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)

12. Chapter 11

©2016

While Andriel was working on the loom, she told the ladies about her desire to move, to where the Sith would not find her. One of them said it was too bad she could not grow horns and head-tails, then she could live with the Togruta, and no-one would notice. Andriel told her it would be fine for her, but Chitrah would stick out even more. Shaak told her that she had an idea, but wanted to talk with her father first. Andriel told her that any idea was better than no idea at all.

Chitrah went back to his schedule of working six days for the Ministry, and working one day with the Cobbler. They let the work for him pile up on his bench, while he was gone. He did not mind, it gave him something to look forward to, during those six days.

Unfortunately a junior official wanting to get noticed by the senior officials, started riding Chitrah. Telling him he was under achieving.

The weaver's loom worked as well as Andriel hoped. Except it took up more room in the workshop, than Andriel had expected. On top of that, some of the Togruta women found out about the loom, and wanted to be trained on it. They have been doing a simple type of hand weaving for generations. Because of the type of weaving they were doing, they could only make small pieces of material, and would use it to make baby clothes. If they all came to the workshop to weave, it would be hard to find room for customers. The easiest solution would be to take the loom to the Togruta's common room. Andriel and Shaak, went to speak to the Togruta elders, they assured the elders that it would not involve any women of any species, undressing in the common room. Andriel would have to be able to use it whenever she needed to. Anyone else could use it when Andriel was not using it. The hard part would be scheduling its use, so everyone felt they had fair access to it. While the rest of the elders discussed how to schedule it. Shaak's father indicated that they should follow him. He gave Andriel a hooded cloak, so it would not be discernible who or what she was. He took them to a large apartment building, next door to the Togruta enclave. He had a couple of access cards with him. He took them into a vacant one bedroom apartment. It was much smaller than the one that Andriel and Chitrah lived in. The bedroom would be able to take their bed, but they would only be able to fit one of their dressers into it. He told Andriel that the Togruta had an agreement with the landlord, that when he retires, or passes away, the building would become the property of the Togruta. Eventually, becoming part of the enclave. He then took them to the apartment right next to it. It was also vacant, a replica of the first one. He told her that from Shaak's description of their apartment, these two units combined would be close to the same size. His men could cut a doorway between the units, and disguise it to look like small closets. Andriel suddenly understood what he was proposing. His and hers apartments. From the outside it would look like they were living separate lives, no-one would suspect that they were married. On the inside they could be a happy couple. Andriel asked him how much the rent would be for the two units. He quoted her a price that included basic utilities, and told her it was a little pricey for this neighbourhood. Andriel could not believe, that it was less than half the price, of what they were paying, for where they currently live. She told him that she was all for it, but she would need Chitrah to see it, before they could come to an agreement. He told her that he can only hold onto the properties for five days, if they have not decided by then, then he would have to give the properties back to the landlord to rent. They went back to the elder's meeting. The elders told them that they believe they have come up with a fair scheduling solution, so it would be okay for them to place the loom in their common room. Shaak made the necessary arrangements to move the loom. Andriel went home to wait for Chitrah. She wanted to take him down right away, to look at the apartments. She really wanted him to say yes.

While she was waiting Andriel decided to make them a dinner that they could eat on the way. She finished packing their dinner, when Chitrah walked through the door. He looked tired, Andriel was afraid to ask him, but this was very important. Chitrah noticed the concern on his wife's face, he also saw that she had something packed up. So he asked her what she had planned. She told him that she wanted to show him something next to the Togruta enclave, and she had made dinner for them to eat on the way, but if he was too tired, they could cancel, and just eat here. Chitrah asked if he could nap on the way there, than they could eat what she made when they got there. Andriel thanked him for understanding. Chitrah told her that he knew it was important to her, since she had made something for him to eat on the way. Chitrah told her about the young official who is constantly riding him, telling him that he is not working fast enough. He's sapping the energy right out of him. Chitrah was going to have to think of something soon, to get this guy off his back, permanently.

As he promised, Chitrah slept through the shuttle hop to the terminal near the Togruta enclave. Andriel held his hand the whole trip, in hopes that there was some way she could give him some strength. When he awoke, he told her he was feeling much better, and kissed her hand. At the Togruta enclave, Shaak's father gave them both cloaks to wear, and took them to see the two apartments. In the second apartment, Chitrah suggested to Andriel that they might as well sit down and eat, because he was very hungry, and sat down on the floor of the apartment. He invited Shaak's father, Heshaak, to join them. He turned down their dinner, but did sit with them. Chitrah asked him between bites if it would be hard to have a communicator installed in the one unit, and how much extra it would cost. Shaak's father told him that there is a six day waiting period, to get a communicator installed. As far as cost goes, he told him how much they pay each month for the one they have in the enclave. Chitrah also asked how long it would take for them to install the doorway between the units, and how much will it cost them. Andriel was disappointed with herself for not asking that question. Shaak's father thought that from the time they got the go ahead, until the time it would be ready for them to move in, would be around four days. As far as the cost goes, they would be doing it anyway, as part of absorbing the building into the enclave, so they would not charge anything. Chitrah told him that they would give him a firm commitment, yes or no, within two days. There are a couple of things they would need to talk over first.

As they had finished everything Andriel brought. They all got up and walked back to the enclave. As they walked back to the shuttle terminal, Andriel could see that Chitrah was deep in thought. But she needed to know what they needed to talk about. Chitrah told her they needed to talk about, how they can make it work for them. They cannot just quit the place they have now. The Ministry would want to know where they are moving to, and why they are moving. So the Sith would still be able to find them. They need the Ministry to believe, as long as possible, that they are still living in the same unit. That means that Andriel will have to negotiate a reduction in rent, in their current apartment. Chitrah reminded her that she is the businessman of the family. Chitrah said they need to look at everything that is currently, included in their rent. One way to reduce the rent would be to take over payment of all the included items, because if they are no longer living there, a lot of those costs would be eliminated or greatly reduced. Andriel saw the tactic she would use in negotiating a rent reduction. Since they are off planet more than they are home. It would be cheaper for them to pay for the inclusive items, rather paying a flat fee each month. When they arrived home, they made a list of everything that was included in their rent. Then they marked off those things that could be eliminated altogether. For the other things, Andriel would be inquiring about setting up accounts for themselves. The next day Andriel made her inquires, then she went down to the management's office, to see what type of rent reduction she could get. When they understood that she was looking at taking over the extras that were normally included in the rent, but would leave the basic rent of the apartment as it is. They were willing to negotiate. It turned out that when you take the basic portion of the rent, and added the flat rate portion of all the utilities they would still need to pay. Their rent was reduced by about 1/3. They could afford to move. Andriel made Chitrah a nice dinner for the evening, she could hardly wait to tell him the good news.

Chitrah let Andriel contact Heshaak, and let him know their decision. She also asked him to book the appointment to have a communicator installed. The nice thing about this arrangement, was that the Togruta clan is on record as renting the space. They already rent a couple of units, and the landlord always goes to them first, whenever he has vacancies. So Andriel and Chitrah are renting the apartments from the Togruta clan.

When Andriel went to open accounts for the utilities, she was required to pay six months of the basic monthly charges up front, instead of placing a deposit. When she was negotiating with the management company, they let her see the charges for utility usage for their apartment, for the past year. She was able to determine the maximum usage for each utility for each month, before additional charges are incurred. Basically two showers, every month were free, after that they would pay extra. Andriel and Chitrah planned how they were going to make the move. They did not want the management staff to suspect they were moving out. So they decided to do it in two stages. Everything going to Andriel's apartment would be moved first. A few days later they would move the stuff going to Chitrah's apartment. The management staff were already used to them moving large items into, and out of the apartment. So by breaking it up, they were unlikely to draw any attention. Once Chitrah knew the address for the communicator in his apartment, he could setup this communicator, to forward all incoming calls to his apartment. He also knew how to route a call through this communicator, so its address appeared to the person receiving the call.

Chitrah also decided on a plan, on how to get rid of the young official. He was going to take one cycle of seven days off of work, with pay. As stress leave. Since the young official was always telling him, he was under achieving, and was stressing him out. He would also complain that the young man would come to his work assignment, and chew him out in front of the clients. Which is leaving a bad impression with the clients, because they all like his work. This way Chitrah can take time off work, to supervise the moves, and to get caught up on all the work that has piled up on his workbench at the cobbler's. After all the young official deserves credit for all the hard work he is doing for the Ministry.

After Chitrah reported to the official in charge of his work assignments. The official went straight to the senior official to complain that the junior official's interference in his operations, has just caused his top worker, to under achieve in his performance output. The senior official ordered the junior official to come to his office. He asked the junior official who authorised him to take the actions he had just heard about. The junior official admitted that he had not received anyone's authorisation, he had operated under his own initiative. The senior official asked him if he had any reports to submit, showing the fruits of his hard work. The junior official admitted that he had no reports, and he had no evidence yet on whether his actions were bearing any fruit. The senior official told him that they do have hard evidence that his diligence had indeed born fruit. The young official smiled, expecting to be complimented. The top producing contractor in the office is taking seven days off work, with pay, because of him. So they will be deducting the contractor's wages out of the young official's salary. He should not expect to receive any pay for the next pay period (they get paid twice in a month), and the senior official wants a complete detailed report of everything the young official has been doing this past month, and he wants it by the end of the day. The young official was devastated, he had been living pay cheque, to pay cheque. Flaunting his wealth. His cupboards were empty, and his rent was due.

After the move, when Chitrah reported back at the Ministry, they told him that they would be sending him to Lorrad for half a month. The young contractor that was there, was having trouble connecting some systems. He was booked on a flight, first thing in the morning. They assumed, that because he was going for only a short duration, and Lorrad was not a nice planet to visit, that his wife would not be going. Chitrah thanked the official for the information. He left for the dress shop to inform Andriel, then he was going to go to his apartment to make sure he had clean clothes to pack for the trip. When he arrived at the dress shop, they let him go straight through the work shop to the back office were Andriel was working.

Andriel looked up Lorrad on the local net. It was described as being a filthy urbanised planet, controlled by the nobles of Barseg. It was dominated by heavy industry, and had no environmental protection laws. It was recommended that visitors wear a filtered breathing mask, because of the soot and other pollutants in the air. They both agreed that this was not a planet that they wanted Andriel to go to. When Chitrah did a search for filtered breathing masks, he found that they were readily available on Lorrad's spaceport. Andriel suggested that he not take his nicest outfits. If there really was a lot of soot in the air, his clothes would dirty quickly, and they might not be able to get them completely clean, when he gets back. Chitrah suggested that he only wear his suit. They both knew how much Chitrah hated wearing the suit, and he never wanted to take it anywhere, until now. Andriel told him that if he wrecks his suit, the next one he gets might be worse. Chitrah reluctantly agreed to leave it behind.

Chitrah was glad he bought extra filters on the spaceport. If you are outside for more than 15 minutes, it starts getting harder to breath, after 20 minutes you have to go indoors and change the filter. The locals could not afford breathing masks, they just used a piece of cloth to cover their nose and mouth, and tied it on the back of the head. When they took Chitrah to the singles' residence, so that he could drop off his personal affects, he noticed that there were no women. He asked his guide, if the single females have their own residence? His guide told him that there were no single females working for the Ministry. What if a guy wants to get married, does he have to ask to be transferred off planet? The guide told him that it was not hard for single men working for the Ministry, to find a woman on Lorrad who was willing to marry them. If you go anywhere on Lorrad, where singles hang out, all they have to do is let it slip out that they are single, and work for the Ministry, and they will find themselve surrounded be ten to fifteen beautiful Lorradian females, all trying to get their attention. "They say the happiest day in a Lorradian woman's life, is when she is told that she has an appointment to write the Ministry's entrance exam. That is the same thing as a proposal for marriage. The next happiest day, is when they are told that they passed the entrance exam. They will usually get married that same day to the man that arranged for them to take the exam."

"Doesn't that lead to some men abusing the women, by promising they will arrange for them to write the exam, if they will sleep with them?"

"They say the worst day in a Lorradian woman's life, is the day they are told they failed the entrance exam, or that they are told, they are pregnant."

Chitrah did not like hearing that, he could imagine the hearts and lives that were being broken every day. After dropping off his luggage, in his assigned apartment, Chitrah went back to the Ministry to be briefed on his assignment on Lorrad. Fortunately there were tunnels connecting the residences to the Ministry building, so he did not have to go outside. It was easy to tell who has recently been outside, because they have a dark ring around their mouth and nose, were the mask sits on the face, and their clothes have lots of small black splotches from the soot.

Chitrah found out that the contractor that was originally assigned to the work, was having trouble with the installation, because all the data being transmitted to the Ministry, is garbage. The installation being done, is different to the standard installation. The client has asked that an additional card be installed, so that all the data being transmitted to the Ministry, is also being transmitted to the client's main computer. Chitrah asked if he could be taken to a site, were the installation has failed, so that he could run some tests. The contractor took Chitrah to a nearby site, so that he could show Chitrah what he did. The contractor talked to Chitrah about the situation on Lorrad, about getting married. He has talked to a lot of guys, who are married. They say it is a big gamble, you really do not know the type of woman you are marrying, until after the marriage. They are all lovey-dovey, and kissey-kissey, until they are married. The Ministry does not allow you to divorce until you have been married for ten years, to keep stability in the Ministry, unfortunately this leads many of the married men and women to have affairs with their co-workers. This is not the route he wants to take with his married life. He has been seeing a local girl, but is afraid to commit to the relationship, in case he finds, that he really married someone totally different. Chitrah could see that this can be a big problem, and did not see an easy solution to it.

At the factory, the contractor showed him what he did for the installation. To Chitrah everything looked correct except for the client's card. He asked the contractor, who approved the client's card, since there was not an official Ministry mark on it, as there was with all of their cards. The contractor did not know, he was given a stack of cards, one for each location. He had assumed that because a Ministry official handed him the cards, that someone had to have approved it. They took out all the cards, and Chitrah started running tests on the computer. He wanted to make sure the business's computer was functioning properly. The contractor told him that he had also run the same tests. Chitrah told him that was fine, he still needed to double check and triple check everything. The contractor understood, and did what he could to help Chitrah. While they were on their second series of tests, the horn went to stop production for the workers' lunch break. They could see into the workers' cafeteria from the computer room. The contractor pointed out the woman that he was having a relationship with. Sometimes he would bring his own lunch to the computer room so that he could watch her during lunch, to see if he could get any insight into who she really is.

Chitrah notice a table of young men sitting not too far from the table where the contractor's female friend was sitting, and he had an idea. He told the contractor to continue running the tests, and to record if he was getting any different readings from the first time he ran the test. Then Chitrah went down to the cafeteria, he approached the table of young men, and asked if he could sit down and talk to them. He was the first blue skinned person they had ever seen, so they were also curious about him. They gave him permission to sit and talk with them. Chitrah told them that he had recently arrived on their planet, and heard about all the Lorradian women trying to escape the planet through marriage to a Ministry employee. They asked him, if he was looking to get married? He told them that he was already married, and the Sith Empire gave him zero choices in who he was allowed to marry. The young men understood that Chitrah was a man who understood what it was like to be between a rock and a hard place. They asked him what he wanted to know. He told them that it must be hard for them to find someone to marry, when most of the eligible women are chasing after foreigners. They admitted that it was hard, but that not all the women were chasing after foreigners. They said that if they wanted to get married right away. The single mothers were very desperate to marry anyone, who would help her keep a roof over her head, and food in her belly, and a chance to buy some new clothes once a year. Unfortunately for them, they tend to attract abusive men. There is a high rate of new mothers that within the first year of their marriage, will kill their own baby, then kill themselves. The next group of women, are those that have failed the Ministry's entrance exam. Unfortunately, many go into a deep depression, right afterwards, and there is also a high suicide rate amongst them. They say that if they survive one year, than it is safe to start dating them. The next group of women, don't think they are pretty enough, or believe the odds are too high to waste their hard earned credits to be pretty for a stranger they might not even like. Those are the ones who save up their extra credits, so that if they find someone to marry, they can afford to buy all the basics they need for a decent life. The only good thing we have to look forward to, is a life shared with someone we care about. It makes everything else bearable. Chitrah mentioned that he believed the table of young women behind him, were not of the last group. What could they tell him about them? They started describing every one first by a significant physical feature, like their hair colour, or their skin tone, or something else. Then they described what they knew of their personality. After they finished describing everyone at the table. Chitrah thanked them for their co-operation, and told them he would like to buy them a round of drinks. They told Chitrah that ½ a credit was enough to buy them all a drink at the local watering hole. Chitrah told them that he did not want to buy them the domestic brew that would rot their gut, and damage their liver. He wanted to buy them the imported brew that the foreigners drink. At least for one drink they could pretend to work for the Ministry, and gave them a one credit piece. The ironic thing is that both the domestic and imported brew are made on Lorrad. They are allowed to charge more for it by calling it imported. Chitrah went back to the computer room. He described all the women the way the young men had described them, including the one he is interested in. He told him that the next time he was with her, he should get her to describe all the women she usually has lunch with. If her description matches what the young men said, then their description of her is true. If her description is different, than one of them, or all of them, are lying. He would be better off going to another planet to find someone to marry. The contractor thanked Chitrah for his help, with something personal. He also told him that the test results have not changed since the last time he ran them.

Chitrah suggested that they go to the Ministry's electronics lab, and test all the cards there. They could run the tests in this computer room, but the Ministry officials are more willing to accept the results from their own lab. While Chitrah headed to the lab, the contractor stopped by the Ministry's cafeteria, to buy them both a bite to eat, since neither of them had taken a lunch break. Chitrah let the contractor run the tests on the Ministry approved cards. Chitrah was going to examine the new card. He wanted to see how it really was functioning, rather than how it was supposed to function. The card did not make sense. He started looking around the edge, to see if he could fine the manufacturer's mark, and card reference number, so that he could look up the specs and maybe find a schematic of it. He could not find anything. He asked the contractor were the other cards were. The contractor pointed out where they were stored in the lab. Chitrah took them all out, and examined them, one by one. Nothing! There were no identifying marks. Chitrah was really angry. He ordered the other contractor to follow him. With one of the cards in hand, he stormed up to the inner office. He went right up to the desk of the official in charge of contractors, and demanded to know why he was there? The official looked at him like he had sprouted horns or changed skin colour. Chitrah demanded to know, why he had the other contractor on a fool's errand, for almost one month? Forcing his pay down to the minimum. Why did he give the office in Lianna the impression, that their contractor was incompetent, when it was the Ministry's officials that had set him up? "The contractor trusted you. He expected that any electronics that was given him, had been tested and approved by someone in the Ministry. That it was ready to install."

The official finally got his wits about him and asked him what he was talking about?

Chitrah threw the card on the desk. "You gave him ghost cards! There is no manufacturer's mark! There is no card reference number, so we can look the card up and verify that it is functioning properly. All we have is your word about how it is supposed to function, and right now, your word is crap."

The official was very upset that Chitrah called him out, and belittled his word. He started calling Chitrah an arrogant contractor who did not know his place. Chitrah told him to book him on the next ship back to Lianna. He was sure the Moff would find his report entertaining, upon his return to Lianna. Upon the mention of the Moff, the official got his composure back. The whole office had been warned to be careful how they treated this contractor, the Moff does follow his work more than any other. He is considered one of the top trouble shooters in the whole Empire. If you have trouble with him, expect to have trouble with the Moff. The official complained that the cards were given to them by the client himself, and that they were assured that they all functioned properly. Chitrah responded that the client is probably with his friends, telling them how he made fools out of the Ministry. The official could not take any more of this. He went straight to the senior official's office to complain about Chitrah. The senior official knew that it was not just their Moff that followed Chitrah's career. Most of the Moffs' kept tabs on him, in case they needed a favour. Normally he would have called everyone into his office to get to the bottom of this. This time he decided to go out where Chitrah was. He came out to the inner office, and asked Chitrah what seemed to be the problem. Chitrah told him that his office has been wasting the time of his fellow contractor, for almost a month, and now they were wasting his time.

