Star Wars - Tales from the Outer Rim

"The Spawn of Vengeance, The Spawn of Betrayal, Part 1"
by Quistis Knox
Kyra Ronso

Location: New Plouton
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***

Quistis glanced through the window to calm herself, her deal with Jadda was not profitable to her or Akesha but at least if the things went wrong... No! Nothing can go wrong!

She looked to the time and saw it was time to meet a really interesting and promising meeting. Here she was meeting with the former Black Operative of the Empire, Kyra Ronso.

She dressed in her long coat and exited her room. It took a couple of minutes to exit her building and enter the limousine, a special gift by Akesha.

After long minutes she arrived at the local bar in the Yelldon District. She entered the bar and directly seated on one available table. She caught attention of the waiter. "A Spice Beer!" She glanced towards the bar and saw a woman dressed with a long black trench coat, with dark hair.

Kyra glanced the entire bar and saw a woman with pale blue eyes seated on the table. Without delay and unnoticed she got out of the bar, made way to the table and sat. At the same time the waiter delivered Quistis' drink.

"Are you Quistis Knox?" Kyra seated herself, pulling, unnoticed, a blaster and pointed it towards the pale blue eyed girl.

"Yes I'm. My time is precious so let's get on with it?" Quistis said, glancing everywhere.

"ID first. Then we make the transaction." Kyra kept the blaster pointed towards Quistis.

"Very well." Quistis took out her ID and showed it to Kyra. "Now can you put away your blaster?"

Kyra wasn't surprise that Quistis noticed the blaster, but now Kyra was sure that she was really Quistis. She put away the blaster but she put it in a place that she could draw it quickly.

"Good. Now the Intel that you wanted for your admirals about the Underworld space-station is here in this datapad. Now money first and delivered later," Quistis said with a smile. She put a datapad above the table, but she maintained contact with the datapad at all the time.

Kyra took out a credit chip and slid it to the other part of the table. Quistis saw the chip and double-checked the amount. "It's all here like you promised, now to keep mine..." Quistis slid the datapad with the Intel to Kyra.

"Now just a curious question...?" Kyra smiled as she saw the Intel, to see it was the real thing. "Why a sudden interest of your boss to help the Rebel Alliance? Why she agreed to provide this Intel with so low budget?"

"Akesha has its own business, and it can put that zone in a very risky situation to be conquered by the Alliance. Which will highly prove extremely important since it creates another entry window to Coruscant and in time the control of the Empire in Corellia could be gone forever." Quistis grinned as she put away the credit chip.

"You know that once the Underworld Space-station falls it cuts most supply ships of the Empire to the Outer Rims. Brath'Nam still depends a lot on those ships." Kyra frowned has she put the glass on her mouth and swallowed a little of her drink.

"We have our own supply lines, Mrs. Ronso. Once the supply lines are open the business will also grow in our supply ships since it would be the only ones to the Outer Rim at least to this sector. It benefits both our sides." Quistis gave a glorified smile.

"I see. The Empire will not attack your ships since it's going to use yours, pirates will not attack your ships since the Empire deals with such activity on their territories. Little do they know most parts will not arrive to its destination due to entering a non-controlled Imperial zone and you can easily blame them on pirates, so the supplies that you promise to the Rebels arrive." Kyra loved when she rationalised this way.

Quistis nodded, agreeing to her. "The Outer Rim and Core Worlds are divided by Imperial forces and the recent data shows that they are holding their positions. Once the Underworld Space station falls to the Rebel hands easily the systems near by would easily fall to the Rebel hands. Creating a huge gap on the Empire's territories on most Core Worlds."

"But it's not that simple as you say, since its Imperial Governor has most of the Empire in its control and has one of the most best trained squadrons in the Empire, even Admiral Thrawn doesn't control large or stronger army than Gostalv's, and we have no confirmation about his new Star Destroyers."

"Yes, neither have we. Admiral Gostalv has been making this, a huge secret, trouble that the ships are more advanced than ever. If the rumors are confirmed the engines are far superior that previous designs of the Star Destroyer, also they improved a lot of their shields." Quistis nodded in agreement. "Problem is to find out if these Star Destroyers exist it can create a huge problem for the Rebels and the New Republic."

"That is why we need to conquer the Underworld, if we attack by surprise, maybe we can take it quickly without leaving no time for them to erase their central computer, and then we will have confirmation, if those new Star Destroyers still exist and where they are being constructed...." Kyra stopped, something in her told her that she was being watched.

"I sense it too. Near the bar, third on the left, two Niktos, a Dug, a Gran and Human," Quistis told her. "You go on the back while I exit from the main entrance and call their attention. Make sure that Intel doesn't get to the wrong hands." Quistis nodded. "May the Force be with you."

"And you," Kyra said has she got up and walked to the bathroom. Kyra saw that she was followed by two Niktos and the Dug, while Quistis was being followed by the human and the Gran.

Kyra entered quickly the bathroom and examined every window. She saw that the last window to check was the only one open. She climbed over the balcony and opened the small window. When she was almost half through it her foes entered the bathroom and saw that she was exiting through the window. The first Nikto tried to catch her while the second Nikto and the Dug exited the bathroom to catch her on the other side.

The first Nikto grabbed her by one of her feet, but Kyra, with the other foot, kicked him in the face. The Nikto let go of her foot and Kyra was able to exit the window. She set both feet on the floor and when she was starting to make her escape, the second Nikto and the Dug stood in her exit from that place. Both aliens smiled as the first Nikto joined the other two.

"Guys, please let me pass," Kyra said, but the three aliens didn't want to chat.

The first Nikto charged, taking his knife. Kyra, with an ironic smile, waited until he reached. She stepped to the side, avoiding the knife, but she rotated and kicked him in the back of his neck. The first Nikto fell on the floor hard, but Dug moved too fast for Kyra to notice. The Dug grab with his hands Kyra's throat. She quickly took both hands to free herself, but the Dug was too strong. The first Nikto got up and lunched an evil smile. He approached her and punched her in the stomach. A small amount of blood exited from her mouth, dripping on one of her side of her mouth. The punch was too strong for Kyra's body to take.

She had to find an exit from that situation and quickly. She, in little seconds, while she was punched by a Nikto made plan and put it in execution. She took her sword with her right hand and wave it against the Dug behind her. In a lucky shot the sword hit the Dug's head, cutting in, two killing him instantly.

Kyra tried to catch her breath, but she waved again her sword and cut the first Nikto's hand, which he intended to punch her. The Nikto screamed in pain and stepped back. She glanced to the Nikto without his hand, when she realized there was another Nikto present. She turned to face the second Nikto, but too late. Kyra saw only the Nikto charging and stabbing her on her left side near her kidney. She swallowed the sharp pain and with her sword she cut the Nikto's head. The body of the second Nikto, headless and lifeless fell to the floor, as she thought, Stupid. Stupid mistake... How could I forgotten about this Nikto?

The first Nikto saw his companion headless, anger raised on him and he started to run against Kyra. She instantly took the knife out of her, spun around and threw the knife against the other Nikto. The knife hit the Nikto between his eyes and he gave a scream of pain. In a second the Nikto's body fell to the floor with the knife carved in his forehead.

Has her foes lied on the floor dead. She quickly examined her wound and saw that it was a deep cut. She looked around and saw an old coat near the garbage. She quickly dressed up and took a small scarf that she had in one of the pockets and pressed it against the wound.

I got to deliver this Intel, but who to trust? Kyra thought as her head was working. After long minutes she realized she was going to meet Zion Xandler in a couple of hours. She knew he could be trusted since he did investigate something for them a while ago. Zion was the one she now trusted. She only hoped that could get to Pink Monga on time.

"The Spawn of Vengeance, The Spawn of Betrayal, Part 2"
by Quistis Knox
Garnet Seifer (as Lady Ammut)
Aeolus - NPC

Location: New Plouton & Ammut's Palace
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***Meanwhile on the other side of the Bar***

Quistis exited the door, seeing that she was being followed by a Gran and Human, but she intended not to be caught. As she got near to cross the street a limousine stooped in front of her. A door opened right in front of her. The Human and the Gran pushed Quistis inside the Limousine.

Inside the limousine she put her hand on the blaster in instinct, but she saw that inside was another human with a blaster pointing towards her. "Check on the others!" he spoke to a portable comm.

Quistis looked to the side and realized that he was speaking to the two people the pushed her inside the limousine.

After long minutes of waiting and glancing to the man with the blaster when he was contacted. "Subject B escaped, both Niktos and Dug dead."

"Very well, they paid their price of failure. Return to base, we will meet you there," the man spoke. He hid his comm on one of his pockets and knocked on the door. The limousine drove off... To here, Quistis thought to herself.

After an hour of driving on the limousine, the night had fallen and the lights of the street were lit up. The limousine stopped to its fullest near a big place that looked like an old palace. It wasn't an incredible place but it was big. The door opened and another two guards were waiting for her.

She exited the limousine and was taken quickly inside. The entrance was big, with no guards, while she was carried to the person she was going to see. She was taken to an elevator to the second floor and then to a corridor to a second hall then she noticed that she was taken to the left corridor to large doors. As they entered the throne room she noticed that the room had a resemblance like Jadda's palace with the same structure as he had. The throne room had a lot of columns when she was thrown to the floor. The room was empty except for a table and a chair on the end of it. Both guards left the room. She got up, cleaning herself when she noticed two people in the room. One was seated on the throne of some kind and a whitish fellow was next to her.

She approached both individuals and one of them recognized. "Aeolus, you son of a bitch. I can't believe you here alive and well." She grinned as Quistis' will was to kill him right there on the spot. She glanced to the person seated on the throne. She had a hood covering her face and no skin was visible. She looked like some kind of ghost or an empty thing underneath that black robe.

"Do you know this little guest, Aeolus?" the person seated spoke and Quistis could tell it was a woman.

"Yes, my Lady. She was a colleague of mine during my stay of the Cult of Assacis." Aeolus paused as he looked to Ammut. "She took it rather bad when I killed our master and teacher. Also I used a friend of hers to cover my tracks. I think she's still upset by what I did."

"You got that right, you son of a bitch. If I get my hands on you..." Quistis was interrupted by Ammut.

"Please... There is no need for violence... Sorry about bringing you to my presence like this. I'm Lady Ammut and the people that went after you and your friend work for me..." She paused, while Aeolus spoke something near Ammut that Quistis didn't hear. "I see... Looks like some of my people failed me to bring the Intel that I require. Here the price of failure is death. It seems your friend was able to slip by my hands. It's unnecessary to ask for the Intel?"

"Do you need a response?" Quistis said calmly and ironically. "Remember, Aeolus, the Spawn of Vengeance..."

"The Spawn of Betrayal..." Aeolus told her, like he remembered it well. It was the blood oath when a cleric made for vengeance and it only ended when one of the sides was dead and he intended to be the one that survived.

"Of course that was not the only mistake they made..." Quistis drew her blasters and fired against both individuals. Aeolus hid behind the chair where Ammut was seated. But Quistis' energy rays deflected by some energy shield that surrounded Ammut herself. Ammut laughed out loud. Quistis saw that Aeolus was preparing to fire so she ran to hide behind a column.

Aeolus fired his blasters towards the column where Quistis was hiding. A lot of guards entered the room and hid behind the columns, blocking Quistis' exit.

Quistis changed her priorities and made to her conscience to exit that room and escape from the place she now was. She pointed her blasters where the guards were and fired when the first started to move. She got the first two that tried to move to the next column. She saw that the guards were in a lot of numbers that even a Jedi could eliminate by themselves. She placed her blaster on his right hand, put it away and with her available hand she took two small discs like a hockey puck. Quistis moved the two discs between her fingers and activated one by one and threw one to the right sided columns and the other to the left sided columns where she was standing. She quickly covered her ears and closed her eyes.

Both disks exploded, creating a loud noise and a intensive light to blind the enemies. Most guards were now blind and the ones the weren't caught by light were now confused since they would be temporarily confused. It was now the perfect time to move out at least of this room.

Quistis took the other blaster and started to run between the blasters, spinning on her toes, firing to the different gaps between the columns where the supposed guards were. She constantly moved towards the doors even if she only wounded some of the soldiers, but majority she killed the guards only with one shot or three. She got to the doors and started to run out to the second hall.

"She is a very resourceful woman, Aeolus," Ammut spoke has she took out her hands pff of her ears.

"Yes she is, a little more resourceful for my taste. Do you wish to deploy the Raiders?" Aeolus stepped down one degree of the stairs and turned to face Ammut's response.

"The Raiders? No, Aeolus it is a little too soon. I want our special guest to be on the shadow about the Raiders. Using our trumps to the wrong people, the trumps can turn against us." Ammut paused as she got up. "Consider this a test to how the guards can react in this kind of situation. Let's see what needs to be improved."

