Ord Vaxal - Truth Is Relative, tag: Hesal

[Lirri]

Lirri woke snuggled against a warm body and didn't want to move. She was totally sated after a wild, wild night that she could hardly remember but for impressions and scents and the proof her own body gave her. The Gurlanin was sore, delightfully so, and making a small sound of contentment she wrapped herself even tighter around Hesal.

She was content. Lirri remembered nothing of her worries, nothing of her coerced alliance with the Rebels. Nothing but what Hesal wanted her to know and remember. She was still herself, but some memories were gone totally, others had been replaced...

Head resting on his chest, her black hair spread in a sort of dark halo about her, Lirri shifted slightly, nuzzling some of the scratches she'd left behind before gently licking over them. She had not been gentle, and neither had he. The difference of course was in the fact that she had it in her to do damage. She had, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. She'd known he was a little more delicate than she was and had treated him accordingly.

Growling very softly she pulled her head away from his chest and looked up towards his face, a look of adoration on her smiling face. "Are you awake Hesal?" she murmured lazily, a hand trailing over his opposite shoulder and down his side. "Or are you still worn out?" Chuckling, Lirri gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before nuzzling the same spot, then disentangled her body from his. Finally managing it, she rolled to the edge of the bed and stood. She stumbled a bit, apparently she was more sore than she had thought. Thinking back to what memories she had of last night this wasn't surprising.

Seeing the tray, she fetched what was left of the water and brought it back towards the bed. Sitting on the edge, she took a mouthful of the clear, cool liquid and then held it out to Hesal, noting the fluttering of the eyelids that indicated he was awake, but trying to not show it. "Come on lover," she teased, "I know you're awake."

[Hesal]

Within the darkness of his mind's eye, thanks to simply keeping them shut for the moment, Hesal relived the night. It had taken everything out of him just to recreate Lirri as he wanted, and then to reward her. In a way, it was fortuitous that she had fallen into Hesal's hands. The Empire was still perfecting their synthesis of glitteryll and remnants of the concepts surviving from Jenna Zan Arbor and her memory serum. The loss of the scientist's work decades ago had been problematic, yet the Empire was filled with brilliant scientists. When one fell, another stepped up.

And so Lirri had been a test subject as much as she had been a lover. Hesal's original intent was to completely wipe her memory, leaving her with a sense of contentment with her place in the Empire. But being pragmatic, he saw opportunity come scooting his way. Lirri believed the Alliance to be coming for her, and in doing so, demanding informaiton that would assist them. She also believed that the Alliance had some sort of threatening power over her people. Hesal had the issue of leaking false information. Really, there was no better opportunity.

So with Lirri wrapped in a bliss of Hesal's pheromones, the scientists at the penal colony sedated her... repeatedly... and began to work. Hesal, continuously releasing pheromones to dull the sense of threat from being sedated, fed information into the space of her mind as he wished. Schematics were given to her while the reality of what she knew was taken. These false plans established the building of an advanced Death Star in opposition to what she knew. It was alarming that Lirri was in possession of the true plans, and while a full memory wipe was best, it was not prgamatic. The Rebels would expect something. So Hesal formed a series of false information and plans that she would deliver.

If all went well, it could possibly expose further traitors and establish an ambush for the Alliance forces.

Yet this was not all he gave her. It wouldn't do for her to be still worried about her people. So Lirri the Rebel Spy was replaced with Lirri the Double Agent. He fed her programing that would insinuate that she was ultimately working for the Empire, and that all her Alliance spying was done as a double agent. Loyalty, as it were, to the Empire... and Hesal.

Now a smile formed, perhaps somewhat smug but definately pleased in nature. Cracking open violet eyes, the Inqusitor regarded Lirri with a sleepy, satisfied look. Taking the water, Hesal propped himself up on his elbows. The bedsheet fell away, and his chest, and the marks of the evening, were exposed. Lirri was no Twi'lek, and in that there was a sort of primal excitement for the Zeltron.