"How so?"

"With this!" Chitrah picked up the card and threw it back down on the desk.

"But you have installed unapproved electronic components before."

"Yes, but in a proven and tested environment. With the Moff's approval."

"These cards are untested, and because there is no card number on them, they cannot be tested. That is why you are wasting my time."

The senior official said there must be some misunderstanding. He would try and contact the client, and get this problem straightened out.

The senior official, hoped that this Barseg nobleman was not playing them for fools. He was very influential in the Barseg court, having the ear of their king. If this did not end well, many of them would be transferred to planets that would make Lorrad look like a paradise. Chitrah and the other contractor walked out of the office.

The contractor asked Chitrah what they do now. Chitrah told him that they cannot do anything. They have to wait for the officials to do their thing. Either he would be leaving back to Lianna tomorrow, or they would have something concrete to work on. The contractor told Chitrah that he had never heard of anyone talking to Ministry officials like that. Chitrah told him that he was not normally like that. Maybe the planet was getting to him. They went back to the electronics lab to get their equipment. Then they went to the singles residence for dinner.

The contractor invited Chitrah to accompany him to a nearby bar, he was going to meet up with the girls from the factory for a few drinks. Chitrah agreed to go with him. He took his electronics case, because when he is not at home, he does not let it out of his sight. At the bar, the women were already there, waiting for them. They were actually surprised to see Chitrah. They had seen him at lunch talking to the table of young men. They had asked them about him. They were not sure who he was, they believed he worked for the Ministry. They did know he was married, and was forced by the Empire to marry his wife. The contractor introduced Chitrah to them. He told them that he is a fellow field technician, sent from Lianna to help him out with his current assignment. Chitrah convinced the contractor to go to the bar, and order their drinks, and to take the girls with him. He stopped the young lady that the contractor was interested in, and asked her if he could talk with her. She stayed behind, wondering what this stranger wanted to talk to her about.

He asked her if she was playing the contractor, as a way to get out of a difficult life, or was there room for love to come into the picture? Chitrah's question caught her off guard, and she was embarrassed by it. She told him that she hoped love would be part of the picture. Chitrah asked her why she did not let him see who she really was. This guy has heard too many horror stories about failed relationships. If he does not get a glimpse of who she is, he was going to cut and run. She asked Chitrah why he was telling her this. Chitrah told her that he is a little bit sentimental, and cares about the people he works with. She apologised to Chitrah, the girls hang out together as a group for safety reasons, she did not realise it prevented him from knowing her. Chitrah asked her, if he can keep her friends entertained, would she agree to talk to him on her own? Chitrah told her that they won't be far, he also was concerned about their safety. She blushed again, and thanked him. When they came back, Chitrah asked the young ladies to join him at the next table, and to let the couple have some alone time. They looked at their friend, and she nodded her head in agreement. Since they would only be at the next table, they thought it would be safe. They told Chitrah that they heard he was married, was he interested in taking a second wife? Not without his current wife's permission. They asked him about his relationship with his wife, since they were told that they were forced to marry. Chitrah told them that right now, they were both very much in love, but that wasn't the case in the beginning. He started telling them his story, how he went to the Ministry to ask permission to marry, so that his father could go ahead and arrange a marriage for him. He told them about how shocked and angry he was, when they told him that they would only give him permission to marry, if he married the Devaronian woman they had chosen for him. One of the young ladies asked him if Devaronians are red in colour, and the guys had horns that made them look like devils. Chitrah laughed at her description, but told her it was very accurate. He told the girls about his reasons to agree to the marriage, which were the same reasons that his wife agreed to marry him. The young ladies were genuinely sorry to hear that not only was he forced to marry a stranger, but that he would have to give up his family to do it. He told them how his wife's own mother helped him to know the person he was about to marry. He knew that she had to be a strong person, to agree to this marriage. So when they were going through with the ceremony, he saw something in her that attracted him, and he knew in his heart that he could love her, and choose to do so. This got their attention, they did not know a person could choose to love. Chitrah told them that his wife was not of the same mind, and actually hated him. He told them of the attempted rape on the trip to the first assignment, and how it showed them how dependent they were on one another. He told them that his wife had stopped hating him, and had started hating herself for being so foolish. He told them about the night he almost forced himself upon her. The young ladies did not understand why he did not, after all he is married to her. He told them, that if he had, in his wife's eyes he would be no different than the guy who tried to rape her. To him, she would stop being the partner in their relationship. She would become a thing, his property, and she meant more to him than that. They thought they understood what he was trying to tell them. He told them about the woman who was like a mother to his wife, helping them to overcome this obstacle in their relationship. He told them about his wife's struggle to try to love him, but could not, and did not know why. He told them about how she was forced to choose between being married to him for the rest of her life, or, returning to her mother's home, a single woman. In the process she found out what was hindering her from loving him. How forgiveness was the key to getting rid of the hate, and opening her heart so that the poison could be washed away. He then told them about how their relationship had come to another climax. He was getting ready to move out, to prevent himself from forcing himself upon her. Since they had gotten too close, and he could no longer hold himself back. Instead, she told him that she really loved him, and had prepared a wedding night for them. When he finished his story, he could see that they all had tears in their eyes. They thanked him for sharing his story with them, it was one they would remember for a long time.

Chitrah noticed that the couple were still talking and holding hands. He hated to break them up, but it was getting late. Chitrah thought they should leave. At that moment 4 militia members entered the bar. They were on patrol. One of the girls whispered to him that they were the real reason there were so many single moms, and why the girls had to go around in groups. If they found a single girl, or a small group of girls, they would rape them, and tell them, if they got pregnant, they were to blame the young men from the Ministry. Chitrah decided to wait until the militia members left the bar, before letting the other contractor know, he thought it was time to leave.

One of the militia members noticed Chitrah's electronics case. He asked Chitrah to hand it over, so he can have a look at it. Chitrah told him "No". He worked for the Ministry, and this was special equipment he needed, for him to do his job. He told them that even Imperial Troopers knew they needed special authorization from the Moff, to be allowed to examine the case. The man asked Chitrah if he looked like an Imperial Trooper. Chitrah told him he did not. He lacked discipline. This infuriated the militia member, he bent over to grab the case. Chitrah smashed his face into the table top, breaking his nose and stunning him. Chitrah told the girls to get up and run to the Ministry and get some Imperial Troopers. All the girls got up and ran like scared chinchawwas. Chitrah had also gotten up, and threw his case to the other contractor for safe keeping. At the same time Chitrah side kicked the militia member in the chest, knocking him back into two other militia members. The fourth militiaman was trying to grab the girls to prevent them from leaving the bar. They were all too fast for him, and were able to get out. The injured militiaman, with blood streaming down his face onto his uniform, got up with a roar. He wanted to tackle Chitrah, and pin him to the ground, so he could give him a good work over. Instead Chitrah tossed him, and he smashed into the wall with his back and head, and crumpled to the ground. The next militiaman came at him. Chitrah kicked him in the upper solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. As he started doubling over, Chitrah brought his knee into his face, breaking another nose. He followed this through with a side kick to his chest, causing him to fall back on the militiaman behind him. The fourth militiaman now tried going around the table, to try and get Chitrah from behind, but other patrons kept kicking chairs in his way, causing him to stumble a couple of times. He finally got fed up, and pulled out his side arm. Just then six Imperial Troopers came bursting through the door to the bar, with the young ladies right behind them. The Troopers had their rifles levelled at the militiaman, and ordered him to drop it. They then disarmed the other three. They placed them all under arrest, for the unprovoked attack on an employee of the Ministry. Two of them were forced to pick up their comrade who was still in a crumpled heap against the wall, and drag him with them to the detention cells in the Ministry. The fourth guy followed them trying to stop his nose from bleeding. The sergeant asked Chitrah if he was all right, pointing out the blood on his clothes. Chitrah told him that happily it was not his. He asked Chitrah what had caused this. He told him that they tried to take his case away from him. Claiming that they were superior to Imperial Troopers. The sergeant smiled and told him they would find out how superior they are. After they left, everyone wanted to buy Chitrah a drink. Chitrah thanked them, and told them that it was quite late, and he had to soak his clothes before the blood stained them. The contractor handed his case back to him, and everyone patted Chitrah on the back as he left. The contractor told Chitrah that he was quite an amazing fellow, he was going to have to take him out more often.

The next morning the official tried to give Chitrah a hard time about what happened the previous night. Chitrah told him that he was just having a drink with some beautiful ladies when the militia entered the establishment, and tried taking his case from him. The official knew he could not win, so he showed Chitrah and the contractor the file that had come in that morning. When he opened it, there were the specifications and all the detailed schematics of the card, including the manufacturer, and the cards' reference number. He said that the Barseg nobleman gave his deepest apologies. He had forced a special run at one of his factories, to rush the cards to the Ministry. He did not know that important information was not passed along to the Ministry, with the cards. The official asked if they would be able to install them now. Chitrah told him, that now they could test them, to find out why they did not work. Chitrah downloaded the file onto his computer. Chitrah and the contractor took over one corner of the lab, giving the lab technicians lots of room to do their regular maintenance work. The contractor ran tests on all the boards, while Chitrah went over all the technical data to see if there was a flaw in the design. Every board failed the tests, but they all failed within the same parameters, showing the failure was common to all boards. Chitrah had the contractor to go over the material, he had just reviewed, in case he missed something. He could not find any fault in the design. They had both slipped upstairs to the cafeteria to grab some food, and brought it down to the lab, so that they could eat while they were still working. The regular lab technicians were upset with them, because it made them look like they were slacking off. Finally Chitrah and the contractor started looking at the board component by component. Much to their surprise, they found two small components were missing from the first board they checked. When they checked the other boards, they found the same problem. Someone had messed up on the production run. They installed the two components, and tested the board. It worked. It was already late in the day by this time.

They stopped working and went for a late dinner. After dinner they went back to the bar. The contractor and his girlfriend sat together at the table, ignoring everyone else, and continued talking. The rest of the table ignored them and entertained themselves. The girls all wanted to know about the different planets he had been on. What he liked about them and what he did not like about them. They were surprised when their server brought their drinks and told them it was on the house. This was something unheard of on Lorrad. They found out later that everyone who had been there the previous evening, had left some small coin with the bartender, to put toward the next round of drinks the blue guy and his friends ordered. Even some of the girls at the table had contributed to the growing pot before leaving the previous night. There was enough coin in the pot, that each of them were able to enjoy a free import. Chitrah was curious as to how the girls could afford to purchase the makeup that they were all wearing, and of course he complimented them on how beautiful they looked. It turned out that none of them could actually afford it themselves. They pooled all their money together, and bought the products as they needed. The hard part, was, finding the right colour of each product that was compatible with all their skin tones, and eye colours. The rest was applying some old fashion ingredients during the application to personalize it for that day. A common ingredient to darken the colour, was to add a little soot.

That cycle Chitrah found out that statistically, only one girl in every two groups, was able to find someone in the Ministry to marry. Since one member of their group appears to have found someone, the rest of the girls had resigned themselves from following in her footsteps. The other reason they came together in large groups, and supported the one girl that looked like she had a chance, was because she became the insurance policy for their children's health. Health care was expensive, and there were no insurance plans with their work, or their puppet government. So if one of their children ever became sick, and it was almost guaranteed that they would, with all the air borne, and waterborne pollutants, they would go to their friend in the Ministry for financial help. For the group that had no friend in the Ministry, the death rate for their children is very high. Chitrah's new friends accepted this as the way life is. For Chitrah this information tore at his heart, and he could do nothing to help.

The contractor took the repaired card to the field the next morning, to install it. While Chitrah started repairing all the other cards. Everything worked as it was supposed to. By the end of that cycle, all repairs and installations were complete. The senior Ministry official came out of his office to shake Chitrah's hand, telling him that because of his efforts, the Ministry was able to make huge strides in improving relations with the Barseg Nobility. Chitrah did not feel very proud. He would have preferred to hear that his efforts had improved living conditions for the people of Lorrad. Before he left, the contractor thanked him for his help, and told him that he was going to make the arrangements, for his girlfriend to take the Ministry's entrance exam. Chitrah asked him if he would still marry her if she failed the exam. The contractor was confused. Chitrah told him that because he is a contractor, and not a direct employee, she did not have to pass the exam for him to get permission to marry her, it just meant she would not be qualified to get a position in the Ministry.

The contractor looked relieved, of course he wanted to marry her. Chitrah told him to tell her that. She will do much better on the exam because of that. He promised he would, and he told Chitrah that from now, until she wrote the exam, he was going to spend all his free time tutoring her.

Andriel was thrilled to get her husband back so soon. What she did not like was that she could see that he was deeply troubled. He went to their new home to shower and change, he would wait there for her to come home. Andriel knew she had her work cut out for her, to get his clothes clean. If he had been there much longer she would have recommended he burn them, and buy some replacements the first chance he got.

Andriel went home early from the dress shop, she felt it was important that Chitrah not spend too much time alone. She found him sitting on the couch looking out into space with a sad look on his face. He had not even attempted to start dinner. She made a quick but nutritious meal for them, and called him to dinner. He picked at his food, and told her that it tasted lovely, but he wasn't very hungry. She told him he had no excuses, he wasn't allowed to leave the table until he had finished everything on his plate, it is good for him. He did as he was told, than went back to sitting on the couch. Andriel cleared the table, and did the dishes (they have no kitchen droid). She then went and sat beside him on the couch, and but her arm around him, and asked him to tell her all about it. He turned and hugged her, and told her they were all virtual slaves. Then he did something she did not expect, he started crying for them. He told her that the only hardship missing from their lives, was a taskmaster standing over them with a whip, ready to beat them into working harder. But they had the next best thing, they had a militia that did not care about any law, except the law of the Barseg Nobles, who controlled the planet, and payed their wages. They were there to suppress any unrest, and to prevent the workers from organising. The only murder they would ever investigate, was if one of their own was killed, and they did not even know how to do that. Then Chitrah cried because there was nothing he could do to help them. They spent the evening in each other's arms, Chitrah needed to hold onto someone he loved, someone he knew loved him. Andriel held onto him knowing he needed her to comfort him, to help bring healing to his wounded heart. She loved this man who cared so much about a people he just met. He told her about everything that happened to him that week. When he told her about the fight in the bar, she gently scolded him. It was just like him, that the first chance he had away from her, he would get into trouble. He kissed her for that scolding. From Chitrah's description of life on Lorrad, she understood why he had been so wounded. There was no reason why conditions had to be so bad on Lorrad, except greed. Chitrah did have one surprise for her. There were textile mills on Lorrad, and he managed to get two sample books from each of them. She sat beside him and started going through the books, then stopped. Now she knew where the Empires Quartermaster's Office purchased all their fabric. She would send a set to grandmother, in case it was cheaper for her to buy directly from the supplier, than from the store in Eriadu City, but she doubted it. The Empire would be buying in bulk. Right now she needed to give her husband all her attention. That night before going to bed Chitrah made love to her for the same reason he needed to touch and hold her all evening. He needed a way to express his love to his lovely wife, and he needed to receive her love for him. He held her close to his heart, all night long. At first Andriel was a little uncomfortable, but she managed to wriggle around a little, until it was bearable enough for her to fall asleep.

The next morning in his report about the job assignment on Lorrad, he pulled no punches. He laid the blame for the reason he had to go there, on the local officials. He found the local contractor very capable. If he had not been misled, he would have found the problem much sooner, and been able to fix it without the need of Chitrah going there. The officials on Lianna, did not like reading Chitrah's report, it hit too close to home. Since they could find no fault with it, they had to pass it up the chain of command, and be very careful about any notes they attached to it, because they knew the Moff would eventually be reading it.

After writing his report, and returning from an early lunch, Chitrah was told that he was booked on a flight to Barseg, first thing in the morning. The nobleman, whose factories he had worked on, on Lorrad, had specifically asked for him to come to Barseg, and to do the same installation in his factories on that planet. These were very critical installations. Up until now, the Barseg nobility have resisted any installations in their factories, leaving the Ministry guessing at their output capabilities. If the installations are successful, and the nobleman likes the results, then they could see similar installations being requested for all the factories on Barseg. Chitrah was more than willing to help enslave the Nobility of Barseg.

Chitrah left straight for the dress shop, from the Ministry. Chitrah was let through the workshop almost immediately, the customers in the workshop were asked to cover themselves, because the husband of the Master Seamstress needed to talk to her. The customers did as they were told, they had never seen her husband before. When he rushed through the workshop, they were surprised that he was blue, and had no horns. They thought all Devaronian men were red. No-one working in the workshop tried to correct them. Andriel was concerned that Chitrah was leaving so soon, after last night. Even though he expected to be gone around 14 days, Andriel asked him if he needed her to go with him. He took both her hands in his and kissed them. He told her that he has a great and understanding wife, the memory of her in his heart, would be enough to sustain him. She got up from the desk and kissed him full on the lips. Then she hugged him and told him that she misses him already. She told him not to take any of the clothes he brought back from Lorrad, she hasn't had a chance to clean them yet. He promised that he would only take the clean clothes. Which meant he was taking everything he had left. She let him out through the back alley. He liked that he could sneak out, he did not like it that he could not get back in.

If he forgot something, he would have to walk all the way around to the front entrance to get back in. The poor customers would be even more confused, thinking the Master Seamstress, had two blue Devaronian husbands.

After Chitrah packed, he started on preparing dinner. He did not want Andriel to think he had turned into a spoiled child. He liked the way she takes care of him, at the same token, he did not want to be a burden to her. Life was hard enough, he did not need to make it any harder. Andriel liked the smell coming from the kitchen, she suspected she came home just in time, to put the finishing touches to their dinner. She gave Chitrah a quick kiss when she came into the kitchen. She reached for her apron and pitched right in. They have been cooking together long enough, that she did not need to ask what to do. A quick glance around the kitchen showed her what needed to be done next. They had a wonderful evening together. Andriel felt more comfortable letting Chitrah go. She knew he was very resilient physically, she hoped that this meant he is resilient emotionally as well. At least this time he won't have to wear a breathing apparatus. She looked at what he wore when on Lorrad, this morning. It was absolutely filthy. She could not imagine what the air was like to make it that way.

On Barseg, Chitrah found the smallest Ministry office he had encountered anywhere. Physically it was the same size. But when he came to check in, all the desks in the outer office were empty. Everyone was working in the inner office, secretaries and officials together. He wasn't sure which desk to go to. Finally someone noticed him and waved him over. He was told he had been assigned an apartment in the married residence building. He told them that he did not bring his wife, so he did not need to stay in married residence. Chitrah was told it did not matter, the singles residence is just an empty building, there were no single employees working in this Ministry building. This surprised Chitrah, but from the size of the staff, it was not unexpected. The core of any Ministry office was the married staff. The Ministry felt it made the operations more stable. He was told that all of the hardware was in the electronics lab, waiting for him to test it. They assumed that that would be what he would want to do first. After what happened on Lorrad. Chitrah told them, they assumed correctly. He was told there was only one lab technician, assigned to maintaining this building, and he had been instructed to give Chitrah his full co-operation. The official called one of the secretaries to his desk, and asked her to show Chitrah to his apartment. This also surprised Chitrah. Normally a junior official was assigned this duty, he wondered if secretaries were also junior officials at this office. On the walk over to the residence, he asked her. She told him that he was very observant, that indeed was the case. There were in fact not true secretaries in this Ministry. They were still called secretaries because it made the office sound bigger. But they were paid the salary of a junior official. After showing him the apartment, she asked Chitrah if he needed directions to get to the electronics lab. He told her that he has seen the inside of enough Ministry buildings, that he could probably find it in his sleep.

