Through the Looking Glass

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It was rumored that glass art pieces held the secret to where a mysterious crystal was located. It could be sold for limitless treasure. It could be used as an alternate power supply. It could grant the owner infinite abilities. The rumors fueled the crystal's appeal and the motivations of those who began to seek it out. The glass artwork became the keys and the few who knew of their secret would stop at nothing to gain their knowledge.

Four glass art pieces. One crystal. Two people joining forces to find them all.

This is that story.

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Corrim could hear the Ferengi backstage giggling loudly. He figured this set up was put into place by one of them. He supposed that if he had a need to move things this way he too would try to get them involved. He found it ironic that the auction was proper on the outside but had a center that was rife with greed and lacking in scruples. He turned to see who bid, finding a new face.

"Thank you..." came the voice once again asking for seven and getting it from a third bidder who managed to get their paddle up before Corrim could. He turned back to see the paddle of a wealthy Romulan going down. Corrim had seen him often on the circuit, and had been in bidding wars with him before. It was true that he had more funds than Corrim, but his restrictions were usually far greater. The Tal'Shiar might finance better but they kept a tighter reign too. Corrim raised his paddle at the next opportunity raising to 800 to try and forestall the woman from bidding.

The blonde would not bid this time. She turned to the third bidder. She motioned to an auction attendant, who rushed over to her where she sat at the end of the aisle. She whispered something to him and slipped him some currency. He left her and went up to the bidding Romulan. He whispered something in his ear. The Romulan asked him a question and the attendant pointed to the blonde. He turned to see her and she smiled at him. He snorted quietly, placed his paddle in his lap, and folded his arms. She confidently turned back to face the glass piece. Corrim didn't have to be part of that conversation, the signs were clear enough. There were bigger fish playing in here than just Corrim the simple trader and his Tal'Shiar rival.

The auctioneer lifted his voice again this time in starting to close out the bidding. "800 once...and I remind everyone that papers of legitimacy will be provided with this piece as is stated in the program provided." A local merchant raised his paddle, it was a half-hearted attempt from what Corrim could tell...

The man may have been a plant by the Ferengi running things to get the bidding to a suitable profit margin. The blonde picked up on this and let the plant make his bid unopposed. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned back confidently in her chair as she returned to stare at the piece. Understandably a woman with her finances was used to getting her way, but it seemed as though she intended the Cardassian to earn the art, with as little out of pocket costs to him as possible.

An aged Ferengi looked at him from behind a caged window.

"42, eh?"

He scanned down the log and began producing lots that had been picked up. "You have a good eye...for a Cardassian...pity you don't have the lobes for business." The old Ferengi sent a younger back to fetch the latest purchase. The boy came back empty handed and whispered words into the older's ear that Corrim couldn't quite make out. Corrim looked from one to the other.

"Is there a problem with my purchase" Did it fall and get broken before I could pay' I must say that if so I do expect a substantial discount." Both men across the counter from him gave him the same dirty look. Corrim wondered if they were related or if that was just the standard look to words like discount and refund.

The Cardassian was getting impatient as he waited for them to provide him with the purchase. He could see in his mind the shattered pieces of glass littering some floor back behind the curtains. What he got instead shocked him, though he made no indication of it. "What is this gentlemen...were you planning to replace one with the other?" He looked at a pair of identical glass formations. Each was tagged exactly as the other. Even the writing on the tags was the very same. "Are you trying to pass off a forgery to me?" His hand came up at the last word and went palm to chest. "I assure you that this will get out to the community. Aspersions from me may not seem like much...but...imagine how it will be when your buyers suddenly wish to observe the movement of their purchases with their own eyes...All that snooping into whatever dark things might be running out the back door."

The older Ferengi's head came up at that. "Are you saying that I am a part of...?

Corrim cut him off abruptly.

Once aboard his ship, he hurried to his quarters and laid the glass piece on a low table. The case was opened and its contents place on the table as well. He looked at them both very closely, trying to find a way to tell them apart. Visually they looked identical. Corrim's eyes closed and he used his hands. They slid and searched the glass in front of him, the tips of thumbs tracing along the intricate detail work that had been molded by the artist. One felt much like the other. Later he would figure out a way to determine which was an original and which was a fake...for now he needed to inform his client that the purchase had been made.

He looked over his shoulder once as he was leaving the room. He wondered if perhaps the glass could have duplicated itself...that wouldn't explain the tag though. Corrim headed towards the coms on the bridge so that he could send a subspace message.

After Corrim left the room, one of the glass pieces began to change shape, turning to a liquid mass and flowing to the floor, where it began to take the shape of a woman. This time, it would not appear as a blonde. The young woman appeared to be in her twenties. She was about five and a half feet tall, with ivory skin and dark hair that seemed like it couldn't decide whether it was black or dark brown.

Settling into her preferred skin, Zora made her way to the bridge. She remembered the layout of the ship well. She went to the open door leading in to the bridge and looked in at Corrim. She wore a skin tight, green dress, cut below the knee, with long sleeves. Her long dark hair was tied up loosely and a few strands had fallen to frame her face. She leaned her back against the doorway seductively and spoke softly.

"Miss me?"

The console and it's coordinates didn't concern him. What concerned him was why she was here. He was pretty sure it wasn't the same one they were discussing. Just as sure as she had already told him several times that she was interested in the glass artwork.

"Mmm...I can imagine so..." He locked the console down, turning and sitting on the edge of it. "I would say that it is a constant surprise to see just how flexible you can be. Is there anything that makes one harder than another?" She was close again and he was feeling drawn to her, and caged at the same time. His urge was to move to another place and open up that distance once again. For comforts sake of course. "The replicator....I could get you a nice tea Zora." He started to rise from his place to see to an order that he wasn't even sure was coming.