"Thank you, m'dear," he said, sipping the water. His free hand lifted to catch her chin between thumb and forefinger, tilting her head this way and that. "How do you feel?" Opportunity, Hesal decided, had never looked so lovely.

[Lirri]

She didn't remember that she'd been sedated, not in the slightest. Or any of the rest of what had been changed for that matter. She knew she was a double-agent, that she enjoyed her work and had more than just a working relationship with her immediate superior that she reported to on the Imperial side. Soon she was due to go back with the information she had gathered for the Rebels, and boy would they have their work cut out for them. A new, advanced Death Star? Bloody hell the Rebels were fucked. Even with the plans they would have a difficult time taking one down. There wasn't a suitable design flaw like there had been the last time around.

The informatin wouldn't do much for them, but that was the point. This new Death Star was a master of engineering, and she was pretty sure the higher ups wanted the Rebels shaking in their boots. Hence her assignment. Ye she was a double-agent, but her loyalty was to the Empire and Hesal. A slow smile spread on her lips in answer to the smug, pleased one that appeared on Hesal's. She KNEW he was awake and as always that smile of his made her quake. He took the water, his brilliant eyes opening and he even propped himself up on his elbows. This made the bed sheet fall away from him, and she chuckled as she saw the marks she had left. Mmm, how she loved her nights with him.

Actually she would have continued to stare, but Hesal soon grabbed her chin in his hand, and she gave a soft growl that was in no way threatening. Simply put she liked it when he touched her, in any way. He thanked her for the water, and she smiled at him. "You are quite welcome," she purred, but at his question she gently pulled her chin from his hand. "Delightfully sore," she said, stretching her arms out over her head, "and you marked me too you know," she said with a grin as she eyed the marks on him. "Though I was rougher than you." Lirri giggled, actually giggled as she swung her legs up on the bed and slipped beneath the sheet again to nuzzle up against his chest, licking at the small wounds she'd left behind. It would help him to heal the damage quicker. A component of Gurlanin saliva helped with that, and so she used it. When she'd done most of his chest she slipped a bit lower to lick gently over the marks on his stomach. A moment later she pulled back a little and looked at him. "Don't get any ideas," her eyes glinted with amusement. "Me licking you is to help you heal. A component of my race's saliva does that." Lirri paused for a moment then grinned wickedly up at him. Though if my guess as to your thoughts was correct I would be willing to negotiate."

[Hesal]

Hesal made a sort of grunting exhalation of breath that was clearly marked in pleasure at the attention. Given Lirri's actions, Hesal would certainly have to put in a report to Imperial Intelligence regarding the potential success of a re-education program. The opportunities were near to boundless with documented success of life-long re-education. Lirri's attempt to escape had been the impetus to test it; now all Hesal had to do was test repeatedly.

He'd rather stay in the bed and enjoy the feeling of Lirri's body against his, but he had work to do and a Republic Alliance to crush. He was a busy man. Catching a fistful of Lirri's hair, Hesal tightened his grip a moment to make her focus on him.

"Negotiations will happen later, Lirri. We have to get you ready for your Rebel contact," he said, loosening his grip on her hair to stroke a finger along her jaw. "I would prefer to stay in bed with you, but work comes first. Then... Then we can negotiate."

Pushing up, Hesal tossed back the sheet and walked to the refresher. Given his rank, Hesal's compartment was one of few that had the private room for hygiene. Calling from the small but efficient room, he said, "We need to decide, Lirri, how to go about this. Your 'dessertion' was hopefully picked up on their frequencies, but I'm not entirely comfortably letting you go in for contact alone."

The sound of the sonic shower could be heard; rank had priviledges, but apparently it didn't include an actual water-based shower. "I'm open to suggestion, my dear," he was heard to say.

