Beyond - Legends ~ The reason I didn't update...~ finished on ff.n, part II started

Of course the tea-induced perfection couldn't last forever. And getting my act together, I did not return to reality reluctantly, but opened my eyes and was there. Unfortunately. The mood had not brightened perceptibly overall.

Did you think of the mad hatter and his tea party when writing this?



I am glad that you updated despite your NaNo plans!



Like that Boba stays Boba and keeps on his own side as usual.

 

Loved the way you write Boba Fett, and all of the dialogue and Mel's reactions here! It was also very easy to 'see' the whole thing as I read along. Just going to say, you are awesome at doing that. And I loved the slight feel of tension building in the room.

 

Onward to the brink of reason, this reminds me of a board meeting I had to attend and be the focus of to get training at university. Eventually I just switched over to get it done mentality and waded through, somewhat like I see our heroin doing post tea.

I wonder if Boba can be trusted to keep silent though or if his Han Solo vendeta might still prove a problem Still glad Ruhk is getting some time with another Noghri even if we don't get to hear about it.

 

I don't remember, Azure. I wrote this over a month ago...

Thank you, Thrawn. I am rather scared of getting anybody wrong, so if I do, just tell me.

You have to get things done sometimes, Mitth_Fisto.
And everybody going off on a personal vendetta will have me to reckon with. You see where that won't impress anybody.

---

One-Hundred and Sixty Five

I was dreaming of sleep. With my eyes wide open and my hands curled around and unfortunately empty cup, I stared off into the distance and dreamt of sleep. Curling up under a soft blanket. Closing my eyes... Oh yeah!

For a change the Republics were arguing with the Mandos. I loved the break this gave me, though I was somewhat aware that I should probably be listening to their talking instead of dreaming of my bunk. But it had a blanket.

I also tended to snap at people more and more. Usually it was Han who had a knack for asking questions that annoyed me. And he didn't have a fangirl-bonus going for him like many others in the room. Celchu kept very quiet, his eyes on Arn and when he asked questions they were rather pointed. And about the Empire. He worried me, but Arn seemed determined not to let anything on.

Wedge was the one who was actually most down to task. I would have to get him into contact with Dave, not only because I could not really answer most of his questions. I knew what he was getting at, and that was an achievement for me. Not that it helped him any.

Fett was still on stand-by. Snapping at him might have cut the negotiations, not to mention my life, short. At least the lines of command seemed kinda established, provided Ackbar and Thrawn didn't bang each other's heads in. And I was not having any issues with ground command because that was so not my problem. Even after Arn told me that it was very much my problem. I did have no qualms delegating command to whoever wanted it. I sure didn't want it.

Neither did Luke, but that was fine. He was supposed to take down a hopefully rather distracted Palpatine. Distraction by Mandos should prove effective, especially since I could practically see Jusik grin under his helmet. A very grim and vengeful grin, but a grin still.

?I don't like it.? Han again.

?Didn't we discuss that twice already?? A mindful Republican had refilled my cup. Otherwise I would have thrown it at Han. But tea was tea, and I was so tired. I began to doubt that caffeine was contained in this tea at all. I might have killed for a biscuit.

?Not with satisfying results.? Han crossed his arms across his chest. ?He's not just the only Jedi Knight left, but also my friend. I won't see him unnecessarily endangered.?

I looked into my cup trying to ban the image of killing Han with the non-existent biscuit. ?If you have a plan that gets Palpatine up on our ship safely instead getting us down to face him, I am all ears,? I said. ?Otherwise I suggest you trust in Master Skywalker's ability to assess the situation and decide for himself.?

?He's idealistic,? Han countered. ?He'd sacrifice himself if he thought it'd help.?

Well, he wasn't alone there. I didn't sigh. I didn't say it either. ?Nobody wants to sacrifice Master Skywalker,? I replied softly. ?He is-?

