatever you two are." Bel crouched down the merc's level and pried off the mask. The human had all the hair on his head singed off due to Bel's lightning attack and was still smoking a bit. The rotten smell of burnt hair mixed with the pungent aroma of cigarette smoke made the Nightbrother wince.

"Well, the lovely lady is the new owner of this business. I'm just a loyal client." The Agent smirked before turning to face Cheriss. "You can put that down, now." He said, gesturing to the blaster in her hand. "He barely has enough energy to maintain eye contact." As per usual, Bel's brain began thinking of countless ways on how to go about this new situation. "New plan; We dispose of the CEO and these miscreants, reveal that this was all a Killik-planned attack that we stopped, and, as 'prominent funders' of this corporation, you order all personnel to take a re-evaluation check. Then the rest is up to you."

Bel left Cheriss in the hallway to return back to the computer to make sure the virus had done it's job. But, before entering the office again, he looked back at the Champion with a sly grin. The fact that she chose to opt out of his help still stung, but hopefully she wouldn't do it a second time.

"Care to join me, mi' lady?"

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Cheriss watched Bel take the mask off the man. The merc really didn’t look like he would be able to fight back, so she did lower her blaster. She would’ve liked to kill him too, but now was probably not a great time. Thank goodness this isn’t on tape. Even that had been the Zabrak’s idea. She didn’t know what was worse— having to be rescued by an agent she barely knew like some damsel in distress or having him call the shots.

But, given that she was not in the position to argue, Cheriss could only nod at his plan. When he turned around to go back to the office, she would follow slowly, using the wall to support and trying to regain the feeling in her leg. Fortunately, she felt that the effects were starting to wear off, and she at least could put some weight on it without completely losing balance.

Then he turned around, the insufferable grin on his face as he spoke. Is he making fun of me? She bit back a retort, and kept her tone carefully neutral.

“You go ahead. I’ll catch up.” It was only one hall anyway, and she had time. When she would finally reach the office, she would make her way over to where the CEO was lying on the floor, gingerly lowering herself so that she was kneeling in front of him. Placing a hand on his forehead, she turned around to give Bel a slight smile.

“Thank you for the promotion, but I’m not interested in running the company— Avock can keep his position.” But he’ll work for us instead. “I’m going to wipe his memory of what happened today, feed him some new ones and tell him that we’re the ones who saved him from the mercs. Just give me a few.” It wouldn’t be a complete fabrication, so that would make it easier. She turned back to Avock. Sweet dreams, Solan.

@Charles

 

[Bel]

The virus had finally downloaded and Bel could finally relax. With a sigh, he dropped into the CEO's chair and slouched, using his feet to sway himself from side to side. All of the adrenaline was finally dissipating but the heat of emotion still lingered. If passion lingered more than adrenaline, then Bel knew what he wanted to be feeling during a life or death situation. However, he only felt it because of Cheriss.

"Do what you want. I'm glad I was able to assist." Bel mentioned curtly before standing up and brushing himself off. "Scar-face in the hallway just lost his job- maybe after a quick rest and some medical care, he'd make a good 'messenger' for Avock, here." The Zabrak smirked again. "Of course, he'd only take messages from you. And Mister Avock would have to take them from Scar-face or else he'd lose everything he's built." Bel hoped Cheriss would at least get the meaning behind this subtility.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“Perhaps. But there is power in the middle man’s hands. Messages can be altered, and their meanings changed.” Sometimes it wasn’t even intentional. That was power she didn’t want to give to a man who’d just shoved his blaster in her face. No, she had other uses for him. It was unfortunate that it would be too much of a hassle to take him back to the lab for the doctor to use as a subject, but the merc could help more in the here and now.

“Avock will be more than happy to take my orders without someone telling him for me.” She smiled at Bel. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t know of her true intentions, but she did appreciate how he knew that she was the one in charge here. “Once I’m finished, of course.” Refocusing on the Siniteen, she would reach into his mind with the Force, searching for the strongest feelings of fear, anger, and pain. As expected, it was rather easy to find considering his recent experience. Concentrating where it was strongest, Cheriss would carefully peel it back, layer by layer, before she felt no more of it left.