[Lirri]

Lirri liked that she could make him make that kind of sound. She knew it meant pleasure, and it made her growl softly in turn as she licked at his body, tasting tinges of his blood on her tongue. Though her growl grew a little more aggressive when he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her back from him. She met his eyes, her own going an eerie, annoyed orange but she focused on him and said nothing, at least not yet.

"Negotiations will happen later, Lirri. We have to get you ready for your Rebel contact," he said, loosening his grip on her hair to stroke a finger along her jaw. "I would prefer to stay in bed with you, but work comes first. Then... Then we can negotiate."

The first words had her groaning in remembrance, but the last ones had her smiling. Nothing like the promise of a reward to perk up her day, especially with the stroke of his finger along her jaw that made her shiver. "Oh alright," she muttered, pulling back from him. "I had forgotten that was this soon."

Lirri watched as he pushed up and tossed back the sheet, watching his lean body as he moved towards the refresher. Gods he looked good, and she licked her lips until he disappeared into the hygiene room.

"We need to decide, Lirri, how to go about this. Your 'desertion' was hopefully picked up on their frequencies, but I'm not entirely comfortably letting you go in for contact alone."

He wasn't comfortable with letting her go alone? She felt a glow of that that he actually cared and thought about it as he called out that he was open to suggestions. She had to shake off thoughts of him in the refresher, but she managed to come up with something in seconds. "I'm sure it was picked up. They are quite efficient. As for letting me go in alone, don't worry about it. I have many forms. If I canvas the area a little obviously several times, in a different form each time, any Rebel operative should be under the impression that there are far more of us about. Does that work Hesal?" If she had been in her more canine form her tail would have been wagging.

[Hesal]

"I'm sure it was picked up. They are quite efficient. As for letting me go in alone, don't worry about it. I have many forms. If I canvas the area a little obviously several times, in a different form each time, any Rebel operative should be under the impression that there are far more of us about. Does that work Hesal?"

Hesal was silent in the side room, staring at himself in the mirror. Violet eyes gazed back at him, thoughtful. If he kept frowning, he might even develop a wrinkle in his forehead. A smirk played on his lips, and the figure in the mirror grinned back at him. If he were planetside wth her contact point, the natural pheromones he created might be enough to stir a sense of calming acceptance. Of course, he was a Force Sensative so there was also the risk of his presence being detected.

But Lirri was also a Force Sensative. Perhaps her presence might mask his. Decisions, decisions.

Walking out of the hygiene room and going for a clean set of uniform garments, the Inquistor worked to button up his shirt and adjust his pips. "I don't know, Lirri," he said, expressing a slight frown. "You're supposed to be working alone for them. Wouldn't that make them suspicious if they thought that there were multiple sentients?"
Searching out his boots-- How had one ended up hooked on a lamp? Hesal sat on the edge of the bed and tugged on the ebony lacquered boots. All in all, he cut an imposing figure in the coal-hued attire of an Inquisitor with his Zeltron skin brilliant against it in contrast.

"I think we will have to risk a small deployment that will be monitoring the situation," he eventually said. He'd really hate to have to kill Lirri if the plan blew up in his face. But then again, if she implanted false information, that would be critical in undermining a portion of the Alliance.

A smile broke his face as he looked back at her, a man who seemed deeply concerned and happy to be spending time with her, while the interior was playing chess against the intelligence of the Alliance when it came to Lirri. "Let's go back over your contact information to make sure there are no loopholes. Now then, his name and species, how you escaped, how you managed to get off of this hunk of a rock, etcetera."

[Lirri]

She had to giggle as he walked out of the hygiene room totally naked, and she licked her lips as she watched his lean body move and begin to get dressed and she sat herself, the sheet dropping away as she moved to the edge of the bed. As he spoke she shook her head, still moving forward.

"Suspicious maybe, but they will trust me. They think I am doing this for my people." She snorted with amusement, but there was a fission of something deep in her mind, a sliver of something wrong, and she felt a sharp pain in her skull as she began to rub at her temple. But after a moment it went away and she shook off the occurrence as nothing but a twinge.

