Decisions Part 1 Is this a love story?

by Jules Cesar

At the time of the old Republic. During Sith Occupation in the Cold War. A couple, being different species, was forced to marry by the Sith. He thought she was too red, but was interesting. She thought he was too blue, and hated him. How they overcame their differences, and outwitted the Sith, for a life together. (Mature after chapter 7)

4. Chapter 3

©2015

When Chitrah met Andriel for lunch, he let her know that it was okay to take the vehicle out that afternoon. He's already informed the droid driver, that it will be driving her around this afternoon. He also let her know that he would be working in their apartment on his designs. He was thinking of dropping down to the market, and pick up some items for their dinner tonight, and to buy the flowers that she in her excitement, had forgot to buy yesterday, on her way home from the dress shop. Andriel's cheeks darkened a little when she realized that she had forgotten to buy flowers. Andriel asked, who's cooking dinner? Chitrah said he would. He was thinking of marinating some meat, then frying it up when she got home.

"I did not know you could cook!"

Chitrah let her know, that his mother taught him all the basics for cooking, when she found out that he would be working by himself, off planet, for the Ministry. She did not want him living off of prepackaged food, which she considered unhealthy. He can throw together a decent meal, except for salads. If she wanted a salad with dinner, she would have to make it herself. Andriel told him that she would go back with him to the apartment, because she wanted to change into something more comfortable and easy to wash. She had no old clothes to wear for the trip to the country. While there, she will write up a list of items he should try to buy at the market. She reminded him that if they don't have the mega-leaf lettuce, the pink lettuce would do, if they don't have any pink lettuce, than just get whatever they have. She also told him that ojomian onions were supposed to fry up nice with nerf steaks according to the holonet, if that is what he was getting. Chitrah said he would leave the flowers for her to arrange, did he need to buy any vases for her to put the flowers in? She told him that three simple glass vases, or nice white ceramic vases, would do just fine. After that, she made up her list and changed. Just before she headed out the door, Chitrah reminded her that, Mrs. Grimshaw said she needed to bring a washable jacket, because it would be taking most of the smell from her contact with nerfs. Andriel went back into the bedroom to retrieve her jacket, then shot out the door. After looking over the list that Andriel left, Chitrah thought he better go to the market right away, to make sure he could get most of what was there. This would also give him time to prepare the meat, so it could sit it in the marinade, in the cooler, and be perfect for grilling when Andriel returned from the country.

When Andriel exited the front door of the hotel, she found the droid driver was waiting for her. They drove over to the dress shop to pick up Mrs. Grimshaw. She came out in a nice sun suit, with a matching sun hat on her head. She was carrying a bag with odds and ends in it. You would think she was going out for a picnic, except for the two pairs of vulcanised boots she brought along. When the droid saw what she was bringing, it popped open the bonnet of the vehicle for her to place them in. When Mrs. Grimshaw seated herself, she told the droid where it would be taking them. The droid knew the place, and gave them an ETA.

When they arrived at the nerf ranch, Andriel saw a number of large fenced fields, but the nerf cows were only grazing in one of them. Mrs. Grimshaw had told her on the drive over that they would only be collecting the wool from cows. The nerf bulls usually had more wool, but they were more ornery, and could cause some major damage to her. When they climbed out of the vehicle, Andriel noticed the smell right away. Mrs. Grimshaw told her not to worry she will get used to it. What she forgot to say, was that she would lose all sense of smell, while she was with the nerfs. She also promised her that when they finished all the steps for cleaning the wool, that all the smell would be gone. She could just as easily have said that the reason they clean the wool, was to get rid of the smell, but that does not sound as good. Then she took the vulcanised boots and told Andriel to put a pair on, because she would be stepping in what the nerfs left behind. Suddenly this whole adventure was not as appealing as she had fantasized. She had never been with living creatures before, but she knew right away what the nerfs left behind. Mrs. Grimshaw assumed that Andriel would forget to bring a large bag along to collect the wool, so she had brought one knit out of Nerf wool. That way they would not need to take the wool out of the bag while it was being chemically treated.

They opened the gate to the field where the nerfs were grazing, and went in. Mrs. Grimshaw made sure that Andriel closed the gate behind them, so they wouldn't have to chase any nerf cows, down the road, to try and persuade it to return to the field. She handed Andriel a block of either wood or plastic, she could not tell. One side had metal wires coming out in a coarse spacing. If she would have been asked what she thought it was, she would have said it was a torture device. The other side had a leather strap. Mrs. Grimshaw showed her how to put her hand through the leather strap and hold the block. Then showed her how she was to brush the animals. Any loose wool would be snagged by the brush, after she could not snag any more wool because the brush was full, she would need to remove the wool from the brush and put it in the bag. After she finished brushing one animal, she should move on to the next, until the bag was full.

As they walked closer to the nerfs, she saw something in the field, all covered in brown goo. From time to time she would see one of the cows spit at it, which she realised, was the source of the goo. She asked Mrs. Grimshaw, what is that thing? Instead of replying, Mrs. Grimshaw said, "Hello Rudy." The thing replied, "Hello Mrs. Grimshaw, are you here to collect some wool?" "Yes Rudy but this time I brought a helper." Then Mrs. Grimshaw introduced Andriel to Rudy and explained that he was a droid nerf-herder. That underneath all that goo he looked quite human. They spit at him for a number of reasons. They think that by covering him with goo, they are protecting him from predators, and because they know that Rudy won't spit back. Andriel was surprised to hear that there were predators about, and was told not to wonder off by herself, or they might make a meal out of her. Rudy was actually there to protect the herd from rustlers and when they were calving, from the predators. "How does he protect the herd from rustlers?" Mrs. Grimshaw told her, that he has a blaster in each arm. If rustlers land a transport to try and load the herd onto it. He just needs to take a couple of shots at it. "Once the rustlers return fire, you have to admit they are not going to get a clean shot at Rudy. Laugh child, it's a joke. Once the rustlers return fire, the nerfs will try to get as far away from them as possible. The rustlers would not have enough time to load any nerfs, and get away, before the starfighters at the spaceport caught up to them, and either force them to land, or blew them out of the sky. This was all very interesting, but Andriel was here to collect some wool. So she started doing as she was told, with Mrs. Grimshaw and the two droids watching her.

What Adriel did not know, was that two older gentlemen that were in the ranch house off in the distance, were also watching her through electrobinoculars.

"Kenny!"

"Yes Mr. Radcliff."

"Try to find out everything you can about that beautiful creature."

"But you already know everything there is to know about Mrs. Grimshaw!"

"Not her! The red one!"

"Yes Mr. Radcliff."

After a while, because Andriel can't keep quiet for too long, she asked Mrs. Grimshaw if there was another Rudy with the bull Nerfs. Mrs. Grimshaw informed her that there was a driod with the bulls, but it was called Kenny. "Why the different names, are they different models?" "No! They are identical. They are named after the two gentlemen that live in that ranch house over yonder. Andriel looked at Mrs. Grimshaw to see where she was pointing, then looked there, this was the first time she noticed the ranch house in the distance. She went back to gathering wool. From time to time she would switch arms, because she was not used to this prolonged physical effort.

"Are they very nice?"

"Rudy Radcliff is the wealthiest man on all of Yitabo. He lets me come out here, whenever I want to gather wool, and does not charge me anything for it."

"This is hard work, he should be paying you every time you come out. Besides I think the girls like it."

Mrs. Grimshaw laughed at this, but she was right about the cow Nerfs liking it. That's why they never spit at you, when you are brushing them. Now another Nerf, nearby, who has not yet been brushed might spit at you, because it thinks you are taking too long with the other cows.

Finally, Andriel had finished brushing all of the Nerf cows, and her bag of wool was full. Her arms felt like they were going to fall off. But she proudly carried that bag of wool to the vehicle. Mrs. Grimshaw opened and closed the gate, because she knew from experience that Andriel's arms would be too sore, especially since it was her first time. She had Andriel leave the bag of wool on the ground next to the vehicle, then showed her how to scrape off the stuff sticking to the boots, on the fence post. When they walked back to the vehicle, they found the boot of the vehicle open, and all the doors locked. After all that hard work, Andriel wanted to bring her hard earned booty, into the passenger compartment with her. She wondered why she could not, the droid could not smell it. The droid insisted, because other people could smell it, and it was hard to get the smell out of the vehicle. The droid would not even let them put anything in the bonnet, for the same reason. Mrs. Grimshaw convinced Andriel to do as the droid asked, because they did not want to walk back to town, carrying a heavy bag of wool. Andriel gave in, and did what the droid asked. They also had to put the boots they were wearing in the boot, along with Andriel's jacket. Andriel was really getting annoyed with the droid, but she really wanted to get into the vehicle to sit down and rest. After they did everything the droid asked, it unlocked the doors and let them in. They drove straight to the dress shop. After they climbed out and pulled everything out of the boot, the droid drove away. Andriel was so furious she wanted to throw something at the vehicle, as it sped away, but everything looked too heavy, and her arms were too sore.

Mrs. Grimshaw started laughing at how dejected she looked. She told her that she didn't think a pouty lip, would bring the vehicle back.

They did not go into the shop, but through a gate into the back of the shop/residence. Mrs. Grimshaw had prepared a ceramic tub, and directed Andriel to place the bag of wool in it. She then had her put on some vulcanised gloves that extended past her elbows. She showed her all the containers of chemicals that were delivered that morning. She gave her a glass picture and told her how much of each chemical she was to pour into the tub, and not to splash it. If she got any on her skin, it would probably eat it away. If she got any on her clothes, in their concentrated form, it could burn holes in them. So Andriel was very careful to do exactly as she was told, without spilling a drop. She was not familiar with any of the chemical names, but with all the warning stickers all over them, she knew they were dangerous. She was sure that Mrs. Grimshaw would give her a list, as well as the proportions she needed to use.

When the tub was almost full, Mrs. Grimshaw suggested that she throw her jacket in as well. Andriel was concerned that the chemicals would destroy her jacket. Mrs. Grimshaw believed that the mixture of chemicals had diluted each other to the point that it should be safe for the jacket. If it wasn't, Mrs. Grimshaw would help Andriel stitch together another one. Andriel placed her jacket on top and Mrs. Grimshaw pushed it down with a stick to make sure it was completely submerged, without any air pockets. Then she had Andriel place a lid on the tub. She said they should leave it until the morning, and she sent Andriel home, to get a bite to eat, and some rest.

Andriel was quite tired, from all the hard physical work she did that day. She had sore muscles, were she did not know she had muscles. A ride home would have been nice, too bad that droid got upset, and drove away. Fortunately for Andriel, the town was not very big, she could see the hotel from where she was. Remember, just place one foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other, atta girl.

