Chapter Text
Black heels clicked along the floor in the Sith Citadel on Dromund Kaas. Acolytes scurried out of the way as the woman made her way at a rapid pace through the halls. The Twi’lek behind her smirked and stuck her tongue out at the skittish apprentices when the woman in front of her snapped, “Enough, Alyrssa. I will not tolerate childish behavior from my apprentice.” The Twi’lek balked slightly and ducked her head. “Of course, master, my apologies.”
“My lord, you’ve returned,” greeted her Imperial Agent and current co-pilot. “Quinn,” the woman replied in a clipped tone as she turned to acknowledge his place inside her office. The quiet hum of her C2 droid and other appliances filled the otherwise quiet office. Empty, save for the essentials: desk, chairs, and a screen to access her work. It suggested she was either the most minimal Sith in existence, or she didn’t trust the others to leave her things untouched. “Were you able to get in contact with the bounty hunter?” she inquired as she took a seat in her chair. Her apprentice stood behind her, arms crossed lightly behind her back. “Yes, my lord, exactly as you instructed, he should be contacting you shortly,” Quinn replied, relaxing ever so slightly from his stiff posture. “Very well, you may return to the ship or go about your duties at your leisure. Dismissed,” the Sith instructed, and Quinn gave a sharp salute, shifting his blue eyes to the Twi’lek behind her, whose lips quirked up in a taunting smile as he made his way out the door.
“You’re…using a bounty hunter to get into contact with other bounty hunters?” Alryssa asked curiously, and her master turned to look at her with a soft chuckle. “You’re aware how busy I am nowadays with the Dark Council sending me all over the galaxy every other week. Do you think I have time to look for one of the most elusive guilds in said galaxy?” she inquired. The slight, playful tone made the Twi’lek grin back and shake her head, her lekku shaking slightly behind her. “Of course not, though I could have looked into it for you, master.” Just as she was about to respond, the holocom on her table beeped. As the Sith answered the call, a hunter appeared in the holo with a cocky smirk as he sat reclined against something, drink in hand.
“There’s my favorite Sith in the whole planetary system,” he greeted, and she rolled her eyes. “Only one?” A dry laugh escaped his lips at her retort, and he sipped from his glass. “Could be more, Kurnia. I’m a generous man, yet you drag me by the collar like I’ve never been anything but nice to you.” A wry smile appeared on his handsome face, the large tattoo on the right side moving with his mouth. “You know what I want, Zukuron,” Kurnia snipped, and the man’s smirk grew slightly. “Just like you know what I want, Dragoness, let me hear that sweet, sweet sound of credits hitting my bank account, and I’ll tell you everything I know. You know I’m good for it.” Golden eyes rolled in Kurnia’s head as she gestured to her apprentice. Alyrssa pulled out her datapad, and after a minute, both women heard a faint charm on the hunter’s end.
“Music to my ears. You want the Crows? I found them. Elusive little flock of hunters, but not good enough. One of them likes to frequent Nar Shaddaa, tall, big mouth, easy on the woman.” Zukuron said as he leaned forward as if resting his arms on the table. “Almost as charming as myself, I didn’t think he was a crow, but the other one, the man who came to fetch him from the tables now he–” The hunter shook his head and knocked back the rest of his drink. “I don’t know what kind of desperation you have to get into contact with them, Kurnia, but these are not people you fuck with.” A frown appeared on the Sith’s face. Whatever Zukuron was worried about, she would be able to handle. Kurnia may not have been as paranoid as her original master, but she knew how to watch herself. You don’t get to where she is without it.
“I wasn’t aware I was paying you enough to be worried, Zuk, or is this an additional fee I’ll be paying later?” She asked, and he shook his head, clearly trying to force a smile. “You don’t understand, Kurnia. This man was like a shadow. I’m no stranger to moving invisible in a crowded room, but no one appears like that. Not five minutes after the two left, the whole casino locked down over the death of some Grand Duke or something that co-owned the place. Even D-7 has issues getting through security like that. This wasn’t some sleazy bar, Kurnia; this was one of the highest-security places on Shaddaa. This makes the Star Cluster look like a second-rate Hutt palace.”
Behind her, Kurnia could feel alarm and concern rolling off her apprentice in waves, clearly wondering why the fuck her master wanted to be in contact with people like this.