Lirri smiled as she saw him retrieve his boot. She remembered how it had got there. Hesal had simply tossed it from him in his haste. He sat down at the edge of the bed with her and she leaned into him, nuzzling his neck slightly as he tugged on the boots before moving back and running her eyes over him, and reaching out she adjusted his collar just slightly, smoothing the wrinkle from it. He cut a very handsome figure in his suit, the contrast of his coal-hued garb and brilliant skin. She sighed happily just looking at him. Oh she'd chosen a lovely one to be loyal to. Falling back on the bed she rubbed herself a bit against the sheets, reveling in the scent of sex that saturated it.

"I think we will have to risk a small deployment that will be monitoring the situation."

She flinched and shook her head, pausing in her writhing and rearing up a bit to look at him. "Why? I am safe enough. They won't risk sending a big unit in close. There may be some observing though, and if you send a full group there is a big possibility they will spot each other. The Alliance is GOOD Hesal, do not underestimate them."

Lirri smiled softly at seeing him smile at her though. He had the most wonderful smile, and he was concerned too which always made a girl feel wanted.

"Let's go back over your contact information to make sure there are no loopholes. Now then, his name and species, how you escaped, how you managed to get off of this hunk of a rock, etcetera."

She smiled and fell back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and reciting from memory. She did have an excellent memory. "His name is Alk Nud. A Zabrak. Member of the New Republic Army Sniper Cadre and just joined SpecForces specializing in Urban Guerrilla and Pathfinding training. He is a very dangerous man. I've met him though, and he is very polite. I managed to get off this rock by...," she grinned, "by shadowing an Imperial maintenance technician to learn their routines, ambushing them, killing them and taking their form, making it to their assigned berth and then scarpering at the next major port. Escape was similar. I do not want to rehearse it though. Will sound so then."

Suddenly she had an idea and brightened. "Hey... would you like to come with me? I can arrange for you to meet him... How feminine can you act?" She grinned. "We could even switch off at some point. Easy enough in the middle of a crowd, especially with my powers. It is very.. subtle." As she spoke her face subtly flowed to appear as his own before fading away just as quickly. Sitting up finally she grinned. "See? I am very useful you know. more than just for my.. flexibility."

[Hesal]

Hesal’s hands didn’t stop moving to adjust his clothing the moment the flicker of a wince crossed Lirri’s face, followed by the press of her fingers to a temple. He watched without being obvious; his movements were natural and fluid. Inwardly, Hesal’s mind worked rapidly through the possible reasons and outcomes. Nothing was particularly pleasing. Assurances had been made that the effects of the altering were nigh impossible, but just how different were the neurological pathways of Lirri’s species from a near-human?

He turned slightly to watch her luxuriate in the sheets. One of Lirri’s greatest strengths as a tracker was also her greatest weakness around him: her sense of smell. Rising after she’d adjusted his collar, Hesal watched her on the bed. Imperial agenda aside, Hesal found Lirri’s other abilities rather… pleasant. His smile was charming, the sort of look that would melt hearts and make mothers hope their daughters brought him home for dinner. “I don’t underestimate them, Lirri,” he said. In truth, he saw them as competition, albeit weaker than the Remnant.

With his own face looking back at him, Hesal sighed inwardly. Shapeshifters seemed to always find that funny. Hesal found it annoying, but maintained the smile as Lirri reverted back to her chosen appearance. “Feminine? I’m not dressing up like a woman, Lirri. Smuggler I can pull off. Really, I’d make an ugly woman,” Hesal said as he held out a hand to be gentlemanly and help her off the bed. “I’ll keep a small contingent on-surface, disguised as field researchers for a neutral company.” The Empire had numerous ghost organizations like that for just such a purpose.

