***

Her body burned hotter than the unforgiving Thanatos sun and her heart thrashed it her chest as if seeking escape from its confines. The ecstasy rising from her centre sought escape too that would come only from the release given it during the culmination of her physical pleasures. Their coupled moans and hoarse breaths were set into a rhythm by their writhing bodies, each coated with a fine sheen of sweat and tensing from the oncoming climax. She now realized how misplaced her hesitations had been and how her fears had kept her too long from experiencing the euphoria derived from such a simple, yet passionate act.

Her lips flattened against his as their bodies swayed in unison. She threw her head back and cried out again as the throbbing intensified, then she smiled as his lips brushed against her ear and whispered the words that were a sweet melody to her. As his smiling face centred on hers again, she smiled and whispered back, "I love you too, Kael." Suddenly invigorated by her proclamation, his movements hastened and her body tensed as that delicious liberation neared. She focused only on his eyes and how truly she loved gazing into them.

With another cry, Nieme clenched her eyes shut and arched her back off the bed. Once her shrill screams began to die down, Kael's laughter replaced them. His deep throated, resonant laughter seemed to mock her and jeer at her. Nieme clenched her eyes shut tighter and shook her head to try and dissipate the cruel laughter that made her mind reel with thoughts of inadequacy and unworthiness. She couldn't fathom why he was laughing at her, what she'd done wrong. She wasn't pleasing him, that was the only explanation she could find for the source of his laughter.

Nieme whimpered and sobbed quietly as his laughs of disdain ate away at her and seized her heart with immense torment. The laughter continued and began growing in pitch until it was shrill and piercing . All the pleasure she had been feeling diminished and was replaced by fear and confusion. Lips were trailing over her flesh now, soft and delicate, unlike Kael's. The kisses felt different, the hands gliding over her body...nothing was the same and Nieme's fear intensified. The boisterous giggles assailing her ears were incapable of being vocalized by any man bearing the endowments necessary to invoke such pleasure in her as she'd experienced only moments ago. Now, however, she felt only stark terror.

As the supple lips pressed against her own, Nieme's head felt suddenly light. A sweet smell wafted gently through the air like a rolling fog and her body relaxed and melted from the newly kindled fire within her. She returned the kiss with as much passion as was being infused into it, but it was passion she didn't give freely. Her body was no longer her own and felt possessed by the dizzying cloud of ecstasy filling her mind. All her apprehensions and anxieties were lost, and her will was held prisoner by that of her captor.

She was powerless to do anything but surrender to this entity that had injected some potent serum into her blood which made her nothing but compliant with its wishes. This wasn't Kael, but Nieme still moaned and revelled in the stranger's touch. As their lips parted, Nieme sighed and slowly opened her eyes. A veil had been placed over them and nothing but dancing colours filled her view. The colours slowly coalesced and began taking form. They twirled and bled into each other, but soon they became one distinct hue - purple, like the Draila flowers that grew in the desert.

The mist covering her eyes began to lift and Nieme blinked away the bleariness. She traced the curves of the stranger and in her mind formed a template of its body. The more her vision focused, the more she was able to fill in the empty pattern with features and textures until finally she was staring at the completely manifested figure of a woman. The cloud of enchantment obscuring her fears dissipated and Nieme cried out.

The purple woman giggled at her and continued swaying against her. Nieme lay frozen as she gazed in bewilderment at the beautiful woman staring down at her. Her violet eyes smiled at her and her purple flesh emitted a radiant iridescence. Her laughter never ceased despite Nieme's terror, but when Nieme cried out again, she brought a purple hand up and covered her mouth, muffling her screams. The smile on her face became downturned and her eyes darkened with anguish. In her mind, a voice echoed, one gentle and soothing, but filled with a great sadness. The woman's lips didn't move as she spoke to Nieme, telling her the disheartening story of her struggles. "Help me..." the voice pleaded desperately. "I'm trapped."

Nieme lay incapacitated with confusion and fear until finally, the woman pulled her hand away and vapourized in a purple mist. Finally overcoming her paralyzing terror, Nieme shot up in bed and emitted a piercing, cathartic cry. She clenched her eyes shut and continued to scream in hoarse, raspy cries, trying to expell the fears that the purple creature had left behind.

The sudden scream shattered the dream that had taken over Kael's consciousness. As fragments of the images that had been playing out before his mind's eye danced over and around him, like the shards of a crystal goblet cast against a wall, he suddenly jerked awake. Next to him, Nieme was upright, mouth open as her piercing cry filled the room and threatened to shatter anything breakable. He quickly slid closer, or as close as two bodies nearly pressing together could get, and put his arms around her. That she was completely naked in his arms was another matter entirely, but for the moment that state did nothing to alleviate the fears her sudden scream filled him with.

"Nieme," he said, trying to keep his voice soothing. "It's alright. I'm here with you. You're alright. You're with me; you're with Kael."

Nieme shrank away from Kael's touch and yelped as she opened her eyes to him. "No! Go away!" She pushed Kael and screamed at him again while trying desperately to get free of him. "You're not you! You...you're her! Stop trying to fool me! No!"

"What are you talking about? Nieme, it's me. It's Kael."

Suddenly the door pushed open and Jae Dyn stood there with a shirt pulled down to cover her nakedness. She took a look at the two on the bed, and Nieme's naked upper torso, and raised an eyebrow. That Nieme was pushing Kael away was a very bad sign. If he was trying to... Find out first, she told herself. Don't jump to conclusions yet. "Nieme, what's wrong?"

Nieme gasped and swung her head towards Jae Dyn. With a loud whimper, she gave Kael one final shove and flew off the bed. She ran to Jae Dyn and sank into her arms. Nieme sobbed loudly and clung to Jae Dyn desperately.

Yelara showed up in the doorway still groggy with sleep and taking a look upon the crazed scene before her, she laughed. "This place is certainly filled with alot of excitement." She caught a glimpse of Kael's bared chest, and looking again upon Nieme's naked body, she crossed her arms slowly over her chest and grinned slyly at Kael.

Kael wasn't sure where to look. His eyes kept getting drawn back to Nieme's very naked body clinging to Jae Dyn's nearly naked body. He tried not to look where Nieme's clinging had caused the shirt the Jedi wore to ride up slightly. He caught Yelara's grin and looked away with a slight blush darkening his cheeks.

When Liam approached the room, he had no idea what to expect, and the sight of Nieme desperately holding onto Jae Dyn was not something he expected. That Nieme wore not a stitch of clothing openly in front of everyone without dying of embarrassment was definitely a sign that something was amiss. And, that Yelara was there only made him worry more. He couldn't imagine what trouble his wife would make with a situation like this. "Is everything alright," he asked.

Jae Dyn wrapped her arms protectively around Nieme. "It's alright now, Nieme," she said softly and kissed the top of the girl's head. "You're safe. Can you tell us what happened? If you want, we can go somewhere else if you need to. It's okay now."

"He's her!" she cried out.

"He's a she?" Yelara asked with an amused laugh. She glanced at Liam, who didn't seem to be finding the situation as humourous as she did, so she cleared her throat and erased the smile from her face. "Uh...Nieme, what do you mean?"

"The girl! She...she's him! She's trapped and we have to help her." Nieme sobbed again and buried her face into Jae Dyn's bosom. "The purple nymph...she told me she's trapped in...in the hulking leviathan. She says it's swallowed her and she can't find her way out." Nieme looked back at Kael intensely and called out, "Tell them! Tell them, Kael."

Kael blinked in bewilderment at Nieme's comment and shook his head. "I don't know what she's talking about," he said. "We were asleep, and all of a sudden she was sitting up and screaming. I don't know anything about purple nymphs. I don't know..."

Jae Dyn frowned as she glanced between everyone standing there. Still holding Nieme, she moved back into the room with her while still keeping the girl in her protective embrace. "What can you tell me of the purple nymph," she asked. "Does she need our help?"

"Yes!" Nieme cried out in exasperation. She looked up at Jae Dyn with tearstained cheeks and pushed away from her. "He was making love to me and then...and then she was there and she spoke to me in...in my head. She said she needs help because she's stuck. She was all light and...and she glowed..." Nieme struggled to form her thoughts with her mind was still disoriented from sleep and fear. Finally, she squealed and shouted, "She's trapped on the floating beast and she can't find her way out. We have to help her!"

Jae Dyn nodded, and decided to put the making love part aside for now. "Is she near? Near to us here?" She glanced over to Yelara. "If I were to say floating beast and leviathan to you, what location springs to your mind?"

Yelara looked up pensively then shrugged her shoulders. "Well...if she's talking about Tae'Karada, I'd say either that Star Destroyer out there or the shipyards. Other than that, I have no idea."

Jae Dyn smiled. "Exactly what I was thinking," she said. "I think if we're going to look for her, the first place to look would be the shipyards. If we can't find her there, then we'll need to come up with some sort of plan to get onto a Star Destroyer, and poke around their detention cells." She turned to Nieme. "Are you feeling up to helping us look for her?"

Nieme calmed considerably upon hearing they were going to free the caged nymph, but she yelped and flew under the sheets again when she realized she was bereft of clothing and clearly visible to all in the room. She pulled the sheets up to her chin and flushed with embarrassment. "I...I'll help," she whispered shyly. "I mean...I know her so...so I'll help."

Liam smiled. "I'll take Nieme with me to the shipyards then," he said. "We can search for her there, and keep in touch with you down here. While we're gone, Jae Dyn will teach Kael how to identify someone who is Force sensitive. And Yelara...Yelara will stay out of trouble and watch the baby while Kallia's busy. Why don't the two of you" -- he glanced at Nieme and Kael -- "get dressed and meet us in the kitchen. We can make something for breakfast and then Nieme and I can set out. Does this sound acceptable to everyone?"

Nieme nodded her head quickly and Yelara rolled her eyes at Liam, but she too nodded her head. "Fine, fine. I'll go lock myself in the room so there's no possibility of me wreaking havoc. Although," she said with a sweet smile, "I recall you saying at one time that you like havoc, Liam."

"If I didn't," Liam said with a smile, "I wouldn't have married you. And, I was teasing, my love. Perhaps I should try to avoid humour from now on. Go back to being grim, brooding Liam the Tyrant." He grinned and took Yelara in his arms and kissed her. "I'd ask you along too, but I think that place would be worse than coming back here. But, if you'd like to...you're welcome to join us."

Yelara smiled at Liam, then glanced back at Nieme. "I don't know, my love," she whispered. "She's...well...she's a little odd. I don't know if I'd feel comfortable being around her. I mean, half the time, I have no idea what she's talking about."

"I understand," Liam said. "Maybe if you spend more time around her, you'll get to know her better, maybe feel more comfortable with her. But if you'd rather stay here, you can. Maybe we can take a trip together up to the shipyards another time. It'd be nice to visit your old office again, where we had so many sparks flying between us. Or maybe the bed we shared our first night together in, and I cooked for you."

Yelara laughed and wrapped her arms loosely around Liam's neck. "You romantic." She stared lustfully into his eyes, but she cleared her throat and pulled away as she remembered precisely where they were. She looked back into the room where a still naked Nieme and mostly naked Kael were, as well as a very grim looking Kallia. She smiled at Liam and slipped her hand into his. "Let's go get breakfast started. I think it'd be best to get this morning over with as quickly as possible considering..."

"I think so," Liam agreed. As they were walking away, he glanced at Yel and grinned. "Though, after that little show, I see what he likes in her." As she started to protest, he quickly kissed her. "I'm kidding, my love. I'm surprised she didn't faint when I showed up there. She's very modest, and I imagine the thought of someone like me seeing her would be too much. You're not really nervous about her, are you?"

"Nervous about her stealing my husband?" Yelara grinned. "Not at all. But she is a little...odd. And poor Kael! He just looked so confused and helpless. I guess he had no idea what she was talking about either. If he didn't love her, I doubt he'd be able to handle that for very long."

"He loves her," Liam said. "And, I didn't think you'd be nervous about her stealing me away. She's cute, and her body is nice; but I'm all yours. Besides, she's pretty solidly Kael's. She has visions, and I have a feeling that's what she had. Kallia hopes she can help her interpret them better, and to not be so traumatized by them. I have a feeling that whoever she saw, that purple nymph, is going to be up there, and we're meant to find her. Hopefully if something's going to happen, we'll get to her before it can."

"Liam...how do you know her dreams really are visions and not just, well..." Yelara sighed and tried to put her thoughts into words that would broach the subject delicately. "What if she's just a little insane, Liam? I mean yes, she's obviously Force sensitive if you feel it in her, but what if the visions aren't a result of the Force and just psychotic delusions. Isn't that a possibility?"

"She saw me in her dreams, and the Temple. She also saw Kallia, as well as Kael. Based on that, I'm willing to at least entertain that she may have some sort of foresight. I plan to work with her on that and see just what sort of skill she has with it. I don't know if she is insane. From what she's said, I don't think she's exactly had a normal childhood. She knows nothing about sex, and Kael is teaching her everything. I just hope Kal can talk to her a little...without urging her to stay away from him."

"Well, she and Kael looked like they were having a little tutoring session before we walked in there. I know I disagreed with Kallia's position last night, but maybe it would be a wise idea to advise them about perhaps slowing things down a bit. If she is as mentally unstable as I believe, then rushing into sex could really mess her up, Liam."