After dropping off his luggage, Chitrah went straight to the lab. There was no-one in it at the moment, but he had no trouble finding the cards. He assumed that this was supposed to be his workstation, so he powered up all the equipment and started his tests. He was happy to see that the boards the Barseg nobleman had supplied this time, had all the right markings on them. While he was running his test, a slightly older gentleman came into the lab, and said hello to Chitrah. Chitrah was a little startled, he had been so absorbed in his work, that he did not see him come in. Chitrah turned around and told the gentleman that if he was looking for the regular lab technician, he should just be patient, he was sure he would be along shortly. The guy told Chitrah he is the lab's technician, and introduced himself to Chitrah. Chitrah told him that he was glad he was him, because he did not know how long he could cover for him. The technician liked Chitrah right away, it was nice to work with someone with a sense of humour.

He saw how Chitrah had made himself at home, he told him that if he needed anything, he should just ask. Chitrah thanked him, and went back to his testing. The technician interrupted him again and told him he was going for his lunch break. Chitrah thanked him for letting him know. When he finished testing the card he was working on, he glanced at the time. He decided to go for his break as well. Another thing Chitrah noticed, was that a lot of ladies wore the same type of homemade jewellery as the young ladies on Lorrad. He was sure they could easily afford to buy nicer jewellery in the local shops. He wondered if they wore it to show their heritage. When he picked up his tray, with his lunch on it, he started looking around for a place to sit. He saw a group of the ladies sitting at a table, and there were still some open spots at the table, so he decided to see if they would let him sit with them. They looked at him suspiciously, but let him sit. He told them that the last time he saw jewellery like what they are wearing, was when he was on Lorrad. They asked him, how long ago had that been? He told them it was just a few days. One of them asked him, if he is the contractor they had heard about? He told them he was a contractor, and he hoped they heard good things. They told him how he had really stirred things up among the officials there, rumour has it that there may be new openings. Chitrah was a little embarrassed, he told the women that it sounded like something he might do. They all laughed, he could tell from their body language that they were much more at ease with him. He asked them if they still keep in touch with their group of friends, it must be hard for their group to reach them, when they are on another planet. One of the ladies asked him, how long was he on Lorrad? He told them that he had only been there seven days. They told him that he must be some special guy, if he could get the young ladies on Lorrad to open up to him that quickly. He told them that his wife was always telling him that, and she is a very believable woman. That made the ladies laugh again, they could see how easy it would be to open up to him. They told him that they hoped that one of the ladies they knew in their office would respond to security's inquiry, if one of their friends came looking for them, and would pass along a message to them. The other thing they do is buy medicines here from a local apothecary, and send it back to their old office, through the mail run. They are hoping that the medicines get to the local clinics, to be given to children who cannot afford it. Chitrah reached into his pocket and pulled out most of the credits he had. He put the credits on the table, and said, "I want to help! Please let me help!"

They could tell this meant something personal to Chitrah. The lady closest to Chitrah covered the credits with her hand and pushed it back to him. She asked him to put his credits away. They told him that they are trying hard not to attract the attention of the more senior officials. If they caught wind of what they were doing, they could force them to stop, altogether. Chitrah apologised, he did not know, but he still wanted to help. They told Chitrah that the apothecary they deal with knows that the medicines they buy, are not for any ailment on Barseg. He also knows that if the nobles find out what he is doing, they could force him and his family right off the planet. Chitrah was liking these Barseg nobles less and less. They told Chitrah that the next time they go to get a shipment of medicine, they will contact him to come with one of them to make the purchase. The Nobles' spies may not be as suspicious of the apothecary, if he is seen selling the medicines to an obvious alien. Chitrah asked them how they could get a hold of him, he would be away from the Ministry most of the time. They told him not to worry, they know how to get a hold of him. Chitrah promised to help them any way he could. He felt better when he went back down to the lab, he felt that he could be a help to the people of Lorrad, after all.

After he finished the last test, Chitrah went up to the office and told them that everything checked out, and he was ready to hear about his assignments. They were not expecting him to be ready until lunchtime tomorrow. They had been told he was fast, they just did not expect him to be that fast. They gave him a list of the factories, the Barseg noble wanted him to work in. They told him the Ministry offices would be closing in less than an hour, why doesn't he take the rest of the day off. They will assign him a droid driver first thing in the morning, to take him to all his assignments. Chitrah decided to go for a walk, it was still the best way he knew, to become familiar with a new neighbourhood. Whenever Chitrah walked by an eating establishment, he let his nose tell him whether it should be a place he would want to visit in the future. He came to a small open park, at the far side of the park, was a theatrical group entertaining passers-by.

Chitrah was too late for the current performance. But he noticed from their placard, that he had enough time to grab a quick bite to eat, and be back in time to see the next performance. He retraced his steps back to the last eatery he passed. His nose had told him it was worth checking out. His stomach agreed with his nose, it was a good investment.

When he made it back to the park, he paid his fee to enter the roped off area, they told him that the children usually sit on the ground in front, and the adults stand behind them. He asked them, if adults were allowed to sit with the children? They told him of course they were, it's just that most adults don't like sitting on the ground. Chitrah is not most adults, and he wanted to sit, so he did. The children that were brought to the performance, sat right next to him.

One of the children asked him, if he was an actor? Chitrah asked him, why he thought he was an actor? He told him, he thought he was an actor because he was wearing blue make up. Chitrah told him it wasn't makeup. He rubbed the back of his hand with his finger, "See it doesn't rub off." Then he licked the back of his had with his tongue, "and it doesn't wash off."

One of the children turned around and yelled, "Mommy, he's not wearing makeup. He really is blue."

This caused all the adults to laugh, and caused the entertainers to sneak a peek. They wanted to know, why did they all laugh? They delayed starting the show for a few minutes, because everyone was watching Chitrah's interaction with the children, even the entertainers. Finally their leader told them they need to start, or forfeit the earnings for the show to the blue guy, they all reluctantly agreed and took their positions. The leader went in front of the curtain and welcomed everyone to the show, and a special welcome to their blue friend.

One of the children turned to Chitrah, and said, "That's you!" Making the adults laugh again. The music started, and the performance began. Chitrah thoroughly enjoyed himself, the children knew that when the blue guy laughed it was safe for them to laugh, even though they did not know why they were laughing.

After the show the group's leader came out, and talked with Chitrah. He asked him if he had ever done any acting, because he was a natural with the children. Chitrah told him, that he had never acted before. As far as his interaction with the children, they made him feel like a kid again, so it was easy to communicate with them on their level. He took Chitrah to meet the rest of the entertainers. He introduced him, as the first person who made them all want to delay starting the show. Chitrah was embarrassed, he did not know that his interaction with the children had delayed the show's opening. The group's leader told him that he had nothing to be embarrassed about. They enjoyed being entertained. The group had started packing up their important pieces, they were starting to lose daylight. Chitrah asked them if they would be back the following day. They told him that they would be back every day, until they found somewhere else to move on to. Chitrah told them that he would see them tomorrow, the group's leader told him that if he steals the show again tomorrow, his compatriots might get jealous. They all nodded their heads yes, then laughed and waved goodbye.

The next morning Chitrah grabs what he needs from the lab, and heads up to the office. The officials tell him the serial number of his droid driver, and assure him that it is only assigned to him, until he completes all his assignments. He finds the droid waiting for him out front, and gives him the location of the first assignment. By early afternoon, he is finished with the first location. After verifying that the two computers are receiving the data properly, Chitrah decides to take a lunch break.

He asks the droid if he has listed in his memory, any places nearby, where he could eat. The droid asks him to standby while he accesses that part of his memory. He tells Chitrah that he has a memory of a place nearby, but does not know if the food would be agreeable to his species. Chitrah told him that it was time they found out. After lunch Chitrah told the droid it was not very agreeable, and he can erase it from his memory.

Now Chitrah has to decide what to do next. He could head back to the Ministry and grab the cards for the next location, are he could scout out all the locations on the list to assess the level of difficulty at each location. Normally when he gets a list of assignments, the type of computer at each location is also given. Chitrah likes to get all the easy ones out of the way first. It makes the Ministry think he is working faster than he really is. This list had no computers listed with the address, so he decided to scout them all out first.

While Chitrah was on his scouting trip, one of the ladies from Lorrad, went to the apothecary during her break. She slips him a note, and asks for her usual. He quickly reads the note, "Tomorrow. Blue skinned guy. You can trust him." He burns the note over an open flame in his lab. He quickly prepares her usual. An old family mouthwash recipe. He places the bottle in an oversized bag, and hands it to her, taking her change in exchange. They suspect the place is being watched, and are being careful. A short distance from the apothecary, a senior member of the Planetary Defence, stops the lady and asks to see what is in the bag. She pulls out the bottle of mouthwash, and lets the officer see that there is nothing else in the bag. She tries to hide her smirk, because this is clearly not what he was expecting. He asks her, what is it? She tells him it is mouthwash. Obviously he has never heard of it. She pours a little into the bottle cap. She tells him to put it in his mouth, but not to swallow. He does as he's told. She tells him to swish it around in his mouth, and spit it out. He looks around for a suitable place to spit it out, but can't find one. So he spits it out on the road. Fortunately he hits none of the traffic. She asks him, what does he think? He takes in a breath of air, and tells her that he likes it. He leaves her alone and heads to the apothecary. He asks for a bottle of whatever it was that he just sold the lady. The apothecary smiles as he prepares another bottle of mouthwash. He knows that the lady was right in not picking up the medicines herself. They just avoided being arrested. He hands the officer the bottle in the bag and holds out his hand for payment. The officer walks out without paying. The apothecary is not surprised. Outside the officer is intercepted by a man in plain clothes. He seems quite upset with the officer.

"What are you doing?"

The officer holds up the bag. "Evidence."

After taking a step he turns back to the man in plain clothes.

"You could use a bottle yourself." Then he walks away.

After Chitrah's scouting trip he rearranges the list of assignments, from easiest to hardest. When he opens the door to the apartment, he finds that someone has slip a note under the door. It reads, "Meet in the cafeteria." He goes down to the cafeteria, and spots one of the Lorrad women, sitting with a man. Chitrah assumes that's her husband. Chitrah walks up to them. He asks her if this is her husband. She says, "It is", and whispers that "They need to talk".

Chitrah whispers back, "Not now", and tells her that she needs to introduce him. She does and Chitrah puts on a little show in meeting the man.

He asks them, if they have had dinner yet? She says "No", and Chitrah replies "good", and tells them to follow him. She asks him where they are going. He tells her that they are going to dinner at a place that she has been bragging about. She asks him, if the food is any good? He tells her that he does not know, she's the one who has been bragging. She does not know what to make of Chitrah. As they are walking, Chitrah tells them that they were being watched in the cafeteria, and they are being followed right now. Her husband doesn't flinch, but she seems a little shocked, and manages to keep on walking. Chitrah tells them they are doing well, it is only a little further. Then he tells them to lead him in like they have been there before. Chitrah directs them to sit near the kitchen. She asks Chitrah why he picked that spot, it's so noisy they will have trouble hearing each other. Chitrah told her that if they have trouble hearing, it will be impossible for someone else to listen in on their conversation. She told him he was pretty smart for a blue guy, which made her husband start laughing.

She than told Chitrah about purchasing the medicines, she slipped him the address of the apothecary, and apologised that none of them could take him. She told him that he was expected tomorrow, and told him the price. He told them not to worry, he should be able to handle it. The food turned out to be pretty good, and they split the cost for the meal. Outside the eatery, Chitrah asked them to keep following him. They asked him, where they were going now? He asked them, what usually comes after dinner? The husband answered desert. Chitrah asked them, how about some entertainment instead. The wife said that that is what she was going to say. They arrived later than Chitrah had hoped. After they paid for admission, Chitrah told them he was going to leave them, and go sit with the children. They asked him why? He said it was more fun. He stood over one child and asked if it was okay for him to sit down? They asked him, if he was too big? He told them that he was only too big if he stayed standing, but he was okay when he sat down. So the children made room for him.

After Chitrah sat down, the leader of the entertainers, came out and welcomed everyone. He was especially glad to see their blue friend, they were worried that they would have to start the show without him. The children told Chitrah that the man was talking about him, he must be someone important. Chitrah smiled and said, only to some people.

Chitrah enjoyed the show almost as much as he did the first time. After the show ended, some of the children said it was nice sitting with him, because he knew all the funny parts. Chitrah told them that he enjoyed sitting with them, and waved bye to the ones that were waving bye to him. After the show the couple walked up to Chitrah, the group leader also came up to them and asked them if they knew they were being watched. Chitrah told him that it wasn't a big thing, probably another fan. The leader laughed, "You must have some serious fans my friend", and walked away. Chitrah thanked the couple for the wonderful evening, and they all walked slowly back to the residence.

The one who had followed them, met up with the plain clothes man, who had confronted the officer. He asked for a report. They took the new guy to dinner, than to see a street performance, kind of what you would expect the couple to do. Did they talk during dinner? They had to sit near the kitchen, it's very unlikely they could have carried on a conversation. The husband did laugh at their inability to communicate. So you think we just went on a fishing trip? The other guy nodded his head in agreement.

Chitrah had destroyed the piece of paper with the address of the apothecary. The next morning Chitrah chose to do a job that would take as long as the first one. After he was finished he had the droid drive him to a place to eat, for another late lunch. He told the droid that this was a much better place then yesterdays, he could keep it in his memory. The droid could not remember where he had taken Chitrah yesterday, since Chitrah had asked him to erase it from his memory. The droid drove Chitrah to the shuttle terminal. Chitrah withdrew enough credits to cover the purchase of the medicine. He then gave the droid the address to where he wanted to be taken next. The droid was able to find a space to park the vehicle, a little ways up the street from the apothecary. When Chitrah entered the shop, the apothecary knew right away that this was his man. He had been puzzling all day, wondering what the blue man meant. This blue skinned person, was the first of his kind the apothecary had ever seen. The apothecary greeted him like he was a regular customer. He told him that he would have his medicines ready for him in just a minute. The apothecary went into his lab to grab the medicines. His hands started shaking, as he handled the medicines. This was where they were most likely to be caught. This is where he asked himself why he was risking his family for the lives of people he never met. The answer was always the same. "It's the right thing to do." If he was in their shoes, he would hope and pray every day that some stranger would be willing to risk his life, and risk losing his family, just so his children could live. Every evening when he goes home, and looks in the face of his own smiling children, he knows he has made the right decision.

He came back to the counter, and placed the medicines in an oversized bag. He handed the medicines over to the blue man, and quoted a price. The blue man handed over large credit notes to cover the cost. The apothecary handed him his change. When the blue man opened the door, the apothecary called out, "I hope this helps you feel better." The apothecary was suddenly embarrassed, why did he just do that. He shook his head at his own outburst, and went back to his lab, he always felt secure working in there.

As Chitrah walked to the waiting vehicle. A man in plain clothes walks up to Chitrah, and demands to see what is in the bag. Chitrah told him, no way, if he wants medicines, he needs to go see the apothecary, and pay for them, just like everyone else. "Besides I don't think they would work for you."

The man opens his coat to let Chitrah see his badge. Chitrah told him that when he was little he used to dress up like that too, only his badge was more believable.

Chitrah walks right past him, and gets into the vehicle. He tells the droid to take him to the Ministry's residence. He sits back and tries to relax. His heart is ponding so fast and so hard, he feels like it is trying to jump out of his chest. The man in plain clothes is all red faced and furious. His two buddies come out of the alleyway laughing.

"He thought you were trying to mooch some medicines off of him."

It took a couple of minutes for them all to calm down. It was hard, every time they saw their buddies red face, they would start laughing again. The man asked his buddies where they now stand on this case. One of them mentioned that apparently this blue skinned alien has a chronic condition, and these medicines help to relieve some of the symptoms. Remember how he said that he doubted the medicines would work for you. He knows the medicines react differently with his physiology than they would with a human. What about the fact that in the past, all the buyers were Lorradian women from the Ministry?

There are only Lorradian women at this Ministry. It makes sense that they would be the ones to purchase medicines from the apothecary for visiting aliens. He is not a low level official, he has his own vehicle assigned to him, and last night two medium ranked officials entertained him.

Our sources in the Ministry told us that more than one Moff is keeping tabs on his career, and he has two special accommodations on his record, from two different Moffs. I think gentlemen, we have been handed a diversion. Someone with enough pull has misled us, to keep us from finding the real rot. You are talking about a Nobleman. Exactly! We have to be real careful from this point on, it could cost us our careers. Their impromptu meeting broke up. As they were parting, one of the buddies turns back.

"You should do as the chief says, and buy some mouthwash."

The plain clothes man bowed his head, now his friends are turning on him. He walks into the apothecary and asks for a bottle of the stuff he sold to the Ministry lady the other day, apparently some of his co-workers think he has a bad breath problem.

As the apothecary goes about preparing the solution, the man starts to unload to the apothecary. He told him that they had thought he was part of a drug smuggling operation, with some of the Lorradian ladies in the Ministry. They just figured out that they had been buying the medicines for the blue alien, who has some chronic condition, and is very important in the Ministry. Now they have to back track to find the rat that diverted them from the real rot in their society. The apothecary did not know whether to laugh or cry, so he kept a straight face. When he had the bottle ready, he brought it to the counter with some of the excess solution. He told the man, that sometimes when you have a bad breath problem, it is because of excess bacteria on the tongue. He brought out a small brush, poured some of the solution on the bristles, and rubbed his tongue. He then took a sip of the extra solution, swirled it around in his mouth, and spat it out in a small pail. He handed the man a new brush and told him to do what he had just done. The man did as he was instructed, and spat the mouthwash into the small pail. The apothecary told him that if this does not help him clear up the bad breath over time, than he may have a bad tooth causing the bad breath. The man thanked him for his help, and asked him how much he owes him. The apothecary told him that this time it was on the house, he was happy to help someone who is protecting their society. When the man left, the apothecary had to sit down. The ladies are going to have a hard time believing this. They have just been handed the next thing to immunity, and it was all because of their blue friend.

Chitrah had to take a shower when he returned to his apartment. He wasn't feeling dirty, he just needed the soothing effect of the water running over his body. After his shower he went down to the cafeteria with his electronics case on his hand. He had to remove some gear to get all the medicines to fit inside. He found the couple he was with yesterday, and asked them if he could go get some dinner and sit with them. They had just gotten their dinner and would be happy for his company. They carried on with small talk during dinner. The lady too afraid to ask Chitrah, how it went today, in case someone was listening. Chitrah found out which department they worked in, how long they had worked for the Ministry, how long they had been married. All that social stuff. When they had finished dinner, Chitrah leaned toward the closest of the two of them and whispered, this is where you invite me back to your apartment. Then he sat back and patiently waited. The person got up as if to put away their tray, and asked Chitrah if he would like to come back to their apartment for an after dinner appetizer. Their partner looked at them. They have nothing to serve a guest. But they kept quiet and played along.

When they arrived at their apartment Chitrah did a quick scan of their apartment, to make sure it was clean. He was so good at it that Andriel did not notice he did it whenever they were assigned a new room. The apartment was clean. He sat down on the offered chair, and told them about his trip to the apothecary. He told them how funny the man looked with his red face, as Chitrah climbed into the vehicle. He also told them that he was afraid his heart was going to leap out of his chest, during the ride back to the residence. He opened his case and gave them the medicines. He brought a second bag out of his case and asked for a bowl and a cup of tea. The lady got up, she forgot that she is supposed to be a hostess. She asked Chitrah what was in the second bag. Chitrah told her that they were sweet treats, "you know, the after dinner appetizer."

