Visions of the past...How do you remember it?

[Xavier Synik]

"Mister Synik."

Xavier was leaning back in a chair, his feet up on the table in front of him. He was dressed casually, but all of his clothes were still top of the line designer labels. As his eyes opened slowly, the bright light in the room caused him to blink several times before he could focus on the man standing across the room from him. To the trained eye the cheap suit the man was wearing just screamed "Police".

"I am Inspector Monte Hasprin of the Nexus City Police Force."

Xavier didn't say anything. He and his companion and business partner had been swept up in a raid by the Police of the Entralla's capital city, while working on a business dealing. One which for a change had actually been on the level.

"Mister Synik, what is your business here on Entralla."

Finally Xavier leaned forward and rested his arms on the top of the table.

"I'm here working. I have a customer who is looking for some hard to find products, and I was able to find them with a supplier here in Nexus City."

He leaned forward even further.

"Inspector. Exactly why am I being held? My business dealings are quite on the level..." He stopped for a moment. "Frak. That chou wang ba dan, he was trying to sell me hot goods wasn't he? I didn't know, but I'll certainly help you take him down. I'm an honest businessman, I do not stand for someone trying to sell me illigal goods."

He was able to make the last statement with a straight face, because on the surface Xavier Synik was a legitimate businessman... On the surface.

"No Mister Synik, the man you were dealing with was not trying to sell you anything illigal. No I'm more interested in how a low life mercinary such as yourself becomes the CEO of a small but successful import/export business."

"Frak." Xavier's mind started working overtime. Who is this guy? No backwater cop would have access to that kind of information. No this guy had some connections of some sort.

Xavier didn't show any emotion, surprise or otherwise.

"Inspector, I'm not sure what you are insinuating, but my past is just that, and I'm not sure what it has to do with my business here on Entralla."

Xavier didn't know what was going on. But he knew that what should have been a routine business trip had just become anything but.

[Emelie Shadowstar]

Slender wrists with skin of a slight pinkish tone wriggled in the binders that held them close together for a moment before both hands were lowered into the young woman's lap to rest against the black silken fabric of a skirt a few inches too short to be considered modest by almost any standards. Hazel eyes narrowed upon the inspector that sat across from her as Emelie bit the inside of her cheek for a few seconds before rolling her eyes and leaning back slightly in the chair. A rather crude comment on the necessity of the binders lingered on the tip of her tongue and went unspoken...after all, the black eye one of the other members of the Police Force of Nexus City was sporting pretty much spoke the answer loud and clear.

Lips pouted for a moment and let a small stream of air pass from them, blowing a stray strand of candy-colored hair out of her face before she returned her gaze to the man, letting the annoyance fade to just shy of flirtation.

"So deary, you going to tell me what it is I did to deserve being here? Aside from teaching one of your men to mind where he goes putting his hands?"

The man across from her looked anything but amused and so the laugh that left him was rather dry and far from sincere, more of a scoff and it caused Emelie to drop her cutesy act...but just slightly.

"Miss...Shadowstar is it? Or would you prefer Isley? Or perhaps Poe?" The inspector allowed for a pause, only long enough to make a point but far from allowing enough time for any sort of response.

"What is your business on Entralla?"

Finally enough time given to speak. Not that she'd make good use of it.

"Aw, skipping to the questions without even a name? You have mine...seems only fair."

The inspector stood slowly and walked with steady sure footfalls to stand behind the woman. Eye contact broken, Emelie allowed the smile to finally fade from her lips as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"I repeat, Miss Shadowstar, what is your business on Entralla?"

A small pout formed on Emelie's lips. This one was going to be no fun at all. In truth the entire situation seemed that way. Irony at best, doing something legitimate and getting picked up whereas for years she'd been running small, relatively quiet rather illegal, rather black market, dealings. And for some reason, no answer was coming to her head, all that she could think of at that moment was how much she wished she had a drink.

[Xavier Synik]

"Mister Synik, we're trying to figure out why a person such as yourself and your business partner just happened to be in the area when we conducted our anti-organized crime raids."

"Bull." Xavier knew there wasn't anything that simple.

"Inspector, with all due respect, I already told you that I'm here on legitimate business."

Inspector Hasprin leaned forward placing his hands on the table.

"Mister Synik, may I call you Xavier?" He paused for a moment as Xavier nodded. "Thank you. Now Xavier, I believe you when you say you were here to do legitimate business, but do you really expect me to believe that it was the only thing you were here for?"

The inspector reached slid a datapad in front of Xavier.

"So you really expect me to believe that this man," he tapped the datapad, "has become a respectable businessman."

Xavier looked down at the pad and scanned the information on it. It was a record from his stay in a prison facility on some Rim world he couldn't remember. He'd been captured and arrested under the charge of conspiracy and genocide.

"Inspector, I realize this might be hard for you to believe, but that man does not exist anymore."

The inspector began to chuckle.

"Come on now Xavier, do you really expect me to believe that. What were you charged with anyone?"

"You've obviously read the file. You know that I was charged with conspiracy against the government and mass murder." He quickly scanned the pad. "Oh look. They left out the part where they mention that I helped the new government that put me away overthrow their former oppressive government and instead of paying me they decided to throw me in prison."