Quistis ran to the second hall and without stopping she turned to the corridor that led to the elevator but she stopped and fired against a lot of guards that were walking on that corridor she then turned to the Hall and saw that she had two possibilities: the right corridor or the corridor on the other side of the hall, but the possibility was diminished to one since down the right corridor were coming guards. She ran through the hall and fired her blaster to the right hall, hitting some guards.

She ran to the end of the corridor where there was a door. She tried to open it and it was closed. She fired against it but the energy rays didn't even scorch the door. Quistis was now pinned out, with no place to go. The guards were hidden behind the walls at the end of the corridor and fired against her. She quickly covered herself in a tiny piece of the door, but she had to quickly find a more suitable place to hide or she was going to exit the building in a body-bag.

Quistis looked everywhere while she fired against the guards maintaining the distance, but the guards were a lot of them. She glanced and saw only one way to exit that place and she was taking the express way. She exited her cover place, firing without stopping towards the guards, then she switched her blasters to fire more rapidly like a machine-gun and fired against the floor. She drew around her a circle. After a few seconds the ground around her collapse through the floor above, taking her with it.

Briefly she saw the entrance and beyond that the street. As the collapsed floor hit the ground she rolled over instantly, and with her guns hit the different guards that were caught by surprise. The elevator doors opened and guards came out of it firing towards her. She responded the same way, hitting several guards, but two individuals entered through the entrance, seeing the incredible and unbelievable sight. Quistis, in her back of her eye, saw that it was the Human and the Gran that caught her.

She kneed her right leg and jumped at the same time as both individuals tried to take their blasters out of their respective holsters. Quistis spun her body and as her body was upside down towards both individuals she fired and hit several times, destroying their respective thoraxes. She landed on both feet towards the guards that fired, obligating them to hide themselves.

She turned and exited through the front door. She hid her blasters and tried to find a get-away speeder or swoop. She saw a swoop stopping on a red light and she took out the blaster and placed it towards the driver's helmet. "If you want to live, get out now!"

The driver did so without thinking. Quistis climbed and drove off between the speeders that were crossing the intersection, losing her pursuers. The only thing in her mind was in fact Kyra was able to get the Intel to the Admirals of the Rebels in time. She was going to find out the next few days if an attack on the Underworld was made.

"Scoundrel's Wages, Part 2"
by Daemor'rah
and Aurra Sgall

Location: New Plouton
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***

The speeder made its way back to the large megacity of New Plouton. It was heading for it's worst region, the poorest one, called Yallder District. She was waking up. She wasn't so sure of what had happened at first, but quickly her mind remembered. Aurra had been shot down and so had she. But it had been stun shots. The question laid out was why...

She had been dressed back, and so had Aurra, but she had no idea who these people were. She kept pretending she was still unconscious and was hearing the sounds. When she could tell that everyone was not paying any attention she jumped back to her feet and grabbed a blaster from one of the guard's holsters.

Everyone turned but she had already leaped out of the speeder, and had grabbed Aurra's arm to take her along with her and out of that mess. But the man in black had also been fast and pulled Aurra straight back from Daemor'rah's grip.

"Kill the bitch!" he had ordered in the meantime. But in Daemor'rah's mind the shot had already been given, and so she fired and hit one of the guards first. When she landed, she knew it was best to run for cover and disappear before they could track her. She could only think of Aurra, but her best chance was to hunt them before they could hunt her, so she began to follow them instead.

***Two hours later***

She sat in the fourth floor of an abandoned building. Across her was a renovated building with large windows that gave sight to a posh apartment. Her mind raced.

I was so happy just a few hours ago... Now I'm a mess! If only I could stop shaking... she thought to herself while she felt the projectile rifle that she had gotten from an arms shop. As it was, convincing the man to give away his weapons had been easy for a person who could kill him if he didn't.

She blamed herself for what had happened to Aurra. The Twi'lek girl was not their mark, she was! And that was what gave her no choice. It was either herself or the people who had gone and done this. And after what they had done to Aurra, it was sure to be them! She had traced them to this building. The man in black was sure to live here.

And four storeys above the ground she was waiting for a light to be turned on and for a man to walk in. And then... Then what? She had planned this to the very last detail. Even if her plan went wrong, she had a B plan and even a C plan and an escape route.

"So why can't I stop shaking?" she asked herself. And she knew the answer. She didn't want to be here. But she had Aurra to worry for and no time to go back and ask for help.

Her body seemed to remember well. Breathe normally, relax, exhale when pressing the trigger. Concentrate on the work at progress, make a decision and make the weapon an extent of the body. She analyzed the window in front of her. There was movement inside.

"Come on... Turn on the lights..." she whispered. And bingo, that was it. The man in black came in. He took off his hood, revealing his scarred face and a patch on his left eye. She used her scope, and once she had him in her sight she fired.

There was glass everywhere and the bullet ran right across the living room and pierced the man's ear. He screamed in pain while grabbing his ear. "BITCH!" he hollered. He then ran to the desk and pressed a button on its side. At once, the windows were covered with a blast shield.

Not exactly as I had planned, but I'm sure plan B will work just fine! she told herself. Taking out an ascension gun she jumped off the window and shot it onto the wall, letting herself fall down to the street level. She passed right through the front doors and up the staircase. In every door that she opened, she had placed a small charge that melted itself, preventing the doors from being opened again.

"Wilson! Get that fat ass out of the speeder and come here!" the man in black said. "Someone just tried to take my life, and I think it was the bitch we lost!"

Through the comm Wilson answered. "The doors to the main stairs are welded shut! I can't open them! I'll try the back stairs..." he said. "Shit! These are also welded! I'll try the roof... Don't leave your room! Whoever is trying to murder you, Serod, is inside here somewhere!"

"I can hear you from outside my door, whoever you are! DIE!" the man in black shouted as he opened fire with his blaster. A few seconds later the door had a few holes and the man had no shots left.

A small ball came through one of the holes, releasing some sort of gas. The man in black fell to the ground, unconscious. It was then that the doors opened and in came Daemor'rah, wearing a gas mask.

***

A few minutes later there was a team assembled in the room and a medical droid patched the man in black. A guard came in with a welder in hand. "That stuff is impressive! It seals both sides of a door," he said.

The man in black frowned. "Wilson, this area has been compromised. Call a sweep team and tell them to clean this up. Do we know who did this yet?"

"It was the girl, sir. The one we lost..." Wilson answered.

"Well, she was in here and could have killed me if she wanted to. We don't know what she's up to, and I need time to think, so bring the speeder to the front!"

"Yes, sir!" Wilson nodded. Both men went down to the front and the speeder was already there, waiting. As soon as the man in black, a man called Serod, was in, it sped down the street.

"Why do you think she wants you dead, Serod?" Wilson asked.

"Who the hell knows, Wilson! Maybe she's pissed off, or maybe I took her prize... You know, the blue skinned girl!" Serod answered.

"Well, whoever she is, she made a thorough job. The access doors were welded shut and the security was all cut off..." Wilson commented.

In a flash, Daemor'rah popped up and pressed a blaster to Wilson's head. "Going to open a fan club of mine, Wilson?" she asked. "Make a turn to the right, into that alley or I'll paint the front windshield with red..."

Wilson did just as he was told, nice and slowly. "Now, turn off the engine and place your hands on the front of the vehicle... And do it slowly. Turn and I'll be the very last thing you'll see," she warned them.

"Calm down, now..." Wilson said. "Let's talk about it, shall we?" he offered as he cautiously slipped his hand into his holster. A shot was the last thing he ever heard.

"Let's try that again," Daemor'rah said as she was now pointing the gun at Serod's head. "Where is the other girl?" she asked.

"What other girl?" Serod inquired, only to receive a strong hit at the back of his head. "I don't know. I gave the Twi'lek away. I don't know!" he said, only to receive another hit. "Maybe she's alive at the HQ of Bosh Kotcha. I could help you..." he finally said.

But she wasn't interested in his help, so she was going to put him out cold. She knew Bosh Kotcha, a corrupt man who had grown rich with drugs. It came back to her now. He had once been her target, and he was supposed to be dead. So, she was sure that anyone who worked for Kotcha was her enemy. But when she was going to hit Serod, he grabbed her arm and made her fly over the hood.

"You shouldn't have done that, little girl!" he said as he got out of the car. "Now that you know too much, I'll have to kill you! Fuck, where did she go?" he said as he looked around him. She was nowhere to be found. Finally he grabbed a comm unit. "Natassia, it's me. Don't tell me to hang up, you bitch! Listen, it's the bounty huntress. She got away and now she knows who we work for. This is one big problem!"

From the top of the building she heard it all. And with her comm interceptor unit she could even hear the other end of the conversation. A woman talked.

"You finished? It's your time to listen, Serod... For your lack of intelligence, she now knows not only who you work for but also where to find me! Your call has compromised my position as well. Once more, Serod, you acted without thinking! This is the last time we talk. You have ceased to exist!" Natassia told Serod.

"Bingo... Thank you, Serod..." Daemor'rah whispered as she checked her comm interceptor to learn where this Natassia woman was.

Down below, the man in black looked at his comm. "I gotta get out of town..." he concluded to himself. It was then that another shot hit him. Daemor'rah had opened fire on him again, this time at his other ear. Serod started to run, while screaming.

"I'LL GET YOU STILL YOU..." he shouted, just before stepping into the streets and seeing a speeder coming his way. "BITCH!" he shouted as the vehicle hit him. He was dead in an instant.

Daemor'rah got her things and left the place.

"Scoundrel's Wages, Part 3"
by Daemor'rah
and Aurra Sgall

Location: New Plouton
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***

She walked through the street, not paying the least of attention to who was around her. Those people she knew they were not a menace to someone like her. It was a much better neighborhood than the one she had been in. Too bad for Serod and his accident, but the man had it coming and Daemor'rah couldn't care less for him. It was as if she had gone to her most primal instincts and that nothing mattered but hunt down the people who were responsible for doing this. The people who held Aurra captive.

Suddenly a speeder stopped right next to her and a woman with white hair pointed a blaster at Daemor'rah. She wasn't an old woman, even in spite of her hair colour, and she had pale blue eyes.

"You must be Daemor'rah..." she said with a grin.

"And you are Natassia, if I'm not mistaken. It seems you have saved me the trouble to go after you myself and kill you somewhere else!" Daemor'rah replied.

"I don't think so!" some other woman said from behind. She zapped Daemor'rah with something that knocked her unconscious. Both women got the white skinned woman inside a compartment at the back of the speeder, closed her in and drove off.

Daemor'rah woke up while still inside the compartment. It was the second time they had got to her. Whoever these people were, they were good. But there was still a question that remained. Why hadn't they killed her when they had the chance?

Daemor'rah could tell that she was still in the speeder, inside a compartment, and she could hear the ones who had got her outside, while they drove. Two women. And they probably thought that she was still sound asleep, which was her advantage. She had been stripped of her weapons, but they hadn't found a small blaster she had concealed in her back.

Good... Daemor'rah thought. Now, if I shoot at the lock here, the most probable thing to happen is for the shot to bounce and hit me instead. And if I wait any longer I'll be dead for sure! she told herself. Well, here goes nothing! she decided as she shot through the compartment and into the front part of the speeder.

The woman who was driving the speeder was hit in the shoulder. She cried out in pain, while losing control over the vehicle. It bounced off and into a wall. Both women who sat up front were shot out of the speeder and the compartment was broken, making it possible for Daemor'rah to get out.

"Mother..." a woman cried out in a whisper of pain, as she bled herself from the head, after having hit a rock on the ground.

Natassia crawled to her daughter and held her. "I'm here, honey... Don't worry, I'll get someone to help us in no time."

"Mother, huh?" Daemor'rah asked as she was standing near them, pointing her blaster. "Normally this would be a touching moment, but at the light of what's been happening recently, I can think of nothing better than making you suffer by watching your daughter die."

"You bitch!" Natassia cried out as she leaped on top of Daemor'rah and pushed her blaster aside. "I'm gonna kill you!" she shouted at her, as she tried to crush her eyes with her thumbs.

Daemor'rah placed her feet on Natassia's stomach and kicked her out of the way. Natassia flew back and right into a shaft that had popped out of the car, after its crash. Daemor'rah got back up.

"Right now, you're as good as dead," she told Natassia, who knew that she was right. "Answer my questions and I promise to help your daughter live. Refuse, and I'll kill you both right now."

Natassia looked over at her daughter, who was totally helpless. There was no better choice. "Ok, what do you want to know?" she asked.

