Chapter Text
Carefully Sireesha rewired the panel, to instead of alerting the security network of a heist, it would behave just as an annoying alarm - giving the empire’s building owner a small piece of mind while her fellow operatives managed to steal the needed documents.
This is where years of electric circuitry training led her, low maintenance droid recovery and illegal side jobs to pay her rent. After responding to the work order on her tablet, she quit for the night, satisfied once the credits were safely in the bank.
Home wasn’t far away, only a short walk and a speeder ride across Nar Shaddaa and she was sifting through her pockets for her apartment room key card. Except, it wasn’t in the usual pocket, where it always was. She checked her wallet only to find it wasn’t there either. Her heart sank as panic quickly filled her mind, it was almost 3 AM and her landlord didn’t permit calls or attention after 9PM. This is when it paid to have roommates. As she was contemplating calling the authorities to let her into her own apartment, the door opened and she was immediately pulled inside.
Two thugs pinned her to the now shut door, knocking the breath from her lungs. Before she had a chance to speak, a figure sat in her sunken living room couch, spoke first.
“There you are. I’ve been sitting right here waiting for you. I wanted to wait until you were done with your little side job first.” The figure stood. Now bathed in the faint glow from the buildings outside she could see the faint markings that smoothly washed over the face of an infamous zabrak. “I wanted to see if you really were stupid enough to do this. To stand against me, The Eidolon.”
She gulped down whatever bile may have risen in her throat. She was in deep shit.
“I must admit, I’m rather impressed that one person could be responsible for so much damage. Especially since you live in such meager accommodations.”
“That’s hardly any of your business!” she shouted, trying to wriggle free as the Eidolon walked closer to them, his footsteps barely ruffled the carpet fibers almost as if he wasn’t there.
“Oh but it is. Not just anyone can make it into my security system. What makes you think I can’t keep track of lowly hackers such as yourself, Sireesha Mikembe?”
Her eyes went wide at the sound of her name passing over his lips. He was the Eidolon after all. She hadn’t known the security system was owned by him. If she did she never would have touched the work order. He used to be, or for all she knew still was, an assassin that created his own security company. She shut her eyes willing this all to be just a horrible nightmare, when a large warm hand forced her chin to look up.
She had a faint feeling of familiarity, like when she was a child playing in the forests near her home in the evening. She remembered seeing the same pair of amber beastly eyes glaring at her from the forests underbrush, ones that saw her as prey and nothing more.
Except this wasn’t the forests of her home world. This was her tiny apartment on Nar’Shaddaa and the hand on her face didn’t back down and fade into the brush when she stared back. She felt the tinge of sweat on his red fingers as her legs barely had the will to make her stand.
“This is your one chance to prove yourself to me,” he said, close enough for her to feel his breath. Too close! She was certain he could feel her heartbeat like the pistons of a speeder bike at full throttle. She kept her breath measured just in case.
“Come to these coordinates tomorrow morning and we’ll see if you can make another miracle happen like you did today. Hack my systems again - and I might just take you on full time,” he said, releasing her face. His two thugs flung her to the side, as he opened the door with her key card before tossing it at her on the floor.
“Since the night is still young I’d get some more practice in. I think our confrontation will be more..." he paused, lingering in the doorway for a moment, "-exhilarating that way, don’t you?” he said, as the thugs followed him out and the door shut behind him.
Did...did he bite his lip while speaking to you just now? Or was that a trick of the light? With her heart still pounding, and the ghost of the Eidolon’s touch haunting her face still she crawled to the couch. She looked to the table where a glass with two ice cubes still set, a few water rings leaving their trails of condensation. He had been here, watching her do the job. Like he had anticipated her success...or failure.
This was a test, but she couldn’t be sure if he was just toying with her or if he was seriously offering her a job.