Ghost from the Past (Vexmun)

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

“Of course not.”

She’d heard those words, that gentle statement of fact, before her RELIC had gone active once more. Tango would remember that tone, those reassuring words, even if it didn’t seem she would. Victor had replied to her question then, and she nodded in return…those lavender eyes glinting with keen intelligence, but none of the soul that should have been there. It seemed she had been asleep for a long time…longer than was typically acceptable for her, especially in such a dangerous situation. With the authorities and Green Meadows looking for her…them…sleeping so long was a hazard. Tango trusted her partner, however, and if he felt that it was safe to let her sleep so long…well, she would just have to believe that he had a good handle on the situation. He wasn’t new to being an assassin, after all, and was fully capable of taking care of things. The fact that he was alive, after previously being thought dead, said enough for that to be perfectly true.

“This is likely our premium time to make our way to your ship with the repair parts you purchased.”

With a swift glance to the chronometer, Tango nodded once and untangled herself from the sheets before turning to pull on her boots once more.

Agreed. The ship is….

She pulled out a small datapad (which she had lifted from one of her previous ‘encounters’ body) from her belt and pulled up a map of the area, the active link showing where they were. Lavender eyes noted where they had come from and a veritable flurry of calculations skimmed through her mind. Nodding, she put it away before pulling her coat back on again and standing.

…approximately 24 clicks north, north-west of this position. We will be taking your speeder, correct?

It would certainly make the travel faster and they could ditch it if they had to as they got closer to the crashed ship. It would also be less suspicious to see a speeder at this time of night as opposed to two people walking about. This city wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of night life for the planet…not that the jedi controlled planet had much of a ‘night life’ anyway. Checking that she had everything she had come with, Tango paced toward the door and stood with one hand on the handle, waiting for him to be ready. With his ability to hit targets long range, it was prudent for him to go first and clear the way of any that might have similar weapons…she wouldn’t be far behind.

[Vex]

He saw the change come over her. It was interesting...trained to read people, emotions, facial ticks and other body language in order to keep an edge on his targets and be able to more easily get inside their defenses and complete his missions. Still, part of him felt disappointed that her chip had killed that relief, that tenderness that was coming from her. He'd found it...reassuring and enjoyable.

As she got ready, he moved around, searching the room for anything that they'd left, any sign or evidence that might be able to link them to their time here. It always paid to be careful, doubly so now that they were on the run with the Green Meadows there after them. Satisfied that everything was in its proper place, he proceeded to wipe down the surfaces that they'd touched so that there wouldn't be any fingerprints left behind.

Nodding at her words, he'd answer. "Yes. Given the time of day, it would be more conspicuous being on foot and our travel would be impeded by the parts your ship needs. It is logical and safer to use the speeder. We can cross the distance faster and without personal identification."

Once she was prepared and at the door, he'd nod his head. He pulled out both pistols, flipping them so he could hook his forefingers over the rear sights and pull the slides back, checking that they were already holding a chamber in the round. Satisfied, he'd move to the door, weapons in hand properly now. Knowing her as he did, he didn't even have to slow down as she opened the door to allow him out to scout the area.

Keen eyes searched from close on out, checking areas for potential ambush sites, places someone could lie in wait for them. He scanned the street quickly, ending with the rooftops. Nothing was making him feel at ease yet. With no sights to disturb him, he took a moment to listen as well. The sound of the Mustafarian night and its city sounds could be heard...and nothing else.

For the moment, he was placated, moving to the speeder. He gave it a visual search, looking around it, seeing if anything showed signs of tampering as he moved around it before getting close and checking the interior. Following that up with a search under it, he'd nod and unlock it, opening her door for her. Once she was in, he'd move around to his side and slide in. Turning over the engine, he'd pull off from the curb and beginning their travel north/northwest.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((please, for the love of my vision, stick to maroon ))

Even despite the RELIC Tango was relieved to have Victor around again. As she’d opened the door, he’d not skipped a beat in moving out and beginning his search. She’d stepped out after him, pulling the door shut silently with one gloved hand as the other reached for the concealed dagger at her belt. Keen lavender eyes swept the immediate area for assailants as he focused on the areas further out…areas she wouldn’t have been able to defend against as easily. Even as he turned his sights to the street and rooftops she listened intently for a moment and moved toward the speeder, keeping under the immediate cover of the upper walkway and as out of view as possible.