Xavier stopped and leaned back in his chair and looked at the inspector as he began to speak again.

"And this is where your business partner comes in?"

Xavier let out a slow breath.

"Oh... Well yes I guess that's the first time you could say we actually dealt with each other."

"What the frell is going on?"

[Emelie Shadowstar]

"Of course I know him. What sort of laser-brain question is that?"

The datapad that had been tossed on the table in front of her was easily enough glanced over. Familiar story that she'd read over at least once before. Though details, like what the charges had been held against the man were, had once more been skimmed over and practically ignored.

"So you know his past?"

The still nameless inspector leaned over the still seated woman and placed a hand on the table next to where he had placed the pad. It was moderately intimidating but Emelie couldn't help but shrug it off. She'd had bigger, scarier individuals try the same towering-over-you tactic on her before. Though admittedly it happened in bars, and the man was usually making some sort of rediculous proposition than accusations.

"Some of it. Not that it really matters. Past is the past."

"Even given his record?"

"He's moved on from all that nonsense and frankly that's all that matters to me. I could care less about his past, who he used to be, or what trouble he used to be in. Everyone has skeletons in their closet in this day and age."

The words came out cooly and in that same unimpressed tone she'd been holding with the man. Her annoyance if outright confusion about what this was all regarding was starting to get under her skin, but she'd be damned if she would let on to it. Emelie let a small shake of her head tussle her hair a bit as she sat up straight in the seat and looked at the pad once more. Only when the inspector spoke once more did she let her eyes leave it and looked back to him with a smirk holding on her lips.

"Ah, but Miss Shadowstar, what of the allogations that you were involved with part of that past?"

"Laughable."

"Oh...really?"

Another pad was dropped in front of her and the smirk dropped at the apparently image of herself inside of Salis D'aar Penitentiary on Bakura. The deep blue hair she had gave her a timeframe in her mind that instantly made her stomach twist, just a bit. She'd visited that particular prison a hand full of times, but only once had she gone when she'd gone and dyed her hair that particular odd color and sadly, it hadn't been for visiting one of the inmates she had known there.

"Oh. That."

"Yes Miss Shadowstar, that."

She eyed the pad a bit more before the smirk came to her lips.

"Really wish I knew where that dress went off to. Damn, I looked good."

Her little comment was met with laughter that only seemed to cause the inspector's expression to sour all the more. It was only after she let a small sigh pass from her lips did he slam his hand back down on the table in front of her.

"Miss Shadowstar. Would you please care to enlighten me regarding your involvement in the seemingly vanishing of this man from the penetentary?"

Every part of her wanted to just answer with a simple 'no', but that seemingly usually quiet rational part of her mind was telling her that the simple fact that all this was being brought up meant there was more to everything than just the silly raid they'd got caught up in. The ugly twisting sensation returned and she took a deep breath and straightened herself up once more.

"It really is a long story, deary. But if you simply must know, I guess I can go about recanting stories of my stupid teenage antics at you."

[Xavier Synik]

"So you want to tell me what my time in prison has to do with why your holding me?"

The inspector finally sat down across from Xavier. "No, not really."

The arrogant answer caused another scowl to cross Xavier's face.

"Your not going to tell me what I'm being held for are you." He sighed deeply. "Fine, then what the frell do you want?"

"Let's start with how you escaped from the prison, and what role Ms. Poe plays." Inspector Hasprin paused for a moment.

"Ms. Poe?" Xavier figured it had to have been one of Emelie's aliases that he didn't know about. One of many he was sure.

The inspector slid over several photos of Emelie. "Sorry, perhaps I should have said Ms. Shadowstar."

"Oh her..." Xavier looked over the photos before picking one up and staring at it for several moments. "Damn. Wonder where that dress is in the closet. Hope she still has it."

The inspector scowled this time and grabbed the photo away from him and Xavier stared at him for several minutes.

"Hey I was looking at that." His comment was met by silence. "Fine fine. The prison. Well I don't know, there's not a whole lot to explain.

Back then I was working with a partner. When I got put away he decided that he'd get me out. Not sure why, most Mercs would have just left me there to rot. Anyway, the story as I know it, he got in touch with her and paid her to bust me out."

The inspector leaned back and let out a slight grunt. "And that's it?"

"Well from my end, I mean what am I supposed to tell you, I mean I woke up in the morning, I ate, I did some exercise, I ate again, I napped, I ate again, I slept. And on the really exciting days they might let me out of my cage for an hour." Xavier stopped again. "So yeah, exactly what do you want me to say?"

[Emelie Shadowstar]

"Look when you're living credit to credit you take whatever frellin job is handed to you. I was doing private imports and exports at the time - small time, single object, single client - nothing like now. And yeah, I'll admit some of the things I got involved with weren't always on the up and up, but when you're nineteen and can't even afford a cigara you aren't about to be picky when it comes to what you run about doing. Some big-time Merc approached me to bail out his buddy. The pay was more than right and so I went for it."

The inspector looked less than pleased with her response to which Emelie could only roll her eyes slightly. If the big bully didn't want to believe the truth of it all, well, mostly the truth, then that was his problem.