Daemor'rah asked question by question, and Natassia spilled her guts out. She told her everything, from her employer wanting her dead to the twi'lek girl who was merely an extra prize. She told Daemor'rah how a bounty had been placed on her head, and that all was meant as revenge. And as for the young twi'lek, since her employer no longer had the ability to screw any female, he had fun watching them get raped by other men, or even being mutilated themselves.

"Wrong answer. You're dead, and so is your daughter. Know that it was you and only you that brought this. I'll kill you now. And after I do you I'll do her as well!" Daemor'rah threatened.

"Tell someone who gives a shit!" Natassia said, then coughing up some blood. "You're as good as dead as well, you bitch! You'll be hunted down and..."

The rest of the sentence was never said. She had made sure to pull the trigger before. Natassia was no more. As for the dying young woman, Daemor'rah had called for medical backup before she left the spot. There was something about killing a young girl that she just couldn't do.

A few hours later, when it was just getting dark, she found her way over to a large building. Her opponent, her true opponent, was inside. And so was Aurra. She opened the front door and walked in. There was only a man sitting at a desk. Before he could do much at all she threw a small dart at his throat that rendered him unconscious.

She used the main panel behind the counter to grant herself permission to the penthouse, but as the doors to the elevator opened, four armed guards were there. She merely grinned...

The sound of the elevator was heard at the penthouse. Inside were four guards, all unconscious, and amongst them was Daemor'rah. She walked through the lobby and entered the main room. There were several men there, all pointing their weapons at her, and at the end of the room was her opponent. Beside him was Aurra, her hands tied together and dressed in scarce garments. The blue girl also had a gag to prevent her from talking.

"Welcome..." the man whispered. He was nothing like he had once been. His face was all scars and he breathed with the air of a machine. "I didn't think you could make it this far by yourself."

She pointed her blaster at him. "I will not say one word until you tell your men to leave the room so we can talk. This is between you and me."

"Really?" he asked, rather amused. "Well, if you put your gun down, maybe we can talk. No harm will come to you."

"Sorry, but I can't do that. Tell your men to leave and I keep my gun. Then we talk, and I promise not to shoot you," she offered.

"Ha!" he laughed for a second. "Ok... Everyone out. But remember, stay close. I'll have this button on my hand. If I press it they come in, guns blazing in less than a second. Understood?"

"Seems fair..." she nodded. The guards left and she was alone with him and Aurra. "I guess you know why I'm here?" she asked him.

"To finish your job?" he asked.

"The girl. Let her go!" she demanded.

"The twi'lek? You're really here to save someone? I can hardly believe that a bounty huntress like you has compassion for another being!" he commented.

"This is a new me! That life is far gone!" she replied.

"Is it? Then what are you really doing here? You have hunted me down, have you not? You killed my personal bodyguards," he told her. "You are a huntress, but you failed to kill me, so it seems fair that I kill you instead!"

He was about to laugh when she tilted her head and Force pushed the small device with the button on her hand. He was perplexed by it and screamed, but she shot him before anything else. He had not pressed the button, but the guards came in any way, only to see the mess. Still, none of them shot, even though they had their weapons locked on Daemor'rah

Daemor'rah turned to face them. "I hope you understand that his death means that you're not receiving any pay for protection from him..." she said. There was no need to say anything else as they all secured their weapons. "You can have all you want. I just want the girl," she told them.

She then took Aurra and removed her gag. Aurra was grateful and happy to see her friend, but she could feel the turmoil inside Daemor'rah. They made their way back to the Temple, without saying more than a few words.

Daemor'rah then stopped the swoop that she had gotten from the building's garage, right in front of the Jedi Temple. "Get off," she told Aurra.

"Aren't you coming too?" Aurra asked.

"I don't think I should be staying. These past days I have felt much inside me. I killed. I killed and I felt no remorse when I did it..." Daemor'rah said.

"You have to fight it! Stay here! It's the best place to find yourself!" Aurra insisted.

"No... I have to go. I'm sorry..." Daemor'rah said just before she plunged herself deep into the forest, leaving Aurra behind with tears rolling down her face.

"Getting Rich Fast"
by Adam Edwards - Smuggler/Scoundrel

Location: Hoth
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***

A large Bulk Freighter, escorted by two Lancer Frigates, glided into orbit around Hoth. On the bridge of the lead frigate, Adam Edwards carefully formulated the plan for extracting the spice.

He had hired a platoon of mercenaries on Chimaeria, to protect the miners and equipment. He would send the mercenaries down first, along with mining specialists, to determine the best places to begin.

The orders were given, and a number of shuttles departed for Hoth's surface. Adam listened to their progress over the comm.

An hour later, a call came through the comm. It was from Captain Harko Griff, the leader of the merc platoon.

"Mr. Edwards, the miners have located a large deposit of this spice, and my team has secured the passages. It's safe to send down the droid miners," Captain Griff told Adam.

"Acknowledged, Captain, good work. I'll be coming down with the droids," Adam said into the comm.

Ten minutes later, Adam was aboard the next squadron of shuttles heading for the surface.

The shuttles landed near the mining site, and Adam and his group headed down into the caverns. Captain Griff was there waiting for them.

"How are things going, Captain?" Adam asked.

"The miners and droids have begun excavating the spice. We've found only small amounts so far, but we've begun to find more caves with larger amounts," the Captain informed Adam.

"Excellent," Adam said. "How far are the mining operations spread out?"

They passed a mining droid in a cavern, as Griff began to answer the question. "About a square mile."

"Defense set up?" Adam asked.

"I've got guards and defense turrets guarding all tunnels. We've killed a few wampas, nothing we can't handle."

Adam nodded. "I'm going back up. Keep me informed on our progress."

Hours later, Adam got another comm call from one of the head miners.

"Sir, we've mined about 5,000 metric tons. They are being sent to the freighter now. However, I have news," the miner said.

"Yes?" Adam asked.

"Our scans detect vast amounts of spice in an adjacent cavern. We will have to drill through the tunnel walls."

"Excellent. Prepare the drilling equipment. I'll be down soon," Adam said through the comm.

Adam turned and looked at DB. For the second time, he boarded the shuttle back to Hoth.

"Meeting Over Drinks"
By: Laedra Vorrel
Kel Deneb

Location: Pink Monga, New Plouton
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***

A less than choice locale in general, Laedra Vorrel could at least concede that the Pink Monga was an appropriate location for a clandestine meeting. She was but one among hundreds of patrons indulging in the jizz music and spirits offered, both no doubt leading to much of the lascivious dances she witnessed during her trek towards the club's bowels.

Laedra kept her cloak closed around her and her head sufficiently concealed. The last thing a Jedi needed was to be seen frequenting a nightclub, no matter how respectable was its repute. They were protectors of the peace, paladins of justice for the once lawless planet, and certainly could not afford the reputation as drunkards stumbling through Tae'Karada's various drinking establishments. Before she could worry too much, she reached the small, round table occupied by the solitary figure and positioned in shadow, away from the strobing lightbeams slicing the air above the revelers. She was glad for the concealment it provided and unobtrusively took the vacant seat. "Mr. Deneb," she greeted the man with a bow of her head.

"Ms. Vorrel," he said, looking across to her. "How have you been of recent?" Kel asked, having watched her since she entered the place. She seemed...preoccupied with something.

She smiled tightly beneath her cowl. "Busy is the only word to describe how things have been of late." Glancing aside briefly, she gauged that it was safe enough to reveal her identity. Sighing, she lowered her hood. "And how have you been? Though I imagine catching up wasn't the reason you commed me."

"No, but it is nice to talk to someone," Kel said to her, taking a drink. "Being alone on a planet such as this can get.... Well...lonely," he said with a wry smile to her. "I have been well, I just returned from a vacation," Kel added, pushing a drink over to her. "It's non-alcoholic, I figured you didn't have real drinks," he added.

Laedra raised a skeptical eyebrow, but imagined Kel hadn't laced her drink with poison. "We may drink," she told him after accepting the glass, "but many of us choose not to. It is a form of self-discipline, which is important to all Jedi." Sniffing the beverage at first, she then took a sip. With a smile, she nodded her approval. "Sweet. It's a pleasing taste."

"I hoped you might like it," Kel said, his face breaking into a smile, the rare ones he gave these days anyway. "So out with what is bugging you. Who knows, maybe a simple non-Force user might be of assistance. Then we can get to what called you about," Kel said to Laedra.

She chuckled. "We're normally quite good at masking our emotions," Laedra informed him. "I guess I'm slightly transparent. Though...just worried, I imagine." Sighing, she pushed her drink aside and folded both arms atop the table's surface. "Two of our pupils rebelled...in a way, and abducted two friends in the process. We attempted a rescue, but it failed." The admission was difficult to swallow, and Laedra paused to exhale deeply. "They remain in their custody, unfortunately in Jadda the Hutt's palace. We are currently devising a strategy to retrieve them, but it will take time."

Kel thought for a moment, nodding. He liked these Jedi. For some reason, the thought of helping someone flickered an emotion in him that he thought had died long ago, after some...well, some things happened. "I see," he said with a nod. "Well...I'm on the not hated list with Jadda, so I can get in anytime I want, if you would like for me to do anything," Kel said to Laedra. "I'm offering my help in any way possible, I'm not sure what just one person can do, however," he added.

"At times," Laedra philosophized, "one person is all it takes. Don't discount yourself that quickly, Mr. Deneb. Your help would be greatly appreciated....though, what would be your fee?" she inquired.

He thought a moment. "Nothing," Kel said to Laedra, getting them some food to eat, and another round of drinks. He looked to his plate for a moment. "Not a thing..."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Then why am I here, Mr. Deneb?"

"Have you been hearing anything about a Maximillian Ronar?" he asked her, nodding for her to take a bite of the cheese sticks when they arrived.

Laedra heeded his gentle urging and took a dainty nibble of the appetizer. She swallowed fully before replying, "I have not. Should I?"

"I'm sure you would have in a while. Some sort of bounty hunter that's making quite a name for himself. Seems that he's starting to get a little.... How do I put this.... Roguish in his approach," Kel said, taking a bite of the food. "And frankly, it's starting to look like he doesn't have a huge care in the world, but hey, what are first impressions for anyway?" he said with a smile.

"There have been some brutal slayings lately," Laedra agreed. "Is he responsible?"

"From my understanding from some people who send things my way," Kel said to her. "I was wondering if you could...help me. I just want to talk to him, and make him realize that what he is doing is not the correct way to do things, not since the Empire fell. All he's going to do is turn a good majority of the bounty hunting world against him."

"So," Laedra reasoned, "this is a quest to spare the reputation of honest bounty hunters everywhere?" There was a touch of sarcasm in her tone and in her smile.

"Hey now, we do have a code of conduct, and leaving innocents out is one of them," Kel said to her, raising an eyebrow, but grinning a little.

Laedra's amusement was snuffed out with that. "How do you mean?"

"I mean that bystanders should never get in the way of the quarry. Entrap the lawless person you're after, or fight it out against them and their people, but avoid injuring guards, people walking by, police officers. We are, after all, abiding by laws here, not just ruthlessly killing people. Everyone with a bounty on their head is a criminal, at least the ones I get are."

"And this man is not abiding by those laws?" Laedra surmised. "And you want my help in stopping him?"

"He's not abiding by planetary laws, not as far as I can tell," Kel said, shaking his head with a sigh. "Not necessarily stopping, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt for now, but at least talking. But, I don't want to go in alone...that's just stupid," he said, looking across the table to Laedra. "You can say no, and I will completely understand."

"I cannot say 'no,' " she answered plainly. "It is my duty as a Jedi to investigate such violations of law and disregard for human life. I assume, however, you have evidence of this man's deeds?"

"Just the reports I have received," he said, sliding a chip over to her. "This has everything I've dug up so far, feel free to look for yourself," Kel added. "One thing not in there is that I found his main area of operations is the shipyards."

She smiled, but it was hardly filled with mirth. "The shipyards... Yes, it is notorious for harbouring such criminals. Would it not be wise to contact the administrator and alert her that such a man is inhabiting her station? I would gladly go with you if you require it."

"I could, but what would it accomplish? For all I know he might run at that point," Kel said to Laedra.

She sighed, nodding her understanding. "Then you wish to hunt him down. And you wish to do that with my aid."

"Hunting down is such an...evil word. I just want to talk to him," Kel said. "No guns, no...well, your weapon," he said, being discreet. "Just a face to face chat, with some backup in case things turn ugly."

"This is a very difficult position for me," Laedra admitted. "The Jedi are normally not meant to intervene in such affairs. We maintain peace, but we do not deal it out." Fingers laced and hands folded before here, Laedra studied them, and reflected on the difficult decision. Stretch the boundaries of Jedi interference in the affairs of one planet for a greater good, or adhere to the strictures of the Jedi principles and turn a blind eye. Laedra Vorrel was a Jedi, but had never claimed to be a good one. "I will help," she said finally, gazing up at the man. "But I cannot intervene directly. I will, however, stand by your side."