"You knew that we would invite you to our apartment for an appetizer." Chitrah told her no. He had bought them after his lunch, and had forgot about them, until he took the bag of medicine out of his case. It was a good thing he had someone to share them with, or he would have had to eat them all by himself. His wife might not recognise him, if a fat husband returned from Barseg. They had a little laugh over the joke, and as stress relief. They asked Chitrah about his wife. He told them about his being forced to marry her, but now they were very much in love. Because they asked for more details, Chitrah gave them the short version of their relationship. They asked, why, if they were in love, she was not with him? Chitrah told them about her dress shop on Lianna.

He asked if he could use their computer. Computers in married residence usually have less restrictions on them, than in singles residence. Chitrah took advantage of this, and in a few short minutes, he was able to access the dress shop's site on Lianna. He pointed out his wife to them. The woman wanted to see all the dress designs. Her husband knew from the look in her eye that she wanted one. She asked Chitrah, if she would make an outfit for her? Chitrah told her that she would only make dresses for women she has met in person. Many women have not been properly fitted for their underwear. If they are not properly fitted, then when they put on one of her outfits they complain that the dress does not fit properly. She asked her husband, if it would be possible for her to go to Lianna on Ministry business? Do they offer courses or some sort of training that she could sign up for? He told her that when there are courses, they usually send the instructor to the office that needs training. That is one of the reasons Chitrah gets sent to other planets. On his record he is considered a qualified trainer of field staff. Chitrah was a little surprised, sure he has done some training, but when did he become a qualified trainer? He asked him if he knew how he has been classified as a qualified trainer. He told Chitrah that in his case, after he had completed the training of individual personnel, if they have no problems completing their assignments over the next two months, then the trainer is considered qualified. Since Chitrah has officially trained six individuals, and none of them had recorded problems in the two month period after, Chitrah is classified as highly qualified. This was all news to Chitrah.

Since it was getting late, he thanked them for their company, and their after dinner appetizers, and went back to his apartment.

The installations were going smoothly for Chitrah, and he tried to go every evening to see the street entertainers. One evening he showed up earlier than normal, and found their leader sitting by himself, looking a little downcast. He asked him what was wrong. He told Chitrah that he had an invite, to go and perform on Lianna, but they could not afford to go there. Even if they could afford it the logistics of trying to get them all there at the same time is next to impossible. Chitrah understood his dilemma, most freighters had between 2 to 4 cabins available for passengers. If he was able to get four cabins at double occupancy, some of the troop would not be able to go. Not only that, but he has never seen eight chairs in the common room for passengers to be strapped in during hyperspace jumps and manoeuvres. The most he has seen are six. He told the leader that he needs to find out from the transportation companies, what the maximum size on a container would be, that they will allow for shipping. The leader asked Chitrah if he was suggesting that he ship his troop to Lianna. Chitrah said simply, "Yes!" He pointed to the large military ship that they could see that had crashed into the side of a mountain, during a battle many years ago. He told the leader that he would not be surprised if there were still escape pods on that ship that he could take advantage of. He drew a quick sketch of the side view of a container. He drew a line along the length of the view to separate the top two thirds from the bottom third. He placed a series of escape pods in the top two thirds, and designated the bottom third as equipment. He told him that he would still need to rent a cabin, for the troop to share as a washroom. He would need permission from the transport company for them to be willing to do it. Most were open to negotiating. If he did get to Lianna with the troop, there is a dress shop on the planet that could help with sewing and repairing costumes, and they are willing to trade for their services. The leader looked at the drawing in the dirt, and suddenly his face brightened up. He got up and grabbed Chitrah's hand and told him he is a genius. He started running through their setup, than stopped. He turned and asked him what his name was. Chitrah told him. "Thank you Chitrah! You have given me new hope." He turned and continued running to where ever it was he was going. When the next performance started, one of the other entertainers came out to welcome the crowd.

One evening Chitrah returned from a difficult installation, he found a note under the door. The group wanted to meet with him, and take him out to dinner, and drinks afterwards. They were waiting in the cafeteria. Chitrah showered, and but on his nicest outfit. He wondered what this was about. He didn't think it was bad news, or they would not have invited him out, after dinner. When he entered the cafeteria, it was easy to spot the group. They were all nicely dressed, too nice for the cafeteria. All the ladies he met the first day were there with their husbands. There were other women there that he had not met before, except the secretary who had escorted him to his apartment. They all had men with them. Chitrah assumed they were their husbands. They were all in good humour, and happy to see Chitrah. The couple he knew, introduced him to everyone else, or reintroduced, to the ones he had already met. They were all pleased to meet him, they thought they already knew him from the reports that came across their desks, and the stories they heard. Chitrah warned them that all the reports they read were intended to make him look larger than life, and to encourage the young contractors to excel at their work. The couple in charge (Chitrah's friends) told him that they were going to meet up with another couple who had gone ahead to make sure there was enough room for all of them at the eatery. On the walk over, Chitrah tried to get to know as many of the couples as he could. He felt a little at a disadvantage, because they knew a lot about him, and he really knew little about any of them. He also found out that the group was much larger than where coming with him tonight, but the core of the group were the ladies he met on the first day. This was the first time that so many had dared come together at once. For anonymity, they had tried to limit themselves to cells. Chitrah could hardly wait to hear what changed. When they arrived at their destination, the restaurant had prepared a special room for them. It turned out that they cater to the business meeting crowd, and had special rooms for the lunch meetings. When they heard about the size of the group the couple was trying to arrange seating for, they decided to open one of their rooms for their dinner. Chitrah had scanned the room, and found no eavesdropping devices. To make sure it stayed that way, Chitrah had his computer emit a jamming signal. It would not be heard or felt by anyone in the room. He hoped that it did not extend far beyond the room, because it could affect most electronic equipment, including droids. After they all placed their order, the leader of the group, Chitrah's friend, told him about her last meeting with the apothecary. The undercover officers had placed his shop under surveillance. They overheard the exchange between him and the apothecary, and from the exchange he had with the undercover officer. They had concluded that he, Chitrah, suffered from some chronic ailment, and the medicines were to provide relief. They had information that led them to believe that he, Chitrah, was very important in the Ministry, like a very senior official, so it would be only natural, that us lowly officials, and secretaries, would be required to go to the apothecary to purchase his medicines, on his behalf. They have closed down their operation against the apothecary, and are now looking for fatter rats to destroy. Because of Chitrah they think they are legit. Chitrah asked how sick was he, should he start making arrangements for his wife to collect survivor benefits? Which only made everyone laugh.

It did not escape Chitrah's knowledge that before coming here, he really was sick, coming here, and being a help, was the cure. He did not know if he could properly express it to this group, but he did know that Andriel would understand.

The next evening when Chitrah went to watch a show, he was disappointed to find that they were no longer there. Instead he found a note covering a sign. It read, "Gone to Lianna", in very small letters, at the edge of the note, he read, "Thank you, Chitrah." Chitrah went to the place where the children sat, and sat down. He wondered what he was going to do now. A short time later, a child came and sat beside him. He told Chitrah that he missed them too. At least he was still here. Chitrah told the child that soon, he also would have to leave. The child sat there a moment longer, then stood up. "I guess that this is goodbye," he stuck out his hand towards Chitrah, and said, "It has been a pleasure meeting you." Chitrah shook his hand, "It's been a great pleasure for me too." Chitrah saw that his eyes were starting to water, so Chitrah pulled him to himself and gave him a big hug, and whispered, "Goodbye!" In a trembling voice, he heard the child say, "Goodbye Blue Man." Then he left. Chitrah sat there a while longer, not wanting to leave, cherishing the memories. Finally he knew it was time to leave. He said goodbye to the memories of all the children he had met. He told the memories that he hoped they would all grow up to be good people. Chitrah spent longer each day working on his assignments. He just wanted to finish and go home to his wife. He wasn't worried if the cafeteria closed before he finished. There were enough places nearby, serving good food, to keep him fed. He was able to meet with the couple one more time before leaving. He told them he still wanted to keep helping, after he leaves. Could he get medicines made up somewhere else and ship them to someone on Lorrad. They told him that there are exorbitant taxes levied against medicines brought in that way, very few people can afford it. The only way to get medicines in, is to smuggle it in. Which is what they are doing, through the Ministry. Chitrah contacted the droid, and had it meet them in front of the residence. He took the couple to the shuttle terminal. He opened a joint account in his name and in her name. He deposited 100 credits in the account. He knew that 100 credits was a lot, he told them that he had learnt from his wife, that if 100 credits are maintained in the account, the bankers will not touch it. If there is a smaller amount, the bankers will start applying fees to steal your money, and close the account. So do not let the account drop below 100 credits. If she does, Chitrah will know something is wrong, and will withdrawal all remaining credits, and close the account. He encouraged her to have some of the other ladies to also place their names on the account. That way if something happens to her, or they get transferred, others will be able to continue accessing the account.

A few days later Chitrah was on his way home. He was wondering if the entertainers had contacted the dress shop yet. He could hardly wait to tell Andriel about the brave group on Barseg, who were trying to right a wrong on Lorrad.

Since it was still early in the day at the Ministry offices, Chitrah thought it would be better to stop in at the office, before heading to the dress shop. He dropped his luggage off at their old apartment first. There would ask too many questions if he brought his luggage to the Ministry. When he entered the office they rushed him right through to the holonet transceiver pad in the inner sanctum. The Moff wanted to speak to him as soon as he came in. He stood on the pad and waited, after a couple of minutes, the image of the Moff appeared. He congratulated Chitrah on successfully completing his assignments, without any problems. He apologised that it was not as exciting, as the time he spent on Lorrad. "The nobleman's bragging in the courts of Barseg, about the quality of data he was receiving, about his factories operations. Have already resulted in other nobles contacting the Ministry to inquire about a similar installation for their factories. We are considering a permanent transfer of a contractor to Barseg, and an expansion of the local Ministry's office. Relationships between the Royal Court of Barseg and the Sith Empire are at an all-time high. On a personal note, the contractor on Lorrad is now married. His wife had one of the highest scores for the Ministry's entrance exam. She turned down the position she was offered, asking if she could be trained as a field technician, like her husband. We have given him authorisation to begin her training, as soon as a new course for electronic technicians opens up, we will be sending her. They will be our first field contractor duo." With that last note the Moff terminated the transmission. If he thought this was supposed to inspire Chitrah, it didn't. It was nice to hear the news from Lorrad, he did believe they would make a good couple. The officials all congratulated Chitrah in earning another audience with the Moff. Secretly they were thinking that they would have to be even more careful in their dealings with him. If they treated him properly they had a good chance of getting noticed, and they would have a boost to their career, if they miss handled him, like that junior official, they could be out in the civilian market, looking for a new job. The senior official told Chitrah that the Moff had instructed that he be given the rest of the day off, for a well deserved rest. They expect him back in the office first thing in the morning, for his new job assignments.

Chitrah returned to their old apartment, and took a shower. He was feeling groggy, and was hoping it would help him keep awake until he saw Andriel. Then he could rest. When he showed up at the dress shop, they would not let him into the workshop, instead Shaak told Andriel to take her husband home. They can look after the dress shop for the rest of the day. Chitrah was very happy to have Andriel walk him home. He started telling her about the organization that had formed in the Ministry on Barseg, by the Lorradian women and their husbands, to help the people on Lorrad, and how fate used him to stop an investigation into their drug smuggling activities. Andriel was proud of Chitrah, keeping his cool in a very stressful situation. Like Chitrah, she found it interesting that a great injustice had been exposed to him, and when he felt humbled and depressed, because he saw no avenue to help. Fate intervened, and gave him the opportunity to be a great help. This was the same as her and the Devaronians on Eriadu. They knew that outside forces had intervened in bringing them together. With all the things they experienced, they both started believing, that their life together had a purpose and destiny, beyond what would have been expected for a normal relationship. It may be because they had a baby on the way, but they started talking about their life together in different ways than they did before. They were actually excited about their future.

The entertainment group did finally contact the dress shop. They were looking to change their performance, and would need new costumes to go along with it. They told them how a nice blue man on Barseg, by the name of Chitrah said that they were willing to trade for work. Both Andriel and Shaak were willing to take on this new challenge. Neither one had experience in making outfits for men. When the group leader told them that the group was used to changing in front of each other, they decided to have the entire group in the workshop (male and female) for an entire afternoon, to get all their measurements, and go over their expectations in the new costume designs. They asked that they also bring some of the old costumes the men have worn, so that they would have an idea on how to sew the new ones. As far as trading, they decided that Shaak and her companions would go and watch one of their rehearsals, then they would have an idea for a fair trade. So they agreed to a day where Shaak and her companions would come out to watch them in the morning. Then the troop would come back with them for the afternoon. Andriel and Shaak posted notices in their show front windows, that they would be closed after lunch on the marked date, so that they could work on costume designs for a troop of entertainers. The unexpected result, was that customers, and people from the neighborhood, would come in and ask, where the performances were held, and what was the cost?

On the morning in question, Shaak and her two companions, arrived in time to see the preparations for the rehearsal. Shaak saw that since they were street performers. They only had one shipping container that they used as their change room and makeup room. You could not be shy about changing in front of the other performers. She did not know how they managed, since she was sure the shipping container was at least half the size of the workshop in the dress shop. Most of the entertainers did not apply makeup, since it was a rehearsal. One of Shaak's companions, Bandaa, was watching the entertainers that did wear makeup, transform themselves into realistic looking alien species. She suddenly became excited, and talked to Shaas and Shaak about her idea. Shaak approached the troop leader. She asked him how hard was it to transform their people to look like alien species. The leader told them that it would depend on the alien species, but generally not that hard. Shaak pointed to one of the female entertainers that was close to the same size and build, as Andriel. "Can you make her look like Togruta? So that even if I was to stand beside her, people would not know that she was not Togruta?" He thought about it for a moment, thinking about what material he had on hand, and what he would have to buy. He looked at Shaak and her two companions, asking each one to turn around, so he could get a good look at them. He told Shaak that he could do it. She asked him if the head piece would be very heavy. He told her that they have to build those pieces as light as possible, because the entertainer may need to wear them through the entire performance. If it was too heavy, it could strain the neck, causing neck pains. Shaak told him, that if he could make that woman look like a Togruta, and let them keep the head piece and makeup, and they were willing to perform two shows at no charge to the people. One at the Togruta enclave, and one at the Nautolan enclave. Then they have something to trade for the new costumes. He told her that they could not give them the makeup they would use. Once makeup has been used it is considered the property of the person that used it, to avoid skin problems. He would have to order a new makeup kit to go with the head piece. Other than that, they have an agreement. He thought he was getting the better side of the agreement.

The actor did not know Shaak had already talked to elders from both communities. Both groups had been reaching out to their human neighbours, trying to generate more acceptance, of each other. One thing they had done was to create safe zones around their enclaves. They found that their neighbours were more willing to come to them, if they saw a suspicious person in their neighbourhood, or if they had been attacked and/or robbed. The planetary defence force was usually slow in responding, and when they did, all they did was fill out some report, than they would never hear back. The humans found that when they told the people at the local enclave, both the Togruta, and the Nautolans, were good in hunting the perpetrator down, getting most, if not all of the stolen items back, and leaving the perpetrator in a condition, that they never wanted to return to that area again. They would also invite their neighbours to join them on special feast days. Families with small children, had especially warmed up to the feast day invitations, they found they did not need to worry about where their children were. They could let them play without any hindrances. The children really liked it when their parents told them they were going to the enclave. The elders were ready to reimburse the dress shop, for having the entertainers come to their enclave, they could promote it to the neighborhood as a special feast day.

When they went to the dress shop, they had decided that Andriel would work with all the male entertainers, and Shaak would work with the female entertainers. They would each have one of the companions helping as an assistant.

Andriel knew about Shaak having talked to the elders about being reimbursed for the entertainers' performance. Shaak did not tell her about the other part of the agreement, until she presented the Togruta head piece and makeup kit to her. The troop found that they had to keep one of the male entertainers in the front room, to answer all the questions of people coming to the dress shop, to ask about the entertainers. As the afternoon approached dinner time, Andriel asked everyone, if they should order some food for dinner. For the entertainers, this was totally unexpected. They quickly agreed to anything that Andriel wanted to order. The two companions were sent to bring back enough food for everyone, and to leave a message for Chitrah, that she would be eating dinner at the dress shop. This way Chitrah, after working out with the Togruta, would have his dinner with them in their common room.

Chitrah found out from Andriel where the troop was performing on Lianna. Unfortunately, it was not a convenient place for them to get to. If they wanted to go, they would have to plan together to go there.

When Andriel was presented with the headpiece, she had to try it on right away. They had to help her with the makeup, to get it to look right. When she stood in front of the mirror in the dress shop, she was surprised to see a Togruta woman looking back at her. From that day, whenever she was seen in public, she was seen as a Togruta woman. There was no longer a Devaronian woman on Lianna. Even when she went with Chitrah to watch the entertainers perform, she went in her Togruta costume. She did not go sit with Chitrah, when he sat with the children. She stood with the adults, but loved watching Chitrah with the children.

Andriel had contacted a midwife that the Togruta use. She would come to Andriel's apartment to see how the pregnancy was coming along. Because she knew that Andriel was not living in the Togruta enclave, and there was no Togruta man in her life, she assumed that Andriel was a Togruta prostitute. She knew about the Togruta need, to be close to their own people. She assumed the Togruta in the enclave, just put up with her. The midwife's greatest concern, was that prostitutes were usually drug addicts as well, but whenever she visited Andriel, she could never find any evidence of drug use. What she did find, from time to time, was evidence that a man had been in Andriel's apartment. She could not determine whether this was a client, or whether Andriel was in a relationship.

The down side to safer streets near the dress shop, was there were now prostitutes and drug dealers, on the sidewalks, because of the increased foot traffic. The prostitutes found the dress shop a convenient place, to get repairs done to their outfits, after they had a rough client, as well as the availability of the feminine hygiene products when they were in their moon cycle. They found that the people working there, did not look down on them, but treated them as real people. To everyone else they were just a thing.

One of the oldest prostitutes on the streets, was particularly hungry for the way she was treated by the people in the dress shop. She had never been treated that way before. She made two rules for herself, she would never go to the dress shop high, and she would never go to the dress shop, when she was in desperate need of glitteryll. At first her Twi'lek pimp did not mind her going there, since all his girls went there, for their feminine needs. But he noticed that she started spending more and more time in there. One time he entered the dress shop, with the intent of dragging her out. But a Togruta female had come out to the storefront, and told him point blank, that he was not allowed to go into the workshop. She looked to be in good physical shape, and he had been warned that the planetary defence forces keep an eye on this place, and if it came down to your word against theirs, their word would always win. They brought a chair for him to sit on, and a cup of tea to drink. He almost threw the tea in the Togruta's face. "He needed his bitch on the street making credits, and he needed her there now." The Togruta told him that if he was not going to respect the premises, he could leave right now on his own, or she could throw him out. He left in a huff, he could hardly wait to get his hands on her. He would have to remind her who was boss. Not only was he her pimp, but he was also her dealer. He was going to hurt her and make her beg for more.

They did not see her at the dress shop for a few days, Shaak was getting worried for her, Shaas had mentioned how upset the Twi'lek man was, and the woman was convinced that he would punish her for not coming out, right away. So she and her companions went to look for her. At first the prostitutes on the street, were afraid to talk to them, making Shaak worry even more. While she was trying to get one of them to talk, someone slipped a note into her hand. She turned around quickly, but could not identify who had done it. The note had an address. The three Togruta went to the address as quick as possible. They found their new friend on a mat on the floor, with a dirty towel covering her as a blanket. She was pretty badly beaten, with one eye swollen completely shut. To touch her was agony. There was a nice bed in the room. So the three companions picked her up as gently as they could, and placed her on the bed. She would heal much quicker on the bed, than on a thin mat on the floor. Just then the pimp walks into the room, with his two bodyguards. He demanded to know what they are doing there, how they found out about this place, and why did they put that piece of shit in his bed?