"I'll see what I can do," Liam said. "Perhaps I can talk to her while we're out looking for the purple nymph. Not that I really know what to say, or if she'd even talk to me about it. But I can try." He glanced at her and grinned. "And, they actually weren't doing anything other than sleeping before we walked in. Kael was still wearing his pants; and although Nieme showed signs of sexual arousal, Kael didn't. I just think that dream she was having was rather erotic, and it aroused her as well."

"It doesn't mean they couldn't have done so last night after dinner." Yelara smiled mischievously as she wrapped her arms around Liam's waist. "You know, I think I'm going to enjoy living here. It's so eventful and exciting. And with those two around, it could never be uninteresting. Besides, I think it would be good for me to have friends closer to my own age. I always get stuck talking to you and Kallia, you stuffy, old cronies, and it would be a nice change to converse with some youngsters like myself for once."

Liam laughed. "Oh, is that how it is?" He pulled her to him and kissed her soundly. "Well, if things go according to plan, we will have a lot of young people here soon. You'll have plenty of people who are no where near as doddering as Kallia and I are. You better be careful or I may have to take you right here to prove my virility."

Yelara shrieked with laughter and playfully slapped Liam's chest. "And you're a Jedi Master? I fear for what you'll be teaching those poor, innocent children! I hope sex education isn't on the curriculum because I refuse to help you with your demonstrations. You'll turn them all into sex fiends, just like their Master."

"Sex is not one of the subjects we'll be teaching," he said. "Though, on the rare special occasion, Kallia and I may be required to fill in where a parent or guardian hasn't been forthcoming in that sort of information. There won't be any demonstrations."

"Are you still free for private sessions, though?" Yelara leered at Liam as she ran her finger along his chest. "I'm not a student after all so it's not like it'd be against the rules or anything..."

"Well, we haven't really defined the rules yet, so it wouldn't be against them if you were a student. But, for you, I'm available for private sessions. I'm always available for private sessions." Liam laughed. "I think Kael was having a difficult time deciding who to watch in there, Nieme as naked as the day she was born; or Kallia wearing only a t-shirt that Nieme inadvertently was pushing up as she clung to her."

Yelara laughed and pulled Liam along again towards the kitchen. "The poor boy... They get him all worked up with no hopes of release. Do you think I should..." Yelara glanced at Liam with a wicked smile. "Hmm...he might like that."

Liam laughed. "The way they're working him up, both completely unaware of it, I think he's going to need a release. Oh, I definitely think you should."

"And you'd really let me do that?" Yelara frowned at Liam and jerked his arm roughly. "I'm so glad you're that possessive of me, Liam. Hey! We could turn it into a sort of initiation. All the new Padawans that come through here get a ride on the Master's wife. I bet it would make them feel right at home."

Liam laughed. "Well, I am more possessive than that, but I guess the thought of sharing you doesn't destroy me like it once did. I would rather that you were just mine, but I know I'll always share you with Kallia. And, I guess if there was someone else you truly wanted to share yourself with, I'd accept that. As long as I still feel the love you have for me, and that you still want me with you, I think I could deal with pretty much anything." He kissed her. "If that was something that you wanted, then I would accept it as long as your love for me didn't change."

"I think my love for you could only grow. And I really don't mind being with you old wretches. You're both much more experienced than any youngster could ever be." Yelara laughed as she and Liam made it to the kitchen without stripping down their clothes and consummating their passions in the hallway. "Liam Zaneth, I would marry you again if I could, but I doubt I'd fit into my dress now."

"Perhaps when our child is born, we can marry again," Liam said. "I think it would be nice to adjust our vows to include our child, and Kallia. She's a part of our life, and our marriage now. You love her, and she loves you; and though I really don't know her as well as I would like, I am fond of her. She is, and always will be a part of our life." He kissed Yel and smiled. "And, I'm glad that she can make you smile when I can't. Before, when she arrived, I was scared. But, I'm not now. Something in the last couple days...I guess it opened my eyes, and I don't feel threatened anymore. I am happier than I've ever felt in my life, and more secure in my marriage than I ever imagined I'd be. I think coming back to Tae'Karada, even though we didn't want to, was a good thing. Our relationship and love has grown in ways it never could have before."

"And so have you, Liam. You've come so far in a year...and I'm so proud of you." Yelara kissed Liam tenderly, then looked up into his eyes. "You've helped me grow too...you and Kallia both. Both of you have helped to make me who I am today, and I like to think the new Yelara Neerou isn't such a bad person. In fact, I think she's rather charming."

"She's very charming," he said. "And much happier than when I met her. We've come a long way since then." He looked around and laughed. "With all that came before, I never expected to be willing to share you with one other person like I have with Kallia, but to realize that I could actually accept you going to be with another besides...but I know your heart is mine, and there is no danger. The only thing I ask is if that were to happen, that you did want to share yourself with another, that you not keep it a secret from me. And, while I'm gone with Nieme today, if you think that Kael is too worked up, and you do actually want to, then I'm okay with that."

"Liam!" Yelara grabbed him by the arms and shook him vigourously. She laughed then kissed him tenderly. "Don't be foolish. I don't wanna be with anyone but you...and Kallia, of course. It wouldn't be fulfilling if I let another touch me, someone for whom I felt nothing. That's why we're so ravenous when it comes to sex, Liam; it's because I love you so damn much."

Liam laughed. "That's good news," he said with a grin. "I didn't think that you would want to be with anyone else, but I just wanted you to know that I'm not as...adamant against it if that's what you want. But since you don't want that, that just means there's more of you for me."

Yelara laughed as she rolled her eyes at Liam. "Oh you are really an odd man sometimes." She shook her head slowly while making her way towards the range, and once there, she reached to the top shelf and pulled off a jug of carbosyrup. She turned to Liam with a smile and thrust the jug towards him. "You know how I like it, big boy, so get cooking."

Liam laughed. "One something-or-other with carbosyrup, coming right up," he said. He took the jug from her and started pulling the items he'd need for their breakfast from the shelves. "I really hope Nieme doesn't mind that I'm using her kitchen."

"Portent Girl, Part 2"
by Nieme Yaresh
Kael Selrid
Jae Dyn Brael
Yelara Zaneth
and Liam Zaneth
Location: Jedi Temple, Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 24, 4ABY

***

Kael stood in front of the shower again, as he had last night. He sighed and turned the water on and waited for it to heat up. He looked around the large room that Jae Dyn referred to as the refresher and remembered his first experience with the shower last night. It had been somewhat startling, though after a few moments it was actually refreshing. Perhaps that's how the room got its name. He could only imagine what his second shower would be like.

Nieme waking up screaming still had his heart pounding, and he really hoped that she was doing alright in the other room with Jae Dyn. Despite their mentor's advice the day before, she was a nice woman and did have their best interests in mind. He just hoped Nieme was doing alright now.

***

"I just...I don't know what happened," Nieme said as she pulled her shirt the rest of the way down. She turned to Jae Dyn and shrugged her shoulders. "I mean Kael was there and then he just transformed into the girl. It was just...it was so scary."

"That sort of transition is common in many dreams," Jae Dyn said. "Though, I wonder if the the fact that in the dream you were intimate with the girl has any significance. It could suggest something between you and both of them, or perhaps something between Kael and the girl. How accurate are your dreams usually?"

Nieme looked down at her barefeet and answered quietly, "Pretty accurate." She took a deep breath and gazed up at Jae Dyn with a forced smile. "It was probably nothing, though...the significance of me and...her together. It was strange, though; it was like when her lips touched mine, I was intoxicated. I've never b-been drunk before, but my head was all light and I couldn't think straight." Nieme narrowed her eyes quizzically at Jae Dyn. "Is that what...is that what happens during sex?"

"Usually," Jae Dyn said. "With really powerful emotions like that, it's very much like that. When I'm with Yelara, it's like that for me. Your heart beats fast and it's hard to breathe. Your thoughts are muddied, and you feel like you're floating. I don't think we should read too much into it. Because you dreamt about it, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll end up in bed with another woman. Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you. But we'll need to look into this more. We'll have to find her first. Do you think you'll be able to recognize her if you see her?"

"I don't think she'll be hard to miss. She's purple. I've never seen a purple person before...but she is." Nieme stood before Jae Dyn and couldn't help but stare at the long shirt that covered most of her body, but still showed a good deal of flesh. Seeing her partially bare made Nieme far less intimidated by her and even less apprehensive about talking candidly with her. "Jae Dyn Brael?" she said softly. "Can I...can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Jae Dyn said. "Anything you ever want to ask me, please. I'm your teacher and mentor, and I hope your friend. If there's ever anything, just ask. And, I promise I'll never get upset at a question or discourage you from asking. Now, ask away."

Nieme smiled nervously and trepidly took a seat on the bed next to Jae Dyn. She focused on her hands as she played with them and began hesitantly. "You...you probably know Kael and I were...well we...I-I slept with him last night." She looked up at Jae Dyn frantically and quickly corrected herself. "Not like that, though! We just...he held me and we just slept, but I wanted more and so did he...but he stopped. I was sad because...I thought I did something wrong again, but he said he stopped because I didn't seem to be having fun." Nieme sighed deeply and looked again to her fingers tangled together now. "I want to make him think I'm having fun...but how can I when I get so nervous?"

Jae Dyn smiled. "Something about it makes you scared, most likely. The first time is always scary, just because you don't really know what to expect. But really it's very nice when you're in the middle of it, and after it's started, if you're with the right guy, you start wondering why you were ever afraid of it to begin with. When I look at Kael, I see a considerate lover who will take care of your every need, and because of that you don't have anything to worry about with him. I guess the best way to figure out why you get nervous is to figure out what makes you nervous. When you think about it, what scares you the most about making love to Kael?"

"I...I don't know," Nieme replied slowly. "I guess it's just that...I've never done it before so I don't know how it's supposed to feel or what to do. I suppose I'm afraid it will hurt or that...or that I'll disappoint Kael and he'll never want to be with me again." Nieme hung her head low and chewed on her lip nervously. "In the dream," she said softly, "he was laughing at me...they both were. They were laughing at me and I thought it was because I was a bad lover or that I was doing everything wrong." Nieme paused and shook her head slowly. "I don't want Kael to laugh at me."

Jae Dyn brought a hand up to Nieme's cheek. "I don't think they would laugh at you," she said. "Sex is very pleasurable, and it's fun. They could have been laughing because they enjoyed being with you or that they were just happy. And, it may be your own anxieties making you think they'd laugh at you." She smiled warmly. "You are a very attractive young woman, and you have definitely caught Kael's eye. He wants to be with you, and he wants to share his body, heart, and soul with you. You have nothing to fear with him, nothing at all."

Nieme closed her eyes and rested her face in Jae Dyn's palm. The touch was so soothing and comforting and was precisely what she needed to ease her anxieties. "He kissed me last night," she said dreamily. "He kissed...my breasts and I like it so much. I wanted him to do more, that's why I let him take my clothes off and then when he went to kiss me down...there where you and Yelara kiss each other, I froze. It feels good being kissed...down there, doesn't it?"

Jae Dyn smiled in remembrence. "Yes," she said, "it does feel very good. When you have a man or woman who wants to touch and kiss, and especially if they really want to, then it's very nice. There are particular areas on the body that that sort of kissing is...is very nice. I'm sure when you and Kael do make love, it will be beautiful. It usually is with people who love each other."

Nieme's eyes opened and her smile was large and bright. "So he really does love me, then? He's told me he does but...but no one's ever said that to me before so I...I didn't really know for certain."

"I don't really know for certain," Jae Dyn said with a smile. "But I'm fairly certain he does. The way he looks at you is a good indication. And, the fact that he put your need to feel safe ahead of his need to be sated says a lot too."

"Yeah..." Nieme said with a beaming smile. "I...I think you're right." She laughed excitedly and suddenly wrapped her arms around Jae Dyn in a firm embrace. "I do so want to be with him, Master. I...I love him and I only want to be with Kael...ever."

Jae Dyn returned Nieme's hug. "Well, maybe tonight after you and Liam return, you and Kael can have some special time together so you can see if you don't get nervous. How does that sound?"

"He did say we could try again tonight if I'm up for it...so maybe I will." Nieme looked up at Jae Dyn, then frowned worriedly. "Oh no...I...I think I scared him this morning. I was so confused and I thought...I thought he was her... I don't think he'll wanna be with me tonight, not after that. I hate these dreams..." Nieme said somberly.

Jae Dyn pulled herself back from Nieme and cupped the girl's face in her hands. "He loves you, Nieme," she said. "Whatever happened this morning isn't going to stop him from loving you. But if you're scared of that, just go to where he's at in the refresher, and kiss him. If he doesn't want to be with you, you'll definitely know it. But, I have a feeling you'll find out that he still does, very much."

Nieme's eyes grew wide with surprise and fear as she repeated, "Kiss him? Just...just barge in there and kiss him? What if...but what about..."

"Tonight you're planning on making love to him," Jae Dyn said. "If he's not decent now, just consider it a preview of what tonight has to offer. It'll be alright, Nieme. Trust me."

