Private Proposition

[Xan Deesa]

Denon/Seven Corners District​

Evening/Light Rain​

It was a calm night. The light drizzle coming down almost made Xan want to go home and simply tuck herself in with a mug of hot chocolate and a movie, however she felt that this needed to be done. She had been keeping tabs on Kadora for a while, especially after the incident involving an accidentally purposeful explosion in the Farghul's apartment in the CorpSec building. She needed to know what the girl was up to.

Sitting in a clapped out speeder, Xan didn't look like her usual self at all. Instead of her usual appearance an unassuming Mirialan sat behind the wheel. Glancing down, she slotted a fresh power cell into her pistol and flipped the safety off. She needed to be ready for anything. Through the windshield she watched the Farghul with undivided attention. She made sure to keep her tracks clean... until now. Kadora had no way to know she was there and if she did, it was too late to do something about it now. Xan steeled herself and got out of the speeder. Zipping up her hoodie, she grabbed a backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She was sure that Kadora would want to see this as well.

She followed after her, keeping to herself and looking like another dreg roaming around. However when she closed the distance, she cleared her throat. "Hey, you're CorpSec, right? Could you help me out, I'm looking for this sweets shop called 'Sweet Revenge' but I got no clue where to find it. You know by any chance?" she asked with a hesitant voice, putting on the appearance of a nervous Denon citizen. "Please? I'll buy some stuff for you too if you help me." she pleaded with a hushed voice. "Maybe I'll even buy you a new apartment." her voice suddenly shifted into a much more familiar tone to the Farghul.

Emerging from the sleeve of her hoodie was the barrel of her pistol, ready to fire. "Just come along and play the part. I think the top dogs are keeping an eye on you." she muttered as she withdrew her blaster and tucked her hands into her pockets. "Whaddya say, choom?" she asked once more with a completely different tone of voice.

Kadora'Tra

 

[Kadora'Tra]

​

Kadora'Tra hated the rain. She recently remembered a piece of her childhood best left forgotten, when she used to sleep in air vents to keep dry, and the down pour wasn't helping her forget it again. At least nowadays she had an umbrella to keep her clothes from getting drenched. She couldn't really say the same about her feet though. Her penchant for open toed footwear for her claws did no favors to her in the rain. A voice behind her broke her preoccupation with the past.

"Sweet Revenge? What kinda hairbrained sweet sho-" She started before a familiar voice cut through with eerie context. Her nose wiggled, trying uselessly to pick up a scent in the rain to distinguish this unfamiliar person. It seemed to linger with the stench of the rest of the planet, wafted around with the other organic garbage walking around. She'd have to get real close - socially uncomfortably close - before she could trust her nose.

Yet she wouldn't need her nose, her ears twitching as recognition kicked in on where she had heard that voice before, and the context confirmed it. The weapon was the nail in the coffin she didn't need.

"Yeah sure, whatever. I don't have an assignment yet this morning, so follow me choom." She imitated the slang with derision in her voice, but nonetheless started walking, careful to track the foot steps of her new buddy with her ears.

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

A bright smile appeared on the face of the "Mirialan" as she looked at Kadora'Tra. "Thanks!" she said happily as she stuck close to the girl. With subtle touches and gestures she guided the Farghul through streets and alleys, making sure any camera watching them couldn't pick up who was leading who. "Don't worry, though. I heard some good stuff from some choombas who shopped there. They say it's got something for everyone. You won't leave there empty-handed, trust me." she spoke with a light giggle in her voice. She doubted that Kadora'Tra would catch the subliminal reassurance but that wasn't crucial.

When they finally arrived in a secluded alley away from any cameras or prying eyes, Xan tapped Kadora's shoulder and dropped the backpack by her feet. "Open it." she stated simply with a slight smirk. Upon opening the bag, Kadora's own face was staring back at her. Beneath the synthetic skin of the severed head was a bunch of torn wires and circuits. "Just a little note to tell you who's on who's side." she quipped. "Don't ask me which one that is. All I know is that it had access to CorpSec HQ as well as your own room before I blew it up, looked and acted just like you, and just got off the holoprojector with Manfloon when I tore its head off." her golden eyes returned with a bright shimmer as she closed the distance. "I told you that I could help you. I don't back down from promises." she spoke with a much more gentle tone as she looked down at the girl.