Kel smiled. "Thank you. I don't ask for you to intervene, but to help in case he decides I'm better off dead than still walking around," he added. "I know this must be a hard decision for you. And, well, if it means anything coming from someone like myself, I owe you a lot."

"You owe me nothing," she insisted. Then, raising a cheese stick, she smiled and added, "These will do."

Kel laughed a little. That was something else he had not done in a while. "If you say so," he added, smiling to Laedra. "I will get things in order, and attempt to contact this Ronar and arrange a meeting. I will let you know the details when I get them. And, let me know about the Jadda stuff, I will do what I can."

"I will do so." Setting down her breaded stick and brushing her hands free of residue, Laedra pushed back her chair. "I should get going, however. Unless there was something else...."

Kel shook his head, and stood up as well. "Not that I can think of. Mind if I walk you back to...wherever you're going? It's a nice evening out, and I'd hate to waste it just sitting in my place," he said to Laedra.

"You wish to walk me two kilometers to the forest?" she asked with a single raised eyebrow. "It's quite a trek, Mr. Deneb."

"Are you implying I'm not in good shape?" he asked with a kidding snort. "I'll have you know that I hiked 10 kilometers vertically in 3 days time, I bike about 5 days a week...." he said. "I can continue?" Kel added, grinning.

Laedra raised a hand to stay him, though she was chuckling. "Well...you'll simply have to show me, won't you?" Extending an arm, she gestured for Kel to do just that.

He smiled, and walked outside with Laedra. "I suppose I will," Kel said. A short time later, they left the city. "So, tell me more about yourself," Kel said to Laedra.

Laedra shrugged delicately. "I am a Jedi. What more is there to know?" She glanced sidelong at Kel, smiling amiably. "I am not that interesting, Mr. Deneb. Aside from my abilities as a Jedi, I'm just an ordinary woman." Leaning towards him slightly, she stressed, "Very ordinary."

"So ordinary it hurts?" he said with a smile. "Come on, no one is that ordinary," he said with a laugh.

"Well, I am," she insisted. "I was taken under the wing of a Jedi master at five, trained for the next twenty-five years and had no adventures along the way. Hardly as exciting as your life, I imagine."

He smirked. "Uh huh, sure.... There's a part of you in there who likes adventure if you can find it," he said as they continued to walk along outside of the city. "Everyone has something that they like, they enjoy."

"Oh, well a hobby, you mean," she interpreted. "Of course I have those. I read," Laedra told him. "And train. And swim and...." She blushed at her own daring. "And other things that are hardly fit to be mentioned."

He laughed a little. "Oh I seeee..." Kel said, nodding. "Gotya...but you have fun at least."

She grinned. "For the most part. There isn't always time for fun and games. We have many Padawans, and not enough teachers. It's a daunting task, but we're determined to persevere. We must if we are to rebuild the Order to what it once was."

Kel nodded to her. "I'm sure you're up to the task, however daunting it may be," he added. "At least, to me it seems you are always up for a challenge."

"You know me so well then?" she inquired with a teasing smile. "Do I look so daring?"

"Well, uh, just from what I have been able to garner from you in talking, and how you carry yourself. Remember, I make a living at reading people..." he said with a smile to Laedra.

She smiled in return. "And so do I. But I admit, you certainly are a difficult one to read, Mr. Deneb. You're not what I've come to expect from a bounty hunter. In fact...I'd say you almost had a heart."

Kel looked down slightly. "Yeah, well...it's my job to not be read," he said to her. "And...heh, a heart you say? Something I haven't heard in a long time...a long time indeed." Kel walked along in silence for a moment, thinking back when he actually did show emotion a lot, until that dark day, a few years ago....

Laedra's gentle words interrupted his inner reflection, and with them she said, "Everyone has a troubling past. I am no different, you aren't... One must seek a resolution to such things or they will only grow worse with time. I've learned that firsthand, unfortunately." Smiling softly, Laedra added, "And I imagine you have, too?"

He nodded to her. "Anger and hatred, cold and calculating replaced everything I was when she was killed," Kel said as they walked along. "In the wrong place at the wrong time.... Gunned down by criminals in a firefight, not a care for who they hit..."

"She?" Laedra inquired. "Someone you loved?"

"Very much so," he said with a heavy sigh, one borne from years of carrying the guilt and anger every step he took, every bounty he hauled in. "I was going to ask her to marry me, but before I could, she was killed. It drove me to seek out those who did it, and bring them to justice...and...well, here I am because of that..." Kel explained.

"And did you find justice?" she probed. "If so, did it help?"

"I found them, and...turned them in," he said to her. "And no, it didn't. I found myself wanting to right all the wrongs in the world, but on my own terms, not hiding behind a badge," Kel replied, walking along. He kicked a pine cone, sending it sailing off the trail.

"Revenge," Laedra counselled, "often provides one with little consolation. I've discovered the same. I, too, loved - many times." She thought fondly upon Liam now, and even Ina. "It was an all-consuming love, and it led me astray. After realizing I was losing myself as I gave my heart to another, I chose to, instead, let go, no matter how painful it was." Smiling, she told Kel, "In the end, it did me the most good."

"Easy for you to say," he mumbled. "Sorry... Sorry.... It's just I have nothing else, except being a bounty hunter. No real skills in other things, except slicing obviously," Kel said. "And, well, I don't want to lose her memory."

"You don't have to," she explained simply. "But the memory of her will be a lot brighter if you can leave behind the anguish and desire for retribution. As with Ina, my master. I hated him for so long, but I now realize that if he truly could have loved me, he would have. How can I hate him for that?"

"You can't..." Kel said, shaking his head. "I see what you mean, but it won't be easy..." he added, looking over to Laedra.

She smiled sagely and responded with, "I didn't say it would be, but if you're not up for a challenge...."

"I never said that," he said, his head snapping over to look at her. "I would like to," Kel said to Laedra, smiling a little bit.

"Then tomorrow," she told him, "as we search for this Ronar man, perhaps we can speak more on this topic. And maybe we can even learn a thing or two from one another. Hm?"

"Sounds great," Kel said, nodding as they approached the temple. "I suppose this is where we say good evening," Kel said, looking up at it in slight amazement.

"It is," she answered, "unless you wished to spend the evening." Looking back into the dark forest, she was slightly apprehensive about letting him wander off alone. "It's late," she told him. "You can depart with me in the morning."

"Um, ok.... If you don't think it will be an imposition," Kel said to her, deciding to accept the invitation.

"I wouldn't have offered if I thought that," she replied with a nearly chiding smile. At the large doubledoors, Laedra pushed one open and gestured Kel inside. "The halls have quite good acoustics," she whispered. "Most of the time, you can hear conversations occurring at the other end of the Temple if it's quiet enough." Stepping past him, Laedra guided him through the winding hallways. "This place is likely the oldest standing building on Tae'Karada."

"Impressive," Kel said, looking around. "Get many non-Force powered visitors?" he asked, keeping up with Laedra.

"Not usually. Not that they aren't welcome," she appended with a warm smile for her guest. "That means, however, that there aren't many guest quarters available." Laedra stopped before a single door and held it open for Kel. "This is my room, or at least it was at one time. It can be yours for this evening."

"Thank you," he said to her. "When is breakfast call?" Kel asked, stepping into the doorway.

"Don't worry, I'll summon you." Laedra bent forward, as if meaning to bestow him with a kiss; instead, she bowed at the waist. "Sleep well, Mr. Deneb."

"You too," he said with a slight smile, and headed into the room, hearing the door shut behind him. Kel looked around, and sat down on the bed, then laid down, thinking about everything.

"Making Claims"
By: Raeila Selrid
Jadda the Hutt

Location: Jadda's Palace, Thanatos
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***

They'd gawked at her, jeered and hooted, but not a one had laid a finger upon her as she was led from the throne room through the congregation of onlookers. Jadda had claimed her; no one else dared to possess or touch her while she remained under the Hutt's keeping and they hadn't, even as she sat alone in her cell, cold and naked. The floor was clean, fortunately enough, but the light from the corridor didn't reach through the thin crack between door and ground, yet every sound seemed amplified in the ferrocrete cubbyhole that was her dungeon.

Jadda's prolonged, heaving laughter made her shudder; the memory of his gaping mouth exuding long, heavy strings of saliva had her whimpering, each drip-drop of some cracked waterpipe in the distance mimicking the wet plunk of every droplet that plummeted from his slippery lips. Raeila Mullerin, prisoner of Jadda the Hutt sobbed and drew her knees in to her chest. Why had Kael and the Jedi deserted her, left her to play helpless victim to Jadda's vile whims? Nieme's confession suddenly became a likely explanation. Kael had betrayed her, perhaps he even loved Nieme, and now he was free to do so without Rae in his way.

An agonizing shriek ripped from her hoarse throat and rang out through Rae's cell. She battered at the facing wall with feet and open palms, thrashed her head while wildly flinging her hair as she cursed Kael's name, cursed his deception. When her hands were numb and feet sore, the stout wooden door was swung open without her notice; the turnkey's holler also went unnoticed and unheeded as Rae continued to scream in anguish. It was only when the strong hands of the Abyssin gripped her arms did she stop, and only to stare up at the man with bleary eyes and contempt.

"Let go," she hissed and kicked at his shin.

His face remained unaffected if it had pained him at all, and to dissuade further attempts on her part, the cyclopean alien pulled her to her feet. "Master Jadda requests your presence in his chambers."

She laughed harshly and spat in his monstrous face. His hold constricted but his sullen expression stayed unaltered. "You will change," he continued, then turned towards the door, dragging her behind by one arm.

Rae planted her feet firmly and twisted her arm painfully to free it, but the creature's leathery hand seemed permanently affixed. With one firm tug, he set her stumbling into motion. The door thumped closed behind them.

***

"Change."

Rae faltered as she was shoved into the next room, one vastly different from her cell. The floors were marbled instead of cobbled and frigid, and whereas her cell had been just big enough for her to sit bent-legged, these chambers were large enough to fit two rows of four speeders parked side by side. A grand bed dominated one quarter of the room; it was richly decorated in shimmering, purple sheets trimmed in gold thread. Draped over it was a canopy of diaphanous white tulle, either to trap whoever lay there in, or at least give the illusion of privacy. A ramp led from the floor to the top of the mattress, wide enough to allow even Jadda passage upon it, and Rae trembled at what that meant.

Hanging low from the ceiling was a chandelier of sparkling crystal that refracted the light into a spectrum of colours against the dull ivory walls of the room. Nearly concealing the pale marbled floor was a russet carpet patterned in a gold filigree spiralling its way towards the circle's center and atop it sat a broad, armless sofa with thick, stunted legs - six in all for added sturdiness. Rae imagined that, too, had been constructed with Jadda's bulk in mind.

Laid upon it, however, was something certainly not meant for the corpulent Hutt. As she walked forward with trepidation, the glittering that had lured her resolved into a single garment, or what barely qualified as one. Crusted in tiny, silvery gems was the outfit Jadda had requested - a brassiere with thin straps both fashioned from strings of the same gems forming the top and scant bottoms that left much of her torso and legs bared. They looked like undergarments, not an outfit, but she had been told to change and barely clothed was better than not at all.

As she slipped into the two-piece ensemble, Rae studied the arm bracelet and anklet laying with her clothing. Both were shaped gold and instead of single hoops they were spiraled to wind around her arm and ankle like snakes. Once she slipped them on, she noted what a perfect fit everything was; Jadda must have a trained eye for a woman's measurements, though the thought had Raeila trembling again.

"Oh gods, Kael," she whispered, hugging both arms around her naked stomach. "Where are you?"

Vaguely she heard the door slide open and Rae squeezed her eyes shut, willing the ugly Abyssian away. "I'm not following you anymore!" she called to him.

Rae gasped and whirled around at the voice that answered, her arms swinging free. She shook her head at the sight and slowly backed away. Knocking the back of her knees against the large chair, Raeila fell down onto it and remained immobile. "Kael," she sobbed again and turned her face away from the sickening creature in the doorway.

Jadda laughed at the woman. He had lived a lot longer than most species lived for and it still fascinated him to see women react to the presence of a Hutt. Somehow it seemed that they never really got used to it, even though a Hutt always had his concubines. But they all learned to deal with it in time, and this one was his new prized concubine, whether she liked it or not... It was simply a choice she did not have. But he was not one to treat badly those who served him and that was the reason why no one had touched Raeila. He had called her his own, and anyone who would try and take her would not live to tell the tale. Otherwise his guards would already have raped her numerous times to say the least. And how they wanted to do so...