Nieme looked slowly away from Jae Dyn and to the ground below. It was a true test for herself, Jae Dyn was right, but Nieme didn't want to hurt Kael more than she already had, and by running out of the refresher screaming if she happened to catch a glimpse of him would do nothing but increase his pain. She couldn't, however, leave the temple today without making amends with Kael. Taking a deep breath, she rose from the bed and smiled down at Jae Dyn. "Thank you, Master. I'll see you at breakfast." She quickly planted a kiss on Jae Dyn's cheek, then rushed out of the bedroom and down the hallway. When she burst through the door of the refersher, she would either be met by a very surprised and angry Kael, or an extremely happy one. She hoped she found the latter.

Stopping before the door of the refresher, out of breath and completely nervous, Nieme took a calming breath and hesitantly pushed on the door. Slowly, she edged it open and poked her head through. Kael was facing away from her and wrapping a towel around his waist. It was the perfect moment to sneak in unnoticed and surprise him, so that's what Nieme did. With light steps, she swept into the room and with more daring than she thought herself capable of, she grabbed Kael's arm and spun him around to face her. Before he could process what was happening, she took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.

Kael's first reaction was complete surprise, until he realized it was Nieme's lips pressed to his. He quickly put his arms around her and pulled her to him as they kissed. It was deep and passionate and fueled a fire within him like he'd never felt before. His heart was pounding in his chest and his stomach was doing flips. When their lips finally separated he looked into her eyes and smiled. "I love you."

Nieme smiled bashfully at him, then embraced him excitedly. Her smile slowly faded and her brow furrowed with puzzlement as she felt something pressing against her stomach. It was Kael's lump, but this time, it felt different. It felt unrestrained and its length seemed to run farther along her stomach than it ever had before. Bunched around her feet, she felt something soft, and damp, and when Nieme finally pulled away from Kael, she looked down and knew exactly what had happened.

She was too amazed by the sight to gasp or jump back, and all she felt herself able to do was stare and study the strange looking object protruding from Kael's groin. She gazed at it in fascination and felt almost ready to touch it when her momentary fascination passed and she reminded herself that Kael was naked in front of her. The gasp soon followed and Nieme had taken a step back, yet her eyes remained fixed to Kael's penis. "So...that's what it looks like," she whispered breathlessly.

"Yes," Kael said, trying to fight down the slight flush in his cheeks. "That's definitely what it looks like. And, that's what you do to it, my love. Not too shocking, I hope."

Nieme shook her head quickly with her eyes frozen on Kael's penis. Looking at it now, she had no idea what she'd been so afraid of before. She'd never seen one in her life, and was initially fearful of what it did and how it was shaped. She'd always pictured it as some montrous thing meant to inflict pain upon women. In Thanatos, the only thing it was ever used for was to rape women, and something that caused so much suffering couldn't have possibly been good in Nieme's eyes. But staring at Kael's, she didn't feel threatened by it anymore.

Fixated on the ramrod straight shaft, Nieme cautiously reached out a hand and extended a finger towards it. Her heart beat faster in her chest the closer her finger approached the fleshy rod and she had to swallow back her sudden anxieties before she ran out screaming. But as the tip of her finger finally made contact with the warm, throbbing shaft, Nieme sighed and found herself smiling softly. With a child's curiousity, she ran her finger gently along the length of Kael's penis and giggled as it seemed to harden and rise even more erect at her touch. She finally looked up at Kael and her smile grew larger. "That...that's your lump? It's so...different from what I imagined it would look like."

Kael's breathing was heavy as her hands played across his penis. He smiled and gasped softly. "That is definitely my lump," he said with a smile. "It doesn't quite look so lumpy there, just when I'm wearing pants. Not scared now?"

Nieme's mind strayed from Kael's voice and after a long moment of gazing silently at his penis, she looked up at him in confusion. "Huh?" She laughed softly as she finally pulled her hand away, and gazing up at Kael now, she felt her stomach flipping and her heart pounding furiously in her chest. "I'm not afraid anymore, Kael. Never again," she whispered.

Overcome with a newly discovered boldness, Nieme wrapped her arms around Kael's waist and kissed him firmly on the lips. She let her hands wander along his stomach until her one hand delved lower and caressed his penis lightly. She continued kissing him while she walked forward and finally had Kael pressed against the bathroom wall. "I love you, Kael," she said breathlessly before returning her lips to his.

Kael's surprise at Nieme's boldness was apparent in his eyes, but he quickly cast it to the wind as he was pressed against the wall with her body holding him in place. He heard himself moan as he returned her kisses, nearly feverish in his need to have her lips on his, her hands on his body. Something had definitely changed in her, and he liked that change. She knew what she wanted: him. And, he knew more than anything else, he wanted her in return. When he was finally able to take a breath, he decided to forgo breathing and respond to her affirmation: "And, I love you, Nieme. More than anything, I love you."

Nieme smiled at Kael, then quickly kissed him again. "Jae Dyn Brael," Nieme said breathlessly, "she told me to come and surprise you." She pressed her lips to Kael's and explored his mouth with her tongue. The boldness of her actions surprised Nieme, but she knew it was what Kael wanted and definitely what she wanted too. She pulled her mouth away from his and asked coyly, "Are you surprised?"

Kael grinned. "Very surprised," he said. "And, happily so. I guess it's only fair that you get to see me since I saw you last night."

Nieme blushed and lowered her eyes demurely. "I...I think it helped. I feel almost comfortable now...since you've already seen everything." Her eyes focused on Kael's penis again with her fingers still wrapped around its shaft. She giggled at the sight and was almost intoxicated by how daring she was being. She looked up at Kael slowly and ran her other hand over his chest. "Can we...can we try again tonight? I think I want to try again."

Kael laughed softly, his grin threatening to consume his entire face. "Tonight is fine unless you wanted to try now," he said.

Nieme's eyes went wide with a mixture of excitement and surprise. "Now? I mean...right here?" She looked around the refresher quickly, then turned her gaze back to Kael. "Where...but won't we be uncomfortable?" She giggled uncontrollably and covered her mouth to muffle the sounds of her anxiety and excitement. With a squeal, Nieme rushed from Kael's arms and to the door of the refresher. She pushed it closed, then with a large smile, she turned to face Kael again. "I...I think I'm ready. I mean...I hope I am."

"You look like you're ready," Kael said, looking into her eyes. "We can here, or we can slip back into the bedroom." He moved to her near the door and took her into his arms and kissed her. He slipped her shirt up and over her head with a grin. "Or we can stay here."

Nieme laughed at Kael and watched as her shirt fluttered to the ground. "We can't exactly go to the bedroom like this. Besides, I think Jae Dyn Brael might still be there. She...she was helping me. I liked her advice this time...I think." Nieme chewed her lip as she looked down nervously at her bare breasts. She watched as the chill from the air caused her nipples to harden, then sighed softly when she flattened them against Kael's chest. "We have to hurry," she said softly. "Breakfast...it'll get cold."

"I think we can heat it up," he said with a smile. Kael bent his head down and kissed each of her breasts, suckling slowly on each nipple before looking up at her. "We can make a bed of towels if you'd like. That way we might be more comfortable." He slowly started opening her pants as they shared kisses. He started trailing kisses down her chest and belly, and then stopped. "Nieme, what time of month is it in your cycle?"

Nieme was momentarily taken aback by the question and stammered quickly while searching for a response. She looked down at Kael with a confused expression and shook her head. "I...I can't remember...I can't think right now." She furrowed her brow as she concentrated, then frowned at Kael. "I don't know. Does it matter?"

"We don't want you getting pregnant yet," he said. "Maybe we should wait for tonight, and I'll go into the city while you're out with Liam. I'll get us some protection so tonight, we can make love. For now though..." He slid down her body, and kissed her mound.

Nieme emitted a shrill gasp and her hands flew back against the wall to support herself. She felt a shudder run through her and her heart fluttering rapidly. Nieme closed her eyes and smiled dreamily while bringing her hands forward and stroking Kael's hair. "Tonight," she whispered breathlessly. "Definitely tonight, my love."

A part of Kael was disappointed that they couldn't consummate their love now, but the soft moans and gasps of pleasure told him that he was making a good substitute until they could be safe. He used his arms to support Nieme's weight when her knees buckled as her pleasure built. He didn't think that Nieme would last much longer before she had her first orgasm.

Nieme cried out in surprise at the strange sensations Kael's tongue was inspiring in her. She gazed up at the ceiling of the refresher and against the white backdrop, a spattering of colours danced across her vision. She felt the familiar swelling in her breasts and burning heat consuming her entire body. The continuous throbbing being perpetuated by Kael were new and carried with them such arousal as she'd never experienced, even during her close calls with Kael.

She moaned shrilly and groaned with delight as the warmth in her body seemed to accumulate between her legs and grow even hotter. She heard herself crying out Kael's name, then shouting it louder and louder the faster the blood pounded within her mound. With a final piercing cry, Nieme gripped Kael's hair and fell back against the wall in a fit of shudders and gasps. "Oh gods...oh gods," she repeated over and over again as she slid to the tiled floor of the bathroom and sank into Kael's arms. "What...oh gods... My gods...Kael..."

Kael held Nieme's trembling body to him as he waited for her orgasm to subside. Once her breathing had calmed slightly, he kissed her and grinned. "I love you, Nieme," he said. After a few moments of holding her, he smiled. "How are you feeling, my love?"

Nieme didn't trust her voice to hold up after what she'd just experienced, but once she took a deep, cleansing breath, she rested her head upon Kael's shoulder and whispered into his ear. "I feel... Oh gods, Kael, that was the most amazing thing... I've never felt so wonderful in my life...except for when I'm with you."

All of Nieme's senses felt heightened and sensitive, especially to Kael's touch. Shudders still rolled gently through her body and she tried to bring herself down from the ecstasy that had set her mind and body adrift with pleasure, but she didn't want the sensations to ever end. Gently, she kissed Kael's neck and face, then looked up at him with a smile. "I love you, Kael. I always want to be with you."

He kissed her gently and smiled. "I'm always yours," he said. "And, I only ever want to be with you again. We belong together, Nieme. And, tonight, I want to make love to you, and share all of myself with you. Forever, Nieme. That's what you and me are. We're forever."

"I know," she whispered emphatically. "I've always felt that." Nieme kissed Kael gently and moaned quietly as his hardness brushed against her still sensitive mound. She found her hips inadvertently pressing against his to amplify the sensations being generated and gasped into Kael's mouth. "Oh gods, Kael," she said almost painfully. "I...I don't know if I can wait that long."

Kael kissed her and let his hands trail over her body. "We can try to be careful if you want. I can pull out before I climax. Or, if it's not the time in your cycle, I can inside you." He kissed her again. "Do you want to now, Nieme?"

Nieme sighed deeply as her hips gently swayed against Kael's hardness. "I do, Kael...but...I don't know if it's my time... I just...I can't remember now..." She moaned softly and kissed Kael's shoulder and let her lips trail across his chest. She was so entranced by the pleasure she had only moments ago experienced and knew she wanted more, disregarding all the costs and not paying any heed to precautions she knew she needed to take. "I want you to make love to me, Kael. Oh gods...I don't care what happens, I just want to make love to you now."

Kael quickly took Nieme into his arms and kissed her. As he held her, he pulled some towels from the rack and spread them on the floor below them. Then he eased her back onto them. He gazed into her eyes and smiled. He could barely believe that they were about to make love, but here they were. "It may hurt a little at the beginning," he said. "But after that, it should feel as good as the other." He kissed her again. "Are you ready?"

Nieme stared down in bewilderment at Kael's penis hovering over her entrance. She looked up into Kael's eyes with sudden fear and anxiety, but her body didn't betray her this time. She was willing and relaxed, and was surprised when her hips bucked forward, begging for him to enter her. "I'm so nervous, Kael," she said with a soft moan. "But I want this. I want this very much, Kael."

By the look in her eyes and the flush of her body Kael could tell that Nieme really did want this. He positioned himself at her entrance, and slowly started pushing himself inside. His lips were on hers, and he used one hand on her breasts. He didn't want this to hurt much for her, but thankfully the hurt would be quickly overcome by the pleasure. "I love you, Nieme," he whispered.

Nieme winced and chewed her lip to fight back the sharp pain that suddenly plagued her. She groaned and breathed sharply as the pain seemed to intensify, then slowly, it diminished and the only thing that remained was a quickly rising tingle that soon grew into a blazing ecstasy. A loud moan filled the refresher as Kael thrust against her in long, smooth strokes, but gently and with tenderness. The sensation of being joined with another and fitting perfectly with them was almost as fulfilling as the act was beginning to be. Staring into Kael's warm eyes, she smiled slowly, then kissed him greedily.

Kael's moans mixed with Nieme's as they continued making love. The change was remarkable. Last night she had been afraid of his touch, but now she was hungrily accepting everything he could give her. It made him love her all the more. With the long strokes he was taking, he knew he could last for a bit longer. Their breakfast would be cold, but this was better than breakfast. He just needed to make sure he pulled out of her in time, and hope that they didn't have a surprise waiting in nine months. Beneath him, Nieme seemed to glow. He found himself grinning foolishly, and then laughing. "Oh gods, Nieme. I love you so much. You are the most beautiful...I love you!"