A faint smile formed as she gave the Farghul a tap on her shoulder. "You hungry? I am. There's this super nice burger stand not too far from here. Just put this on." she handed Kadora a collar with a switch on it. "It's got a hologram loaded up on it. You'll look like a completely different person as long as you wear it. It'll also augment your voice so, for all intents and purposes, you'll be an average teenage girl having a snack with your friend." she explained as she slipped a collar around her own neck, taking on a new appearance as well.

"Let's go get some dinner. I got a big offer that I think you might find easier to process on a full stomach." she led the way out of the desolate corner and stuck to Kadora's side as she walked. "It's awesome to see you again, though. Like you got no idea, I've been wanting to show you this place for ages now." she made some small talk with the girl, flashing her a bright smile.

At the stand, she bought them both a burger and fries, led the way up to a rooftop overlooking a part of the city, then grabbed a seat on the wall. "Grab a seat." she invited her with a pat on a spot next to her. She pulled off the collar and shoved it into a pocket, returning to her previous appearance. "I want your help. And in exchange you will have mine. Something big is coming. Something that could cost you your life with no good reason. I know you can be a better person, Kitkat. I've seen it. I can help you start a new life. Without CorpSec. One in which you will have meaning. A life where people will care for you, where you will always have a roof over your head and a warm meal to fill you up each night." she started before taking a bite from her burger.

"Are you interested?"

Kadora'Tra

 

[Kadora'Tra]

Alleyways naturally made her feel nervous, but not for the typical reason that alleyways made other people fearful. The alleyways had been her life before CorpSec, so walking into one was like walking back into her childhood. She kept her cool, however, stepping into the familiar dank recess of society without so much as a hair out of place.

Finally, she was allowed to look at her unusual escort with a tap on her shoulder and the unceremonious dumping of a bag at her feet. Instructed to open it, a few possibilities ran through her head of what could possibly be so important to escort her out of prying eyes into a back alley by gunpoint. It was obvious whatever was in it wasn't going to be dangerous. Xan Deesa would have no qualms about killing her in the open, after exploding her personal quarters in the middle of the barracks. She had her opportunity to kill her already and Kadora'Tra barely put up a fight then, and she hadn't done anything unexpected since that would warrant assassination. At least, she didn't think so.

"Aw a present for me, you shouldn't-" Kadora'Tra was in the middle of her usual sarcastic routine when she opened the bag and found a head inside - her head. "Have..." She finished her sentence as she processed the implications, examining the technological bits hidden beneath the pallid skin of the dead doppelganger.

Xan continued to elaborate, a complicated and horrifying picture painted in her mind. On some level, she aware that something was going on out on the streets, but those were all things happening to other people. People who were unimportant or a nuisance, that aggregated into a larger headache than Manfloon was willing to deal with. It was what she was assigned for, to take care of the issues too mundane for Manfloon to deal with directly, and generally outside of his purview but affecting his bottom line. Even when Xan had shown the photographic evidence of her own duplicate, it hadn't fully processed before she was distracted by the destruction of her living quarters. It wasn't real to her.

And now her head was in a bag at her feet.

"You hungry? I am-" Xan broke her veiled shock, and for once she had difficulty telling whether or not her words were another ruse to get her to a secondary - or tertiary she, supposed - location.

"-not sure what I am-" She mumbled a bit unclearly, as she accepted the collar and hesitated to put it on until she saw Xan apply it to herself. Afterwhich, she placed it on and activated it. Taking on a new appearance. Immediately she looked down and scoffed in disgust but said nothing else. She was then pressured into casual idle conversation under an assumed identity, which despite relative disuse for the past few years of her life, was a skill she used to be adept at and walked back into with natural ease.

"I really can't wait, in fact, I'm dying to see it." She really felt like she was (really dying), putting on this stupid tone of voice. She nonetheless channeled as much enthusiasm into her sarcasm as possible, feeling fairly confident the unperceptive would eat it up like candy.

Eventually, the pair of best chums would arrive at their new destination, and Xan dropped her disguise. For one reason or another, Kadora'Tra didn't feel the urge to remove the mask of her own disguise. That way, she could feel like she was out doing her normal business and not held under emotional hostage by a former co-worker/home-invader/party-guest. Instead, this new face of hers was Xan's acquaintance, not Kadora'Tra. "Kitkat" was her friend.

"Well, we've been through so much together," Destroyed our living spaces, worked together, drank together "... and you just did me a favor without my asking you to. I'm at least obligated to listen to what you need, friend." She said, measuring each word carefully not to acknowledge too much context, while also removing as much venom as she wanted to produce in this situation.

