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@The WyrmThe Origin - Kade Ritgar and Nima Tarkona
The young women sat at the bar sipping from their own respective cups filled with soda. It was a relatively new beverage from Coruscant and fairly popular among the slave girls back home as a non-alcoholic option for a drink. The pair were a little nervous after having picked up the tension from Zura and had hoped they didn't cause too much of an issue.
"I pray we didn't screw that up... I wish Zura would have said something before we came off the shuttle!" Ehottecri whispered hotly. She felt embarrassed. This was their first trip to be trusted out of the palace, let alone off world, and she didn't want it to be their last.
"I'm sure she was
very preoccupied. Besides, we all make mistakes and we just have to make sure we learn from them." Nima rested a red cheek against the other woman's shoulder in comfort, speaking softly into her ear. "Now we know our position at the palace is not... known and we will have to behave accordingly."
The togruta woman let a sigh escape her lips and Nima could feel the tension slowly leave the other woman's body. "So, what do you think of the famous Kade Ritgar?"
At her inquiry, Nima turned her face so that her opposite cheek rested against her companion and she could gaze upon the man in question. What did she think of him so far? Her golden eyes took in as many of his features as she could from her position given he sat perpendicular to her from his place on the sofa. "I like him." she said simply. "So far at least. And he is more attractive than the holos give him credit for."
"Well I'm sure that has nothing to do with the pheromones he's been throwing out since he looked at you." Ehottecri teased.
"What do you mean?"
"Remember, he's part Falleen, like Zura. Have you noticed that he smelled nice?"
"Well, yes..."
"That's not any cologne or artificial musk, that is his own natural scent."
"Is he doing it on purpose?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Either way it's for you, that much I can tell. I only know of it because of Zura and she has a similar smell when we're together, though you probably do not notice it. It is not a bad thing in the least."
"I'll take your word for it then." Nima turned her attention back to her drink and finished the rest of the carbonated beverage before finally standing from the stool she was sitting in. "I don't know about you Ehottecri, but I've been dying to take a look around, especially out those windows!"
Following her lead, the Togruta stood as well and gave her a small, playful bow, "After you!"
* * * * *
The evening had gone splendidly as far as Zura was concerned. She had found Kade to be a very polite host, though somewhat ignorant of his own business operations. He had had shrugged and smiled when he caught her glance at one point, explaining that he spent most of his time away on the set of holos and had very little time to take a look at the investment side of things. Zura was stunned. Khulbe didn't try anyone with any part of his financial empire. She had privately asked Cinna later how much Kade paid her and the Togruta had smiled and mentioned it was well over two million credits a year. Zura was floored. Cianna made more money than she did
legally.
The discussion had carried into supper which turned out to be a tasty affair of seafoods from Scarif, Kades home planet. The dish was foreign enough that Zura, who travelled extensively with Khulbe, had never sampled it before. There had been laughter, kind words, and a genuine warmth during the meal, that Zura had not encountered in a long time. Cianna had joined them and had a lively conversation with Ehottecri in their native tongue. Ehottecri had been reduced to gales of helpless laughter on several occasions and Zura had felt stabs of jealously that she dismissed, it was clear Cianna was not interested in other females.
She had found Kade fascinating. You could not have lived in the galaxy and not seen one of his holos at some point. His tough guy persona, so popular in the holos, was deftly hidden beneath a professional and friendly host. He was charming, teasing Ehottecri and Nima enough to cause them to blush and giggle, gently easing them into a world they had never experienced, and would never experience again. That thought had almost made Zura choke up. Ehottecri had slipped a hand into hers, they were seated next to each other, and the knowledge that such an evening would probably never happen again brought on feelings of sadness. It was refreshing and freeing.
If she hadn't been in public she might have laughed out loud. Zura Lum, number two to the most feared crimelord in the galaxy, and she was wishing she could just have a simple dinner with good company. But it was true, that sort of thing never happened around Khulbe, and certainly not with Ehottecri. It took her a moment to realize that this was the first evening, that she could remember, in which she had not been listening for an alarm indicating an attack or the rumble of Khulbes voice as he issued orders. It was so pleasant. She sighed and squeezed Ehottecri's hand beneath the table. It was a shame it had to end.
Nima had watched the emotions play across Zura's face closely, as they matched they ones in her heart. While she had hoped the evening would have helped her regain focus, it instead served to unhinged her more. For a while, she forgot about her position in this world and simply enjoyed an evening with people who saw her for who she was, rather than an exotic piece of property. As sadness spread through her being, she kept up a pleasant exterior demeanor. She took a sip of her drink, a pleasant white wine, and made plans to look out those lounge windows once again once she was dismissed for the night.
