[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
The door to Tegaea Alcori’s private study opened silently. Quiet footsteps padded across the floor.
The study was a large room with rare wood panelling and rich furniture. At the far end was a beautiful desk with a high backed chair. That chair was turned away from the door, the view looking down on the beautiful city of Santaissa.
Raya, the blue skinned Twi’lek business partner of Tegaea, crossed the room quickly and quietly, senses alert.
“Is that you, Chesna?” Tegaea asked from the chair.
For a moment Raya paused, then spoke. “It’s me, Miss…Tegaea. I have something to give you.”
“Oh? Come join me.”
Raya drew from a concealed sheath a razor sharp knife and crossed to the chair, ready. Such was the chair’s construction that the occupant could only be seen from the front, so she turned it violently towards her, blade ready…and stopped.
Sitting in the chair was Siobhan Kerrigan!
“But…no…you’re…” Raya said.
The image wavered and faded, but Raya had hesitated just long enough. As Tegaea swum back into focus she raised a short silver cylinder that Raya had often seen her wear and had assumed it was jewellery of some sort.
Her danger sense flared into urgent life. Too late.
There was a terrible bang, and then agonising pain as shredding buckshot pellets tore into the Twi’lek. She had been dodging, so rather than hitting her square on the pellets tore through her right shoulder, lekku and face. One tore into her eye, and she screamed and fell to the ground, the knife falling from her limp fingers.
Desperately she reached for the knife with her left hand, but a heavy foot stepped on her hand, and a collar closed around her neck with a snap, a Force nullifier. Raya tried to struggle away, but the collar had a leash, and Tegaea simply pulled it taut to keep her in position. It was something Tegaea was extremely good at.
Defeated and cut off from the Force, Raya looked up at her. “How…did you know?”
“You’re good, but you’re not perfect,” Tegaea informed her. She began unscrewing the base of her single-shot bolter, producing a fresh round from a case on her desk. “Specifically, that collar is yours for our…other activities, and I noticed a pattern. You always wore it around Siobhan and Chesna, and any other strong Force user. You wore a collar most of the time you were here, but you had two of them, one regular, the other the one you have on now, almost identical. Fortunately, being married to Siobhan Kerrigan allows me to spot the difference.”
“I could have…killed you,” Raya said. Already she could feel the pain and shock taking their toll, as well as lack of blood.
“Undoubtedly, but that wasn’t your plan. You’re an assassin, but one rather more refined than Kaelin was. My guess is that this is all leading up to a specific time…such as when my wife arrives at Gromas. Doubtless whoever your Master is wants to confuse and anger her by claiming I am dead. I think they will find she, like I, are considerably tougher than expected.
She had finished loading the new round, and reached for an end cap.
“Please…mercy!” Raya pleaded.
Tegaea’s eyes narrowed, and her foot pressed gently yet firmly on the Twi’lek’s mangled shoulder, eliciting a gasp of pain. “Mercy? You planned to murder me. Had I not guessed your plan you’d have succeeded. First Kaelin, now you, I am not feeling merciful. And yet, this is mercy…because I could keep you alive and contained…until Siobhan returns. Do you know what she would do to a Sith who tried to hurt me? I don’t know either, but I doubt I could prevent her ripping you apart slowly.”
She twisted the weapon around so the firing stud appeared.
“No!” Raya said, struggling, flailing to get away.
It was useless, Tegaea held her to heel like an animal trainer, and fired.
Blood and gore coated the polished wood floors.
Tegaea rose. “Chesna,” she stated.
From behind a decorative screen the Eldorai emerged, grimacing at the smell and sight of blood. “Yes, Mistress?” she asked timidly.
“Thank you for your help. Fetch someone to remove the body and clean up the blood. But first, get me a priority one call to Siobhan….”