As she slowly walked to the hotel, she noticed that everyone was giving her a wide birth. At first she wondered why, then she realised that she must still smell like Nerf. When she finally got to the hotel, the people inside did not look happy she came in. She walked to her apartment as quickly as possible, conscious of the looks people gave her when she passed them in the hall. She entered the apartment as quickly as possible, shutting the door behind her. She thought she could take a breather, she had forgotten that Chitrah was there. Suddenly she heard him.

"Ew, is that what Nerf smells like? You definitely cannot have one as a pet."

She was too exhausted to laugh, especially when she really wanted to cry. "Please Chitrah, can you get the outfit I wore to lunch, I left it lying on the bed, and hand it to me in the bathroom."

From the way she spoke, Chitrah realised that she was upset, and probably tired. So he quickly got up and entered her bedroom. The outfit was right where she said it would be. He draped all the pieces over his arm so he would not crease it. He walked over to the bathroom door, and knocked on it. She opened the door a sliver, and he stuck his arm through it so that she could remove it, and told her that he was going to start on dinner.

She removed the outfit from his arm and replied, "Okay." He was glad he decided to get Reek steaks, instead of Nerf at the market. She probably does not want anything to do with Nerfs right now.

He got some water boiling, to cook the fresh, homemade noodles, he had purchased at the market, as a side dish for the meat. The vendor had even talked him into buying some homemade sauce to go with them. She seemed the motherly type, and he hoped that this would translate into a good meal. When the grill indicated it was ready, he took the marinated steaks out of the cooler and threw them on the grill. He had already programmed the thickness into the grill so it would let him know when to flip them, and when they would be done. The grill signalled the flip at the same time the noodles were ready. He shut off the heat for the noodles, flipped the steaks, than drained the noodles. He threw the sauce in with the noodles, then put them back on the stove. The vendor said the residual heat from the stove, would heat the noodles and sauce, and keep them warm until they were ready to be served. He then removed a large bowl from the cupboard, for Andriel to make her salad. The mega-leaf lettuce had sold out in the morning, he will have to let Andriel know for next time, but they still had some nice pink lettuce. After he placed the items for the salad on the counter, he started setting the table. Andriel had already stopped using the water, so she should be out soon. While Andriel was in the shower the hot water on her arms was like a small massage, letting them loosen up and not feel so sore. She also felt a little bit of energy seep back into her body. She knew her sense of smell was returning, because when she shut the water off she could suddenly smell the clothes she had worn, and it smelt worse then she remembered. She shoved the clothes into a laundry bag she could seal, so that she could wash them later, and to prevent them from stinking everything else up. When she left the bathroom she could still detect a lingering odour, but Chitrah, being a gentleman, did not say anything.

Andriel saw that everything was ready for her to make a salad. She shredded large pieces of the pink lettuce leaves into the bowl, but kept enough for her to make a salad for tomorrow's lunch. She sprinkled on some dried ossberries. Chitrah had found some crushed roasted nuts in the market, they were from off planet, but after Andriel tasted a sample, she sprinkled some of that on as well. She made a simple salad dressing, like mother had taught her, and poured that on top. She set aside a third of the salad in a bowl for Chitrah. She tasted a little piece of the steak that Chitrah said was her's, and complimented Chitrah on how good it tasted, she was actually surprised. She cut the steak in half, cut that half into slices and threw that on top of her salad. She would have the other half with tomorrow's lunch salad. She then tried the noodles with sauce, and was again pleasantly surprised. She told Chitrah that they would need to buy more items from that vendor, and try them out. She placed some in a small bowl to have alongside her salad. Chitrah helped himself to what was left. Chitrah had noticed that Andriel had trouble lifting her arms, when she was making the salad. He knew she was hurting, but wasn't sure how to help her. When they were both seated at the dining table. Andriel recounted her experience of that afternoon. When she started describing the behaviour of the droid-driver, Chitrah was shocked. When she told him about it driving away, he was very upset. Droids were not supposed to behave that way. He wondered if someone had tampered with its programming, someone who did not like the smell of Nerfs.

They both enjoyed their dinner, and they both agreed that this was better than eating at the tea shop. Chitrah told Adriel that there was a baker who baked fresh bread every morning. They didn't know he was there before, because he always sells out by high noon, and they had only been there later in the day. He was thinking of going to the market first thing in the morning for a fresh baked loaf of bread, and some spreads. He could stop at the tea shop on the way back to grab a couple of fresh brewed cups of tea. That way, by the time she would have finished her morning shower and dressed, he should be back with breakfast. Andriel liked that idea. If she was dressed before he got back, she could go down to the tea shop, for the tea. They both agreed to play it by ear.

After dinner, Chitrah asked Andriel, if she was still tired and sore? She said she was, but was feeling better because of the meal. Chitrah told her that the shower in the bathroom also had a tub feature, he could set it up so that it would also shoot jets of water in the tub, to help with her sore muscles. He also thought he saw a packet of bubble bath, in their complimentary basket of toiletries. Andriel agreed that it was a good idea, and would be very happy if he could set it up. She was going to dig up something comfortable to sleep in, so that she could change into it when she was finished soaking in the tub. Chitrah had the shower change to tub mode. Programmed what he thought was a comfortable water temperature, he'll show Andriel how to adjust it. Then he thought that music would be a nice touch, but the only artist he could think of was Madame Bruinwa. The one who sang the lullaby. He did not want that album to be piped in here. He took a risk and asked the hotel computer what albums they had on file by Madame Bruinwa. They had two of her earlier albums, neither one had the lullaby. He selected one and set the volume so that you could barely hear it. He went and got the packet of bubble bath, and found Andriel sitting on the edge of her bed, waiting. He let her know everything was ready, and handed her the packet of bubblebath and let her know he had already opened it, because he did not know if her hands were also sore, which would make opening the packet almost impossible. She was grateful because her hands were also sore from gripping that brush all afternoon.

Andriel followed Chitrah into the bathroom where he explained all the adjustments she could make, then he left closing the bathroom door behind him. Andriel was so tired and sore she did not bother locking it after he left. She trusted Chitrah. She poured the entire content of the packet in the tub then threw it in the disposal. The tub foamed up nicely. Then she noticed the laundry bag with her stinky clothes in it, and thought why not, and dumped everything from the bag into the tub, then threw the bag in the tub. She would have to clean the clothes by herself anyway, because they smelt too bad to get someone else to wash them, even a laundry droid. She undressed and gently eased herself into the tub. She turned up the temperature just a little, and adjusted the waterjets pressure, to where it felt comfortable on her body. She eased back and relaxed, and that's when she heard the music. Soft, relaxing, somehow familiar, Chitrah seems to think of everything. What is she going to do about him? Chitrah had done one more thing for her that he did not mention. There was a safety feature in the programming, if she let her mouth and nose slip below the water level, the computer would assume that she was asleep, and about to drown, so an alarm would sound to wake her up. Fortunately she did not trigger the alarm. When Chitrah left her in the bathroom he went to the kitchen and put all the food items away that could still be used. They were told that the kitchen droid could not distinguish between what should be kept, and what should be thrown out. It assumed that any organic material it found was waste, and needed to be disposed of. After he had put the food away, he activated the droid. Next he collected all of the dishes off the dining table. and placed them on the kitchen counter. The droid would find them, clean them, and put them away. He spent the rest of the evening working on his work assignments.

When he was ready for bed, Andriel was still soaking in the tub. He knocked on the bathroom door and let her know that he was going to get ready for bed, and would change in her bedroom. She said that it was okay. Then he suggested that she not stay in the tub much longer, or she would end up as wrinkled as the dried berries she put in her salad. She thanked him for the warning, then she noticed the skin on her palms was indeed wrinkly. After Chitrah finished changing, he let her know the bedroom was hers again. Andriel decided that it was time for her to go to bed as well. She got out of the tub, told the computer to empty the tub, dried herself and got dressed for bed. When the tub was drained she picked up a piece of clothing from the bottom of the tub and sniffed it. It did not smell like Nerf. Then she noticed that there was a retractable line that she could string across the bathroom, so that she could hang her clothes to dry. She had thought that she would have to drape them on chairs and dressers, this was a much better solution. She wrung out the clothes the best she could, and hung them on the line. She set the bathroom fan to low, so that there would be continuous air circulation, but not make any noise to disturb Chitrah as he slept. She made sure the light in the bathroom was off before she opened the door, for the same reason. She walked as quiet as she could to the bedroom. Before she went in, she glanced at the couch to see if Chitrah was asleep. She almost started to panic, Chitrah was not there. The couch also looked different, she did not think it was because of the low light. She cautiously walked over to the couch. As she got closer, she noticed that the top pad on the couch was missing. When she was close enough to see the other side of the couch, she found Chitrah. He was sleeping on the floor. He had figured out how to remove the top pad of the couch, and was using it as a mattress on the floor. He had even taken the spare linen to make himself a nice bed. For a blanket he had spread a housecoat over the lower part of his body, and a thick shirt covered the upper part. Andriel had more blankets then she needed. So she went to her bedroom and took one of the blankets off her bed. She took it to the living room, carefully lifting off the housecoat and shirt. Then spread the blanket over him, making sure he was tucked in. While she was doing this, she was sure she heard Chitrah say, "Thank you mother." She almost started giggling. She went to sleep, and they both slept soundly that night. In the morning, Chitrah was surprised to find himself covered with a blanket. He was sure he dreamed that it was his mother who had come into his room, and covered him with a blanket. He will have to thank Andriel.

Chitrah quickly dressed in the bathroom. He wanted to be on his way to the market before Andriel awoke. When he saw all of Andriel's clothes hanging in the bathroom, he wondered, what is with women, that they have to hang clothes in the bathroom? His mother did it, his sister-in-law did it, and now Andriel was doing it. He asked his father once, his father looked at him with a very serious look on his face for a moment, than he replied, "That is one of the mysteries of the universe!" That was the best answer his father would give him. Chitrah sighed then headed out the door. He went straight to the baker and asked, which was the best bread to buy for someone who has never had his bread before? You never ask a baker which is the best bread he makes, that would be like asking a mother which child is her favourite, even if she had a favourite, she would still tell you she loves them all the same. By changing the question so it does not insult the baker, he gets to boast about the different types of bread that he makes. From the selection the baker offered, Chitrah picked one. It was still warm from the oven and had a wonderful smell. He then asked, what were the best spreads to put on his bread? The baker laughed at that question, and pointed out a vendor who made both sweet and savoury spreads. When Chitrah approached the vendor, she had a sample ready for him of some fresh zoochberry jam. Berry season was just starting and this was the first batch of jam she made this year. Chitrah bought some, and he also bought some of last year's marble berry jam. She expected to have this year's ready in about two cycles. She also let him sample some of the spreads she made from different vegetables, it was good for the mornings you did not want anything sweet. Chitrah bought some of those as well. She also had a type of nut butter that she let him try. She didn't make it, it came from a supplier off planet, but the children really liked it. Chitrah said he might get some next time. She suggested that he also get some cheese slices, and slices of pickled and smoked meats. When asked, she pointed out the vendors who sold those products. He didn't think he would have that for breakfast, but it would probably make a good lunch, so he went and bought some of those as well. Finally he stopped at the noodle lady and told her how much his wife enjoyed them. He bought more noodles, because they were good to have any time, and he bought some of the other sauces she thought he and his wife might enjoy.

