Survival, Dark Times:

State Of Deviance

by

Houston Rogers

© 2010

Kurt opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, the loud buzzing tone entering his ears and invading his mind. Groaning a bit, he rolled over to his right and shut the alarm off on his clock. Not wanting to linger another second, he threw back the covers, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stood. The key to not falling back asleep was getting up the moment your eyes opened. If you procrastinated, you could kiss half of your day away... and in his line of work, probably your job too.

He shuffled his way to the small area he called a kitchen and opened the fridge door. He picked up a plastic container half full of scrambled kinrath eggs and scooped some out into a dish with a spoon he got from the drainer. Even a small kinrath egg made enough scrambled eggs for a few days. The only downside to that was the fact that, unless you wanted the food to go to waste, you had to eat the eggs every morning for every one of those few days, even if you didn't want them. Any normal man or woman would probably just toss them out, but Kurt wasn't a wasteful man. And besides, the eggs were great with the right spices... so he didn't mind eating them at all.

While the eggs heated up, he gave the voice command for the holo-vision to come on. On this world, something big was always happening, even in the middle of the night, and that gave the morning news a purpose. Kurt had visited worlds that were as dull as an alien space opera that only held meaning to their own species, and he was glad for the constant commotion that Coruscant provided. His job depended on that commotion. He was an enforcer for the New Republic, a man high up in the ranks of Coruscant Security. Only a few held positions higher than his, and one of those few was Rhynna Volt, Head of Security. Some said that the only reason he was so high up was because he was one of the very few who had been associated with the Resistance before they had formed and had defected and joined Sora. Others said it was because he was the most skilled and heartless killer CoruSec had ever seen. Kurt presumed that it was a bit of both.

He wasn't really a heartless man, even though he appeared to be. He hated injustice and wrongdoing, just like any other decent citizen. The difference between him and the average citizen, however, was the fact that he had the means to do something about it, and to excel very well at whatever he did. He had worked his way to the top from the very pits of hell itself almost flawlessly. The people could say whatever they wished about him. He didn't give a fuck.

Kurt quickly ate his breakfast and put coffee on to brew, then showered, wrapping up in a large towel when he was finished. He trimmed his beard and was heading for his room when the knock sounded.

"Oh shit," he muttered, breaking into a run. He leaped across his bed for his housecoat, throwing it on and tying the belt as he darted for the door. "Coming!"

He quickly entered the code to unlock the door and fixed his hair with his other hand. The door hissed open and revealed Winter Retrac, another officer high up in the ranks of CoruSec.

"I just came to tell you tha- oh..." she started to say, but stopped. Her mouth froze and she stared at him.

Kurt arched an eyebrow. "Well, are you going to finish that or admire me all day?"

"I... uh... I was not admiring you, Kurt Jervada!" Winter snapped, narrowing her eyes. "I was just a bit... shocked by your choice of clothing when greeting someone who came to your door."

"Well, I did just wake up," he replied, smirking. "Now that you're here and you've made your stay last this long instead of just delivering the message and leaving, I may as well invite you in for coffee."

Winter's facial expression softened. "Coffee? Yes please. I was roused very early this morning and I never had time to grab a cup." She pushed past him and sniffed. "I'll just follow my nose while you go- mmm, I smell fresh tropical fruits. I could sink my teeth into a ma-"

"That would be my soap, Winter, and your teeth are getting nowhere near me, thank you very much."

Her face went ever so slightly red, standing out against her white hair. "Keep talking, mister, and some of your teeth will be on the floor."

Kurt chuckled. "Cups are just over the fridge, in the cupboard. I'll be back."

He headed off to his room and quickly dressed for day, starting with his long sleeved shirt and pants, both made from a rich, soft material. He suited up in his armor next, then grabbed his weapons. He favored guns that used bullets, and guns like that were a rarity in these times. Still, he found them to be extremely useful, and bullets almost always got the job done. A single bullet in the right place would end your life with almost 100% certainty, and that was more than a laser could say.

Kurt grabbed his goggles and helmet off of the dresser and headed back to the kitchen, where he found Winter with what looked to be a barely untouched cup of coffee. "I thought you were dying for a cup of java?" he asked.

She grinned. "This is my third one."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You drink faster than I eat. So what was the message you were to deliver?"

"Oh!" Winter lowered the cup from her lips and sat it on the counter. "Sora wants to see you right away."

"He's always wanting to see me right away. What could be the reason this time? Another false lead to chase down?"