Nieme's moans were shrill but expressing in them her immense joy and pleasure. When Kael's laughter began, she was filled with sudden confusion and dissaray. It was her dream all over again, and now, just like then, she had no idea why he was laughing at her. She tried to keep her anxieties from ruining the moment, but his laughter was beginning to eat away at her and rousing her fears of inadequacy and unworthiness. With a frown, Nieme looked up at Kael and whispered fearfully, "Why are you laughing, Kael? Please...please don't laugh at me. I'm doing good, aren't I? I-I can do better!"

Kael kissed her. "You are doing beautifully," he said. "I'm laughing because I'm incredibly happy. You make me incredibly happy, Nieme. You are doing beautifully, my love." He kissed her again with a passionate hunger. "You're a beautiful lover, and I'd rather be with you than anyone else in life."

A heavy sigh indicated Nieme's relief, and with a warm smile, she kissed Kael deeply. She felt awkward and clumsy as she moved against Kael, but somehow, it still felt right. Her moans grew from deep within her throat and were lost in Kael's mouth as they kissed tenderly. She knew more than anything that she and Kael were meant to be, and their union helped to reinforce her dreams, the ones that told her that she couldn't walk the path she was treading upon without Kael.

As a sudden spike of pleasure hit Nieme, she cried out loudly and arched off the floor. She clung to Kael desperately and felt her throat growing hoarse as she cried out again and again. She spoke Kael's name loudly and professed her love for him with such conviction that she knew he would not doubt it in the least.

As Nieme's body trembled with her second orgasm, Kael felt his quickly approaching. He hated that he had to pull out of her. He winced at the thought of removing himself from the warmth and ecstacy of their union. But he had to. "Oh gods," he cried out. "It's time. I need to-- Towel. I need a towel. Or something."

Nieme looked around frantically and breathlessly, uncertain what was happening, but the urgency in Kael's voice indicated she had better find him a towel quickly. Their bodies were still joined and Nieme was still feeling the delicious ravages of her climax and she found it almost impossible to move. She groaned as her hands scoured blindly across the tiled floor, searching for something which would suffice for Kael's purposes. Her fingers brushed against something soft resting on the floor and she quickly grabbed it up in her hand. "Here!" she said hastily as she passed the item to Kael.

Kael took the item, not bothering to look at it. Before he could though, his body flushed and he cried out: "Oh gods no." And, then in a rush, it was too late. A loud moan filled the room, and despite the intense pleasure, a wave of terror swept through Kael as he spilled his seed inside Nieme. Once his orgasm had subsided, he looked down at Nieme, unsure of what emotion he should be feeling. He glanced down at their still-joined bodies and then back up at Nieme. "Um..."

Nieme's eyes were still wide with confusion and perplexity as she slowly recovered from the strange sensation that had just coursed through her. She looked at Kael with a questioning gaze, then down at where he was still firmly fixed inside of her. "What...what was that?" she asked quietly. "It felt...that was so strange."

"That was...was an orgasm," Kael said. "You know how I was telling you about when a man gets really excited, about how his prick...well, that's what it was. That's usually what happens when a man and woman make love. I'm sure it will be common for us...that is if you want to continue doing this."

"Yes...I want to very much so, Kael!" Nieme wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck and face while giggles consumed her. "I want you to fill me with your seed over and over and over again!"

Kael laughed and kissed her in return. "Well, if I'm going to fill you over and over, we'll need to make sure we can't have a baby like this. We'll probably have to get some protection so that doesn't happen. Maybe you and I can go into the city when you get back, and get something. And, I think we should maybe do some shopping to celebrate us."

"A baby?" Nieme's face sank and a sudden panic welled up in her. "I...I don't want a baby, Kael. You...you filled me already though." Nieme sat up quickly, almost knocking Kael over as she began whimpering frantically. "Am I pregnant now?! No! I-I-I can't be, Kael! If we wash it out of me, can we stop me from getting pregnant? I don't want a baby," she said with a sob.

Kael quickly pulled Nieme into an embrace. "It's going to be alright. We can use the water in the shower to wash it out. It'll be alright, Nieme. You won't have a baby. Come on, let's get into the shower, and we'll get that all cleaned out and you'll be fine. We can talk to Jae Dyn too. She'll know what to do."

"No, Kael," Nieme said with a whimper. "I'm scared. I don't want to talk to her. Can't we...can't we just wash it out and keep it a secret? Please, Kael?"

"Yes," Kael said, and quickly stood, helping Nieme up with him. "In the shower. We'll use the water there to wash it out. That nozzle thing comes off, we can use that."

Nieme stayed close to Kael for support and clung to him firmly as she stepped into the shower. "Will this work?" she asked while fiddling with the tap. "If we wash it out, I won't be pregnant?"

Kael nodded. "It'll work," he said as he pulled down the hose with the nozzle thing on it. When it was an okay temperature, he looked at Nieme and nodded. "Okay...here it goes." He carefully put the nozzle down between her legs so the nozzle could flush her clean of the mess he'd made there.

Nieme yelped and jumped back as the rushing water entered her and tickled her insides. She squirmed as her most sensitive regions were caressed by the spraying liquid, and was soon blushing as it had an undesired stimulatory effect on her. She smiled uncomfortably at Kael, then finally wriggled away from the bombardment of water and pressed her back to the wall of the shower. "Do you think that was long enough? It felt like it got everything...I hope."

Kael looked up into her eyes and motioned her back. "One more time," he said. "And, I think that will definitely have it all. And, I promise, after today, that won't be a problem again. I'll get something to use so we won't have to worry about babies until we really do want one."

Nieme groaned as she thought about going through the tedious ordeal again, but she complied with Kael's orders and moved towards him again. She let out a squeal as the water rushed up inside her again and realizing how awkward she must have looked with her legs spread and the nozzle of a shower head jammed between her legs, Nieme sobbed in moritification. "I'm never having sex again!" she whined. She sulked and wailed like a temperamental child, and was soon weeping pathetically as her orifice was cleansed of Kael's seed.

Kael put his arm around her. "If you don't want to," he said, trying to keep any sign of dejection from his voice even though he figured she was just upset because of how things had turned out, "we won't anymore. I'll just stay in the other room." He pulled the water away and nodded. "You should be fine now. Everything's alright now."

Nieme lay her had upon Kael's shoulder, then wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry I'm being so immature about this. I...I'm just afraid." She looked up at Kael with a smile and ran her hand across his cheek. "I want to do it again. I just don't want it to end like this next time. And I don't think I could sleep without you by my side. You have to be there in bed with me. I want you to be."

Kael smiled and slipped his arms back around Nieme. "I'll get something today so we don't have to worry about babies for a long time. And, I know I wouldn't be able to sleep without you with me." He looked around and then grinned. "How would you like to take a shower? There's enough room for both of us in there."

"A shower? But I thought you already took one." Nieme saw the lustful gleam in Kael's eyes and his mischievous smile, both clearly indicating he wanted to do something other than shower. Her eyes opened wide with a sudden dawning of understanding, and a smile soon consumed her face. "Again? You...you're not tired?"

He took her hands and started back into the shower, pulling her along with him. "Not tired," he said. "We won't have sex like that again, not until we're protected, but there are other nice things we can do in here. If you'd like..."

"Other things? Like...like with your mouth again?" Nieme smiled excitedly. "I liked that alot, Kael." She leaned forward and with a giggle she planted a kiss on Kael's lips. "Do that again, Kael. Please?"

Kael laughed, and then kissed Nieme back. "Gladly," he said. "Brace yourself against the wall and...enjoy." He slid down her body and quickly drove his tongue into her mound, eliciting a moan and gasps of pleasure immediately. He wrapped his arms around her legs, and settled in to make this a shower Nieme would never forget.

"Portent Girl, Part 3"
by Nieme Yaresh
Kael Selrid
Jae Dyn Brael
Yelara Zaneth
and Liam Zaneth
Location: Jedi Temple, Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 24, 4ABY

***

Arm in arm and large smiles on both their beaming faces, Nieme and Kael lazily made their way towards the dining area. She had her head rested upon his shoulder and let out a wistful sigh every few steps as she thought back to the refresher and how it was now her favourite place in the Temple. With a giggle, she planted a quick kiss on Kael's cheek, then slipped her arm around his waist. "Thank you for the shower, Kael," she said with a sly grin. "I think after dinner tonight, I'm going to need another one, especially when I accidentally spill my meal on me."

"I just hope you don't plan on getting much sleep tonight," Kael said, "because I think we're going to be fairly busy for most of the night. After a really nice, long shower together. I promise to make sure to get all of you clean."

Nieme giggled again as they strolled into the dining area. All heads were turned towards them with quizzical, questioning gazes on each of their faces...except for Yelara, however, whose face instantly brightened with a smile and a squeal of delight escaped her lips. "Oh aren't they so adorable! Look at them, Liam, snuggling and touching and being so cute. They're absolutely glowing." She turned her attention back to them and inquired happily, "So what took you two lovebirds so long? Breakfast has been over for almost an hour."

Kael looked at Nieme and back to Yelara, trying hard to keep his face from showing the sudden shock. "We, uh, we were just talking about Nieme's dream. We had a lot to talk about...and, um, we're sorry for missing the meal. But, after this morning, we had to, uh, talk."

"Yeah," Nieme added quickly. "A long talk."

Yelara eyed the two suspiciously, then smiled at them. "Talking... Talking's a very good thing." With her gaze still on them, she leaned over to Liam and whispered into his ear, her smile growing larger by the moment.

Liam laughed and turned to Yel. "No," he whispered. "They wouldn't. I mean, look at them. Do you really think they were off...? Did we have any of that breakfast left for them?"

"Liam, I really don't think they're that hungry." She turned her gaze to Kael and Nieme, and grinned. "I bet they've already eaten...haven't you?"

Nieme flushed instantly and hid partially behind Kael so he could deflect all the scrutinizing gazes that were being thrown at them. "They know," she whispered. "Oh gods, Kael...how?"

Kael took her hand in his and sighed. "I think Yelara has some sort of sex radar," he whispered. "We'll just get something to eat, and ignore her comments. And, if you want to know a secret, that was the best breakfast I've ever had."

Nieme smiled despite her anxieties and walked proudly by Kael's side towards the table. Yelara couldn't stop grinning at them and kept nudging Liam with her elbow to draw his attention back to them if it strayed. "You two look so wonderful and happy together," she commented. "And you're both looking so well rested and cheerful today. It's amazing what a difference a good night's sleep can make...or a good midmorning nap."

Kael looked between Yelara and Nieme. "Yes," he said. "It is amazing." Once he and Nieme were seated, he looked at her and smiled. "It's also amazing what a shower can do to make you all cheerful. Can I get you anything? I mean, I can go get anything from the kitchen if you want it."

Nieme smiled bashfully and shook her head. "No, it's ok, my love. You don't have to get up." She couldn't tear her eyes from Kael and gazed up at him dreamily. He was the first man she loved and the first one she'd ever been with. Nieme knew she absolutely worshipped him and would be eternally devoted.

"Gods it's disgusting," Yelara whispered to Kallia playfully. "They're so cute and lovable... I guess your little plan to keep them apart failed miserably. Those two little fiends were having sex, defiling the sanctity of this temple." Yelara pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm absolutely jealous."

Liam glanced at Yel and grinned. "Well, if you want, I can defile you before Nieme and I head for the Shipyards."

Yelara looked askance at Liam and smiled wickedly. "Now I know where those two picked up their sexual appetite." She laughed softly as her hand slipped below the table and into Liam's lap. "Save the defilement for later, my love. I haven't had my fill of carbosyrup yet."

"Right after carbosyrup," Liam said. "That's when I love you best. With your hands all sticky and your lips all sweet. I think tomorrow we'll have to have to have breakfast in bed...hopefully without being awoken by Nieme and Kael."

"Oh my..." Yelara murmured with an alluring smile. "Do you think you can skip the little shipyard trip and just send those two into the city for an hour?" Her hand moved deliberately and slowly in Liam's lap as she gazed up at him with uncontained desire. "You're very good at getting me all worked up, you brute."

Liam smiled. "Well, maybe I can send them into town if they need it, and Nieme and I can go to the shipyards later in the day. I think we should retire to our room, my love. Before things get out of control out here, down there."

"Oh, I'm sorry, my love," Yelara said with a sarcastically innocent smile. "I can't believe I'm that naughty." She pulled her hand from his lap and picked up her fork to continue in on her meal again. "I guess while you're gone, I'll just have to get Kallia to punish me. She's very good at punishing naughty girls."

Liam grinned. "Just make sure you lock Kael in a closet beforehand," he said. "And are you now saying you'd rather wait for Kallia to take care of you?"

Yelara knew replying to Liam's question one way or the other would put her in an uncomfortable position, so with a sudden laugh she clapped her hands together and looked to Nieme and Kael. "Well, hurry up you two! Nieme, you and Liam have a big day ahead of you and Kael, I think Kallia has some training she wants to start you on...don't you, Kal?"

Kallia looked up suddenly, and then between Yelara and the padawans. "Yes," she said. "There are lots of things for us to do." She turned her gaze to Yelara, and frowned. Then, unable to hold it any longer, grinned. It was definitely going to be interesting around here.

Next to Nieme, Kael glanced back and then to Nieme. "I'm going to miss you when you're gone today," he said. "But you'll be home later, and hopefully we'll have lots of time together."