"So...now that I've told you that little tidbit, you going to tell me why I'm here still? I've yet to hear you really charge me with anything, in which case-"

"You haven't told me anything, Miss Shadowstar. I already was aware of your involvement and I could care less about financial hardships you may have suffered in your youth. What I want to know is how some seemingly misguided teenage girl managed to infiltrate one of the most secure prisons on the outter rim and not only aid with the escape of one of its inmates but then manage to return to the exact same prison quite a few times afterwards to visit another one of those residing there without any sort of consequences for it all."

'Busted...' Her internal responce to the alligations came out in an overly childish manner and Emelie found herself once again biting the inside of her cheek. As the man finished his statement she forced herself to stop once more and for a moment batted her eyes at him in a feigned flirtation and almost completely sarcastic manner.

"You see the thing, inspector...there's really one thing you need to know about me..."

She purposely let the words linger for a moment and brought her cuffed wrists up from her lap and let them rest upon the table.

"...I have my ways."

A sudden sharp flick of her wrist showed the purpose as to why she'd kept them hidden from the inspector's view so far as the binders made a click and fell from their hold. The young woman smirked as she raised her now free hands into the air and wiggled her fingers at him in a slightly mocking manner.

"And you should always expect the unexpected."

[Xavier Synik]

The inspector scowled again. Xavier could tell that he was not impressed with the attitude that Xavier was showing him, not that Xavier cared.

"So what happened after she freed you?"

Xavier looked at him.

"Well I got on her ship, we left orbit, and we all lived happily ever after."

Xavier smirked as he watched the inspector's reaction. If he had been a cartoon character there would likely have been steam coming from his ears.

"Fine, you obviously mean our little run in that crime lord. Yeah should have figured someone would have picked up on that." Xavier sighed lightly. "Does anything in this galaxy go unnoticed anymore?"

It was a rhetorical question. Xavier knew enough to know that someone somewhere would have said something, or that there was some camera that they hadn't known about that filmed the whole thing, or whatever. He knew that if there wasn't then the intelligence communities of the galaxy would be out of jobs.

"Yeah fine. She got caught up in something that she thought she could handle. The history of it doesn't really matter. She ended up in a war with this Crime Lord," he paused and thought for a moment. "Still don't know what his name was...not that it matters anymore. I'm sure they got it right on his tombstone." Xavier stopped again. "Damn, I just ruined the whole story for you."

He chuckled lightly as he looked at the still unamused police inspector.

"Why don't you tell me anyway?"

"Geez. Do they make you sign over your sense of humour when you get your badge?" Another rhetorical question. Well it was as Xavier started again before the inspector could say anything. "She called me up out of the blue. Still no idea how she knew where to find me, or how she got through the security on my comm system, but she did. She asked me to come and give her a hand."

The inspector interupted him suddenly. "And you just oblidged her request for help?"

"Well yes. Mind you the fact that I had fronted her a very large sum of money to start her business and hadn't been repaid had something to do with it. I didn't need the money, but that wasn't the point. Someone was threatening an investment of mine and so I went."

"And that's the reason you went?"

"Well no. But do I really need to explain to you my thinking?"

"No Xavier, no you don't. Ms. Shadowstar is a very attractive young woman."

"Attractive young woman? Oh I was just going to say that I liked killing people, but your reasoning sounds much better." He paused. "So yes, of course, I went because well, you've already said it." He winked at the inspector before breaking out in laughter.

[Emelie Shadowstar]

"It got him into bed, didn't it? Oh...wait...guess you wouldn't really know that part."

With one hand propping her chin up and the other lackadaisically dangling the set of bracers, watching as they swung back at forth, Emelie was at a complete loss to the flabbergasted if not cross look the inspector was giving her.

"But he did kinda owe me for the prison thing. I mean it was only natural that I went and asked him to help on that Coruscant thing...And please, don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same if you had been in my position. I had no idea what I had gotten myself in to. Psh...Crime Lords. You think I would have purposely gone and put my business into trouble by dealing with such dren?"

Her hazel eyes looked over her shoulder at the man who now seemed almost transfixed on her. A slight glassiness had come over his own and she even dared to make a face at his silence, sticking her tongue out at the inspector just a bit.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. And so it all went smoothly. I didn't want to do anything but protect myself and maybe do the authorities in the area a favor by getting rid of one of their problem children."

The bracers were dropped to the table as a mischievous smile came to her lips. An almost flirtatious, predatory gaze set upon the one who seemed so determined to ask her about things that didn't quite seem to matter to her anymore.

"I even got shot doing it. Want to see the scar?"

For a moment the man's head seemed to nod before his eyes shut tightly and it became rather obvious he was biting the inside of his lip rather hard. A deep breath was taken by the inspector before he glared at the woman who only offered a slight pout in return before he rounded on her again.

"Cute trick there, Shadowstar...so, apparently the rumors of your linage are true."

"Why...whatever do you mean?"

The overly cutesy asked question even came with a small batting of her eyes.

"Zeltros, Shadowstar."

"What of it?"

