LL: Hola. Hmm. Stribur, eh? ;) You'll find out right now. Lol about avoiding plot - I once told myself that I would never, ever write a story longer than four chapters long for that exact same reason. And, btw, I see major plot in NQLL- have a little confidence woman! Right. Taking my own advice . . . Ah, yes, I could take credit for hibridium, but then someone would give me five reasons why I'm wrong and why hibridium is actually the name of Han Solo's first girlfriend or something. And then I'd get mad and say something mean and would no longer be able to write ridiculous stories satirizing my college experience.
Okay, I'm tired. G'night.
KR
Linnath: Thank you! Glad you liked the cliffie. Oh, and I already claimed Wes - after I kill Mon Mothma, I'm all set. :)
Reading Redhead: Ah, glad you caught the holes in Leia's story. Mmm, Rimmas, eh? We'll see. Thanks for reading!
Peach: Thank you.
Dimonah Tralon: Aw, not too bad of a wait, eh? Thanks for your patience!
HSG: No! Not sporks!
Lady Echo: I don't think anyone has roommate problems like Leia. Thanks for reading!
GreatOne: I'm not evil! I'm giving you the answer right now! ;)
Hananiah: Aw, thank you! I appreciate your comments about the character development - a personal weakness of mine, I always thought. So thank you!
Niraha Skywalker: Hmm. Luke, eh? Thanks for reading - I appreciate it!
Trinity Day: Ding!Ding!Ding! Oh, thank you for writing about Ivoen's suspicions. I've had people telling me interesting things about how Ivoen must be an idiot because she hasn't figured out Leia's identity yet. You see things the way I do about that - so thanks for the backup!
SUP3R G1R: I know! But I'm not telling . . . ;)
Solo-Shodan: Implode? But I don't want to implode with you! No offense, or anything, but I'd prefer not to implode with anyone . . . :) And the H/L thing? I'm trying, I'm trying! It's getting difficult to get them in the same room together with what I've had planned for a couple of months now. Thanks for reading!
Clare: I know! Me, too! But Han's doing his thing and I need him there to dish out the info. I'm sorry! I'd love to write a nice witty chapter dedicated to the burgeoning H/L 'ship, but it's not coming yet. Sorry!
Nubilia: Quick update? How's a week and a half?
Aladailey: No, no! Don't thwack poor - Ah, ah. You almost made me say it! Ha-ha. I hope this chapteranswers your question about what I think Ivoen knows about Leia. Maybe. I don't know. I write the thing, I don't try to analyze it:) Thanks for reading!
Jillie Rose: Ah! A week and a half of waiting. 'Tis all. I think that's good, for me, at least. Thanks for reading!
Summers2004: I'm glad Japan was awesome. I want to travel there so badly, but I think it's on the backburner for a bit. I'm going to Russia next May and checking out the possibility of spending next fall in Oxford, but . . . Japan's up there! Here's the next chapter - hope the wait wasn't too long. And welcome back!
Mirax Myra Terrik: I know I'm cruel. I'm sorry. But at least I'm easing the cliffie by updating sooner rather than later, right?
King00Nayr: Actually, I write more during the school year. Isn't that interesting? Ha. How's life as we go back into classes (urgh)? I'm still so behind on your HP fic. I'm sorry! It's terrible, knowing you should be reviewing more often and oftentimes completely forgetting to even read the stories. Yuck. Thanks for continuing the reading. I appreciate it. And yay for classes!
The last chapter I wrote - the one with the awful cliffhanger - would not have been posted without the lovely assistance of my second beta-on-call, Hold-Out Trout, who does marvelous things to otherwise hopeless stories. No, I won't marry you Trout, but I can give you Pegatha as a consolation prize. Is that good:)
Today is my first anniversary for writing and publishing fanfic! Hooray!
To celebrate, I'll ease your minds about the mysterious stranger . . . enjoy!
There were three essential guidelines to an undercover op that an Intel agent does not violate. Three rules to follow to the letter, with strict adherence to the details. You followed them because they were gold. They saved lives. They were universally recognized. Any first year Academy graduate knew them; they recited them every morning before tactical instruction drills and after trooper blindness tests:
1.) Do not respond when someone calls your real name.
2.) Do not go anywhere alone when being tailed.
3.) Under no circumstances acknowledge a fellow agent in the field.
Perhaps it is a good thing they didn't allow me into the Academy. 2 happened the first day I came here and I'm about five seconds away from violating 3. Gods know when 1 will rear its ugly head.
Leia had not been widely considered a first-class politician for nothing: she had managed to keep evidence of her shock down to a pair of widening eyes and a slightly parted mouth. Were she in a position to criticize her performance at this point, she might have been very proud of this accomplishment.
Unfortunately, she wasn't in that position. And she now had another complication to a mission that had already spun completely out of control.
She was staring right at the real, genuine Rimmas Stribur, writing stylus in hand, appearing somewhat distressed with a slightly red look to the skin around her eyes and her lips narrow and colorless. The entirety of Lieutenant Stribur's clothing ensemble matched the somber look of her face, and Leia thickly wondered if something had happened to Stribur's nauseatingly colorful wardrobe. Wondered, that is, until she remembered that she had been helping herself to it for three weeks now.
