"Morning, ladies! Rise and shine!" The front flap of Jori and Loneva's tent swings open, letting in the daylight.

The two women are in each other's arms, both naked save a pair of panties on Loneva. Jori shields her eyes. "What the…" Upon seeing Rylo, she grabs the blanket and pulls it over the two of them. "For Force's sake! How long have you been there?!"

The spacer makes a point of looking away. "Just a few seconds. I just wanted to let you know that breakfast is about ready, so get dressed...or not, I don't care either way."

"Get out!" the Sith yells, throwing a lightning bolt at him that misses as he steps away, closing the tent. Loneva, her breasts pressed against Jori's, starts laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You really think he's never seen a naked woman before?"

"With his looks, he probably has, but I doubt he's ever seen two together. And he should have adjusted to our waking schedule instead of waking us at this horrid hour." She stands up and begins dressing herself.

"Come on, he means well," Loneva says, "The least we could do is go and eat what he's cooked. I'm sure he put a lot of work into it."

Jori sighs. "Might as well." She leaves the tent, wearing her casual outfit of a turquoise skin-tight top, a denim skirt, a spangled leather belt around her waist, and her lightsaber hanging from it. "I suppose I should thank you for going to this trouble for me," she says as he hands her a plate.

Loneva emerges, wearing her black greaves and white halter. "Of course you should," she says, patting Jori on the back and sitting next to her. "He clearly worked hard for us."

The Sith leans over, whispering. "Will you stop encouraging him?"

The Jedi whispers back. "He could be valuable to us. Ever think of that?"

"We'll see."

Loneva takes a bite of her eggs, then makes a deep-throated moan. "Oh wow! Jori, you should try this. It's quite good."

"It's a simple serving of scrambled eggs. I don't see how." She takes a bite and her eyes go wide.

"Well?" Loneva prompts her.

"It's better than I expected," Jori says, deliberately keeping her voice level.

"It's the best scrambled eggs you've ever had," Loneva says firmly.

"No," Jori slowly swirls her eyes to Loneva, smirking, "The best ones I ever had were served to me by Darth Acina."

"Are you sure you didn't just think that because of what came right before the eggs?"

"Yes. Quite sure," she grins.

"What're you talkin' about?" the spacer laughs.

"Don't you dare elaborate." Jori's grin turns into her patented glare.

"You see, a few years ago…"

"Quiet!" Jori sets her plate down.

"Jori here was at a party where she…"

"Don't you dare!" the Sith lunges for the Jedi and is held back by her arm.

"She performed some Imperial song I can't remember the name of…"

Jori is smiling and laughing. "Shut up!"

"And a certain Darth…"

"No!" she reaches for Loneva's mouth to put a hand over it, but Loneva pushes it back.

"Took a liking to her, and took her back to her penthouse where they spent all night kriffing each other's everloving brains out."

"Really?" the Zabrak raises a brow.

Jori starts swinging her arm down on Loneva, who blocks every single blow. "Stop it, you vile girl!" she can barely contain her laughter.

"That Sith Lord made her breakfast. And you know where she is today?"

"Do tell," Rylo grins from ear to ear.

"Don't!"

"She's now the ruler of the Sith Empire. Empress Acina."

"You schutta!" Jori pounces on Loneva, who laughs uproariously.

"You know you loved it," Loneva rolls to the side, pinning Jori's arms to the ground and sitting on top of her.

The Sith stops struggling and takes a deep breath. "Alright. Yes. Acina made me sore the next morning. The good kind of sore."

Loneva bends down and kisses Jori. "Oh, look at you. The only modest Sith in the galaxy."

Jori rolls her eyes. "Have you forgotten that we're being watched?"

"Oh!" Loneva looks at Rylo.

He raises his hands. "Hey, don't stop on my account. Just pretend I'm not even here."

The Jedi climbs off the Sith. "Too late. We're not gonna put on a show for you."

"Fair enough." He dishes up his own food and sits in front of the two of them. "So, you two are quite an odd couple. How'd that even happen?"

"What's there to tell?" Jori says between bites of food, "We ran into each other, we fought as Sith and Jedi are prone to do, we realized we were evenly matched, and finally we decided we weren't getting anywhere, so we made peace, became friends, and slowly fell into being more than friends."

Rylo looks at Loneva, clearly expecting her to tell more. The Jedi simply shrugs. "That's basically it."

"Oh."

"So how about you? We hardly know anything about you," she prompts.

"What, last night's interrogation didn't tell you enough? I mean...that sort of thing is a bit of a fantasy of mine, but…" He stops his thought when Jori gives him the stink eye. "What do you want to know?"