He had a lot of packets along with the fresh bread, and he forgot to bring something to carry it all in, so his hands were full. He thought it best to take it all back to the apartment, before he dropped something, then he would go for their tea. When Andriel woke up she saw that Chitrah had already left for the market. The couch was back together, and the blanket was neatly folded on the couch with the linen. She went into the bathroom and took down all her clothes and threw them back into the laundry bag. She still wanted them properly washed before she would wear them again, but now she wasn't worried about giving them to a laundry droid. When she stepped out of the bathroom she noticed the flowers that Chitrah had purchased at the market yesterday, just lying on the bench by the door, along with three clear glass vases, and three white ceramic vases. She had forgotten all about them, again! She checked the flowers, the bases were wrapped and moist. The flowers were still okay. She thought it best that she deal with the flowers first, before going for some tea. She decided the glass vases would look better in the bedroom, and the white vases out here in the main room. She took everything to the kitchen counter by the sink. She found a pair of shears in a drawer, and used them to trim the flower stems in the sink. She put some water in all the vases and started arranging the flowers. As she was working with the flowers their gentle fragrance started to fill the apartment, it was starting to smell like her mother's home. By the time she had finished placing all the vases where she thought they looked best, she realised that Chitrah was not yet back from the market. Maybe she still had time to get the tea before he arrived back.

She almost collided with Chitrah, as he was coming in with his arms full, while she was heading out. She backed up and held the door for him to come in, then told him she was getting the tea. He placed everything on the dining table and opened all the packets so that he could show off all that he bought, before he put away what they would not be having for breakfast. Then he went and found a knife to cut the bread, and a cutting board. By this time Andriel was back with the tea. He held up the bread so Andriel could touch it, to see that it was still warm, and so that she could smell how wonderful it smelt.

Andriel did appreciate having fresh bread for breakfast and wanted to try a little bit of everything before it was put away. By the time she had sampling everything, sipping her tea with every new sample on a tasty piece of bread, she found that she had finished her tea, and would not be having breakfast, because she was full. She left Chitrah to finish eating, and put everything away, while she headed out to the dress shop. She also reminded Chitrah to take the one vase of flowers off the kitchen counter before activating the kitchen droid because it would just toss it out. When Chitrah had finished his breakfast, he rewrapped the perishable items, and placed them in the cooler. The rest of the items he put in a cupboard that he believed they were to use as a pantry. He threw out the wrappings that protected them while he brought them to their apartment. He made sure the dining table was clean of any crumbs, because that would be his work station for the day, then activated the kitchen droid, remembering to place the vase of flowers on the dining table. He took a quick shower because he had run out that morning without taking one, wanting to get to the market as early as possible, before all the good stuff was gone. While he dried off, he thought about the droids behaviour the other day, and decided to call the droid, to have a talk with him. He set the bathroom to sanitization mode without thinking, and called the driver droid to meet him in front of the hotel. By the time he had reached the main entrance to the hotel, the vehicle was already waiting. Instead of getting in the vehicle, he let the driving droid know he wanted to talk to him. He asked the droid if he had olfactory sensors built in to his droid body, or if there were any on the vehicle. The droid said no! Then what was the reason he had for locking his wife out of the vehicle. The droid said she smelled. Chitrah reminded the droid that it had no sense of smell, so it had no right to make that call. The droid responded that his wife had been with Nerfs, and Nerfs smell. Chitrah told the droid that its programming was faulty. It needed to go back to the maintenance shop and get reprogramed, and to report back to him after it was done.

The droid did as it was told. Chitrah went back to the apartment and started working on his designs. A very short time later the hotel main desk called to say his vehicle was waiting for him. At first Chitrah thought that more time had passed then he realised, but when he checked the time on his computer, he knew that not enough time had passed for the droid to be properly reprogrammed. He went to the front of the hotel and asked the droid if it had been reprogrammed? The droid responded, no! Chitrah asked why not? The droid responded that the mechanical technician had glanced at his program, and said it was fine. Chitrah told the droid to park its vehicle to the side, because it would soon be recalled.

Chitrah went back to the apartment to activate the communicator to contact the officials he reported to. So that they would know, that the driving droids had faulty programming that needs to be dealt with right away. Chitrah contacted the Ministry and told them about the droid locking his wife out of the vehicle because it said she stank, when it has no olfactory sensors to make that call. If a senior official came to Yitabo for a tour of the planet and a Nerf spat on him, the driver would not let them enter the vehicle, to the embarrassment of the people who worked in this office, not to mention the job losses, and lost promotions. This got their attention, promotions are what everyone here lived for. This was why they accepted positions on out of the way planets. They contacted the official in charge of all maintenance. They let him know that there is a programming problem with the driver droids. They explained about the droid locking Chitrah's wife out of the vehicle, they reminded the official, if that had been a visiting dignitary, that the personnel who did not lose their jobs, would never leave this planet. This official was anticipating that he would shortly be promoted off this planet, and did not want anything to ruin it. He called up a copy of the droid drivers programming. Sure enough, someone had added lines of illegal programming. He instructed the mechanical technician responsible for driver droids, and vehicle maintenance, to report to his office, immediately! The technician was pretty sure this had something to do with the alien computer geek that had sent a perfectly functional droid for reprogramming. When he arrived in the office the official asked him if he had altered the programming on the droid drivers. He never asked him to close the door or sit down, so everyone in the office knew that the boss was upset. The technician replied that he had. When asked why, he said that vehicles that come back from the country often smelled of Nerf, and the Ministry staff always complained to him if they got into a vehicle smelling of Nerf, and sometimes it was very difficult to get the smell out. The boss responded, "Because you introduced programming into the droids that was not Ministry approved. You will be fined one day's pay, and this official reprimand will go on your personal record. You also had to reprogram all the driver droids with Ministry approved programming, starting with the droid that is on loan to the field computer technician." Then the boss asked how often the vehicles are sanitized. He was told that this was the last thing done each day. The boss said, from now on, any vehicle that leaves the town is to be thoroughly sanitized, before being reintroduced to the vehicle pool on top of the regular sanitization at the end of the work day. The mechanical technician was embarrassed, having been reprimanded in front of the entire office, and with the reprimand on his personal record, he now had no hope of ever being transferred off this planet. With no hope of transfer, none of the single women in the Ministry would ever go out with him again. He swore that someday he would get back at this alien. He made no eye contact with anyone, as he made his way back to his work station.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Kenny entered Mr. Radcliff's office and placed a cushion on the roo-wood chair that was part of the set of chairs that came with the desk, and the upholstered chair that Mr. Radcliff was sitting on. Mr. Radcliff did not like having upholstered chairs for people who came to his office, to sit on. He claimed it helped them get to the point faster, and prevented any socializing. He never said anything to Kenny about bringing a cushion, because he wasn't other people.

Kenny reported all he had found out about the red skinned women, who accompanied Mrs. Grimshaw the other day. He said her name is Andriel, she came to Yitabo with her husband, a blue skinned alien, who works for the Ministry as a field computer technician. Mr. Radcliff interrupted. "Is that the same tech who came to look at our computer system?"

Kenny, who was used to Mr. Radcliff interrupting his reports said, "Yes". They are from the city of Dragnoor on Deysum III. It is speculated that it was an arranged marriage. No details on who or why the arrangement. They do not sleep on the same bed at night, as the hotel's household droid needs to take two changes of linen, when it enters their apartment. She is a skilled seamstress, who is working with Mrs. Grimshaw.

Mr. Radcliff muttered that that could be a complication.

They had music by Madame Bruinwa piped to their room last night by the hotel computer. She likes flowers and homemade noodles.

Because Kenny did not say anything more, Mr. Radcliff assumed the report was finished. He sat back to think for a minute, then leaned forward to address Kenny. "First thing we do is send flowers."

Kenny objected, "She's a married women!"

Mr. Radcliff replied, "If they are not sleeping together, then they are not married. Send flowers every day until she stops accepting them. Make sure the florist reports every day, on how they were received. Contact Madame Bruinwa's agent and see if she still does private bookings. Find out what performers from Deysum III, can come to Yitabo over the next two months for private bookings, and get me these items."

Kenny glanced at the list of items. "Crystal Violation, that's a rape drug, are you planning on raping her?"

"No, it's for him, I'm not an Imperialist, the drug increases the effects of alcohol consumption by tenfold. So one glass of ale would have the same effect as ten glasses drunk at once, that's why it's effective as a rape drug. I'm hoping that by slipping it into his drink, he will make a fool of himself in front of the whole community, and embarrass her, making it easier to reject him, and choose me."

"What about the Thyssel Bark extract, isn't that a hallucinogen?"

"Yes, it would be for her as a last resort, while in a hallucinogenic state it would be very easy for me to reveal to her all that my wealth and power can do for her."

Kenny did not like what he heard, but continued with the list. "What about the Denebrillan Star Silk, it might not be available anywhere in the Sith Empire."

"Then we will have to use are contacts, to hire a smuggler to bring it to us from the Galactic Republic. What good is wealth if you can't use it? One more thing, get word out that we will be sponsoring a BBQ at the next dance, and make all the arrangements that will be needed."

Kenny told his boss that he would get right on it, and left his office with his cushion under his arm. Kenny wondered if his boss had consumed some Thyssal Bark extract himself. His relationship with Mrs. Grimshaw was just starting to blossom. This obsession with this red skinned lady could destroy a lot of hard work, and good lives. The lady's beauty did not justify these actions, but he had never gone against his boss before, and he was not going against his boss now. He actually hoped that it would not play out the way his boss fantasized. This was going to take a lot of credits to get everything.

When Andriel arrived at the dress shop, she did not go in, but went around back. She found Mrs. Grimshaw sitting in the sunshine in the back, enjoying a cup of tea. She asked Andriel how she was feeling, if her arms were still sore. Andriel told her how Chitrah was able to turn their shower into a bathtub, with water jets to massage her body, getting rid of most of the soreness.