Nieme smiled shyly. "I'll miss you too, Kael." She laughed nervously and looked to the untouched plate of food in front of her. She was far too happy to eat and excited about the next time she and Kael could be alone together. "I'll try and find her quickly and then Liam Zaneth and I can come back here."

Kael grinned. "That would be wonderful," he said. "And, I'll try to get into the city to get something for...you know. Ferrig used to use them, and he said they were quite effective. And, then we'll have no fears about anything we don't want happening. We can make love, and just worry about making each other happy."

Nieme looked worriedly towards Liam, Yelara, and Jae Dyn, then leaned forward to Kael. "I don't think we should talk about this with them here," she whispered. "I...I don't want them knowing about us and...sex."

Kael glanced at the others, and nodded. "Good idea," he said. "Though it'll be hard to keep anything a secret with Yelara around. I think she's going to go crazy whenever we're near each other."

"She is a little odd, isn't she?" Nieme glanced at Yelara, who was wolfing down the rest of her breakfast with globules of carbosyrup dripping from the sides of her mouth. She giggled quietly and buried her face into Kael's arm to muffle her laughter. "She's so silly!" Nieme whispered.

"I wonder where she grew up," Kael whispered as he watched in pure fascination as Yelara ate. "It had to be somewhere that they don't have anything like manners. I mean, everyone says that down in Thanatos we're all barbarians. But, at least we no how to use napkins...and we chew our food."

Nieme laughed again, which severed the trance Yelara's breakfast had held her in. She looked up at them with a frown and narrowed her eyes. "What's so funny over there? Are you making jokes about the Masters?" She smiled brightly and sat up straighter in her chair. "I've got a few too along with some humourous stories I could tell you about Liam. Like that time on Turren when we had our honeymoon--" Yelara caught from the corner of her eye Liam's brow knitting and the brooding frown that always indicated she was about to say something wrong. She cleared her throat and laughed uncomfortably as she returned her attention to her food. "It wasn't such a funny story anyway..."

Kallia fought down a laugh, and glanced at Liam. "You do realize we're going to have to punish her for her insolence, don't you?"

Liam raised an eyebrow at her and then glanced to Yelara. "I think you're right," he added.

"We could take our turns punishing her, or we could gang up on her. Maybe tonight?"

Liam grinned, and then slipped a hand down into Yelara's lap. "Maybe tonight."

Yelara's carbosyrup-covered mouth curled into a smile at the thought of being punished by both Liam and Kallia. "I like being a bad girl," she said mischievously. She gasped softly at Liam's touch, then sighed happily. "Oh, I really like being a bad girl."

Kallia giggled, and slid her chair closer to Yelara. "Stop hogging my girlfriend, Liam," she said.

"Stop trying to steal away my wife," Liam added with a laugh as Kallia's hands suddenly started battling with his own as they used Yelara's body as their battlefield. "Though, I bet if we joined sides and worked together, we could really..."

"We could," Kallia said with another giggle as her hand found its target between Yelara's legs.

Yelara yelped and shot up straight in her chair. She caught Nieme and Kael watching in confusion and fascination as their two Jedi Masters groped their shared lover beneath the table. Yelara laughed nervously, then moaned involuntarily as Kallia's hands moved deftly between her legs. Nieme's eyes grew wide in amazement as she watched on, which made the situation even more embarrassing to Yelara. "Uh...why don't--Oh my..." She cleared her throat and tried to wriggle away from Kallia's hand, only to have Liam join in and make her escape impossible. "Why don't you two..." Yelara sighed with the delightful sensations being awakened, then spoke quickly to Nieme and Kael. "Go away. Go...play or something."

Kael looked at Nieme and then back to the show in front of them. "I think we should probably slip out for a bit," he whispered. "Want to run into the city, Nieme?" He leaned close to her ear. "Or would you like to slip back to our room?"

Nieme watched with mouth agape until Kael's voice pulled her out of her state of fixation. "Sex?" Nieme gasped and covered her mouth quickly. "I mean...yes?"

"I don't think they'll even notice us here," Kael whispered. "Want to see how they do it so we can do that later?"

"No!" Nieme shook her head rigourously and tried desperately to keep her eyes from straying to the scene going on at the other side of the table. "We really should go, Kael. I was barely ready to have s-sex let alone see others do it. Let's leave them so they can have their privacy."

Kael helped Nieme from her chair and toward the door at the other end of the dining room. He didn't think they'd mind if they used the speeder to go into town together. He didn't think they'd mind much of anything except interruptions. He glanced back from the door and almost tripped when he saw Jae Dyn removing the tunic she wore, letting it flutter to the ground, while passionately kissing Yelara. It took every ounce of effort to turn his eyes away. While his heart was completely Nieme's, he couldn't deny that her mentor was extremely attractive. Once they were in the corridor, free from the events in the other room, he slipped his hand into Nieme's. "It's good we're not the only ones feeling like that," he said.

"It must be something about this place that makes everyone so...lovable." Nieme laughed gently, then gave a start as a cry echoed through the corridor from the dining area. "Oh my...do you think everything's alright in there?" she asked worriedly.

Kael laughed and looked back. "Oh, I think everything is more than alright," he said. "I think everything is nearly perfect. I have a feeling that Yelara's lying on one of the tables with Liam doing to her what I did to you not very long ago. And, Jae Dyn...is probably giving Yelara a lot of attention too. We'll probably want to stay away from there for an hour or two. Do you want to run into the city? We can get more clothes. And, maybe some stuff for a romantic dinner for just the two of us tonight."

"Okay," Nieme said enthusiastically. "Maybe I can even buy you another dress...well for me to wear but for you to look at. And...and when we get back maybe you and I could...well I'd like it if we could have another shower."

Kael's grin stretched from one ear to the other. "I do like the sound of that," he said. "And, with the other thing I want to get in the city, there will be lots we can do without any fears. Come on." He took her hand and pulled her along with him as they rushed toward the speeder. "If we time it right, we should get back just as they're finishing up. And, then we'll have a little time, and then you run to find the purple nymph, and then you can come back to me. And, we can take another shower."

Nieme laughed without restraint and with immense joy as they slipped into the speeder. She watched Kael ignite the engines, and quickly placed her hand on Kael's arm before he had a chance to engage the thrusters. "Are you sure you can drive one of these? There aren't alot of speeders in Thanatos..."

"I watched Liam driving it," Kael said with a grin. "And, Ferrig's father had one for a short time before he buried it under a dune. We went out from time to time, and I learned some of it. I think I should be able to get us into the city and back without any problems." He glanced at Nieme. "Ready?"

Nieme chewed nervously on her lip, then quickly secured the safety straps across her waist and over her shoulder. With her hands gripping the bottom of the seat tightly, she smiled at Kael. "With you, I'm ready for anything, Kael."

Kael grinned. "Then, my love, anything awaits." Kael kicked the speeder's repulsors into gear, and spun it around. With a laugh, he pressed the acceleration toggle, and they rocketed forward and off toward the city.

"Reluctant Associates"
By: Shrezade Anoran
Admiral Tarkin

Location: Imperial Palace - Arcadia, Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 24, 4 ABY

***

Shrezade was still blistering after her secretary informed her of the meeting arrangements with Tarkin. She couldn't comprehend why she had to make the seemingly long trek to Arcadia when her conference room was perfectly acceptable to accomodate an Admiral from the Imperial Navy. Besides, Shrezade was always reluctant to entrust the running of her space station with anyone other than herself, even if that anyone was her quite competent head of security.

If the meeting with Tarkin went well, though, the station truly would be hers in every sense. With his help, she would banish the scum that inhabited it and once that happened, its status would be elevated to one worthy of a station under her ownership, one she could be proud of.

She hoped this meeting with Tarkin went well, for she was adamant against ever making the journey to Arcadia again. Spending ten minutes in a ship, then an hour in a speeder, Shrezade wasn't exactly in the best of moods, which would be an asset in her discussion with Tarkin. A stubborn, agitated Shrezade Anoran was more aggressive than a well-rested, almost content one. Today, Tarkin got the aggressive Shrezade, which meant she would have her way by any means.

Finally making her way through the palace, Shrezade was already anxious to get down to business. Tarkin would support her plight to rid the station of the criminal infestation, and in return, he would have himself a stockade full of Rebels.

Shrezade was halted at the doors of Tarkin's conference chamber, and after haughtily stating her identity to the guards, she was allowed entrance into the room. Looking around, she realized the Admiral had yet to arrive. She grumbled as she moved to the chair indicated to her, and sat in it stiffly. She was a business woman herself and knew his tardiness was merely a tactic meant to unnerve her and make her more vulnerable to manipulation, but Shrezade was no ordinary businesswoman. She would have Tarkin's support and she wouldn't leave until she had it.

Tarkin walked into the room where already Shrezade was waiting. He wasn't too willing to accomodate or give anything to the woman, unless it interested him, of course. He knew this was the woman responsible for the station and that could prove an asset though.

He walked towards the woman. "I apologise for having you wait," he said cordially with a nod. "I am Admiral Tarkin. I realise you are the Managing Director of the Station that orbits this planet... May I ask what your interest in this meeting is?" he asked.

Shrezade gazed up at the frail-looking older man and a grin tugged at her lips as she thought how misinformed her sources had been. He didn't look as intimidating as others had described him, not that it would have affected her confidence in any way if he had been. "Admiral," she said with a congenial smile. "I've been awaiting this meeting for some time. My presence here is in regards to a little operation I have going on my station. Have you heard of the measures I've taken to eliminate crime from my station?"

"I have..." Tarkin said simply as walked a couple of steps. "I would trust any good Administrator to look after his or her interests and eliminate from her presence and that of her own space those who are vile and therefore dangerous to have around. I did the same in Arcadia." He then turned to her. "But I can tell that is not all you have to ask of me, is it? To know whether I had learned about your security measures?" He grinned. "I am a busy man, so please do cut to the chase..."

Shrezade gave a slight nod and sat back in her chair as she gazed at the Admiral. "I am not the only one with problems, Admiral. You see, it's a funny thing about the Drogen Shipyards, something only the criminals seem to know: the shipyards are out of jurisdiction of all Tae'Karada's laws. That's why they flee there, you see. They can set up their criminal operations and run them without interference from the Tae'Karada government... Which is now under your control."

Shrezade sighed. "That, all along has been my main problem, Admiral. Since there is no legal way to prohibit illicit activities on the station, I've had to resort to paying to have them rounded up and arrested. I've been forced to take the money for the bounties out of the profits from the station. This is why I have come to you, Admiral. You want the Rebels gone and I want the criminals gone. As far as I'm concerned, the two are one in the same. I have firsthand knowledge that there are Rebel sympathizers inhabiting my station, and with your financial aid, I think we can work out a little cooperative effort to have them rounded up. I capture them, hand them over to you, and all you need to do is inject money into my bounty hunting project. A fair deal, do you not think, Admiral?"

The Admiral smirked and crossed his arms. "I believe you have things misread, Miss Shrezade... You see, I do have knowledge of the criminal activities that are all about in the planet. In fact, there are crimelords in the region of Thanatos that want control over New Plouton. But this is a small concern to me, as they have not yet come to affect my ruling."

He took a couple of steps and gazed outside a window onto the courtyard. "One should keep his friends close and his enemies even closer... By what you present me, and considering it is true, then I do not like to know about illegal acivities, even if minor, due to the blockade. But then, and since it happens in your station, it is you as Administrator that will be held responsible! I would advise you to drive them off as quick as possible, before an inspection came about!"

Tarkin turned to face her. "I do not mean to make you worried about it though. I will make you a deal. I may finance your program if you are willing to compromise. I want more than a pitiful bunch of Rebels. That means almost nothing... I want the station to serve my needs and that of my fleet. In return I shall not only grant you the money but protection also. Better than being martialled for treason against the Empire, is it not my dear?" he offered.

Shrezade was able to temper her annoyance with patience, but no matter how rationally her thinking was at that moment, she couldn't help suspect that the Admiral had just threatened her. With a sharp sigh, Shrezade rose and slowly approached the Admiral with a pensive frown. "I cannot be held responsible for something out of my control, Admiral... But you are correct. It is my problem and one I find myself unable to contain without your monetary assistance. Before I agree to your proposal, however, I want to make quite clear that any Imperial presence I allow on my station should not be regarded as permission for your soldiers to interfere with the way I'm running it. I have my own security force, Admiral. Now, I sympathize with the Empire's cause, but I don't need my power on the station usurped by your soldiers. The shipyards are mine and that's the way I plan to keep things."

"As for your responsibility to the shipyards, as its owner it is up to you to keep it within the Empire's standards, meaning Rebel free. But I have thought your proposal further on and you have my support. I shall indeed finance your operation. But I expect results in return..."

"I will send you a report monthly detailing my progress. I'm certain you will be quite impressed." Shrezade smiled at the Admiral. "Believe me, I have no love for the Rebels, Admiral, and I will do everything in my power to capture them so they can receive the just punishment they deserve. Your soldiers are welcome on my station and perhaps during our next meeting you would like to make a trip to the station. I'm sure you'll approve with how I'm running it once you see it." Shrezade straightened out her suit and gave the Admiral a nod. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Admiral. It is going to be an honour working with you."