Zora continued facing the console, not to spy, but to focus on something other than him for a moment. She said, facing away, "Oh, no, thank you. I just ate." Another one of her many lies, seeing as how changelings did not eat or drink. She turned and said, "But to answer your question, I think there is one thing that is harder for me?"

His journey to the replicator was halted. He swallowed once and counted his breaths before turning back to her. He was grateful she was looking he might not have been able to respond if he hadn't had to pretend. "Lately things have been..." He stopped abruptly as someting bit him in the shoulder blade. He reached for it and the world became white light and ozone.

She stood up straighter, offended by his remarks against her. She had worked with the employer off and on for years. How dare they not trust her! She had always delivered. So what if this time she was just taking a side trip" With Corrim's innocent involvement, this whole mission could go a lot smoother in the long run. He had proved useful to her on her last assassination, after all. But she would not allow this Aenar to go back and rat her out to their employer. "How do you know that our employer didn't send you to me so I could kill you?" Even now, she weaved her web of lies.

He shook his head. "Because of the way he said you likely wouldn't need the backup. You haven't failed him yet. Still he knew there were a lot of interested parties, and some better funded might have come along." He watched her looking for some kind of opening. " I see that you were thinking along those lines too...here to romance it away are you? You should be careful of Cardassian's. They have peculiar tastes."

She relaxed her posture and said casually, "Why yes, he seemed to be accepting of my advances, so I thought I could take it from him easily, without having to spend anything. Why don't you just give me a little time to earn his trust a bit and gain the piece in a more" friendly way?"

He paused then shook his head again. "If only this had been obvious to us when you began. I am afraid it is too late for that. I have been activated and much like you, I haven't failed in my orders either. We are at an impasse it seems.? He made a quick move for the only weapon available to him, the tazer which had brought down Corrim.

As he reached for it, she hit him with the phased disruptor, instantly killing him. She watched his body fall to the floor. She sighed angrily. If the employer asked, she would simply say Corrim killed him when he discovered him trying to steal the piece. That was why she took his phased disruptor to begin with. She could have easily killed the Aenar herself, but everything needed to be played out just right to cover her tracks. She was good at it by now. She hurried back to the bridge to check on Corrim.

Corrim grabbed the doorframe holding on till the shuddering stopped. Zora felt the sudden jarring of the ship, was propelled, and fell into Corrim. Feeling her going down as she struck his side, an arm wrapped around Zora pulling her between him and the doorframe. He didn't notice until the event was over the position that she was in or how tightly he had her pressed against the ship. He hesitated for a moment looking at Zora's face before stepping back from her and clearing his throat.

"Computer...analaysis...What was that?"

A decidedly female voice came back to him speaking clinically. Proximity alert, a vessel off the port bow has exploded.

"So much for visiting his ship...you are all right?"

Her eyes met his for a moment and she got nervous. She mirrored his step back with one of her own and clumsily hit the doorframe against her back. She leaned against it as if intending to hit it. She looked to the body in the room and seemed to answer to it instead of Corrim, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." She paused, then continued, "So, what should we do with him?"

Corrim thought for a moment, or perhaps he was just trying to gain control of himself. He went to the computer in his room and did a scan of the debris. "Sensors show elevated levels of....Dueterium' Very interesting...It would have done you no good my Aenarian friend." He gave a sly look to Zora. "Go to weapons control Zora...please." Corrim dipped down and hefted the body onto his back. He carried it easily making his way to the transport pad. "When I beam it out there I want you to ignite the remaining Dueterium with the forward weapons...It will look like an accident." She quickly did as he instructed.

There was no ceremony in how he dropped the body to the pad. It landed with a thud and Corrim suddenly feeling eighty kilos lighter took another look at where the leak was. He input the coordinates and beamed the body directly into the flow. He opened a channel to the bridge. "Fire when ready Zora dear...then you and I need to have a talk I believe."

She readied her fire. When she heard the last part of his statement, she fired a little more quickly than she intended, but it was still effective. She was nervous of what he felt the need to speak with her about.

The viewscreen would show her a distant flash fire that built in intensity. It would overwhelm the visuals forcing them to shut down in order to protect the visual systems. The gas trailed back to a containment unit which detonated once more and set the ship to shuddering again, though not nearly with the same intensity as previously.

Zora looked down a moment, hating to speak the truth, "I honestly did not know you would be at the auction. Once I saw you, I made sure you could earn the piece." She looked back up at him. "I need your help this time. The artwork is much more important than you think. Many people are trying to get it, willing to kill for it." She felt uncomfortable, not because he was so close, but because she was being so frank. She continued, "I wouldn't have involved you in this, but you were there, trying to purchase the same piece. You would have been on their radar anyway for even bidding on it. I thought if I worked with you, I could warn you, and we could work together."

His arms crossed his chest, another evasion, was telling the truth so hard" She would never catch him dodging a question this way. Sure he had in the past been reasonably deceptive over his methods and his reasons. That was not the same thing though, he needed to be sure before he could trust her. Surely she could..."You aren't telling me anything Zora. Work together...yes we have done it and well, but what are we working on' What do you need from me?" He focused on her features already knowing how impossible she was to read.

She sighed. She could have come up with an ingenious plan by now, some great fantastical story to offer him, but she couldn't. Not now, anyway. He was wearing her down and now she caved. "Several people are after this glass art. The collection has four pieces. It's been told that the Promethean quartz glass art holds the secret to where a special crystal is located. The rumor is that this crystal steals and stores energy that can be used as a great power source."