Mrs. Grimshaw told her that she has a good husband that treats her better than most men treat their wives. When Andriel did not respond Mrs. Grimshaw knew there was trouble in paradise, but it was not her place to interfere. She just hoped that whatever was bothering Andriel, would be resolved before both their lives were destroyed. She would be there for this red skinned lady, because she was growing rather fond of her. The closest thing she has to family.

Andriel took the top off the ceramic tub. She wanted to see what happened to it overnight. She saw that it had expanded, filling most of the tub. Her jacket was still on top. Mrs. Grimshaw handed her the stick she used yesterday, for her to fish her jacket out. Andriel wanted to know if she needed to put the vulcanised gloves on. "Not if everything worked like it was supposed to." So Andriel fished her jacket out. Mrs. Grimshaw pointed out the hose that was hanging on the back of the house. Told her to rinse it out real good to get rid of any residual chemicals. Then ring it out and hang it on the clothes line to dry. Andriel did not notice any damage to the jacket. It was definitely lighter in colour then it was before, almost as if it was bleached. But it still looked nice. She'd definitely wear it again.

She wanted to know, what should she do next? Mrs. Grimshaw told her to use the container she used yesterday to add chemicals to the tub to now take the liquid out. She can pour the liquid in the watering trough that was dug around her garden. Andriel thought that the chemicals would damage the plants. Mrs. Grimshaw assured her that the chemicals had been neutralized overnight by doing what they were supposed to. Andriel wanted to know how she could be so sure. Mrs. Grimshaw said it was because she did not scream when she touched her jacket after taking it out of the tub. Andriel wondered if all old people were strange, because her mother also talked like that. Andriel did as she was told, emptying the tub, but trying not to touch the nerf wool. Mrs. Grimshaw told her to fill the tub again but with just water. Andriel wanted to know why they didn't press the water out of the wool. Mrs. Grimshaw let her know that if they pressed the water out of the wool it would just be reabsorbed when they poured more water into the tub, wasting a lot of water. Also the water in the wool kept the wool from absorbing the chemicals they were trying to rinse off. Some societies take advantage of the nerf wool water absorbing properties, by making towels out of the wool. You also did not want to get caught out in the rain wearing nerf wool, because it would swell up making you look strange. As well as getting heavier the more water it absorbed. Why don't the Nerfs swell up when it rains? The oil that makes them smell so bad, acts like a water repellent, protecting them from the weather.

Andriel filled the tub then emptied it, repeating the process a total of six times. Then she placed a board on top of the wool, and placed weights on the board to try to push the water out of the wool. The weighted wool was too heavy to lift out of the tub, while it still held all the water. As the water was squeezed out she would scoop it out of the tub. Mrs. Grimshaw's garden was getting a good watering today. After placing all the weights on the board and getting the last of the water out of the tub, Andriel then removed the weights and the board from the tub. Then she picked up the wool, which was still quite heavy, and placed it on the table that Mrs. Grimshaw directed her to. At the end of the table, were two rollers, stacked one top of the other, held together by very strong springs. One of the rollers had a handle attached to it that she was to turn while passing the wool between the rollers, while still in the wool bag. The wool coming out the other side would land on a small table that was placed there. Andriel was surprised by how much water came out, as the wool passed through the rollers. The last thing that needed to be done was to hang the wool on the line to dry while still in the bag. Mrs. Grimshaw had her sit down, while she went inside and made them some tea. Andriel did not know how tired she was, until she sat down to rest. While she was resting she realised that Mrs. Grimshaw had done the very same thing as she just did with the wool, but all by herself, and many times. Where did she get the strength to do it?

When Mrs. Grimshaw came back with the tea she let Adriel know that they would not be able to work on the wool the following day, because it was market day. Women from all the outlying farms would be coming to town. Many will be coming to have adjustments made to their best dress, before the next dance, that will take place in three cycles. "Many will stare at you when they see you. We don't get many alien species come visit us on this planet, especially someone with skin as red as yours. They are all good people. Once they get over the shock of seeing you I'm sure most will open their hearts to you, and you will get along just fine. Wear something nice tomorrow to show off your seamstress skills. We will be working right through the lunch time, so pack something to eat and bring it with you. You can leave it in the cooler in my kitchen. You can come in and nibble, whenever you get a chance to take a short break. I'll be doing the same. We will be closing the shop early so that we can go down to the market and socialize. This is the only time a lot of the women get to talk to someone besides their husbands, and they want to take full advantage of it. Make sure you change into something else for the market. Once the ladies find out that you designed and made your own clothes, they will want your opinion on what you think will look good on them. And drag that husband of yours with you. The market is a sight to see, and when the men find out that he knows a thing or two about their computers, they will be asking him all sorts of questions."

After the tea, Andriel felt rested. She wasn't sore like she was yesterday. She could still move and stretch her arms and it felt good to do so.

Mrs. Grimshaw had declared that it was lunch time, Andriel needed to go home and warn her husband what to expect tomorrow, so she did.

At lunch when Andriel warned Chitrah about what to expect at the market tomorrow, Chitrah replied that he still did not have a good shirt to go with his suit. Andriel rebuked that idea, "Don't you dare wear your suit to the market. It's not a job interview, you're supposed to be off work, dress casual."

Chitrah asked Andriel if he could help him pick something out, because he did not want his outfit, to clash with what she wore. Andriel told him that she would be coming home to change before they go to the market. "Have your clothes spread out so that I can pick what I think would go best with what I will be wearing."

After Andriel left for the dress shop, Chitrah thought it would be best to go to the agro-equipment supplies store, to see just what they had for replacement electronic components, and cards, and boards. That way he could give the farmers a better answer about what should be repaired, and what should be replaced. He also wanted to see the equipment and space he would be allotted, to build the items he was designing. He needed to know if he would be able to spend all his time there, or if space is limited, he will have to go back and forth between the store and the apartment. When he entered the store he went straight to the customer service counter to introduce himself, and asked if the Ministry had contacted them about him. The customer service droid contacted someone, to let him know Chitrah Drashing was here. He was expected. The assistant store manager came out of his office, and told him how happy he was to meet him. He asked him if he could take him on a tour of the store, so he could see for himself the supplies they had to help him with his projects. During the tour, he will also explain some of the services they offer. It might help him to complete his projects faster, if they helped with the more mundane stuff, letting him concentrate on what was important. Then he will take him to the work area they had prepared for him, in their warehouse area.

It was a very thorough tour. Chitrah was able to see more of the store, than he would have on his own. They supplied more services then he would have expected. He could see the time savings for him if they helped with what they could do. He was now in a better position to help the farmers with the questions they might have.

The work station they offered him was larger than he anticipated. They also placed a desk nearby so it would be easier to modify his designs on the fly. They showed him all the equipment he would have access to. Some he would have to operate himself, some were droid assist. They showed him a cubicle were he could review operating instructions for all the equipment. They showed him a locker with all the safety equipment he would be required to wear when operating some of the equipment. Overall, Chitrah was very impressed. It was like they thought about what he might need, and tried to cover every contingency as well. He told them that he would be coming in, the day after market day. The assistant manager was pleased to hear that. The manager also told him that he was free to use the staff dining room, if he was inclined to bring a packed lunch and showed it to him. Chitrah agreed that there would be days were it would be more convenient for him take up this offer.

Chitrah was jubilant when he returned to the apartment. He was sure that it would take him much less time to complete this assignment then the six months he's been allotted.

When Andriel came home for dinner, she could see that he was quite happy about something. He put away all his equipment, cleared the dining table, and offered his help to prepare dinner. (It was her turn). Andriel had him wash sum stuff, chop up some other stuff, and before she knew it, dinner was ready. After they had sat down at the dining table for their dinner, Andriel could not take it anymore. She asked him to tell her what it was that he was dying to tell her. Chitrah told her that they don't have to be here for the six months that the Imperials thought it would take him to do this job. With the help he was getting from the agro-equipment business, he might be able to complete his assignments in less than two months from today. Andriel did not know how to take this news. She enjoyed working with Mrs. Grimshaw. There was a lot that she wanted to learn from her, but there was not much for her to do in the evenings after the dress shop closed. She could get easily bored staying here over the long run. She told Chitrah about how she was feeling about this news. She felt it was best not to hide anything from him. She told him that he should do what he feels is right. Chitrah let her know that he thinks that he should get as much done as he can, as quick as possible. If he sees that she needs more time here, he can always slow down. But if they feel they need to leave quickly, it is harder to speed up. Andriel agreed that that was the sensible way to do it. That way they had more options. After dinner Chitrah went back to working on his projects. Andriel was happy to see him happy about his work. She put all the foodstuffs away then activated the kitchen droid. She decided to go for a long walk, she found it amazing that since she met Chitrah that things could go quickly and slowly at the same time.

The next morning, while Chitrah was away buying bread for their breakfast, she had just finished dressing when the hotel computer informed her that there was a delivery for her at her door. She checked the monitor and there was a man. It looked like the flower vendor, standing there with a big bouquet of flowers. Andriel cautiously opened the door and saw that it was indeed the flower vendor from the market. He handed her the bouquet and told her that he was asked to deliver these flowers to her. Andriel did not know what to do. She certainly did not know anyone who would send her flowers. She took them because that is what she thought she should do.

The flower vendor noted her reaction, he would let Kenny know that shock was the best way to describe how she reacted. She said thank you, and closed the door. She took a few steps before she noticed that there was a note. The note said, "You are like sunshine on a cold day." Signed R.R.

That's how Chitrah found her when he came back from the market, standing with a bouquet in one hand, the note in the other, wondering who R.R. is? Chitrah asked Andriel where she got the flowers from. It was like she snapped out of a daze, and told Chitrah what just happened. Chitrah knew in his gut that it was wrong for anyone to send his wife flowers out of the blue. He asked if she knew who sent them. She told him that the note says R.R., she did not know any R.R., in fact, apart from Chitrah and Mrs. Grimshaw there was no one else on this planet that she knew, except Rudy the Nerf-herding droid, and droids don't send flowers, and they did not smell of Nerf. Chitrah could not help but smile at that comment. When Andriel saw that Chitrah smiled at her comment she smiled too. She felt better that he smiled, like him she felt something was wrong.

Chitrah suggested that she show Mrs. Grimshaw the note. He was sure that she would know who R.R. is. Andriel thought that this was a good idea, she too felt confident that Mrs. Grimshaw would know. He asked her, what is she going to do with the flowers? She said she wasn't sure. She hated to throw flowers out but there was too much here. It was obvious that she had not gone to get their tea, so he told her he would go get the tea, while she figured out what to do. When he came back, he found that she had left the bouquet on the kitchen counter, while she got everything else ready for breakfast. Chitrah was happy to see that she was not too attached to them. She loved flowers, but she was practical, she hated waste. These flowers were wasted to her.