Tarkin nodded back at Shrezade cordially. "I hope that I find my money well invested... As I do hope to see the results you promise. When I find the time is right I shall pay you a visit then." Tarkin ordered the guard to take Shrezade back to her vessel. "I will have the money sent to your station by one of my transports soon enough. You ought to have it by the end of the day. Farewell."

The Admiral's abrupt dismissal was indication enough that he'd grown weary of her presence. The timing was perfect, for she too could no longer tolerate his arrogance and false sense of self-importance. With a wry grin, Shrezade followed the guard and left the Admiral behind to attend to matters he obviously found more interesting than ridding Tae'Karadan space of Rebel sympathizers.

She instantly found him the most irritating, disagreeable man she'd ever met. Shrezade had little tolerance for criticism from others who were in no position to question her methods. The station was hers and she would run it how she saw fit; with the Empire's money, she could transform it into the model of efficiency and productivity she'd always known it had the potential to be. Nothing that was Shrezade Anoran's could be anything less than perfection, and once the shipyards had shed its nefarious reputation, she would truly accept it as her own.

Shrezade stepped into the hovercar and sat down with a wistful sigh. Staring up into the Arcadian sky, she grinned hungrily as her mind filled with greed and aspirations of greatness. "The Anoran Shipyards," she mused airily. "Oh how I like the sound of that."

"Wrong Place, Wrong Time"
Jak Libertas

Location: Zekk's Diner, Thanatos
Date: Praeda 24, 4ABY

***

Jak sat in the diner, sipping at his water as he watched the people around him. It was nighttime, and still the diner was warm, sticky air hung all around. The smells of cooking food hung with it. Music of some kind played from a speaker over his head, crackling with static. He couldn't be sure if the static was part of the music, or just the result of a bad system. The way it sounded, it could go either way. A tan Wookie waiter stopped by, dropping a plate of food in front of Jak. The Wookie glared at him as if waiting for him to make a remark. Jak sat quietly and began to eat. The Wookie grunted in disappointment and went to another table. Five seconds later, the Wookie picked up a fat human and threw him at the nearest wall, the human landing on a table, smashing it to pieces as the occupants fell in a heap of limbs. The Wookie yelled and then slapped his own chest. Jak thought it actually sounded better than the music.

He sighed and turned back to his food, eating quickly and in silence. The Wookie kept wandering by, but Jak kept his head down. He was beginning to wonder if the Wookie had a thing against humans. As he speared a piece of egg, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over quickly and saw a girl walking along the lunch counter. Jak guessed she was sixteen, maybe seventeen. She had dark brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a black jacket over loose-fitting clothes. She glanced about nervously as she approached a plate of food, watching it carefully. As Jak watched her, the girl approached the plate, and grabbed a large piece of bread that had been left behind. She turned to go when the Wookie yelled loudly again, and this time Jak saw a flash of tan fur as it came for the girl, who was already running for the door. She overturned a table and went out the door as the Wookie crashed over the table, screaming at the top of his lungs. Jak just shook his head and went back to his food.

When he was finished, he paid the glowering Wookie and went out. Outside, it was cooler than the diner but not by much. He adjusted his jacket, pulling it over the blaster he had hanging under his arm. Jak glanced around the neighborhood. He'd been here less than a week, and he always ate at the same place. Wary eyes were watching him carefully, studying the new arrival. Jak could feel them in the shadows, always watching. He started forward, boots crunching on the sand. As he passed by an alley, he saw the girl who'd run out of the diner, eating the food she'd taken, illuminated in the moonlight. She glanced up and saw him. She turned away, and in the slight light, Jak could see the shadows behind her moving. He turned away and walked. Behind him the sounds of the scuffle sounded quickly, a yell from the girl was stifled quickly. Jak put his head down and walked.

After three steps, he turned.

The hunter had affixed stun cuffs on the girl's wrists and was just slinging her over his shoulder when Jak appeared in the darkness. The hunter looked up and saw Jak. The two men stood quietly, watching each other. The hunter was about Jak's size, but he was obviously weighed down in weaponry. His blonde hair was long and pulled back high on the crown of his skull. Black eyes looked hard at Jak as he sized him up. In a deep, oddly accented voice the man said, "Walk away."

Jak looked at the girl, then to the hunter. "Who is she to you?"

"Walk away," he repeated.

Jak considered it as he looked down the street. When he looked away, the hunter moved. His free hand dipped around behind his back and snapped out quickly. Jak saw the movement out of the corner of his eyes, trying to dodge as the small knife lanced at Jak. The blade sliced cleanly across Jak's left shoulder, cutting the jacket and ricocheting off the armor underneath. Jak charged forward, trying to avoid a firefight out in the open. His right hand retrieved one of his Echani daggers. He sliced it forward, but the hunter reacted superhumanly quickly, bringing up his arm, wrist blocking the blade. Sparks shot off the hunter's wrist gauntlet as Jak's dagger struck it. The hunter danced backward, setting the girl down easily. The hunter looked at the Echani blade, and then punched Jak hard in the chest. Jak was knocked back into the air, his lungs deflated. He struck the ground hard and he could tell the hunter wasn't expecting him to get up. Had Jak been unarmored, the punch would have been enough to stop his heart. The hunter turned back to the girl, and Jak stood. His dagger lay several feet away. The hunter looked at the knife, then up at Jak. "Echani. Very rare skill."

Jak smiled and he drew his pike, stabbing it at the hunter's back. The hunter spun, a blur to Jak's eyes. His wrist gauntlet hit the middle of the pike, knocking it away. Jak backed away quickly and extended the pike to full-length, trying to keep the hunter at bay. "You're not human," Jak said. "What model are you?"

The hunter was looking long and hard at the pike. And then, an obscene smile crept across the slender features. He kicked out, knocking the force pike to the side and darting in close. Jak was dodging away when the hunter extended his arm, palm up. A sudden pop sounded, and Jak felt a sudden pain under his right eye. Jak brought the pike up fast, retracting it and slicing up, taking the hunter's arm off at the elbow. The android made no sound, but sparks shot from the appendage as it fell away, leaving cables and destroyed pistons trying to work the arm. The hunter backed away, still smiling. "Devro toxin," he said simply. Jak's hand reached up and grabbed at the dart hanging out of his face. The hunter kept smiling when he opened his right hand and, with his thumb he pushed down on the base of his little finger. A slight crack sounded and Jak's face felt warm. "You should run now," he said simply. Jak's eyes narrowed and he swung the pike hard, taking off the android's head.

Jak watched as the body remained standing in the same position it had held when Jak had cut its head off. He retracted his pike all the way, put his hand out and pushed the android down. The legs remained stiff as the body toppled backwards with a crash. Jak touched the place on his skin where the dart had entered. He took a deep breath and walked to where the girl was laying. She was still on her side, hands cuffed behind her. Jak extended his pike and with an expert jab, cut cleanly through the locking mechanism. He knelt down next to her, noting the dark bruise at the base of her skull, showing where her hair was pulled up. He rolled her onto her back. He slapped her lightly on both cheeks. "Hey," he said. "Wake up." He slapped her twice more before her eyelids fluttered. She looked up at him through dazed eyes.

"What," she said before drifting off again. Jak sighed and picked her up, roughly pulling her to her feet. He half-carried half-dragged her away from the scene, glancing behind him for signs of followers. He turned a corner and leaned against the wall of a building, in the shadows. He slapped the girl around again, until her eyes opened and she put up hands to defend herself. When her eyes found Jak, she tried to run, pulling against him. He held her in place. "Calm down," he said. "I'm not here to hurt you." He repeated it several times before she stopped fighting against him. She looked long and hard at him. "Who are you?"

"The better question," he said, "is who are you?"

There was a pause, then she replied, "That's what I just said."

Jak sighed, leaning forward. "No. I mean, what's your name?"

"Angelin."

Jak frowned and looked around the corner, eyes trying to pick out anything that was coming. He saw nothing. He took a deep breath and turned away, facing the girl again. "Where are you from?"

"Are you the one that grabbed me?"

"No. I'm the one that helped you out. Where are you from?"

Angalin watched him quietly, pressed against the wall in the shadows. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jak," he said simply.

"And who attacked me?"

Jak shook his head, touching his cheek again. Now, all he felt was a faint tingling around the puncture mark. "I don't know." He looked down the alley again, then back at the girl, thinking. "I think we should go."

She shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Listen," he said, taking her arm. "Whatever that was, it was after you. It hit me with something, and now we're in this together."

"You're not my problem!"

Jak wheeled on her suddenly. "I beg to differ. The last one that went after you is dead now because I killed it. And I get the feeling another one will be coming soon." His face had gone slightly numb by now. The droid had said "Devro toxin". Jak looked down the alley again, frowning. It sounded familiar from somewhere. He looked back down to Angelin, and saw her staring past him, wide-eyed. Jak turned, towards the mouth of the alley. In the bare moonlight, the droid stood calmly several feet away. This one was identical to the one before, with the pale skin and hair, a long cloak flowing behind him. It cocked his head to the side, looking at Angelin first, then up to Jak. And then, it smiled.

"Road to Nowhere, Part 2"
By: Gideon Tyr
Various NPC's

Location: Nearing the edge of Tae'Karadan space
Date: Praeda 24, 4ABY

***

If only life were this good.

Gideon sat with his feet on the console, and his arms crossed behind his head. Sometimes he wished he could just take off in the 'Tear' and just drift through space and sightsee...to the nine hells with all the other junk going on in the galaxy.

"Coming up on the navigation buoy in ten minutessss sssssir." Ion's metallic feet echoed in the small cockpit as it entered, and stood looking out the canopy of the ship. Sometimes Gideon wondered if it was truly staring in awe of space, or if it wondered about things like living beings did, instead of just being programmed to. Could droids have souls?

Yawning at first, the trader snuggled himself upright in the chair. "Thank you, Ion. Tell me, what did you think of our employer when you met him?"

The droid twisted its verpine-like head in a human imitation of thought. "Misssster Ferrissss. He isssss odd for a human. He wassss in quite a hurry to load the cargo though, ssssir. Magnetically sealed, I might add."

Gideon rubbed his forehead in frustration. Magnetically sealed? This Ferris character was definitely wanting to keep his valuables safe. "He didn't let you look inside any of the crates did he?"

Ion merely stood immobile. "One, sssir. It contained objectssssss, I am not familiar with. Ssssssomething called art. He did give me limited info on our contacts. One ssssmall Captial sssship and two esssscort fighterssss."

This person really wanted to show his power, didn't he? Collectors were usually that way. "I'll have to see if I can get a hold of some chipsets for you later, Ion. I seem to forget you're more than just my co-pilot and mechanic at times." Gideon gave Ion a warm smile. Soul or no, the droid was better than most people. "Alright, check our cargo and get it ready for transfer. I'm sure our contact doesn't want to be waiting long."

Bowing, Ion left the cockpit, his feet again echoing off before the door closed behind him. Before Gideon had time to concentrate on the view ahead of him, several small objects jumped into normal space ahead of the 'Tear'. One was large. Very large. "Holy!" Reacting instinctively, he turned the freighter in a nintety degree turn, barely missing one of the small Z-95's as its engine backwash racked against the Tear's deflectors, causing the YT to shudder a little.

Giving a sigh of relief, Tyr manoeuvred the 'Tear' to face the...yes, three ships that needed help in navigating hyperspace. The sight of the larger one astounded him, a Marauder-class corvette, especially the markings. "CSA?" he muttered under his breath. What was a corprate sector authority ship doing out here in the Outer Rim? This so-called easy cargo transfer was becoming more than it seemed. No wonder Ferris had been so quirky. Perhaps he didn't want to deal with them.

Still astonished, he barely noticed the ship-to-ship comm button light up, as a voice boomed inside the cockpit. A harsh voice.

"Unidentified ship, state your purpose here or prepare to be boarded."

Typical CSA arrogance. Hitting the internal comm button he called out, "Ion get up here!" Calming himself a little, he did his best to sound professional. Could these three ships be the contact? "This is Captain Tyr of the Frieghter 'Tyr's Tear', to unidentified CSA vessel. You have no jurisdiction out here in Tae'Karadan space. I'm here on business for a legal cargo transfer."

Silence.

Finally someone answered, but the voice changed to a woman's. It seemed soft...yet full of force. "Captain Tyr. State who sent you, and prepare to lower your shields."

Blunt. And very confused sounding. Maybe they didn't know of the change in delivery. "Ferris sent me, and I'll lower my shields when I find out who you are and if I'm good and ready to."

More silence. It was becoming irritating. "Good, you have wits about you. I see Ferris chose well. Very well. We are your contact. I take it you have our cargo of...collectables. You may dump them out of your hold. Move to a distance of seventy kilometers away, and we will tractor them in. You will be free to leave once we confirm the cargo's contents ourselves."

At that note, Ion entered the cockpit, taking his seat behind Gideon who issued his commands. "Good to see you again. Prepare to dump our cargo for our clients. I want this over with as soon as possible, and stand by on the hyperdrive. I might just decide to jump if they ask for more cargo transfers on their behalf." The CSA. Home space of Kessel. He might as well be working for the Hutts again.

"Cargo dumped, sssssir," came Ion's voice.

