Oh... this was yours?

[Sarge Potteiger]

He threw her a piece of candy. "Go for it. I'm Sarge, by the way."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

She examined the candy. "This doesn't look like a red pill to me. I want something that'll make you go away."

She ate the candy.

"No, you're still here. Sarge, is it? Might as well call me Massa."

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

"That's much more difficult. No ones who has ever wanted me gone had gotten me gone. When you want me around though, I'll be around less. Less amusement if you want me around." The armored figure shrugged.

"Massa? I take it you don't want no bacon on the salad?"

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"I could go for a salad," she admitted. "I was about to go make dinner, on my vacation, when you came up here and killed my people. I do find myself wondering if you're playing for time. There isn't some doomsday virus ripping through my little station, is there? Intent on finding and transmitting my little secrets? Because there's now a comm interdiction field on this place. Only way anything's getting off it is if you take it, personally."

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

"You're the one who started asking questions.", he says with every hint of snark. "I don't do viruses anyway. Hate it when people do it to me." Again, he chuckled. A genial tempered man, it seemed. "Yeah. No. I'm not transmitting anything."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Still chewing on the red candy -- and running through standard poison-neutralization techniques, of course -- Ashin sat back in her chair. "So you're here to destroy, or to take it out yourself, or to trap someone very much like me. Which is it?"

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

"Take your pick."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Well, see, the ball's in your court on this one. If you want to take it out yourself or destroy things, we have a problem. If you're just looking to capture someone like me, I'm inclined to let it happen."

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

"Why in the world would you let me capture you."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"To find out who wants me, and then buy them. Granted, that hasn't worked yet with you, but I'm sure not everyone has your sense of...professionalism."

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

"Yeah. I sense those air quotes. Don't blame ya for usin' 'em either. But see, there's the problem. I don't know who hired me. I know someone went to the company, hired them, and I was chosen to mosey my way on over to this cozy little love shack you got here. And I'm willing to bet they'd never believe I captured a Sith Master. I'm good but I ain't that good."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Color me unsurprised. Well, that neatly eliminates option three. So either you're here to wreck things -- doubtful, considering you could have crippled the program by killing my scientists -- or you're here to steal things. Without a big comm laser, you're not punching a transmission out. That means it's on you.

"Feth. This entire conversation has been you angling for a strip search."

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

There was a long, awkward silence.

"Yeah, I guess so, when you put it that way." His head nodding slowly, the man rubbed absently at his chin as though he wasn't covered in metal.

"Well... this is awkward."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"And to think I left my can opener at home. Any chance that armor is modular enough to survive...inspection?"

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

"No you can't wear a rubber glove and no I'm not bending over. I mean, I can remove the armor... I just, ya know, don't like showing my face or anything. Personality quirk. That and the fact you'd probably kill me. I like living."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Sarge, if I wanted you dead, I would fill this room with lightning and cook you from the inside out. Or get creative." She folded her arms, gauntlets grating. "Don't expect me to do this in the dark."

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

"I'm sorry but now that you've got me thinking in a dirty manner I'm just wondering why you like to shag with the lights on."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"To make you uncomfortable, naturally," she said, going with the double meaning -- to the hilt. "Everything like that is about power, in one way or another."

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

"Oh I'm hardly uncomfortable. I'd rather have the lights on so I can see where I'm biting but ya know, chit happens." Well, the man was open at the very least.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"So you would, what, wear a bandana?"