Saccorata, Sacorria, early morning
Doria Vorr was refusing to come out of the 'fresher. That was rarely ever happening after what was a pretty much standard quarrel at the Vorr apartment. The only difference from the usual Vorr arguments was that this time there was a good reason for Maris Vorr to be angry. Unfortunately enough, the way she saw things was the way she usually would have.
"Are you trying to tell me that you're going to deliberately fail the entrance exam?" Maris yelled at her daughter again.
"No, mom! I was not even invited to take it, as of now. I sent my application and all, I have proof that it was sent. Maybe they didn't even consider it!"
"Are you nuts? Do you even know how much we invested in your education?"
"We? As in you and...who else? School has been free so far. Studying at the Dorthus Tal University is free, too."
"It was, but tell me, Doria…who was preparing your meals? Who supported you on your way there?"
Doria was trying to remember how the "support" looked. If her memory served her right, it was mostly about yelling, threatening not to allow her to do what she wanted and making her feel bad for not achieving the highest grades possible in the subjects that were not her strongest suit.
She could recall that one failed exam that cost her sitting at home when her parents were taking one last trip to Vagran to visit the great aunt Larax. She remembered that one time she could have seen the Max Rebo band perform, but her father angrily tossed a wallet full of coins on the floor and asked her what was the point of that.
And there were so many situations where she felt like she would have died if she had cried again. That was the reason she was not crying anymore and opting for hiding.
She shook her head, grabbed a large dust corn protein bar and sat on the fresher, her legs up on the tube.
"Doria, answer me!" Maris yelled from the corridor again. "Who supported you?"
"What does that have to do with this? I could have built us a droid to help with chores; you never let me do so!"
"Are you saying that you don't appreciate my efforts? And with your attention span, you would have built us an assassin droid, not a maid one!"
"No, but…"
"I accept no 'buts', Doria! You are not to be trusted with things."
Maris grabbed her purse and headed to the balcony. The yellow air taxi was waiting for her.
AARIS (Agricultural Appliances Research Institute of Saccorata), later that day
Gredda was standing across the large factory hall from a workmate of hers who was working on a droid. Her shift was over.
She ditched her lab coat and the helmet and placed the shiny black star pendant around her neck again. The last day of the week was not a work day on Sacorria; and she was looking forward to what was coming up – the annual Grain Night, the holiday when Sacorrian Drall were celebrating their arrival to the planet. According to official history, they were descendants of a noble Duchess.
According to what most of them did not know, yet Gredda was perfectly aware of, they were con artists and gamblers brought from their home planet of Drall, as well as Corellia and the Twin Worlds of Talus and Tralus; in order to serve as prison guards for Humans and Selonians in the planet-wide penal colony, the black spot in history that preceded modern Sacorria.
Once out of the building and about to mount her speeder, Gredda spotted a spark of colour in form of chestnut-red hair among many brownish-blonde heads. She crossed the street and greeted her friend's mother.
"Oh, hello, Maris! Going back home from the museum? I can give you a ride!"
The woman did not seem in the mood for talking, though she acknowledged Gredda with a single nod and some incoherent rumbling.
"What is wrong? Did you and Doria argue again?"
No response again.
"Maris, please don't ignore me. It was not long ago when you said that you always trust me with everything. Plus, my aunt expects to see you at tonight's special dinner party for the friends of the clan."
"I am not coming. I have things to do. Housekeeping and all."
"Why didn't you ask Doria to build you a housekeeping droid and a mouse droid? It's simple and all the FAIS students are capable of it. She had built some great ones in the class, just ask lect…"
"Listen, Gredda. Doria lied to me again. She claims she was not even invited for the entrance exam!"
Gredda shook her head. "Maris, Maris, Maris…Doria hated the last year at the FAIS so much that she dedicated herself to passing the norm for the Dorthus Tal University to the point where it was almost an obsession. Why do you think she would have sabotaged her own goals?"
Maris ignored Gredda's question, turned around and hailed another air taxi.
Meanwhile, at the Vorr apartment, Doria was doing some slicing, when a chat window popped up.
/ BlasetreegoatAU : Seamadeofglass chat session started at 1700 GST, 5:29:33 Gr:s /
BlasetreegoatAU: hai
Seamadeofglass: hai…v v v angri todai
BlasetreegoatAU: whai?
Seamadeofglass: something hapnd w mai universiti application. no response, whatsoeva. :/
BlasetreegoatAU: wut
BlasetreegoatAU: wut
BlasetreegoatAU: wut
/ BlasetreegoatAU sends a big Wookiee hug to Seamadeofglass /
Seamadeofglass: donai. i applied, d same dai i fixed tendra's holo. she got her response, mi…nothing. krfn nothing!
