Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2015 7:37:08 GMT -6
TIME: THREE MONTHS AGO
PLACE: PALAVEN
“She’s clean, boss,” said the turian who had searched her.
She was in the back office of a nightclub that catered to off-worlders, and she was now standing before the owner, a human male of below average stature. A human female, wearing a dress that barely covered her, sat next to him, one hand running itself over him, while a batarian stood in a corner, one hand wrapped around a varren’s leash.
“Doctor Bolanis, at least we meet,” the human male said, standing up and extending his hand.
She did not take it.
“So, it’s like that, huh?” he said. “Very well. What do you want?”
She reached into a pocket but then stopped, seeing the turian rest his hand on a heavy pistol.
“Easy there, Doctor,” the human said. “My line of work, it tends to make my employees…rather tense.”
“Then your employees should find less stressful work,” she said.
The human laughed.
“And they say you turians don’t have a sense of humor,” he said. “So, what do you have for me?”
She pulled out a credit chit.
The turian took it, hooked it up to a scanner and then handed it over to the human.
The human nodded. “Okay, that takes cares care of the principal your brother owes, but not the interest,” he said.
“Interest?” she said.
“Oh yeah, your people aren’t exactly financial geniuses, are they?” he said. “That’s why you took in the volus, so they could keep your books for you.”
“What is your point, human?” she asked.
“Watch your tone,” he said. “I’ve had people killed for a lot less.”
He then looked over at the female and nodded his head slightly.
The female dropped to her knees before him, and he put his feet on her back as if she was a footstool.
“This girl here, her daddy is the human ambassador to your people,” he said. “But she began acquiring more of my product than she could afford, so now this is how she pays me off. I can make that arrangement with you, if you’d like.”
“What is interest?” Naetilia asked.
“Simply put, it is a fee,” he said. “It is paid by a borrower of assets to the owner as a form of compensation for the use of said assets.”
“You see your drugs…as an asset?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said. “You probably won’t believe me, but we’re very much alike. People come to you who are in physical pain, and you help them with it.
“People who come to me are in pain too,” he said. “The pain they bear is the pain of an empty and meaningless life. Only a handful of people are destined for greatness, the rest of us kind of just…muddle along in those empty lives and when those lives end, it is as if they were never there. Most people kid themselves into thinking that what they do is important, but at those quiet moments in the night, as they’re drifting along to sleep, they admit that they don’t matter and will only be mourned by a few other nobodies when they die. But those who are able to admit it in the light of day, those are the ones that come to me, and I help them as best I can.”
“Your drugs destroy them, not help them,” she said.
“And yours don’t?” he retorted. “Don’t stand there and tell me that all of the drugs you peddle are without harmful side effects.”
She said nothing.
“But I digress,” he said with a smirk. “Getting back to your brother, and the interest he owes, it is quite substantial.”
He told her the amount.
“That is almost the amount I paid you,” she said.
“He’s been using a lot of my assets, and he hasn’t paid me back in some time,” he said. “I just can’t forgive that, I’d be out of business.”
She said nothing.
“You don’t like me, I can tell,” he said. “I have a sixth sense for it. Doesn’t really matter what you think about me. What matters is you’re here, having come down from your high horse to deal with me.”
He smiled.
“Get her out of here, she’s boring me,” he said to the turian, who pulled her towards the door.
-----
She went straight to the nearest military police station after meeting the human and made a report.
“There’s nothing in your statement that indicates the human has committed any crimes,” the soldier taking her report said.
“He admitted he sells illegal drugs,” she said. “He is victimizing my brother’s pain.”
“Did he make your brother take the drugs?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“Then it is your brother’s problem, and he must take responsibility for it,” he said.
“He just enrolled in a drug abuse treatment program, that is how he is taking responsibility,” she said.
The soldier leaned back in his chair for a moment, then leaned forward again.
“Very well, I will look into the matter,” he said. “I will keep you informed of any progress.”
“Thank you,” she said.
-----
The call came two hours later.
“I’m disappointed in you, Doctor,” said the human. “I thought I made it clear what you’re dealing with. But since you’re a little slow on the uptake, I’ll show you.”
-----
An hour later, Augunus came home, clutching his left hand. The little finger had been cut off.
“I can treat the immediate damage, but we’ll need to go to the hospital,” she said, reaching for him.
He pulled away.
“NO!” he shouted at her. “You’ve done enough!”
He staggered over to the couch and sat down.
“Why did you have to go to the police?!” he said. “I was handling everything just fine!”
“No, you weren’t, not with the amount he says you owe him,” she said.
He said nothing.
“I need to get you to the hospital,” she said, reaching for him again. “After that, we’ll go to the police and report his assault on you.”
He swatted her away.
“How dumb are you?!” he shouted. “Don’t you get it?! He did this because you went to the police! He said if you went again, he’d cut off my whole hand! How are you going to fix that, Doctor Bolanis?!”