As he moved in that direction as well, she took his advancement as a sign that it was safe to move forward. Turning to gaze up at the upper walkway, she paced backward as he checked the inside of the speeder, her eyes sweeping over the upper floor for any danger he might have missed. Turning, she looked to him for the indication that the speeder had checked clean as well. With his nod she turned and moved toward the speeder more fully, nodding to him and getting in as he opened the door before buckling herself in. As they started off, she slipped her dagger back into her belt and zipped up her coat a bit more. Every so often she would calmly point out an adjustment that needed to be made to his course, her thoughts relatively bland considering the situation. That, unfortunately, was one of the effects of the RELIC…bland thoughts, if any really came across the mind. Typically her mind would have been busy with the status of a current mission, sorting through recent memories to give a detailed report of their success, or more recently, her own survival…but with Victor here and in the speeder she had a few moments to allow her mind to settle…if it could really be any more settled.

Victor, I have doubts about remaining with Whiskey’s ship. It likely has a tracking device like the others from the Meadows, and it’s fairly damaged…I'm not certain that it can be successfully repaired by Axle.

She paused and looked over at him, sighing slightly, a bit of that emotion returned and she smiled a bit.

We’ll figure something out I suppose. Hopefully Axle has found that tracking device, if not it would be safer to leave the transport than stay with it…the only question then would be….what to do with Whiskey…

[Vex]

"Whiskey is a dangerous variable at the moment. Even if the degradation is taking hold, there is no guarantee that she will want to work with us. All the removal of the RELIC interface does is allow her the free will to choose. It gives her that right. She may very well choose to continue with Green Meadows. I cannot fault her that choice, if she makes it. I will not allow her to prevent us from making our own choice. Until it is clear that she is of a similar mindset as us, we are unnecessarily threatened by her presence. Once we can secure travel from Mustafar, I would recommend tranquilizing her long enough for us to escape, but leaving her with the means to secure her own freedom after we are gone."

He'd had a lot of time to think about this while he'd been on his own. He couldn't be egotistical or naive enough to believe that just because he freed someone from the RELIC that they were beholden to his ideals. The entire reason for degrading them was to allow them to be something more than just a tool...to allow them to live and make their own decisions. Even if that included continuing to work for those that had so successfully indentured them for so long. His only caveat to that was Tango. He'd wanted...no....needed to find her and make her see his way. For the entirety of the life he remembered, she'd been a part of it. Much as she had told him once they'd been reunited...things had felt wrong without her there.

Hearing about the one called Axle, he shook his head. "I think it would be best if we left the parts there...allow Whiskey to fix her ship, if she wishes, after we leave. Tactically, it is ill-advised to keep hold of a ship that can potentially be used to find us. Better to obtain a ship that cannot be traceable to us. If your associate, Axle, wishes to leave with us, he could come, if you believe he is capable. I trust your assessment. If not, we can part ways at our earliest opportunity."

He glanced into the rear-view screen, seeing another s[eeder...a dark spot against the night, turning a corner to follow them. The shape was hard to make out, the colors clearly dark and helping to hid in the pre-morning gloom. The fact that it wasn't using forward illumination certainly didn't bode well. He'd look over at her, getting her attention.

"We may have company close on our heels, Tango...."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

The rough gnawing of something Tango could only classify as ‘annoyance’ worked through her emotions as he spoke and she let out a frustrated breath. She knew Whiskey was dangerous…that had been the whole reason she’d brought the woman up to him again, and she’d gathered as much as he’d just said about the failing of the RELIC. It woke them up, but obviously it gave them the choice…it wasn’t just going to up and control their mind…that’s exactly what it WASN’T doing any more. It didn’t send out some signal that said ‘run away’…if it did, obviously there would have been more of them leaving as soon as the chips began to fail. From what she’d experienced of Whiskey, it was obvious that the chip was failing, but it wasn’t giving her urges to abandon her previous life style. The assassin didn’t agree, however, that they should just leave Whiskey there on Mustafar.

I know, Victor…I know she is, that’s why I brought the topic up for further discussion, and I’ve figured out on my own that the RELIC failing gives us the ability to choose…but shouldn’t we at least attempt to help her adjust to these emotions? If we leave her for the Meadows, won’t they just figure out what was going wrong with all the chips more easily and attempt to replant Whiskey with a new one? She knows something is wrong with hers…what if she has them run tests? Won’t they find a way to undo everything you’ve done? If not to all of us, then at least to the ones they still have working for them? I…I'm not sure I can just leave her to that fate either…she’s…she’s like a sister…

Her tone had swung from steady, only barely hinting at her annoyance with him, through the questioning of someone concerned, uncertain, and a bit frightened, to the quiet sadness of one who needed to decide if they were going to turn their back on a close friend or family member when they were needed most. That was how she felt, after all. She was attempting to go about this logically, but…this was someone she’d known all of her life! Tango wanted to risk hurting Whiskey and letting the Meadows take her back about as much as she wanted to do so to Victor. Gloved hands pressed tightly against her face for a moment as she ran through both sides of the argument again. There had to be a compromise…there had to be a way to keep Whiskey away from the Meadows just a bit longer to let think about what was going on without taking her with them and putting them all in danger…there had to be, she just wasn’t seeing it yet!