He closed his eyes as he listened, he found it easier to think. "That would explain the Tal'Shiar agent." He turned his head eyes still closed. He could still see the auction floor and those who had been present. The auction had ties to the black market, despite the objections from the Ferengi. The anticipation of the room took on a new meaning. "You do understand that the desire to make a weapon from such a find would be a temptation too difficult to resist for many governments?" His eyes opened as he tried to impose upon her that he knew exactly what they were getting into.

Her eyes met his and she knew that she would be working with a worthy partner. "I have a vague idea of the potential it can hold to many governments.? She worked for many private and government organizations over many planets. Each could use the power crystal to their own personal gains. Some would consider it to be a weapon to end all wars while others would see it as the hope to build new planets and solar systems. The power that the crystal could hold was only limited to the rumors that circulated about it.

Chapter Two: Recovery Mission

Corrim shook his head as yet another analysis of the glass sculpture came up negative. He had expected it to be that way, already he had scanned the thing in more ways than he ever thought he knew how to. There just seemed to be nothing spectacular about the formation. He had long since taken up his own research on the creation, or rather the creator. He had the tag, and the seal of authenticity. He did hope that the match to this piece hadn't been the one to hold the key.

Trust an artisan to make mirror images and only have one hold importance. It wasn't what he would do, not that what he would do mattered in this case. "This is not going well Zora. I don't think we have what we need here. I suppose I could be missing something but you said there were four pieces right?" He called up an image of the artist.

The name at the top of the page Pooley Moinnet gave a lot of information, more than Duvek really needed. A researcher doing a paper might need to know that he had graduated from the Andor school of art. Corrim found it more interesting to note that he was the founder of the Moinnet Art Studio. That he still worked from there. "My dear"would you like to accompany me to look at a little art' I realize it is short notice but, we should always make time for a little culture."

She nodded, indicating four pieces. She was standing next to him, looking at the information. "Art usually isn't included in my version of a fun time out, but because *you* are asking?? She looked at him and smiled playfully.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

He looked from her to the woman moving down the sidewalk. "Do you need to get closer Zora" I don't have your talent for becoming someone of import. I do know that a performance depends very much on knowing your role though." He tracked the movement of the blonde just in case she disappeared around a corner. "I would think it is far more complicated to become a specific person than it is to be a simple dealer in fine art." He gave her a very suggestive wink followed by a very wolfish grin.

Zora nodded and said, "Yeah, let's go." She closed up the laptop and prepared to get out of the transport.

He stepped out of the transport waiting for Zora to catch up to him. Moments passed and she never emerged. He turned to find out what was keeping her but she was gone. He moved around the front of the transport looking down where she should have been but found nothing. The woman who was walking the alleyway was too tall to to be Zora, her hair was far too long and the outfit was completely wrong.

"Pardon me miss...Did you happen to see my companion?" Corrim hid his shock as the face that greeted him was Miss Moinnet herself. "Or...you could just announce yourself next time my dear." He had expected her to change, but how does one suddenly become taller"

Zora spoke in her normal voice. "Oh, I didn't mean we needed to follow her. I think I got everything I needed. I work fast, you know." She smiled her same playful smile, but with someone else's lips. She spoke in the woman's voice that she had heard from videos, "I believe Ms. Moinnet will be honored to introduce a simple trader to her father in the hopes of purchasing some of his beautiful glass art."

Pooley jumped at the voice that didn't belong to anyone he knew. He straightened and was far taller than what Corrim was expecting to find. The weathered face looked as though it had been toughened by the sun and a thousand street fights. Piercing blue eyes swept first across Corrim and then to Zora.

"Jeses H'send you out for coffee you bring me back a fan who looks like something out of my shoe closet. " He peered at her more closely eyes narrowing and mouth firming beneath the white mustache and beard. "Hell girl you didn't even remember the coffee?"

She smiled a genuine smile. She was happy it seemed to be going ok so far. "Sorry, I just ran into him and knew I should bring him here to meet you." She purposefully didn't introduce him. To her, names were just thinks used once and thrown away. She didn't know if he felt the same, but she was respectful enough to give Corrim the option of giving whatever name he liked. She glanced at him, hoping that he too picked up on the fact that the daughter only went for coffee and had the potential of returning soon. They would need to get the information they needed quickly.

"How many goddamn times do I have to say I don't want to be disturbed while I am..."

Corrim cut Pooley's rant off moving in front of Zora the reflective Turquoise tunic picking up sunlight from the skylight and sending sparkles across the walls behind Pooley. "Completely my fault Master Pooley...I assure you..." he smile and gave a half bow. "I can be quite persistent and convincing when I need really want something." He tilted his head at Pooley the web beginning to wind itself around those present. "Toran...Shilo Toran, I have had the privilege of seeing some of your glass pieces lately and would be willing to part with a small fortune to be able to purchase anything out of the Promethean Series. I know I saw one go recently but there were four I am told...tell me...I beg you that you have at least one of those left."

She was worried an issue like that might arise. His daughter knew not to bring someone back, but she didn't. She looked down, as not to look at Corrim. She didn't want him to see how grateful she was for his save.

Pooley's gaze followed Corrim where the voice was coming from. "They want the same thing you want...and I still can't do it...Those pieces are gone. I know where but I can't get them...not on time. If I call anyone then they'll just kill her and then come after me. Hell I could take em coming for me if I knew she was safe."

