Hi all: sorry for the delay. Hope this chapter was worth the wait! As usual, Lucas Arts, Bioware, Obsidian, and pretty much everyone but me owns the characters and likenesses and all that.
"I'm flattered," the woman said as she approached the table. "You went through so much trouble just to see me again!" She laughed as she slid into the booth.
"I'm not that desperate," Canderous snorted back. He recognized her as the false Alderaan diplomat. If he found her attractive previously in the billowing robes of state, his breath was nearly taken from him now. She wore a silken outfit that fit like a second skin. HK watched warily; he begrudgingly left his weapons holstered at Canderous's silent command of an absently waved hand. The woman let out a short laugh.
"Oh, that's too bad. So I guess the offer…hmm, how did you put it last night, to 'ride me like a war-droid in bed-battle until dawn' no longer stands?" Her smirk was slightly rueful.
Canderous stifled the urge to smash the empty liquor bottle across HK's faceplate to silence his electronic twittering. Instead he remained still, staring at her intently, fighting back to urge to keep that promise to her.
"I had no idea Mandalorians could be so…romantic," she giggled. "A true warrior-poet, I am honored to have been witness to your skilled words. I wonder what other talents that tongue possesses," she purred. "Are you sure there is nothing else you wish to honor me with?" Her full lips stretched into an inviting and wicked smile.
"Are you going to take me to Revan, or are you just wasting even more of my time?" Canderous replied stiffly. It took all he had to resist her. There was something about her, reaching into him, touching the right spots, saying the right things. The way she looked, smelled, sounded…it was nearly overwhelming. His pulse thundered in his ears, his vision swam; Canderous struggled to stay focused.
"Oh come now, Canderous, you have quite the reputation: it took little effort at all last night to distract you. But your Republic friend…he was a worthy challenge. He has an impressive defense in place: a wall around his heart and mind, known by a different name than the one he repeatedly mentioned to me—not even those he wants are allowed past it, so certainly I would not gain entry, no matter how long or hard I tried. I must admit, he is my first failed assignment," she sighed wistfully as she ran her delicate fingers through her flame-red hair. "I did not think it possible; my master tells me I have a great gift and destiny. One I am always happy to fulfill." Her voice wrapped its smooth tones around Canderous; his desire for her was reaching a crescendo.
"Observation: I believe this organic to be a Zeltron. I advise supreme caution and a close watch, not to mention a firm grip, on your garments."
"Oh really? What tipped you off?" Canderous barked at HK. In truth, the warning was a revelation: knowing she was manipulating him in that way dispelled the effect and allowed Canderous a clearer mind. If not for his sense of duty, he would have had her in the back rooms five minutes ago; now he was able to regain control, and composure. Well, his version anyway.
"An interesting protocol unit you have there. Does he often take such liberties?"
"Correction: I am…" HK began with obvious indignation.
"Leave it," Canderous snapped at the droid. HK shuddered an aggravated shrug then fell into stand-by. "I am here for Revan. I am tired of waiting," he said staring at her.
"You are not a stupid man, Mandalorian, you know how this works. You deal with me first. My name…"
"Means nothing," Canderous growled. "You are not Revan, you are nothing to me."
"My name is Maysaat," she continued, ignoring his interruption. "You should not be so rude to me, I have the ear of Darth Yuthura…"
"I don't give a Hutt's slime trail about Yuthura. Are you going to take me to Revan, or am I going to find my own way there?" he snarled through gritted teeth.
"You appreciate the chain of command, do you not?"
"Enlighten me," he growled.
"I see…so you just expect an audience with our Master, right off the street? Why, because you call yourself her friend? You fought at her side, true…but against us, I point out. You are nothing here," she hissed. "There are those among us who served Revan from the beginning, against you in the Mandalorian Wars. You are just the latest to try to bask in her glory. If you wish to join us and serve her, you must prove your worth, gain prestige in our eyes. Once you impress me enough, I may bring you to Master Yuthura. It will then be her decision to take you to Lord Revan. So tell me, why should I believe you wish to align yourself with us?"
"I am here, aren't I? I swore an oath to follow Revan. She defeated Mandalore; she bested us on the field of battle. I am sworn to her. Use your Force magic to prove it," he said resolutely as he rigidly pointed to his temple.
"I am no Jedi," she sneered. "My talents spring from a different source: one your Republic captain, and now you, have spurned. My…interrogation technique is revealed, so it is rendered ineffective in your case: you no longer resist, you simply ignore my charms. That is easier said than done, I congratulate you. But this means I can prove nothing now."
"You are difficult to resist, I admit," Canderous snorted. "But I would rather cut it off than allow you to use it against me," he spat hotly as a way of letting her know she would be wise to keep from trying again. "With such gifts, you do make the perfect spy…among other things."
"Yes, including assassin, if it comes to that," she smiled maliciously. There was a sense of careless murder in her facial expression: Canderous recognized it instantly—he had seen it every day in the mirror. She meant business. "Consider yourself warned: you have started on a path you cannot turn from; you will either join us, or die as a result of the attempt. Your words are meaningless; you must act to prove your intentions towards us. If I find what you offer worthy, I will bring you before the rest. Do you understand?"
"You know nothing if you do not know the word of a Mandalorian is honor. Lies do not become us."
