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Kallus knew the patrol was going too smoothly. The reports he had received showed an active rebel presence but even multiple planetary scans hadn’t shown anything. Konstantine had huffed when he’d ordered the ground patrol, saying something about chasing smoke which Kallus ignored.
This gave him a perfect cover to get another report to the Rebellion out of a system that showed rebel activity. The risk of his transmission being traced, if it was even caught, would be exceptionally thin. And even if it was, coming from this system just showed that the initial reports were accurate, just cagier than the admiral would ever admit. The smirk that thought put on his face just made him look viscously focused to his troopers. Which is exactly the cover he needed to uphold.
Once the shuttle landed, he ordered the troopers to start a grid pattern. There had been a few spots that showed questionable activity, but if it ended up being a group of smugglers Kallus had been trying to catch for the illegal smuggling of T7s what was he to do? His orders were to uphold the laws of the Empire and those … weapons were illegal.
He shook his head, not wanting his mind to go down that dark hole. He knew what his conscience would do to him and that could not happen here.
Instead, he headed for a cantina further down the alley. It was a dark, nasty place where all manner of ill repute gathered. Just the kind of location where he’d find a black market comm unit to send his data through. Not all of it, unfortunately, there was too much data on the spike to risk that, but he figured if he did this over the coarse of several different missions he’d get the majority to the Rebellion.
When he’d initially found the information buried in the archives will the Lasan data he’d been in shock and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. As more scrolled across the screen he’d realized that he had uncovered one of the largest cache of blue prints, battle reports, troop movement schedules he’d ever heard of.
Kallus had copied everything to a spike and logged off quickly. He’d buried his tracks and sliced the data trail back into a clerical system that was not checked regularly. Only a dedicated intel search of very redundant systems in the core servers of Coruscant would be able to find what he’d done.
He cleared his mind and as he into the cantina his face was that of a consummate ISB agent, calm and menacing as he sent the troopers to check the surrounding buildings.
There was not a huge crowd, just a couple Ithorians at a table talking with a Rodian. A human was playing sabacc with a Sullust at the other side of the room. There was one bartender, human, and the back area looked empty. He walked past the bartender, taking in the look of fear and nervousness. Kallus’s eyes narrowed a bit and when the man’s eyes fell to the bartop he slipped into the back hall.
There was a small communication array and bounty board. Under the guise of scanning through the list of bounties, he slipped the spike into the array and entered an encrypted signal. He made as if he was checking the boards, watching as the spike sunk into the array. It was almost done when a shadow blocked the entrance to the hallway.
His hand was on his blaster, quickly withdrawing the spike and pocketing it as a rather stocky Klatoonian blocked the hall. Kallus turned and faced the growling male with an impervious glare, not appearing bothered by the other’s loud growls or exposed fangs.
“And just what do you think you’re doing, Imperial?” The male growled out, spittle coming close to landing on Kallus’s tunic. “Didn’t think any of your kind would need to be collecting bounties. If you even could.”
Kal’s right eyebrow cocked up at the sinister leer on the other’s face. The male looked him up and down and Kal could see his nostrils flare as the … being scented him. And then the alien stepped further into the hall, blocking it, and smiled with all his teeth.
“I think you’re a little too pretty for that kind of work.” Kal’s other eyebrow rose minutely at that.
He honestly couldn’t tell if the alien was truly that confidant, or that stupid. Kallus was not a small man by human standards. Yes, the alien had him in weight but Kal had spent a good chunk of his life training for that. And he had spent a good chunk of time recently facing off against a highly trained, highly intelligent Lasat. Compared to Garazeb, this Klatoonian was laughable. Not that his face showed any of his thoughts. He let a smirk slide onto his face, ready to dispatch the alien when a rumble at his back had the other male's eyes going wide.
“Heh heh.” Garazeb’s deep laugh was quiet and full as malice, coming from behind Kallus. “You aren’t wrong about that.”
Kallus took a small step back against the wall so he could see both aliens, showing no more concern at now being between two large aliens than he had before. Too many battles had him knowing not to get involved until he had a better option. And Garazeb had just changed the situation up, giving Kallus quite a few more.