"For starters, how did you get into that highly lucrative business of yours?" Jori probes.

"What's there to tell?" he glances at Jori as he echoes her. She gestures for him to continue. "I grew up orphaned on Coruscant. Ran with a gang. I was always good with numbers, so they had me do their books. Every week, I tried to come up with a new way to make money. Then, some guy approached me and said he needed me to get a package to the lower levels. So I did it, and he gave me a huge load of credits. I kept getting more and more offers and saving up until finally I got my own ship, and worked on a bigger scale. Then I started taking payments from Senator Dol Falta. He got voted out, so I lost my protection, and I got traced to him, then ended up here. Not that interesting of a story."

Jori lets out a single, sarcastic laugh. "And here I was expecting you to weave some long, remorseful tale of how many gorgeous ladies' hearts you broke along the way."

He grins again. "Oh, I could. You just didn't ask about that part. I assumed you just wanted to hear about the business side of it. Well, I think my proudest moment was when I ran into Hylo Visz on Ord Mantell. She was…"

Loneva scoffs. "Hylo Visz? Nerfshit. There is no way you hooked up with her."

Jori straightens her eyebrows. "Someone you know?"

"I wish. Hylo Visz was one of the greatest pilots the Republic has ever seen. Back before the Treaty of Coruscant, she was the one who broke the Mandalorian blockade around Coruscant. I only saw it on holos since I was working at my uncle's place at the time. That was before I'd ever set foot on Tython," she smiles. "It was something to see."

"Oh, I get it," Jori nods, "So since our friend here had no backup plan for his Senatorial contract running its course, it's almost impossible that he had the skills to lure somebody like Hylo Visz into his bed."

"Believe what you want," he says, "It's clear you don't want to hear about my conquests. I understand. You two seem pretty tight together. Wouldn't want to pull you apart by making myself...more enticing. It just wouldn't be right."

The Sith laughs. "Please, stop flattering yourself. There's nothing more unappealing."

Loneva pushes her. "Then why am I so attracted to you?"

"Different tastes."

Rylo pulls out two glasses and pours the contents of a large jug into them. "Here, I'd like you to try this. Tell me what you think."

Loneva takes a sip. "It's pretty good. What, did you juice the local fruit?"

"Sure did," he nods, "It's a habit I got into a few years ago. Helped me trim my weight down. I'm always trying out new combinations."

"I'm surprised that works," Jori says, "Isn't most fruit high in sugar?"

"Well, when it's all you're eating, along with some vegetables and protein mixed in, it's not. Besides, why do you care? You can see the results for yourself." He flexes an arm.

"Swing and a miss, buddy," Loneva says, picking up hers and Jori's dishes. "I'll be washing these." She walks off.

Rylo eats a few more bites before speaking. "So, what's your deal?" he asks Jori.

"I'm afraid I don't grasp your meaning. Nor do I wish to put in the effort."

"Why are you wound so tight, huh?" he asks. "And don't tell me it's the whole Sith thing. I know better. Something about you bothers me, and I wanna get it out of the way right now, before it gets bigger."

"I have neither the time nor the desire to indulge you on that," she says.

"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about," he points. "That attitude doesn't look so good down the road. You don't have to sleep with me, Jori. Hell, you don't even have to be my friend. I just want to know...what's it gonna take for you to be civil with me. And don't you try to ignore me. I'm going to keep asking until I get an answer. Isn't that a good enough incentive? It's like ripping off a bandage: a burst of pain now to prevent a hell of a lot more pain later. So tell me, what'll it take for you to not treat me like something you found on the bottom of your boot?"

"For starters, you could leave!" she snaps.

"But I'm gonna be here a while, so why don't you just try and get used to me?"

"I don't want to!" her breathing grows heavier.

"And why the kriff not?"

Her fork's tines curl into loops in her hand and her eyes glow. It's all she can do to keep her voice down. "Because I care about Loneva, and I don't want to lose her!"

"Hey, I know you care about her," he says, "I could tell that from the get go. But what makes you think I'd make you lose her?"

"You'd draw one or the other of us away. That's what spacers like you do, and I know she finds you attractive. I do too, and I don't want…" she stops, realizing what she's just revealed, then decides she might as well continue. "I don't want either of us to fall for you."

"Ah," he nods. "Well...as great as it is that both of you are into me, I'm not gonna come between you. I'll keep my distance on personal matters. It's not every day a Sith and a Jedi put aside the lightsabers when they're near each other. But when they find love...that's something pretty rare. Spoiling that would be like destroying a stained glass window."