That moment looked like it had come as Cianna stood up at last, made her excuses to leave, said her goodbyes and headed for the turbolift. A few minutes later her shuttle shot past the windows and curved down toward Nar Shadda. The remains of the meal were cleared away by a pair of droids and a delicious desert wine brought out for them to enjoy. Zura took her glass and stood.
"Thank you, Kade, for having us." Kade had asked them to use his first name. On his ship, in his home, he did not need a title. "If you will forgive me, I am going to retire as well. I will need to report to Lord Khulbe and ensure I have not missed anything back at the palace."
Though Zura did not address the two slave girls, they did as they would have in the palace and quickly stood as well, offered Kade their thanks, and followed Zura toward the turbolift. The door opened and the three stepped inside, turning back to see Kade framed by the giant window as the door snapped shut behind them. The lift shot downward and then opened into a short corridor that had five doors in it, two to either side and one directly ahead.
"Ehottecri, you can come with me to report to Khulbe." Zura said, trying to maintain some semblance of legitimacy in their "supervisor-slave" relationship. "And NIma," She glanced at the Twi'lek with a small smile. "Enjoy your evening, it is likely the only one you will have to do whatever you wish." Leaving Nima with that thought, she practically dragged Ehottecri into her suite and the door whooshed closed leaving Nima standing in the hallway.
The young woman exhaled and it felt like her body weight doubled. Whatever strength she had to keep herself together was slowly ebbing away, especially after the unexpected kindness that Master Khulbe's second in command offered her. Turning at her heels, she went back into the lift, her crimson slender fingers manipulating the panel to command the lift to take her back to the floor that contained the lounge. Nima wanted to see that view for the last time. She remembered the way back easily enough and almost walked nose first into a large Noghri as the lounge doors slid open. Given he was a species she rarely encountered, it took a moment before she spoke as she quickly took in his grey hairless appearance.
"My apologies, I didn't realize anyone would be here!" She said hastily, taking a step back with raised hands. She didn't fail to realize that he was armed.
"Are you lost?" The Noghri's voice was gravelly, but polite. "I would be happy to escort you to your suite."
"I had hoped to look out the lounge windows for some time, but if that isn't permissible, I will return to my quarters for the evening." She answered. She felt her heart drop, but was ready to accept his answer if he denied her.
"I will inquire." The Noghri turned slightly so he could easily observe Nima, then called quietly into the darkened lounge. "Kade. Your guest Nima has returned and would like to join you."
"Oh, yes, of course." Kades voice floated back to her from deeper into the lounge and single light glowed to life, illuminating Kade where he was standing looking out the windows. "Come in, Nima."
The Noghri stood aside and held out a hand to indicate she could pass him into the space. As she walked by he offered a small smile and then faded into the darkness.
Nima had not realized during their exchange that the guard's purpose wasn't there to keep her from an unauthorized space, but rather to keep her from accessing Kade. At the palace, if she were to walk into a room that contained Master Khulbe, she would have to go through much more stringent security. She had not intended to have any company, but given the lovely hosted dinner that they had just experience, she would welcome it.
"Thank you." She said to the Noghri before he slipped away, unseen but ever present. She knew better than to assume he left her completely alone with Kade.
She joined the holo celebrity at the reinforced glass panes, keeping a respectful distance from him as she looked down at the self-illuminating view of Nar Shaddaa. "Thank you for allowing me to join you."
"Hey, no problem at all. I did say my home was yours." He was intimately aware of her scent and the red sheen of her skin in the single light. It was rare for him to have a female in the lounge when he was there alone. He had enjoyed the company of any number of young females during his time in the holos, fame tended to attract them like mynocks to power cables, but there was something different here. Perhaps it was the fact that she was the Hutts
property. It roiled his guts. He had of course never forgotten the young twi'lek who had died in his arms after he managed to secure her release from the slavery he had sold her in to. No matter how many holos he made, or how many billions of credits he amassed, he had never forgotten her. Now here he stood, next to someone who was held in enslaved in splendid isolation. A beautiful creature turned into a tool by a Hutt. It sickened him.
"Quite the view isn't it?" He said, breaking both his thoughts and the silence. Nar Shadda was below them, the sun just beginning to set so that the final rays struck the
Origin. "How long have you lived here?"
"It is." She answered, mesmerized by the view. His next question she was unsure how to answer as her gut reaction was to say
too long, but she managed to give him a more neutral reply. "I have lived here for 14 years or so."