Pulling one hand away from her face she ran the other one over her closed eyes as she still tried to work everything out. When Victor continued, she nodded slightly. Yes, that made the most sense, she’d certainly been considering it and that had been yet another reason she’d brought it up to Victor. His opinion only solidified the one she’d had. They would leave Whiskey’s ship there. While it wasn’t overtly conspicuous, it was something anyone from the Meadows would recognize, and no doubt as the hunt for them intensified, the ship’s ID and type would be spread around. They just couldn’t take that risk. Hearing how he felt about Axle, she nodded again.

Yes…he seems capable enough, if not skittish…but I can understand that. He certainly didn’t want to be captured and so I believe that he, if nothing else, will be able to help keep whatever transport we acquire in repair. When I spoke to him, he said that he’d freed himself from a similar situation as ours and has been on the run for several years. I'm tempted to believe this simply because…well…he has wings…and they aren’t natural. He’s human. From the blood I took from him…he’s human…more or less.

As for Whiskey…if…when…we leave her…I think it should be without her ship, and without a means of directly contacting the Meadows. Tell her something of what’s going on…what happened to us…and leave her someplace where she can think over everything. She can come to her decision there…where she’s not in immediate danger of being found by them. If she really wants to go back she can find her own way back. Find her own way of contacting them…but we leave her with no immediate communications. Victor, we need to at least do that much for her.

She caught him looking intently in the rear-view and furrowed her brow, watching him. He’d looked over at her only a moment later, face serious, eyes darkened slightly.

“We may have company on our heels, Tango…”

Her brow furrowed and she glanced into the side mirror, watching, searching until she saw the speeder following them. No lights, dark coloring…lavender eyes narrowed as she searched the front of the speeder for any identifying marks…none…not even the standard ID numbers that most speeders carried. Huffing she looked back at him.

I think you’re right. Can you give them the slip, do you think? I can’t tell who, or what, they are and there’s no markings I can see and it would be better not to cause a stir right now. If not, we lead them out of town and take care of them where there will be less people to notice anything.

Planetary security forces and other Green Meadows assassins weren’t the only ones out for them. It wasn’t really a surprise that they had a bounty for live capture and return on their heads as well. That was exactly what the small crew of Mercs closing in on them had in mind when one of their speeders caught sight of the speeder they’d tagged earlier in the day. It had been quite a fuss the two had caused in the streets…hell, they’d been lucky to catch sight of the two at all. They certainly hadn’t planned on going after this bounty, but when it all but fell into their laps, the four of them just couldn’t resist it…that was a lot of money after all.

They’d followed them discretely earlier, finding ways up onto the roofs as the two fought off the security forces and following from there. It hadn’t taken much more for them to note the speeder the two had gotten into after leaving the parts shop and call an in-town ‘friend’ to follow them. During the day it wasn’t difficult or overly conspicuous, especially since this ‘friend’ specialized in tracking people on the move without being seen. It was a shame she’d not been able to help them out tonight…ah well, some people had lives outside of work. Either way, the two sets of mercs were set up and tailing their mark through the small city.

[Vex]

They'd have to come back to their conversation about what to do with Whiskey. At the moment they needed to focus on getting out of their current predicament. He knew for a fact that there had not been a vehicle on the street they'd come out on. No one had been seen as they'd entered. It had taken several minutes before the other speeder had wound up on their tail. The only logical conclusion was that, somehow, his speeder had been compromised and a tracking device was currently on it.

"It took them too long to come in behind us for them to be relying on visual confirmation alone. They have to have some sort of technical aid...a tracker of some sort, on the vehicle itself. Given that, it is unlikely I could lose them until we remove the device. They played their hand too close, however...there wasn't a need to be within visual range. They've ruined their ability to have the element of surprise. Your latter course of actions seems best. We shall simply have to hope they don't try to spring anything until we are outside of the city limits."