"Humm..." Jadda mumbled as he watched the girl. He was studying her, how the garments fit her body. She was one fine creature indeed. One to be proud to have as a prized concubine. "Bootchaa doosa neea!" he told her. He didn't have his protocol droid with him, but then again what he said was a remark that she didn't need to know. "From now on you will not live in a cell. You are a concubine, but I claimed you therefore you will have chambers, these chambers. And only I will visit you here unless I say so," he told her. He had decided to show her that he could speak her language.

Raeila whimpered as she hesitantly looked aside at the repugnant beast worming towards her. She instinctively slid away from him as he approached. "Let me go," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I-I'll pay you."

Jadda laughed even more loudly this time. How very amusing to see this woman talk about money to free herself from his lair. Did she not know what most Hutts were? Didn't she know that she was a concubine? His concubine! Perhaps she hadn't figured out her new role as one of Jadda's girls. "I have enough money not to need yours, and besides you have nothing unless I give it to you..." he told her, then stopping to lick his large wide lips as he gazed at her stunning body. She was very arousing, especially in her new outfit. "You are now mine! My new concubine! And I will not have you go away. I like you where you stand."

"Well I don't!" Rae blurted then rolled off the chaise and scampered barefoot past Jadda, to the door. She yanked on the latch, but it refused to budge. Shrieking, she pounded on it with both fists. "Help me! Please...somebody!"

The Hutt laughed. How very pathetic! But then again, most people were when they panicked. "You will learn. With time you will learn... You are mine and your place is at my side everytime I request your presence. Obey me and you will live well. Disobey and you will be punished," he told her. "I am Hutt, but I treat all my concubines well, unless they disobey."

"But I don't want to be your concubine," Rae whispered, her forehead resting defeatedly against the door and her arms raised in surrender to it. "You're disgusting...I'll be sick if I have to...with you."

"You will learn, boosha. You are my concubine and you will do as told," Jadda repeated. "Make it easy on yourself. Come, take your place at my side..." he offered.

Raeila looked over her shoulder at the creature, studying him with narrowed eyes. "If I do," she said, "will you promise not to touch me?"

Jadda laughed at her ingenuity. What did she think a concubine was supposed to do? Spend time talking and just being near him? He wanted more, and she seemed woman enough to provide him with more. "In time you will learn to be a true concubine. And yes, I will be touching you. It's not like you have a choice. I can always have my men force you, but that will hurt a lot more, I'm sure..." he warned her. "Serve me well and I assure you that you will have fun and enjoy your new life by my side."

"Fun!?" Rae exclaimed incredulously. "How could I have fun with you! You're disgusting and you smell and I won't sleep with you! What kind of fun is that!?"

"Then perhaps you'd prefer to be banta fodder for my pet rancor! Or a puppet sex slave for my guards! Or maybe a sex slave for rental that I can lend to people who come by to negotiate deals... And rape is always an option for slaves!" Jadda suggested to Raeila. "But with me you'd travel to planets you never even dreamed of and have prime seats for podraces and always be allowed almost everywhere because you would be with me. But we can always have things turn out the hard way. I enjoy watching sexual shows as much as any other male."

"No!" Raeila rushed to the Hutt, but skidded to a halt before his slimy flesh could contact hers. "I-I'll cooperate...but please...don't make me go to bed with you, not yet." Her clasped hands were raised as she entreated the creature. "I'll be a good slave...but give me some time to get used to things. Please," she whispered.

Jadda laughed. The girl had given up. They always did and it was always a matter of time. "I'll expect you to be on time when I call you...for your sake," he told her as he moved about to leave. "Clothes will be provided. If you need anything else, just ask me. Oh, and I will be needing your presence soon."

Rae groaned. "Already? I thought you were going to give me time to get accustomed to everything?" Her gaze was piteous and her pout irresistible. "So soon?"

"You will abide whenever I want you to abide!" Jadda spat. "But I will need you not for sex. It is another thing," he said calmly.

Rae gazed up at him with a narrowed, suspicious gaze and nodded slowly. "Okay...no sex. A-As long as there's no sex."

Jadda laughed. "No sex today, boosha... With time you will learn and you will enjoy. Daijobo!" he waved off as he left through the door. "I will be calling you soon. Be ready!" he said, already outside the room.

Behind him, Raeila quickly closed the door. If there had been a lock, she would have secured it, but instead pressed her full weight against it to ensure the grotesque worm wouldn't return. Surprising herself, Rae didn't tremble or weep, and found that she wasn't afraid of what would come during her time in Jadda's keeping. As long as she could find ways of keeping him pleased without pleasuring him, it wouldn't be so horrific. Still, she exhaled a long sigh of relief knowing she was spared for now, and using the wiles and cunning gained through years of making her living on street corners, she intended to escape his corpulent embrace more often than he might prefer.

"Help Of A Stranger"
by Kyra Ronso
and Zion "The Worm" Xandler

Location: New Plouton
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***

Kyra was dressed in a torn and dirty trench coat. On her right hand she had a piece of scarf pressing hard on her left side with a large blood stain. She had a hood covering her face. Kyra was badly wounded. She had been able to flee her pursuers, and had an expression of pain on her face, but at the time what made her walk was the harsh training she had gone through to become an Imperial Black Operative. She continued to walk and it was clear that the people passing by her tried not to even touch her, because they confused her with a bum.

Luckily, she had contacted Zion and asked him to meet near the entrance of the Pink Monga, the same place she had met him a while ago when Tarkin still ruled. But times had changed, even though some people tried to kill her for whatever reasons. Zion was her only chance, and she hoped that he could be trusted. Money was no subject since she had the money that she was able to steal from Tarkin's grand fortune.

She tried to support herself on a nearby wall. Her strength was almost at the end. She was a few meters from the entrance of the Pink Monga, and she tried to straighten herself up, but the pain from the wound was too extensive to support.

She saw a tall man exiting the bar, the tallest one on the entrance. Besides, his weird clothes and his shades were unique. She could see that it was Zion. She tried to make one more step, but her legs didn't respond. She inclined her body against the wall. It was the end of the line, her legs were too weak to walk more. She barely had strength to be awake, to at least speak to Zion.

Kyra saw that he stopped and looked around to see if she showed up. With her left hand Kyra searched her pockets to find something to call his attention. She had three things: a datapad with the money to pay him, a datapad with orders of the Alliance Forces and the comm she had used to contact Zion earlier. She decided to use the datapad with the money. At least Zion could recognise the amount and see that she was in fact Kyra.

She picked up the datapad with her left hand and aimed towards Zion and waited for Zion to step a little further from the entrance. After a few seconds, the right moment presented itself and she threw the datapad and she saw that it hit near Zion's left shoulder.

He picked up the datapad and looked around. Who the hell was throwing datapads?! He checked it and saw that it contained a large sum of money. He knew that it must have been Kyra who had thrown it but he didn't see her around... He thought about going away with the money, but that didn't seem fair. His only ethics were that he was paid to do what he did best, and he always got the job done, or received not one single credit! Of course, he always got the job done because he never quit until he got it done!

He looked around again and saw a female figure. A poor looking woman in rags, looking like a homeless person. *Could that be Kyra?* he thought to himself. He wasn't sure but since he couldn't see anyone else, he decided to go near the woman and find out.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked as he approached her.

"Zion..." she spoke with pain. She was holding onto the wall when her strength was all gone from her legs and she slid to the floor revealing the scarf with blood that was covering a very severe and deep wound. She took off her hood, revealing her face. "Zion, I was attacked by unknown fellows and I was able to defeat my foes..." she blinked and she was not only cold but very pale.

"Shit! We better not stay here... I mean, you don't look so good. Why don't I take you to my place and you can rest there. Besides, I have my own medical droid, and he can take care of that wound there!" he told her as he helped her stand. It was obvious that the woman wasn't even able to walk anymore. "Ok, here we go!" he said as he lifted her off the ground and took her to his speeder. "Just hang on. We'll be there in no time!"

"Thank You, Zion..."

***In Zion's Apartment, a few hours later...***

He had placed her on a soft bed. Beside the bed was a medical droid who was treating Kyra's wounds. Luckily Zion had his own medical droid on account of his body piercings and tattoos. Whenever he did one, there was always a risk of infection, and so he had made sure and had taken precautions. Those precautions could very well be what would save Kyra's life.

He had gone through her things, just to make sure. A comm unit and a datapad. He looked at the datapad and searched its info. Curious that she was carrying info that he had stumbled upon recently. Only he had some aspects that she seemed to be missing... It was then that the girl started to wake up.

"Hey there!" he smiled. "Feelin' better?"

Kyra smiled. She was still feeling rather weak. She had had wounds before and was able to bear them but this wound had almost taken her to meet her former companions of the Wild Cats.

"Yes, but I'm still a little weak..." She looked at the house and saw that it was very picturesque. Zion really had taste, not only for clothes but for furniture also. Kyra liked the way his house looked.

"Zion, I must apologize for earlier..." Kyra was embarrassed so much she could hardly look at his face. "It took a huge risk to trust me... These last few months my life drastically..."

"Hey, no worries! I went because I wanted to. It's not like I was forced, you know?!" he winked. "But I still don't know why you called me though..."

Kyra nodded. It was fair of him asking that, and Kyra knew that sooner or later this question would pop. "I don't have a lot of friends. My friends fly over us and some are dead, and I'm not including the friends who would sell me out for money or call me a spy for the Alliance, which at this point is true. Then it struck me that a few months ago, when I hired a man called The Worm and instead this weird looking guy showed up. I saw in his eyes that he knew that my partner and I worked for the Empire," Kyra smiled with a wink.

"Well, I guess I can't fool everyone. But there is a certain status to keep. After all, what I do isn't exactly legal!" he grinned. "And it's nice of you to see me as a friend. A little bit crazy if you think that I sell information and crack systems for the highest bidder, but nice! And yes, I wouldn't cheat on you. If I was going to do that, I wouldn't have taken you here... So, tell me, what else can I do for you?"

"Direct to the point, as always Zion," she said with a brief smile. She tried to sit, but Zion's medical droid stopped her. "A Droid that values the health of his patients... Well, I'd like to hire your... the Worm's expertise to find anything about the Wild Cats Squadron. It was a Rebel Squadron and I want you to search both Imperial and Rebel networks about it, even if it takes to find secret files... Whatever it takes! Find anything about it. Money is no problem!"

Zion sat back. So this was all about a job. His kind of job. "Well, that might take some time. And if the files are encoded it may take even more time! And then that if the files haven't been destroyed!" He frowned as he crossed his arms. "But I'll see what I can do. If the files exist, I'll find a trace of them and I'll get you your info. Is there a way to contact you, or a place to send the info to?"

"To send it would be too risky, since it could end up with the wrong people. While you do your job, Zion... or Worm, I will take a rest since your medical droid doesn't want me to get up or exit, but you could do some extra help by changing the manifest of my ship. That way the people who attacked me can't make an ambush," Kyra smiled and nodded.

"That's too easy!" he smirked. "Consider it done. That much takes only a few minutes to get it done. And I'll try to get some things done while you rest. If I can't get it all before you wake up, we'll find a way for me to deliver the rest of the info..." he winked.

"Deliver it to me at this portable comm since it can receive files. I'm not coming back to this planet unless if extremely necessary," Kyra said as she set her head on the pillow.

Zion nodded and left the room. He went to his secret and private chambers, where he conducted his work. He had nothing important to do, so he decided that he could start on the information that Kyra wanted. It was easy to change her flight information. For that he simply had to access the computers at the Spaceport, something he had done before.

Once inside their mainframe, it was simply a matter to mask himself from their slicer seekers and surpass the security protocols they had set up. Zion grinned to himself. *Still using this five years old software... Too easy and too vulnerable!* he laughed silently. For Kyra's flight information he set her course over to a dozen different paths, as if she had many trips and places planned to go to.

Finding about the Wild Cats was the next step. Hacking into the New Republic files was not what he used to do, but even they had their secrets. Besides, he would need the old info on the original squadron. It took him a few hours to find the information, some of which was encrypted. While waiting for his decrypters to do their work, he read and learned the already available info. Apparently it was a squadron that had suffered an attack by the Empire.

*Ok, let's see what the Empire has on them...* Zion thought, knowing that there had to be a report on the event. Alas, there was no real report on any conflict between the Empire and any ambush on the same location and date that the New Republic had on their reports. It was strange, but not enough to make Zion stop. Even pirates had reports on their attacks, and if it was done by mercenaries, then someone would have a report on the event.