Jori hangs her head. "I'm sorry. Truly, I am. I still haven't gotten to the point where I can totally control my emotions. I'm further along than Loneva, but I still have a ways to go. My outburst was unacceptable, as was my suspicion of you."

"Not completely," he sighs, "I know I can be a tauntaun's ass sometimes. I swear, I'm working on it, but I could work harder."

"We're both imperfect people. Let's just accept that," Jori says. "So...what was that you were saying about incentives earlier?"

He brushes a hand. "Oh, nothing. Just basic economics. It'd put you to sleep."

The Sith smiles. "Try me."

"Alright. I'm saying that if you want to achieve certain results, you need to give people the proper incentives. Make something in their best interest."

"That's exactly what I've been saying for years," she nods, "You see, I've actually written quite a lot on economics myself."

Rylo raises his eyebrows. "Really? I'd love to hear more about your ideas."

Jori puts her plate aside and puts her hands on her knees. "The number one underlying principle of my economics is that sentient behavior and motivation drives everything. They make actions toward change. For a change to occur, there must be three conditions met: First, the sentient must be dissatisfied with present conditions. Second, they must have an idea of what better conditions look like. And third, they must have a concrete plan on how to bring about those better conditions."

"Well, yeah," the Zabrak snorts, "That goes without saying."

"You'd be surprised how many people don't realize that," she shakes her head. "You see it time and again throughout history. There's a whole movement of thinkers, both in the Empire and the Republic, who seem to think of history as something with a capital H. An entity that has a mind of its own. Apparently, as history goes along, the populace of the galaxy pushes toward continuous self-improvement. Imperial history alone refutes it. You'd think the Sith would have known better than to provoke the Jedi after the Great Hyperspace War. But they didn't. They painstakingly rebuilt their entire empire over a millennium, and they attacked the Republic again. They may not have lost that war, but they did lose a lot. We were a year from the fractioning of the Empire when Darth Marr discovered Isotope 5 and made obtaining it our priority. After that, when Revan returned, while he learned the value of peace, Chancellor Saresh did not, despite the Republic's time-and-again failure to wipe out the Sith."

"If it's any comfort, Saresh isn't Supreme Chancellor anymore. Her term ran out, and she didn't have a chance at re-election," Rylo offers.

"That makes no real difference," Jori says, "Especially with the Eternal Empire's presence. And even if they were gone, support for war with the Empire would probably be high. Though the Jedi condemn it, the Republic's people never tire of seeking revenge. They want to seek out and destroy all those who would threaten their 'freedom', whether they're a threat or not."

Rylo looks around. "How does your girlfriend feel about you saying stuff like this?"

"I don't speak my full mind in front of her. She's not ready to hear all of my opinions. But she's intelligent enough that she could get there." She clears her throat. "Anyway, like any Sith, I believe that anyone who wants should be free to follow their passions. Doing so will create conditions that will naturally reach an equilibrium as different people find out what's profitable and what's not. Unfortunately, the Empire's ideas are quite different. The Empire exists to make everyone subject to the passions of a few. Those few fight with one another, and drag everyone else into their proxy wars. The Battle of Corellia was one of my people's greatest moments of shame."

"I take it you don't like the Empire any more than the Republic."

"I don't like any entity that tries to control others," she says.

"I get where you're coming from," he says, "The Republic never stopped harassing me. And for what? I never hurt anyone. I only killed people who tried to kill me first. They said it was wrong for me to sell spice. Well, so what? Who are they to tell other people what they can or can't put in their own bodies."

Jori smiles. "Exactly. Perhaps the Republic will learn what subjugation is like for the first time in its history."

"Well, I hope the Zooks leave soon. I need the Republic."

The Sith frowns. "I thought you hated how they harassed you and made your business difficult."

"Please. You really think I'd have made so many credits if they didn't harass me? That's what makes the whole thing so lucrative. I know how to get through legal loopholes."

"And here I thought we really understood each other," Jori shakes her head.

"Oh, we do," the Zabrak nods, "I've actually heard a lot of theories similar to yours. The more I read, the more sense they make. I just want to look out for me and mine, so if I can get a few rules bent in my favor, that's how I'll do things."

Jori stands up. "Then you are part of the problem. We'll understand each other far better when you get rid of your selfish attitude."

"Hey, c'mon!" he pleads, standing up and following her, "I didn't mean anything personal, and I was enjoying our chat!"

Jori looks away from him. "Too bad. I wasn't at the end."

"Hey, we have different ideas!" he says, "But we come from the same place."

"No we do not," Jori says, "I do not make others obey my decrees, or support unnecessary laws, even if they benefit me. You just don't care."