While they ate breakfast, she told him that she thought the best thing to do was to go through all the flowers in the vases, and pull out all the ones that were starting to wilt and leave them on the kitchen counter for the kitchen droid to dispose of. Then replace those flowers with fresh ones from the bouquet, any flowers that were left would be handled by the kitchen droid. Chitrah thought it was a practical solution, even though he thought they should just be thrown away, but she was more practical than he was. So after breakfast he put the food stuff away while she dealt with the flowers. It did not take her long. She was on her way out the door while he activated the droid.

When she arrived at the dress shop Mrs. Grimshaw had not yet opened, and there was a group of ladies waiting to get in. When Mrs. Grimshaw saw her, she called her to come in. The ladies were surprised by this, almost as much as they were surprised at seeing her. Mrs. Grimshaw was just finishing her morning tea, and she thought it would be better for Andriel and the ladies if they saw Andriel in the dress shop with her before it opened.

Andriel told her about the bouquet of flowers and showed her the note that came with it. When Mrs. Grimshaw saw the note, it was as if some had slapped her in the face, this frightened Andriel. She hoped that she had not done anything wrong. Mrs. Grimshaw said she knows who sent her the flowers. She did not tell her that he had sent her flowers once, with the exact same phrase. "R.R. stands for Rudy Radcliff."

Andriel asked, "Why would he send me flowers? I don't know him. I've never met him. And I'm a married woman!"

"Why indeed?"

"Andriel, I think its best that you not say anything about the flowers or the note to the ladies."

"Yes Mrs. Grimshaw, anything you say."

"We'll talk about this later."

"Okay Mrs. Grimshaw."

Andriel could tell from the way she spoke that Mrs. Grimshaw was not upset with her. Maybe she was upset with R.R.
Mrs. Grimshaw opened the shop door, and invited the ladies in. She introduced Andriel to them, told them that she was from Deysum III, that she was here with her husband, who is doing some work for the Ministry, and if they want to know the quality of her work, she designs and sews her own clothes. Then she asked Andriel to do a turn for the ladies, so that they could appreciate her work. The ladies did. They knew quality craftsmanship when they saw it, and they felt more comfortable now, with her helping Mrs. Grimshaw. Mrs. Grimshaw knew that she would not have to repeat anything that she just said. Any new arrivals would be told by the ladies that were still waiting to be served, everything that they had been told. It would be repeated throughout the day, and they would talk about it when they went back to the market.

Mrs. Grimshaw and Andriel worked well as a team. You would have thought that they had been doing this for years. For Andriel it was like working with her mother. She recognised in Mrs. Grimshaw's work that she had trained others before. The ladies were happy that they did not have to wait as long as they did on previous visits. Once in a while Mrs. Grimshaw would send Andriel to her kitchen. Andriel would make enough tea for everyone. This way they got to have a short break while they sipped their tea and talked to the customers. The customers appreciated getting a cup of tea and did not notice that Mrs. Grimshaw and Andriel were taking a break.

As it drew closer to midday, Mrs. Grimshaw would send Andriel for a quick bite, then when she came back Mrs. Grimshaw would go for a quick bite. It became a pattern, tea and a quick bite, until Mrs. Grimshaw closed the shop for the day.

What the customers saw was that there was always someone there to serve them, and no-one complained.

After Mrs. Grimshaw locked the door they both retired to the kitchen to relax and have some tea and finish whatever was left of their lunches. Mrs. Grimshaw told her that she hadn't worked like that in years, it felt good. Andriel told her that she felt like she was working with her mother back on Deysum III. Mrs. Grimshaw knew a compliment when she heard one.

Mrs. Grimshaw thought it would be best if she was honest with Andriel, she told Andriel that she and Rudy had been an item once. He had even sent her flowers once with the exact same words, as were on her note. Now Andriel knew why she reacted the way she did when she saw the note. She thought their relationship might be going somewhere, when all of a sudden it stopped. She did not know why, but it was like she did not exist anymore. "She saw Kenny in town a couple of times, and tried to talk to him but he wouldn't. You could see that he wanted to and she felt that he was hurt by this as well. But he has always been loyal to Mr. Radcliff, so he would frown and walk away. At least he did not pretend that I did not exist. Now this! I've never heard of Mr. Radcliff behaving like this in all the years I've lived here. So be very careful, as I told you before, he is the wealthiest man on this planet, and with that type of wealth comes power. He might try to use that wealth to destroy the relationship you have with your husband. You should also be aware that you can't hide things very well on this planet. Everyone knew that we had a budding relationship. Some may feel they need to hate you for my sake. We need to let them know that they should love you for my sake. In the short time you have been here you have been like a daughter to me."

"And you remind me of my mother."

"I would hate it if anything came between us."

Hearing this was very upsetting for Andriel, she did not want to cause this women any pain, but pain has been following her from Deysum III.

Mrs. Grimshaw told her it was important for Andriel and Chitrah to meet up with her at the market. She was sure the flower vendor has probably told one or two people this morning about his delivery, which means the whole market has heard by now. Andriel understood what Mrs. Grimshaw was trying to make her understand, so it was decided where it would be best for them to meet.

When Andriel went back to the apartment she told Chitrah everything that Mrs. Grimshaw had told her. This was serious. "Then she better seriously help him pick out what to wear."

Andriel realised he was trying to change her mood, and was thankful. So she pointed out the items that she thought would go best with what she would be wearing. Then he asked her to tell her how things went at the dress shop, because she had told him that it would be a special day. So she started to tell him as she went to her bedroom to change, she left the door open so that he could hear her, as she described her day. She would glance at the door to see if he was trying to take a peak. Chitrah was changing as well in the living room, and he was trying to hurry so that she would not catch him with his pants down, literally. When he finished dressing, he packed up all the clothes that he had placed out for Andriel to choose from. All the while listening to what she had to say. He told her that he wished he had gone to the dress shop that morning to see how well she and Mrs. Grimshaw worked together. Andriel thought she would tease him, "Why, so that you could see all the half-naked women in the shop?" Andriel had finished dressing and had just stepped through the bedroom door into the living room. She arrived just in time to see Chitrah's cheeks go purple. He replied, "I did not think of that, I was thinking more of seeing poetry in motion, or if you prefer, the dress dance."

Andriel giggled when she saw him blushing. "Chitrah you embarrass too easily."

Chitrah smiled and promised that he would try to make it harder next time. Andriel did feel better after that talk.

When they left the hotel, Andriel placed her hand in Chitrah's arm causing him to feel like a giant among mere mortals. They met up with Mrs. Grimshaw who took her other arm and hooked it with hers, and started to walk through the market together. Mrs. Grimshaw would say hello to the people she knew, and she knew practically everyone. They came across some farmers standing in an empty stall. Mrs. Grimshaw introduced Andriel and Chitrah to them, letting them know that he was here to hook up some computers to communicate with the big Ministry computer.

Right on cue one of the farmers said, "Than you must be familiar with our computer system." Chitrah being modest told them that he was not an expert but he did understand the basics of how they work. The farmer let him know that that was more than most computer technicians he has met. Then they asked him some test question, to see if he knew what he was talking about. They liked his answers, so they asked more questions. Again he gave more good answers. Then they started asking questions that they did not know the answers to, and he was able to help them find answers. Chitrah knew that these farmers were barely making a living, if his answers could help them save money, than they could afford to buy their wife a new dress, or new clothes for their kids, or maybe save a little money so that they can send their kids off planet to complete their education. It was a win-win situation for everyone. The more questions he answered, the bigger the crowd of farmers around him. Andriel and Mrs. Grimshaw made their way out of the crowd, abandoning Chitrah to his fate.

When they got to the edge of the crowd, Andriel and Mrs. Grimshaw hooked their arms together and kept walking. Andriel whispered, "You did that on purpose!" Mrs. Grimshaw smiled and said, "Yep!" Then they both laughed.

Word spread like wild fire through the market that they can't be enemies, because they are walking through the market arm in arm, and they are laughing together. What none of them knew was that the staff from the Ministry were at the market, and they saw Chitrah talking with the farmers, and that they were listening to everything he had to say. They recognised that this was good PR for them and would make any future interaction easier for them. They knew they had to put it in there next report, since reporting good news always made you look better then reporting bad news. The better you looked, the sooner your promotion. Some of the ladies that had been at the dress shop earlier that day noticed that Andriel was wearing a different outfit then what she wore at the shop, so they would stop her so that she would show it off. As Andriel and Mrs. Grimshaw were wondering around the market, they came across a food vendor selling sliced meat on a bun. He was not a regular vendor, he only came on the market day. As they were walking past his stall, the smell of what he was cooking wafted past their noses. It was so delicious of a smell that Andriel's stomach started to growl. Mrs. Grimshaw started to laugh, and suggested that they get a bite to eat. Andriel had never seen this sliced meat on a bun before and asked her what it was. Mrs. Grimshaw explained that the gentleman takes nerf meat and slices it, putting sweet and mild spices on each slice. Then he stacks the slices so it looks like one piece of meat. He keeps the meat in a cooler for a time allowing the flavour of the spices to work through the meat. He then takes a metal skewer and pushes it through the meat, and then places it on some supports over some hot coals and slowly turns the meat. He will slice open some buns that the baker has prepared just for him, and place some Sizhranian Lettuce in the buns. Then he will take a scoop of roasted Ojomian Onions which he has diced, placing them on top of the lettuce. Then he well go to the meat and shave off the outside portion that is cooked and places it in the bun he has just prepared. He finally tops this off with a special sauce that only he knows the recipe. Many of the women in the market have tried to persuade him to share his recipe, but no-one has been successful. Andriel's mouth was watering from the description, so she bought two. One for each of them. The vendor suggested that she water it down with new ale, which a vendor, a few stalls over was selling. The bun tasted so good that she had to try the new ale with it. They went to the new ale vendor and ordered a couple of glasses, and of course Andriel wanted to know what new ale was. He told her that he takes grassgrain seeds and roasts them so that most of the starches are converted to sugars. You don't have to use grassgrain, any grain will do. After the seeds have been roasted, you crush them and drop them in clear fresh boiling water. The boiling water takes in all the sugars and nutrients from the seeds. You filter the sugar-water mixture to separate it from the seed pulp that is made from being boiled. You can feed the seed pulp to Nerfs, they love it. You let the sugar-water mixture cool to just above room temperature put it in some pressure sealable containers until they are almost full, add some yeast and seal them. The carbon dioxide gas that is normally released during fermentation stays in solution because the vessels are sealed. When the pressure reaches a certain point the fermentation stops because there is too much carbon dioxide in the solution for the yeast to live. You chill it, filter it, and serve. It is much sweeter than a regular ale, because the yeast was not allowed to finish the fermentation process. In fact the alcohol content is so low that it is considered safe for children. She tried a sip from the glass she was given. Before she could get a sip the gas bubbles coming out of the drink tickled her nose and made her sneeze, it was a good thing she did not have a mouthful of meat on a bun when she sneezed, it would have made an awful mess. She tried again, trying not to get any bubbles up her nose. It was a nice sweet grainy taste. Not too sweet, with a little bit of sour from the yeast. It was cool and refreshing, and the bubbles felt funny in her throat. She let Mrs. Grimshaw know that she thought it was really good, who just smiled and took another bite of her bun, chasing that with a sip of new ale.