?Perfectly aware of the risks,? Luke finished my sentence. ?I understand your concern,? he nodded at Han, ?and I also understand you insistence, Ms Morrison. There simply is no other Jedi.?

?We could round up some,? Jusik suggested.

Even I could feel the shock running through Luke. No, he was not the only Jedi around. But by my estimation he was by far the strongest and most capable one. ?There is more than one??

?Possibly.? Somehow I didn't think the helmet was of much use in the staring match that ensued.

?We should stay in contact,? Luke finally said. And that was that.

I realised Han was going to ask another of his questions. ?To return to the division of ground and space forces,? I began hastily.

He sent me a scalding look and completely ignored my attempt. ?I still don't think-?

?What's new,? I interr

 

I was dreaming of sleep. With my eyes wide open and my hands curled around and unfortunately empty cup, I stared off into the distance and dreamt of sleep. Curling up under a soft blanket. Closing my eyes... Oh yeah!

That happens very often to me when I need to teach the 1st lesson in the morning. But then there is no cup that I can hold on to. Just a piece of chalk or a white board marker, preferably non-permanent. Tralala!

Anyway, love your very well fitting characterisations here. Especially of Luke & Han. But please do NOT, I repeat do NOT throw anything at the latter. He cannot help having no fangirl bonus with you.

(Actually right now I am glad for Vader that he is dead. Otherwise you would throw unspeakable things at him or do worse!)

I hope that the NaNo madness is over soon and that you achieve all your goals. Well, also hope that for Chilla, Ceillean, earlybird-Obi-Wan and anybody else that anticipates.

Perhaps I might do something next year. My marathon with looking through class tests and letters starts tomorrow. I wanted to have a weekend once in a while, especially after being bouncer on Friday night at the school party.

It was not that bad, but having gotten up at 6:00 am and staying at school until 10:00 pm made me almost as tired as your main character.

PS: I let you know when my laptop acts less weird and wants me to be on skype again. Preferably a working skype connection!

 

He sent me a scalding look and completely ignored my attempt. ?I still don't think-?

?What's new,? I interrupted him right back. I also almost caused a fist fight which I would have lost, had I not apologised immediately.

That part made me gigglesnort out loud. It's taken me a while to like Han in any form, so occasional Han snark is fine with me.

 

Glad you like the characterisation, Azure. I am always afraid I'll mangle everybody badly.
I shall be civil with Han. If he is civil towards me.

Han is okay, Thrawn, but he's just noone I'm really fond of. Too bad he's having more pull than me, so I do have to be carefull. Mabye if I catch him alone and have Rukh with me...

---

[u]One-Hundred and Sixty Six[/u]

I had just fallen asleep when Rukh shook me awake again. Resistance was futile, so I got up and presentable. I wondered when Arn had last slept and if he was high on stims or something. Maybe I was just a wimp. There was no cup of tea before I was more or less dragged down the ramp into a small docking bay and ushered out and on immediately.

?Where are we?? I looked around as a speeder picked us up and sped off.

?The Jubilee Wheel,? Arn told me. ?It was conveniently near where we were and where we are going to be, plus it has the right facilities.?

I looked out as the speeder zigzagged us past shop-fronts and cafés. When we were dropped off, my jaw also dropped a good deal. I turned to Arn.

He shrugged. ?Grand Admiral's orders.?

I turned back towards the shop. ?Any specifications??

?Nope.? I could hear the suppressed grin in his voice.

My mind came up with the extremely unhelpful image of his Admiralship writing down a detailed list of what he considered appropriate ? or what he wanted. The mind boggled. ?Any limits??

?None that I know of.? Arn ushered me in.

It was making some kind of sense. I had arrived here with a wardrobe comprising a shirt, trousers, socks and underwear of some sort. Except the shirt all of above had vanished. I looked around as a young woman approached us with a big smile.

After explaining to her that no, Arn was not my boyfriend and as such would have no say at all in my choice, he was dispatched into a corner where the GFFA equivalent of magazines and coffee waited.