He continued driving, throwing a few more turns into the route, but nothing that should alarm their pursuers. He didn't want to ruin the element of surprise by letting them know that they were aware of those following. He was simply trying to see if any other vehicles wound up showing on their mental radar as vehicles of interest.

"Keep an eye on them... I'll do what I can to make sure they aren't aware that we know of them until we are in a position to counter them."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Understood.

Her simple reply was about all she needed to say as her eyes pinned themselves to the mirrors, watching the speeder behind them. Every once in a while she would catch a glimpse down a side street, and another speeder would catch her eye.

They have friends, Victor…

Even as she said that Tango caught another glimpse of the second speeder coming up a side street just after they’d turned a corner. Soon enough the city began to turn more rural and she dug in her pack for a moment, pulling out a small case with several kunai in it and started slipping them into various places on her person. She only had a few left, not having had the ability to restock them after their last mission and before the escape from the Meadows, she would have to be careful with them and retrieve them if at all possible…who knew when the next time would be that she could get her hands on some. One gloved hand loosened and checked the short dagger hidden in her belt before pulling her larger vibro-dagger from her pack as well. Habit was taking hold of her, preparing for the worst and making sure she had everything she needed before facing an unknown enemy. Luckily it still looked as if they didn’t realize the assassins were onto them. Looking up from what she was doing, Tango glanced around for a moment.

There is a grove of trees coming up…an offshoot of the forest the ship crashed in…that would be a good place for us to make a stand. The cover should hide us fairly well and would play to my strengths.

[Vex]

He didn't look up to attempt to visually acquire the other vehicle. If she said there was another that was on their trail, then he believed it. At her recommendation, he nodded, seeing the evidence of the trees coming up ahead. Slowing their rate of travel a bit, he'd let their pursuers slowly catch up. When they acted, it would be better if it was decisive. Just before entering the trees, he'd speak again. "Once I stop, get out into the trees and flank them. I'll draw their attention and keep them focused on me."

He pulled into the trees, letting them go deeper, forcing those following to come in closer. Victor could almost imagine them salivating at the chance to collect on the ransom. Given their actions so far, their tactics made it highly unlikely that they were from Green Meadows. The best opportunity to have apprehended them was in the city, when they were at the safehouse. Green Meadows weren't worried about collateral damage, after all. Nothing would have been traced back to them.

These were mercenaries...bounty hunters...profiteers. Their presence was troublesome, but Victor was confident that they could mitigate the danger and take care of this threat. Finally feeling that they'd gone in far enough to force the cars to follow in after, he cranked on the wheel, cutting the speeder at a forty-five degree angle with his side facing the way they'd come. That gave her the cover of the vehicle to get out and conceal her movements. Once stopped, he kicked open the door and stepped out, drawing his pistols as he went.

They'd gone around a bend in the trees right before he stopped. That blind curve worked to his advantage as it meant that those following him wouldn't know that he'd stopped until it was too late.

Like now.

The first speeder turned the corner, seeing Victor standing there facing them. They slammed on the brakes and while Victor couldn't hear the swearing going on within, he could imagine it. He opened fire, those magnetically accelerated rounds tearing through the power core on the front and shattering through the front windshield. He had no way to tell if it hit anything, but he didn't need to. He just wanted to make a statement and get them focused on him.

Once he was certain that he had their attention, he began move to his right, continuing to pump rounds into the speeder until he disappeared into the trees and cutting off line of sight. Long legs began to take him at an oblique angle along the path to be able to come up at them from a different direction.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Nothing more than a single nod was given to his words as their speeder entered the grove of trees, moving smoothly around the bend in the road, and then into the trees themselves, forcing those following to come closer to their intended quarry. Even the malfunctioning RELIC couldn’t stop Tango from having a similar impression of their would-be captors…it was too bad for them that they had no clue who or what they were dealing with. It was also a rather sad situation for them since they didn’t seem particularly well trained or experienced. Perhaps they were, but compared to the two they were hunting these ‘mercenaries’ (or whatever they were) may as well have been children playing “CorSec and Robbers”…with real outlaws.

No sooner had Victor started the motion that would bring the speeder into position than Tango had her door unlocked and the safety belt undone. Her head was down before she could be seen past him, the door open and shut as he got out and her form well hidden in the undergrowth of the trees as he opened fire. Picking her way swiftly through the darkness and trees, she was up and around the side of the first speeder as it came to a sudden halt under the unexpected barrage of slugs that punched into, and through, the windshield. The sounds of cursing from within didn’t so much as phase the woman as she continued on her way. Victor would handle those ones.

