It didn't take long or much urging to get Kal to take her back to his room for a drink. A small hint about "the good stuff" and within moments they were in Kal's quarters.
He lifted the stopper on the ornate decanter and took a whiff from the bottle. "Ah, the best Corellian brandy I could get my hands on out here." He began pouring dose into two snifters. "I'm sure they have much better stuff on Corellia, but out here you'd probably have to be much more powerful and influential than I am." He replaced the stopper and handed a glass to Anya.
She'd never really cared for the brandy from her homeworld. It reminded her too much of the place she was trying so desperately to leave behind. The memories she knew she could never outrun. Nevertheless, she took the glass and smiled, gulping down the liquor.
She walked over to the bed and sat down next to the pillows, then patted the spot next to her, indicating she wanted Kal to have a seat next to her. He did as she indicated.
Kal put his hand on her thigh and tried to lean in to kiss her neck, but she skillfully avoided his seeking lips, her years of experience making it seem almost accidental as she leaned back and turned her head as if she hadn't noticed his advance.
"I'm not dumb, Kal," she commented as she carefully slid her hand under one of the pillows. She found what she had suspected to be there. Very few criminals slept with out a blaster or weapon of some sort under their heads, or somewhere else within easy reach.
Kal, confused by her statement, didn't notice her subtle search. "What do you mean? I never said you were."
"Back in the lounge. You were bothered that we had taken care of your job already," she explained.
"I wasn't bothered. Honestly. I was just really surprised. Things must have been opportune for you two to strike so quickly," he said.
Anya noticed that he didn't look her in the eyes, and the Force told her that his pulse quickened with nervousness, although his outward demeanor appeared nonchalant.
She also noticed an unfamiliar presence outside of the doorway. It also seemed nervous and hesitant. She was about to dismiss it as a member of Kal's crew, unsure as if to disturb the boss at such a late hour, when suddenly 3 more joined the first. Now there were feelings of fear and determination as well.
Suddenly there were several more up and down the hallway. Somewhere in the background she heard Kal blathering on about who knows what. Some slick line to get her to stay the night no doubt, but Anay wasn't listening. She was wishing she hadn't left her lightsaber back in her own quarters.
Suddenly the the tension outside the door grew, and the door slid open. In rushed four people dressed in some sort of tactical gear decorated with Arkanian Security Forces insignia. They lowered their assault carbines to cover Anya and Kal as one of them spoke, "I'm Captain Farrell of the Ark-"
At the same instant, Anya summoned the Force and accelerated her movements, reaching under the pillow with one hand and drawing the blaster in Kal's holster with the other. She interrupted the speaker, jumping to her feet and blasting him with both barrels, the bolts striking him in the forehead.
Her movements had been so fast that no one had been able to react in time, and she flipped backward onto the bed just as the three other Security commandos triggered their first shots at the spot where she had just been standing.
Anya landed in a crouch and fired both blasters again, striking two of the other troops in the throat. From the corner of her eye she notice Kal rolling off the bed and diving toward his desk.
Anya dove forward as the last trooper fired again, trying in vain to track her quick movements with the barrel of his carbine. Anya hit the ground and rolled forward under the blast and came up right in front of the trooper, the barrel of her blaster pistol dug in where his throat met his chin.
She paused for a just a moment, letting the situation sink into the commando's consciousness and soaking in the terror and despair like a sponge as it oozed from her victim. Then she pulled the trigger.
Looking over at Kal who was just pulling another blaster from a desk drawer she said, "C'mon... and try to keep up."
First, she needed to get back to her room and get her lightsaber. I won't be caught without it again, no matter how safe I think I am, she vowed to herself.
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