Corporate Affairs

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Monkey Kitty
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Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm

Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Monkey Kitty »

Gina Valli? and Frenka Ivarj

"Oh," Gina said, a little off balance regarding the two odd Zabrak. "I wish I had time today, but I just have to finish getting this inventory done. Sorry."

There was a pause, as if Gina was in some sort of internal debate. Her fingers again rose to touch her earring once, twice, a third time.

"Alright," she said. "I suppose I am due a break. Let's go have some tea."

Frenka was still stationed at the café when they arrived, idly wiping down tables and openly staring at Gina.

"I could use a cup myself," Frenka said after serving them, pouring herself a caf and plopping down at the table with them without being invited. It was, after all, her place of business, and she felt free to drop in on any conversation that might pertain to her interests. "I'm Frenka Ivarj," she said, sticking out her hand.

"Nice to meet you!" Gina said cheerfully.

Frenka's eyes narrowed at her. "I was talking to the other two. You already did. Most people find me a little more memorable than that, eh?"

She stared at Gina, daring her to come up with an explanation for forgetting she had already made the acquaintance of the Rattataki in Evocii tribal garb.
Quaxo9
Posts: 1219
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:33 pm

Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Quaxo9 »

((Joint post between Monkey Kitty and Quaxo9))

The Agent and Vector exchanged a look. The killik man left without a word and the chiss followed Lana further into the ship. When the Sith turned and addressed the Agent, she was met with a completely emotionless face and perfect posture.

“I wanted to ask how well you know Theron Shan. Professionally, of course.”

Temptation to mischief overcame Lana at this seemingly serious inquiry. “We’re having sex,” she deadpanned. Then she added, “Of course, I’m only joking. His boyfriend would be rather displeased about that. In truth, Theron and I have worked together on a number of projects. I have come to respect him greatly over the years. I will admit that I consider him… a friend.”

Lana’s initial answer brought a hint of a smile to the Agent’s mouth. That Shan had a boyfriend was no surprise - she’d seen what had transpired at the spaceport on Rishi when he’d be dropped off. The rest of Lana’s dialogue…was somewhat unusual. Both in that a Sith would have a friend in the SIS whose mother was a Jedi Master, and that said Sith would willingly admit it. She appreciated the candor and relaxed her stance slightly, hoping to communicate that she did not find Lana’s friendship with Theron threatening despite her pursuit of the business at hand.

“I ask because I have come into some information that Theron has asked for. He asked if I had proof of what had transpired between Houlihan’s group and Gina Valli, claiming that he wished to provide said proof to a prosecutor. I wanted to know how likely it was that this was true.” She paused, then added “I have no intention of letting this footage circulate, nor of letting these particular SIS agents get off lightly.”

“I see,” Lana said. “I have no doubt whatsoever that Theron was telling you the truth about his intentions, and that if you cooperate with him, he will do exactly as he told you he intends. Theron is not without his faults - he can be impulsive, and he’s unimaginably stubborn and pigheaded at times - but he’s a good man. He holds himself to the highest standards, and it’s difficult for him when SIS doesn’t live up to his beliefs about what they should be. Knowing Theron as I do, I feel confident saying I guarantee that given a choice between siding with those men and siding with their victim, he will be on Gina’s side staunchly.”

The Agent’s eyes narrowed as Lana told her exactly what she had hoped, but hadn’t actually expected to hear. It certainly was a glowing recommendation. She nodded in an uncharacteristic display of deference - or was it gratitude - it probably didn’t matter. “Very well then. Thank-you for your advice, my Lady. I will take your opinion of Theron Shan under advisement in my future dealings with him.”

“You’re welcome,” Lana said. “But… look, you can dispense with the ‘my lady’ business. If we have gotten off on the wrong foot, that was not my intention. There is no need for formality. Just ‘Lana’ is sufficient. I’m sure you’ve seen that’s how the others address me, and you and your partner may do the same.”

The Agent was silent for a moment, clearly regarding Lana with some intensity before she spoke. “Formality is my default position. I likewise meant no offense by using your title. I will do my best to make the proper adjustments…Lana.”

With that, she pulled up her datapad and sent the video footage she’d sliced to Theron.