In almost impeccable timing, the CEO’s eyes blearily blinked open, and the Sith would help him sit up.

“Wh- what’s going on?” He looked around, his gaze lingering for a moment on Bel before turning back to Cheriss. His eyes were still hazed over from the effects of the sedative. “Who are you and why are you in my office? Is this my office?”

“You were attacked, Mr. Avock.” She felt him tense up, but she didn’t skip a beat. His mind was at its most vulnerable right now, and if there was a good time to implant false memories, it was now. “But we’ve taken care of them. In fact, one of them would even like to speak with you about why they were plotting against you.” She glanced up at Bel and then tilted her head at the door, hoping he would get the message. I might just buy him a drink if he does.

@Charles

 

[Bel]

Cheriss really would've made an excellent ISB officer. Bel took the motion for him to grab the singed mercenary and heaved the fallen thug into the office, dropping him at the feet of Avock. The thug only grunted and scowled, but he bit his tongue- Smart guy. Well, not smart enough to evade failure. A pleasant smile spread across the Zabrak's face. I believe my work here is done. In fact, my standing on this planet might have just been upped. Bel pushed the thug over onto his back with his leg.

"Explain yourself, lowlife." Bel grimaced before folding his arms. "Alright, alright...Yeah...I was gonna put an end to your little regime, Avock. You over price cheap medication! Our families out there need this stuff, and we can't fucking afford Tylenol, you asshole! So yes, I was gonna rip your petty head off...if it weren't for these two bloody blokes..." This story just kept getting more and more interesting. It looked like Avock wasn't as innocent as he seemed. Regardless, the thug wouldn't be threat any longer. Bel looked at up at Cheriss and shrugged subtly. It was an unexpected twist- maybe they chose the wrong side? Bel wasn't sure. He'd let the Champion decide the fate of what would go down in this room.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

To her relief, Bel understood, and before long the merc was brought before the CEO. As he told his story, Cheriss would glance at the Zabrak, a little surprised by the thug’s story. She didn’t sense any lies, though she quickly wondered why she was even bothering to try and find any. This was all playing out the way she’d wanted it to. The man had openly admitted to trying to kill Avock, he believed it, and yet…

Do you have… the medicine?
I couldn’t find any. I’m sorry. They locked the doors, and— A cold hand brushed the girl’s wet cheek.
Don’t worry, darling. Everything will be alright, you’ll see. This will be over someday.

Not in a good way, she remembered thinking.

Get out of my head. She wasn’t going to think about that. Not now.

“What would you like us to do with him?” she would ask Avock instead. As always, her face didn’t reveal anything, though the feeling of disgust was becoming harder and harder to hide. The Siniteen’s, on the other hand, was a mixture of fear and fury.

“Kill him! I don’t want to see him or his lot in here ever again!” The blaster in Cheriss’ hand was still as she simply looked at the CEO. “If- if you take care of this one and wipe out the rest, you two can have whatever you want. I’ll— I can cover it up, and we can both move on. Just do it!”

And just like that, the man would find a blaster bolt having gone through his brain. She put the weapon down, but for whatever reason, she felt as if something was tugging inside her chest.

“I know where the rest of them are. They’re in the warehouse down the street. That’s where they’ve been tampering with my products. Kill them all and you’ll be rewarded generously.” Cheriss would look at Bel then, but he could probably see that her heart wasn’t in it.

“In that case, let’s… get moving, then.”

@Charles

 

[Bel]

From Bel's perspective, both the CEO and the violent Robin Hood were both scummy thugs at the end of the day. It didn't phase the Zabrak at all that Avock had Cheriss kill the Hood. But he noticed that Cheriss obviously felt different. Something about this triggered something in her head, he could sense the tension and see the literal discomfort. Bel felt sorry for her, but his face remained stoic in front of the greedy CEO.

"As you wish." Bel saluted curtly before offering, yet again, for Cheriss to take his hand. Please don't be stupid. I know you can barely walk. The other thugs were just outside in the hallway, knocked unconscious, but it was a mess they still had to clean up to appease Avock. "What happened?" Bel spoke softly to the Champion. It was too late to go after Avock instead. Cheriss had already made her choice- and maybe the mistake.

@Sicadorito