 

[Xan Deesa]

Thankfully Kadora rolled with the act. Like a champ, in fact. But Xan was surprised when she didn't drop the disguise when they sat on the wall of the roof.

Xan popped a fry into her mouth as Kadora spoke, her face contorted into a frown when she glanced at Kadora. "Kadora, drop the act. There are no cameras looking at this roof. There are no people looking at us. There's nothing up here. Just you and me. I didn't bring you up here to try and scare you or something. I brought you up here because I wanna talk to you without your superiors listening in. So lose the disguise and enjoy your dinner. I guarantee you it's worth it." she spoke with sincerity before eating another fry.

She let the silence linger for a bit before she turned to face her more directly. "I wanna get you out. Cut CorpSec out of your life and give you a chance to start a new life. That dopple's head was just the start." she stated before taking a bite of her burger. "I can give you the complete package. You can work for Darkwire if you want, or you can do your own thing. I can vouch for you whichever way you choose to go. I can also give you a place of your own. An apartment outside of the barracks with everything you need. Though that's gonna take a bit so if you want, you can stay at my place for a bit before your place is ready. I can give you all of this. But I am gonna need something in return." she explained fully before taking a little commlink out of her pocket.

"I need you to spy on your employers for me. Any info on Darkwire, routines, codes, plans, everything. I need you to relay it all with this." she explained rather bluntly.

She set the little device down between them and returned to her meal. "This is all up to you, Kitkat. You do this, you get a new life. I know it's a tall order. They gave you a life and a purpose. But you saw what they think of you. That severed head wasn't the only one and I imagine it won't be the last. That commlink is untraceable. No receiving end and no sending end as far as scanners are concerned. All I need from you is an answer and I can give you your new life." she finished, taking a bite of her burger.

She was fairly confident in the situation. If Kadora refused, no big deal. If she tried to betray her, she would have a hell of a situation on her hands. If she agreed... Darkwire would get a valuable ally. It was all up to Kitkat and what her choice was.

"You have people in your corner, Kitkat. People who care about you. CorpSec isn't worth dying for." she commented, finishing off her burger and working on her fries.

Kadora'Tra

 

[Kadora'Tra]

"Kadora isn't here right now, just... Kitkat." She said, as she tentatively tried the dubious-looking burger. She smelled the meat and had to acknowledge there was a primal kind of hunger it evoked in her. She hated it, as she was raised to hate it. Hate herself. For not being human. They raised her to believe that only through being the best at what she was, could she be closer to being human. Exploit what you have available if it's useful, suppress the animal.

She took the biggest bite that she could. She looked like a human after all, and she wasn't Kadora'Tra. Juices got caught in the hairs of her face, obscured by holographic light. It tasted electrifying less because it actually tasted any better than high-end cuisine, but from the freedom to simply eat it as it was intended. How it was meant to be eaten. She listened, and she ate. Ate like it was her first time eating.

Xan Deesa talked about things that Kadora'Tra would know about, have access to. Responsibilities she would have, the sort of choice she would have to make. A promise to a troubled person in a bad crowd. The irony of a wanted criminal extracting an officer of the law out of a terrible life was not lost on Kadora'Tra. Kitkat enjoyed her fries, that particular taste of bad grease and saltiness increasing her superficial mood.

Kitkat palmed the commlink without even really looking at it, and stashed it away out of sight.

"I enjoyed the food," Fine. "We should do this again sometime." I better not regret this.

"Is there anything else you wanted to do before you walk me home?" I need space to think now, please.

Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

From the corner of her eye Xan watched as Kadora, or Kitkat as she insisted, tear into the burger and fries like an animal. She had a feeling that the girl needed this little break from the CorpSec duties. She just hoped that Kitkat listened to what she had to say and would think it over. After she stashed the commlink, she spoke in what was a rather inconspicuous code. Xan smirked at her and swung around to stand up from the wall.

"Nah, nothing else." she muttered as she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave a soft squeeze. "See you around, Kitkat. And stay safe." she said softly as she let go and walked towards the other side of the rooftop. With a casual jump she was over the side of the building, disappearing into the night.

She really hoped that Kadora would come around, perhaps even help her out somewhere down the line if things got hairy. She had a nasty suspicion that she was going to need help from the inside of the corpo system... a suspicion that she hoped would be covered in the near future...

Kadora'Tra