The inspector gave a slight "hmph." to her responce as he looked over another datapadd before speaking again, his tone more certain of himself. It only continued the slight pout from the woman who had taken the opportunity to start playing with the bracers again.

"So, after the incident on Coruscant..."

"We slept together."

"That's not quite-"

"A lot."

"Miss Shadowstar if you please!"

The fact the man was practically shouting at her was perhaps the only thing that kept Emelie from continuing on, but it didn't stop the amused smirk from staying on her lips.

"After the incident on Coruscant...it says here you went essentially off the map for several months, showing up at various hotels."

"There anything wrong with that? We always paid, ordered room service, tipped everyone amazingly well...Don't tell me you have an issue with-"

"What I'm interested in, Miss Shadowstar is where you went before that."

"...I...I really don't know..."

"Yes you do."

"No. Really. I Don't."

The flirtatious glances faded and settled into a stare of almost utter loathing which almost seemed to be shared by the inspector who then turned back to his datapadd.

"Funny. That's not what your companion had to say about it."

[Xavier Synik]

"She told you about that?" Xavier couldn't believe it. "She told you about Vjun?" He stopped for a moment and thought about it. "Pi hua. She doesn't even talk to me about it. There is no way she told your partner."

He thought he noticed a smirk cross the inspector's lips but it only lasted a fraction of a second. He was right. Emelie hadn't said anything, but somehow someone had talked. And there were only a few people who knew what had happened.

This disturbed Xaiver a great deal. No matter which way he looked at it the quck answer he could come up with is the fact that someone within their inner circle had betrayed them. He filed that away. It wasn't something he could deal with now, but he would look into it as soon as they got off this rock.

He stared at the inspector for several more moments before finally talking again. "Fine. Since you seem to know more then you should, why don't you just save us some time and tell me what you need and I'll fill in the blanks."

The inspector smiled. He'd accomplished throwing Xavier off balance by showing him that he had information that he wasn't supposed to have.

"Well Xavier, I know that Emelie was kidnapped, tortured, and nearly killed. I also know that you went after her and three months later your suddenly the owner of a large company and no longer fighting other people's battles."

Xavier let out a long breath before speaking again.

"You've got the broad strokes. I guess the biggest peice your missing is the who." He paused. "You see, apparently my former mercenary partner decided that he didn't like sharing. Neither the money or time. He felt that I was losing us money and not taking enough jobs because I was spending more time away from the battlefield. So long story short, he made me choose. Our partnership, or Emelie's life." Xavier stopped again. "And well you seem like a smart man, so I'm sure you can figure out which decision I made."

He leaned back in his chair and fidgeted slightly and uneasily. It wasn't quite as a forbidden subject to him as it was to Emelie, but it was definitely not one of his favourites.

"So enough about that. What else do you want to know about me inspector? Though I still fail to understand what we have done to be detained like this."

"Xavier, who said you are being detained? We're just talking here."

"So Inspector, your telling me that I can get up walk out of this room?"

"No Mr. Synik you can't." The inspector paused. "I guess that does resemble being detained doesn't it?"

A scowl returned to Xavier's face.

"The what the frell do you want?"

[Emelie Shadowstar]

The haughty confidence she'd managed to hold the entire time was wavering. The flirtatious half smile had been replaced with a rather cold stare that was focused upon the wall opposite of her. Her posture has slumped to one side, putting her weight upon her elbow as it rested upon the arm of the chair, her thumb nail resting against her lips as the other hand was busy twisting a strand of her hair tightly around a finger. And every nervous tick that seemed to show only caused the man she was essentially trapped with to be more sure of himself, more aggressive in his wording.

"I see, so you don't remember any of it?"

Emelie looked away from the wall and shot a bit of a glare at the man, not exactly the most helpful of responses to the question.

"You mean to tell me that you don't remember being tortured for...how many days was it? Two?"

More silence and the woman turned back to the wall.

"Ah, no, I guess you wouldn't remember such a thing. Interestingly enough, Miss Shadowstar it doesn't appear you have any scars from that altercation, now do you?"

"Shut up..."

The sentiment was whispered, though if the inspector heard or not seemed unclear as he spoke up again.

"So what exactly did he do to you, anyway?"

A cruel smile appeared on the inspector's face as he sat on the table and smirked at the woman.

"Completely off the record that is...I'm just curious as to if you broke or not. Certainly doesn't seem to have affected you. Torture really is such a broad subject, so many possibilities..."

A small fidget as her hair was wound tighter, tugging at her scalp just enough to cause a small bit of pain. The man stood up again and walked behind her once more.

"...I personally have always read that when it comes to really getting what you want that removing a person's limbs is often the best method. I've even heard of some individuals starting with fingers, cutting them off one-by-one."

More silence as Emelie couldn't help but let the hand against her mouth fall to the table, fingertips beginning to drum against the surface one at at time and she paused as only her pinky remained on the table. The cybernetic implant was there for pure vanity, it wasn't a necessary digit, and while Emelie had spared no expense to have the implant look identical to the rest of her fingers, to have it be completely normal, it always was anything but normal in her mind whenever she was made aware of it. She hated being made aware of it.

"But you wouldn't know anything about that, now would you, Miss Shadowstar?"