They told him that they found this place on their own, they are hunters. They told him that they put her in the bed so that she would heal faster. They told him that they were there to help her get better. He told his bodyguards to throw the two quiet bitches out on the street. He was going to take care of the mouthy one, because he needed some fresh meat out on the street. Shaak's companions had the two bodyguards face down on the floor in no-time. With their foot on their neck, they let them know that if the moved, they would break it.

When the Twi'lek pimp approached Shaak, she simply gave him a backhand to his face, knocking him back. Telling him, that she was no-bodies fresh meat. He pulled a vibro-blade knife out of a pocket. But Shaak was able to kick it out of his hand right away. She than gave him another backhand to the other side of his face, knocking him back against the wall. She followed that up with a fist to his soft belly. When he doubled over like she expected, she smashed him in the face with her knee, breaking his nose. She then grabbed him by the throat, and smashed him against the wall. Choking him slightly, she told him, that if he ever lays a hand on her friend again, she would kill him. She then went through all his pockets, taking out anything she found there. All his drugs and all his credits. With difficulty he asked her what she was going to do with all the credits. She told him that she was going to buy food and medicine for her friend to help her heal. He asked her about the drugs. She told him that her friend cannot heal, if she is craving spice. She was going to make sure that she healed. She then took him, and threw him out on the street. She told him that he would need to find another place to sleep for the next few days, because her friend needed his bed. She was also proud of the fact that his face was going to swell up nicely. A short time later his bodyguards come flying out of the building, their pockets also empty.

Shortly after this, Shaak sends her companions to get some fresh meat from their enclave, and some salve to cover her body. On the way back they should buy some fresh fruits and vegetables. They asked Shaak why they should buy fresh fruits, when their friend could not eat them. Shaak told them to look at all the mats on the floor, it's quite likely that all the prostitutes spend the night there, and she doubted the Twi'lek ever gave them something to eat.

That night when there were no more people on the streets, the prostitutes came back to their apartment. They were not sure what to expect, a few of them saw the pimp flying out onto the street, followed a short time later by the two body guards. The truth is, they had nowhere else to go. They could smell that there was food cooking, so one by one they plucked up enough courage to enter the apartment. They were given a bowl, and some flat bread, and told to help themselves to the soup, but to be careful, it is hot. They were all starving, the only time they ate was if a client took pity on them and gave them some food, or if they found some, that someone threw out. If they ever used some of the credits they earned, to buy food, they would be beaten, and not given any spice until it really started to hurt inside. They were surprised to hear that the fruit was for them, they all greedily took two or three pieces, and tried to hide it while they ate it. Afraid that someone would try to take it from them. The Togruta wanted to cry when they saw how they behaved. They had only seen that type of behaviour displayed by mistreated children. When they started looking for their mats, to get some sleep. Shaak told the two who looked the most malnourished, that they could also sleep on the bed. At first they were afraid to, it was his bed, and you were only allowed on it, if you were invited, and you had to please him first. You could not fall asleep before he did, or he would get angry and beat you, and they were afraid to be beaten. The three Togruta slept on the floor, they were used to it. They also took turns standing watch. They were not worried about the prostitutes, they were worried that the Twi'lek might send some goons to try and force them out.

The Twi'lek had planned on doing just that. He went to the Twi'lek enclave seeking help. The Twi'lek boss, called him an idiot, didn't he know that the Togruta were always stronger than they looked. He told him to leave the Togruta alone. They were predictable, once their friend is healed, they would leave the apartment, and him alone. He complained that they had shamed him, by throwing him out of his own apartment. The boss told him that he was not going to start a war with the Togruta, over his stupidity, and had him thrown out of the enclave. He then directed one of his lieutenants, to keep an eye on him, in case he does something foolish. The next day, when the prostitutes finally woke up, they found a pot of porridge waiting for them. Shaak had sent her two companions over to the dress shop in the morning, to let Andriel know that they were all right, and that they would be occupied for the next couple of days. They then went and bought the ingredients for the salve, and took it to their healer to prepare it for them. They also arranged for some Togruta women to spend the day with Andriel, in case the Twi'lek was foolish enough to attack the dress shop. They were back at the apartment before any of the prostitutes had woken up. After their porridge, the ladies went back out on the street. If any of them craved spice, Shaak gave them enough glitteryll for them to overcome their cravings. That evening when they returned to the apartment they found some more soup waiting for them. They turned over all the credits they had earned to Shaak, because she clearly was the one in charge of their lives right now. This time they were not as greedy in grabbing the fresh fruit. They knew that Shaak had made sure there was enough for everyone, and she wasn't going to take it back from them, because they did not work hard enough, that day.

The next day when they went back out to the streets, their pimp had been waiting for them. He grabbed one of his girls, and forced her into a back alley. He told her to hand over all her credits. She told him that she did not have any credits, none of the girls did. They did as he had trained them. At the end of the day, they turned over all their credits to the one in charge, and right now the Togruta women are in charge. He swore, he could not fault her for doing as he trained her, but right now, he had no credits, no spice, and he was starting to crave glitteryll, since he was an addict as well. He asked her what the girls were doing for spice, their addiction was more powerful than his. She told him that the Togruta woman has a stash, and she gives some to each of them as they need it. He swore again, that was his glitteryll that she was doling out. He made the prostitute service his physical needs, then he asked her to help him get some glittryll from the Togruta woman. He told her that she was his favourite, and that he really did love her. She did not believe him for a second, but because the Togruta women had already told them that as soon as their friend was better, they would be leaving them, and their Twi'lek master would be coming back. She told him she would see what she could do for him. She went to Shaak, and told her that the Twi'lek needed some spice. Shaak was surprised that he was an addict as well, most addicts did not have the self-control to handle as much of the spice as he had in his possession, without using it all.

Because Shaak did not want to give him an excuse to start beating his girls as soon as he came back. She gave some glitteryll to the prostitute to take to him. The prostitute went to where the Twi'lek was waiting, and showed him the package. She told him that she needed some as well, that she had brought enough for them to share. He grabbed the package and ran off. She cursed him under her breath. That greedy Twi'lek, she hoped that he would get the Togruta women really mad at him, and that they would slit his throat.

With their friend on the mend. She was no longer in pain, when someone touched her, and all the swelling had gone down. Though she was still discoloured, over most of her body. The Togruta women decided it was time for them to leave. The other reason they had decided to leave, was because Shaak's supply of drugs that they had taken off the pimp, was starting to run out. They kept half of the remaining credits, as compensation for their time. They gave the other half to their friend to give to the Twi'lek, so that he could go purchase some glitteryll, for himself, and for them. All the girls were sad to see them go, they had gotten used to eating regularly, and they had all started putting on weight. They knew that the Togruta, would always accept them into the dress shop, and share a cup of tea with them. But now they would be back to checking what people had thrown away, in case they could find some edible table scraps. The Twi'lek was surprised when the Togruta's friend found him, and handed over all the credits. He had convinced himself that he would never see any of it. He asked her where the rest of it was. She told him that the Togruta had kept it as compensation, for looking after her. She did not tell him that they had used a good portion of it to buy food to feed all of them. He would try to find some way of getting it out of them. He told her to get back to work, he would deal with her later. She promised herself, that if he beat her again, she would head straight to the Togruta at the dress shop. He went straight to his supplier, and bought some glitteryll. This time he found a place where he thought he could safely stash some glitteryll, and some credits, in case the Togruta threw him out of his apartment again. He did not know that the boss's lieutenant had been watching him, and when he left, he took the stash for himself.

The prostitutes were not surprised to see him in the apartment that evening. What they were surprised about, was that he did not say or do anything to hurt them. They gave him all their credits, and he gave them all some glitteryll. For the next few days, it went like that. Sure, he would take one of them to bed with him every night, and when he had been satisfied, he would kick them out of his bed, to go sleep on their mat. They were getting more and more apprehensive every night. This was not normal behaviour for him. They were expecting that at any moment he would snap, and they did not want to be around when he did. He was spending most of his time, thinking about how he would get back at the Togruta, and about how he would get rid of their friend. He did not want just the mouthy one working for him, he wanted all three of them working the streets for him, begging him for some spice. He would get back all they stole from him and more. He fantasized about raping each one of them. Women were much more willing to have sex with strangers, once they had been raped. He figured he would have to rape the mouthy one a few times before she submitted to his will. What he did not like were the women who he had raped a number of times, and they stopped differentiating between pleasure and pain. The horn of his manhood would not firm up if he knew they were enjoying the abuse. To make matters worse, they would start mocking him for it, even when he beat them. He would usually sell them to slavers for a good price, if he did not kill them first. There was a good market for women like that.

The Twi'lek finally decided on a plan, that he was sure would work. He was going to take the Togruta's friend to an empty warehouse, he knew about. He would bind her, then he would tell the Togruta that a rival gang had kidnapped her, demanding concessions, or they would eliminate her. When he had lured the Togruta away from the dress shop, he would send his two body guards to ransack the dress shop. While he had been waiting to get back into his apartment, he had watched all of the women going in and out of the dress shop. With that amount of business they must have quite the pile of credits stashed away somewhere. Once they found it, they were to take it, and burn the place to the ground.

The two bodyguards were very eager to carry out his plan, they also wanted to get back at the Togruta. The hard part would be leaving a trail for the Togruta to follow, which would lead them right to the warehouse, where they would find him with a vibro-blade knife, at their friend's throat, he would threaten to kill her unless they took the glitteryll he had prepared for them. Once they were under its effect, he could take his time, raping each one of them, while the others watched, helpless to do anything. Finally he would rape their friend while they watched, and while he was raping her, he would choke her to death, with his bare hands. That way they would never forget who was in charge.

The day the Twi'lek decided to implement his plan, he asked the Togruta's friend to stay in the apartment for a moment, while the other girls left for the streets, he wanted to talk to her. She was afraid. She had no choice, but to do as he said. After the others left, he grabbed her, and bound her. He told her that today he will get his revenge on her Togruta friends, and if all goes well, she won't have to worry about her glitteryll cravings ever again. She knew then, that he planned on killing her, and she was helpless, she could not even warn her friends. She started to cry for her friends, but he became angry and slapped her across the face. He told her that she could cooperate, and he would be easy on her, or she could fall into hysterics, and he would make her last few hours a living hell. She tried controlling her emotions, as he led her away. In the warehouse, he bound her to a chair that was fastened to the floor. This was not the first time he used this warehouse. He was looking forward to getting rid of this bitch. In his mind she had long out lived her usefulness, and become a major liability. By her own admission, she had recently turned thirty. Thirty! Can you imagine that! For a prostitute she was ancient. He left her there, and went to the dress shop. It was time to see how good of hunters, the Togruta really are. On the way to the warehouse, he had purposely knocked her down a few times, just to leave a trail, he made sure they had some fresh blood to find. When he reached the dress shop, he dramatically burst in. He called out to the Togruta, telling them that he needed their help. Shaak came out to the front, and asked him what was wrong. He told her that he believes the Balosar, had kidnapped their friend. They covet this territory for themselves, and he believes this is their first move against him. He was off to see if he could get some help, he would appreciate it if they could track her down. He had heard the Togruta were good trackers. He ran off, like he was going for help, than backtracked, to see if they would take his bait. He did not have to wait long before the Togruta came out. He ran off again to make sure that he got to the warehouse before them.

His bodyguards were in place, they knew what to do, as soon as the Togruta had cleared out of this area. The dress shop was theirs. Shaak went up to some of the girls and asked them if they had seen their friend. They told her that the Twi'lek had asked her to stay behind, so he could talk to her. They asked her, what was happening? Shaak told them it was nothing, the Twi'lek had decided to play games. The girls did not understand Shaak. They talked with the other girls about it, wondering who was going to be at the apartment when they returned. The Togruta next went to the apartment, and checked it out. There was hardly any evidence of a struggle, they would have expected more if the Balosar had actually been there. The Balosar deal in deathsticks, which are made from mushrooms. To the Togruta it has a distinct odour that clings to the Balosar. There was no trace of this odour there. They went back out to the street, it was not long before they found a trail. But it was too obvious, a child could follow it. It bothered them that he was purposely throwing her to the ground. He was deliberately hurting her, in the pretence of leaving a trail for them.

Andriel had a bad feeling, ever since Shaak and her companions left. She wasn't worried about them, she had to calm herself down and listen to her intuition. The dress shop was in danger. She manually shut off the lights to the workshop. The back room would automatically dim when there was no-one there, so she had to look hard to see where the door was. She opened the door from the workshop to the storefront a crack, so she could look out. She did not have to wait long before she saw some thugs try to sneak into the dress shop. They tried staying low so they would not be seen from the outside. Andriel step back and waited. The first thug opened the door enough to go into the workshop. At the last moment he saw Andriel dressed up like a Togruta, just before her roundhouse kick connected with the side of his head. He was out cold. The momentum of her kick carried him fully into the workshop, to the one side of the door. The second bodyguard saw his buddy enter the workshop, and move to one side, he figured that he had gone that way to try and find a way to turn the lights on. He did not see the body lying on the ground. The noise his buddy made sounded like he had stumbled into something in the dark. So the second thug decided to go the other way, to see if he could find some way to power on the lights. He was suddenly hit from behind, slamming him against the wall. Then he received two quick punches to his kidneys. He pushed himself off the wall to face his assailant. At the last moment he briefly saw a Togruta woman, just before he received a vicious elbow slam to the side of his head. The blow caused him to smash against the wall again, with his head bouncing off the wall. He collapsed into a heap at the feet of the assailant.

Andriel used scrap pieces of fabric, to fashion cords, and bound the two thugs' hands and feet. She also gagged them in case they recovered when some other attackers entered the shop, and they shouted out a warning. She sat in the dark and waited, wondering who would be next. The interesting thing was that no customers came to the shop that afternoon, they had all decided to come in the morning, when there were no prostitutes on the street.

Shaak and her companions were careful when they entered the warehouse. They spread out and waited while their eyes adjusted to the dim interior. They knew better than to stay huddled together, presenting themselves as one large easy target. When their eyes adjusted, they checked their companions to make sure everyone could see. They slowly advanced through the warehouse, expecting a possible ambush behind every door, and bend, and shelf. When they came to the open area, they saw the Twi'lek standing over their friend as she appeared bound to the chair. Shaak and Shaas advanced slowly into the open area, Bandaa, remained hidden, and made her way around to the back of the Twi'lek. When he finally saw Shaak, he grabbed her friend by the hair with one hand and yanked her head back, in his other hand he held a vibro-blade knife and brought it near her throat, turning it on. When the Togruta heard the distinctive sound of the vibro-blade knife, they automatically took one of their stone knives out of its hiding place.

The Togruta preferred their stone knives, sure they were brittle and could easily be broken, but in the hands of a skilled hunter, they were deadly, and the blade would only break if they wanted it to. The stone knives could not be detected by any modern piece of detection equipment. The Togruta were so skilled in hiding them on their person, that security forces stopped checking them for knives. Rather they looked at the situation, if the Togruta were entering an area or event, where it was determined they would not be hostile, they were allowed to enter. If the area they wanted to enter or the event they wanted to participate in, was considered a bad place to have Togruta. They were not allowed to enter, no explanation being given.

The Twi'lek ordered them to drop their knives. Shaak simply answered, "No!" This caught the Twi'lek off guard. With his knife at their friend's throat, they were supposed to be compliant. So he tried another tactic, he called them fools for abandoning their dress shop, even now it was probably being engulfed in flames. Shaak said, he was the fool, they would never abandon their dress shop. They left it in the care of very capable hands. They were sure their dress shop was just fine. The Twi'lek did not think there would be others at the dress shop, maybe he misjudged the Togruta. He told them that if they did not obey him, he would cut their friends throat. Shaak told him, that their friend being alive was the only reason he was still alive. If she dies he would most surely die, a slow and painful death. He yelled at them to do as he says, or he would kill her. At this moment Bandaa, hit him in his back with a flying drop kick, sending him sprawling forward. He instinctively let go of the hair and vibro-blade knife to place his to hands in front of him to block his fall.

Fortunately, some of his forward momentum was transmitted to the knife. It did not touch any part of their friend's body as it fell. Shaak and Shaas had seen Bandaa move, and they were ready. As soon as her feet made contact. They both leapt into action. The one companion kicked him in the shoulder causing him to start spinning as he fell forward. She then reached out with her knife, slitting his throat as he turned. Shaak had leaped over where she expected his body to be, plunging her knife into his heart, and pulling it out without breaking it, as his body turned. The sign of an experienced hunter.

The Twi'lek was twice dead before he hit the ground. They used the vibro-blade knife, to cut their friend free. She was crying, and she hugged and kissed each one of them, thankful that they were all okay. Shaak asked her if she was now ready to try to break the hold the spice had over her. She had asked her the same question when they found her after her beating. This time she was ready to accept their help. She asked them why they did not comply to save her life. Shaak told her that no matter what they did, he was planning on killing her anyway. By not complying they kept him distracted enough, not to see that one of them had managed to manoeuvre behind him. She asked Shaak how they would have killed him, if he had killed her, because she mentioned that it would have been a slow and painful death. Shark told her that the first thing they would have done is to cut his tendons to his hands and feet, crippling him. The trick was not to cut any major blood vessels when they are doing that, or he would have just bled out. Then they would have tied the crippled Twi'lek into the chair he had bound her to. They then would have slowly started pealing the skin off of his head-tails. They believed, that they could have kept him alive for at least two days, before he finally perished. The trick was not to cause so much pain at one time so that he faints, and they have to waste time and energy to revive him.

Their friend was satisfied that her death would have been properly avenged. The two companions had to help her walk. Being bound as long as she had, she had no feeling in her arms or legs. As her companions were helping her walk, Shaak emptied the Twi'lek's pockets. She did not want her friend seeing her, seeing the packets of spice would have just made her want some. Shaak, also took all the credits that she could find. She would use them to buy food and other supplies for the other girls. She certainly did not want to leave them for that other Twi'lek lurking in the shadows.

They went to the Togruta enclave. Shaak told her father everything, that happened, and that they were now going to prepare the special room for her friend, and then they would prepare her friend. Heshaak dispatched three men to clean up the evidence and dispose of the body. He himself ran to the dress shop with his two companions, Beshaas Baa, and Hendaa Shuuk, to check on Andriel. When they arrived at the dress shop Heshaak stood at the doorway to the workshop, and called out, asking Andriel if she was alright? She told him she was fine, and came up to him and gave him a hug, and thanked him for coming. She then went and turned the lights on, so that he could see her handiwork. When the lights in the workshop came on. The two companions, who had been standing guard outside felt it was safe to come in. They all complimented Andriel on her handiwork. It must have been difficult making the cords. Then binding them in the dark with their hands and feet behind them, took great skill. They were all proud of their special Togruta.

They carried the thugs out of the dress shop one at a time. For the moment leaving them on the street. The whole neighbourhood, watched them. They could not believe that someone was foolish enough to mess with the people in the dress shop.

The girls on the street recognised the two thugs as their pimp's bodyguards. If the bodyguards are trussed up, where is the pimp? Andriel locked up the dress shop for the day. She needed to go home and relax. She hoped that Chitrah would be willing to give her one of his massages, she could really use one.

Heshaak, Beshaas, and Hendaa, were able to carry the two thugs to the Twi'leks enclave. At the enclave, Shaak's father, without being asked, stopped and removed his two stone knives, handing one to each of his two companions. Then he grabbed the thugs by their collars and dragged them into the compound.

The two thugs thought they were dreaming as they were carried out of the shop, and through the streets. They finally became fully awake when the Togruta man started dragging them. They recognised where they are, and they did not want to be there. They were afraid, they were so afraid they soiled their pants. Heshaak's two companions placed themselves in front of each of the two Twi'lek guards, guarding the way into the enclave. They stared at the guards and played with the knives they had been given. The two guards were convinced they were dead if their friend did not return soon.