Hearing this, and guessing what the Agent was doing, Lana’s subtle smile was twofold. This wouldn’t completely ease Theron’s mind - how could it, after what had happened, what he had seen? - but at least he would be able to feel that he had truly done all he could for Gina Valli.
Monkey Kitty
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Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm

Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Monkey Kitty »

Theron Shan and Gina Valli

Having a mission - or maybe just a distraction - had helped. Theron showed up in the medical bay before long with the best blanket he could find on the ship (at least without raiding Lana's own sleeping quarters, which even he had the sense to realize would be a step too far,) a bottle of water, and two cups.

She was sitting up on the bed when he arrived, staring off into space. He made sure Visper was hovering around nearby - he didn't imagine Gina would want to be alone with a male stranger under the circumstances - and presented her with the blanket, which she thanked him for.

He then poured water from the bottle into both the cups, took a long sip from one, and then handed the other to Gina. Not poisoned, not drugged. She appreciated the gesture, and took a swallow from her own cup.

"So," Theron said conversationally. "Where are you from?"

Gina's eyes widened with fear.

He shook his head. "Hey, no, it's okay. I'm not here to question you. I'm just making conversation. But yeah, another time for that, right? Here..." He could tell how thirsty she'd been; she'd already drained her cup. He poured her another glass of water. "I'm gonna get out of here now and let you rehydrate in peace. Later."

As he stepped back out into the hallway, he received a comm message. He opened it, and saw the video - it could only be from the Agent.

Theron didn't watch the whole thing. He didn't want to gawk at Gina's suffering. He just established what it was, wincing even at that, and then fast forwarded through it to get a sense of the content. Well, that was going to do it. Poor Gina. He encrypted the file on an SIS frequency - didn't want this ending up on some gross corner of the holonet - and sent it to the prosecutor.


***


A little while later, the Agent would receive a comm message in response.

Thank you. -TS

It was followed by a link to a snippet from a news broadcast.

"...In a surprise move by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, more charges were laid against the squad of SIS agents led by Special Agent Jon Houlihan. Though the prosecutor declined to comment on record who the alleged victim is, citing privacy concerns, he stated that video and other evidence was provided to him by an internal SIS source offering proof of numerous other crimes. If convicted on all charges, including existing charges stemming from their activities during the invasion of Corellia, the SIS agents face a life sentence in military prison. The agents were arrested without incident by the Republic military at their compound on Pi Gamma Six. They are expected to plead not guilty, but the prosecutor has expressed confidence about the solidity of his case. In other news..."
Monkey Kitty
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Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Monkey Kitty »

Visper Averrod-Iresso and Gina Valli

"Is there anyone you want us to call for you?" Visper asked. "Friends, family...?"

Gina shook her head and looked away.

Visper said gently, "I'm not asking you to endanger anyone here, okay? I promise. If you're worried about their safety if you tell us..."

Gina shook her head again. "I know," she said softly. "It's not that. There's no one."

Everyone who could possibly care about the life of Gina Valli was already on this ship.

"Okay," Visper said. "That's alright. So, I just need to run a few scans to make sure..."

"No!" Gina's voice was louder than Visper had ever heard it, her eyes wide again. "No! No scans."

Visper gave her a sympathetic look. "I know you've been through a lot, Gina - and I've already had to put you through more. But this won't be like that. It won't be painful or invasive. I don't even have to touch you. Just a few scans to make sure you're healing..."

"No." Gina started to cry. "Please, no scans. It's not that I think you're going to hurt me. It's... if you do those scans, you..." A hiccupping sob. "You're not going to care about any of this anymore. You're going to give up on me. None of it is going to matter to you."

Visper frowned and sat down beside her. "Gina, I doubt that. But I think it would be better if you just tell me."

"I can't. Please. I can't. I just want to live through this." Her voice was desperate, pleading.

"You will, Gina. I promise you. I have plenty of skeletons in my own closet. There is nothing you can say that will make me stop helping you. Nothing."

Gina looked away. "I'm not a person," she said softly.

"What?"