Feeling another wave of cold wash over him, Gideon moved the freighter out to the specified range as he watched the Capital ship engage its tractor beam, slowly bringing in each container one by one. So far so good. He'd be back at the station in no time.

After what seemed like forever, something happened. Something bad. Real bad.

If only life were this easy indeed...

"The Road to Nowhere, Part 3"
By: Gideon Tyr

Location: The edge of Tae'Karadan space
Time: Praeda 24, 4ABY

***

The 'Tear' was rocked violently in space. Sparks erupted from almost all the panels in the freighter, and Gideon was thrown out of his chair, smack into Ion.

Nothing had prepared the trader for what had just happened. An explosion. A gigantic one.

Somewhat dazed, and in terrible need of some pain medications, Gideon struggled to his feet, taking a look at his droid companion. "Ion, are you ok?" No. The droid's eyes were powered down, and he looked as fried as a womprat after target practice. "Damn." He hoped his friend was not permanently damaged. Not from this. Not this way. Sorrow filled his eyes, as a tear ran down his cheek. Ion was the only friend he had. If he couldn't repair him then...

Repairs. Cursing again, he slid Ion to the side in a resting position. His unfortunate droid would have to wait. If the 'Tear' was gone, then he'd never get repaired at all. Climbing bck into the pilot's seat, he was greeted with the sight he had been fearing. Strewn across space was the remains of the Corvette. Only one of the Z-95's was floating intact as well. It looked intact.

Not knowing or caring what happened for the moment, he went about checking his own ship's systems. It wasn't much of a comfort though. The entire ship had suffered major ionization, and structural damage. Weapons, and shields gone until they could be fixed. Engines...down to ten percent. Communications...obliterated. Hyperdrive was out of the question as well, even the backup was fried. Life support. Gideon slammed his fist on the console in disgust, as he quickly cut off the flow of the now leaking air. The blast must have ruptured some of the tanks. He had about three hours of it remaining. Not enough to reach the station. It was still ten hours away. Even longer with limited thrust. Power could be restored to all the ship eventually, if the auxillaries continued to kick in, but without air...what was the point?

Options...he needed options. Taking his gaze off the panel, he looked back to the Z-95. Was the pilot alive? Could he salvage anything from it? Blinking he decided it was time for a little EVA. Looking back to Ion, Gideon said to himself, "Don't worry friend, I'll at least get you home, even if it kills me. Not like everyone else isn't trying. Maybe your next master won't have so much trouble in store for you."

***

Space was indeed cold. Especially when it rained destruction down upon you. The crew of the CSA ship had learned this lesson the hard way, and Gideon was also paying for it. What the hell had happened? What had gone wrong? This was only supposed to be a simple cargo transfer, and now the trader didn't know if he would make it back alive. One thousand credits indeed. Why did people in this galaxy put a monetary value on people?

Sighing in his suit, the near-human finally approached the drifting fighter's cockpit. He took a look back to his own ship. She looked alright, but her hull was scorched in more places than he cared to count. Repairs were going to be quite the pain in the arse. Turning his attention to the fighter, it was too dark to see into. Slowly, he tapped upon it as gently as he could, hoping to attract the pilot's attention, or at least get a response in kind.

Nothing. He tried again. Was the pilot unconscious inside? Was he or she dead? A sudden sick feeling of guilt washed over Gideon. Was he about to be some sort of grave robber? Was he about to kill someone if he took the fighter's life support system out? He had to know. If the pilot was going to die or was dead, he should at least give them the benefit of the doubt and belief he or she was unconscious. Hopefully they were wearing a flightsuit. Gideon found the emergency release hatch in no time. For a moment he floated still, as if hoping he wasn't about to murder someone accidentally. He hated taking life. If a droid was valued to the former smuggler, one could only imagine the pain he felt when he saw a person die. An image of his dead wife appeared in his head. No, one didn't have to imagine. Gideon knew it all too well.

Quickly before he changed his mind, he relased the hatch, and the canopy flung out into space with the micro explosion forcing it away. Inside...

Tyr looked away in disgust. The sight was too horrible. The pilot hadn't even stood a chance, as its corpse lay smoldering. He only hoped the death had been quick. With some remorse, but also with a heavy burden of finally knowing the pilot's fate, he set about taking out the fighter's oxygen supply.

***

One hour left, and not a moment to spare. Who knew when some patrol ship might come out here and investigate? Especially an Imperial one. The last of the fighter's tanks were hooked up, and Gideon lay sweating from the work. He made a mental note to himself to install some Mon Calamari organic sytems to the frieghter when he got a chance. Preferably at least some plants to produce some air for when something like this happened again. If it hadn't been for that dead pilot's ship...

Such thoughts were now in the past. He had to ensure he had a future to look forward to. Wiping the grime and sweat off has hands, he returned to the cockpit, where Ion still lay off-line on the floor. "I'll be with you in a momnet friend," he said as he went over to the computer console. Here goes nothing, was his thought as he re-initilized his life support.

Minutes passed. Finally there was a result. The guage displaying the amount of air raised from less than an hour to one full day. Smiling for the first time in hours he patted his ship. "Thank you old baby." It was a good start. Again he looked out the viewport and at the drifting Z-95. "And thank you pilot." Sitting down, he took a moment to re-route all power to life support and the engines. Since the other systems weren't able to take the power, he might as well put it to good use. Setting a course back to the station, he moved back to his friend, and hoped he could save the poor droid's memory. He'd hate to see it wiped yet again.

As he sat down, he began to wonder more about the events that had just happened. Ferris was going to get more than just complaints when he saw him. Gideon wanted answers. Was this some sort of set up? Who had he just seen destroyed? More importantly how was he going to fix his ship?

Yeah, he should've just gone back to work for the Hutts if he wanted to put up with all this junk again. He seemed to be going nowhere fast...

"Arozeil, Part 1"
by Kael Selrid
Nieme Yaresh
Location: New Plouton, Tae'Karada
Date: Praeda 24, 4ABY

***

The trip into the city hadn't gone as smoothly as Kael had hoped. When he emerged from the forest, he'd accidentally turned in the other direction. Fortunately, it didn't take them long to realize the error, and quickly turn back. All in all, they'd only lost a couple minutes. Finding a place to park the speeder was easy enough, and Kael used the credit chip Liam had given them the day before to pay for the parking.

With that, he and Nieme headed out into the city.

The first place they stopped was a store specializing in nothing, and boasting something of everything. As Kael searched through the store, he finally found what he wanted. On the shelf in front of him were an array of packages in a variety of styles all intended to do what he needed them to do: stop Nieme from getting pregnant when they made love.

The synthetic single-digited glove intended to fit over his penis was reported to do well, but he wasn't sure how well that would work with Nieme. He enjoyed touching her, and she wanted him to fill her with his seed. He couldn't quite do that wearing that balloon-like covering. The next option was actually a small epidermal patch that soaked into the blood and hindered the progress of...the whole technical process. He only needed to leave it on his body for an hour and the package said they would be good for a month. He showed it to Nieme.

"How about this one," he asked. "It seems to be exactly what we're looking for. I just put it on, and we don't have to worry anymore."

Nieme looked around the aisle nervously, feeling all eyes on them. Everyone would know now she and Kael were having sex and the thought made her flush with embarrassment. "I-I guess... I really don't know about these things, Kael." Nieme turned back to face him and smiled wanly. "It sounds okay. Will it work? I mean...will it keep me from having a baby?"

Kael looked at the packaging and nodded. "It says here it will. And, the consumer rating is fairly high. I'll get this one. If it's a bad one, the man at the front will tell us. I can ask him what he knows about it when I buy it."

"You're going to ask him!" Nieme looked fearstricken and pulled the package from Kael's grip. "If we ask him, he'll know about...us. Shouldn't those things be private?"

"Fine," Kael said as he pulled the package back from Nieme. "I won't say anything to him about it and we'll just have to hope it's a good one. We don't want you having a baby, and we just need to make sure this thing will do what it says it will."

Kael's irritation was clear in his voice and in the sudden wave of strong emotions. Both seemed directed completely at her, yet she had no inkling of what she'd done. She hung her head low and feared even to look in Kael's direction lest she rouse his anger again. "I'll just..." Nieme's voice barely managed to exceed a whisper, and she decided not to speak again, knowing if she attempted to, the only sound heard would be a sob. With a quiet whimper, Nieme turned and blindly headed quickly down the aisle in search of the exit. She didn't want Kael upset, and if her presence caused it to be so, she knew it was best if she weren't around until Kael's temper had quelled.

Kael watched after her for a moment, and then mentally kicked himself. He dropped the package on the floor, and then rushed after her. "Nieme," he called. "Please wait. I didn't mean to get upset. Please."

Kael's voice only spurred Nieme onward, and finally finding her way, she burst through the doors of the shop and scampered out onto the street. A part of her was afraid that he would snap at her again, and the other part was even more afraid of making him stop loving her. She spotted their speeder not too far down the road, and started for it with bleary eyes.

As he finally made it out into the street, Kael saw Nieme hurrying toward the speeder and sighed. Fine, he thought. He started after her and finally made it back. As she fumbled with the passenger door, he climbed into the pilot's seat. He touched the automatic door toggle, and it slid open for Nieme to get in.

Nieme took a step back and stared uncertainly at the open door, then Kael in the pilot's seat. She rubbed her fists against her teary eyes, then refocused on Kael. "What are you doing?" she asked softly.

Kael looked up at her. "You wanted to go," he said, "so we're going. We'll just go back to the temple, and you and Liam can go to the shipyards place to find the nymph. And, while you're gone, I'll start my training with Jae Dyn."

Nieme shook her head quickly and involuntarily took another step back. "N-No, you don't understand. I only came out here because...I thought you...you didn't want me in there anymore. I made you mad...so I left. I never want you angry at me. Please don't be angry."

"I wasn't mad," Kael said. "I was just frustrated. I don't know anything about those things, and the only way to know for sure if they'd work for us was by asking someone who might know. I just want this to be right for us. And, I want us to be able to make love like we did earlier, but without the fear. I love you, Nieme." He climbed out of the speeder and approached her slowly. "I never want you to be away from me. Ever. I need you with me."

Nieme whimpered, but stood her ground this time and watched Kael warily, hoping his anger wouldn't suddenly flare again. "But...but you were going to ask that man and he would have known about...about us. I'm not used to that, Kael. I'm not used to being that open about those...things."

"Neither am I," Kael said softly. "But we have to make sure we do this right, or you'll end up pregnant. It's a good thing we make love, Nieme. We shouldn't be afraid of it, and shouldn't be afraid of making sure we do the right things. You don't want to have a baby yet, so we have to do this right. I don't think you want to have that shower nozzle thing between your legs every time we make love."

Nieme shook her head slowly and tried to force a smile for Kael. "You just... I don't know why you had to snap at me like that. I thought I did something wrong. You've never done that before, so it only made me think I'd done something very bad."

"I'm sorry, Nieme," he said. "I'll try to never do that again. It's just...it's just that I had the feeling that you were too afraid to do this right that you'd rather not do it at all. I shouldn't have gotten upset." He took another step forward. "I wasn't really upset though. I was just...frustrated. I want everything to be perfect with us...and I was in a situation where I didn't know anything about it."

"I don't know about these things either," Nieme said quietly. "You...you should have been more patient. It's not my fault I'm still ignorant about...sex." Nieme shrugged her shoulders, then wrapped her arms around herself in a comforting embrace. "You...you should go back in there and get those things, I guess. We need something...don't we?"

Kael turned away and gazed off into the city. She was afraid to have him touch her now. He gave a wry laugh as he realized that with her like this they probably wouldn't get much use out of the things. He turned back to her. "Do we even need them now?"

"But I thought... I mean without them we can't...you know." Nieme hazarded a step forward and gazed at Kael quizzically. "I don't understand. Why did you say we needed them?"

Kael shifted his gaze to Nieme's eyes. "Do you still want that? I mean...for a moment there, you looked like you didn't want to be near me...let alone intimate with me." He thought about a step forward, but decided against it. "You do still want to be with me?"

"Yes," Nieme replied worriedly. "Why wouldn't I be? What's going on, Kael? Why are you asking me these things?" She forced back another sob, but her attempts only succeeded for a moment before the tears spilled down her cheeks again. "What did I do wrong now? I don't mean to be...to be so stupid, Kael. I'm sorry... Please don't hate me. Please."

Kael stepped forward, opening his arms for her. "I could never hate you, Nieme. I love you. I love you more than anything. It's just...that you didn't seem to want me to touch you. I came closer and you backed away. I thought you were afraid of me again, and wouldn't want me close anymore. I love you, Nieme. I don't want you to ever be afraid of me. Not for anything. And, I don't want you to run from me anymore. If you run...it's hard to work out whatever's wrong."

Nieme gazed with longing at Kael's chest offering her comfort from her sadness. She whimpered as she rushed into his arms and sobbed quietly into his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I-I love you but I thought I said something wrong or did something bad. I just didn't want you mad at me. I got scared. I didn't know what else to do but run. I'm sorry, Kael. I always want you close. I need you."

Kael held her tight against him and kissed the top of her head. He let her go just enough to be able to kiss her lips and then he smiled. "Let's go back and get those things, and then when we get back to the temple we can try them out." He slipped his hand into hers. "If you want to hide while I make sure it's the right thing, that'll be okay." He kissed her, and then grinned uncontrollably.