Zora's eyes seemed to be her own now and they looked at Corrim with a silent question. She walked around to stand next to him as she spoke to Pooley in her own voice. "Mr. Moinnet, maybe you would be more able to help us without the added stress. What if my business associate and myself retrieved your daughter?" She continued to look at Corrim. It was clear she was determined to rescue the woman regardless.

Pooley looked at her now. "You really don't look that much like her...the eyes are all wrong. What can you and mister Toran do they will be expecting those pieces. They want them brought today in..." He looked to the clock on the wall. "Three hours they want to meet...we couldn't even get to the art in that amount of time." Corrim stepped forward he looked at Pooley seriously before speaking. "Mr. Pooley...I find that people see what they expect to see. If not then my associates disguise wouldn't have gotten us inside. Perhaps there is something here similar enough that will fool them at a distance. A few moments is really all we need to free your daughter."

While Corrim took a step forward, he blocked Pooley's view of her. She stepped forward, appearing as a mirror image of Pooley. Pooley's eyes went wide when he saw himself, he nodded more out of astonishment than in agreement. Corrim however was poised and waiting for that opportunity. "I believe with the piece we have...close will be good enough Mr. Moinnet...three close, one near perfect Pooley and one actual piece...Why there is more to a plan here than that time on Rigel II with the Countessa Dupre." He gave a chuckle that sounded far more confident than he really felt. They needed this though...and he would be at his best to make it happen.

Pooley found himself relenting to the confidence in the Cardassian, and the enigma of his doppelganger standing before him. "Okay...there isn't much choice now is there?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pooley Moinnet, the artist they were waiting for, walked up to the men from down the street. He walked with a worn stride, confident and powerful, making it clear he could handle men half his age. He watched the two with unwavering eyes, sixing them up with each step. He was holding the same piece of artwork that Corrim had purchased. Zora knew Corrim would probably be upset if he saw that she was prepared to lose the piece in a potential scuffle, but she figured he would be ok once he saw his actual piece still on his ship, safe and sound. She looked around, trying to see Corrim, trying to see the girl, but saw neither.

The short one elbowed the taller and pointed. As one they pulled weapons from the backs of their pants. Simple projectile weapons that they held in a crook armed fashion at their waists. "That's far enough...and a little light I'm thinking granpa." He narrowed eyes at Pooley and then indicated the piece in his hands. "You know the deal was for all of them...and I hope you got the others stashed somewhere close or we're gonna have a little fun with you and your daughter."

Zora spoke in Pooley's gruff voice, "I don't know who the hell you people think you are, but you are barking at the wrong dog, kid. You ain't getting a piece more "til you show me my daughter."

The door was far enough away that it made little disturbance. Corrim move quietly, doing his best to keep his footsteps from echoing and giving him away. Two more thugs on the inside. One looking very much like shorty on the outside. Their voices carried to Corrim, even though his hearing was not so good as some other species. "no no no. Place like this has whatsit called Transport inhibitors....I mean with all that traffic in orbit....you know how easy it is to pilfer an entire hold full of goods" Same with the trailer little miss is in."

The taller of the two nodded as though it made perfect sense to him. "So how you know that?"

The other closed his eyes and sighed. "Simple...I know what Shorty knows...like I know that he is out there with big man Moinnet right now...and arguin." Corrim took that in and suddenly smiled to himself.

Duvek moved to the top of a ramp and leaned against the doorway that framed it. There were two things he noted, the first was that the men were standing outside door fortysix. "How delightful to find you both...I have been walking this place for what seems like hours and..." Two pairs of eyes found the Cardassian and hands made quick moves to hidden weapons. "Oh...by all means..." He produced his disruptor and moved forward. "Take those out and, place them on the floor." There was a smile on Corrim as the two complied.

The girl seemed to be completely hysterical when she emerged from the trailer, Corrim was tempted to knock her unconscious as well, just to shut her up. He made the last thug lay down on the ground half in the trailer and half out. The over head door was pulled down on top of him just before Corrimp shot the spring dropping three hundred pounds of door onto the man to keep him in place. He bent and picked up the pistol and fired off one shot to tell Zora he was safe and on his way out of the warehouse.

His head aching from the blow, Shorty opened his eyes and sat up quickly on the ground. He quickly looked around for the old man, but saw no one. In fact, the idiot dropped the art piece in his escape. Shorty eagerly grabbed the glass as he stood up. He turned to run back into the warehouse to check on the others. One of the over head doors opened and the girl jumped from it, followed by something else. When he saw the odd looking creature, he thought better of going over there. He hit a button on a device on his belt and shimmered away in a few short seconds.

He only had a moment, but Corrim saw more in that blink of time than someone else might have. First he noticed that the doppleganger to the man he had kneed was beaming away with the artwork so recently acquired. Second was that Zora was no where to be found. He remembered the sound of gunshot and jumped down and rushed into the parking lot to try and get to her, but she wasn't there either.

What had she done" Given up their one and only link to the crystal" Had she run...or worse had she been taken?

Corrim looked at the girl with him, he had no time to work on this now. He took her by the wrist and beamed away, as well.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The cocky way she spoke to him brought his smile out. Safe at the least, but with a lot to answer for. "Does the tortured miss the torturer my dear woman?" He tapped a few places on the touch screen and the transporter activated. He strengthened the signal to account for the excessive feedback from those inhibitors. The pad lit up and Zora's form materialized before his eyes.

Zora held her arms behind her back, beginning to casually toward him. She figured he was too smart and knew her too well by now to know that she must be hiding something from him. But this was her little game of trust. She walked slowly and confidently as she spoke in the same manner, "Well, I think you would like to know I brought a surprise for you."