Zeb stepped closer into the hall, so that the Klatoonian could get a better view of the much larger alien with a smiling mouth of fangs all his own. His eyes were narrowed and the way he held himself made if very clear who the more dangerous being was. Kallus’s reaction to such a blatant threat display was probably not the appropriate one but he had acknowledged to himself rather quickly after Bahryn that his feelings for the Lasat were rather complicated.
Zeb prowled farther into the hall and Kallus kept his face impervious as it seemed to sink into the Klatoonian that this wasn’t going to be the “easy fight” he’d thought. Kallus watched as the snarl toned down but the glare the alien sent him was all still all slimey heat.
“Just leave him here when you’re done.” He grunted, finally taking a step back from Zeb’s continued growl. “I’m sure he won’t be as pretty but doesn’t really need to be.”
There was no way to miss the way that Zeb’s growl sharpened at that, standing to his full height as the Klatoonian turned and left.
Kallus was mostly in the shadows of the hallway and he sincerely hoped they covered the flush he could feel crossing his cheekbones and going down his neck. He had a clear view as Zeb growled after the other alien; his muscles bulging, his hands curled into fists, and his fangs catching the dim light perfectly. The agent found himself transfixed by that gleam, imagining what those sharp teeth would feel like dragging over his skin. He quickly got himself under control but from the deep breath Zeb took, his scent was giving him away.
Zeb held his gaze as he took another deep breath through his nose, and his smile was all teeth as he looked at the agent.
“What do ya say, Agent?” His deep rumble practically purred, stepping up to him. “Promise I won’t leave a mark on ya.”
The agent stood stock still as Zeb leaned forward and took another sniff right by his ear.
“Unless you’d like me too?”
Kallus held Zeb’s eye as the Lasat leaned back, looking entirely too pleased with himself. And, true, Kallus could feel his flush practically glowing. But he’d had since that moon to realize his complicated feelings and the one he knew and acknowledged seemed to be very much returned. And he had never been one to back down when he knew it was a mutual attraction. So he gave the Lasat a heated, obvious, once over that slowly took in the entirety that was Garazeb Orrelios. From the clawed digitigrade legs, to the powerful thighs, on to the man's strong hips, taking in the clawed hands, up to his barrel chest, and up to the ears before again focusing in on the other man's fangs that were still showing in that smug smirk.
Kallus stepped up to the rebel, his eyes going down to the other’s belt as he slid his finger over the top of it lightly, tugging when he got to the center and raised his eyes. Catching the surprise in the other’s gaze before the smug came back. And Kallus answered that smirk with one of his own, all heat and teeth.
“Oh, I’d like that.” Kallus purred, his voice dropping an octave looking at Zeb through his lashes. “The question is, would you?”
He watched as something else flickered over Zeb’s eyes. Something that matched an emotion Kallus had felt in his bunk late at night and refused to name. Something that was so much more dangerous than anything he could ever do as Fulcrum. Zeb held his gaze, the hallway feeling so much warmer as the other man began to lean down.
“Agent Kallus!”
They both jumped back against the walls of the hallway as Kallus’s comm erupted. “No sign of the rebels, sir. But we did catch a crew of smugglers with some highly illegal contraband.”
Kallus took a deep breath and gave an apologetic look to Zeb as he raised his comm.
“I’ll be right there.” He responded, and lowered his arm.
He looked over at the Lasat, his heart still racing from what had almost happened. What he hoped had almost happened. Zeb returned his gaze with a heated one of his own, his fur standing up on his shoulders and neck.
Kallus stepped over to him, confidant as he ever was on the battle field, right up to the larger man and palmed the spike into Zeb’s hand and he leaned up to his ear.
“Be careful flashing those teeth, Garazeb.” He purred, putting all the training the ISB had ever provided into his voice. “Or you just may need to make good with them.”
He was so close he could feel Zeb’s quick indrawn breath and the low purr that started immediately. Stepping deftly back before the other man could grab him, Kallus started towards the entrance.
“Oh, I’ll make good Agent.” He could feel Zeb’s growl as the other man stayed in the hallway.
Kal took in the lasat’s look, smug and with even more fang. That he ran his tongue over as he held Kallus’ gaze. And the smirk grew when Kallus made an aborted step back towards him.
He cast a heated glare back at the other man, making sure to hold it till the fool Lasat squirmed. Then he headed for the docks; knowing the image of Zeb’s tongue rolling over that fang would be featuring prominently when he finally returned to his cabin.