"I'm not a person. Volent isn't just my employer. They made me. I was designed to solve a problem. There are things you can do with slaves. You can put a collar on someone and make them dig a ditch or mine ore, but there are other things that take more... finesse. Espionage. Corporate sabotage. That's why they made me. I'm just a database and a set of algorithms running through lab-grown biological material and cybernetic parts. That's why everything you've tried to do for me medically has turned out so weird. They control me through a neural network - or used to. It ended when those men pulled off my earrings. My name isn't really Gina Valli. Lars Valli was the scientist who finalized my design, and Gina - it's not a name. It's just an acronym for Generalized Integrated Network Asset - Volent thought that was really clever marketing. They plan to make more of me and sell them. I'm a prototype. That's what they were doing on Rishi. Testing me out. But it went wrong, and SIS got involved. What those SIS men did was just... vandalism of Volent company property, that's all."

Visper was quiet for a moment. Then, finally, she said, "Gina, you are a person. No matter where you came from. I'll protect you from all of them. I swear. You can travel with us. My husband, Felix - trust me, if anyone can understand, he can. It's going to be okay. I promise you. We're going to stop them from hurting anybody else."

It crossed Visper's mind - although she didn't say it to Gina - that while she could easily predict the heart of Felix Iresso, the Jedi were a little more difficult to anticipate. Well, they didn't need to find out.
Quaxo9
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Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:33 pm

Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Quaxo9 »

Neva Xolte

She hoped that Gina never played sabacc - or that if she did, she wouldn't play for money. The woman's tell was ridiculously obvious. Though, why she'd be so nervous about getting asked to go for coffee was beyond Neva's comprehension.

The three sat down at a table and Gina...other Gina? Not having met the Siralai's Gina, Neva had no idea just how identical the two women were. This could be tricky to keep straight if the rattataki thought they looked identical enough to confuse the two.

"Well, this is maybe not quite the exact Gina who met you earlier. Right, Gina? Not that that's a problem. You're the one here for tea, after all. Neva Xolte - Captain of the Wayfarer. A pleasure." She'd forgotten to introduce herself to Gina, probably because the woman had responded as though she knew her. Oh well, now was as good a time as any. She took Frenka's offered hand with a solid shake and a grin. She smiled reassuringly at Also-Gina.

"Akaavi Spar. Of Clan Spar." The mandalorian had seated herself on a reversed chair, her electro staff on her back made sitting on chairs like a normal person uncomfortable. Akaavi offered a Frenka a turned incline of her head and a stony unblinking stare.
Monkey Kitty
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Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm

Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Monkey Kitty »

Frenka Ivarj and Gina Valli?

As Neva spoke, Frenka glowered at Gina. Then suddenly, quick as a snake striking, she had grabbed Gina by the wrist, pinning her limb to the table so hard that something popped.

"I don't know what you're playing at," she said through gritted teeth. "What's going on, or what you're up to. But whatever it is, you've made a huge mistake bringing it here to my tribe. I will not allow any harm to come to them. Do you hear me?"

"I would never..." Gina's voice was shaky. Her other hand went to her earring, but the gesture wasn't nervous this time - her ear seemed to be a secondary source of pain.

Frenka's eyebrows shot up. "You would never? That's funny, because you - singular, plural, whoever you are - keep showing up here. It's kind of giving me the impression that you're making yourself my problem. These people, these Evocii... their lives mean a hell of a lot more to me than yours does. So get out of here, now, and don't come back, or I will solve that problem."

She looked at Neva and Akaavi. "Are you with her? Or are you staying?"

Although she was giving them slightly more temporary benefit of the doubt, it wasn't going to last long.
Quaxo9
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Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:33 pm

Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Quaxo9 »

Neva Xolte

When Frenka suddenly attacked Other Gina, Neva leapt out of her chair, hands outstretched. "Hey now, no need for hands on!" Even though she didn't know the blonde woman, she still didn't think someone so chipper and clueless really deserved that kind of treatment. Neva was more than ready to just give the rattatakki woman the peace she desired by escorting Gina away. She was about to say as much when behind her, she heard the distinctive sound of a vibrostaff activating. Oh no.

"Hold. Still."

Neva couldn't tell who Akaavi was talking to, but held still in case it was her. The pulsating weapon did shoot past her ear, but it smacked squarely on Gina's unoccupied earring. She watched the blue arc move over the woman's head and hit her on the other side.

"What the hell, Akaavi?" Neva finally managed to spit out after the initial surprise wore off. "We were supposed to just talk to her not kill her!"