By the time his first round of fire ended and the sounds of movement could be heard from behind, she was already coming up on the second speeder, the trio moving swiftly to gather themselves and their gear before going to aid their companions. The first unfortunate soul she came upon was shown no mercy, the RELIC chip negating any sympathy or desire to keep him alive that the woman might have had. Like a shadow she appeared behind him, one arm wrapping around his throat, the other hand covering his mouth as she pulled him back into the undergrowth before his companions even knew he was missing. The sick snapping sound of his breaking neck was their first indication that something was wrong; Tango let his form slump quietly to the ground as she moved once more.

The sound of Victor’s weapons opening fire once again had her targets more than a little jumpy when in conjunction with the sudden disappearance of their third companion, but they went to help the others anyway. It was too perfect. With their backs to her, the assassin easily caught up to the slower of the two, one hand roughly taking hold of the yellow lekku and pulling backward, setting the man off balance and falling backward toward her. Again one hand reached around and caught his chin in the crook of her elbow, forcing his head further back and allowing her dagger to slice cleanly across his throat before dropping him unceremoniously.

Having heard the wet gurgling of his companion, the last of the three turned with wide eyes and immediately opened fire, attempting to keep her at bay. It was a shame he didn’t take Victor into account…it was an even bigger shame he didn’t know what she was capable of. His movement was caught and calculated even as he’d started to turn, allowing Tango to duck smoothly beneath those opening rounds and move in with the speed of a striking snake. Her left hand pulsed upward, knocking the barrel of his blaster toward the sky and allowing her in. Flipping that dagger backward, one slice caught the outside of one wrist painfully and he withdrew it…leaving the other vulnerable. Another flip of that blade and she caught the inside of his second wrist with it, the blaster dropping to the ground even as she shouldered into him, upsetting his balance and causing him to stumble backward.

Now, with room and time to maneuver, Tango surged forward again, dropping her dagger for the moment, and caught the man with both hands, whipping him around by the head and pulling him back toward her. Looping her right arm under his chin she kept him bent backward and off balance as she waited for Victor to finish up with the two from the first speeder.

In the meantime….

Who are you and what information did you have on us?

“Wha—what?”

Why were you following us?

“A…a…we…we…there was a b-bounty!”

I thought as much…what did it say? What information do you have about us from the bounty?

“I…I don’t know…”

Don’t lie to me.

Her tone was cold, emotionless, flat and even as any droids could possibly be as she questioned him.

“I…I don’t know!”

That hold on his throat tightened for several moments to prove her point before she eased up again.

I said don’t lie to me…what do you know?

[Vex]

Glancing around the trunk of the tree he was using for cover, he saw the two getting out of it. They were smart, at least, in that they'd slipped out on the far side of the vehicle, from the direction opposite the side that he'd snuck into the trees from. They were attempting to put some cover and concealment between themselves and him. It was a good plan. Against most blasters and even a large portion of slug throwers, it would have been quite effective, especially for those crouched behind the vehicle's engine block.

Unfortunately, they weren't taking the MAP-77's that Victor held into account. Those rounds had already sliced through the power block of the engine, their speeds enough to make short work of even that tempered, hardened component. He proved this as he took careful aim at the engine block, where he'd seen one of the two duck down behind cover.

The accelerated rounds sung through the engine, tearing through it with barely any noticeable slow down...and kept going through the merc there behind it. He didn't even get time to scream, simply grunting in surprise as the round tore through him as well. As he fell, Victor's last shot caught him in the throat, clean through the cervical spine and clearing the head from the shoulders completely.

That was enough for the other...he stood up and held his hands above his head. "I give u-..." Victor caught him between the eyes, cratering out the back of his head and sending the body slumping down bonelessly. He'd already seen that Tango had dealt with the other vehicle and that she had someone to shake down for information. The other man had no tactical value for keeping alive.

Trading out the magazines for his weapons with fresh ones, he kept his eyes on the scene around them as he moved towards Tango, keeping the weapons loosely at his side while he remained silent, for the moment, and allowed her to question her captive as she saw fit.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

She hardly noticed the last shot, though…she paused and stiffened slightly at the sudden cut off of the man’s voice. Tango couldn’t quite figure out why the thought of the man’s death bothered her so much, or so suddenly, but it did. The strangled cry of the man in her grasp had her mind back where it should have been, for the most part, as she constricted her arm around his throat once more before loosening it. ”What do you know?!” The frustration and anger that was starting to build up beneath the RELIC’s influence was suddenly obvious as its control weakened on her emotions. Struggling against her grip at first, the mercenary grew very still at her tone, eyes wide in fear as he watched her partner walk up as well.