BlasetreegoatAU: wut d kriff! How cud dey do dat 2 u!
Seamadeofglass: mi mom doesn't beliv mi. she thinks i neva eva appld.
BlasetreegoatAU: ur mom is a pc of work.
Seamadeofglass: ai agri.
/ Seamadeofglass shakes the screen, like a Rebel /
Seamadeofglass: g2 go…somebodi is at the dock.
/ Seamadeofglass has left the conversation. /
Doria disconnected from HoloNet and went to see who docked to their apartment's balcony. She was relieved to see Gredda and not her mother.
"What are you doing here? What is going on?"
"Doria, we're going to Dorthus Tal City. Now. I bumped into Maris, she told me what happened and I have figured out what is going on.
"You know how it's like with us Vorrs. Grain Night is in a couple of days. Holidays are the best times ever..." Doria paused for a bit, "...for going to bed, putting the cover over your head and regretting the day you were born. Something always pops up - whether it's mom missing dad, whether it's what I have or have not done during the last couple of weeks, months, years. When there is no real reason, mistress Maris Inesedam-Vorr will make one up." Doria broke down and started kicking the wall behind her desk.
Gredda patted her friend on the shoulder. "There, there. Don't worry about it. I happen to know who is responsible for the student applications. This will be easy."
"We will be late to the dinner party!"
"I know, but my aunt has excused me many times when I worked late, so this should not be a problem either. Let's catch a hovertrain to Dorthus Tal. Now."
Thirty minutes later at the Censorship and Scholarship Office, Dorthus Tal City
Underneath the blank expression she had practiced for years, Doria was looking around the office. Whoever was supposed to be sitting on the chair across the room from hers was not there and, by the look of things, the one who greeted her with a broad smile was not fully aware of his own responsibilities. Adorned in perfectly ironed shirt and dress trousers, with a matching jacket, he got up from his desk and greeted her.
"Hello, comradette..."
"Vorr."
"Comradette Vorr, would you like GR-3 to bring you anything?" he asked. "Zherry juice? Vitamin water? Caf?"
"The only thing I am here for is the only thing I want, comrade..."
"Joak Bluestar Shykrill Glisse. People usually call me Code:Blue, of course. I used to be a...no, please, don't do that!"
Doria was already imitating the choreography Code:Blue was known for from the planetary team's days as the Galactic Cup winners. "And that's how babies burp, right?" She snickered.
"GR-3, bring her one of each!" The administrator snapped his fingers at the musteline protocol droid. She muttered something in Mandaba and headed to the turbolift. "And, of course, I'll go get your file while she brings you the drinks!"
Doria looked on as the administrator ran through the office space. He was almost making her dizzy. He walked like a background dancer in operas and babbled something in the voice similar to the one of a prepubescent boy.
"Did you say Korr?"
"No, Vorr. Doria Vorr."
Code:Blue reached for a dusty pile of flimsi from the top shelf of a large storage cabinet. The Selonian-esque droid returned with three different glasses and placed them all in front of Doria. She shrugged and picked the glass of zherry juice. It was overwhelmingly sweet, making her teeth hurt. No wonder everybody at the government offices building was behaving like this.
"Why is this necessary?" she asked. "Isn't everything in the state computers, anyway?"
"W-we…we tend to rely on both methods, there is always a chance we might get t-things wrong!"
"Isn't that chance below what would be considered a standard error?"
"One n-n-never knows, com. Korr…"
"Vorr!"
"Vorr, sorry again. Imagine if an enemy of our planet and the values we hold so dear would slice the government computer system and get a hold of everybody's files? It's better to be safe than sorry! GR-3! Bring me some of that zherry juice…and a dust corn pudding with caramel topping, please! Make it two puddings, of course!"
"This whole building will turn into a cake someday." Doria thought to herself and reclined in the chair she was offered earlier. She might have fallen asleep for a while – once Code:Blue spoke again, he was in her face and too loud.
"Ms K…Vorr?"
"Eeek!"
"Sorry. I found your file, finally. The letter vev was in the last drawer, with wesk, xesh, yirth and zereth. I could've never guessed!"
"Figures..." Doria rolled her eyes. "So, what is in my file?"
"Doria E. Vorr, born on the 26th day of the Progressmonth, eighteen years ago. Graduated from the school no 4 of the district 1986, also known as Northern Sacorrata, of course, four years ago. Graduated from the First Agricultural Institute of Saccorata, some weeks ago, which is not in the computer, but it is here, thus p-p-proving my point. Currently unemployed, qualified for the job of the agricultural technician. No brothers or sisters, parents are the deceased AARIS engineer Elesandre N. Vorr and the Museum of Corellian Sector History custody, Maris I. Inesedam-Vorr…the latter has been listed as a potential traitor for keeping her maiden name. The subject herself is known for hanging out with the members of the R'vanye Drall clan, headed by Duchess Branna..but she has also been seen with faithful servants of Their Majesties a lot. Most likely not dangerous. Not very likely to graduate from university due to lack of harmony in the family, of course. Possible candidate for job in the…I can't read this last part, it has been censored and us minor employees don't know the code."
