whatifs

[Chris]

Cyva sits behind his desk staring at a stack of papers that normally would have been finished hours ago. The pen lies on the floor leaking ink, but he doesn't notice. For days he has been quieter and less cheerful than usual, often so deep in thought that even a fambaa could sneak up on him.

[Vexica]

At that same time.....

Vexica stops her speeder just shy of the edge of a forest. She streches quickly as she pulls off her back pack. She pulls out a small round metal ball out of her pack. She speeks a few words soflty to the ball and it jumps to life taking to the air waiting for orders. Quickly she pulls a small bio scaner out of a hidden pocket, she holds it up for the tracker droid to read. And just as quick its off searching for its target. Vexica kneels in the soft dirt of the forest listening to the sounds, not for pleasure but for the sounds of unwelcome company.

A few minutes pass before her comlink starts to flash. She opens it to see a small plantary map with a small flashing blip. "Well that's not to far away from here." she says to her self quietly. After putting her comlink away, she climbed abord her speeder and headed off in the direction that the tracking droid gave as the marks last location. Her speeder burst out of the trees on to the small grassy plains of Naboo. Heading full throtle she was making good time. She felt the excitement build in her as the wind rushed over her Lekku. There was always the excitement before the kill. This mark was like no other though. It was not for the money this time, as it had been in the past.

The location that was given by the droid was on the beach. A good distance away Vexica stoped her speeder and turned it off. Slowly getting off she ran over in her mind how she was going to handle this mark. Looking to the sky she noted the postition of the sun, It was in her favor. Should the mark look in this direction it would be hard for him to see anything. She then unpacked her laser carbine and gave it a quick run down to make sure that it would function properly. Feeling confident that it would she slung it over her sholder and grabed her Ubese armor helmet and gloves. Slowly she made her way to an area that was a good distance away from the mark but where she could see him. She knew at that moment that he was unaware of her presence and would be an easy target.

Kneeling down on her helmet, she tugged her gloves on and flexed her hands to make sure they were snug. She pulled her carbine from her sholder and put the mark in her sights. So peaceful he looked. She wondered if he knew how his life was going to end? He sat unmoving, gazing at the ocean. Vexica held her position for a long time before putting her finger on the trigger. The mark still sitting, unmoving, basking in the sun. The oceans waves crashing on the shore was beating in rhythm with the blood in her ears. Life was moving all around her, the waves, the wind, the grass at her feet. And she was about to take a life. Such a simple thing she had to do, just squezze. He still sat unmoving, gazing at the ocean. Her finger squezzed back on the trigger. Holding her finger on the trigger, watching the mark. "So easy." She thought. The mark, unmoving, gazing at the ocean. So pure and clean, the ocean takes care of all things. The crashing of the waves beating on the beach was the only sound now she could hear. She took her finger off the trigger. And slowly lowered her weapon. Her gaze moved from the mark to the ocean.

Sighing heavly, she set her carbine down in the grass and took off her gloves. She stood up and started walking twards the mark. He still sat, basking in the sun watching the ocean. As she got closer he turned his head and gave her a warm smile. All the feelings that she had been repressing came flooding back to her at that moment. That smile. It was always enough. Vexica stood for a minute unable to say anything.

"Hey Vex, beautiful day out. What are you up too?" the mark said with a smile on his face.

"Not much, you know just this and that. How are you doing today Victor?".....

[Zenith]

How quickly some things change he thought… in a moment a mark can turn from the hunted into the hunter.

Passions are usually to blame for things like that. Fear of loosing ones life or something close to yourself can make you do strange things.

“Strange things…” Victor spoke, a whisper in reality, but a yell within his mind the words calling to him to try to focus on recent events and try to make some sense of them. So far he had failed. With all that had happened of late and the unsure footing he now walked on only seemed to add to the words he whispered.

Breaking him of his reverie came an unsure feeling… something he usually only felt if he was the hunted.

A queer smirk rose on his face, as he once again whispered “Strange things…”.

Few moments passed, moments that would have defined an ending of a life, but no ending came instead footsteps upon the sand began closing towards him. Life on Tatooine had given Victor the ability to listen for the slight shifting of sand trampled underfoot and that self-taught training had not gone to waste. With further scrutinizing one would be able to tell weight and build by the depressions in the sand… that is, if weather permitting the footsteps were allowed to remain. Even though Victor did not have the chance to go through the observations to make such deductions from the footprints, however he still knew who approached…

The times they had spent together alone on a beach under moonlit skies had given Victor the knowledge to know who approached him now.

When she had finally closed the distance he slowly turned his head… and smiled.

“Hey Vex, beautiful day out. What are you up too?” The smile never left his face… even though he could tell this meeting on the beach was markedly different from the other times.

“Not much, you know just this and that. How are you doing today Victor?” Her voice betrayed little to an unfamiliar ear… to Victor being unfamiliar with her voice was not an option. Something else was in her voice and edge or anger… ‘Strange things’ with a slight smirk he thought to himself.

Silence from the two figures on the Nabooian beach was only interrupted by the life sounds surrounding them… the crashing of the waves against the soft warm sands, the wind that gently flowed across everything. And the smells as well subtly made their presence known… even though she never wore perfume when she hunted a mark, Victor’s sense of smell betrayed him and placed the false fragrance of her favorite perfume within his mind. Simply put as before her presence added intoxication to the peace that now surrounded them.

Slowly Victor drew a Kesslestix out of its container and lit it… its pungent aroma allowed him the reprieve to remove the false perfumes that had controlled him.

“I come her to feel the sand… “ A slow indifferent chuckle rose and fell from Victor. “To remind me of my time on Tatooine… time that was spent doing things that good people shouldn’t have too do.”

Vexica’s standing form shifted quickly almost as if recalling something from their shared pasts… but quickly she regained control and her façade fell around her again.

The silence between them came back, this time longer and more defining. Victor finished his previous Kesstix and reached for another offering one to Vexica.

As he lit the Kesslestix he spoke.

“Why didn’t you shoot…?”

[Vexica]

"Why..what?" She said with a shocked tone in her voice. Victor just looked at her as he lit his second Kesslestix .

With a heavy sigh Vexica said. "I....I had a change of heart."

Still holding the Kesslestix that Vic had given her she sat down in the sand next to him. He offered a her a light and she accepted. A long moment of silence passed between them.

"I know how you feel about Kelnica. I..I can see it in your eyes." She quickly took a drag to hide the emotion in her voice. She knew that Vic would have cought it anyways. "I just can't stand it any longer, I thought that....thought that getting rid of you would make things better, for me. I have done this thing for so long for others I just assumed that when the job was done the pain for them would go away. Well I don't think it dose...now."

Victor turned to look at her "I did not mean to hurt you Vex.." He said with heart felt emotion.

She put her hand on his arm. "Stop Vic, I don't think anything right now is going to help me. I just need time. I was not planing on returning from this outing. Not that I could have." She took another drag and exhaled. "I have left everything to Lexica, I left her a note as well. I know she is not going to understand, like you will. But please tell her I love her and that I am doing this out of love." Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand she got up. "One more thing Vic, keep an eye on my little sister. She still thinks that she can find her twin, and so far all she seems to get into is trouble." She faked a smile. One that Victor could see right threw.

She took one last drag off her Kesslestix and flicked it off into the sand, the ocean's lapping waves engulfed it and pulled it into the sea.

Watching Vexica stare at the ocean Victor could see the tears building up in her eyes.

"Take care of her Vic....or next time I will finish what I started." With that she turned to go.