Heshakk dragged the two men to where he knew the Twi'lek boss would be. He caused quite a commotion when he entered the room. He told the boss that the one he had placed in charge of the prostitutes near his daughter's business, had not shown his daughter proper respect, and now he is dead. His daughter wanted to keep his skin as a trophy, but he told her that it would show disrespect to the other Twi'leks. So instead she is keeping the prostitute he had used to bait her, as a trophy. These two men, that had been sent to destroy his daughter's business, he normally would have just killed and be done with, but in order to maintain peace between the Togruta and the Twi'lek he has brought them here for the Twi'lek boss to deal with. He asked the boss if there would be peace between their two people. The boss said there would be peace. Heshak turned to leave, then turned back. He told the boss to warn whoever he sends next, not to disrespect his daughter or her business, or they would suffer the same fate. Then he left. The two Togruta suddenly smiled when they saw their companion come out of the enclave. The two Twi'lek guards could not take it anymore, when they saw the Togruta smile, they both soiled themselves. As the three Togruta walked away from the enclave, they could not help themselves, they all burst out laughing.

Shaak told her friend that she would be in this room for the next two months, because that is how long it takes for the glitteryll cravings to leave her body. As she secured her arms and legs in the padded restraints, she told her that she would still be an addict. At any time, for the rest of her life, if someone offered her glitteryll, she would not hesitate to take it. Even though she would know how much she suffered to get it out of her system. They will try to provide her a safe environment, once she was free of the craving, so that she can live a fairly normal life.

When her friend was secure, she kissed her on the forehead, with tears in her eyes. She told her that she was really sorry for the pain she was going to experience. She was told she could yell and scream as loud and as long as she wanted, the walls would absorb all the sound. There would be people coming in at regular intervals, day and night to make sure she did not injure herself, and to clean her when she soiled herself. The last thing Shaak did was to secure a contraption to her head, which fit in her mouth. She told her that it was intended to keep her from biting her own tongue, and the tube was how they would be feeding her. She told her that she would be one of the people coming in to check on her.

After leaving their friend, the three Togruta women went to get supplies, for the orphaned girls that were still on the street.

When the prostitutes returned to the apartment, they were happy to see the Togruta women there, and handed over all their credits. Shaak told them that their pimp was dead. They killed him because he tried to kill their friend. None of them felt anything for their old pimp. One of them asked if they would be taking over. They were more upset when Shaak told them that they could not. They did not have a regular supply of spice for them, and it would mean war with the Twi'leks if they did take over, and in a war even they could be killed. The girls understood that the Togruta were trying to do what was best for them.

One of them complained that she is hungry. When was the food going to be ready? Shaak told them it would be ready when they finished making it. They all told her that they did not know how to cook. She was hoping that at least one of them had some experience. The three Togruta ladies divided the girls into three groups. They went over all of the items they had purchased for the evening's stew. They talked about how to prepare each item, and when to add it to the pot. While they were going over all the preparation, one of the girls asked them why they were showing them all this. Shaak told them that they suspected that the Twi'lek did not communicate very much with each other. They probably have their own ideas on how they should run their own girls. Shaak was hoping that whoever the Twi'leks send, will not have much experience, if they come and find that the girls are preparing a meal every morning and every evening, they might think it is normal, and let them continue to do it. Now all the girls were really motivated.

They really liked it when the Togruta fed them regularly. It would be really nice if they continued to eat every day. The Togruta watched all the girls carefully, they wanted to see who was most comfortable, in the food preparation. To the girls' surprise, the Togruta declared the meal is ready. They all wanted to see what this stew tasted like. The Togruta could see that they were all proud of themselves for contributing to something they could eat. The girls asked the Togruta if they could stay with them the night, when it looked like they were getting ready to leave. So they stayed. They let the girls decide amongst themselves, who gets to sleep on the bed. At first they all tried to fit on the bed, but it wasn't big enough. Some of them just gave up and looked for their mat, because they were too tired. The Togruta gave a brand new blanket to everyone who left the bed for a mat. The girls asked, if they could keep it? The Togruta told them it is theirs, they did not have to use their towels as blankets anymore. When the girls on the bed saw the new blankets, they wanted one. The Togruta told them that the people on the bed did not need one, but the girls on the mats did. It wasn't long before they were all off the bed looking for a blanket. The Togruta had made sure that each blanket was identifiable by their new owners. When they all settled down to sleep, some of the girls offered to share their blanket with the Togruta. They all slept with someone who would share with them.

The next morning, the Togruta showed them how to make their own porridge for breakfast. Again watching who was the most comfortable with what they were doing. Comparing that to who the first risers were. After their breakfast, and they cleaned up after both meals, Shaak asked four of the girls to hold back for a minute while the rest of them hit the street. Shaak told the four, that they wanted to teach them how to shop for their groceries. They were to stop by the dress shop before the sun sets, so that they can all go shopping together. When the four came by the shop, they took them to buy their groceries. They told them what to look for. They taught them about touching, and smelling, and the colour of different fruits and vegetables. They told them that they had to be careful not to buy too much, or their new pimp will think they are wasting credits, and get angry with them. They told them if they did not buy enough someone would go to bed hungry. When it came time to pay, they were told to use the credits they had already earned that day, and it was important for them to keep the receipt. They dropped the groceries off in the apartment, and the Togruta, sent them back out on the streets.

That evening when the girls came into the apartment, Shaak asked the girls that had gone shopping, if they had their receipts. The girls who remembered, presented their receipts with what was left of their credits. Shaak praised them, because they were showing their pimp that they were not stealing credits, or underperforming. The ones who had lost their receipts, or forgot to get it, were told that they had just earned a beating from their pimp. They were very embarrassed, because when they saw how much credits they turned over compared to the other girls, they knew that if it wasn't the Togruta before them, they would have been severely beaten. That night, the Togruta had only the most proficient of the girls preparing the meal, while everyone else watched. It was a tasty meal. The next morning, the Togruta got some of the early risers to start preparing the porridge for breakfast. By the time everyone was up, the porridge was ready. After breakfast, the Togruta laid down the law for the house. Whoever was not involved in preparing the food that they ate, the purchasers were part of the preparers, was responsible for cleaning everything after their breakfast. The Togruta then set up a rotating schedule for the purchasers, and the evening meal cooks. The schedule started that day.

When the Togruta locked up the dress shop for the day, a couple of the girls approached them. They told them that they saw a Twi'lek enter the apartment. They asked them what they should do. They told them to follow their schedule, and hope for the best. The Twi'lek in question was overlooking his new domain, he saw the groceries on the counter, and helped himself to some fruit. Two of the girls came in earlier than he expected, so he asked them, what they are doing there? They told him they had come in to prepare their evening meal. He asked them, why there was two of them? They had to think fast, one of them said that for one of them to come in, they would have needed to have come in sooner. Since they both just finished with clients, they thought it would be faster if they both came in. He accepted their explanation, and they handed him all their credits, then they went to prepare the meal. While they were preparing the meal, the Twi'lek asked them, who purchased the groceries? They told him that two of the girls went shopping earlier today, they will give him their receipts, when they turn over their credits. He nodded his head, like he understood, and left them alone. When the other girls came in the two who had done the shopping also handed in their receipts. Even though the amount of credits they handed in was less than the other girls, when he added in the amount on the receipts, what they earned was on par with the other girls, they did not lose credits with the time they went shopping. They presented him with the first bowl of hot stew, as was his right. Then everyone else had theirs. When he was finished, he asked, if there was any left? They told him there was just a little. So he handed them the bowl and told them to give him what was left. They were able to scrape up for him, more than half a bowl. When he was finished he went to the girls who turned in their receipts and asked them if they could by some seasoning for him, when they buy groceries. They told him that it would be another group of girls buying groceries tomorrow. He asked them why that is? They remember what Shaak told them, and repeated it word for word. "We take turns buying groceries so it does not look like we are afraid to perform or job on the street." He liked their explanation. He went to the two girls who would be shopping the next day, and told them what type of seasoning he wanted them to buy him. One of the girls scheduled to cook the next day asked him, if he wanted them to throw it in the stew, or was it just for him? He told her the seasoning was just for him. She asked him where they should store it so they don't accidentally throw it in the stew. He pointed out where they should keep it, and all the girls who were designated cooks got up to see. He went back to the purchasers, and asked them if they could also purchase some meat? He likes meat in his stew. They told him they can get some good meat at a cheap price from the Togruta, but they don't issue receipts. He told them that was all right, they just need to record the amount of the meat purchase, on the back of the grocery receipt. All the girls slept well that night, knowing that he was willing to keep feeding them, they all promised in their heart to try and work harder, so they don't lose their privilege.

He had breakfast with them as well. He asked them what happened to the credits they earned, when there was no-one here. They told him the Togruta women were here looking after them, making sure they got the glitteryll they needed. He wondered who supplied them with the spice, none of the drug dealers he worked with did, or he would have heard about it. The Balosar don't deal in glitteryll, so they could not have gotten the spice from them. That left only the humans, who do all the uptown selling for them. He heard that the dress shop has a lot of uptown clients. Maybe some of them are bringing it back with them. He would have to keep an eye on the dress shop, to make sure they were not dealing out of their shop.

The only unexpected thing he did, was when the girls left to do the shopping, he would meet up with each of the other girls to take the credits they earned so far that day. He was afraid that if they carried too many credits, they would become a target for thieves and other drug addicts. He also hired some bodyguards, for the girls. When the girls whose turn it was to go shopping decided to go, they were supposed to inform one of the bodyguards, so he could follow them, and make sure they were safe. They were supposed to walk the streets, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious. And if a client tried to get away with a freebie, the girls were supposed to call one of them. The only ones allowed freebies were the bodyguards and the pimp.

Chitrah told Andriel the bad news. In half a month's time he would be assigned to Reaver Station for seven days, then assigned to Desevro for half a month. He was ordered to take her with him. He had to comply. These orders did not come from the Interior Ministry, they originated somewhere else. They were both pretty sure the Sith were behind this. Andriel complained that she was starting to show, they would know for sure that she is pregnant. Chitrah asked her if she remembered any designs for outfits, where the women had been to too many social gatherings, and needed an outfit to hide the extra weight. She remembered her mother had designed outfits for just that situation. If only she could remember her mother's designs. She promised Chitrah that she would come up with something. She could see the relief in his face, he was just as troubled by this situation as she was.

Unfortunately the timing could not be worse. Shaak was organising a new photo shoot for the dress shop. Between them they had more than twice the designs that they had for the first one. There were two purposes for this photo shoot. The obvious one getting all their new designs out there. The second, and not so obvious, was to get her image off the dress shop site. The last thing anyone wanted, was for the Sith coming to the dress shop looking for her. They had new girls modeling for them. The two secretaries who did it last time said they could not do it, they were in committed relationships, and did not want to jeopardize them. They did find four new secretaries that when they saw the dress shop's site, jumped at the opportunity to wear outfits like what they saw. The two older secretaries promised to mentor them through the post shoot period. They made sure they all had a good group of friends, who would be there to support them. So the dress shop was already seeing extra time being put in, to make sure all the outfits are ready.

It was going to be hard for Andriel to back off on her share of the sewing. So that she could spend some time designing, then sewing some outfits to hide her baby bump. Shaak was very understanding, she was just under a lot of pressure, and she did not like missing her time with her friend in the special room.

One thing that Andriel thought that might help Shaak is a good massage. Only she did not have the time to give her one, and Chitrah would find it too awkward to give her one. She talked to Chitrah about it, as he was massaging her shoulders. When he started massaging her feet, he told her that he had an idea, but he needed to talk with Shaak's father first. Andriel wondered why he had to talk to her father, but did not ask. Chitrah always had good ideas, and she was sure she would find out about it sooner or later.

What Chitrah wanted to do, was to use Heshaak as a model. It would be just like him practising on his own father. If he was agreeable then Shaak's companions could watch him practising on her father, than they could go right away and practise on her. If her father wanted, his companions could also watch, then they could go and practise on their wives.

Heshak really liked the idea. Almost every culture has some form of massage in it. When they were young he remembered massaging Shaak's mother's back and feet, but Chitrah was talking about his whole body. He had no-one to give him a massage, since he did not look for a new mate after Shaak's mother passed away. He was actually looking forward to getting a massage. He made all the arrangements, and let Chitrah know when it would happen. He chose the common area of his own private quarters. Shaak's bedroom opened up off the common room, as did his. It would not be appropriate to have all these people coming into his bedroom, so the common room it was. His companions private quarters were on either side of his, so they would not have far to go, when it came time to practise on their wives. Chitrah turned out to be a very capable instructor, and he made sure to cover every section of his body that he had demonstrated on, to keep it warm.

Shaak's father did not know how long the whole demonstration took, because somewhere in the demonstration he fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning, he was in his own bed. His companions kidded him about how loud he snored. They also told him that they were the ones to carry him to his bedroom, it reminded them about the one time he drank too much and they had to put him to bed. He stopped them from telling the whole story, in case Shaak was nearby listening.

Shaak woke up the next morning feeling fantastic. Andriel was right it was just what she needed. Shaak's companions were happy she felt better, and reminder her that when this was all over, she promised both of them a massage.

Andriel and Shaak, had the sewing machine going day and night. They were both careful to increase the amount of maintenance they did on the machine, they could not afford to have it break down during this critical time.

Andriel had remembered three basic designs for dresses to hide a woman's figure. She did some variations on the designs, so that she could wear a different outfit each day she was on the station.

Shaak was also able to make her deadline. They were both disappointed that Andriel and Chitrah would be on their way to Reaver Station, during their photo shoot. Heshaak, and the photographer and his wife agreed to be the chaperones for the dinner after the photo shoot. Shaak's father promised her that he had a traditional Togruta outfit that was considered formal wear on Shili, the Togruta's home world. Shaak could hardly wait to see him wear it, because he would not show it to her. She hoped he was not pulling her leg, and would show up only wearing a loincloth. He could do it, and she would be the one feeling embarrassed.

When they arrived on Reaver Station, Andriel was wearing what she called a fringe dress. Fabric was sewn to a simple base dress in tiers. She had four tiers on each of the three dresses of this design she had sewn. Each tier of material would end in long fringes of material. She loved the way the fringes exaggerated her movement, but at the same time it hid the figure. She had remembered her mother saying, that this design was popular with women who loved to dance. Because its movement really attracted the eyes of men. Andriel was not a good dancer, but she did like the way the men looked at her when she walked by.

Shaak had insisted that she make a fourth dress, it would look fantastic in the photo shoot, and would bring in more customers, who did not have the perfect figure.

Andriel was disappointed in how Reaver Station looked from the spaceport level. From space, as they approached, it was easily four times bigger than any spaceport Andriel had seen. From the spaceport level, they could not see any of the upper structure. To her it was an architectural flaw in its design. A space station that big, and that important, you would think that you would want to show it off from every window. It was only later that they found out it was designed and built by the military. A group not known for artistic flare or creativity.

The access from the spaceport level to the rest of Reaver Station was heavily guarded. Making Andriel whisper to Chitrah, that it seemed like they were entering a prison, rather than a recreational area, for entertaining the Military's best, and hardest working personnel. Chitrah felt the same way. They were assigned living accommodations with the personnel on leave, rather than with the staff. They guessed it was supposed to make them feel special, so that they would be more relaxed. Chitrah scanned their assigned apartment, he found listening devices in every room. Fortunately, other than the camera with the computer screen, there were no video devices in the apartment. Chitrah wrote a quick note to Andriel. "Careful what you say. They are listening." After she read it Chitrah took out his torch, and lit the note on fire. Suddenly the computer spoke up. "Attention unit occupants, open flames are not allowed in the residential units."

Chitrah apologised, "I'm sorry, I am currently on assignment to assist in station repair, and I was just testing a piece of my equipment."

"ID confirmed, Chitrah, senior computer technician, temporary assignment Reaver Station. Chitrah please refrain from testing your equipment in your residential unit."

"Understood."

Chitrah told Andriel that he had to go and check in, to see what his assignment is really all about, since it was considered morning on the station. Andriel would have to explore the station on her own. They would meet up for dinner. The station's computer would tell him where she is.

Andriel was not impressed that their every movement would be monitored. After Chitrah left, Andriel put away all their belongings. She than checked station time on the computer display, she had time to explore before lunch. She called up a display of the station. It showed her where their apartment is, and where different amenities could be found. She wasn't interested in the 24 hour nightclubs or casinos. Technically on this station they should have been called 25 hour establishments. So she removed them from the display. Next she removed all the places she considered drinking establishments. She expanded the view to get a better understanding of where everything else was located. She decided she would first check out the shops, then she would stop off at one of their tea shops/cafés for lunch.

Chitrah was told that his assignment was to repair a damaged computer nexus, the nexus has been temporarily bypassed, but they need it operational, as soon as possible.

Chitrah had to take a regular lift, down to the level he was interested in. Then he had to ask the station's computer, to give him access to the maintenance corridor. After verifying his id, the computer granted him access.

Chitrah found the nexus, and saw that it was intentionally damaged. Ordinarily he would have called it sabotage, but is it really sabotage if the Sith did it deliberately, to their own station.

Chitrah examined it carefully, to see if anything was salvageable. Once he was satisfied, he went back to the maintenance office to file a report. Because the damage was deliberate, he would also have to file a report with station security. In the area where it asked if he suspected anyone, he checked of yes, but did not identify anyone.

After filling his report, he then had to call up the maintenance drawing of that particular nexus, he would have to order every part individually, and rebuild it completely by hand. It would take him close to seven days to do it. After submitting his order, he decided to take his lunch break. Enough parts should arrive in maintenance by the time he was finished his lunch.

Andriel was disappointed with what she found in the shops. Everything she found there, she could buy on Lianna, and for a cheaper price. She understood that if you were coming from a place like Eriadu, you would have thought you had stumbled upon heaven. Still she would have thought the best items in the Empire would have been on display, not your average items. The dress shop carried the same cookie cutter dresses they sold on Lianna. They should have just called it Lianna Station, instead of Reaver Station. She found a nice tea shop where she could sit out front in the patio, and watch the foot traffic outside. They had an impressive selection of teas, and a nice lunch menu. They brought her, her tea right away, and told her that her lunch would take a couple of minutes. She told them that she was not in a hurry, they could take their time, while she enjoys her tea.

While she was waiting, four ladies came up to her table and asked if they could sit with her. Andriel knew at a glance that they were all military. From their height and build, she suspected they all had a common ancestry. It was the skin tone and eye colour that set them apart, something that a seamstress/dress designer would notice. They mentioned that they were all here with their husbands, who were all tied up with a conference, for the next seven days. They asked her what part of the military she was connected to? She told them that she is not connected to the military, she is a civilian. They all feigned surprise, though she could tell from their eyes that they weren't. They thought that civilians were not allowed on Reaver Station. How was it that she is there? She told them that her husband is a field computer technician for the Interior Ministry. He has been temporarily reassigned to assist with maintenance on Reaver Station.

They started asking her a lot of questions about Chitrah, many of them personal. Andriel decided to put a stop to it. "Why are you asking so many personal questions about my husband? Don't your husbands keep you satisfied?"

That shut them up, and red faced to boot. Andriel was satisfied with the results, and sipped on her tea. As military personnel they had never experienced a civilian talking to them like that. The Sith had warned them that she is no ordinary civilian, they should treat her as a special ops' wife. They learnt their lesson and apologised for making their questions too personal. They knew they blew it, now questions about her husband were off limits.