“I…it…it was some…some company. There wasn’t a name really, just….just a contact number, but it…it was corporate.”

”What was the number?”

“I….I don’t…I don’t remember, honest…but I think it’s on one of the datapads still!”

”Is the other information on our bounty on them as well?”

“M-maybe…I'm not sure…I was a recent add on…said they found you guys today and told me there was good credits in it for me…and only told me a little bit. P-please…that’s all I know, I swear!”

Huffing, she looked to Victor knowing he would likely want to make sure the man didn’t talk, ever. Unfortunately, while that was the most sensible thing to do, she couldn’t help but find the thought more than displeasing. Her brow furrowed for a moment and she adjusted her grip on him slightly, tightening her arm against his neck until he went limp against her. Lowering him, she moved to scoop up her dagger, knowing full well that the man was simply unconscious and he would likely be awake sooner than later. ”Let’s just find anything that could connect us or have the information we need on it and go, Victor,” she muttered and swiftly worked to search out the datapads the men had on them…if they had them. There just wasn’t enough time to go through all of them right now and find the ones they wanted.

[Vex]

Victor watched her, not the man she was holding. His movements were in the assassin's periphery, but he wasn't concerned. If something seemed off, he'd react, but Tango was in a far better position to know if something was wrong and deal with it before he did. Of course...she may not be keeping herself in the right frame of mind. The breakdown of the chip coding was becoming apparent again as her stoic demeanor cracked and that frustration became so apparent. While it may have helped in the fac that it got her victim to stop struggling and be more cooperative, it wasn't intentional.

She was fighting against the emotions and getting confused by it all. While he understood what was going on...it had taken him a while to grow used to that loss himself and the subsequent deluge of emotional stimulation. Perhaps the gradual degradation that he'd encoded hadn't been the best option...but it had been all that he could think of at the time.

The datapads held the key. Good. They were a lot easier to go through than trying to deal with survivors. He'd been about to go and move about to collect them when he watched her shift her grip. It wasn't hard to discern what she was doing. He'd gone through the same training she had, even if he hadn't gotten as specialized in that discipline as she. It wasn't a killing move. It wasn't something she could hide from his attention. At her words, he nodded, lifting that pistol when she moved away.

One round was pumped into that unconscious form. Some things were ingrained in him, chip or no. Not leaving potential threats around was one of them. That sentiment was only stronger now that he'd finally managed to find Tango once again. He then moved to help her find the rest of the datapads. "I know what you must be feeling, Tango...but he was too dangerous to leave alive. He knew enough....had seen us."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

The sound of that shot had her wincing slightly, tensing as she knelt before one of the other dead mercenaries. Why was she suddenly feeling so sick? It made absolutely no sense. She had those memories from before…from their last mission together as Green Meadows assassins…she knew what she was, what they’d had them all do. She had killed since then, she knew she had, but she hadn’t felt so…disgusted by it, or so…upset. She hadn’t ever really questioned the fact of if killing people was right or not. It had been right, she had been right…those people had been dangerous to her safety and so she’d solved the problem. Why was she suddenly questioning every action she’d made? Why was she only just now wondering if it was right to kill people? Why hadn’t she been able to kill that man? He had been a threat, she knew he had been a threat…why hadn’t she been able to do what needed to be done, then? She furrowed her brow at the questions and the sudden uncertainty she felt…the confusion, regret and sick feeling in her gut making her pause, only barely hearing Victor’s words.

Sinking back to sit on her heels, she closed her eyes and nodded a bit. ”I know…but for some reason I just couldn’t kill him. I don’t understand why.” Sniffling a bit, she felt her eyes grow wet with tears, before she sighed and opened them, turning her head to look at him. ”I just suddenly wondered if killing him was right…I doubted my actions…and I don’t understand why. It’s never happened before…” Somewhere in the back of her mind Tango was wondering if there was something wrong with her or if doubting one’s actions was considered ‘normal’. They’d been trained to never doubt their actions, to make right decisions the first time though and follow orders to the letter. There was no wrong, everything they did was supposed to be correct…doubt only made you slow, and prone to making mistakes…mistakes like the one she’d just made. Absentmindedly she shuffled the few datapads she had in her hand around, looking down at them without actually seeing them. The light sheen of tears had faded without one falling but the emotions that had caused them were still there…the doubt and confusion written across her face with traces of that regret.