Doria propped herself in the seat. Her eyes were now wide open.
"Are you sure you were supposed to tell me all this? The part about my mother being a traitor and plans to make a good citizen out of me?"
Code:Blue hit himself on the forehead.
"It happened again!"
"What happened again?"
"The reverse theory. Oh, no, I said it. I cannot talk about it, please, forget that I have said this!" He started running around the office again, eventually stopping by the window to open it and catch a breath. The Dorthus Tal Sea and the maximum-security prison to his left, and the Watchtower Base to his right would have made the bones of any civilian not empoyeed in the government shiver. But, for whatever reason, he always thought of them as serene, reassuring him that he was doing things right.
Once he turned around, he found himself face to face with a light-furred Drall female.
H-h-how did you get in?"
"Behind GR-3. She was carrying something that was more sugar than dust corn pudding and I figured out who's on call today. "
"Who are you?" Code-Blue took his portion of the pudding, his hands shaking. "Of course..."
"Gredda. My aunt is one certain Duchess Branna of the R'vanye clan, I am sure you have heard of her. And we both happen to be very fond of this young Human female here, and her mother, too!"
Gredda sat on the window pane, throwing a quick glance at the buildings and the sea visible from where they were sitting. Then she smirked and closed the window.
"The only building in Dorthus Tal City other than Their Majesties' residental complex that the Watchtower Base cannot surveil is this one, right?"
"Ummm...right."
"Let me rephrase everything for you, comrade Glisse. This here is my friend, a sympathiser of the R'vanye clan. She submitted an application for the basic studies at the Dorthus Tal University and she never got a response."
Code:Blue looked at the Drall sitting at his absent colleague's table and going through the data on the terminal.
"I am sorry." He broke. "This was my mistake, of course. My colleague, whom you may know as comrade Code:Red was looking at holos of somebody called Tendra Risant, I remember that name well because it reminds me of the comrade Jhorn Risant working in the education department on the floor below..."
"That would be his daughter. I helped her write her application letter and I taught her how to tweak her holos. I was probably right behind her in the queue…"
"And the last file had the NOE stamp on it! Not-obedient-enough, of course!" Code:Blue was still crying, his head hidden by his hands.
"Now I see why they call you 'Crybaby', Glisse." Greeda shook her head. "You made a mistake, the system you are using seems to be flawed, but how do you think you're going to solve it if you continue crying like that?"
He thought a bit, drying his tears with the sleeve of his expensive dress jacket. Then he checked something on the datapad on the empty desk next to his. Minutes later, his smile was there again.
"There is a spare place on the University of Vagran in Abatore intended specifically for a Sacorrian student! Since Ms K is not considered to be obedient enough for the Dorthus Tall University and Sacorria and Vagran have reasonably good relations. That would, of course, imply that she is obliged to return to Sacorria and serve the government and Their Majesties once her studies are over. But there is only one little problem…no accommodation left at the Sacorrian dormitory building on the campus."
Doria's face lit up. She was about to say something about her great aunt living in Abatore, but Gredda coughed loudly, prompting her not to.
"Any other accomodation options?" The Drall was now more or less in the administrator's face.
"Twenty kilometres from Abatore is, of course…"
"Anaslinea-Hoc?" Doria interrupted Code:Blue again. "The newish spaceport?"
"Yes. The town itself is small and has an arid climate, no more than seven thousand inhabitants and less than hundred years of contemporary history behind it. However, numerous tunnels below the surface, extending under the Kaza'an Gulf as well as locations within the town itself hold a lot of secrets about the past of the entire planet. Of course, we would relocate both you and com. Inesedam-Vorr there and find you a house to live in, then making sure she is employed in their local museum. She would, of course, continue to work with her parent institution. I would have to talk to her about this, of course."
Doria shivered at the sole idea of somebody having to convince Maris of anything.
"You? Are you sure?"
"Of course. My colleague is away. There is no other option. Since it will take some time to relocate you, we'd better start come tomorrow. I will travel to Saccorata after breakfast and you will wait for me, introduce me to your mother and then I am going to explain this to her."
"Is there any other option?"
"I'm afraid not. Unless we place you in this university, the only other option, of course, is operating the droids on dust corn fields or a shuttle to Sarcophagus."
"Fine, comrade Glisse." Gredda adjusted the black star pendant. "We will make sure that comradette Inesedam-Vorr doesn't reject the proposal."