While inside the Imperial mainframe, Zion came across some encrypted files that belonged to the late Tarkin. Apparently they were classified files that Tarkin had for himself. Private reports and information. Maybe he could find anything worthwhile, so he decided to make copies of it all.

All the files were encrypted, and they weren't using the regular imperial standards in encryption. This was a much better job, requiring keys that were probably only known by Tarkin himself. But if a key was required then the file had to recognise the key, meaning that there had to be some reference to the right passcodes needed in the files' structure.

For this, Zion would need his VR-based hacking system. Once inside he accessed the file and started to split it in several sections, now seeing it as if it was made of strings of some sort of a tissue. It took some time, since it was all divided into tiny parts as if it was a puzzle, but he had managed to get it done. With the passcodes, he opened each and every one of the files that had belonged to Tarkin.

Most were information on formerly used weapons like the Death Star project and the secret Maw installation. The more recent ones mentioned the new prototype craft fighters that Tarkin had built as well as all the info regarding his sick experiments to build his strong army of superstrong guards... Something to do with Jedi and Sith it seemed.

But a new file was interesting. Zion read the title. Something called Tarkin's Legacy. It was a vague report of some sort of a new weapon. It seemed biological, regardless of how strange it sounded, but there was no real information regarding what in fact it truly was. Perhaps this was just an early report, or maybe Tarkin had most info delivered only in person and no reports to make it even more secretive and safer.

There was also a mention to a name... Thebesemones. Zion didn't know what it meant, so he tried to cross reference the info with the several Imperial networks to see what came up, but all he got was a group of Imperial starfighter pilots who had apparently left their ranks, by abandoning their posts to become hired mercenaries. Maybe this had something to do with what Kyra was looking for, so he decided to include this file on Kyra's comm unit, hoping it would lead her to what she sought...

"Strong In Mind, Invincible In Strength"
by Garnet Seifer (as Lady Ammut)
Alicia Ashantee Gardan
Aeolus (NPC)
and Kaede Aoki (NPC)

Location: Ammut's Palace in New Plouton
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***

"We're here, Miss Gardan..." the driver said as the speeder came to a full stop. The building was not very impressionable, but it was large still. One thing that Alicia did not like: to be asked for a meeting with a person whom she did not know. Even worse when she did not know what was meant out of the meeting...

Alicia sighed and touched the side keypad. The door opened and Alicia stepped out. Right behind her was her bodyguard, Kaede. The niponic looking girl made a quick gesture with her right arm and out came two more guards.

"No, Kaede... They stay. For now," Alicia said, only to see Kaede nod briefly. There was no need to pass the orders to the guards.

Both women walked up front and stopped at the large doors. Kaede punched a door console, as to announce their arrival.

A huge Nikto and a Dashade appeared behind some columns, imposing their fierceness. Of course, it was only two guards standing at the entrance, which meant that they were either meat for the steak house or something else. The two creatures stood there in front of the main hall, without saying a word and moving not one inch.

"I'm sorry about the security, Miss Gardan, but Lady Ammut has many enemies. Luck favours the prepared mind," a Falleen spoke from behind the two guards as they took a step to the side for the Falleen to pass in between them. "I'm Aro'or, representative of Lady Ammut. Please follow me. Lady Ammut is waiting for your noble presence."

Kaede looked briefly at the Falleen and at the guards and then at Alicia. The entrepreneur woman looked back at her guard and merely blinked her eyes. Kaede knew what it meant, so she stayed cool. No need to get into trouble if there hadn't been provocations made.

Alicia looked up at the main hall. The place seemed like it had come out of the war just a few days ago... The ceiling was crumbling and had a large hole in the center, as if there had been serious bombing there. And the walls carried scars from blaster fire, of that she was sure. Alicia wondered if there had been no reconstructions after the war against the Empire in this particular building, which struck her as odd since the rest of the city wasn't this bad.

"What happened here?" Alicia decided to ask simply, as the Falleen woman led them.

"Well, I don't know. I wasn't here when it happened. The only one who could say what happened is Lady Ammut, but rumour has it that it was an uninvited guest..." the Falleen said as he entered the elevator flowing his hair in a gentle wave.

"Some guest..." Alicia mumbled, while Kaede smirked. It seemed that this Lady Ammut, whoever she was, had some enemies. That made Alicia wonder who exactly they were and what sort of deal Lady Ammut had to offer. In any case, she could always do business with the other side if she didn't find this end profitable.

The elevator stopped and its doors opened. The marks of laser devastation were big, at least in this corridor. The Fallen walked to the second hall where security was numerous to say the least. A tall large soldier who was standing there and wore a different uniform from the rest approached them. "Ladies. Place your weapons here and then pass through the metal detector."

Alicia simply nodded and Kaede took off her blaster and a small vibro blade, then placing both of them on the table. "I bring no weapons..." Alicia told the guard. Both women then passed through the detector, which did not beep.

The guard nodded. "They're clean!" the guard said towards the Fallen.

"This way, Miss Gardan," the Fallen said as he pointed to two large doors. The doors had carved figures of angels of death that gave him shivers down the spine. For a Fallen that was extremely rare...

Two individuals were standing at the end of the room. One of them was wearing white clothes while the other sat on some kind of a throne with her arms set on the edge of the arms of the chair. She had black clothes and a black hood over her head. But the hood was at the edge of her head and not concealing her face, which was an imposing daemon face, like a vampire or the God of Hell itself.

It was clear to Alicia that the face, though horrid, was a mask. She nodded to Kaede and both walked into the room and closer to the two beings. "I take it that it was you who requested my presence?" Alicia asked coldly.

The person with the mask didn't make a gesture to answer the question. Aeolus stayed put by her side, but it was clear to everybody that it was more to him that she looked. After a few seconds in silence, she spoke.

"Yes, I'm Lady Ammut. Welcome, Miss Gardan, and thank you for coming to see me is such short notice. These are times of rebuilding and growth in power. My proposition is an alliance and exchange of products. Together we can build our futures of an even greater greatness. If you accept I can you make your biggest dreams come true... Does the Massassi Temple mean anything to you?"

"It did..." Alicia answered shortly. "It was more a curiosity I had than an actual profitable deal. But it didn't fulfill requisites, so I'm no longer after that question. Perhaps some things are to remain unanswered forever," she said.

"Yes, that is quite true, but sometimes to achieve greatness we must find lost civilizations that were once great and learn why they fell in the first place. If we learn from their mistakes we can avoid them easily," Ammut spoke from behind her mask.

Alicia considered Ammut's words for a few seconds and sighed. "Maybe so, but I have no real interest in the Massassi history anymore. Now, something tells me you did not ask me to come here just to discuss ancient history from lost civilizations... I'm a busy woman, so I would appreciate if you got to the point."

Ammut released a laughed and Aeolus smiled on the right corner of his mouth. "Direct to the point... What can you tell me about Cortosis?" Ammut asked after she laughed.

"A rare mineral, known to be quite strong. Very hard to come by and expensive in the market. Word has it that it can even withstand a Jedi Lightsaber... Why do you ask?" Alicia frowned.

"The reason I ask is because it could be extremely profitable for both of us. I will have a considerable amount of it and I want to commercialize it with you, for the right amount, of course..." Ammut said, as Aeolus kept a close eye for Kaede. If both of them were wise they wouldn't provoke Ammut on any situation or she would unleash hell on them.

Alicia thought about the proposal for a while. It was a profitable deal for sure, as cortosis was rare, but it was also sold mainly on the black market and dealt by crimelords mostly. Not that Alicia hadn't dealt in those areas before... In fact, she was used to it. It remained to be seen what she could do with this cortosis and if the deal was real.

"For the sake of business, let's say that I accept the deal you're offering... What sort of amounts are we talking about and how fast can they be delivered?" she asked. "And why would you need a partner to deal with? Why me?" Alicia added.

"Because you are wise enough not to double cross your partners," she paused. "The amount to be delivered is about 1000 kilos in metallic sheets. The delivery is once a month. More will be provided when more mining companies extract more. If everything goes smoothly, we can negotiate other products from Gallor."

Alicia crossed her arms and grinned. "This is all very surprising. But you are still holding cards, I'm sure. You could very well get the money by selling what you already have. The black market is a fast way to make money... Alas, it is a market I rarely do business in and I can't see why this would be one of them. I don't deal in weapons, Lady Ammut!" Alicia answered.

Ammut laughed outloud. "No, my little girl. If I wanted to make quick easy cash I wouldn't bother to call you here. I want you to use your power in the Naboo Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps and the Cybot Galactica to use the cortosis. And it's very important to use cortosis in armours. Without it, we don't have a deal."

Alicia considered it for some time. Cortosis was a lot stronger than regular hulls, and could prove to be a good asset in building space vessels. That much was a fact, although left to prove in reality. "Interesting approach on the cortosis, Lady Ammut, and it's nice to see that you've done your homework. But as I've said, I don't deal in weapons or any similarities. Now, I don't own the whole of Naboo Theed Palace Space Vessel Engineering Corps, so I can't promise anything. But as a shareholder, I will take the matter to the board of directors. That much I can do. The other things, I am not willing to deal in. Now, we either have a deal in that or we have no deal at all..."

"She is so cute when angry, don't you agree, Aeolus?" Ammut asked, but he didn't answer since it wasn't necessary. "I don't do talking to boards of directors or any of that kind of stuff. When I want something, that means... I WANT IT! AND I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU CAN OR CANNOT DO! Is that clear? Now... You will use your partnership to enforce the use of cortosis ore in ships and in armours for robots as well as human and alien armours, are we clear? With me any subject will not be taboo. Either you accept it... OR I COLLECT YOUR FUCKING HEAD!"

Alicia was neither impressed nor frightened by Ammut's way of conduct. Kaede looked at her, but she merely gave a simple nod. "It seems we have nothing less to discuss then. No deal!" she answered simply and coldly as she turned away to leave the room.

Ammut leaned forward and nodded to Aeolus. He then gave a signal and the doors that exited from the room were now shut tight. Ammut looked at Alicia. "You didn't understand me, Miss Gardan. Either you accept the deal and walk out of here alive or you die right here, right now!" As Ammut spoke, Aeolus pulled back his trench coat, revealing his blasters, although he didn't draw them.

"Maybe it is you who didn't understand..." Alicia said with a small nod. As she did so, Kaede quickly pulled her arms up, and two blasters popped out into both her hands. One blaster was aimed at Aeolus and another at Ammut herself.

"The doors open right now..." Kaede said simply.

A strong sound filled the room, as if it was some kind of an earthquake. From the four corners of the room, doors opened and in came four gigantic robots. They moved slowly and the ground shook as they moved. Their arms moved, with their hands replaced by blasters and pointing at both Kaede and Alicia. The robots had metallic black bodies and their eyes were big, black and pointy, as if it was some kind of a mask.

"Let the games begin...!" Ammut said, calmly pushing her invisible shields on.

Kaede quickly pushed Alicia aside and fired upon both Ammut and Aeolus. She missed the bulky man, but hit Ammut, only to find out that she had some kind of a shield protection. But she had gotten what she hoped, which was enough chaos to hide Alicia behind a column.

"Stay here!" Kaede told Alicia, as she moved from out of the column's protection and jumped with a flip sideways while firing at the robots. They seemed to be almost blaster proof, as Kaede's weapons did almost no difference. She had to find another way...

While the robots fired, Kaede was intrigued that Ammut had not ordered Aeolus to go into battle yet. This was a bonus, as it left Kaede with one less worry. And by this time, she had more than she could count on. She ran around the room and leapt over a desk, avoiding blaster fire from one of the robots and landed right on top of it, kicking its arm, so it couldn't fire at her.

Alas, even at close range, her weapons did almost nothing, so Kaede turned and saw that another robot was going to fire upon her. She managed to barely dodge its fire, but to her luck the blaster shot from one of the other robots had hit the one behind her, damaging its arm.

Kaede jumped over a desk and grabbed Ammut. She knew that the masked woman had body shields but this was her best chance. "Let's see how well your shields can take your robots' blaster fire!" Kaede grinned.

Alicia had come out and saw that Aeolus was about to pull his weapons. Before the mess installed itself she shouted to them all. "STOP! There is no need for any bloodshed. Kaede, let her go. And as for you, Lady Ammut... This is not a good way to either make allies or conduct business. But I am willing to compromise. If I give you a contact of a man who will work with you on those armours, will you abide by the rest of the contract?" she asked, while she lifted her arms and showed a device on her hands, which she was now pressing. "If you do not, and if you decide to kill me, then, my men will get this signal and will blow up the entire building. They are right outside, waiting as we speak..."