He watched her approach, but suddenly felt off. True he did enjoy watching her move towards him that way. That look that spoke of knowing secrets could drive him mad. He loved to know secrets, to know where to find them, to work them out of people without them ever suspecting that he would use it for his own purposes. "I hope the surprise is why the hell you decided to use the real piece in this escape plan. Why you changed the plan without consulting me?" His voice was growing in volume as she crossed the room to him hands hidden behind her back that way hiding away the gift and distracting him with how it emphasized the rest of her.

Zora walked all the way up to him, staring intensely into his eyes. She stopped barely a foot away from him and left her stare linger a moment before slowly bringing her arms forward, revealing the new glass art piece. It barely fit between them. She looked down at it, then returned her smiling gaze to him.

Corrim never took his eyes from her face as his hand closed over the sculpture. He set it on the console to his left. "So you trade one for another and seek to distract me with..." She was too close and he couldn't think what to call her movements. "You left me with a distraught woman, a father who in his dire need forgets to mention that he hasn't got but a pittance of what we require. And me here searching high and low for you...Hours Zora...all because you changed the plan...didn't tell me....and left me..." To worry, were the words he didn't say.

He grasped her shoulders to push her back from him. Not hard...well harder perhaps than he had desired...why did she make him so angry' Shouldn't he be relieved that she was okay' He was that actually, but that only seemed to twist him up further as he felt she was using this to artwork to make him feel foolish. She had changed plans though, no indications of what she was doing, no way to know where to look for her. It felt like she had a new plan and was only using him. Well he knew she was using him, but he had figured that he wouldn't need to worry about her running until they had gone further together.

Chapter Three: Museum Procurement

The museum had closed and the patrons had long since moved to their homes, the doors to the place locked and the alarms on all the art were set. A simple door alarm wouldn't keep Corrim out, and if not him then the talents of Zora were more than a match for that poor alarm. The corridors were empty, and Corrim actually wished he could have the place just this way to walk through it with someone and actually appreciate the framed artwork on the walls. There was no time though for sightseeing or appreciating fine things, unless they happened to walk in front of you every so often. There were guards on duty, but this late the crew was skeleton at best. Corrim figured that was how they were able to get their hands on this piece was to go chincy with the security measures.

There were voices ahead, strange because they had spent time learning the routes of the guards. Corrim looked to Zora closed mouthed and peeked around the corner doing a quick count and coming back. He held up four fingers and indicated that they were armed with some low tech projectile weaponry. This made sense because any tech weapon would have set off alarms.

Zora nodded to him silently. She was just hoping to get in and get out as smoothly as possible. She was definitely not prepared for this, without a weapon. She rarely needed one anyway. The shapeshifter had enough advantages on her own to make due. Her matte black catsuit was a little more than a second skin. She walked up to Corrim and lightly placed her forefinger over his lips. The black skin quickly shifted to a tight, bright pink blouse and dark grey slacks. Her flat soled boots turned to patent black heels, giving her a few extra inches of height. She smiled at him and dropped her hand from him. She began to casually walk out around the corner towards the men.

Corrim had enough problems keeping the outfit from taking his focus. The touch on his lips just reminded him how long it had been since he was last touched. That had been her as well. He smiled against the finger as he remembered that time. Her shift hadn't surprised him except for the extent of it. He had expected a change of face but the outfit was not considered. Part of him wanted to watch her walk the corridor in her heals like that but he knew that would only give her away.

"That my dear while fun and very nice to watch, has put our timetable in a slight pinch. Not to mention that we now have a few fallguys for this." He looked towards the room where the men had been stationed and the intricate maze of laser trip lights. "I hope you aren't injured and can still manage the movements."

Zora smiled and said simply, "It would take a bit more than that for me to jump out of my skin." Slowly, making sure to take her time about it so he could see more of the process, her clothes shifted back to her black skinned catsuit that covered all but her head and neck. She remained in the heels though, just to ruffle a few of his scales.

The change was so enticing to watch, the very process of it pulled at him nearly as badly as that black matte catsuit that left him with a desire to know things he shouldn't be distracted by. "You'll have to give me notes on what it does take then Zora dear."

She smiled at his remark. "You know what does it for me" Expensive artwork.? She grinned playfully as she turned and headed for the entrance of the room. She looked in at the glass artwork. The lasers guarding the glass piece were plainly visible, hoping to intimidate any would be thieves. They swayed in random patterns, cutting off paths as soon as paths where open.

Corrim let out a chuckle at Zora's comment, though his eyes did fall on the glass piece they were after. "I suppose I understand the appeal of a finely sculpted piece, all those smooth curves and the attractive colors. I have an idea, I'm gonna set up our quartet here to accidentally trip an alarm after we leave."

Zora nodded silently. She was honestly more focused on her task. She didn't want to seem as though it took as much effort from her as it did.

Corrim's eyes were on her face as she spoke to him the urge to touch her warring with the urge to kiss her. His fingers lowered from the door frame and stopped just short of the mark. He drew an unsteady breath and nodded the fingers closing as the hand dropped to his side. "Quite right my dear, I should have been gone a while ago." He produced a new com device and reached for her hand to press it into her palm. "Get out of here and let me do what I have to. I'll meet you back at the ship." He backed away from her stumbling slightly over an arm on the floor but he had to force his eyes from her and turn to disappear down the hall.

She was stunned a moment when he moved that close to her, only to place the device in her hand. She was so grateful that he turned away from her after stumbling. It was her turn to stare at him before he disappeared. She smiled a genuine smile then, something just for her, a secret thought, just for a moment. She then hit the button to beam back to this ship to wait for him there.