He got up and staggered off to his room.
PLACE: PALAVEN
“She’s clean, boss,” said the turian who had searched her.
She was in the back office of a nightclub that catered to off-worlders, and she was now standing before the owner, a human male of below average stature. A human female, wearing a dress that barely covered her, sat next to him, one hand running itself over him, while a batarian stood in a corner, one hand wrapped around a varren’s leash.
“Doctor Bolanis, at least we meet,” the human male said, standing up and extending his hand.
She did not take it.
“So, it’s like that, huh?” he said. “Very well. What do you want?”
She reached into a pocket but then stopped, seeing the turian rest his hand on a heavy pistol.
“Easy there, Doctor,” the human said. “My line of work, it tends to make my employees…rather tense.”
“Then your employees should find less stressful work,” she said.
The human laughed.
“And they say you turians don’t have a sense of humor,” he said. “So, what do you have for me?”
She pulled out a credit chit.
The turian took it, hooked it up to a scanner and then handed it over to the human.
The human nodded. “Okay, that takes cares care of the principal your brother owes, but not the interest,” he said.
“Interest?” she said.
“Oh yeah, your people aren’t exactly financial geniuses, are they?” he said. “That’s why you took in the volus, so they could keep your books for you.”
“What is your point, human?” she asked.
“Watch your tone,” he said. “I’ve had people killed for a lot less.”
He then looked over at the female and nodded his head slightly.
The female dropped to her knees before him, and he put his feet on her back as if she was a footstool.
“This girl here, her daddy is the human ambassador to your people,” he said. “But she began acquiring more of my product than she could afford, so now this is how she pays me off. I can make that arrangement with you, if you’d like.”
“What is interest?” Naetilia asked.
“Simply put, it is a fee,” he said. “It is paid by a borrower of assets to the owner as a form of compensation for the use of said assets.”
“You see your drugs…as an asset?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said. “You probably won’t believe me, but we’re very much alike. People come to you who are in physical pain, and you help them with it.
“People who come to me are in pain too,” he said. “The pain they bear is the pain of an empty and meaningless life. Only a handful of people are destined for greatness, the rest of us kind of just…muddle along in those empty lives and when those lives end, it is as if they were never there. Most people kid themselves into thinking that what they do is important, but at those quiet moments in the night, as they’re drifting along to sleep, they admit that they don’t matter and will only be mourned by a few other nobodies when they die. But those who are able to admit it in the light of day, those are the ones that come to me, and I help them as best I can.”
“Your drugs destroy them, not help them,” she said.
“And yours don’t?” he retorted. “Don’t stand there and tell me that all of the drugs you peddle are without harmful side effects.”
She said nothing.
“But I digress,” he said with a smirk. “Getting back to your brother, and the interest he owes, it is quite substantial.”
He told her the amount.
“That is almost the amount I paid you,” she said.
“He’s been using a lot of my assets, and he hasn’t paid me back in some time,” he said. “I just can’t forgive that, I’d be out of business.”
She said nothing.
“You don’t like me, I can tell,” he said. “I have a sixth sense for it. Doesn’t really matter what you think about me. What matters is you’re here, having come down from your high horse to deal with me.”
He smiled.
“Get her out of here, she’s boring me,” he said to the turian, who pulled her towards the door.
-----
She went straight to the nearest military police station after meeting the human and made a report.
“There’s nothing in your statement that indicates the human has committed any crimes,” the soldier taking her report said.
“He admitted he sells illegal drugs,” she said. “He is victimizing my brother’s pain.”
“Did he make your brother take the drugs?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“Then it is your brother’s problem, and he must take responsibility for it,” he said.
“He just enrolled in a drug abuse treatment program, that is how he is taking responsibility,” she said.
The soldier leaned back in his chair for a moment, then leaned forward again.
“Very well, I will look into the matter,” he said. “I will keep you informed of any progress.”
“Thank you,” she said.
-----
The call came two hours later.
“I’m disappointed in you, Doctor,” said the human. “I thought I made it clear what you’re dealing with. But since you’re a little slow on the uptake, I’ll show you.”
-----
An hour later, Augunus came home, clutching his left hand. The little finger had been cut off.
“I can treat the immediate damage, but we’ll need to go to the hospital,” she said, reaching for him.
He pulled away.
“NO!” he shouted at her. “You’ve done enough!”
He staggered over to the couch and sat down.
“Why did you have to go to the police?!” he said. “I was handling everything just fine!”
“No, you weren’t, not with the amount he says you owe him,” she said.
He said nothing.
“I need to get you to the hospital,” she said, reaching for him again. “After that, we’ll go to the police and report his assault on you.”
He swatted her away.
“How dumb are you?!” he shouted. “Don’t you get it?! He did this because you went to the police! He said if you went again, he’d cut off my whole hand! How are you going to fix that, Doctor Bolanis?!”
He got up and staggered off to his room.