The question followed by the man's laughter had her mind working in hypder-drive once more. He knew. She had no idea how, but he did. Apparently knew far more than he was letting on and it made her skin crawl a bit. Just who was this guy?

"I do find it rather funny how that all ended. Saved you, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Heh...and you trust him, do you?"

Her head nodded slightly.

"You really shouldn't."

"And what makes you say that?"

With the topic of the worst of what happened on Vjun behind them she found herself able to speak once more, albiet a bit softer than before.

"Well, do you really think he saved your life because he...well...likes you? Because he wanted to be a hero? You realize that he gave up the information on your little visit to Vjun in exchange for more information on you, don't you? Specifically on your time at the Kalresh Institute, as well as your recent dealings you've been conducting that he was unaware of."

The annoyed stare turned into a sudden questioning look that was directed right back at the inspector. Emelie couldn't help but feel that the man was bluffing, he had to be. It wouldn't be that hard to look up her name in old records and obtain the information about her childhood, but the other things...there was no way they'd know...could they?

Seeing the sudden almost nervous look in her eye the inspector grinned triumphantly.

"Men like that don't change, Emelie. He's just been using you..."

Her name. Why'd this piece of go-se have to go and use her name? It was a trick she'd seen pulled before, always to try and gain her trust. It worked sometimes but she'd be damned to Dar'yaim if she'd let this one get away with it. But somehow his echoing of words she'd been told almost constantly over the last year of her relationship with her partner hit home somewhere in her head. And again, the change in her posture, the almost glassy look that came to her eyes as she was fighting back anger and frustration at it all, if not still attempting to shove back down the bad memories could easily be seen by the inspector.

"Emelie...Would you like to know why?"

[Xavier Synik]

"Let me put this a way that you'll understand." Xavier leaned forward and looked Inspector Hasprin squarely in the eye. "I don't... fucking... care!"

As he pushed away from the table Xavier let out a deep breath. The inspector had been trying to push his buttons all night, and it was starting to get to him.

"So you don't care that your girlfriend or whatever your calling her spent time locked up in the loony bin and didn't tell you about it?"

Another deep breath as he tried to control his emotions. Something that was becoming increasingly tougher. It wasn't the questions that was bothering him. It was the complete lack of any point to why they were still there that was getting to him.

"How many ways do I need to tell you that? I don't care about her past. I don't ask her questions about it, and she doesn't know everything about mine either." With another deep breath Xavier decided that it was time to turn the tables on the man across the table from him. "Let me ask you a question Inspector... Are you married?"

He watched as the inspector nodded to the affirmative.

"And does she know about your past in all it's glory or infamy?" He paused but not long enough to feign that he was going to let the man answer before starting again just as he was opening his mouth. "No I didn't think so. Nor does she know about how you can afford such a gaudy, but I assume very expensive, watch on a cops salary does she?"

He watched as the inspector began to stutter and search for an answer. The sudden change in the interview had caught him off guard. He was used to being the one asking the tough questions, not the one being asked.

"Don't even try to deny it. Please, did you really expect that I wouldn't pick up on something like that? My life depends on noticing the subtleties, it's how I've stayed alive, both on the battlefield and in business. You do a good job with the cheap suit. Let's you fit in with the rest. Too bad the watch doesn't. And I'd say that it was a gift, but I seriously doubt that. Nobody would buy something that outlandish for anyone but themselves."

Xavier leaned forward in seat and looked at the inspector again with a look of sheer anger. The time for jokes was past.

"It's time to answer some questions yourself inspector. And you have two choices. You can answer them here, in the safety of the police station, but within earshot of your law enforcement brethren...who I'm sure are going to be rather unhappy to learn that they have a dirty cop on their hands... Or we can do this later. Your choice."

He knew he didn't need to elaborate on his last comment, Hasprin seemed bright enough to know what he meant, and more over to know that it was likely not a smart choice, even for a cop.

[Emelie Shadowstar]

Long gone was the semblance of hints of coquettish mannerisms as Emelie regarded the inspector who once more was sitting across from her. Instead it was replaced with a hate filled stare that perhaps had a twinge of curiosity to it. Despite all that had been said, and even the voicing of her own paranoid thoughts she still felt certain that there was little the man in front of her could say to tear down her trust in her partner...no...her lover, her confidant.

She realized the man across from her must have been seeing things exactly how most did, the two of them as nothing more than business partners who shared each other's beds. And perhaps it was that illusion of instability that saved the both of them some times. You start letting the universe know exactly what you meant to another person and rather than trying to drive a wedge between the both of you they'd often resolve instead to use the other's well-being against you. Someone had already tried that and Emelie learned that lesson the hard way.

So instead she listened, or at least pretended to listen while the inspector across from her spoke.

"You see Emelie? One day that bounty on your head is going to hit the level he wants...and then...well then you will see exactly what men like that are really made of."

"I know."

Her response came quick, precise, stabbing into the air after she'd been quiet for the while. It caught the inspector off guard which in turn caused the smirk to reappear on her lips as she leaned forward and interlaced her fingertips together and propped her elbows up on the table.

"I have known. Though you see, inspector...I don't plan on letting him get that far. Because, well, what do you think my plan was for getting involved with him in the first place?"

