Xenli straightened her top, running red fingers through her black ponytail to get a few kinks out. Looking over her appearance once more in the mirror, she turned to Vette and nodded towards the door. "Time to go."
They were on their way to meet Baras' officer, who would brief the apprentice on what she needed to do for her master on Balmorra. The pair had barely been there 24 standard hours and they already hated the place.
"Your master sends you to the best planets, doesn't he?" Vette commented dryly.
"He's knows what he's doing," Xenli returned curtly.
They entered the lieutenant's office and saw two men, one blond, one with black hair, both in their early thirties, engaged in a tense discussion.
"Sir," the blond man said nervously, "I apologize. I did my best."
"If that's the best you can do," the dark-haired man snarled, stepping closer to him with narrow eyes, "you're useless to me. I can shoot you dead with a clear conscience. Is that what you want?"
"No, sir!"
"Then focus, Jillins. Dismissed."
The blond man left and the dark-haired man turned to acknowledge Xenli and Vette. The warrior looked him over, chewing the inside of her lip. Not only did his black hair shine with cleanliness, he had dark blue eyes that stood out against his pale complexion, and had a good, muscular build. He wasn't nearly as hulking as some of the other men Xenli had met before, but he definitely kept himself in good shape. He stood in a crisp, pressed Imperial uniform and bowed respectfully to her.
He's cute. Damnation.
"I apologize for the delay, my lord. Lieutenant Malavai Quinn. I'm to be your liaison here on Balmorra."
Baras, you idiot! Of course you give me the attractive Imperial. "P-pleased to meet you, L-lieutenant."
Vette let out a small giggle at her friend's stuttering, drawing a death glare from Xenli.
"And I'm pleased to meet you, my lord. Lord Baras will brief you personally, but I'm to acquaint you with the climate here on Balmorra."
"You can acquaint me with the climate on Balmorra any time." Did I say that out loud? I said that out loud! I can't believe I said that out loud!
Vette was nearly trembling with contained laughter, but Quinn ignored her and brushed off Xenli's comment. "Even though the Empire wrestled control of Balmorra from the Republic during the war, we were never completely able to eradicate them. There is a rather sizable resistance movement. No one wants to admit it, but it's clear the Republic is backing it."
Xenli stood up straight and announced, "I can take care of that."
"Something tells me your presence here will leave an indelible impression on the state of things. And I look forward to it."
Xenli smiled and arched a brow. "I'd love to make an indelible impression on you. My master gave me a lovely ship. Perhaps you'd like to make yourself at home?"
Quinn stared at her, deadpan and unimpressed. "My lord, far be it from me to tell you how to behave, but I do believe that would be detrimental to your mission here. Furthermore, I do believe it would be best if our relationship was kept as professional as possible. Moving on. I have a secure connection to Lord Baras. I'll patch him through immediately."
The young warrior's face burned like bare feet on Tatooine sands. You know he's right, you idiot! What would Baras do if he could see you right now in person?
Vette tapped her on the shoulder, giving her a friendly grin. "Hey, don't worry about it. Not everybody can be smooth. I'm sure he'll forget about it soon."
Quinn turned on his holocommunicator and Xenli's master appeared on its projector. "Ah," the large Darth commented, "I see you've convened with my apprentice. Very good, Lieutenant. Leave us."
The lieutentant bowed and left. Baras looked his apprentice over then noted, "You seem flustered, supplicant."
"With all due respect, Master," Xenli replied heatedly, "did ever occur to you that a female of a mere twenty-one years might not be fully composed around an attractive male?"
"She would contain her hormones if she wished to be a successful Sith," he snapped in reply. "Focus, apprentice, or you may find yourself in hot water. Now, on your mission..."
Xenli listened intently to her master's instructions, slowly recovering from the embarrassment. He dismissed her pleasantly enough, and Quinn returned to the room. "My lord," he addressed her politely, "I've prepared what you need for your assault on the satellite control tower. In order to destroy the mainframe, you'll mount this charge to the base and activate it. Then contact me and I'll be able to detonate. Good luck."
"Good luck to you, Lieutenant. Hey, you know, speaking of explosions-"
"Xen," Vette gripped her friend's shoulder and shook her head, "just don't."