"I appreciate your, well, candor, Canderous," she snickered at her pun. "The Mandalore race can be brutal in battle and honesty—I decided to give you a chance based on this. But I am well aware you can lie if that is part of the plan."
"Fine," Canderous snarled defiantly. "Who do I need to kill? I am sorry I do not have the means to destroy an entire planet," he mocked. "Will the contents of this cantina do?" he asked as he began to reach for his cannon.
"That was the way of Malak; we have returned to the leadership of Revan. Cruelty and brute force are replaced by guile and cunning to prove ability and worthiness…and loyalty. Offer me something we need or desire and I will judge it. Tell me, why should I take you into the Sith?"
"I offer a plan," he said after a few minutes, "to get off this rock. Interested?"
Maysaat raised an eyebrow and leaned back. "Now, what makes you think we need a plan of escape?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Well, you are still here, that's a pretty big clue. I know the Republic has the planet under lockdown. You cannot get off-world. I can."
"You have my interest, Canderous, well done. So, what is this plan?"
"Ut-uh," he said waggishly as he waved his finger at her. "I want in, and I want to see Revan first."
"Saying you have a plan is not the same as actually having one," she said with irritation.
"I'm not a fool. You aren't going to get credit for taking my idea. Besides, you need me to pull it off."
"If you had this plan in place all along, why did you wait until now to speak of it?"
"Because I thought it was obvious and Revan would have thought of it already, so I did not think it was something to offer. But I see now you do need this. You are stuck here, otherwise you all would be long gone. So, this is my offer," he said as he assumed a stiff and defiant posture. "Take it or leave me alone."
Maysaat studied him. "Alright, Canderous, you have a deal, come with me," she said as she gracefully slid from the booth. She motioned for him to follow her towards the door leading to the back rooms. He hesitated. "You were so close to our outpost all this time, and you never knew," she snickered. "Nice cover, don't you think? No one looks twice at the various comings and goings to the private rooms."
"Not to mention mixing business with pleasure," he chided. She looked at him for a moment, then laughed. "Come on, HK," he said as he moved past the droid. HK pulled out of stand-by and fell in behind Canderous and Maysaat. As they reached the door, Canderous stopped and turned towards the droid. "Stand guard at the door. Contact me every 5 minutes. If I do not respond, do whatever you want," he instructed.
"Affirmative!" HK readily answered. "Query: Must I wait the five minutes?"
"What is this all about?" Maysaat asked with concern.
"Insurance, sister. This droid is a big part of my plan, so don't get any funny ideas about offing him, or me once I'm in. Got it?" Maysaat shrugged and nodded, then continued through the doorway. Canderous followed. He looked behind to see HK station himself at the door just as it sealed shut.
Maysaat guided Canderous down a narrow hall, past curtained booths and doors. At the back wall, they made a left turn. Maysaat continued, then disappeared into the room three curtains down. Canderous lagged behind for a moment, then cautiously pulled the curtain aside. He was just in time to see her finish entering a code into the panel of a very secure-looking heavy door. Locking mechanisms unhinged and slid apart. The door fell open and Maysaat quickly entered. Canderous rushed to follow; the door was already beginning to close. He bumped into her as the door slammed and locked behind him. "Be still," she admonished. A focused red light filled the room and began to scan from the floor up. As the beam reached higher and passed over them, an alarm began to wail. Maysaat turned sharply towards Canderous with a surprised look of reproach. A small blaster scope whirled from the ceiling and trained on the Mandalorian.
"What?" he asked with genuine confusion.
"Did you think you could get away with this?" she yelled over the blaring klaxon. Several troopers appeared and held their blasters level to Canderous's head.
"You've got a tracking patch on you," she said checking a computer terminal. She slammed the button to silence the alarm. After consulting the report displayed on the screen, she reached up to his shoulder and removed the thin translucent object. She held it up to him and cocked her head as she shot him a look of disapproval. Canderous could not contain his surprise and astonishment. His eyes were wide, then narrowed sharply to cold slits as he realized how he came to be tagged. 'Sorry I bugged ya' echoed in his mind.
"Damn Onasi!" he spit. "I swear, I was not aware of that!" Canderous roared.
"Even if you weren't," she said angrily "you've brought unwelcome guests to our door. All bets are off, Canderous. You won't be seeing anyone after this, much less Lord Revan!" She moved to throw the patch onto the ground.
"Wait," he said quickly as he reached out to stay her hand. "You must give me the chance to avenge this insult. No one gets the better of me, especially that damn fool Republic soldier. They probably still think I am just sitting there in the cantina…or pursuing some other entertainment back here," he said with no trace of irony. "You yourself said I have a reputation." He raised his comm and barked into it. "HK! Scan and report: anybody you know out there or in the area?"
"Negative: no known organic meatbags matching database parameters within scanning range," the droid returned after a brief pause. "Request: may I start shooting now?"
"Save your energy—I might need you in here," Canderous returned as he trained his slate grey eyes on Maysaat.
"Why should I believe you?"
"You need me sister. You need my plan to get off Coruscant—you can't hide your desperation to leave and I am your best shot. Trust me, this plan worked once already, and we might be able to use that tracer to our advantage and make it even more successful this time around," he said as he began to smirk.