“It’d be curious to see this Alk Nud. He isn’t someone listed on my files, I think. A perfect opportunity to remedy that,” Hesal said. A slow, lazy grin spread. Competition. “Come, let’s get you properly dressed, outfitted, and looking like you did all you claimed to meet this guy. Then, once the information is sent along, perhaps you and I will have some fun, hm? We could hunt down some wanted persons,” Hesal said with the flash of teeth in his grin.

[Alk]

Alk sat on the cold hard floor of the safehouse surrounding him on the floor was his equipment lit by the light of the first rays of the rising sun coming through the cracks in the boarded up windows. Picking up a compact slug thrower he slid the magazine free, checked the chamber was clear and ran a cleaning cloth down the barrel ensuring it came back without any residue. This was not his normal equipment, it was all clean of any traceable marks and he was sure it had been properly maintained but still the first thing he'd done on receiving them was disassemble them and check every piece of the weapons. If this mission went to pot and he needed to draw a weapon he wanted to know for sure that it was going to perform as near to perfect as was possible that meant he had to inspect it not rely on some nameless quartermaster. Placing the pistol back on the ground he began unloading the three magazines round by round easing the spring checking it for any sign of rust or deterioration before reloading it, sliding it back in and placing it on the floor of the safe house. Still even with his previous checks he had time to kill before it was time to leave and he knew damned well he wasn't going to be able to grab any more sleep than he already had, he never really slept much before an operation his body and mind were always to wound up ready for action. Next came two hold out blaster pistols checking the focusing rings, emitters and that the energy packs were holding their charge. Nodding in satisfaction that was all was well with his weapons he slid them back into their holsters on the floor in front of himself and spared a moment to stand moving to the window to glance out at the sky. It would be a beautiful day today it seemed maybe cold for this place but still pleasant enough especially when compared to some of the places he'd been. He remembered Hoth, nothing could compare to the bone cold chill of that little frozen ball of nitrogen.

Of course what applied to the weather would not necessarily to his activities today. He was meeting up with an Intelligence source who had supposedly just come through some rough exfil and had some hot data that needed to be seen to be believed. He knew her from a couple of jobs they'd pulled a while back and she had seemed professional and relatively friendly. Her last report stated she thought she had lost the cause of her rough exfil, to his mind probably Imperial Intelligence but still there was a chance they had let her go or would reacquire her. Hence the weapons even though his mission orders as they had been laid down in the request to SpecFor had suggested low threat and he do this unarmed. He never really liked working with the Intelligence community too much he always got the idea that many of the higher ups and those who were running the ops didn't care what you did or who you were so long as you completed the mission, damned the cost to the neutral and friendly parties so long as their games within games weren't interrupted. He and a few of the other troopers he talked to had visited worlds where the Alliance Intelligence Service was as feared if not more so then their Imperial counterparts and from what he had seen in interrogation resistance training that was no mean feat. He'd been feared before and he wasn't squeaky clean but sometimes a mission could cost too much and sometimes no mission or objective could justify some actions. He wasn't stupid either he knew he and other troopers put their lives on the line and special operations were often against the odds but it was their choice. They were fighting for something they believed in enough to warrant risking it all for, you did you're damnedest to make sure those odds couldn't be brought against you all at once as well be it by planning, training or using the terrain to your advantage.

Well it was almost time to put his game face on and make sure he beat the odds again but he allowed himself one more moment of watching the raising sun before he moved back to his weapons. Sitting back down he reached for a jar of foul smelling viscous dark goup applying it to every part of his skin that would be visible or was likely to easily become visible. Rubbing it in hard left his already grimy skin looking even more weathered, grimy appearing and smelling as if he hadn't bathed in weeks. Next came the dual layer wig the inner layer a fine light blond the outer layer covering it entirely being dark greasy and matted. Finally came the greasy, stained and faded Imperial Army surplus overalls with only the Imperial markings and the Sergeant rank showing any sign of being cleaned that covered the pristine clothes he would be using for the exfilitration. Secreting the weapons around himself he picked up a battered case and practised the limping gait that this alias had before heading out the door moving towards the meeting point in the middle of a small local commercial sector collecting a cup of sweet caff and fruit pastry from a member staff of a bakery he'd made friends with at the beginning of the week who were just opening up.