Security was avoided, as Corrim moved through the building. His destination was the control room. It was important to make sure the men in the hall were blamed for the disappearance of the art. The noise in the hallway brought the guard in the rooms head out just where Corrim needed it to knock him out. He removed the man's shoes and socks and pulled the shoe laces out. Corrm tied the guards thumbs and big toes together with the laces and set to erasing the footage. He initiated his own beam out just as the first guards were entering the hall that held the unconscious would be thieves. As he beamed out he wondered if the talented woman would still pull at his attention and leave him vulnerable.

Zora was waiting in his chair on the bridge, legs crossed, facing the doorway, waiting for him. She remained in her catsuit just to test him. She left the newest piece of their collection on a console beside her. She tilted back in the chair so he could see the invitation on the screen as she said, "I may have found another piece. Care to join me for a party??

Still smiling, for those in view of them, Zora stepped out in a bold red, floor length, strapless dress. Her high slit in her gown exposed her leg and transparent heels. Corrim's eyes tried not to linger too long on an exposed leg as a heeled foot hit the driveway. Her crystal jewelry covering her neck reflected much of the light. She knew exactly how to dress to maximize her attention, for better or worse. Better for her, worse for her victim, though her victim was not Corrim tonight.

Zora let go of his hand and wrapped her arm around his as she stood next to him. She pushed her chest against the back of his arm, burying herself under him slightly. By positioning herself so close, she could be seen as unobtainable, at least to the one man who had the ability to steal her away, the rich, art collector host.

Corrim was conscious of exactly how close she was to him, it was just a role so why did he enjoy it this much' Why did that look possessive look on his face feel so right' He turned his face to look at her a smile falling across his lips. He spoke softly as they confirmed their invitation. He slid a hand inside his coat and pulled free the cards while the man with no neck perused the list and nodded. The woman was always surprising him. He spoke quietly to her as they walked away from the security detail. "You look beautiful my dear, I don't know if I said that before." He turned away from her after saying it, keeping his gaze on the door and the two man crew that opened it for them.

Zora continued smiling, the look seemingly permanent on her now. She spoke sweetly, though her sharp tongue was still at it. "You may have mentioned it a few times before, along with everything else you went on about this evening." She nodded to the men that held open the door.

First thing he had to do was to stop dwelling on the way Zora's dark hair only accentuated the dress that much more. He took a deep breath and looked about the entryway. The crystal chandelier hung from a vaulted ceiling. There was a large stairwell that broke at the second floor and split into two winding staircases. The dark wooden banister made stood out against the pearl walls of the parlor. There was music coming from the doorway to the left, and the general movement of the people was to begin there. He guided Zora in that direction though she needed little in the way of encouragement. She knew well what she was doing.

Corrim was growing used to having her so close to him. The touch, and the small laughs as she playfully took his drink. The collection lining the walls took them down the hall, the room with walled off with velvet cord was dark. Corrim could see that there were pieces inside, though the one they were looking for wasn't immediately obvious. He hated to let go of Zora to get confirmation, and the idea of a lookout was abandoned. He stepped across the barrier and she accompanied him. Even as they walked into the room that was clearly off limits for the party, and clearly without anyone else in it, she still stayed wrapped around his arm.

It took a little time to find the piece they were looking for. The glass art had been put aside in a way to make it seem as though it were little more than a pretty paper weight. Corrim let his gaze fall away from it to see Zora's reaction to it. What he found was that her cheek curved away from him in a way that he was grateful for the drink in his hand. It prevented him from reaching out to touch her. "I think I've found it my dear." He put that smile on his face and was unable to remember the last time it was this hard to maintain. She saw it and contained her excitement. It was not long lived.

Zora could hear someone approaching. She grabbed the drink from his hand as she turned to face him. She pressed herself against him and lunged forward, passionately kissing him, entangling her tongue with his. Corrim was glad of how quickly she reacted, the drink sloshed to lower the level and give the impression of drinking. He had little time to concentrate on it though as he fell into that kiss. His fingers pressed into her back, holding her to him. His grip tightening as the man sounded off at them, the dance of her tongue impossible for him to ignore.

As the man came into view he spoke harshly, "Hey, you two lovebirds. This area's off limits. If you want a room, you gotta take that up with the boss."

She let go of Corrim's lips and smiled a wide toothy grin to the man. She said with a bit of a slur, sloshing the drink in her hand, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. We just couldn't resist." She took a step and turned back to face Corrim. With her back to the guard, she smiled a genuine smile to Corrim. She grabbed his hand, turned around and began to drunkenly walk him back towards the other guests.

Corrim fixed the man with a smile and moved along with the slightly unsteady Zora, looking for all the world as though he was supporting her. "Oh, I don't know my dear, I think perhaps a room is exactly what we need." His hand was still on her back, low and suggestive. The man watching them would suspect nothing more than a couple trying to find a place alone. When he suggested a room, Zora stopped mid-step, turned around, and glared at him. She then hung onto his neck, acting as though she needed the extra support. By the time they got to the other guests, she regained much of her prior gait.

"A little confusing to be honest."

Corrim's tone was honey laced bee stings. He insinuated himself between Zora and Heath, the arm once on Zora's back finding his side the other going about the shoulders of the man. He ignored the gathering crowd as he increased his volume loud enough to be heard by more than just Heath and Zora.