"She's fine. Did you not notice?" Akaavi stared at Neva, then at Frenka, then growled out the rest of her explanation. "Slaves don't always wear collars."
Monkey Kitty
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Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm

Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Monkey Kitty »

Frenka Ivarj and Gina Valli?

In an instant, there was a blaster in Frenka's hand - small, easily concealed, but enough to do the job.

"Right. None of that!" the Rattaki said firmly. "Whatever beef you three have with each other, I don't know what you thought you were playing at bringing it here to my tribe, but this is the end of it. Get the hell out!"

Gina slumped forward with the shock. It had startled her but didn't surprise her - she was used to this sort of treatment. There was a reason both of the Gina Vallis had worn long sleeves in the Rishi sun. Bruises raised questions.

What did surprise her was what happened afterward. The voices in her head were stilled. The commands were no longer heard. She could move her limbs without the faint pressure of resistance from an opposing force. Her body could no longer be compelled to move against her will.

She was free.

"I'll leave!" Gina said hastily. "Please, just let me get out of here. I'll never bother you again. I just need to go."

She had nowhere to go. No credits. No means of transportation. No idea how long she had to get off this planet before Volent realized the link was severed and came after her. But she had to try. It was the only real shot she'd ever had at freedom, and if Volent recaptured her, there would never be another.

Frenka, though, had softened slightly at Akaavi's explanation. She lowered the blaster, though her hand remained on it, ready to interrupt any further funny business.
Monkey Kitty
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Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm

Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Monkey Kitty »

Visper Averrod-Iresso and Gina Valli/
Pyrran Onyk Mahr


For a few minutes, Visper just sat with Gina in silence. After awhile, she asked, "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Gina looked blank. "I think I told you everything," she said. "I don't think I know anything else that can help. I didn't get much information, I was..." She shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be difficult, I just don't know..."

Visper shook her head. "No, that's not what I'm asking you. Sorry. I mean... do you want to talk about how you feel?"

Gina was completed taken aback but this. She had never been asked how she felt before. No one had ever expressed an interest in her emotions - so now she had no idea to express them. Everyone around her had always assumed she either felt nothing... or simply hadn't cared if she did. She wanted to talk to Visper. Wanted to open up. But she didn't know what to say.

"It hurt," Gina finally said. "It still hurts."

"I'm sorry," Visper said sympathetically. She put an arm around Gina's blanket-wrapped shoulder, and Gina leaned against her.


***

Pyrran was less scared, now. But less scared didn't mean not scared at all. He was better now. No longer trapped in the closeness of that shed with the smells of blood and sweat and fear, he could keep control of himself. Pyrran didn't feel in danger of another flashback - as he thought back to the last one with a mixture of embarrassment that it had happened and worry that it would happen again someday.

But still, there was trepidation. It appeared there would be no torture, but their prisoner would still have to be questioned, and Pyrran wasn't sure how that was going to go. At some point when Arksynn was otherwise occupied, he slipped away and glanced into the medical bay.

Visper and Gina were sitting on the bed together, talking softly. Gina was wrapped in Theron's blanket up to her neck. She was leaning against Visper, and Visper's arm was around her. He couldn't hear their words, but Visper's low voice was speaking in a clear tone of comfort.

This was certainly unlike any interrogation he had ever seen.

Or was it? He was, after all, a Sith lord. No one had interrogated him, in the traditional sense. No one had even really questioned him about much of anything. When he was ready - when he felt safe - he had spilled his guts. Maybe it wasn't so different at all.

Pyrran smiled to himself. The Sith lord was, after all, still learning.
Quaxo9
Posts: 1219
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:33 pm

Re: Corporate Affairs

Post by Quaxo9 »

Neva Xolte

“What are you…why…but…okay…hey Gina, are you okay?”

The captain, though slack-jawed, managed to stammer out some words that sort of made sense. Akaavi scowled, then placed her staff on her back and folded her arms over her chest. Neva squinted back at her, but returned her attention to the panicked Gina.

“Okay, so … I don’t know what that was about, but I know Akaavi. She wouldn’t have done that without good cause.” Or if she wanted you dead, you would be “So, we can go together. Somewhere else. To figure this out. Maybe…”

The idea made Neva blink suddenly and stand a little straighter. She pulled out her holo and offered it to Gina.

“Is there someone else you want to talk to? We could make a call…”
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