“I appreciate your concern, Zukuron, I truly do, but I need to know if you got the information I wanted,” Kurnia said as she leaned back in her chair, one knee crossed over the other, and he gently shook his head, chuckling. Gloved fingers ran through his hair, and he sighed. “I can tell my conscience I tried. From what I’ve gathered over the last few months, they live on a planet near Hutt space; neither Republic nor Empire has a hold on it. D-7 couldn’t pick up much on radar, but there was life down there. I got chased off by Hutts before I could dig deep. Planet’s too far for a lot of natural light. If I had to guess, maybe ten hours of daylight before it's stuck into darkness? I hovered on a nearby moon for a bit, and I could scan that there was traffic going to and from the planet, but like I said, Hutts didn’t like me hanging around. From what I gathered, they don’t like their neighbors, but probably failed at eliminating them one too many times, or the Crows bit back in ways that made even the Hutts back off.”
A particularly aggressive sigh left the Sith’s mouth. “Zukuron, if I wanted your concern, I would’ve negotiated it into our most current contract. Skip the monologue and send me what I want to know.” She ordered, and the hunter raised a brow. “For a lady who likes being informed, you appear to be rather rash when it comes to this group. Alright, D-7, you heard her. Send her the files.” A little “bo-weep!” echoed off screen, and Kurnia felt her datapad vibrate within her back pouch. “A pleasure as always, Zukuron. Perhaps use those credits I sent you to fix your ship before spending it on something big and shiny?” Zukuron laughed in response and reached for the bottle near him. “If you wanted to see something big, I have–” “Goodbye, Zukuron.” Kurnia pressed her finger to the end call button, and his image disappeared.
“I take it we’re going on a trip?” Alyrssa asked as Kurnia stood and grabbed the leather coat off the back of her chair. “We are. I have a few stops to make, head back to the apartment, and gather the things you’ll need for extended leave. Inform Quinn if there are other things you need after you return to the ship.” The older Sith instructed, and her apprentice gave a sharp nod. “Of course, Master. I’ll be quick.” Alyrssa’s exit was swift and silent. Kurnia reached back into her pouch to withdraw her datapad. The file Zukuron sent her was forwarded to Quinn with a few precise taps of her finger. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she stored it back where it belonged. Outside the large glass window, the ever-present storms of Dromund Kaas thundered in the distance. Turning on her heel, Kurnia made her exit from her office. She had a few places to stop before she made her way back to the apartment.
“There’s this thing called knocking,” came the dry feminine voice as Kurnia made her way inside the room. “Oh, like you didn’t have cameras on me three blocks from your storefront, don’t start with me.” Kurnia clipped back as she rounded the shelving unit to see a female Mirialan seated at a counter. At the Sith’s voice, a loud “BEEEE-E-E-EEEEP” pierced the air, and a small BD unit launched itself from atop the woman’s workspace and eagerly climbed up Kurnia’s leather coat to perch by her shoulder. Its little antennas waved back and forth excitedly as it bumped and nuzzled into the side of her head. “Hello BD. Did you behave for Mir?” the force user inquired, a small smile on her face as she reached up to run her finger along the edge of its face plate while she stepped forward toward the other woman. “Define behave,” came the deadpan response as the Mirialan took Kurnia’s credits after announcing the repair totals. “Didn’t light anything on fire?” Kurnia clarified with a raised brow. The Mirialan paused, blue eyes closing momentarily as if in thought. “I suppose it behaved then. I’m charging extra for a headache fee next time.” Kurnia snorted at the statement and shook her head. “I wish I could charge BD for one in general. Thanks, Mireena.”
A quick brush of the force told Kurnia that they were, in fact, alone.
“I need this off the record,” the Sith instructed, and Mireena raised a brow. “Wow, stupid thing, hang on one second,” she said as she started tapping a light fixture on the desk before pulling a chip from it and giving a nod. “I’m going to find the Crows. A contact of mine thinks they know where they are.” The Mirialan’s eyebrows nearly shot off her head. She stared, speechless. “Kurnia, even Imperial Intelligence doesn’t fuck with the Crows. What are you–is this about your brother?”
The Sith didn’t need to respond; the way her golden eyes hardened told the agent in front of her enough.
“How long until I send a search party?” The inquiry felt more like she was planning for a funeral than a possible extraction. “Quinn ran the numbers. He guessed it’ll take us at least a week of travel to get to the planet. Give me a standard month? I’ll be dropping down alone. Contact Quinn or Alryssa if the girl doesn’t do something foolish like try to follow me within two weeks. I’ll have him inform you if something goes wrong.” The air grew tense, and Mireena nodded. BD gave a soft, concerned beep as it looked at its owner.
“And the girl?” “I bought her freedom; what I have, she’ll inherit. If she’s smart, she’ll use it to disappear.” With that, Kurnia turned on her heel and made her way out the door. The agent watched quietly on her monitor as it slid shut. She had a bad feeling about this.