A part of her found the reversal of their attire appropriately ironic.
The rest of her couldn't find anything positive about this situation whatsoever, other than the slightly disturbing half-excitement that the taller woman would no longer be in the extended presence of Captain Solo.
Throwing the thought in the mental trash compactor in which it deserved to reside, Leia lifted her chin and tried to discern Stribur's intentions through a quick stare.
She didn't have to wait long. "Oh, gods, Rimmas! I didn't know who to turn to and – " Stribur grabbed Leia by the shoulders and embraced her " – Jace told me where you were, and –" she sniffled as Leia smelled the slight tang of starship coolant on the dark wrap she wore " – and I'm sorry to interrupt you like this, Jace said you were on vacation, but this couldn't wait and I – "
Leia patted her back, completely bewildered but attempting to play along. "No, no apologies. What's wrong?"
Stribur lowered her arms and stepped back. "Oh, it was awful. Simply awful, Rimmas. I couldn't have written it better in my novel." She waved the stylus around as she dabbed her eyes with the sleeve of her tunic. "He left me for Shandre. Shandre! The ungrateful, little – " Stribur slid her eyes over Leia's shoulder and stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you were talking with someone else. I must apologize. My name is Meme, Meme Raur."
Leia turned to see Ivoen stretch her hand out. "Ivoen Sorreh. Pleased to meet you."
"Likewise." Stribur smiled brilliantly at Ivoen as they shook hands, then turned to Leia once again, visage darkening. "The low-down nerf! I knew he was up to something. I knew it!" Her eyes narrowed as the stylus prodded Leia in the arm. "When I get my hands on him, I'll – "
"Meme." Leia took Stribur's arm and lifted her eyebrows as she turned to Ivoen. "Look, I'm sorry. I really should try and calm her down, before she – well, Meme's been known to do rather rash things before." She lowered her voice. "One time in prep school she stabbed a girl in the calf with her stylus for insulting her novel."
Ivoen eyed the now wailing Stribur. "Are you serious?"
"Of course. Meme found it all terribly funny. " Leia paused for a second, unsure whether continuing was the best course of action. "Er, look, Ivoen. What you said – "
Ivoen nodded toward Stribur, whose hands were now at her head as it rolled around on her neck in pseudo-agony. "I'm not dropping it. But it'll wait."
"Thanks."
"You owe me one, Rims. You owe me big time."
By the time Leia had found a safe spot, a considerable distance from any of the Sorrehs but still within the group, Stribur was chuckling and wiping her falsified tears away.
"What?"
Stribur rolled her eyes and settled them on Leia as the two women sat. "I stab people? In the calf? With a stylus?" She snorted. "I'm trying to imagine how you made that one up."
Leia's mind flashed to the annoying curly-headed blonde in her Contemporary Concerns class. "I've been tempted to do it to someone for a week now. What are you doing here?"
"Helping. Your Highness," she whispered the title. "While Han's been taking care of you, Luke and I have been keeping our eyes peeled. It's been tough; nothing on this planet is interesting at all. Except for GansCorp, 'course."
Leia ignored the warmth that ignited at the words Han's been taking care of you. "Did you know about the hibridium?"
"No. Thanks for that. We're running checks on import/export stats right now. So far, we've got nothing. So, we figured – me, Luke and Han – you'd need someone to keep the Sorrehs busy while you got more on the hibridium. Or vice-versa."
Leia blinked. "You're staying?"
"For tonight and tomorrow. I might stay after, keep checking up on it if we can't find anything about it before we leave." She looked up quickly. "Why? Does it bother you?"
"No." Ivoen can't bring up the subject again if Stribur's here. "No, it's a good idea. I need a distraction." Leia quickly regaled Ivoen's confrontation to Stribur, emphasizing Ivoen's worry for her safety. She sighed as she concluded. "Needless to say, you've got a great sense of timing, Lieutenant."
"Nah. Blame it on your boyfried." She brought her stylus up to her lips and interrupted Leia's indignant huff. "Hmm. If I were her, the first thing I'd think of would not be "my roommate's the monarch of Alderaan and a political refugee", so I doubt you're in any danger of that. But, if you're right, and her dad isn't exactly on the good guy's side, it'd probably be better to assume that she's not trustworthy."
Leia nodded. "I agree."
"So what are you gonna tell her?"
Leia paused. "I was considering giving her every once of information I have about the mating rituals of Rodians."
Stribur blinked.
"Lieutenant, I'm kidding."
"No, I know, it's just – he's right."
Leia cocked an eyebrow. "Who's right?"
Half of Stribur's mouth quirked up into a slight grin. "He said it's been good for you, and I guess he knows what he's talking about. For once." She shook her head. "What are you really going to say? 'Cause I was thinking that it would be easiest to explain your weird behavior either on me or Han."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's like when you have a friend that's in bad trouble, and you try to get them out of it, but in the process you wind up getting yourself in too deep anyway?" She unclasped her hands. "All you'd have to say is that me or your boyfriend is kind of on the wrong side. You get the sympathy, we get the blame."