Ammut arranged her clothes and waved her hand, commanding Aeolus not to engage. And then with some time looking at the two women, she then released a very cold laughter and clapped her hands. "You really think that your little naive girl would get this close to me? And you can threaten all you want and you can blow up this building with you and me along in it, but my master is a very powerful person and would crush your enterprises and buildings to the ground if he wanted to... But that won't be necessary though. We have a deal, Miss Gardan. Next time we meet, you should think who you're dealing with," Ammut said and waved her hand. The doors opened. "Ahh, Miss Gardan, would you please tell your people just right outside to walk away if they don't want themselves killed by my men? Yes, Miss Gardan, I knew all about your little people, I know how you proceed. We saw an amount of men surrounding our building just before you arrived here... Now, before we proceed with the details of our business, tell your men to walk away and my robots will walk away from this room."

Alicia smiled coldly. "I'll tell you what, Lady Ammut. You have your robots leave and keep in mind that your very life stands by a thin thread, and therefore you ought to treat your guests nicely, and I'll keep this button pressed. If any of my men fall, we all fall... And I could very well dismiss the idea of having to die today, couldn't you?" she asked hypothetically with raised eyebrows. "Now, what are the details you wish to discuss?"

She waved her hand and the robots exited from where they had entered. She looked at one of the guards on the other room and he gave the sign that the other people were backing away from the building. "Now, you were the one who started this, Miss Gardan, by not accepting my deal." She got up and approached Alicia as Aeolus accompanied her. "Please release that button. Let's all die today! I don't have a problem with dying, as I'm ready to die, so please do it!" Ammut looked into Alicia's eyes, showing that she wasn't bluffing.

"Who said anything about all of us dying?" Alicia asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's only plan B, I'm afraid... Meaning that's the case if you kill me. The original plan includes only you..." Alicia said as she nodded towards Kaede. "Snipers... Next time choose a building or room with less windows, not that current weaponry can't pass through these walls," Alicia added.

Kaede nodded back and safeguarded her weapons, taking her place next to Alicia. "I will be contacting you for further details on the use of cortosis for hulls of spacecrafts. If the tests are proven to be good, then we might have a deal. Other than that, I believe we have nothing more to discuss, so I bid you farewell for now."

Alicia then left with Kaede by her side, not bothering to wait for someone to show the way. She simply took the same way back to the entrance. She then got into her speeder and had the driver take off. They were well away when Alicia turned the device off.

"I didn't know about snipers," Kaede commented.

"There were none. Make a mental note to have some for next time. They might prove useful..." Alicia laughed.

***

Ammut saw Alicia exit the room and the doors closing behind her. Ammut paused for a while to think about what Alicia had told her. The bare fact of the threat made her somewhat uneasy, but it quickly vanished within her. She knew that Alicia was only testing her and that fact left her in anger. She had to be very well informed about her robots for Kaede to react so quickly and attack the fragile spots of the robots, so that meant one thing: a spy in her midst... Ammut glanced to the window. What if...

"Aeolus, for our protection on the future, I want guards in every building around this one and in any potential places for snipers. And do it now!" Ammut ordered, as Aeolus bowed and walked away from the room.

When she was all by herself she took the mask off her face and looked at the mirror, seeing the face of Garnet Seifer. "You bitch! You're more cunning than I thought. I know that you're inside here, somewhere..." she said pointing with a finger at her head "...seeing everything, watching every move that I make. You knew that Alicia Ashantee Gardan was coming and somehow you were able to warn her about my robots and their fragile points. Very good... Now things will become very interesting, Garnet, more suffering will come to you and your people for anything you try against me!" She then released a sarcastic, cold and gigantic laughter.

"A Day at the Races"
By: Jadda the Hutt
Raeila Selrid
Vorgoth
Jukwon Thallos

Location: Jadda's Palace, Thanatos; The Tae'Sollar Gauntlet, Tae'Sollar Desert
Date: Lythe 15, 4 ABY

***

The door was opened and a man entered the room. He could see the girl as she laid in her very large bed, wearing nothing but the garments Jadda had given her to wear. She had the nicest curves, and it was quite obvious why any male would want someone like her. Even he would have his way if she wasn't claimed by Jadda.

"Too bad..." he grinned as the thought of having his way with her pleased him, even though he knew that he would never have his chance, as it would mean his life afterwards. "Hey, you! Jadda requests your presence," he told her.

Rae sat bolt upright and immediately rolled off the bed to take a defensive position behind the headboard. "My presence where?" she shot back.

"That is not of your concern. You have five minutes to be there, which gives you about two minutes to get ready and follow me..." the man answered.

"I'm ready now," Rae answered snarkily, and tossing her head back, she strode imperiously to the door. "And don't you dare touch," she warned the man as she walked past him.

He led her to an upper chamber where a dome could be seen, overlooking the sky. Jadda was seated in a big red cushion, his personal guard next to him as well as his personal protocol droid. There were also a few other female Twi'leks and some guards and droids. Jadda's eyes widened when he saw Raeila approach.

"Ahh... Boducha daijobo!" Jadda exclaimed. The droid translated. "Master Jadda welcomes you and invites you to join him at his side," the droid said, although it was obvious that the invitation was more an order.

"And what," Raeila asked defiantly, "will I have to do while I'm there?" She grinned, then, and crossed her arms over her nearly exposed chest. "You see...I have a proposition for Mr. Jadda, and I'd really like to do it standing."

"Doucha oob boopa. Neeso dujobo..." Jadda replied. The droid translated again. "Master Jadda wishes to hear your proposition and states that you may sit next to him afterwards."

"Really?" Raeila's grin was large and unmistakably filled with surprise, but instead of staring at the slug dumbfounded, she stammered into her introduction. "Well...you may or may not believe it, Mr. Jadda, but in my day, I was a highly paid and sought after prostitute."

Jadda laughed, and as he opened his large mouth, some yellowish smoke came out from his spice pipe. "Soonta itcha minaa satto concubine shouda oob prostitute!" he said afterwards. "Master Jadda states that, in your case, you have gone a long way if you ceased to be a mere prostitute to become his concubine," the droid translated.

Rae chuckled awkwardly and continued. "You see...I'd say I'm a pretty good negotiator, too, and I know a bargain when I see one." Smiling attractively, she added, "And I know what men like." There was lecherous chuckles from the crowd, but this only served to bolster Rae's confidence. "You see...why force me to become a slave to your desires, Mr. Jadda, when my talents could be put to better use serving you in...another way."

"Shoota other way?" Jadda asked, raising his hand, as there was no need for translation.

"Well...." She approached his dais, cautiously and conscious of the slimy puddle pooling at the bottom of the stairway. Rae halted before it contacted her feet, and leaned in to whisper, "Why not set up a brothel, Mr. Jadda, where women of all talents, all races and beauty are offered, but only for the most wealthy and respectable of Tae'Karada's citizens?" Before he could raise a protest or response, she quickly appended, "I could help you choose the girls and select clientele. I could be...well...the Madame." Her ravishing smile returned. "We could be business partners."

Jadda laughed again, rocking his body a bit. "Ootsaa bujoo dolee ib tchunga noosa huttoo... Duppo shontaa ob largoo pleasure." The droid looked at Raeila and translated the Hutt's words. "Master Jadda believes that indeed there could be good money in your idea and he will consider it... if you are able to please him throughout the day."

"But with all those ravishing young women," Rae explained, "why not use one of them for that purpose? I-I could then focus more on acquiring females and designs for the brothel."

Jadda raised his hand. "Jontaa oob dangoo daijoba oota shintoo hutta. Shoosa doos nouba meeso..." he stated. Again, the droid translated. "Master Jadda states that he will set up that deal for you to run if you are able to please him today."

Raeila pouted miserably. "Please him?" she whimpered. "H-How?"

"Chuba oot prostitute... Chuba tinka tchutee!" Jadda replied, somewhat amused. "Master Jadda states that since you were once a prostitute you can surely think of something..." the droid said.

"I can," Rae answered timourously, "but I really don't want to...."

Chuckles rang out from behind, originating from the onlookers surrounding Jadda's grand dais, some of whom pressed in towards Rae and began jostling her towards Jadda. She panicked and turned away, seeking a break in the mob through which she could slip and escape. Rae shrieked as she was shoved back, landing on her rear atop the staircase; she distinctly felt a thick, sticky substance on her thighs upon contact and knew what it was before she even looked.

Her inspecting hand now dripping with mucous, Rae was seized by both arms and dragged up the staircase, kicking and thrashing the entire way. Jadda's gurgling laughter grew closer. Rae clenched her eyes shut and pleaded with Thana to end the nightmare. It didn't, and only grew worse as she was deposited atop one of the platforms projecting from his throne on either side. When she pushed her matted hair from her eyes, she was sitting face to monstrous face with the Hutt. His malodourous breath caused her to gag and look away.

Jadda's tongue extended itself towards Raeila and it almost touched her skin. But Jadda wasn't tasting her yet... He was just licking and drooling himself. He laughed and grabbed her arms. Surprisingly enough, the hands of a Hutt weren't oozed as was most of the rest of his body. Jadda pushed Raeila nearer. "Boska! Yatuka leah che je shag!" he said. "Master Jadda is telling you to move and please him," the protocol droid explained.

Rae groaned and clenched her eyes tightly shut. "I don't know how," she whimpered. "Please...let's just talk about business some more. I feel sick!"

Jadda laughed. "Chuba jee archoo! Chik youngee hoobah ya!" Jadda replied. The droid spoke afterwards. "You will learn. For now, Master Jadda wants you to dance for him then..."

One of Rae's eyes snapped open, and a smile graced her lips. "Dance?" She sighed, relieved. "I can do that. I can definitely do that!"

Freeing her arms from his corpulent grip, Raeila scrambled from the platform and meant to rush down the staircase, but a disembodied hand from the darkness grasped her upper arm and jerked her back. She stumbled and was righted by another hand, which shot out and clamped down onto her shoulder. Fearfully, she shifted her gaze aside at the strong appendage, but it was covered in a dark glove. Looking up hesitantly, two golden orbs stared back at her. Raeila shook badly.

"I-I'll dance," she whispered, her voice quivering. She tensed as a cold, heavy brace was wrapped around her neck from behind; the tinkling of chains accompanied it and the phantom released its hold to again recede into the darkness.

Jadda's burbling voice bellowed a command, and in an instant a strain of instrumental music erupted. Raeila gave a start and was goaded by Jadda's serpentine tail to begin dancing. Nervously and encumbered by the heavy chain attached to her neck, Raeila engaged in a swaying, lascivious dance that would likely only arouse Jadda's lust further, but she hoped it would spare her for a while longer.

When Raeila started to dance to the music, the dome above them opened and there was a little rocking of the floor. They had been standing in a sail barge that Jadda used to get to the Tae'Sollar desert, where his podrace arena was built.

The trip was not a very long one, and Jadda was amused all along by Raeila's dancing. In fact, more than he was amused, he was aroused. But Jadda was not a Hutt to have his women in public. He preferred to have them in private, except for rapes that he might commit now and then, where he was the first to have the woman, if at all...

When they got there Jadda tightened his grip on the chain that led to Raeila and had the musicians stop playing. "Jee-Jee wata! Je chowbasa chuba magi choppa chawa hodrudda..." he told her, as he extended his arm and moved it in an arch, showing all that was his. The droid translated. "Master Jadda welcomes you to his classic podrace circuit." And indeed the circuit was grand. In fact it was a lot more now than it had been before, with the new innovations brought by Alicia Gardan's work.

Raeila's eyes were wide, even staring out into the sunlit arena. Her mouth gaped and she heard herself gasp at the vastness of the stadium. Unconsciously, she drifted closer to the platform she'd been on, and knelt upon it to peer over the ledge. "Wow...." she breathed. "This is all yours?"

"Tagwa," the Hutt nodded. "Parchee myo hutt moulee-rah luto." The droid translated it simply. "This is all part of Master Jadda's empire. A mere percentage, if you will." The Hutt then moved out of his place and towards the arena, followed by Vorgoth. "Punda ow!" Jadda ordered as he reached the ramp. With his order, the Zabrak snapped his fingers, and the necklace around Raeila's neck snapped open. "Bolla..." Jadda waved as if to tell the girl to follow.

She did so, giving the tattooed Zabrak a wide berth as she passed. Rae slinked up alongside Jadda, but turned her nose away at the downdraft of odour that wafted into her. "Where are we going?" she asked. "Is there going to be a race?"

"Tagwa... First podrace of the galactic circuit!" he answered, now speaking in her language, since they were not in the presence of any other than Vorgoth, who followed close behind.

There was a surge of excitement in Rae, despite the circumstances of her attending this particular pod racing match. She grinned. "Are we watching?" She skipped in front of Jadda, and faced him to walk backwards. "Please? I won't even try to escape."