"Take these for instance, the lighting poor as it is can't hide the fact that the display is completely wrong. I mean Mister Vikian I can only hope that you are displaying in order of purchase because everyone knows that though Van Murin and Flores were both impressionists, Van Murin's use of color was about the harmony found in nature. Flores used it to explain the duality of mankind. To display them together is"frankly an insult to both masters." Corrim had gone straight backed and he was talking down at Heath visibly. The chuckles coming from his guests had Heath's face turning red.

Zora turned to Corrim and gave him a familiar glare. She tried to delicately pacify the situation. She turned back to Heath. "Oh, you'll have to excuse Mr. Duvek. He obviously just has a different view of art' being what he is?" She could not look at Corrim while insulting him so. By calling him by his last name, it distanced herself from him, instead of being personal and using his first name. By calling attention to how his race differed so greatly from the rest of them, she felt like as much as a fraud there, but at least she could hide her true race.

Corrim flinched like she hit him, the eyes found the back of her head for a moment before darting to the side his head following. His gaze fell to the floor, Heath's arm fell about Corrim's back and he turned to walk with him. "I do appreciate your assessment, Mr. Duvek. I will surely check into that tomorrow." Corrim knew the path Heath was leading him on, and the moment he was passed off to a security guard whose bicep was greater than his IQ Corrim knew he was leaving the party early, and alone.

Heath's voice went moved away from him as he rejoined his guests. Corrim looked over his shoulder at Zora. His eyes finding hers for a brief moment, pain quickly hardened over as the door closed on him.

Heath slipped an arm around Zora and spoke in low tones. "I'm sorry you had to witness that Zora, but I think you'll find the quality of company better now." Zora stood still, trying to understand everything that had happened. She continued to stare at Corrim, trying to hide her anguish when he looked back at her. Heath's words interrupted her longing. "Oh, yes. I'm so terribly sorry for that,? she said as she delicately wrapped her arm around Heath's.

Heath stopped every so often to expound the virtues of this painting or that. Clearly he was trying to impress Zora with his knowledge of the artists and their work. His hand kept sliding lower on her back though. As the drink disappeared his confidence seemed to grow. "This one my dear is called unexpected lover"one of my personal favorites. You see the way the artist uses the light to?"

Zora smiled as Heath droned on. She cringed and silently resented him when he called her "my dear'. That was one of Corrim's lines. She didn't hear a word he said after that. She remembered all of Corrim's stories on the ride over. She would interject an "Oh' or a "Fascinating' every once in awhile to feign interest in Heath's lectures. She soon turned her attention to getting the glass art piece. She would need to figure out some way to lose her new date for the evening if she wanted to steal his art. Considering he was showing no sign of letting up on his intimate attention for her, she debated how she would get away long enough to complete her objective.

The point of information is to know how to use it. Corrim understood the moment that the call came to the driver that he would be needed that Heath had found what he was looking for and was ending the party early. He got out on a corner next to a hotel, he never bothered to check which one. He beamed away to a point just outside of Heath's. He had sprung for a dampening field to be set up within his walls. Corrim looked at the wall for a moment before he determined that it might be time to show what he had been hiding. He took three steps and vaulted, fingers curling onto the top of the wall and scrambling over the top. He dropped silently and made his way across the front yard. The lights had gone as soon as the last party guest had cleared the gate. He was about to disable the security system when he heard the sound. A low growl, followed by a second had Corrim looking over his shoulder.

Two Doberman Pincers were coming at him quickly. He should have checked, he didn't know what was making him rush this. A brick through a window isn't pretty but it is effective. He slid his hand onto the knob and darted in through the door the sound of snapping jaws stifled at the last moment. The alarm however would prove another matter.

Corrim stood unsteadily in front of her a goofy smile on his face. "Of course I camme back for nyou. I'm nuthin' with..out my Zora. You memmber how you found me. Everything I am is cuz of you." He laid his forhead on hers before letting go and turning towards Heath. "Now you go an leave me for"mister moneybags. I know you are too good for me"but I ain't losin you without a fight." He raised his fists up and swayed drunkenly.

Zora couldn't contain herself when Corrim placed his forehead on her's. She started laughing, which turned to a fun giggle that she emphasized. She said in a higher voice, acting like the tipsy girl herself, "Oh Corrim, yes, win my love and affection." She was trying to encourage both sides.

Heath looked from one to the other and shook his head. "My dear, I don't know what I ever saw in you." Not exactly true since she was still wearing that red dress that clung to her elegantly. He turned to the security guards and made a face. "Get em out of here"both of them." He looked at Zora with contempt. "You could have had it so good"now?" He shrugged as the pair of them were manhandled out the door and down the driveway.

Under any other circumstances, Zora would not let anyone close enough to touch her, but she happily allowed Heath's men to force her and Corrim out. As the men threw them out of the gate, she still kept up her cooing. She hugged on Corrim tightly and repeated, "Oh Corrim.." The men scoffed and walked away. She remained draped over Corrim and whispered in his ear, "I have the piece."

He gave her back that secret smile that she shared with him earlier in the evening. He kept an eye on the men at the gate who decided to watch them all the way down the fence line. Corrim slipped arms around her, lifting her up and spinning her. The muscle at the gate had started back towards the house. Corrim let Zora slide down him to her feet. He kept eyes locked on hers even as he signaled the beam out.

She tried not to laugh happily as he spun her, but she could not help but smile at the surprise. She barely even noticed rematerializing on his ship. She casually put a hand behind her back. She expelled the glass art from her back and grasped it, bringing her hand back around to the front of her to allow him to see it. She carefully placed it on the table next to them. She returned her gaze to him, still smiling.