All of a sudden Andriel gasped, "Chitrah!" "I don't think he's had anything to eat yet. He must be starving!" She handed her partially eaten bun and glass to Mrs. Grimshaw. Bought another glass of new ale from the vendor. Quickly walked back to the food vendor and bought another sliced meat on a bun, then quickly walked back to where she believed they left Chitrah. Mrs. Grimshaw followed behind, because she could not eat while holding her food and Andriel's. Andriel found the crowd of farmers surrounding her husband, but could not find a way through them. Finally she stood behind two farmers and ask, begged, if she could get through them to her husband. They turned and knew right away who she was, though they had never met her before. They saw that she was carrying some food and a drink, and knew why she wanted to get to her husband. They tapped on the shoulders of the farmers in front of them and told them that a lady needs to get through to her husband. A gap opened up in the crowd of farmers as they started to pass the word along. As soon as she entered the gap it closed behind her. To Mrs. Grimshaw it was like the crowd had swallowed her. Andriel followed the gap all the way to her husband. As she approached she heard him talking with a farmer about the diagnostic software in their computers, how to use it to help them determine whether they had a software or hardware problem.

When the farmer saw Andriel approaching through the crowd he stopped talking. This cause Chitrah to turn around just as Andriel got up to him. Andriel asked Chitrah, if he was hungry? Because she brought him something to eat. He let her know that up until now he did not know he was hungry, but now that he has seen some food, he is starving. All the farmers knew what he was talking about. He had bite and a sip and said it was good. Than he asked her what it was. She told him that she would tell him later, because right now there are still some gentlemen who wanted to talk to him. Before she turned to leave she told him that if he was still hungry after he finished what she brought him, to ask one of the gentlemen to find her, and she would gladly bring him some more. When she turned to leave, the crowd parted before her and closed up behind her. While Andriel was making her way back through the crowd, Mrs. Grimshaw heard the men talking about how good a wife the computer guy's wife is. Why is Mr. Radcliff trying to come between them? All the farmers knew what it was like to be so caught up in their work that they forget to go grab a bite to eat, and how appreciative they are when their wife remembers to bring something out to them. To them it was a big deal to have a woman looking out for her man. In their eyes she has shown herself to be a very good woman. This talk brought a tear to her eye because they were starting to see Andriel the way she did. Everything was going better than she could have hoped.

When Andriel got back, Mrs. Grimshaw handed her food to her and the two of them walked along eating their buns and sipping their new ale. Mrs. Grimshaw leaned towards Andriel and told her that all the farmers are talking about her.

Andriel leaned back and asked, "What are they saying?"

"They like you! They think you are a good wife!"

Andriel was pleased because she knew that Mrs. Grimshaw was pleased. They continued to walk around and enjoy themselves. To Andriel this was so amazing, she never thought that the market would be so huge. She thought that Mrs. Grimshaw was exaggerating when she said it would be 100 times bigger. It really was, maybe even bigger. What made it even better was that everyone was so nice. She was sure that it was because Mrs. Grimshaw was with her, so she gave her arm a hug. Mrs. Grimshaw asked, "Why did you do that?"

"Because you are my guardian angel!"

Later, Andriel took Chitrah another sliced meat on a bun and a glass of new ale. She thought he would be so caught in talking with the farmers that he wouldn't notice that he was still hungry, or be too reluctant to send anyone to look for her. This time when she approached through the crowd she overheard them talking about the services that the agro-equipment supplies store offered. Most of the farmers did not know that they offered the basic level diagnostic services for boards, cards and components for free.

"They do this because you are the one plugging in the item that you want tested, and initiating the testing program. This leaves them free to work with other customers, and running the other more expensive diagnostic equipment."

It was not hard for the farmers to see that taking advantage of what was already built into their systems, and the free services offered by the agro-equipment supplies store. They could maintain their computer systems, operating at optimal levels, maximizing yields. Basically it would cost less and they would make more, who wouldn't want that.

Of course Chitrah was happy to see Andriel come through the crowd again, and happier still that she brought him more food. She left him again because she was sure that the farmers still wanted to ask him questions.

When she got back to Mrs. Grimshaw, Mrs. Grimshaw said she overheard some of the farmers' wives talking. They had heard the farmers talking about how the info that the computer tech was sharing would save them credits. If their husbands were going to be saving credits then maybe they could talk them into letting them buy a new dress. Maybe they could get Mrs. Grimshaw's friend to design one for them. Andriel could hear the pride in Mrs. Grimshaw's voice when she shared that.

All too soon they heard the mayor of the town walking through the market ringing a hand bell, declaring the market closed. To Andriel it seemed like she had only explored half the market when they heard it was closed. She was already looking forward to next week to explore the other half. She wonder if she would find something as delicious as the sliced meat on a bun, and new ale. They met up with Chitrah where they had left him, still talking. The mayor had to come by to convince the farmers that they should go home. It was only after Chitrah promised that he would come to the next market that they agreed to go home.

For some of the farmers if they left for home right away, it would be well after sunrise before they arrived home. This was where a droid driver was indispensable. Most of the farmers' wives had transformed the inside of the module on their repulse-lift vehicles (farm skiffs) into mobile nests for their families to sleep in, as they were being driven home. The families with children would already have their little ones, asleep, and tucked safely away, in their vehicles. The ones who did not yet have children, called it their love nest.

That was quite the market! Everyone had a lot to think about until next week. One question on everyone mind was, what was Mr. Radcliff up to?

Andriel and Chitrah bade Mrs. Grimshaw a good night and thanked her for all her help.

When they left to walk back to their apartment, Andriel unconsciously hooked her arm in Chitrah's arm, because she had walked all day like that with Mrs. Grimshaw. Chitrah did not say anything, because he did not want to spoil the moment. It wasn't until they arrived back at their apartment and stopped, so Chitrah could unlock the door that Andriel realized that her arm was in Chitrah's. Her cheeks became dark as the blood rushed to them, she apologized and withdrew her arm. When Chitrah held the door open for her, as she walked by, he said, "Thank you!"

"What for?"

"For letting me feel like your husband, while we walked home."

Andriel's cheeks went even darker, "Your welcome."

Later that night, just before she fell asleep, she told herself, Chitrah is a nice guy, and if holding his arm, is enough to keep him happy, she should do it more often.

The next morning instead of going to the market for bread, Chitrah went and got some tea instead. Andriel was surprised to see him still in the apartment as she went into the bathroom to shower and freshen up for the day. She was even more surprised to see that he was still there sipping tea when she got out. She asked him what he was doing, he told her that he was just waiting for the next delivery of flowers. She looked at him in wonder, "You believe that he is going to have more flowers deliver?"

"Yep!"

Just then the hotel computer spoke up saying that there was a delivery for Andriel at their door. Chitrah looked at Andriel with a smile on his face. He pointed to the door and said, "It's for you."

Andriel went and opened the door. Sure enough the flower guy was standing there with a smile on his face and a big bouquet of flowers in his hands. He started to hand the flowers to Andriel saying, "It's for you." Andriel stepped back and said "No! We already have more than enough flowers in this apartment. I have no plans to turn this place into a botanical garden. Go deliver them to the person who paid or them." With that she closed the door. Chitrah smiled, got up and handed her the rest of his tea. He then told her he was going for some bread. When he left Andriel leaned against the wall a little shaken, grateful that Chitrah had given her his tea and that the tea was still hot. "When will he stop? What will he do next?"

When she finished the tea, she went down and bought some more tea, for both of them. During breakfast Chitrah told her that he doubted that Mr. Radcliff will have flowers delivered here again for a while. Andriel wanted to know, how long will a while be? Chitrah thought he would do it again when one of them bought fresh flowers at the market, again.

They both went on with that day, with what they had planned. Chitrah went to the agro-equipment supplies store to work on his designs. Andriel went to the dress shop. Chitrah gave them the instructions for some of the cards he would like them to assemble for him. Mrs. Grimshaw started teaching Andriel how to spin the wool. When Andriel asked her who was going to do all the work that came in yesterday, Mrs. Grimshaw assured her that there was not enough work to keep them both busy for the week. Andriel agreed. If they both worked steady they could have it all done in two, maybe two and a half days. Then they would sit talking and drinking tea. It was better if they both had something to keep them occupied, they would still talk, but they would not get bloated from drinking too much tea. After Andriel had the hang of spinning the wool, Mrs. Grimshaw went and started working on the alterations.

The next couple of days seemed pretty normal for them as they carried on. Then payday came. Chitrah's first payday since he was married. After stopping by the Ministry to collect his credits, Chitrah went to the market. He remembered Andriel's mother telling him that she had a bit of a sweet tooth, so he should get her a sweet treat once and a while to keep her happy. At the market he found a young vendor who made balls of sweet dough, coated them in honey then baked them. He let Chitrah sample one. It was delicious. He realised too late that he should not have said that he was buying some for his wife, because she has a sweet tooth. There were too many people nearby who could hear him. One of them could very easily sell that information to Mr. Radcliff. He also bought some for himself, because Andriel was not the only one with a sweet tooth.

On the way to the apartment, he stopped in to buy some tea to have with their treats. He was actually surprised to see Andriel home before him. He said, "Guess what today is?"

She replied like she had no clue, "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

"It's payday, and I bought you a treat."

Andriel knew it was payday. That was why she was home early. She was raised knowing that she would be handling the finances for her household. To do that properly she had to keep track of when her husband would be paid. It was not that she was greedy for money, she wasn't, it was that she felt responsible, it was in her blood.

When she heard that Chitrah had bought her a treat, her eyes lit up. Chitrah handed her the package he bought for her. She opened it up and saw the honey covered dough balls. She had to have one right away. While she picked out her fist one, Chitrah walked over to the dining table and placed their tea and his treats on the table. When Andriel had her first taste, she almost melted. "These are so good! Wait how did you know that I like sweet treats?"