Jadda laughed while he moved forward. "I always watch the races, and you will come with me. And if you ever try to escape from me, I will have Vorgoth hunt you down. Now, would you like to come with me and meet our pilot?"

Raeila nodded readily and bounded alongside him.

They moved into the pits, where already many podracers could be seen. The pilots stood about, as they readied themselves, and the pitdroids looked out for the engines and cockpits of the mighty podracers. Some were even making some last minute repairs or changes.

Jukwon was near his podracer, and was tinkering with his engines along with a pitdroid. He saw Jadda as he approached and turned to face him, although he was very surprised at seeing Jadda bring a girl along with him, as such was not usual. He bowed to them. "The podracer is almost ready. I have made improvements on it with a new cooler unit. This way the engines won't heat up as much and I can use extra boost."

Jadda nodded, a slight smirk on his face. "Raeila..." he pointed out to the girl, as if to introduce her.

"A pleasure to meet you, my lady," Jukwon bowed.

Raeila grinned and moved forward to appraise the racing pod. "This is great!" she enthused to the tall man. "You're Jadda's pilot?" Raeila leaned over the side of the pod and peered into the cockpit, uninhibited about the view she was giving the three onlookers. "Look at that enhanced control panel!" She glanced aside at Jukwon. "You modify that yourself?"

Jukwon couldn't help looking at Raeila's backside, although even he knew that Jadda's girls weren't to be touched unless he offered them. "Yeah..." he replied to her question. "It's a pretty fast podracer! One of the fastest, actually."

She grinned and turned to lean her back against the vehicle, elbows resting atop the door panel and providing the man with an unobstructed view of her torso. "Well....Master Jadda says I get to watch, so we'll see about that, won't we?" Rae winked at the man.

Jukwon grinned widely and couldn't help letting his eyes feast upon Raeila's sculptural body. "I guess we will, my lady... Is this the first time you come to watch?"

Raeila nodded vigorously. "I'll be cheering for you," she told him, grinning attractively. "And if Jadda will approve" --she looked to her captor, batting her eyelashes for appeal-- "I'll even give you a kiss for luck."

Jadda waved off, as a sign that Raeila could kiss the pilot. After all, Jukwon was making Jadda a lot of money, since he took almost nothing out of the grand prizes that he gained. Plus, he brought many fans to the arena, and that was also good due to the betting. He could allow one kiss...

Jukwon saw his employer agree with the girl and he couldn't help but smile and raise an eyebrow as he looked at Raeila, waiting for his prize.

She giggled and crooked a finger at the man to summon him forward. He appeared trepid, but finally approached, growing taller the nearer he drew. Jukwon was young, it seemed - his face was hardened by experience, but lacked any of the physical signs that came naturally with a body's steady decline. His skin was still resilient and free of wrinkles, and his eyes were bright and attentive. As he stopped within a foot of her, Raeila smiled up at him and laid one hand against his firm chest. "For luck," she whispered, and slipped her other hand to the back of his neck to gently urge him forward.

He seemed eager enough as he obliged her, and anticipated a warm kiss to his parting lips; her own seemed on course to do so, but at the last moment, they changed direction and met his cheek. To his delight, she imagined, the kiss caught the edge of his mouth.

Jukwon lingered at that for a second, although it felt like so much more. He would have kissed Raeila in the lips if that wouldn't mean sure death... And even her lucky kiss made him wonder if Jadda would do anything to him. But it seemed the Hutt was calm enough. "I shall win this race for you, my lady," he bowed. "And for you also, Master Jadda."

Jadda nodded and motioned for Raeila to follow him as he left. They went to a lift that took them to Jadda's personal booth, that overlooked the whole arena. From up where they stood, they could see the millions of people that gathered to watch the race.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" he offered her as he sat himself in a large comfortable velvet cushion.

"Ale and a large plate of Tenebrian ribs slathered in stewing sauce?" she ventured with a sweet smile.

"Excuse me, oh powerful Jadda," a droid said. "But I don't think we have Tenebrian ribs..." he stated.

"Bolla tchu wata! Ateema!" Jadda commanded furiously. He would not be denied, and neither would Jadda, at his request. The droid knew better, and wandered off to go get the request Raeila asked for.

Giggling with overflowing excitement, Raeila scampered to the balustrade surrounding their private booth and looked out over it at the whole of Jadda's stadium. She gasped in awe, for below were thousands of spectators overseeing the four rows of three pods each assembled at the starting line. Holonews droids were hovering about and one sailed past their balcony. Raeila leaned over the railing to wave vigorously at it.

Still balanced on her abdomen atop the balustrade, feet clear of the floor and kicking happily, she peered down at the pods again and spied Jukwon's. She pointed and called out to Jadda, "There he is! I really think he's going to do well!"

"He better!" Jadda laughed. Any person who wouldn't perform as expected would have to pay in one way or another... He then moved to stand near Raeila. "You see, Raeila, with me you will have treatment just like a queen. So why not be by my side?"

She sighed, and with deflated spirits set herself down. "That's not the problem, you see. I-I just.... I don't want to be your whore." Raeila glanced hesitantly aside at him. "I'm really not any good... really!"

Jadda laughed. "That's not what I hear... And I always check out my chik youngee. You have been described as above good when you were a prostitute! But I want you as my private youngee, not as a whore. Do you think I bring all females here with me?"

Raeila frowned pensively. "Well...I don't really know. But if it means, for repayment, that I have to b-be with you...I'd rather not be treated so special."

"You do realise that I could have you into submission and take you by force..." Jadda mentioned. "Wouldn't it be preferable if you did it on free will? The other girls I don't usually give a choice."

"It isn't really much of a choice," she whispered, and sullenly turned to face the racing circle once more. Raeila sought escape from the inevitable, but no clever scheme came to mind, at least not one she believed Jadda would go for. Hanging her head in defeat, she sobbed, "What do I have to do?"

"Share my bed when I request it, and accompany me when I ask you to..." he replied simply. "And you would be my youngee. You would be respected even by powerful people for being under my...influence. Under Hutt influence!" he told her.

"So...I could boss people around?" she asked. "And... and by sharing your bed--" Her voice cracked, and she visibly trembled. "I-I have to do stuff to you?" she whispered.

"Yes, that's what it means to be one of my youngee!" he replied. "It is what you did before, only now the rewards that come with it are so much more than mere credits you used to get!" he told her. "Think about it for a while. It is either being my private youngee or one that anyone can take, including myself!" he said.

"Not much of a choice, now is it?" she muttered, and folded her arms atop the parapet to peer down at the track below. For a moment, there was temptation to throw herself off the balcony. But the hope of seeing Kael again, no matter how he'd wronged her, was far stronger than the urge to end her life. Looking aside at the foul creature, Raeila smiled wanly and asked, "Can I decide after the race?"

"Yeah..." Jadda nodded. He then saw that all podracers were aligned and ready to start the race. The crowds had filled up the seats and bets were being even more profitable now than ever. "Would you like to sound the start of the race?" he asked Raeila.

Raeila shrugged uncertainly. "I guess so...." Then grinned broadly at the prospect. "Sure! I can give Jukwon one last wish for luck."

"Sound that gong there, then!" Jadda told her, as he pointed towards a large metal gold coloured round gong.

Her smile stretched, and with a giggle she scurried towards the suspended circle of metal. The beads stitched to her outfit clacked and swayed as she rushed to the gong, and in her excitement she was luckily spared from the knowledge that Jadda's amphibian eyes were feasting on her bouncing flesh. At the archaic instrument, Raeila lifted the mallet, which was resting on a golden tray atop a pedestal; she glanced back at Jadda, awaiting the signal to proceed.

Jadda looked at her for a moment and licked himself at her sight. Her body somehow seemed more wondrous than a twi'lek's... "Sound the gong when I say so!" he told her as he looked down at the arena once more and lifted his arm as a sign that he would tell Raeila to sound the gong in about a second.

Winding back both arms, Raeila aimed for the center of the metal plate, where most of the dents and pocks from previous strikes resided. At Jadda's abrupt shout, Raeila swung prematurely and struck off-center. The gong swung and twisted, giving off a reverberant, deep clang that Raeila felt crawling up her arm from the impact. Still, she was grinning, and after dropping the mallet, she scampered to the rail and peered over at the pods, which launched forward to leave a trail of billowing smoke behind. Raeila gasped in amazement.

Jadda laughed at the sight of Raeila. He had seen so many podraces that they didn't impress him anymore. But it was a very profitable business, of course! He punched a button and a hover screen showed up. "You can watch the pilots through here!" he told Raeila.

She stepped back to take in the entirety of the large screen, then shrieked and hopped excitedly at it. "There's Jukwon! He's nearly in first place! Does he normally win any races?"

"He came in second in the final season standings..." Jadda replied. "I want first place, so he better win!" he added with a laugh.

Meanwhile, Jukwon dodged a large rock and tilted the podracer sideways, then thrusting to pass in between two other racers, taking second place, right behind the race leader. The large engines roared and the high speed in which he cruised left a cloud of dust behind him.

Raeila gripped the rail of the balustrade, fearful for her new acquaintance. "What happens if he crashes?" she asked worriedly. "Isn't it really dangerous?"

"Some pilots die!" Jadda laughed. "And that's what makes it such a lovely sport! And a profitable one as well! You never really know what is going to happen!" he laughed.

Raeila worried her bottom lip nervously and kept her eye on Jukwon's racer. Another pod sideswiped his, and Jukwon narrowly avoided the collision by swerving away. Raeila yelped and covered her eyes. "I-I can't watch anymore! Tell me when it's over."

On the track, Jukwon was now back in third place, and he wasn't having an easy time to pass. They were now in the canyons and there was very little room for maneuvering, but he knew that once past this part, it would become a lot easier as they would have a clear soft sand path. He stayed close and readied himself for the next stage of the track. Once close to the canyon's end, he pushed the throttle to max and his podracer did the last curve in wicked speed. From then on, it was but a matter of getting sideways and going past the podracer in front of him.

Number one, however was still a little bit further on, and there was little time to reach him. For that, he would have to use his superchargers and go to his top speed limit. There was a momentous sound, as if the engines were recharging with extra boost. And with a single push of a button, Jukwon's racer went berserk and a heat wave came out of his podracer's engines. He was cruising now faster than ever, and the number one spot seemed closer and closer... The question was if he could get it before the race would end, and the arena was already in sight.

Jadda laughed. "You might want to see who passes in first!" he told Raeila.

Raeila grudgingly pulled one hand away and cracked a single eye open to watch the ending race. With a great sigh, she noticed that Jukwon was still alive and in the running. "He's almost in the lead," she announced, then flung both arms up and bounced with excitement. "He's almost in the lead! He's going to win!"

Jukwon was up front, but he barely had any advantage from the podracer that was just next to him. It was almost over, but not quite, as one of his engines was overheating. Suddenly there was some flames coming out, but he figured that he would just have to deal with it after crossing the finish line, because if he activated the repair system he would lose power and perhaps lose the race as well. So, instead, he gave a push and went full throttle, completely ignoring the fire and hoping that it wouldn't blow on him.

Jukwon managed to pass in first place, and as lucky as he was, the other pilot had gotten confused and had been blinded by the smoke that came out of his engine. Jukwon then shut the engines down and activated the repair unit at once, letting the podracer come to a full stop. He emerged from it, triumphant but tired.

On the balcony above, Jadda was laughing out of the result. A first place meant more money! And more money was something that Jadda liked very much. He then took a look at Raeila and feasted his eyes on her body. He would have her still...

"He won!" Rae shrieked, then twirled around to face Jadda, her smile radiant. "We should have a celebration for him!" As an afterthought: "Oh...and you too, of course...Master." She nearly cringed.

Jadda laughed. "Ha! No celebration for him! He needs to get ready for new race in another system! But we can celebrate for him..." he licked himself.

"What?" Raeila sighed. "That's not very fair. He won! He should at least get something... I-I mean...at least another kiss?" she asked hopefully.

Jadda thought about it for a while. "If I let him celebrate with you, then you must promise to celebrate with me as well, afterwards!" Jadda grinned. What he meant by "celebration" was all too obvious.

Raeila suppressed a cringe, and said, "I promise I won't celebrate with him...in that way, Master Jadda. Maybe we can have a feast at the palace," she suggested excitedly. "There can be music and food and dancing and...and whatever else it is you do during a banquet."

"Ahh..." Jadda exclaimed with wide eyes. "This we can do! This we will do!"

"Really?!" Raeila overflowed with excitement, exhibited by her boisterous leaping and squealing. She was most exuberant in knowing a banquet would spare her from having to service Jadda for a while longer at least, but when that time did come, Raeila wasn't certain even her wiles could save her from Jadda's insatiable lust.