"Jori…"

"Leave me alone!" she says and speeds up her walk to Loneva. To her surprise and relief, he doesn't follow her. She sits down next to Loneva and starts washing her dishes.

The Jedi kisses her cheek. "Are things going well with you and our guest?"

"No," Jori doesn't look up. "I mean, he is intelligent, but he's such a dislikable person."

"Why?"

"He's so selfish. He doesn't mind breaking his principles as long as he benefits."

Loneva laughs. "Now there's something I never thought I'd hear from a Sith."

"What, you think I'm unprincipled?" Jori sounds genuinely angry and hurt.

"No...no, Jori, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. You're probably the most principled person I know, and that's really saying something," she rubs the Sith's back. "Whatever he said must've really bothered you."

Jori knows she can't get away with lying to her lover, so she doesn't try. "It did. I didn't believe it on an intellectual level, but on an emotional level, I've always thought that people who shared my views were motivated by the same things I was: Freedom, creativity, harmony, the ability to follow one's passions freely...I should have known they wouldn't always be the same."

"You mean people who don't like government?"

"No, people who hate government come in all stripes. I thought that people who studied economics to the extent that I have would likewise be motivated by a love of freedom. Turns out Rylo only knows economics to the extent that he can manipulate it in his favor. He knows exactly the effects that cronyism will have on his profit margins and his competitors. It...it disgusts me." She dries off her dishes and sets them on the towel Loneva has laid out.

"So basically, you're upset that someone with similar ideas to yours is perverting them?"

Jori nods. "Exactly."

"You know who feels that way? Every philosopher. No matter what ideas you put out there, no matter how much detail you explain them in, somebody's going to misinterpret them. That's just a fact of life." She runs a hand across Jori's thigh.

"Knowing it is one thing, but actually living it...well, that's quite upsetting." She inhales sharply. "Thank you."

Loneva raises a brow. "For what?"

"For not being dismissive, and not taking his side. I know you love me, and I love you too, but I'm just so full of doubts. It makes for a rather stressful life." She puts a hand on Loneva's. "And thank you for being here. I thought I'd hate your presence at first, but now, I honestly don't know what I'd do without you around."

The Jedi squeezes the Sith's hand. "Thank you, Jori. That can't have been easy for you to say, and I appreciate it. I've...come to rely on you, too. And not just for Force training."

Jori nuzzles against Loneva's shoulder, kisses her, and chuckles. "Can't go a day without doing that."

"Feel better?"

The Sith rests her head on Loneva's shoulder. "A little. It's not you...there's just so much you can do for me."

Loneva kisses Jori's forehead. "Think it'd help you feel better if you took me to your ship and tortured me?"

"I don't know."

The Jedi flicks her nipple. "Wassamatter? Wittle Jowi can't handle a wittle cwiticism?"

Jori smiles, wrapping an arm around Loneva's neck. "I'll show you criticism, you indignant little bitch!" She lifts the Jedi off the ground and slings her over her shoulder, slapping her rear repeatedly as she runs to the ship. Once inside, she closes the ramp and yanks Loneva's greaves off, spanking her bare rear. "You have to learn to obey Mistress."

"I've got a big ass," Loneva sticks out her tongue and spreads her legs, showing her bare sex to Jori, "I barely felt that."

The Sith waves a hand, and Loneva's halter unties itself and slides off her body. "Maybe I'm not disciplining the right parts of you." She slaps the Jedi's breasts repeatedly until she sees tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I-I'm so sorry, Mistress! I didn't mean to defy you!"

"Not as sorry as you're going to be!" She uses the Force to lift Loneva off the floor and flips her upside down, locking her ankles into a pair of padded restraints bolted to the ceiling. She removes her own clothes.

"M-Mistress is so beautiful," Loneva says, looking Jori's naked form up and down, hoping to appease her.

It doesn't work. "Silence!" Jori casts electricity at Loneva's legs, not enough to harm her, but enough to feel unpleasant. "You will speak when I say you may speak. Understood?" Her hair brushing the floor, Loneva nods. "Good." She takes her lightsaber, ignites it, and sticks it into her lover's sex, the unlit end of course. "Hold onto this, and don't you dare drop it, you little trollop." Loneva's eyes go wide and she nods frantically. Jori drops to her knees and looks back, crawling backwards until her sex rests on top of the Jedi's mouth. "Now make your Mistress cum. And don't you drop the lightsaber, or I swear to the Force you'll pay."