“Tell me but yourself.” He said, turning his head so that he looked down at her. He had watched her carefully during supper and noted how unsure she had seemed. They led two very different lives indeed.
She met his purple gaze briefly before turning her face away. She felt shame, even though the choice in how things turned out wasn't one she made and she couldn't give him the whole truth. "There isn't much to say about it. I was born on Ryloth, though I don't remember much of that, and then I was brought here. I was taught how to entertain and it's what I do for a living." So to speak she wanted to add, but Nima kept it to herself. Snarky remarks will only get her in trouble, one way or another. "It's quite... ordinary."
He caught the hesitation in her words and suspected that she might have said more but feared to do so. “What would you do if you could do anything?” He changed the topic slightly. He was always curious what other beings dreamed of doing. More than a few dreams he had quietly made a reality. He was a holo star, a public face, adored and admired across the galaxy, but that fame had brought him wealth and powerful connections. Both of which he could wield with tremendous influence if he wanted to.
"I don't think in 'what-ifs'." The words left her mouth before she knew it and Nima hid her face by turning from the window to head towards the sectional. She was angry with herself for being so flippant with someone who would soon be a guest at the palace.
“Of course.” He said quietly. “I apologize for even asking. That was very thoughtless of me.” He watched as she walked toward the sectional and wondered, for the first time that evening, why the Hutt had allowed her out of his sight. He was suspicious of the Hutts' motives and very aware of Nimas sexuality; certain she would make a keen weapon if wielded properly. Still, perhaps this would be an opportunity to find out exactly what the Hutt actually wanted...
“Perhaps a drink? Or a small snack?” Kade asked as he tore his eyes away from Nima and glanced toward the small, well stocked bar nearby.
The short trip to the cushioned furniture granted Nima enough time to regain some control of her emotions and gracefully arrange herself on the sofa. She sat with her right leg crossed over her left knee and leaned her body comfortably against the back of the sofa, using her left arm as a head rest. She focused her golden eyes on him again, “A snack would be lovely.”
* * * *
Three decks below the pair, a scanner team had carefully gone over every inch of the Hutt ship that had brought Nima and her small party to the
Origin. They had found nothing unusual of note, not even a smuggling compartment, which was all the more strange given who they were dealing with.
Cinna, her montrals twitching in irritation, eyed the Hutt ship with some displeasure. Her long gown from earlier in the night was gone, to be replaced by a well tailored robe that concealed a blaster and body armour. She had honestly expected more, and she knew Kade had as well.
“I know there is no point in asking if you’re sure, but are you sure?” She asked of the scanner crew who had the decency to look amused rather than offended. The two Humans and a Kel Dor, exchanged glances and then shook their heads as one. All of them had been spirited away from government jobs as customs and explosives agents several years back; well worth their weight in credits. On more than one occasion they had found a package designed to kill, or discovered a compartment on ship trying to smuggle out the latest copy of Kades newest hit holo-drama.
“No, there is nothing. It is the most innocent Hutt ship we’ve ever seen. Either they are extremely talented, and I mean extremely, or there is nothing on the damn thing.”
Cinna nodded her thanks and waved the team away as she regarded the Hutt craft.There was something about it, and she was going to find out if she had to rip the bulkheads out.
* * * *
Kade smiled as he lounged back in his favourite chair, a large comfy thing that was more of a pillow than a chair. It let him sink into it and conformed to his body for ultimate comfort. Not only that, but it could levitate and glide around the big lounge if needed. At the moment, however, he was sitting to Nimas left, enjoying a small tray of Scarif Mussels. They were small, perfectly round, and a deep purple colour, almost like his eyes, and utterly delicious.
“Please, tuck in.” He said, noticing Nima had barely touched hers. “No judgement here, these are delicious. My personal favourite.”
Slender red fingers gently picked a shiny black shell from the tray, though not entirely because of Kade's insistence as the mussels
were quite delicious. They were however an interesting choice of snack given their properties and would be a choice she would make herself if she were trying to seduce one of Khulbe's guests.
"So, what does a man who seemingly has everything do with his free time?"
“Man who had everything…” Kade mulled the phrase over. “You know, oddly enough, no one has ever said that about me. I don’t own a planet, yet. Working on it.” He laughed. “I don’t have much free time, and what little I do have I spend on Scarif. Are you familiar with the planet?”
"Not overly so, isn't it a tropical planet?" Of course she was only speaking secondhand from what she heard from people that have actually traveled the galaxy or what she read in data-tapes. She was genuinely curious about other worlds since she spent most of her life behind walls on Nar Shaddaa.