She shrugged. "Didn't say. He just told me to tell you to meet him in his office ASAP. I'd advise you to do so."

Kurt poured himself some java and took a sip. "Yeah, better get on it. You done with that?" he asked, motioning to her cup.

"Can I take it with me?"

"Yeah, sure. Just make sure you return it."

Winter smiled. "Oh, you're the best! I'll catch you later then," she said, grabbing her java and heading out the door.

"Women," Kurt muttered to himself. He swallowed the last of his coffee and placed the cup in the sink, then headed out the door himself.

"Morning boss," Kurt said.

"That's Admiral Trok to you," Sora shot back.

"Right, Admiral Trok," he replied, rolling his eyes. Luckily, Sora had turned aside and was looking out the window at the vast expanse of Coruscant. "I heard you wanted to see me right away."

"Indeed, I did. Good to know that the message got through."

"I presume that you knew it would, otherwise you wouldn't have used Winter as the carrier."

Sora chuckled. "Yes, you'd be right. Come, have a seat. We're not strangers."

"And yet you have me refer to you as Admiral Trok," Kurt replied, a sly smile on his face as he took a seat.

Sora made a motion with his hand. "Just don't want you to get out of the habit of using it. Titles command respect. Out in public, I am Admiral Trok to you, and we may as well keep it that way. Shall we get on to the business?"

Kurt shrugged. "Might as well."

"Very good, then. Guards, leave the room, please."

The two men who stood by the doors headed out, leaving Kurt and Sora alone. Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Important business, I take it?"

"Quite so. It involves the Resistance."

"Ah."

Sora leaned forward and folded his hands atop his desk. "We've found sure evidence of a family that is aligned with the Resistance. As a message to those traitors, I want you to take care of them."

Kurt swallowed. "Take care of them, sir?"

"A merc who doesn't understand what that means?" Sora asked, frowning. "I want you to kill them. Is that clear? Will you have a problem with that?"

Yes.

"No sir," Kurt replied. "I can do that."

"You better, lest we have trouble on our hands."

"No problems whatsoever, Admiral."

"Very good. You've probably made my day. Winter will be your go-to on this mission, as usual. She'll give you the details and whatnot. How you carry this out is entirely up to you."

"Very well, sir," Kurt said, standing. He made a fist with his right hand and placed it over his heart, palm towards the chest. "May the Republic stand strong and united against our enemies."

Sora smiled and nodded. "Dismissed."

"I should have known it would come to this. It was only a matter of time. Fuck."

Winter sighed and placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "I know how you feel about harming the innocent. I'm sure you can find a way around this. A man like yourself never got this far without thinking your way out of a few tight spots. Don't stress yourself."

Kurt ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, you're right. But he wants pictures as proof. That alone eliminates the idea of just saying that I killed them and being done with it."

"Fake the pictures."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"

Winter shrugged. "Just fake the pictures. You're no stranger to faking deaths, if that one story you told me is true."

Kurt almost hit his forehead in frustration. "Dammit, Winter, why didn't that cross my mind? You're a genius! I totally forgot about that incident with Tina."

Winter smirked. "Just fulfilling my role as the brains of this duo."

"Don't push it," Kurt said, standing. "Just cause you're pretty doesn't mean I'll spare you my wrath."

"If you say so, Mr. Tough Guy," Winter replied, then adopted a serious tone. "But why some random family? Surely taking the people who are higher up in the hierarchy out would be more of a blow?"

He shook his head. "If I were truly an enemy of the Resistance, I might be able to get someone like Miss H, Fi, Naos, or maybe even Han from a distance. You can forget touching Selas or Kossk, though. Kossk has some seriously amped up senses, and Selas is barely mortal. Sora definitely has the right frame of mind. Start with the small fish and go up the ladder."

"Well, I guess you better not tarry here long, then. You've got quite a distance to travel."

"Yeah, I do. We'll keep in touch. I'll probably be back before the week is out."

Winter smiled. "Sure thing. And who knows, maybe some of the Resistance members can help?"

The merc nodded. "I was just thinking that myself. Take care, Winter."

She stepped forward and embraced him. "No, you take care, Kurt."

Kurt widened his eyes in surprise, then awkwardly returned the hug. It had been years since a woman had openly embraced him like that, whether it be in the manner of friends or otherwise. He had almost forgotten the feeling. She pulled away at last and returned to her desk. Ever so slightly confused, Kurt turned and left the room.

He had work to do.