"Your mother told me."

"What else did my mother tell you?"

"She told me that if I wanted you to be happy I should buy you sweet treats once in a while, because you have a sweet tooth. I should not buy them too often or you would think I was trying to buy your love. If I was trying to buy your love then that would mean I thought you were a prostitute."

The frankness with which he shared his knowledge of her was a bit of a shock to her. Her mother loved her. She knew in her heart that she would never betray her. But why was she so willing to share details about her with someone she had met only once before? "What else did she share with you?"

"Something I hope you never find out! Before I forget, this is all that's left after I paid for the treats and the tea."

"Did you keep any money back for expenses?"

"No! Your mother said that you would give me enough for my expenses, and if it wasn't enough to let you know."

"What is in the other package?"

"The same thing that is in yours. I decided to treat myself."

This whole conversation was confusing for Andriel. On one hand Chitrah was being honest and forthright with her, on the other he has admitted that he has some personal knowledge of her that he was hoping she would never find out. Does this mean that he knows how to manipulate her into doing what he wants? That would mean her own mother has betrayed her.

"Has my mother betrayed me to you?"

"No! Of course not! How could you even think such a thing of her? All I will tell you is that she gave me detailed instructions on how to care for you if you became ill. Which is why I did not want you to find out because I don't want you to ever get sick. Does that sound like your mother betrayed you?"

Andriel felt bad inside. She had pushed him too hard, and now he was upset. She should have trusted her mother, even though she is still learning to trust him. Her eyes watered knowing that she had not trusted her mother.

She bowed her head and said a feeble, "I'm sorry."

Chitrah reached over and gently took her one hand. With his other hand he put his finger under her chin and gently lifted her face so that they were both looking in each other's face. She saw that he also had tears in his eyes. While she was looking in his eyes, he softly spoke, "On behalf of both of us, I forgive you."

She knew in her heart, that he spoke the truth. Her mother had also forgiven her. She smiled just a little and said, "Thank you! Thank you, to both of you!"

Chitrah took his hand away from her chin. "I know it's been hard, it's been hard on both of us. Why don't we both sit down, and enjoy our treats, then I will share some more bad news."

She let Chitrah lead her to the table and like the gentleman that he is, he sat her down, making sure that she was comfortable, then went and sat himself down. After having a drink of her tea, she let Chitrah know he could share the bad news, it would not stop her from enjoying her treats.

This was one thing he admired about her, how she continued to enjoy the little things in life, while being shredded emotionally.

He told her how he had told the vendor that he was buying the treats for his wife, because she has a sweet tooth. Andriel asked why that was bad news? He told her that others could have heard, and the information has probably been passed along to Mr. Radcliff. Now she understood. He let her know that there would probably be another delivery in the morning of something, because Mr. Radcliff seemed like the type who likes to exploit knowledge.

The next morning, Chitrah again held back from going to the market for bread. He made a quick dash for a cup of tea, and was back before Andriel got up. When she went to the bathroom to take a shower and freshen up, she was not surprised to see Chitrah at the dining table, with a cup of tea. She thinks she wished him a good morning, but wasn't sure because she wasn't fully awake. A nice hot shower, first thing in the morning, always brings her fully awake. When she stepped out of the bathroom, she was fully dressed and wide awake. She looked at Chitrah, he shook his head no. She came over to him and had a sip of his tea. He told her that it shouldn't be much longer.

"They probably know the morning schedule we keep. They can tell by the hotel's computer that when the hot water stops flowing to our apartment it means that you have stopped taking your shower. They would give you time to dry yourself and do what it is you do in the morning, then dress. Give you a little more time so that they don't catch you at an awkward moment, then notify the hotel computer that they are at the door with a delivery."

Then the hotel computer interrupts them to inform them that there is a delivery at the door for Andriel. Chitrah smiled, while Andriel went to open the door. The flower man was standing at the door with a colourful box in his hand. He could tell that she was not happy to see him, she did not even to bother to say hello as she had in his last visits. He put on his biggest smile and said, "A box of Very Berry candies for you."

Andriel retorted, "Are you nuts? Are you trying to make me fat? I want you to leave right now. Take that box of candies to whoever sent you."

Then she slammed the door shut. This Mr. Radcliff was getting under her skin. When she turned around with an angry look on her face, Chitrah could not contain himself any longer, and burst out laughing. Then she started laughing. Her reaction to the candy surprised even her. When she caught her breath, she confessed that if he had offered her the same sweet treats as Chitrah had bought her, she may have accepted them. That may have been the source of her anger because she was disappointed. Chitrah told her that if she had accepted sweet treats, he would have asked her to share with her husband, and they both laughed again. Chitrah went to the market to get bread for breakfast, he found the baker packing up. He had sold out. Chitrah was disappointed with himself that he did not get there in time. He put his hands in his pockets, thinking they would have to have noodles for breakfast. Before he could turn around and leave, the baker called him over. He told him that he saw the flower vender leave to make a delivery. So he figured that Chitrah would be coming late, so he set aside a loaf for them. Chitrah was so grateful that he offered to pay double the price. The baker said that the regular price was enough. Chitrah wanted to know why? The baker told him that he has been helping his friends expecting nothing in return. It was his turn to do the same. Chitrah gave him a hearty hand shake to express his thanks, and hurried back to the apartment to tell Andriel what just happened.

When Andriel arrived at the dress shop she could hardly speak because she wanted to tell Mrs. Grimshaw all that had happened that morning. Mrs. Grimshaw had her take a deep breath and start from the beginning. After they had a good laugh, Mrs. Grimshaw started to teach Andriel how to knit since there was no wool left to spin. She also reminded Andriel that market day was only a day away, and she needed to have some nice clothes ready to show off. Andriel reminded her that she is living out of a suitcase. After this market day she would have nothing new to wear. Mrs. Grimshaw thought about that while she finished the last of the alterations. Finally she spoke, "We know the women like your designs. Why don't you design some new dresses? We can sew them together, and you can wear them on market day. We can let the women know that the dresses are for sale, and we can throw in the alterations for free. That way you can have something new to wear each market day, and the women get to wear one of your designs."

"What if the woman who wants to buy it, has the wrong body type for the design?"

"We will be upfront with them and let them know that that design would not look good on them, and that you will try to design something that you would wear and would look good on them too."

Andriel really liked that idea, now if only she could get her hands on Chitrah's computer, she would be able to come up with some good designs in a relatively short time.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, the flower vendor was telling Mr. Radcliff how angry Andriel was at being offered the box of candy, accusing him of trying to make her fat. Meanwhile Kenny was sitting on the other chair in Mr. Radcliff's office, helping himself to the candy. After the flower vendor finished his report, Mr. Radcliff started to cross examine him. Asking if he was sure his source heard Andriel's husband correctly. He was sure. He was the vendor whose stall is next to the baker's son, who sold the sweet dough balls. He heard him tell the baker's son that he was buying them for his wife because she has a sweet tooth.

Mr. Radcliff dismissed him, and Kenny paid him the credits he asked for. After the flower vendor left, Kenny told Mr. Radcliff, "Sometimes you can't understand women." Inside he was happy with the way things turned out, especially since he got a box of his favourite candy. Mr. Radcliff wanted to know how things were progressing with the list he gave him. Kenny told him that Madam Bruinwa was booked solid for the next 2 ½ years. Her agent told him that they were all ironclad contracts, the only way she could get out of them was if she lost her voice. He was able to book private performances with quite a number of artists from Deysum III. Some of the younger artist did not have good managers who read the contracts carefully. He was able to slip in a none-performance clause. If Andriel did not come to dinner there would be no performance, no performance meant no pay. Only the cost of travel would be covered.

They would start arriving right after the BBQ and dance. There is a different artist or group booked for each night for a solid month to try to persuade Andriel to come to dinner with him.

Mr. Radcliff was happy with what Kenny had accomplished in booking the artist. Now he wanted to know about the remaining items on the list.

The Crystal Violation should be there the day after market day. Kenny will personally make sure it does not get inspected. The Thyssel Bark extract should be there by the end of the cycle. The Denebrillan Star Silk has been located in Republic space, no description on how it looks, only that there is more than enough to make a dress. Funds have been distributed, a smuggler has been hired. It should arrive in less than two cycles.

Mr. Radcliff was pleased with the report. Everything was going as planned.

On market day everything was going the way Andriel thought it would. The ladies waiting outside the dress shop greeted her as if she was an old friend. They complimented her on her nice outfit, one even asked if she would design something for her? Andriel let her know that she would have to talk to Mrs. Grimshaw about that. When Mrs. Grimshaw saw her waiting outside, she let her in. After their greetings, Andriel told her about the lady who asked if she could design an outfit for her. Mrs. Grimshaw told Andriel that she was going to tell the ladies that were waiting to get in, that starting next cycle, she would be designing some outfits to wear on market day, and that they would be available for sale afterwards. That should give them something to talk about.

When Mrs. Grimshaw opened the dress shop she told them about the clothes Andriel would be designing, and wearing come next market, and they would be available for sale at the end of the day. One of them mentioned that it would be nice to wear an outfit like that to the upcoming dance, especially since Mr. Radcliff was sponsoring a BBQ, sparing no expense. Now neither Mrs. Grimshaw nor Andriel had heard anything about a BBQ. The lady who had mentioned it, was proud that she was the first one to share this news with them. She told them how Kenny, Mr. Radcliff's right hand man stopped by the market first thing this morning while the vendors were still setting up, to talk to some of them to see if they could help out with the BBQ. He placed a large order of buns with the baker. He placed orders with other vendors for side dishes and condiments. He talked to all the vendors who brew new ale, if they could make some extra for the BBQ, he would cover the cost. He talked to everyone he knew who made the stronger stuff, to have some available for the BBQ. It's going to be quite the party.

When Chitrah arrived at the agro-equipment supplies store to work on his projects, he found a lineup of farmers extending out the main door. He found the manager inside setting up an automatic tea dispenser on a portable table. The manager was kind of excited. He told Chitrah how they were already lined up outside the main door before they were opened. They all said that they were here to try the test equipment the computer tech told them about. He told Chitrah how he spent the first part of the morning in their warehouse looking for the tea dispenser. Normally they only lend it out for weddings and funerals, but he figured that it would be put to good use today. He also mentioned how Kenny, Mr. Radcliff's right hand man wanted to rent it for the BBQ they were holding at the Berry Harvest Dance, in a couple of cycles. Chitrah was glad that the farmers were acting on his advice. At least some of them actually listened. He was glad that the manager was so happy. He was a good guy, and it meant that his sales would go up, making him look better to whoever owned this place.