He never even looked at the artwork. He was aware that it was set aside but he kept his attention on Zora. His hand went to her face once again when she turned back to him. He searched her face, her eyes trying hard to identify the color. His smile became an intense look that carried the confusion he was feeling. "Beautiful"just beautiful.? She gently rubbed her face against his hand. She blinked slowly at his statement, silently begging him to kiss her.

His fingers curled behind her head and slipped through her hair. The hand still at her back slid upward his palm pressing her close to him. Corrim moved before he could second guess or decide that it was too dangerous. He claimed her lips, his tongue darting into her mouth to dance with hers. He deepened that kiss with the hand at the back of her head as she began to kiss him back.

That was a simple backstory for those who demanded an intricate story. Corrim wasn't the only one who could sell tall tales. She met him on the planet she would call home. She started life as a small substance on a remote planet far from her race's home world, never even knowing them. She grew and began to develop qualities of her environment. At a young age, she learned she could shapeshift. Mimicking wild animals, she learned from their instinct to survive. When she ventured into populated areas of the planet, her unsuccessful efforts to mimic the people proved dangerous. She was continually cast out and grew to hate the humanoids.

She continued to watch them from the wild in order to perfect her abilities. She was finally able to infiltrate them successfully, in the hopes of earning her revenge against all humanoids. By working for the planet's government, she was able to do the most damage to its internal structure. Occasionally she would have to complete various tasks to keep her secret position of power. Along with those tasks was reporting.

That was also all a lie.

She only visited that planet briefly when she bumped into Corrim. She could tell many versions of her background. A few who had heard the stories would swear she herself did not even remember her true past anymore. In truth, her background meant little. What she was doing now was most important.

"No, I still have not heard word from the Andorian you sent, but I did hear that some pirates were trying to gain the pieces. They were very upset that some of their men were caught in the museum. I heard they were out for blood, trying to find anyone connected with the pieces. The Andorian may have run into them. I would suspect since he hasn't send word yet, that he may have met an unfortunate end?" She was certain he had.

"Yes, I will report again as soon as the analysis are completed."

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Corrim looked at the list of scans she was using, he was far from an expert on scans, but he could see multispectrum scans happening as well as radiological. Physical integrity, and even Bio Spectral Analysis being done. "I would say you have covered quite a few things there. How long until you have them all completed?" He moved closer his hand going out and resting on the console very near to hers but still separated by space. He revealed nothing of how he wanted to place his hand over top of hers.

She replied, still sorting through results of completed scans, "Several will be completed in a few minutes. Others will take until the end of the hour." An alarm began to squawk across the ship, that female computer voice calling out a proximity alert. Corrim moved quickly to the helm controls and then looked at Zora. "We seem to have attracted some of the wrong attention my dear. An Orion ship is closing with us. No trackable numbers on the ship...that can only mean our pirate friends have found us." He sat and began to put the engines to good use. The Other ship hadn't expected them to go to warp. "I bought us a few minutes Zora...that is about all...we might be able to hide in a nebula."

Zora quickly readied herself, pulling up weapons controls from her console. Her first reaction was always fight, but on a ship, she was powerless. All she could really do was let Corrim take control and bide them more time for the scans. Once they knew where the crystal was hidden, they could quickly run there and retrieve it.

Corrim had chosen this ship for its maneuverability, it was small though and in the end that would mean slower at warp. He had his own scans going trying to find a place to hide. The view screen showed an asteroid field. It would be far more advantageous to the smaller ship. He turned to look at Zora as the option presented itself. "Uhm"I don't think you are going to like this." He could hear the three hundred sixty degree phaser array going off under Zora's command. He hoped she knew about the aft torpedo launcher. And noticed that the complement was not so large, ten shots and they would be without the devices. "You may want to secure yourself.? She followed his instruction, abandoning the controls for a moment to brace herself.

He gave her a strange look as his hand hovered over the controls. "You really must tell me what is going on inside that head of yours." Corrim brought the ship out of warp and looked at her once more. "Tell me you haven't become a raging lunatic, or perhaps the location is something you don't want me to have" If it is that important I can let you pilot the ship It's been a while since I have been able to rest through a trip."

She closed her eyes a moment and casually said, "I don't have a location."

Corrim began to turn the ship around and head back the way they had come. "its fine, we can get back the pieces if we play it right. I'll be an unscrupulous spice merchant and you can be my penny pinching bookkeeper." In his head he was already starting to go over dialogue that he would use, and inflection to pass suspicion off of them. With her eyes still closed, Zora replied, "There is no need. There is no location."

He never engaged the engines, just sat there staring at Zora as though she were supposed to say more. "I hope you have more to say than that' Do I get to be let in on the secret or am I a liability?" He was growing frustrated with the hoarding of information she was exhibiting.

She opened her eyes and turned to look at him. "Scans showed that the glass art had remnants of life. A further scan identified it to be an embryonic lifeform in its crystalline state. That was the powerful crystal everyone was searching for. They have been known to steal and store enormous amounts of energy. But the crystal no longer exists, not in that state. The crystal was destroyed in some blast, causing it to be broken into pieces and melt into odd shapes. The glass art pieces weren't sculpted by the artist. They were found that way."

Corrim listened to the explanation silently. He could have laughed over the irony of spending so much on something so worthless. Still there had be unexpected benefits. He nodded twice, and then a third time spaced between heartbeats before turning to the console. "Have you ever been to Montera VII" They have a summer festival that that is unrivaled in the Arucanis Arm." He didn't look her way as the ship adjusted coarse one last time. "There is of course the small matter of a coup that we will need to help to come about....but I would say in between there will be plenty of time to enjoy the festival."

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