Definitely not the answer the man had expected from her and he seemed genuinely taken aback by the 'confession' that she had plans to turn on her partner. It was probably a bad idea to go down that route, especially if they called her bluff, but part of her couldn't help but feel satisfied at least with the somewhat horrified expression she'd managed to get out of the inspector, even if it only had lasted a second or two.

"So now that you know my big secret, how about I start asking you a few questions..."

Good, she had him where she wanted him now...at least, that was until he closed his eyes and canted his head to the side slightly. Bastard was wired! She had no doubt that the entire conversation was being listened in on by someone, but until that moment she hadn't even suspected that he'd been getting orders or tips from that someone, or someones. The inspector's composure returned quickly.

He slid back in his chair and stood up.

"I have nothing further to say to you, Miss Shadowstar."

"Aww...I'll miss our little fun time."

A small scoff left the man, one that spoke that he was aware of something she certainly wasn't before she could hear the door behind her slide open and a exchange of footsteps as her nameless inspector was replaced with someone else.

Emelie straighted up in her seat once more, continuing to let the slightly cocky smile stay with her. She listened to the soft breathing of whoever had just come in behind her and there was an almost tangible sensation of unease, almost anger, that she caught a slight feeling for. The empathic abilities of her mother's race weren't completely foreign to her, but it wasn't nearly strong enough to give her a full idea of what the person with her was feeling. Though the bit she could pick up on was disquieting. A deep breath was taken from the person behind her.

"Hello Emmy."

And with the single utterance of a deep male's voice the color drained from her cheeks, breath caught in her throat, and her heart sank.

"...Hi Jimmy."

[Xavier Synik]

Inspector Hasprin suddenly looked deflated sitting across the table from him, and Xavier was somewhat surprised at the reaction. Someone who was confident in their actions did not get deflated by something so quickly.

"So who is it Inspector?"

The inspector let out a long sigh and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"I don't know his name. Well his real name at least. He kept calling himself John." The inspector paused for a moment. "I might be a cop on some forgotten planet, but even I'm not stupid enough to believe that. Anyway he showed up a couple weeks ago. Gave me a hundred thousand Imperial credits to have you and your partner detained. Said he'd give me another hundred for any information I could get out of you."

Xavier looked at him. His mind was racing. It made sense now why the inspector folded so quickly. He wasn't used to being bought off. That was good news for him, it meant that the inspector also wasn't used to making up lies to cover his ass.

"Why did he care about us? And how did he know we'd be here when we were?"

"I don't know. I figured he was a competitor who was looking to steal the business you were here to do and had been tipped off by your contact here."

Xavier had to concede that it was possible. The Silenus Corporation was a new player in the galaxy, and they really hadn't been around long enough to make any enemies, well any new enemies, but anything was possible he supposed.

"Anything else you can tell me about John?"

The inspector looked to be thinking for a moment. "Only that he seemed more interested in your partner then you. Actually told me that I should interogate you seperate from her."

Xavier scowled again. He may not have known all of Emelie's past, but he knew that she had made as many, if not more, enemies then he had.

"Here's the deal Inspector. I'm going to keep my mouth shut about your sudden financial windfall, and your going to let me and Ms. Shadowstar go right now. How does that sound to you?"

The inspector didn't answer with words, but rather got up from the table and made his way to the door opening it and motioning Xavier to it.

[Emelie Shadowstar]

For a while nothing was said and then with a bit of a stumbled laugh Emelie put the bracers back on her wrists and held her hands up above her head to make sure the man standing behind her could see what she'd done.

"Look just like last time, only reversed! Funny that, huh?"

"Cute."

"I thought so. Don't suppose you brought the vibroblade though? Though will be interesting to see how you plan on going about talking me into cutting my own throat."

Emelie let a cruel laugh leave her and finally turned in the chair to face the blond-haired boy across from her, eying the large scar that ran just under his chin before moving on to the rest of him. He was in a dark blue dress shirt, striped, but had seen far better days. So had the pair of slacks he was wearing...and the sneakers. Was somewhat disquieting to see him in civilian clothing.

"You look like dren, James. Aint you supposed to be dead?"

It was funny how suddenly the proper basic was switched for one with a slight accent that spoke of her former days. Boy always did have that affect on her.

"Nah, the doc patched me up real quick. Apparently I didn't go as deep as you thought I had."

"You sure did make an awful mess, though."

That comment for some odd reason set the man off laughing and caused her to follow for a few moments before the blond moved from behind her and took up the empty seat, propping his feet up on the table between them.

"So...suit's the newest play thing, eh? What happened to that kid who was workin for the Slugs?"

"Got tired of him."

"Big surprise there."

Another small, but far more uncomfortable set of laughter from the both of them before James swung his legs off the table and leaned forward.

"You gonna try and off this one too?"

"Maybe."

"Want I can do it for you right now. Just gotta tell my man with him and it's kkkkrrrrrkkktt."

The noise was accompanied by a dragging of his finger along the scar on his neck. The threat was treated rather blandly, bluffed and betted on the fact that James wouldn't have it in him to call for such a thing. Then again...sitting across from the person who essentially had attempted to kill you could do funny things to a mind.