They changed their tact and started asking her about herself. When she told them that she is a seamstress and dress designer (which they already knew from their briefing), they asked her what she thought about the dress designs in the dress shop? They all loved them, and were planning on buying some before heading back to their bases. She told them she was not at all impressed, they were basic designs engineered for computer operated assembly machines. Their purpose was not to enhance the beauty of the wearer, but to provide the wearer with some protection from the elements in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

They could not believe it, she just shattered the way they had looked at those dresses. They asked if she could go to the dress shop with them, after lunch, and explain how a dress should look. Andriel told them she would love too, if they could promise that she would not get thrown out. They assured her that no-one would throw her out.

Chitrah was not surprised to find a Security Officer waiting at the entrance to the maintenance corridor. They both had to have their id checked before the stations computer would grant them access. The Officer asked him, if he was sure he knew who had sabotaged the station's equipment? Chitrah told him that he was sure who done it, and it was not sabotage. The Officer asked Chitrah to explain himself. Chitrah told him that the damage was done by the Sith. Because this is their station, as is everything in the Empire, any deliberate damage they do cannot be called sabotage. That would explain the unusual way this technician wrote up the report. When they arrived at the nexus, Chitrah pointed out the damage. He showed him how he identified it as lightsabre damage. The officer told him that he can't write that in his report. They would kick him off the station, even if it is true. Chitrah told him that he knew this. He suggested the officer write the 'technician has suspicions but no substantiating evidence.' The officer liked that, and wrote it down, getting Chitrah to check that he spelt everything properly.

The Security Officer was about to do an image capture of the nexus, but Chitrah stopped him. He told Chitrah he would be in trouble if he did not take the image. Chitrah told him that if he took the image, he would be fired. He would not be in trouble for not submitting an image. In fact he will find that it will be classified as no further investigation required. This technician seemed to know his stuff.

The Officer asked Chitrah, why they would damage the station then cover up the investigation? Chitrah told him that the Sith were too arrogant, and did not think they are smart enough to figure this out without their help. The shocked officer stared at Chitrah, "You just said that out loud!" Chitrah told him not to worry they can't hear anyone in here. Than he challenged him to contact the Security Office from here. So the officer asked the station computer to connect him with the Security Office. Silence.

So he asked Chitrah, why they did it? Chitrah told him that they needed a lame excuse to bring him and his wife to the station for observation. He will not be able to leave until he finishes rebuilding this nexus.

"Why?"

"They are hoping that my wife and I will conceive a Sith."

"Your one of those couples!"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. They picked a great mate for me."

The Officer patted him on the back and left. He actually liked him. When he went back to the office, he ran a security check on Chitrah. There was not very much information. There was his picture he was listed as married, his occupation is contractor/instructor for the Interior Ministry. His security clearance is higher than the officer had ever seen before, and the rest of his file was classified. The officer had no qualms about submitting his report the way this technician suggested.

In the dress shop Andriel explained the barriers placed before the people who designed the dresses, because of the limitations in the machines used to assemble them. She then pointed out the differences between the way a seamstress assembles a dress, and the way a machine assembles a dress. She pointed out that none of the dresses will actually fit any of them, but that they will kind of fit all of them. If she designed a dress and assembled it for one of them, it would only fit the one she designed for properly. Sure the other three could put it on and wear it, because their bodies were similar, but if they ever wore a properly fitting dress, they would notice the difference right away. They asked Andriel if she could make one of these dresses fit them properly. Andriel said she would have no problems, since they did have the basic designs for a dress. All she needed was a good sewing machine. They all wondered if they could have the Sith requisition a sewing machine for Andriel. The store clerk, who was listening in on everything, told them that there is a sewing machine in the back room but she did not know if it worked. The ladies told her to show it to Andriel. She led them to the back room. It was not a commercial machine. Andriel plugged it in and powered it up. The computer electronics, ran a self-diagnostic. It seemed to work fine, but then it signalled a mechanical failure. Andriel powered off the machine, and unplugged it. Then she opened it up and started checking components. She mentioned that the machine had never been maintained. She found a broken component, and was able to fish it out of the machine. One of the ladies took the broken part and recorded all the information she could find, about the machine. She asked Andriel, "If I can get you a replacement. Can you fix the machine, and make the alterations you mentioned?"

"If this is all that is wrong with it. Then the answer is yes."

The lady left the others to watch over Andriel, while she went off to see if she could find a replacement part. The other ladies asked Andriel if there was anything else she needed to do before she could perform alterations. Andriel told them that the only other thing she would need to do is check that their undergarments fit them properly.

They decided to ask her why later, as they hurried next door to the lingerie shop. Of the three, two of them did not have properly fitting undergarments. The third admitted that as a developing young lady, her mother and her seamstress friend, explained to her, how to find properly fitting undergarments. After they had been properly fitted. They decide to go somewhere nice for a drink. They found a patio that served more adult drinks than tea. After placing their order (Andriel ordered a fruit juice combination), the other lady showed up. She had intercepted their server and ordered a drink as well. At the table she told them she was able to find a replacement part, but it would take 5 days to be delivered.

The two ladies that had been properly fitted, told her of their experience, and of how much better they feel. She was sorry she missed it and asked Andriel if she would go back with her later, to make sure she is properly fitted. Andriel said she would.

When their drinks came, Andriel took a sip of her drink, and told the ladies her drink has been poisoned. The ladies glanced at the drink preparation station, and saw a man lurking nearby, watching them. When he saw they were all looking at him, he took off running. All the military ladies gave chase, one of them calling out to the station computer, to notify Security that they have a suspect on the run. Security automatically secured all exits from the area. The guy smashed face first into an exit door, trying to open it to get away. But it would not budge. The four women where on him in a flash, and had him secured on the ground. The only thing the guy said was, "How did she know." That was something the women wanted to know as well. They told the computer that the subject is secure. Could they send an Officer? All the exit doors opened, and in no time two Officers showed up and took control of the suspect. One of the ladies came and took Andriel's drink and handed it to one of the Security Officers to file a complaint, and to let them know that the Sith would want a copy of all their paperwork, including a copy of the report on the contents of the cup. She told them as well, that he had confessed to placing something in her cup.

That was all they needed to know. Now they could run a full scale interrogation of the suspect. It had been a long time since they last activated the interrogation droid.

When the ladies returned to where Andriel was sitting, they asked her, how she knew something had been slipped into her drink? She told them that she is Devaronian, not only was she immune to most poisons, put it also gave her the ability to detect them in her food and drink. That is why it is almost impossible to poison a Devaronian. The ladies all wished that they had that ability, it would give them an edge in competing for promotions in the military hierarchy. People were known to poison their rivals when it came to competing for promotions.

By the time Andriel had finished her replacement drink. The one lady returned from the Security Office. Andriel assured her that she had kept an eye on all their drinks, when they got up to chase after the bad guy. None of their drinks were touched. Afterwards they went back to the lingerie shop where Andriel helped make sure the one lady was fitted properly. At the lingerie shop the station's computer informed Andriel where she could meet up with her husband. The ladies asked her if they could meet up with her tomorrow, they enjoyed talking with her and appreciated all the help she had given them. Andriel told them she did not mind. After breakfast she would tell the computer where her friends could meet her.

Before this assignment, they never would have thought that they could consider someone from an alien species, as a friend. They all went off to file their reports for the day, and to check the reports from Security. They all had chills when they read that Andriel was not the actual target, they all were. The perp confessed that he had seen a table of beautiful women, he picked one drink at random, and waited for the woman to start feeling ill, so he could step up, and offer to escort the lady to her room. There he could have his way with her, all night if he wanted, and if he left before she woke up, she would not have any recollection that he was even there. He would not have slipped it into the red woman's drink if he knew that she could detect it.

When asked where he purchased it, he told them that a stranger had approached him in the spaceport level, because he was in uniform, and offered to sell him some. Because he had used it before with great success, he did not hesitate to buy it. The analysis of the contents of Andriel's cup, showed that there was a high enough concentration of the rape drug, that it would be lethal to 50% of the women who drank it. The perp was being charged with attempted rape, and attempted murder. They were also checking their files to see when he was here last, if a woman died from a rape drug overdose in that time he would also be charged with her murder. All the ladies felt that because Andriel had been with them, she just saved them from being raped and possibly murdered. But they were unable to confess it to anyone else.

Andriel was excited to see Chitrah, and gave him a big kiss. She would have kissed him anyway, but she knew they had to put on a show for the audio and video recorders. She told him about meeting four interesting women, and about the rape drug that was slipped in her drink. Chitrah stopped dead in his tracks when he heard about the rape drug. Andriel could tell that he was very upset. They had both been warned that this was too common of an occurrence on the station. They were also warned that it was both men and women that were the targets for rape. Looking down and speaking under his breath, he told her that she would have to sample everything they ate and drank, when they were together. She squeezed his arm to let him know she understood. Chitrah felt he was safe eating his lunch in the staff cafeteria, it is a high security area.

That evening while they were enjoying their dinner, the Sith that watching them eat, spoke out. "There she goes again. Why is she taking food off his plate?"

One of the ladies who was with her earlier that day, told the Sith that she is protecting him.

The Sith scoffed, "How is she protecting him?"

"If you would have read my report from today. You would have read that she identified herself as being Devaronian, not only is she immune to most poisons, but she can detect them in food and drink. That was how we were able to capture that rapist this afternoon. She is making sure that his food is not poisoned."

The Sith was glad the room was dark, he had only glanced at their reports, and did not really read them.

"How does this help us understand their relationship?"

"It means she cares about him enough that she wants to protect him."

Sometimes these Sith can be so dense. It's a good thing they are not mind readers. The Sith could detect that she was not thinking good things about him, but he did not care, since he gets that impression from just about everyone he meets, including other Sith.

The next morning Andriel put on a bubble dress. It can come out either above or below the mountains of womanhood depending on what the woman wanted, and curve down until the mid-thigh, or just above the knee. Andriel's dress started above the mountains.

Chitrah thought it looked more like a teardrop, than a bubble. Then he quickly told her that she made it look good.

Andriel knew how she looked in this dress, she was expecting a lot of comments behind her back. What is important is that it hid her baby bump. When she met up with the four ladies, of course they asked her about the dress. She told them what it was called, and that it was something different to wear. One of the ladies came right out and asked her why she was hiding her figure. She told them that both she and her husband like to eat good food. She is anticipating that she might be putting on some extra weight this trip, and brought outfits that would hide it.

They had all watched Andriel and Chitrah eat dinner last night. If she keeps sampling all his food, she would definitely be packing on extra weight before they left.

One of the ladies asked her about her mother. Andriel said she would rather not talk about her right now. They pressed Andriel to talk about her. Andriel became angry, "My mother is a Master Seamstress and Dress Designer. She used to be my mentor and best friend. When the Sith Empire forced me to marry my husband, I had to sever all ties with my family and my clan. To them I am as one who is dead."

The women were horrified, they were never told this part about their relationship. They asked her, "What about your husband?"

"He also had to sever all ties with his family and his clan."

"I mean do you like him, I'm not sure I could if I was in your place."

"At first I hated my husband, it took me a while to see that he was just as much a victim as I was. You have to understand that my husband is a very caring and intelligent man. He saw in me the qualities of the person he wanted as his life-mate. We were both brought up with the understanding that there is no such option as divorce, when it comes to marriage. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with someone he loves, and started loving me. It worked, because now I am deeply in love with him."

The women did not know how to take this. They could tell that Andriel was sincere in telling them what she just did. They knew from Chitrah's file that he is a very intelligent man, ranked as one of the top three computer technicians in the Empire. Everything she said fits with what they know about them. It was just hard to believe that it is true.

No wonder the Sith are having trouble understanding this relationship. Love is a foreign concept to them. The Sith cannot understand, but the women could. The better they got to know Andriel, the more they believed her. One of them told her that they found her to be a remarkable women. Andriel's cheeks got darker, and she thanked the woman for her compliment. Another asked her why her cheeks had suddenly become darker? They became even darker with that question and now her forehead was getting darker. Andriel told them that just as their cheeks become redder when their red blood accumulates there, her cheeks becomes darker when her black blood accumulates there. Now they understood, Andriel was embarrassed.

They switched to a safer subject and talked about skin tone and colour. That afternoon they took Andriel back to the dress shop and had her pick out dresses whose colour would go good with their skin tone. They had to admit that her selections looked good on them. Then Andriel asked one lady to put on a dress that looked good on her friend, they were surprised to see how bad it looked on her. She told them that the only colours that they could all wear was black and white. Black with white trim, the colours of their dress uniforms.

That evening when Chitrah and Andriel were in bed, Chitrah whispered into Andriel's ear that they have to do it. Andriel whispered back that it wasn't right. Chitrah agreed, but they have to do it anyway, because they are listening. Andriel agreed.

The Sith asked the technicians why they could not make out what they were saying. The technicians replied that this is the best they could do with the quality of listening devices that had been installed. Then the Sith asked, what was that noise they were making. After listening for a while, he told the Sith that it sounded like they are having sex. The Sith's face brightened, the ladies had written in their reports that they believed the couple had a healthy relationship. Now they had they audio evidence to prove it.

Chitrah felt unclean for what he was doing to his wife. This was not love. They were having sex for the benefit of those listening. They were cheap performers. When he finally released his seed, and collapsed on top of his wife he wanted to cry. But she hugged him to herself and told him not to be upset, she still loved him. He kissed her for that, and held onto her. He needed her strength now, just as much as she needed his. They comforted each other, both looking forward to when they could leave this evil place, and truly show each other the love they have for each other, without prying eyes or ears.

The next morning Andriel put on a dress that was more daring than her previous two. This time she had taken two thin pieces of material. She took one end of each material over her shoulder, and attached it to itself under her armpit. Doing the same thing with the other piece of material. She then joined them together in the small of her back in a V shape. Starting at the shoulder she draped material down over her mountains, and attaching it to the thin material on the opposite side. She started again on the opposite shoulder, draping it over her mountains, and attaching to the opposite side. She continued down her front so the draped material formed a loose weave pattern. She had to stich the weave pattern shut by hand without it being seen, so the weave would not open up when she moved, revealing the skin underneath. She ended up with an outfit that left her back exposed, yet the draped material hid the shape of her front and sides. Chitrah told her that even with her shape hidden, by having her back exposed, she still looked very appealing. Andriel liked the way she looked in it. Unfortunately she did not have enough time to make an extra one for the photo shoot. Shaak told her that if she had time, she would sew one herself. She believed that it would have appeal across a wide range of body types. Andriel just called it her draped dress.

They ladies really liked it. They thought it was much nicer than her bubble dress. That afternoon, when they ladies made their usual stop for a rest break and drinks. Andriel decided to get up and bring back her drink once it was made. As she was walking back to their table, a man brushed by her, and she actually saw him slip something into her drink. She was mad. She swept his feet out from underneath him. She smashed her free hand into his upper back while he was falling. Causing him to come down hard, face forward on the concrete floor. She flipped him onto his back, and sat on his chest, pinning his arms with her knees. She pinched his nose closed with her free had, and started pouring her drink down his throat. He either had to drink it or choke on it. Then she started yelling at him, "Why do you want to rape me? Why?"

She had moved so fast, that the ladies were caught completely off guard. Two of them had to pull Andriel off of the pervert. While the other two restrained the man for Security. Andriel told them that he put something in her drink while she was carrying it back to their table. The ladies hoped there was enough residual liquid for the Security Lab to test it. He had actually drunk most of it, even though he was still coughing violently, because of the amount that went down the windpipe.

After the Security Officers took the guy away, the four ladies had a conference. They realised that the perp was not going to remember anything for hours, after being forced to drink Andriel's drink, if it really is a rape drug. That meant they could do whatever they wanted to him. They had overheard him telling Security that he is a high ranking military officer. This was a golden opportunity to work over a high ranking officer, and not be punished, because he would not be able to remember anything.

They were sure, Security would chose not to remember them being there, as well. They told Andriel that they need to take her to the Security Office to file a report. It only took Andriel a few minutes for her to fill in the report. She saw her four companions talking to a couple of Security Officers. She also saw the Officers hand them some half gloves, the type you wear if you were going to be punching the large bag.

They had left the door ajar to the back area of the office, from the room they had placed Andriel in. She heard them yell as they punched and kicked the bag. Andriel wondered why they decided to work out now of all times. She had nothing to do, so she just sat there and waited for them. It was at least twenty minutes before they remember about her. When they came into the room, she suddenly understood what type of bag they were practising on. She told the one lady that she needs to wash the blood off of her leg, before they head out to the general public. They all looked at her leg, and sure enough she had drops of blood on it.

Chitrah was beside himself, when Andriel told him what had happened. She has four bodyguards, and still someone thought they could get away with raping her. Unfortunately his only recourse was to complain to the head of the maintenance department.

That evening Chitrah encouraged Andriel to complain out loud in their apartment. It was time to take advantage of the microphones. "Chitrah, when can we leave? I don't like it here. There are too many bad men. I want to go home."

Chitrah explained to Andriel that he cannot leave, until he had completed his maintenance assignment. They only way they could leave earlier, was if they would authorise him to start working double shifts. Then he would be done in two days instead of four. They both hoped the Sith would allow him to finish the job sooner.

The next morning, when Chitrah went into the head of the maintenance department's office, to complain. He told Chitrah that he had heard about what happened the other day with his wife. He had just received authorisation for him to be allowed to work double shifts. All Chitrah had said, was that he wanted to talk to him.

Chitrah had the stations computer relay a message to Andriel. He had the computer tell her that they would still be meeting for dinner, but he would be heading straight back to work afterwards.

The ladies had heard the message that was relayed to Andriel. They had really completed their assignment two days ago, but they had gotten used to hanging out with her, so they kept meeting up with her. They asked her what she would be doing with her time. When her husband went back to work. She told them that she had not decided yet. They asked her if it was okay if they hung out with her after her dinner with her husband. She told them that that was their time to spend with their husbands. The one lady said her husband was so wrapped up with the conference that he doesn't even notice that she is there. The other ladies said it was the same with their husbands. Andriel told them that she would be delighted to enjoy their company.

When they met with Andriel after dinner, the computer interrupted them, before they could decide what to do. It informed the one lady that a package had arrived for her, and was being held for her in administration. She became excited and told the others, that it is the replacement part for the sewing machine. She told them to rush over to the dress shop, and not to let them close. She would go and bring the part to them. The sales clerk had just shut off the lights and was getting ready to lock the door and set the alarm. The ladies said that they would contact Security when they were ready to leave, so that they could make sure the door is secure, and the alarm set. The sales clerk's intuition told her that she would be better off, letting them do what they wanted. So she agreed and left.

Andriel went into the back room, and found the toolkit and oiler for maintaining the sewing machine. She started dismantling the machine to give it its first ever maintenance. The other ladies waited in the store front for their friend. When she finally showed up, she told them she was worried at first, since the lights were off in the store, but then she saw some movement, and knew everything was okay. They secured the front door, and went into the backroom to watch Andriel.

The precision with which Andriel handled the parts of the machine, made them all think, that it was like watching a good bomb technician dismantle a bomb. After it was apart Andriel started reassembling the sewing machine, cleaning each part, and adding a touch of oil where it was needed. They asked her why she was putting so little oil on the moveable parts. She told them that they only needed a hint of oil. Any more than that, and it could come out of the machine and onto the fabric being sewn. When she came to where she needed to insert the replacement part, she held out her hand. The lady forgot that she had not given the part to Andriel. She quickly opened the box it came in, and gave her the part. When Andriel finished reassembling the machine, she looked around for some scrap fabric, to test it with. When she found what she wanted, she plugged the machine in and powered it up. They had to wait a couple of minutes while the machine ran its self-diagnostics. When it signalled that it was standing by, Andriel set it to basics, and started sewing to see how the machine functioned. When she was satisfied, she told them that she would be ready to start doing alterations in the morning. She powered off the machine and unplugged it, because she did not know why they had kept it unplugged.

