Annikki took the picture back, contemplating it for a moment before slipping it back into its hiding place in her robe. She looked over at Eli. "Within the last two months. My source went silent." Her lip curled in a sneer. She left it up to Eli to assume what he wished, if he thought she had killed him, or otherwise.

So, he wanted to create a file. Annikki wasn't sure if she approved. In fact, she didn't. She supposed that right now she was glad he hadn't taken offense at her lack of palpable enthusiasm for the Emperor's power. He had died a long time ago. And he wasn't helping her with anything. "I serve the cause of justice alone." A light flickered in the depths of her eyes, "I leave goodness to others."

Safe haven? That sounded like safe house, or safe location... or codespeak for anywhere that one wouldn't leave easily. She had broken no law. Legally she was safe enough. And surely Brother Eli understood a personal grudge. "Create a file? I'm sure a secure location isn't necessary." An icy coolness ran through her voice and a certain hardness came into her eyes. "The meaning of 'safe' is lost on me. I avoid any 'safe' place on principle. Besides... this man is mine! I do not wish a competitor." The truth of the matter was that she'd find a way to ... remove ... anyone who got in her way.

*Two whole months? The trail was anything but fresh. But it was better than nothing. Brother Eli interpreted her sneer as bitterness over her source's inability to keep themselves alive. Probably got themselves killed over something stupid.*

"The cause of justice is good enough."

*At her protests about the dubious nature of any "safe" house, Eli shrugged before whirling on the 2 or 3 people in the nearly deserted tavern.*
"In the name of God, I command thee to depart!" *His booming voice and wide gesture with his arm were unmistakable as elements of mind dominating force power.* *The three individuals rose* "we will depart." *They left almost at a jog, their wills overcome by Brother Eli's power.*

*Turning back to Annikki,* "Then perhaps this location is private enough."
*Her next objection was almost cryptic. Brother Eli wasn't sure why this woman spoke such silly words. Competition? The inquisition never sought to rob anyone of their prey... unless they were so inept that success was almost certainly precluded by their bumbling.*
"Oh no, Miss Perala. The inquisition is not a pack of jackals; we do not steal the prey of lions. If anything we would be willing to render any assistant to you to make your efforts to kill this jedi more effective. This would include a Letter of Mark letting you freely travel between worlds administrated by the New Order of the Eye... among other things... it depends on how badly you want to kill this jedi. Do you want it bad enough?"

*Her tone seemed to indicate that this was a very intense matter, possibly personal. Eli's voice had a subtle mocking tone: he wanted to push her. If it was a sore personal matter, he needed to see it. Brother Eli wanted a sign that she was invested enough in the endeavor before he actually extended the Inquisition's help. He didn't want to see her earnestness, he wanted to see her deadly earnestness. What would she be willing to do to take this jedi?*

*An almost insanely spiteful pursuit of vengeance, even if it led to mutual destruction, was a beautiful thing...
Would she give her life if only to see this jedi suffer and die a horrible death?*

One eyebrow arched expressively as the cantina emptied of its occupants. Doubtless the barkeep would not be happy about that, but she paid him no attention. She nodded to Brother Eli as if to say 'very well.' Then, she returned to the table she had been sitting at earlier and deliberately sat down facing him, her back towards the wall behind her. And since there was nobody else in the place really, she snapped her fingers for the bartender and ordered a drink. No sense making him more upset than necessary, and she had already proven that she paid for her own drinks. Perhaps she should make Balderash her summer residence. A half-smirk broke over her face at that thought as she again spoke to the Inquisitor.

He was goading her, deliberately. So, considering the options available to her, she responded. And when she wanted to be, Annikki could be theatrical. Her fist clenched on the table, and a flare of her nostrils visibly indicated heightened breathing. "I have been hunting him for over nine years. He will not escape me, and when I find him, I will see the fear in his eyes as he remembers who I am, before he begs me for mercy. The mercy he did not show me."

And then again her voice hardened, fire flickered in the depths of her eyes. She calmly held out her hand and took the glass the barkeep brought her before imperiously motioning to him to go away. She took a calculated sip of the drink and then set the glass down on the table with a quiet, "clink." "He will not escape me Inquisitor. He can no longer run, his 'friends' are now his jailers and he is a documented experiment in failure." She smiled slowly. "However, I do not need your aid. One way or another, he is mine. You could probably make things harder for me, if you chose. Or easier, if you chose. Either way, my goal is the same. There is nothing now but going forward."

