Outside the Box

Lt. Glean Dur scanned the location. "Wait, Sergeant," she said. "Waaaait…. Yes! See it! NOW, JORGAN! CHARGE!"

Sgt. Aric Jorgan exploded into action. He dropped to the floor and rolled past two elegantly attired Jedi; slipped between the legs of an enormous Knight, all hooded to hide the hideous scars; and shouldered a perky Twi'lek aside. "Carful there, pal!" a couple of smoky-eyed youths with braided hair chorused immediately, "that's a lady here." "Chill, Corso, I can take care of myself," the Twi'lek muttered and kicked at Jorgan's shins. A dusky looking stranger tapped the second braided one on the shoulder: "Hey, pay attention. I know it's hard, I know she's got breasts and everything…." He did a double take on the still smoldering Twi'lek. "Yeah, everything…."

The Sergeant ignored it, for he spotted his prize.

"I AM IN! ORDERS, SIR?!"

"GO!" Lt. Glean yelled above the din.

Jorgan shouldered his rifle and shot the cover off the mailbox. Ignoring the collective sigh of annoyance from the crowd, he pulled a bunch of padded envelopes out and waved them at Glean. Most of them bore a wide variety of Trading Network stamps and 'return to sender' stickers.

"There is also a BOX, SIR!" He yelled, with a hint of surprise evident to a very, very attentive listener.

"Then GET IT, Sergeant! NOW! We're due to board for Taris at TWENTY-O-HUNDRED!" Glean shouted back.

Aric made a quick egress back to Lt. Dur. The box looked official, so the Lt. immediately cracked it open and the two of them peeked in.

"WHAT IN BLAZES, is THIS, Lt.?!"
"Careful, Sgt. Careful… set it down… gently now… It could EXPLODE!"
"WHAT?!"
"WHO?!"
"WHY?!"

/
"More abnormalities in the surveillance, Lieutenant?" Lord Becchino asked softly when Malavai Quinn saluted her on the Bridge.

"Captain, My Lord," Malavai corrected quietly.

"Captain… what?" the Sith asked brusquely.

"My rank, My Lord. Perhaps you recall that I was promoted when we departed Balmorra. By Lord Barras," Malavai said the name respectfully.

Becchino gave her subordinate an amused look. "Do you suggest that I have missed this monumental occasion, Lieutenant?"

"No, My Lord. I merely… my remark was redundant, My Lord. Do you wish to review the records?" Malavai hoped that the tan that the harsh Tatooine suns bestowed on him made the color that rose to his cheeks less obvious.
Becchino watched the holo in silence. Lt. Dur and her crony were testing a miniature astromech droid.

"Do you think the size makes it more adaptable, Lieutenant? It is still too large to be an effective spying device."

"My Lord, the droid does not have any practical functionality, as far as I can tell," Malavai replied.

"You have learned that from examining the holorecord? You are slipping, Lieutenant. Dur is not stupid enough to demonstrate the abilities of this new machine on the Fleet."

"No, My Lord. I examined the device personally, and at some length," Malavai reported matter-of-factly.

"You secured the device from Dur? From the heart of the Republic's military base?" Becchino asked.

Captain Quinn bowed: " I have my methods, My Lord."

"Well, I am impressed, Captain," Becchino's gorgeous Sith ridges moved upward a little. Quinn swallowed. He was walking on a thin ice, but it was worth it.

"So, what is it?"

"Unfortunately, My Lord, it is but a pet," Captain Quinn replied.

Becchino shook her head in disbelief. "A… a what?!"

"A pet, my Lord, " Captain Quinn repeated, then elaborated: "A small creature many sentients keep for pleasure, rather than utility. If you wish you could examine it yourself. You would come to the same conclusions as I did: the droid has no functionality, but to follow you around faithfully and look… adorable. "

"Ah, something like Slave?" Becchino pondered aloud. Captain Quinn did not feel it was his place to argue about Vette's position and purpose. His own was precarious enough. So he took the little droid out of the box, set it down by Lord Becchino's feet and left the Bridge.

On the way back he could not resist throwing a look behind his shoulder. The Sith Lord stood, frowning, her muscular arms folded across her chest. She stared intently at the small droid scuttling by her feet. Then she squatted down, extended her hand to touch the droid, and quickly pulled it away. And that's when she felt him looking. She lifted her head to stare back at him; her eyes started to glow. Captain Quinn's heart sank.

"Captain! Come back… deal with this… this… thing. Take it! Feed it… or… or something," if it were any other woman, Captain Quinn would have called her tone pleading. He allowed himself a short while to enjoy before responding with a deferential: "As you wish, My Lord."

All and all, he was exceedingly glad that the Sith Lords never checked their own mail.