Chitrah went to his work station to work on his projects. He was confident that in a couple of days he would be able to install the first hybrid system into the computer that had the least mods done to it, and still had room inside for the installation. He would not need an external case for this one. It would be the easiest one to check if everything was working as designed, or if he would have to start again from scratch.

A few hours later, the assistant manager walks over to his work space to interrupt him. The assistant manager said how he was sorry to bother him. A farmer had brought in a board that none of their equipment could properly analyse, he heard the other farmers tell him that you were around somewhere working, so he asked if I could come and get you to look at his board. Chitrah said that he would, but he needed to finish something first. The assistant manager thanked him, and told him that he would tell the farmer to expect him shortly. A few minutes later Chitrah shows up in the main store and sees that the assistant manager had found a sturdy table and placed it beside one of their top diagnostic cubicles. He was glad the manager thought of giving him some extra room to work. He recognised the farmer from the last market. After greeting him, the farmer showed him the board that they were having trouble diagnosing. Chitrah recognised the board from when he had first briefed himself on the computer systems the farmers used. He had noted it as one of the boards that would be hard to diagnose. It had some special components that could be adjusted. If they were knocked out of whack, the board would give false readings. Regular diagnostic equipment would not work on it. You had to take the adjustable components off the board, adjust it to factory specs, place them back in the board, and fine tune the adjustments to optimal performance for the board, provided that everything else on the board worked fine. Now there where three of these components on this board, so they all had to be fine-tuned, all at once. First Chitrah did a careful physical scan of the board. If there was physical damage the board might be useless. He scanned the board into his computer, the computer recommend a more detailed analyses of a couple of areas. He rescanned those areas at overlapping angles so the computer could render a detailed 3D image of the areas in question. He called up a hologram image of each area. Some of the areas had dust particles clinging to the board, triggering the physical alert algorithm. Nothing that a little compressed air wouldn't fix. There was one area that had a hair line crack which he was able to fix since the board itself was still sound. After all the fixes the computer could not detect any more physical anomalies. He then called up a detailed schematic of the board to see the factory settings of the three critical components. When he found the right specs he pulled each of the components off of the board and took them to one of the in store work stations, to make the adjustments. He had the equipment in his bag to do the adjustments, but it would have taken a lot of time to set up. Using the stores equipment was faster. He plugged the components back into the board then plugged the board into the diagnostic cubicle. He attached some leads to the board to make the fine tune adjustments, again he could have done this with his own equipment. He set the diagnostic equipment to standby so that it would provide power to the board so that he could do the final adjustments. He removed his leads and let the test equipment do its job. What Chitrah did not notice was that everyone in the store had stopped what they were doing to watch him. No-one moved from where they were, because they did not want to distract him. One of the farmers when returning to the market described it like this. "He was like a wizard conjuring up 3D images that he twisted and turned at leisure. Then he zaps the board, satisfied, he pulled some components off the board. He wandered around the store, plugging one thing in here, adjusting another over there, until he was satisfied. Then he goes back to the board and reassembles it. He plugs the board into another piece of equipment. Connects his equipment to the board and breathes life into it. When he was finished he hands the board back to Jimmy and says, it is done!"

"Did he really say, it is done?"

"No, but if it had been me I would have said it."

The other farmers liked his version so much that they would buy him some ale just to hear him retell it.

The manager came up to Chitrah and asked him where he could get his hands on a computer like his? Chitrah told him that it was custom made by him for field work, because he knew that he would not have the luxury of a proper lab to help him out. The manager was disappointed when he heard this, he was hoping that it was a standard model issued by the Ministry of the Interior, for their field computer technicians. As he was about to leave Chitrah presented him with a proposition, by the end of the day, before he left to join his wife at the market, he would give him a list of hardware and software components. If the manager can arrange to bring in all the components before Chitrah leaves the planet. Chitrah will assemble it for him and show him how to use it. It will be bulkier. Not as mobile as what Chitrah has. But it will work just as well. The happy manager shook his hand in agreement. He got his list at the end of the day, after looking it over he felt confident that he could have everything here within three cycles, four max. He left it on his desk. He would come in early tomorrow morning to get his orders out.

Chitrah decided to go back to the apartment to shower and change before going to the market, it was hot and muggy in the warehouse where he was working, and he needed to wash it off. Andriel had the same idea, it sure seems hotter than it was at the last market. Chitrah was still in the shower when Andriel let herself into the apartment. She decided to spend her time making sure that the outfit she was wearing to the market was ready. She was tempted to start undressing while waiting, but if Chitrah saw her he might head back into the bathroom for a cold shower, he embarrasses too easily. She did not have to wait long. When Chitrah realised that she was home, he let her know that he did not need the bathroom any more.

When Andriel exited the bathroom looking gorgeous as usual, she found Chitrah looking at 3D images of computer cards and their assembly unit. When Chitrah saw her he quickly put his equipment away, to follow her out the door. When they exited the main doors to the hotel, Andriel did not hesitate to place her hand in his arm. He had noticed that she was doing this more and more often, when they went out together in public. He had thought of talking to her about it, but was afraid she would stop if he did. He liked the way he felt inside when she did. He thought it was best to just enjoy the moment.

While they were walking to where they would meet up with Mrs. Grimshaw, Andriel shared the plan that she and Mrs. Grimshaw had come up with to ensure she always had new outfits to wear to the markets, and their plans to sell them afterwards. Chitrah thought it was a good idea. Andriel told him that she would like to borrow his computer to make the designs. She could do it much faster with the computer than she could on paper. They would also know right away how much material would be required for each outfit. Chitrah was reluctant to give up his computer, it was like his life blood. He would not be able to do anything without it. He also felt obliged to help his wife. Without her, he would have no life.

Andriel knew how important the computer is to him. She also believed he would let her use it. He just needed to figure it out, so that it worked out well for both of them. They walked along silently for a while. Then Chitrah asked her how much time she would need on the computer. Andriel said that she did not know, when designing outfits, sometimes they come quickly, sometimes they don't come at all. On top of that she was still on a learning curve when it came to using his computer. They walked on a little farther before he spoke. He thought the best solution was for them both to come back to the apartment for lunch. While he was getting lunch ready she could work on the computer. Andriel said it would work for them as long as he learnt how to make a good salad. Chitrah smiled, he knew that it was a fair thing to ask of him, so he agreed. Andriel could hardly wait to use his computer. She already had some design ideas in her head, and could hardly wait to see what they looked like in 3D.

Mrs. Grimshaw was waiting for them, she also had a new outfit on, and it suited her very well. She claimed to have just arrived herself, so she wasn't really waiting. The three of them walked arm in arm to the market. They heard the men either talking about the wizard of Yitabo, he seemed like a nice man, or the BBQ. They heard the women talking about a chance to own an outfit designed by the red lady, or the upcoming BBQ. Chitrah asked Mrs. Grimshaw if he should go right away to where the farmers were last time or should he explore the market with them. Andriel was all for seeing a new part of the market. Mrs. Grimshaw thought that Andriel's option was better for now. Farmers are patient, that's part of their business. They know Chitrah's here, he did promise them that he would talk to them this week. They also know he has not had a chance to see very much of their market, it is one of the things they are proud of, so they want him to see it. They also know it is good for him to see it with his wife. Chitrah liked Mrs. Grimshaw's advice. He did want to see it with Andriel, then to see it again through her eyes when she talks about the things she saw at the market.

They were greeted with respect everywhere they went. The vendors were proud to show off their wares even if they didn't buy it. A compliment was almost as good as a sale, especially when you understand that most of their wares are intended to help make the life of other farmers easier, so they did not expect the town's folk to buy it. Chitrah was starting to get hungry, he could not remember if he stopped for lunch or not. Suddenly he smelt the scent of cooking meat on the wind. He checked to see which way the wind was blowing and suggested to the ladies which way he thought they should go next. Andriel also smelt the cooking meat, and knew exactly what was on his mind. This would be an excellent time to stop for a bite to eat. They let Chitrah lead the way, and they arrived at a Nerf Burger Stall. The vendor told them nerf burgers are popular in the inner core. All the high end restaurants have them on their menu. He explained how he takes ground nerf meat, and adds some spices, and makes sure they are mixed in, then forms them into patties and cooks them over live coals. He cuts open a bun of sweet dough placing some Revwien Lettuce in the bun, adds a scoop of Red Nebula Onions that he has roasted and chopped up, adds some of his special sauce, and tops it with the cooked nerf burger. They all had to try one, Chitrah paid for everyone, then the vendor suggested that they have it with Ossberry New Ale, and he pointed out the vendor who sold it. They went over and bought a glass for each of them, again Chitrah paid. As they were walking away Chitrah felt Andriel slipping some credits into his pocket. She whispered to him that she heard that some humans do not like it when a woman pays, they feel it is belittling to the man. She did not want to diminish his stature in front of the people and she did not want him to run out. Chitrah thought to himself, what a good wife I have, while he chowed down on his burger. After he had finished, Mrs. Grimshaw suggested that now would probably be a good time to go find the farmers. Chitrah agreed but first he was going to grab another burger so that Andriel does not have to worry about him going hungry, and departed their company.

Andriel and Mrs. Grimshaw continued to explore the market. Some of the ladies would stop them and ask if it was true that she will be wearing a new outfit next market that she was going to design, and that it would be for sale afterwards. Andriel and Mrs. Grimshaw both said it was true. Then of course they wanted a better look at what she was wearing because they heard that it also was designed by her.

When Chitrah arrived where the farmers were waiting he was slightly disappointed because the crowd was so small. Soon he forgot about that, as the ones who were there had some good questions and his knowledge on their systems had expanded because of the research he was doing to aid with his designs. What Chitrah did not know was that the farmers had broken up into smaller groups to talk with the ones who went to the agro-equipment supplies store. If their experience confirmed what Chitrah had told them last week, then everything he shared with them could be counted on as being the truth. If their experience contradicted what Chitrah had shared, then it was all wishful thinking.

Every one of the farmers that went to the store told them it was exactly as Chitrah had described. The ones that were there when Chitrah fixed the board told their version of what happened. They all admitted that they liked the wizard version better.

Chitrah found that with every market the number of farmers waiting to talk to him was getting smaller, but their questions were getting harder. The farmers were relying on the feedback method of learning. That way they could keep the information circulating, at the same time expand it at a rate that they were comfortable with. The other benefit to this method, was that the farmers soon figured out which ones had a better understanding of their system, so they knew who to ask for help when they had a problem, and Chitrah wasn't there anymore.