Arriving at the corner he'd claimed as his own over the past week he placed the case down on the pavement siding opening it to pull out an equally battered stringed instrument. Sitting cross legged behind the case he began to experimentally strum the strings checking that the instrument was properly tuned before beginning the first song. He idly watched the early morning commuters start to move through the sector to their offices mostly ignoring the homeless busker. That was one of the main reason he'd chosen this disguise, most people ignored the homeless as an inconvenient truth of modern life just in case they asked for money. The odd one dropped a coin into the case although whether it was in appreciation of the music or to relieve some sense of guilt was open to anyone's interpretation. He spent the three hours leading up to the appointed meeting time playing old Imperial armed force's songs on the quetarra, ironically a traditional Zabrak instrument, watching the crowd for any counter intelligence operatives or suspicious characters. To keep to his role of a veteran of the Imperial Army who'd seen too much he occasionally spoke in slurred mumble tones to passing ladies that met some item of Lirri's description about how the family missed her and when was she going to come home.

He was almost moved along at one point by the local security force but they took pity upon seeing his stripes and a short conversation about the old days with one of the men who had been at one of the battles he claimed to have seen. Of course he had actually been there just not on the same side as the man but he knew enough and had been briefed thoroughly enough on the Imp personal he would of served with that them man left with a slight sad smile on his face that this was what one of his old comrades in arms had come to. With any luck the rest of the day would go this boring and simply... but something in his stomach whether the force or just well worked paranoia didn't think it would.

{{OOC: Basically I imagine he's probably playing Star Wars equivalents to Dire Straits Brothers in Arms, Billy Joel's Goodnight Saigon that kind of thing although people will be happy to hear he won't be singing due to not having the voice for it XD

[Lirri]

He said he didn't underestimate them, and that made her happy. She didn't want to have to deal with it if he did underestimate them. That would open up a whole other can of worms that ultimately was better left alone. So she watched him as she rolled a bit on the sheets, the sound she was making a cross between a purr and a soft growl.

“Feminine? I’m not dressing up like a woman, Lirri. Smuggler I can pull off. Really, I’d make an ugly woman,” Hesal said, and she giggled and nodded in agreement as he helped her off the bed. “I’ll keep a small contingent on-surface, disguised as field researchers for a neutral company.”

"Alright," she nodded, "but if you do want to meet him let me know. You could even be yourself, and as long as I thoroughly briefed you on call signs and signals I highly doubt he'd even notice." She smiled at him, and walked into the refresher herself, only a quick 'rinse' before stepping back out again and going for her clothes. Honestly she was anxious for this, because it was going to be fun.

“It’d be curious to see this Alk Nud. He isn’t someone listed on my files, I think. A perfect opportunity to remedy that,” Hesal said.

She nodded to the slow, lazy grin, one of her own matching it, before slipping on the tank top and basic shorts needed for modesty on her way to get properly dressed. Of course she could have just shifted and followed him that way but she really didn't feel like scaring the shit out of some sad little Imperial soldiers with her native form.

“Come, let’s get you properly dressed, outfitted, and looking like you did all you claimed to meet this guy. Then, once the information is sent along, perhaps you and I will have some fun, hm? We could hunt down some wanted persons,” Hesal said with the flash of teeth in his grin.

Lirri's eyes brightened and she ended up nearly bounding along beside him. The prospect of a hunt excited her, especially with her alpha. "Oh that sounds good! However if you don't want me to lead you in circles no collar." She winked at him, looking forward to this day even more now.