“Yes, more or less. Would you like to see it?”
“Absolutely!”
He tapped several buttons on a small datapad built into the arm of his chair. In an instant, one of the big windows had transformed itself into a holo projector and an image lit up the room with a blue glow.
An azure blue planet, almost entirely water, filled the screen and began to turn slowly in front of them. Small patches of green and white could be seen everywhere and no major settlements could be seen anywhere. The image changed as the camera descended toward the planet.
The green and white revealed themselves to thousands of small island chains, lush green forest surrounded on all sides by white sand beaches. Beneath the water, that appeared to be remarkably shallow, the dark shapes of sea life darted across the white sand bottom. Brightly coloured patches of coral flashed close to the surface from time to time and a massive sea creature exploded from the water in the far distance; crashing back into the blue with an explosion of white water.
Kade froze the image at that point. The camera was approaching a particularly large chain of islands that formed a crescent. The centre island, large enough to have a hill on it, was crowned at one end by a large building of white, sheeted almost entirely in most places by massive windows.
“That is my home.”
Nima reached a slender hand towards the image, as if she could touch it, and then pulled her crimson hand back to her chest as she remembered that holograms weren’t tangible.
“It’s beautiful. Do you get to stay there often?” she asked earnestly, excited by the thought of experiencing all the planet had to offer as it was nothing like the ecumenopolis that she lived on.
“Not as often as I would like. Usually a couple of months a year.” He was staring at the blue waters with fondness. “I will be heading there after our visit today. I suspect Khulbe would like to visit but my home is not meant for Hutts.” He chuckled. “Not a ramp to be seen.”
"I think if lack of ramps were to be his only adversary, he would find a way around them." She smirked at the idea while eating another mussel. "Though I doubt he would go, he rarely leaves the palace."
“Does he often take you with him?” Kade asked, his curiosity open and genuine. He was enthralled by Nimas beauty, but recognized that this was a rare opportunity to learn as much about Khulbe as possible. She certainly would know a few things worth hearing and he settled back in his chair to listen.
"This is the first business trip he has sent me on." She replied simply and knew she had to tread carefully here. While her life was less valuable than his, she didn't want to get either of them in trouble with Khulbe for giving away too much.
“Well perhaps you can convince him to send you on a few more? The galaxy is an amazing place.”
Nima chuckled as she responded, knowing full well what her master's answer would be. "I'm sure it is from the stories I've heard, but unless I've done something particularly spectacular to influence a positive business venture between you and Mr. Khulbe, I don't think I'll be sent away from the palace anytime soon!" The young twi'lek figured Zura would take the credit of the success anyway and was only consoled by the knowledge that perhaps Ehottecri would benefit from it as well.
Kade nodded slowly. “That does bring up the question, what exactly is he hoping to gain from a business venture with me? Hutts aren't exactly known for their honest dealings. I imagine this is some sort of plan to launder a few million credits.” He spoke frankly. He was slowly beginning to understand that Nima was nothing more than a pretty bauble to be used wherever possible, at least as far as Khulbe was concerned.
“I do not dare presume to know what his plans are.” She answered quickly, having found herself in hot water. If she misspoke this fantastical journey could very well end up with her punishment, which was not something she wished for herself. “Though, I can say that he is a fan of yours and is looking forward to a positive relationship with you.”
“A fan eh… I wonder just how much of a fan. You see, I’ll be shooting an advertisement for Scarifs in three weeks, on Scarif of course. Do you think he might be open to letting you and your compatriots who came with you take part?”
"If you were to request us, yes I think he would be open to it". The young twi'lek honestly had no idea, but she hoped Khulbe's admiration for Kade would allow her this opportunity again.
“I think I can manage that. It is easy to see that you are beautiful enough to warrant such an invitation. It is not a hard task, at any rate. I will of course offer to pay both of you handsomely. I imagine the offer of profit will tickle his fancy.” Even as he spoke he found himself wondering why he had made the offer to invite her. Maybe it was the thought of giving her even the smallest glimpse of something beyond the walls of her splendid prison. It didn’t hurt that she was very pretty, he would be a fool to deny it..
"Beautiful enough you say?" She said teasingly as a smile spread across her face. She knew what she looked like and prior to this point had resented the term, but coming from him it wasn't so bad. She didn't sense any malice from him like she did from those at the palace. "Are there any other requirements?"
“A sense of humour wouldn’t hurt… A sense of adventure wouldn’t be amiss either.” He smiled back at her.
“I think I could work with that.” she replied. The first step however was to convince Khulbe to allow her to leave the palace once more.
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