"What do you want, Jimmy?"

"You."

He hadn't skipped a beat and it somewhat unnerved her.

"Play time is over, sweetheart. You and I aint two punk kids stealing from orderlies and doing what teenage kids do when they get bored anymore."

James let a bit of a laugh leave him and then stood up again and ran a hand through that scraggly blond mop on his head and then looked back at the Emelie.

"You really don't get it do you? ...So...I can off the suit? You know...eye for an eye and all."

"If you think that'll settle the debt. He don't mean that much to me, same as you."

It was a lie, a rather cruel one she almost even convinced herself of as she'd said it. Then there was a moment where their eyes met and the man's muscled tensed. It was one of those looks Emelie was familiar with, especially with this one, that kind that somewhere in the back of his head he was contemplating strangling her or something similar. And then he rose a hand to an ear piece and his eyes widened for a moment.

"Oh you have gotta be frakkin kidding...well Emmy, looks like your boyfriend gets to play hero again. Wish I could say I'm sorry about that."

And before she could even really ask what was going on James had gone and pulled out a blaster, looked to be a DL-22 from what Emelie could see before the man had gone and grabbed her by the shoulder and tugged her out of the chair and pulled her back into the cell more. Was an uncomfortable position to be in...James standing behind her with one arm around her neck, just tight enough to be uncomfortable while his other hand was busy pushing that blaster against the side of her head as hard as possible.

"You're frellin crazy you know that, right?"

"We did meet in a nuthouse, Emmy."

"Guess you got a point."

[Xavier Synik]

Xavier was walking behind the inspector as they moved through the halls of the police station. In a way he was somewhat surprised to find that it actually was a police station; he'd half expected to find that they were actually being held in a warehouse or something as similarly unseemly.

"She's just down here." Inspector Hasprin said pointing to the end of the hall and motioning to the right indicating that they would be going right at the "T" at the end.

Xavier was content to follow him until he passed a door that was faced with a sigh that read "Viewing Room", and suddenly his mind was back in the room he had been in looking at the large two way mirror that was along one wall.

Stopping dead in his tracks Xavier called out to Hasprin, "Inspector? Does this room look into the other?"

The inspector nodded a puzzled look on his face, but before he could even as Xavier why he was asking the door was open and Xavier was pushing his way in.

What appeared before him didn't totally surprise him. Nothing a plan gone wrong to make someone improvise, and whoever was in the room with Emelie was certainly doing that. But what had obviously been an attempt to put Xavier at risk when he entered the room had now put the blond haired man at the disadvantage. The man was now standing with his back against the mirrored wall staring directly at the door while he held the blaster to Emelie's head.

"How much is he paying you again?" He didn't even move from the sight in front of him

"Two hundred and fifty thousand credits." The inspector said. A lie that didn't bother Xavier. His mind was racing, formulating a plan, and in reality the Hasprin could have pretty much named a number and Xavier would have reacted the same way.

"I'll give you seven fifty." He said flatly, not seeing as the inspector suddenly struggled to pick his jaw off the floor.

"F-f-for what?" The voice was now filled with a mixture of timidness and greed.

"For you to do two things. Firstly, your going to leave this room walk around the corner and tell your former employer that I left the station. If he asks about why I left her behind, come up with something about her being expendable and needing a scape goat."

Xavier turned as the Inspector started to nod, a hint of fear crossing his face as he realized that he might be shot as soon as he opened the door.

"You should probably announce yourself before going in." Xavier said practically reading the mans thoughts.

Again a nod, but this time with a bit more confidence. "And the other thing?"

"Dear Inspector, as you have to ask. It should be quite obvious...". His words were met with a puzzled look. A look which was returned by an icy stare as the instincts honed in his past life resurfaced. "I want your blaster!"

[Emelie Shadowstar]

"This is kinda fun isn't it?"

"I really could think of better things to be doing..."

"Well if it wasn't for the plan being jacked up that table could probably support the both of us."

"Ha! In your dreams. You've gained weight since Salis D'aar."

Despite the situation, and probably rational thought, the two of them were talking...well, like friends. The laughs were real, the sentiments definetly far from joking and it really only seemed to add to the strangeness of the situation.

"So when you'd go and make your hair this horrid blend of color?"

"Hey...I like it."

"Pinks a shade shy of red, you know."

"Oh frak off, Jimmy."

She was beginning to regret putting herself back in the bracers. If her hands had been free she probably could have gotten out of the situation herself. But an elbow to his chest would probably just result with him pulling the trigger and that wasn't exactly the end she wanted.

Just as both were setting themselves up for another round of banter the door chimed just before a voice spoke a quick "It's Hasprin". James rolled his eyes as the door opened and pushed the end of the blaster harder against Em's head.

"Ow you, Leng xue za zhong, stop jabbin me! I aint going no where."

"Shaddup Emmy." James eyed the Inspector, obviously annoed. "Well?"

"I had to let him go, John. He started bringing up lawyers and..."

Both the younger criminals in the room looked a bit at a loss for words.

"Now why would he go and leave without her?" Another jab of the blaster at her head and Emelie suddenly couldn't help but continue thinking of all the horrible things she was going to do to this boy once he let her go.