::::::::::

Clad in the dirty, oily coveralls of an Imperial maintenance technician even her face had been appropriately smeared with grease, something she both hated the feel and smell of. Honestly if she'd been thinking she would have chosen something different. Grease and oil weren't the best thing when you had an excellent sense of smell.

Oh well, she'd have to deal now and knew it.

Wading through the crowd, looking like any technician would at this hour (hungry), she used the likely fact of looking for food stalls to look for Alk. Or to smell him out rather, picking likely targets and getting closer to rule them out. Her long, black and wavy hair was pulled back from her face in a messy bun, eyes a dark blue on this occasion as they searched.

She heard him first, the traditional Zabrak instrument catching her ears, and she smiled slightly. It was a nice sound, and she went towards it. When she got close and smelled him, she had to admit she was admiring his ingenuity. It was a very smart, indirect way to guide her to him. When she got him close and heard him mutter about family, another fission of... wrongness flooded through her, and she rubbed at her temple for a moment before responding. "I'm sure my family does miss me," she said quietly, crouching down in front of the excellently disguised Zabrak, "as to when I get to go home, well, that really depends on just how long my boss decides to ride my ass before granting my leave request."

It was a subtle reference to the fact that she was still being hunted, and didn't know if she'd shaken them. "What about you sir?" She dropped a coin in the case, but it was actually a cleverly disguised data chip.

[Alk]

Seemingly deranged bright eyes in grimy sockets and lids roamed the crowd covering the fact he was actually looking for the first signs of Lirri or anyone paying too much attention to him or when she showed up her. He only recognised the woman who approached him as Lirri just before she spoke and crouched down in front of him. It was good disguise although she looked pained at the reference to her family rubbing her temples was the stress of staying undercover getting to her? He'd never really spoken to her of her family before it wasn't really something you brought up during operations. He wasn't too superstitious but some things you just didn't bring up just in case. Not that he had anyone to bring up in that department just a long trail of deserting and people he'd cared for who'd been put down by those he didn't.

He carefully noted the coin she dropped for later retrieval. He imagined that would be the data he had been sent out here By her words he gathered she had been pursued and wasn't sure if she was clear yet and he nodded slightly at that before muttering back.
“Bosses are like that. They'll ride your ass into the ground and start digging if you let 'em. If you want out my holiday plan can stretch to 2 and as far as your uncles need know that riding your ass was downright harassment right up until our leaving. I'm sure your work could find cover should they need it. You've done your job well why stick around? Why not take some leave and see home or something? Let yourself relax for once Lass.”

It was the closest he could really say to what he was actually thinking. His exfiltration plan would easily work for two especially with her experience in such things and in his opinion she'd got the money load why stick around to wait to be found out in the follow up investigation should they find out the information was gone. He would have no problem telling the Senior Intel weenies that her exfiltration had been hot and necessary till he was blue in the face and of course they'd have no real option but to believe him especially if he used his plan B to get her out. Better she live to work some other day then just be cashed in like some chip in a game of sabbac. He'd never been able to see friends and allies as just chips or easy sacrifices. He'd had to do it before but he'd never done it lightly and it had never come easy to him, nor was he sure he ever wanted it to be. That way lay the dark side of life or the Force whether you were a Skywalker or a simple trooper

Giving the woman another once over he shrugged answering her other question. Nodding to the cup of luke warm brown liquid and the remains of the pastry before gesturing to the case with a fair few coins in he smiled.
“As for me? I'm not bad. I've got Caff, I've got food and worst comes to worst it seems I have alternative employment should the galaxy actually find it's self liking peace any time soon. Got no right to complain been in worst places.”

Still despite the smile, the jokes and the relatively happy demeanour he couldn't shake the niggling itch at the back of his mind and gut that something was off. Was he just being paranoid? Was it his senses telling something was amiss? Was he receiving obtuse warnings through the Force? Or was it just it had been a bad idea to drink that Caff on a mostly empty stomach?