Loneva flicks her tongue through Jori's folds, moaning softly. She takes Jori's clit between her lips, humming softly, sending a vibration through them. She feels the lightsaber shift slightly and clenches her inner muscles, forgetting that she can't always keep a sensation in one spot. The weapon vibrates, sending waves through her walls and down to her abdomen, and she clenches.

The Sith sends a shock to the Jedi's breasts. "Don't use your teeth. You know better." Loneva whimpers, then continues sucking on Jori's clit. She can no longer hold herself back, and her climax comes, her juices spraying out the sides of her sex. This unfortunately pushes the lightsaber out and sets off a soft buzz. Jori crawls away and stands up. "I told you not to let go." She takes the lightsaber down, showing that it's on a clamp to prevent it from doing any actual harm, and shuts it off, setting it on the floor. "You disobeyed me. Now the real punishment begins." Loneva swallows. "Yes, you should be afraid." Jori licks the Jedi's sex clean of the juices from her climax. "This is the nice part," she says when she's finished. She disappears for a moment, and returns with a pair of clamps on a chain, stringing them to Loneva's nipples. The Jedi's breasts point together and she doesn't dare to move. The Sith takes a couple of her toys and pushes one into her lover's sex, moving it in and out until it's sufficiently lubricated. When it's done, she slides it slowly into her other hole, several inches away. Loneva moans loudly. "Didn't I tell you not to say anything?" Jori slaps her sex, then inserts a second toy into it, securing it in place with binding-plast. She gets back on her knees and once again parks her sex on Loneva's mouth. "You know what to do."

The Jedi starts slurping and pushing her tongue into the Sith's sex, enjoying the taste of the juices leaking out. She takes Jori's clit back between her lips, humming into it, and inserts two fingers into her. The clamps on her nipples tug at the movement of her arm, but she continues, knowing that the sooner she brings Jori off, the sooner her punishment will be over. She turns her fingers upward, hitting Jori in the right spot and stroking fervently. The Sith's moans let her know she's doing a good job, and she's soon rewarded with a torrent of Jori's juices spraying into her mouth. She drinks as much of them down as she can.

When Jori is satisfied, she turns around, kissing Loneva on the mouth, licking up as much of her own juices as she can from the Jedi's face, and removes the clamps from her nipples, kissing each one softly. "I wish I didn't have to be so cruel. But there have to be consequences for you continually mouthing off to Mistress. Those are the rules."

"I'm sorry, Mistress," Loneva moans, "But I just can't help it. I know I'm a brat, and I'm trying to change."

The Sith smiles. "Right then, how about a reminder?" She takes the toy out of Loneva's sex, but leaves the one in her rear. "You must wear this all day, to remind you that you are Mistress' property. It will keep you in line. You will take it out only to relieve yourself, at which time you will clean it and put it back in your ass. Is that understood?" While she awaits the answer, she takes a different sort of toy from her shelf and inserts it into herself. When she turns back to Loneva, a large imitation phallus is peeking out from between her legs.

Loneva nods. "Yes, Mistress. I will wear it if it makes You happy."

Jori holds the toy that was in Loneva's sex to her mouth. "In the meantime, clean this."

The Jedi grins, cleaning her Mistress' toy of her juices. "Thank you, Mistress," she says, "Now may I get down?"

Jori gives a wave of her hand to undo the restraints and Loneva's hands cushion her fall to the floor. She lifts her up to her bed and climbs on top, kissing her lovingly. Her breasts press against the Jedi's. "You make the best mattress," she says, slowly pushing her toy into Loneva.

"Mmm...so good, Mistress…"

The Sith puts a finger on the Jedi's lips. "Shh...I'm not Mistress right now. I'm Jori: your lover, your equal."

Loneva wraps her arms around Jori's back, kissing her warmly and spreading her legs to allow easier access. She pushes her tongue into the Sith's mouth, swirling it around hers and moaning, fighting for dominance. Jori starts thrusting in and out, and Loneva moans into her mouth, grabbing her breasts and squeezing them. Her thumbs circle around the nipples, pressing them inward and out. When she senses her climax approaching, she wraps her legs around Jori as her body quivers.

"How was that?"

The Jedi shrugs and kisses Jori's neck. "It felt good, but not as good as you just rubbing against me. No toys next time, okay?"

Jori kisses Loneva. "No toys." She buries her face in the Jedi's cleavage, moaning softly and squeezing her breasts. When she's had her fill, she puts her head in the crook of Loneva's neck, sending a Force pulse to remove the toy from both of them. "Shouldn't we be doing something? Like training, or monitoring the holonet?"

Loneva puts a hand on Jori's rear. "We've got a Zabrak spacer who can do the monitoring for us. Let's just enjoy ourselves here."