"Yes ma'am."
*The voice was unmistakable. The bartender was the tenor voice Annikki heard coming from the back room prior to Brother Eli's entrance. He shuffled over to their table, keeping out of Brother Eli's reach. His eyes were lowered to the ground and he didn't make eye contact as he took her order. He avoided Brother Eli's look of disapproval. Eli clearly disliked the fellow, and the barkeep was clearly terrified of Eli. After all, Eli had nearly blew his head off 15 minutes ago. He brought Annikki's drink and didn't need to be dismissed by Annikki. He retreated as quickly as possible, returning to his perch at the bar, washing and polishing glasses, wishing he was invisible.*

*As Annikki waited for the drink, Eli slowly reached into his coat and slowly pulled out a datapad. He moved slowly and deliberately so she would not be alarmed. She had been dropping enough unfriendly signals that Brother Eli knew she still considered him a possible foe. He put the datapad on the table.*



*Nine Years? Brother Eli wondered whether this reflected on Annikki's skill at hunting jedi. Wouldn't she have killed him by now? These were important points, but her heart seemed to be in the right place. This Jedi was indeed on Miss Perala's Sithspit-list. With this question answered, he moved on.*
**touching the datapad** "This Datapad will record our conversation, for the Inquisition's records. If we reach any agreement, this record will qualify as proper documentation, with your consent."

*Brother Eli poured himself another glass of whiskey, before picking up his Cigar from the ashtray where it languished. He produced a lighter and relit it while listening to Miss Perala.*
"Please, call me Brother Eli". **He tapped his cigar, and watched the ash drift down to land in the ashtray.* *In his southern accent:* "We seem to understand each other. You want to kill a jedi, Asch Ajerradan, and we want you to succeed. We certainly do not wish to hinder you. You have been on his trail for the past 9 years and it is high time this Heretic to answer for his crimes. You wish to exact revenge, and the Inquisition wishes to see justice done upon him. We want the same things. Now how might we help each other?"

Annikki watched Brother Eli narrowly as he reached into his robes and withdrew a datapad which he then placed on the table between them. Her fingers curled around the stem of her glass as she gently lifted it to her lips and took a delicate sip. Replacing the glass on the table, she ran her fingers through her hair before looking at him once again.

"I understand."

Nine years... he would probably be thinking that reflected incompetence on her part. However, it took time to warp a destroyed life into a new path and train to a level of proficiency in the skills needed to track down and kill a Jedi. It was better to be thorough. And the best revenge often did not follow immediately upon the commission of the crime. It was a dish that deserved to be savored. It was good to let the 'patient' think everything was going his way, and then at the last second reveal the hopelessness of his situation, see the fear in his eyes... oh yes, proper revenge required planning, savoring, and thoroughness. And Annikki had been thorough.

"How might we assist help each other?" She smiled slowly and leaned forward. "How reliable are your sources on the schematics of the Jedi Complexes on Osarian, Yavin, Corellia, and Coruscant?"

One eyebrow arched as Brother Eli burst into laughter. Annikki calmly took another sip of her drink, her oddly coloured eyes gazing at him steadily across the table. "I see. What a pity. Perhaps I can assist you then, if you want that operative checked up on."

She paused for emphasis. "I am on my way to Coruscant."

*The inquisitor confessor literally gasped. Because he was currently sucking on a Spiceweed cigars Brother Eli skillfully concealed his surprise in a fit of coughing.*
"Dam cigar. They must have been careless cleaning off the chemicals on this one." *He frowned as he rubbed out the remaining half of a perfectly good cigar. His left hand inconspicuously dropped from the table to instinctively rest on his quickdraw lightsaber holster at his upper right thigh. The public motion of rubbing out the cigar would draw Perala's attention; a simple misdirection that covered the private motion under the table.*
*Eli's face went blank.* *Lifeless. Stone. Unreadable. relaxed. plain.*

*That was one of the last things Brother Eli expected to hear from her. And that fact that Going to Coruscant had been something on his mind the moment before she spoke, made it suspicious. It instantly put him on guard. Prying in Inquisition affairs was dangerous. Prying in an Inquisitor's mind was... unforgivable.*

*Brother Eli performed a mental inventory to see if his mental barriers had been compromised; but they hadn't. Options. Options options. Options options options. Either this lady sitting across from Eli, calmly sipping her drink was a galaxy-class mind hacker, able to leave no trace of her passage (something Brother Eli believed to be impossible); or this was a coincidence, brought on by her ability to read a target's reactions. The second option was more likely...