Hasprin let a bit of a shrug come to his shoulders. "Said she was expendable..."

James started to laugh.

"Oh good job, Em! You got yourself one that went and pulled one over on you before you could get him. And I didn't even get to talk to the guy...that's a frakken crying shame right there."

She wasn't impressed, nor was she buying what the inspector said. At least, that's what she kept telling herself amidst that rising sensation of panic and sickening feeling of What if he's telling the truth...? She didn't want to show those doubts outwardly...but they were expecting her to play into this hand and so even if it was just a couple seconds late (could make it seem like it took a few to sink it) she let a bit of a horrified gasp leave her.

"That...that piece of...ruttin...he...he...left me?"

And then came the waterworks. Sniffles at first before she faked that heart breaking moment that really was just too perfect. And as much as she was fooling some part of herself, it was passing and James couldn't have seemed more amused.

"Oh for frak's sake...you liked this one? Tough on that one, I suppose. But no worries Emmy, he's really better off without ya." Another small bit of cruel laughter before James looked back to the inspector "So...I get to walk out of here all nice and easy like we agreed, right? And no records are gonna be here about this silly frop, right?"

[Xavier Synik]

Xavier had been listening to the conversation from behind the two way mirror. He was happy that the inspector had done as he had instructed. When a man was willing to take money there was never any guarantees that they would not just double cross you and try and get more money out of their original employer.

He even smirked slightly as Emelie started playing into the plan... or at least she seemed to be playing into the plan.

"...And no records are gonna be here about this silly frop, right?"

His eyes narrowed, his opening was likely coming, and finally he raised the DC-15s that he had taken from the inspector and leveled it at the blond man who's grip on Emelie had slowly started to ease off.

His gaze was focused directly down through the sights, but in his peripheral vision he could see Hasprin nod.

"Good." The man said. He finally let Emelie go from his grasp and she moved out of the way just enough to have the blaster move away from her head. And that was all that Xavier needed. Pulling back slowly on the trigger the bolt of charged plasma hissed from the pistol, leaving a smoking hole in the mirror it impacted on the man's right shoulder, causing his arm to fall limp, the sudden thud of his blaster hitting the floor enough to cause Xavier to let his vision open up again from it's focus. He didn't fully move until he saw the inspector move toward the man and the fallen blaster.

As soon as the inspector had picked up the blaster Xavier left the observation room and headed for the interigation room and was almost bowled over by a couple of uniformed officers who had heard the shot.

As he entered the room the inspector was already instructing the uniformed officers to place the blond in hand shakles.

"Put him in holding. Charges are pending for possession of a illegal weapon and forceful confinement." Hasprin said to the other officers.

Xavier had walked over to Emelie and taken the shakles off her wrists, not saying anything to her, but giving her a reassuring look.

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out credit chip and flipped it to the inspector.

"Inspector. Don't forget bribing a police officer."

Xavier smirked and wrapped his arm around Emelie's shoulder and led her toward the door.

"Ready to go home?"

[Emelie Shadowstar]

It was strange to Emelie...how some moments could take forever, how they lingered and crept upon the brain until they overstayed their welcome...and how others seemed to vanish before you could even comprehend what had occurred. This...was one of the later. One minute she was being made uncomfortable and almost resolved to the fact she'd be decking Jimmy as soon as she could undo those gorram bracers...and the next, the silly boy was screaming about his shoulder before a bunch of fuzz ran in and clobbered him.

And then the purely unreasonable (at least to part of her messed up mind) happened and the person she somehow despite all reasoning actually gave a frak about was there. The reassuring smile was met with a soft demure, almost joking smirk that came behind tear-stained eyes and that was about the most of a 'thank you' he would ever get out of her for that moment. It was one of those looks that most would have passed over, not even noticed, not even thought twice about...but it was one of those silly glances that Xavier would know. He'd seen it often enough to know when she was playing something off or being serious....again it was the later and there was no doubt in her mind he, above all, would know that difference.

Maybe that's why his arm had gone around her shoulder. Or maybe not. Maybe she was making too much of it. Either way it was the first time she'd actually show any sort of emotion towards him in that subtle way of gently leaning into the hold, of closing her eyes for a split second, of allowing herself that moment of complete and total security. Going from having a blaster to your head to suddenly being in the arms of your lover was certainly an odd thing. And then the question came about in that half-hazard manner that showed that Xavier probably was still playing his usual part...cool, calm, collected, focused (it drove her mad some days with his lack of emotion he could put into things).

"Yeah. This place bores me. And the company is just completely rude."

She flashed a smile to James...and then to the inspector who had been with her earlier as he was now entering to join in to see what all the fuss was about.

"Never learned manners from their mother's, I suppose."

It was about the best she could make come from her in the moment as she cast a smirk back at the players and let herself be lead out of the room. Frak it all, she'd have to go about figuring it all out now...who squealed...who employed her former friend...but for now...well for now she was going to enjoy that feeling of 'You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting' that was coming as Xavier lead her away. Yep. She didn't miss Jimmy at all. Poor sod was better off when she'd thought she'd offed him.