Ana and Sky were sitting in the cockpit of the ship when Shmi joined them, silently sinking onto one of the bench seats at the rear of the cockpit. Ana turned and gave an easy smile which Shmi was able to return convincingly. The threesome sat silently, watching the stars streak by.

"We'll be in Lav space any moment," Sky spoke, disrupting the calm silence.

Shmi nodded, her distracted mind unable to stop dwelling on the missive she had discovered. Sky slowed the ship, the streaking starlines fading to twinkling pinpricks in the darkness of space. Slowly a blue-colored planet rose before the nose of the ship and Shmi was momentarily taken aback by the apparent pristine beauty of the planet. It was a stark contrast to the dense black of space that she had grown accustomed to the last few days with Ana and Sky aboard Kianna's Dream.

"It's beautiful," Shmi breathed, eliciting a smile of agreement from Ana.

"I thought you'd think so," Ana replied as Sky took the ship into the atmosphere of the planet. Shmi watched with wonderment as Sky maneuvered the ship above the surface of planet, the topography was like nothing she'd ever seen.

Lav was composed of rolling green hills and jagged, gray, rocky mountains. The foliage was lush and vibrant with colors Shmi had never laid eyes upon. There were deep blue lakes and rivers dotting the surface as far as she could see, and when the ship approached the city they were destined for, Lav'ia, Shmi could only shake her head in further amazement.

Sky landed them at a port where Shmi noticed warily that they were the only starship docked.

"The Lavians don't allow tourists. They're basically against all industry, only lettin' one'r two starships at a time," Sky explained when Shmi questioned the lack of other ships.

"They're self-sustainin'. They don't get aide or assistance from no one," Sky added as they exited the docking bay and entered the streets of Lav'ia.

The appearance of the Lavians caught Shmi off guard. They were humanoid in appearance-except for their very bright, colorful hair. At a glance Shmi noticed red, blue, orange, pink among a myriad of many other colors.

The Lavians on the street gave the three strangers a wide berth. Some offered polite smiles while others offered looks of suspicion. Shmi tried to appear friendly and returned as many smiles as she could.

The streets were packed with Lavians, but they seemed to glide, weaving in and out of each other with incredible speed and grace. Shmi, distracted by the activity, found herself running right into Sky-who had stopped walking and was standing in front of a large glass building.

"Sorry," Shmi mumbled as she stepped back, smiling lopsidedly as Sky gave a soft chuckle.

The Laviansimmediately around them looked at Shmi with wide eyes, as if appalled at her behavior.

"I forgot to mention one more thing," Sky whispered as they entered the glass building, "the Lavians don't touch each other. Ever. They have no physical contact."

Shmi was disbelieving. How could a race of beings live, let alone reproduce, without touch? But however disbelieving is was, Shmi was fast learning there was much about the universe that she was ignorant of.

Ana, seeming to read her mind, explained as they ascended the glass stairway, that the Lavians were extremely sensitive to touch, another reason they restricted offworlders from visiting.

"They've adapted, and long ago began reproduction of offspring in a kind of growth chamber. It's all very technical and confusing, and I don't really even understand it. But they don't touch each other, or anyone else," Ana continued, Shmi caught up in the natural history of this strange world.

"We're here," Sky said softly, though his voice still echoed in the large, open atrium.

"What is this place?" Shmi whispered as she looked around. They were standing in the center of a bridge that stretched across the glass atrium below, and no one was in sight.

"It's their genetic center. This is where they come to, you know," Ana whispered before Sky shushed them.

Sky reached into his jacket and pulled out the small box he'd received from the man on Corellia. How long ago that seems, Shmi thought as she watched Sky gently place the decorative box on the ground at his feet and back away, Ana and Shmi also taking a few steps back.

They waited. Soon they heard the muffled sounds of soft footfalls and almost as if out of thin air, a Lavian appeared at the other end of the suspended walkway. He nodded to Sky and then approached, pulling from his own long, patchwork coat a package wrapped in a shimmering, silver cloth. Shmi noticed that his hands were covered with thick, wooly looking gloves.

Stopping where the box lay, the Lavian slowly crouched and picked it up, leaving the larger package he had in its place. He stepped back and opening the small box he smiled. Giving Sky, Ana and Shmi one last look, he turned and disappeared almost as quickly and silently as he had appeared.

Sky moved forward once the Lavian had gone and picked up the parcel. Turning he indicated to Ana and Shmi to start back down the steps.

"Time to get. We're done," he said, a sense of urgency evident in his usually calm voice.

They exited the glass building, only to find the previously busy streets now deserted. Not a sound filled the air and not a movement could be seen.

"This place is very strange," Shmi whispered, not really surprised as it fit in with everything else she had seen the last few days.

"Let's go. Fast," Sky replied, grabbing Ana's hand and leading them back to the ship at a hurried pace. He held on to the package with an iron grip and Shmi wondered what kind of trade they had made here. She wanted to ask more questions, but she felt she would only attract attention if she spoke in such an eerie, quiet silence. So holding her tongue, Shmi followed Sky and Ana back to the docking bay.

Once inside the docking bay Shmi heard Sky exhale loudly as he headed towards the Kianna's Dream, turning the package over in his hands. Shmi followed, eyeing the bay around them, unable to shake the familiar feeling someone was watching them. Ana and Sky ascended the ramp into the ship and Shmi was about to follow when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye.

Shmi started up the ramp like she'd not noticed anything out of the ordinary, then quickly turned and peered around the edge of the cargo bay door. There were several large shipping containers piled and behind that was a shadowy blackness, perfect for hiding. She stared into the blackness and slowly her eyes adjusting, allowing her to make out the shape of a man. The sight forced her breath in with a quiet whistle. It was him. The man in the black cloak. It had to be.

Shmi was now convinced this man was following her, and he must have something to do with Karr. She wanted to scream at Sky to take the ship out now, and fast, but all she could do was stare at the form in the shadows.

"Shmi, we're closing down and headin' out!" Sky's voice called from the short hall that led to the cockpit.

Shmi breathed relief and backed from the cargo ramp as it slowly closed, leaving the cloaked stranger outside. Shmi knew she couldn't keep this from Sky and Ana any longer, so she made her way slowly to the front of the ship where they were seated in the cockpit, ready to take the Kianna's Dream back into the black of space.

"Buckle up, girlie," Sky turned and smiled, "We're going back to Corellia."


The ship was on autopilot. Ana and Sky were seated across from Shmi in the small kitchen area. They were wide-eyed and silent as Shmi told them of first seeing the cloaked stranger as they left Marr, then the appearance of him again while she had been shopping on Corellia-and then just now as they were leaving Lav.

"Well," Sky breathed and Shmi immediately felt guilty for bringing yet another unwanted issue to this wonderful couple who had saved her life.

"I'm sorry. I thought I could handle it, but now it seems this person is following us, no doubt he's an agent for Karr, and no doubt his mission is to either kill me, or take me back to Kel'Shebbol," Shmi felt panic taking hold, every horrible scenario playing out in her head, the worst of which found Sky and Ana murdered, and Shmi back in shackles on Kel'Shebbol.

"Relax, girlie," Sky reached over, his weathered hand grasping Shmi's hand. "Now that we know, we can be more careful. We won't leave the ship unarmed, and we won't leave ya alone."

Sky's hand, rough and calloused, was comforting and Shmi felt her panic abate. "'Sides, there's no much to do now, we're in the middle a space."

"We'll make sure nothing happens to you," Ana added and it took all of the strength Shmi held within not to burst into tears of gratitude.