Leia raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't have a possibility of working."
"Look, I doubt she's thinking on the right track right now, anyway. People like her don't think in terms of spies and wars. They think the worst kind of trouble you can get into would be to steal a speeder or to take one too many drinks one night. That's it."
"This isn't going to work."
Stribur gave another semi-Solo grin. "Since when has that ever stopped you?"
"Han?"
"Rims gave you the comm, I see."
"Right. Do I even want to know why you have comm equipment of this quality on the Falcon?"
"First of all, I didn't have it on the Falcon. We got some supplies from Command yesterday. Luke's giving 'em daily reports. They figured we could use some new toys."
"And second of all?"
A pause. "Didn't have a second of all. It just sounds more impressive to have more than one point."
Leia laughed. "Stribur's staying here to try and help me get Ivoen off my tail."
"Can't blame the girl. It's cute."
"What's cute?"
"Your tail. I could say some very – "
Leia grinned in spite of herself. "Shutting up would be a good option for you right now."
"I haven't suddenly grown a common sense while you've been gone, sweetheart."
"Obviously."
There was a sound on Han's end that sounded suspiciously like gagging. It coincided with Stribur's rolled eyes and "end the conversation now" signal.
"Luke's telling me to get off. I hope." He paused. "Either that or we'll be short one blondeJedi on the return trip."
"Check in is at 1200 hours tomorrow."
"Can't wait."
"Me, neither."
A muffled groan as Luke expressed his feelings on the matter.
Han ignored the younger man. "Oh, oh, you can't wait to hear my voice. Wow, Princess, you've gotten soft in your old age."
"As soft as that mush we laughingly refer to as your brain?"
"Come on, there are better parts of me that you'd much rather refer to – "
"Just hang up, already!" Leia laughed at Luke's exasperated tone as she disconnected the comm and sat back, a slight smile on her lips. She stifled a laugh and sat up, ready to continue the discussion with Stribur.
"What?"
Stribur shook her head. "You're so obvious. Both of you." She turned to her purse, dug around to put the comm in the hidden pocket. "So. When she asks, we play nerf and say – "
"And you aren't a student at IE, Meme?"
Leorime Sorreh was attempting conversation around the dinner rock his wife had thrown onto his plate – what Mrs. Sorreh termed a "roll", although Leia doubted the validity of calling it such. Feeling sympathetic to her daughter's roommate's former best friend's situation, Ivoen's mother felt a divine call to cook another delightful . . . meal, I think she called it . . . and had invited "Meme" to partake of the monstrosity and a night with "the family". "Meme", for her part, was finding the whole ordeal both taxing and amusing, Leia could see, telling by the sheen of perspiration lining her hairline and the indulgent grin she flashed when both Rebels locked gazes.
"Oh, no, Sir. I never was the bookish sort." She cleared her throat. "Reading-wise. I adore writing – my novel is nearly at seventeen chapters now! – but I can't sit still long enough to study anything."
"An athlete, then?"
"Oh, yes. A great deal. I play shockball when I have the chance."
A faint smile alighted Leorime's face. "Shockball is a personal favorite of mine."
"Really?" The look "Meme" gave Leia hinted at no coincidence in the matter whatsoever. "How fascinating."
"Oh, yes. Played center defense myself up through college. Injured my arm in a match my second year – "
"Oh, Dad, please." Ivoen's face was taut and her lips pressed into a thin line. "We don't care."
" – bloke completely shattered the bone. Was out for at least a week. Sat in bacta for an entire hour."
Leia tried not to smirk. "Meme" looked impressed. "That's completely illegal!"
She continued to listen to the exchange as "Meme" and Leorime slowly forged a connection based almost completely on the rules and referring of shockball. It was interesting, she thought, to see Lieutenant Stribur at work. She had physical tics that Leia found distracting – the sweat on her brow was evidence that the young Intel agent was less than experienced in this kind of high-stakes mission – but she was excelling in her endeavor to win over Mr. Sorreh and she thought quickly in a bind.
It seems Stribur can hold her own. Perhaps I underestimated her.
Leia nodded, pleased with the revelation as she surveyed the table once again, ready to jump back into the conversational foray. "Meme" and Leorime seemed to have left shockball and proceeded into her novel – and galactic literature in general – as Mrs. Sorreh nodded her head dumbly in an attempt to follow her husband's opinions on the loss of subtlety in modern work. Leia then gazed at Ivoen, who was not paying attention to the discussion at all, but was instead studying her.
Okay, Organa. You've got some fast verbal footwork ahead of you. Better be on your guard.
Leia smiled at her roommate and tuned into the conversation.
It is going to be a long weekend. I can tell.
Happy Anniversary to me! Happy Anniversary to me! Happy One-Year Anniversary, KR! Happy Anniversary to me!
Reviews on my anniversary? Please?
KR