One of the ladies told the station's computer that they would need someone from Security to secure the shop door and set the alarm. The computer told them that they did not need someone from Security. It could do it itself, as soon as they all exited the store, and closed the front door. When the front door closed, they could hear the locking mechanism being activated.

Andriel confirmed the station time with the computer. It would still be at least an hour before Chitrah would be on his way back to the apartment. Andriel did not want to be in the apartment by herself. She asked the computer which level her husband is working on? She recognised the level, it only had nightclubs and casinos. One of the ladies figured out why Andriel was asking the computer these questions. She told Andriel that she knew of a shop that sold frozen desserts, and hot drinks. It would be a nice place for her to wait for her husband. Andriel liked the idea, and the other ladies were keen on checking it out.

The next morning when they met after breakfast. They all went to the dress shop. The ladies payed for the dresses the shop keeper had been holding for them. Then they all went into the back room. Andriel picked one of them at random. Had them put their new dress on and started checking it for what alterations she wanted to do. Unfortunately, she had no chalk to mark the alterations and she did not find very many pins. It was going to be hard to get the alterations right.

When she knew in her mind what she needed to do. She had the lady take the dress off and turned it inside out. She asked the lady with the dress off if she could borrow one of her knives. The lady turned red, she wondered how Andriel knew she had a couple of knives on her. She handed one to Andriel, and told her how to activate the blade. Andriel told her that she was likely to cut up the dress if the blade is activated. She assumed the blade was sharp enough on its own that it could cut thread. The lady said it is. The shop keeper would come into the back room, to watch everything Andriel was doing, in fact she was disappointed whenever the computer told her a customer entered the store. When Andriel was ready to start sewing, she asked if one of the ladies could go to the tea shop, and get her some tea. She told them what type of tea she would like. It felt good to be sewing and sipping tea. From time to time she would stop sewing, turn it outside out, and had the lady try it on again to make sure she was getting the alterations right. When Andriel had finished, she asked the lady to try on an unaltered dress, then she had her put on the dress she had just finished altering. Everyone could see the difference, and the lady was surprised that it felt more comfortable. Andriel told her that the difference between the altered and unaltered dress, was about the same difference between the altered dress, and a dress designed just for her. She was impressed.

Andriel picked the next person, and started the process all over again. The ladies noticed that whenever Andriel sent them for a cup of tea, she always asked for a different type. When the shop keeper went out to serve a customer, one of the ladies started sharing with Andriel the information they had found out about the military officer who slipped the rape drug into her drink. First, it was a different drug than what the first perp had used, so there are at least two dealers working the spaceport level. He said that the reason he picked Andriel, is because he had never had sex with an alien species before. He also told the interrogating officers, that he liked being manhandled by the alien, and was disappointed when her friends pulled her off. Because he is a high ranking officer, the Station Commander told Security that they would not be pressing charges, instead he has been confined to his quarters, until his leave is up.

Andriel was not sure how to take it, that he enjoyed being manhandled by her. But she was quite upset that he was not being charged. They told her not to be upset, that the military knows how to deal with men like him. The reason he is not being charged, is because there would be too many civilians needing to get involved in the case, and the case could be leaked, causing embarrassment to the Military. Instead his permanent records are now marked as being, not worthy of promotion.

She did not tell Andriel that it was the Sith who had been watching her, who wrote this in his files. He was furious that this officer would interfere with his experiment. So if it wasn't for the Sith, the officer may have gotten away with it.

His wife has been notified about what he tried to do, and has filed for an uncontested divorce. The ladies believe she filed for divorce, because she found out that he is marked as being, not worthy of promotion, and did not want to keep her career chained to his.

They told Andriel that through their contacts in the Military, they had found out that as soon as he returns to his base, he will find out that he is being transferred to Balmorra. That is the same thing as a death sentence to him. There is still fighting going on there, between Republic forces, and the troops of the Sith Empire, despite the Treaty of Corusant. The Republic snipers are very keen on shooting high ranking officers of the Empire.

Andriel felt better, he was still going to get punished, but in a different way. She managed to finish alterations on three dresses before they decided to break for lunch. The three ladies which had alterations done to one of their dresses, were wearing that dress, which made the fourth lady a little jealous of her friends. During lunch Andriel assured them that she would have all eight of their dresses completed by this evening. She expected that the alterations on their second dress should go faster than the ones on the first dress. After lunch, when she had finished alterations on the fourth ladies dress, Andriel reversed the order that she had worked on the ladies dresses. The fourth lady became the first lady to have alterations completed on her second dress.

When Andriel left to have dinner with Chitrah, she only had two dresses left to finish. Chitrah told her that he would be finished early this evening, and has already notified maintenance. They told him that they could not release him until they had tested the rebuilt nexus. Since shuttles to the surface stop operating shortly after dinner, station time. They will have to wait until the morning before they can take a shuttle down to the surface.

Because Chitrah would probably be finished before she was, he would wait for her outside the dress shop. Then she could take him to the dessert shop, where she waited for him last night. Andriel readily agreed.

One more night and they would be free of this place.

After dinner the shop keeper turned off the lights, locked the main door, and went into the back room, to continue watching Andriel. She felt that she could do what Andriel was doing. Andriel told her that it is much harder than it looked. She was relying on years of experience as a seamstress, to do what she is doing. When she was doing the last lady's dress, she showed on the ladies body which measurements should have been done, if it was to be done right. She showed her where on the dress she would have drawn chalk lines to know how much to take it in the required amount. She told her what the spacing for pins should be for re-sewing the seams, or they could bunch up and be crooked. She could get away with fewer pins because of her experience sewing with many different machines.

The shop keeper was intimidated when Andriel explained the proper procedure for doing alterations. That is when she realised that Andriel must be a Master Seamstress, to make what she was doing, seem so simple.

The four ladies were overjoyed with their new dresses. They could hardly wait until they could return to their bases to show them off to their husbands. They were sure that they were going to be the envy of all the women on the base. This turned out to be the best special assignment they ever had.

Andriel and Chitrah arrived on Desevro, late in the morning. Since they could see no hotels, they assumed they would be staying in the Ministry's married residence. At the Ministry, Chitrah found out that the only reason he is on Desevro, was because another Ministry is paying the expenses, for their trip from Lianna, to Reaver Station, and back again. The only costs the Interior Ministry was incurring, was their shuttle trips, and their residence on Desevro.

There are no challenging computer installations for him. There was no major industry. There was not a significant amount of imports or exports. Nothing was being produced for the Sith Empire. In fact Chitrah was the first field computer technician to come to the planet. Any assignments he did, would allow the Ministry to monitor, a stagnant economy.

Chitrah can expect a hostile reception, where ever he goes, so two troopers have been assigned to accompany him, on every assignment. Just so the locals don't challenge his right, to do his assignments. They were also warned, that the locals would always refer to none locals as Hutts, even if they are humans like themselves. Andriel and Chitrah, had already encountered this, when they exited the shuttle terminal. At first they were amused that they could be mistaken for a Hutt, now they know the locals are being purposely derogatory, and ignorant. The Ministry official himself, took Andriel and Chitrah to their assigned apartment. He told them that they could have the day to settle in and get orientated. After unpacking Andriel asked the apartment computer to connect them to the local net. She was hoping to see a map of the area, and what shops were nearby. The computer told her there is no local net. She asked the computer if she could see a map of the local area. The only image the computer found was a schematic drawing of the residence itself. Andriel told the computer she wanted to see the area around the residence, not the residence itself. The computer told her that no such drawings existed. The only images of the area around the residence, were aerial images taken by the Ministry, and she would have to get a copy from the Ministry itself.

Andriel asked Chitrah, how he was supposed to find the location of his assignments, if there are no maps available? Chitrah thought that was a good question. He could only imagine that he would be given an aerial image, with the assignment marked on it. Since they could not get any information from the computer, they decided to go to the married residence cafeteria for lunch. They found they were the only ones in the cafeteria, except for the staff. They were told that no-one eats their lunch there, since they all worked for the Ministry, and would take their lunch in the Ministry's cafeteria. The staff offered to make something special just for them. Andriel and Chitrah both said that they would be happy with whatever they usually made themselves for lunch. The staff did not what to tell them that they all made something different, so the one staff member decided to make them something special. She made them each a bowl of soup, a toasted cheese sandwich, and a nice fresh tossed salad on the side. When Chitrah went to pay, no-one knew what to charge him, they ended up charging them for half a standard dinner plate, for each of them, and a drink was included. After their lunch, they asked the cafeteria staff, if there was anything nearby worth seeing? The staff started laughing, until they realised that Andriel and Chitrah were serious. They told them there was nothing to see, except the weeds trying to grow by the side of the road.

If they go into a local shop, the locals will either ignore them completely, or call them a Hutt, and tell them to leave. Andriel and Chitrah wondered what type of planet they found themselves on. When they went for a walk, they found evidence of wide scale destruction. But the evidence was very old. They found little evidence of any type of rebuilding going on. They both wondered if this is how Eriadu will look in a few thousand years, if they continue to refuse to rebuild. In the late afternoon they came across a bakery that also had sweet treats. They both decided to indulge themselves. They went into the shop, looking over the treats on display. They were the only customers in the store. The baker ignored them completely. After a while Andriel got fed up with the ignorant baker.

"I can tell you are very busy, we should probably come back when there is no line-up."

The baker snorted, "What do you Hutts know about business."

"Apparently more than you! I was taught by my mother when I was still quite young, that a business either grows, or it dies. I see before me two classic symptoms of a dying business."

"Yeah! What would they be?"

"Poor customer service, and an overstocked inventory. At this time of day, a good baker's shelves should almost be bare. Yours look as full as they should have looked in the morning."

With that exchange over, Andriel and Chitrah left. They did not know that they had struck a nerve with the baker. When they arrived back at the residence, the dinner selections were already out. As Andriel and Chitrah made their selections. The staff member serving them gave them extra-large portions, she thought they could use it after their walk. Andriel and Chitrah were glad that at least someone was nice to them, and thanked her, being rewarded with a smile.

After dinner they talked about what Andriel could do on Desevro. After their reception at the bakery, they did not hold out much hope for her finding a position at a dress shop. Chitrah told her that he did not see any reason for her to stay on Desevro. They gave the Sith what they wanted on the space station. They would not require her to stay there with him.

This was their first night together, without prying eyes or ears. They both wanted to share the love they felt in their heart for their life-mate. Chitrah told Andriel that her baby bump definitely looked bigger, maybe she should ask to go back to Lianna, right away. Andriel felt that she needed to give the dress shop a chance.

The next morning after breakfast, Chitrah went to the Ministry's office, were he was introduced to the two troopers, who would be his bodyguards for the rest of his time on Desevro. Then he was given a large blown up aerial image of the area around the Ministry with the buildings in question marked. He was also given a list of the business names in case they mismarked a building. He was told that it was okay for him to come back to either the Ministry, or Residence, for lunch.

Outside the troopers had a repulser-lift vehicle that they normally used to drive around officers. In place of the little flag that they used to denote the rank of the officer they were driving around (for ease of going through checkpoints), they had a little flag of the emblem of the Interior Ministry.

Andriel spent the morning looking for a dress shop, without any luck. When she returned to the residence for lunch, she was surprised to find Chitrah there with two troopers. Chitrah told her that they had just ordered, if she hurried and was able to get the attention of the cafeteria staff, they might not be too far ahead in their preparations, that they could just add hers to theirs. Andriel told the cafeteria staff member that she would have whatever they were having. Then went back to the table to sit with the guys. Chitrah introduced her to his bodyguards. Like everyone they were surprised to find out that she is his wife. Chitrah told them that it is a long story, and he had about half month's worth of work, during which he could share it with them. They understood that he wanted to spend his lunch talking with his wife.

Chitrah brought out the aerial image, and Andriel showed Chitrah were she had already been, and where she was going to try next, that afternoon. The troopers asked out of curiosity, what she is looking for? She told them she is a seamstress, and was hoping to find a local dress shop, where she could work. They wished her luck, she could tell that they were very sceptical about her being able to work in a local shop.

Chitrah told her about his reception at the first business he went to. They did not want to let him in, but could not stop him, because of his help. He can imagine how happy they will be when he presents them with a bill, demanding that they pay the Ministry for the services they never wanted. The Troopers smiled when they heard him put it that way.

Lunch was ready. When Chitrah got up to pay for everything, the cafeteria worker told him that they were instructed to place his lunch bill on the Ministry's tab. Andriel was doing a lot of walking. She did not mind, because she felt it was beneficial to her and the baby, especially since there are no pollutants in the air.

When she finally found a dress shop, her heart started racing. The moment of truth had arrived. She opened the door and went in. When the proprietor came out she looked quite frazzled.

The young lady had recently inherited the business from her aunt, since she was the only surviving relative. Her aunt had tried teaching her how to be a dressmaker when she was younger, but she was always interested in other things. Now she found that she knew next to nothing, and could not keep up with what people expected of her. Every morning, after her aunt passed away, she prayed to whoever was out there, if they could send her someone to help her. When she saw the red Hutt in her shop, she could not take it anymore. She yelled at her to get out. That they don't serve Hutts in her shop. They lady tried to say something, but she would not give her a chance to speak. She kept yelling at her to get out. When she left and the door closed behind her, she heard the red Hutt, through the door, say, "The blessing with which you bless strangers, will come back and bless you!"

Andriel was very upset when she walked away from the dress shop. She did not know why she said what she said. She felt that she had to say something. Now she just wanted to go home. When Chitrah made it back to their apartment, he could tell that Andriel had been crying. He went up to her and gave her a hug to comfort her. Then he asked the computer to contact the office in the Ministry, maybe he could catch someone there who could help him. It was the official that was overseeing his assignments. He told him that he just came back to the apartment, and found his wife crying. Desevro is not a good place for her. It was time to send her back to Lianna. They official told him he would see what he could do. He would call them right back, as soon as he had something.

Chitrah held his wife and comforted her, she told him that the lady would not even give her a chance to speak. Chitrah told her that she did all she could do. The people here did not know the wonderful blessing he was holding in his arms. That helped her to feel a little better.

Chitrah was surprised that the official got back to him so soon, he thought he might have left it until the morning. He told Chitrah that there is a freighter leaving Reaver Station for Lianna, around noon local time. If she caught the Shuttle first thing in the morning, she would have plenty of time to catch the freighter. He was going to terminate the call and send the details to the apartment's computer.

It comforted Andriel that Chitrah was so understanding. She asked him if they could have their dinner in the apartment, she did not want to go down to the cafeteria. She just wanted to spend her time with him. Chitrah raced down to the cafeteria and came back with two trays of food. She wanted Chitrah to sit beside her instead of the opposite side of the table. Chitrah sat beside her and held her hand. She told Chitrah that she was so upset, because she felt that she was supposed to help someone, but now that opportunity is lost forever.

Chitrah noticed that she was just pecking at her food, he told her that their baby is not going to grow up and be strong, if she did not eat better. She apologised to Chitrah and tried eating better, but she was still upset. Chitrah put their meals in the cooler. They would have to finish them later. He told her to undress they were going to take a shower together. She asked him why? He told her that he wanted to give her a massage, but was afraid she would fall asleep without finishing her dinner. He was hoping that by giving her a massage in the shower, she would be less likely to fall asleep, and maybe her appetite would return. She knew this was bothering Chitrah, and she did what she could to cooperate with him. The shower was nice, but having him with her was nicer. She interrupted the massage because she wanted to make love to him.

When they did finish their shower. Andriel felt much better, and felt she could finish her dinner. Chitrah reheated their dinners, and sat beside her as she ate. After dinner was finished, Chitrah decided to massage her feet, since she had been walking all day. Andriel felt like a queen with all the attention Chitrah is lavishing on her. They cuddled for a while before they went to bed, and Andriel did her best to have him feel like a king.

In the morning Andriel was feeling her usual self. The Troopers were waiting out front ready to take her to the shuttle, when Chitrah informed them that was where they were going. They could tell from their goodbyes, that this was a couple that really loved one another.

When they arrived at the next assignment, Chitrah started telling the troopers, about his being forced to marry Andriel. The story made time pass quickly for all of them, including the business owners, who could not help but listen. They did not know who his wife was, but they knew about his being forced to marry her.

When Chitrah mentioned that he almost molested his own wife, no-one thought that they could have held themselves back, like he did. They all had greater respect for the blue man.

When they finished and went for lunch. The locals felt that they just had to tell his story to their neighbours. It was not long before the whole community heard Chitrah's story. He was no longer treated with hostility, when he went to a new assignment. This was one Hutt the locals felt they could respect.

The owner of the dress shop was haunted by Andriel's parting words. She thought that maybe Andriel had cursed her. She heard the story about the blue man, and how he was seen with the red lady, when they both first arrived. Maybe she could talk to him, and have him persuade the red lady to remove the curse. She found out that every evening after dinner, he liked to sit under a tree near the Ministry's residence until the sun went down. She went and waited by the tree she heard he liked. She tried not to be seen from the residence, because she did not want to frighten him away.

When Chitrah came out, he could see that there was someone by his tree. He assumed that since they were trying to hide, they probably wanted to talk with him. He went up and asked them if he could help them. She did not hear him approach, so was frightened at first. When she gathered her wits, she asked him if he knew any red Hutts. He told her that he did not know any red Hutts, but did know a beautiful red lady. The embarrassed lady said, that was who she was talking about. She told him she needed to talk to her, because she is afraid she cursed her, and she wanted the curse lifted.

Chitrah told her that he knew for a fact that the red lady had not cursed her, and asked her to explain herself.

She was a little frightened, because he seemed a little upset. So she told him about her aunt passing away and leaving her the dress shop, and how she couldn't handle it, and even prayed for help. She told him about having a bad day, and then the red lady showed up, and wanted to buy something, instead she chased her out of the shop. She told him what she said through the door, and her words have haunted her ever since, and every day seems worse than the day before.

Chitrah told her again that the red lady did not curse her. She had actually cursed herself.

This shocked the young lady. She asked how she could possibly have done that. He told her that the red lady is a Master Seamstress and Dress Designer, she had not gone to her shop to buy anything, she had gone there to help her. She was in fact the answer to her prayers.

The young lady was truly upset with what she had done. With tears in her eyes, she asked the blue man if she could tell the red lady she is sorry, and won't chase her out of her store anymore.

Chitrah told her it was too late, the red lady has already left the planet to travel home.

The lady started crying, saying over and over again, "What have I done?"

Chitrah tried quieting her. He told her that the red lady had left her with a blessing if she was willing to take hold of it.

The lady stopped crying and asked Chitrah what he meant.

He asked her to repeat what the red lady said.

"The blessing with which you bless strangers, will come back and bless you!"

The lady could not understand what it meant. Chitrah said the first part is easy, she had to be a blessing to strangers. She had to admit, that was not something that would be easy for her to do. He asked her if there are any other dress shops in the community. She admitted that there is one other. But her aunt did not like the owner, because she had stolen some of her designs.

Chitrah asked her, how she stole the designs? She mentioned that her aunt had come up with some new designs, and the other lady started copying them, and selling them to her own customers.

Chitrah asked her, if her aunt had ever copied any of the other ladies designs? She said she did, since she thought it was only fair.

Chitrah told her that the red lady told him, it is a form of compliment, when a fellow seamstress copies your designs. It shows that they recognise your abilities.

The young lady had never thought of looking at it like that. She asked Chitrah if that meant the other dressmaker was not a bad person, because she copied her aunt's designs.

Chitrah said that that was exactly what he is saying. He suggested she go and talk to this dress maker. She might be a stranger that could bless her back in a big way.

The young lady became excited, there might be hope after all. She started running away, than she ran back. She asked Chitrah to tell the red lady that she really was sorry for sending her away, and to thank her for still being a blessing to her, when she did not deserve it. He assured her that they next time he saw her he would let her know. He sat there thinking about how accurate Andriel's instincts are.