"No more hiding," Nieme said with a smile. "I want you to be proud of me, so I won't be ashamed of sex...well, you and I having sex." Nieme stayed close to Kael's side as they pushed through the doors of the shop again and started back down the aisle they'd left in a rush. "We'll go together, Kael. I want us to do everything together."

Kael found that the package he'd dropped had already been returned to the shelf, so he grabbed another, then grinned at Nieme standing next to him. "Let's go pay for this, and get some new clothes."

He took her hand and started up toward the clerks at the front. He handed the small box to the man waiting to take their money. The man looked between Nieme and Kael with a smile.

"Is that a good one, sir," Kael asked. "I've never had to use those before. And, we just want to make sure it's going to work like it says."

The man nodded. "Oh, most definitely it'll work," he said. "It's one of the best in the entire galaxy. Though, we don't sell many of them here. Most of the Karadans don't believe in birth control, so they just go without. But, this is definitely a good brand. Will there be anything else for you two?"

Kael grinned and then looked at Nieme. "No," he said and handed the man the credit chip. "That's all we need."

The man totaled the order and charged the credit chip, and then handed package and credit chip to Kael. "Good luck, you two," he said. "It's always nice to see a happy couple. So many relationships falling into chaos these days."

Kael grinned, and thanked the man again, then looked at Nieme again, his smile beaming. "Let's go get some new clothes now."

Nieme started down the aisle again with Kael, and glanced back at the clerk. She slowly looked back to Kael with a large smile and quickly kissed him upon the cheek. "That wasn't so bad. I...I guess I shouldn't have been so nervous to begin with. Even when he was looking at us I didn't feel embarrassed. I'm sorry I made so much of a fuss before. It was silly of me."

"It's okay," Kael said with a grin. "He seemed to approve, and he didn't try to glare us out of the store. I think our new clothes are working. People don't look at us like we're going to steal their babies from them now." Once they were outside again, the sunshine filtering through the buildings -- what little of it there was -- felt good. It wasn't long before they found themselves back amidst the racks of clothing. Kael stayed close to Nieme, watching her choices of clothing. As she kept looking to him for approval, he found himself smiling. "You could wear anything and I'd still find you the most beautiful woman on the planet," he said. "But, I like them all. Especially that one."

Nieme followed Kael's eyes to the rather small looking purple shirt she'd picked up on a whim. The colour is what drew her in, but once she'd overcome her initial impulsiveness, she'd decided against the shirt. The material was far too thin and there was only a single strap to hold up the top. Nieme may have been daring in the refresher that morning, but she knew she wasn't bold enough to walk out in public with such a skimpy top. "Are you sure, Kael?" she asked as she examined the item again. "I mean...isn't it too...revealing? It's beautiful but do you think I should?"

Kael grinned. "I think it'd be beautiful on you," he said. "And, it covers what it's supposed to cover. And, compared to those dresses most women out there wear, it's practically modest. You can't see through it, which is good. But I think you'd look very...very sexy in that."

Nieme giggled bashfully and demurely averted her gaze from Kael. She ran her fingers lightly over the fabric of the top, and quickly snatched it off the rack. With a large smile she kissed Kael on the cheek and embraced the top against her chest. "I'll wear it for you, then. I trust you implicitly. So...should I try it on? I...I could wear it home for you."

Kael nodded. "Yes," he said, "and I'll get something to try on too. Then I'll also try that thing...so you don't get pregnant. That way when we get back, it'll be ready." He kissed Nieme, but couldn't remove the grin from his face. As she disappeared into a changing room, he found a pair of pants and a shirt that looked nice. They were both made of a soft, supple leather, and he knew Nieme would like them immediately. He pulled them from the rack and disappeared into the changing room next to Nieme's to try them on.

Nieme pulled her new shirt down as far as it would go, then frowned as she found it stopped just above her naval. She tried to force it down further, but the tight material refused to be stretched. Despite being mostly covered, Nieme felt entirely exposed by the form fitting shirt. "Kael?" she called out gently to the stall beside her. "I think mine is too small."

Kael stepped out of his stall and glanced at the closed door on Nieme's. "Let me see," he said. "Or do you want me to come in there with you to see?"

"I think you'd better come in," Nieme's small voice said from within. "I don't want to look stupid. I want to know what you think first." She unlocked the stall and stepped behind the door so when Kael moved inside, she would be hidden from view.

Once he could enter, Kael slipped into the stall with Nieme. When he looked at her in the skimpy top, he couldn't help smiling. The top covered what it was designed to cover, but not a whole lot else. He nodded slowly. "I think it looks perfect," he said. "You-- oh gods, Nieme. You look really good in that." He stepped closer to her, and the pride and desire he felt for her shone in his eyes. "You're beautiful."

Nieme shied away from Kael's burning gaze and laughed nervously as she tried to pull the top down further. "I-I'm not sure... Is it too tight you think? Should I...should I buy it?" She turned back to Kael with a smile and giggled. "It looks good? I mean, I've never worn anything like this... I feel so... It's so different!"

Kael nodded. "It looks very good on you," he said. "I think it's supposed to be that short. I think it's supposed to leave your navel open like that. It's tighter than your other clothes, but I think it's supposed to be. Does it feel comfortable? I think it looks great, Nieme." He grinned. "Orn would hate it."

Kael's flattery flustered Nieme and reduced her to a giggling shell of a woman. She stopped tugging nervously at the shirt and clasped her hands behind her back so she wouldn't fidget with them. "Orn would hate it only because he wouldn't want his customers to get rowdy." Nieme laughed excitedly and impulsively rushed into Kael's arms. "I want to wear this for you, Kael. I want to make you so happy."

"I'm very happy," Kael said as he wrapped his arms around her. "And, I'm very proud. I want people to see what a beautiful young woman my arozeil is." He touched his lips to hers and felt the spark of desire surge. "It's not the kind of thing you could ever wear in the desert, but here is alright." He brushed a hand across her belly and then kissed her again.

Nieme returned the kiss with such uncontained desire that it made her blush. She pulled back with a shy laugh and looked up at Kael uncertainly. "I...I'm your arozeil? I mean, I want to be, but..." Nieme laughed again, then hugged Kael tightly. "I've never been anyone's chosen before. I...I'm so happy, Kael. You make me so happy."

"It makes me happy that I can make you happy," Kael said with a smile. "And, if you want to be...I do want you as my chosen. I've never chosen anyone before, but I can't imagine choosing anyone but you. I love you, Nieme. And, I do want you to be my arozeil."

"And I want you to be mine. You're the only one, Kael. You'll always be the only one." Nieme moved her lips across Kael's cheek until they were upon his mouth. She kissed him passionately and pulled away only when she was utterly breathless. She looked down at Kael's groin, and smiled anxiously. "One whole hour? Do you think we should be getting back to the temple?"

Kael nodded. "Yes," he said. "Let's get back. I think we'll be getting back just in time." He looked toward the door and back to Nieme. "I've got an outfit in the other changing room I was going to get. You want to get a few more shirts like that?"

"I know you do." Nieme grinned at Kael and quickly pulled him to her to kiss him again. In all her excitement, she stumbled and lost her footing, sending both she and Kael colliding into the wall. She giggled uncontrollably as her body was tightly pressed to Kael's with their faces barely separated. "Sorry..."

Kael grinned and kissed Nieme. "No need to apologize," he said as he held her close. "I kind of like us like this."

"Me too," Nieme said shyly. "I...I really want you to stick your penis inside me again. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. I really don't know what I was afraid of. But I'm not afraid anymore."

Kael grinned. "I probably can't do that yet," he said. "But soon I can. For now though, I can do the other thing I did. If you want me to." He slid down her body until he was on his knees in front of her and there was no doubt about what he was referring to.

Nieme stared down at Kael in complete astonishment and utter fear. They were in a public place where people would hear them and know what they were doing. "Kael...we...we can't!" she whispered. "In here? Now? What if...what if someone hears?"

Kael glanced back toward the door and then looked up at Nieme. "Okay," he said. "We don't want to get caught and then find ourselves in trouble with Jae Dyn and Liam. As soon as we get back though, we'll be together. Let's go get these things, so we can go. Unless you want to do more shopping. I think I'm pretty satisfied with what I have so far."

"I think you're pretty satisfied with what I have too." Nieme laughed and reached down to pull Kael to his feet. "We should probably be getting back anyway. I have to find the purple girl, remember?"

"Hopefully our masters and their mistress are finished making a mess of the dining area," Kael said with a grin. "What do you suppose she's like? I mean, going through life being purple has to be awkward." He glanced at the door. "Ready to go out?"

Nieme pressed her lips to his again, then pulled back and laughed. "I am now." Holding her old shirt in her hand, she slipped her arm through Kael's as they pushed through the changing room door. They strolled lazily towards the counter with her head upon Kael's shoulder and their new outfits in their hands. "She was beautiful," Nieme said with a wistful sigh. "She was so...exotic and mesmerizing. Very beautiful."

Kael grinned. "She can't be more beautiful than you," he said as he looked down into her eyes. "It's not possible." The look in his eyes said clearly that they were only for her. "Do you want to get a few more of those shirts? Just so you have a variety?"

"Okay. I'll get a couple more...just for you." With a quick kiss, Nieme broke away from Kael and moved to the display table upon which the shirts lay, folded neatly and arranged according to each vibrant colour. She looked back at Kael as he stood at the counter, and smiled to herself. He was her arozeil, and she his.

She knew she was bewitched by him and utterly devoted, but there were still anxieties created by her own lack of confidence. Part of her wondered if he truly was with her because he loved her or if he had chosen her only because there were no others who whetted his appetite yet. Jae Dyn and Yelara were both beautiful, but they belonged to Liam. After them, she was the only one with whom he could quell his sexual desires. But he loved her, or so he'd said.

Nieme shook her head slowly to dispell those doubts. She absently chose three shirts from the table and walked back to Kael with a solemn gaze. She wouldn't be the only available girl at the temple for long... The purple nymph would be coming soon and she was intoxicatingly beautiful, as well as sensuous. In her dream, even Nieme couldn't resist her, and she feared Kael wouldn't be any better able to.

She lay the shirts on the counter as the clerk began ringing through the other purchases, and stared fixedly at them. Those shirts and the dress...they were all for Kael. Being appealing to him was the only way to keep him and sharing her body with him would help secure him. Nieme knew she couldn't bear to lose him, not when she was completely enthralled by him. She only hoped he was as much with her.

Kael glanced at Nieme and grinned. He couldn't believe that they were together, especially the way they acted together. No one would have guessed that he'd run one of the toughest gangs in Thanatos. But, Nieme changed all that, and becoming a Jedi would change it even more. And, he couldn't remember a time in his life when he'd felt as happy as he did near Nieme. "I love you," he said quietly. "With all my heart, Nieme, I love you."

Nieme glanced up at the clerk, who seemed to be focusing on bagging the clothing, but the gentle grin on his face indicated he was clearly paying attention to them. She laughed softly as her cheeks began burning, but returning Kael's sentiments became impossible with her modesty restraining her. "I...I think I like the red one," she whispered shyly. "The shirt, I mean. I like the red one."

Kael grinned. "I like it too," he said. "You'll look really good in it." He trailed his fingers lightly over her exposed navel. "You look good in that one too. You're definitely going to be the sexiest of all the...the students." He glanced at the clerk and realized he'd almost made a huge mistake by giving away that they were training to be Jedi. His grin suddenly grew bigger and his eyes sparkled with mirth. "I'm gonna have to make sure Liam keeps his hands off you."

"Kael!" Nieme looked frantically between the clerk and Kael, suddenly wanting to shrink away into oblivion. His comments were flattering and made her heart leap, but they also mortified her. Nieme felt suddenly very exposed as both the clerk and Kael gazed at her, so she quickly crossed her arms across her stomach and lowered her head to the ground. Although she knew they were still staring at her, if she couldn't see them doing so, perhaps the knots in her stomach would unravel.

Kael sighed and looked away. He had to be more conscious of Nieme's modesty. He put out a hand and brushed it along her arm. "I'm sorry," he said softly, for her ears only. "I didn't mean to..."

"I-It's okay," Nieme said awkwardly. "I just... Can we go now?" She looked up at Kael and silently pleaded with him. The way he openly shared his feelings and gave away his caresses to her in public was an experience that was still new to Nieme and even more uncomfortable for her. In the bedroom, she felt uninhibited and daring, but under the prying eyes of others, she became Nieme the kitchen rat who no one ever paid any heed to. She wouldn't feel so uncomfortable if everyone just stopped looking.

Kael turned toward the clerk who pushed their purchases across the counter to him along with the credit chip. After a brief exchange of thank yous, Kael picked up the packages and the chip, and turned to glance at Nieme. "Let's go home," he said.

Sudden relief washed over Nieme and she hurried to Kael's side. She stayed close by him as they made the trek back to the speeder. Her mood became light and carefree again and now, holding Kael's hand didn't seem so awkward. As her fingers laced with Kael's, she giggled and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "By the way... I love you too, Kael, my arozeil."

Hearing the word from her lips quickened Kael's pulse and sent his mind ree