Brother Eli knew the subject weighed heavily on him, but he had been careful to not betray that in the content of what he said, or in the delivery. He spoke nothing of troubles. Nothing of needing to check up on any operatives. That she was able to see the subtlest of indications of concern on Eli was incredible, and then guess that the operative(s) on Coruscant might need checking up on, was scary. Eli wasn't sure he liked the idea of traveling with someone that might be able to read him like that. The Inquisition would rather Brother Eli terminate himself, than inadvertently divulge any more Inquisition business.*


*Brother Eli attempted to put the conversation back on subject: Asch Ajerradan. He did not acknowledge that a "lag" was a deviation from normal, or might indicate an operative in distress or in need to be "checked up on".*

"On your way to Coruscant? Is that were your search for Asch Ajerradan is taking you next?"

*He felt a pain in his right hand before realizing his hand had a death grip on his lightsaber. He relaxed it, but kept it there, in case Miss Perala showed any signs of attempting to invade Brother Eli's mind.* *The plan was to slash upwards in a single arch that would cut the table and Annikki in twain, if he caught her trying.*

*An Inquisitor's mind was not to be invaded.*

Annikki had set her glass back upon the table seconds before Brother Eli broke out into a coughing fit. And as soon as that happened she was already reacting, rolling out of her chair and back to her feet away from Eli and the table. Her danger sense tingled. And her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, disheveled hair half-hiding her face. She leaned against the table behind her and reached up to brush her hair behind her ear.

"Poison?"

Easy enough to give as an excuse as he rubbed his cigar out. If he was under threat of being attacked her, then she could openly appear to assume the same for her. And it got her away from his immediate proximity.

"I believe that is what I said." Her reply was icy. She did not like repeating herself, and in this case, his question seemed out of place. Someone who hadn't been spending his life like Annikki had, hiding, fighting, ready always to be attacked might have overlooked what had happened. However, she was an experienced Sabaac player... and it was very important to be aware of where everyone's hands were, all the time. Slug thrower? Messy... but possible, perhaps. However, Brother Eli seemed more of the traditional type of 'religious fanatic'... his holy weapon was most likely a lightsaber. She had deftly placed herself out of immediate range. With a small gesture, her glass floated to her hand and she took another sip of her drink. "Coruscant." Her eyes were closely fixed upon him, watching.

"Poison? Yes. Chemicals. Pesticides, to keep the insects at bay." *Brother Eli lied.*
*With her out of range, a lightsaber was not the right choice. Brother Eli's unaccounted for hand appeared once more with Eli's lighter and another spiceweed cigar. It would appear as if the hand left the table for the express purpose of replacing the previous cigar.*
*The defensive implications of her actions were unmistakable. High strung. No, she wasn't invading his mind. She was too afraid of him to attempt such a thing. For one that had spent the last 40 years hunting jedi, burning heretics, Investigating enemies of the Empire, attacking, ambushing, interrogating, torturing, and anything necessary to further the holy mission of the Inquisition; I forgot where Eli was going with that... but anyway, he had plenty of real world experience to conclude the following. The fact that she reacted so strongly for a cough showed that she was not at ease, which is not something that one would do if they knew they were clearly superior. Brother Eli was again in his element. Had he actually been interested in doing her harm, she would not be safe where she stood. Brother Eli also knew that he was no safer from her, than she was from him. He regularly engaged in thought exercises to determine the best way to attack or dispose of a given individual, whether or not it was prudent to actually execute such hypothetical plans.
Brother Eli finally decided that he was finally comfortable with the idea of traveling with her. In the mean time, He might just start doing ambiguous actions, if only to screw with annikki. She seriously needed to settle down.*

No, what you said was that you were going to Coruscant. You did not say whether your visit there was relevant to the search for Ajerradan. What I asked was, Is that where your search for the jedi is taking you next? If so, then I ask how soon can you be ready to leave?