?So, what size are you?? Mya asked leading me away.

?An L.?

She stopped and gave me a once-over. ?No way,? she shook her head. ?I would say you're more an M.?

I almost snorted. ?Last time I looked-? And there I stopped. Yep. Last time I looked I had been at least an L. But that had been how long ago? With how much sports and chocolate-deprivation in-between. I sighed beat. ?Okay. So maybe I'm an M. ?

She laughed. ?So what do you want??

?Something that's still pretty when I wear it.?

More laughter. ?That is absolutely no problem. But what kind? Functional? Comfortable? Pretty? Kinky??

I considered for a moment. The standard issued stuff sure counted as functional and comfortable. That left pretty and ? well. How long since I had last worn a real corset? I wondered if I should just ignore his Admiralship and indulge my own wishes disregarding the complete lack of opportunities to actually wear garters and the like. Who'd know?

Well, somebody sure would get the bill for this. I blushed ferociously at the idea of anybody looking through the items on it. Okay. ?Petty, I think.? Then I caved. ?How kinky do you have to offer??

Mya winked consiprationally. ?I think we shall get along quite splendid. What about colours??

?No pink,? I burst out, earning even more laughter. Mya sure was a happy person. ?Black, red, maybe blue and a little white??

The following time, I was not sure how much was spent in a deluge of underwear. I made a point of not trying on everything but making a first choice narrowing the selection considerably.

I ended up in a cubicle within earshot of Arn with a huge pile of stuff anyway, sending Mya away with some more and very clear instructions. Somebody would pay for this. And I decided to milk it for all it was worth.

A try-on marathon followed I was not quite sure I was happy with. A silly girl was in the mirror, mocking me. There was sure less of her than I remembered. I squinted but she seemed to be curvy still. I let out a breath. At least there were no abs to be seen. I made a big note to keep my eyes peeled for them and make a point of cake should they ever dare to

 

What a sexy fashion update! I wish there was an illustration of you in that outfit.

*wonders if it looks as stunning as your old Gothic outfits that you used to fear ages ago*

 

Yay, more shopping! Even if it is for fancy underwear.

Poor Mel. She's in the most awkward relationship ever. I wanted to give her a hug when she didn't snuggle up to Thrawn. As much of a fangirl as I am, can't say I entirely blame her for not doing so.

 

Ummmm....that would be awkward at the least. Gonna have to get over the whole duty thing apparently which would be something akin to letting the fan girl take over. Or maybe not.

Someone sending Mel shopping and that being paid for.....well? What does he expect? He needs to work for it.

 

great updates
was cool to read about how you handled the moff and afterwards dealt with this meeting.
I am sure the shopping was fun

 

I apologise for my long absence. Fandoms had me. And today - Reichenbach Falls. I can't even.
Oh well, I think I am back with the regular updating. I have suffered with this fic too long to simply let it die. (4 years? You're kidding me, right?)


Which outfit, Azure? I amde rough photoshops of the dresses because I forgot how they were supposed to look.

You know, I hate shopping, Thrawn.
That she does. Poor girl. Maybe things will get easier once the two manage to actually, you know, spend time with each other? Or Thrawn is even more obnoxious than usual and Mellanna decides he doesn't deserve any better than to suffer her whole this-is-now-a-normal-relationship spiel.

Kant would disagree, serenity.
But even if it's duty, doesn't mean it cannot be fuin at the same time. I hear that there are really people who do love their job. Maybe Mellanna cen be one of them?

Yep, Maggy, Mellanna taking charge, everybody better leave the buliding - or galaxy. *boom*

---

[u]One-Hundred and Sixty Seven[/u]



[i]Get your sorry ass out of bed and do something for the Empire!

Go, go, go! This is not a pleasure cruise!

Move it!![/i]


I lay staring at the ceiling above me for a moment feeling strange. I didn't even know how many days had passed precisely since I last heard the wake up call. A week? Two? All those time differences made it hard to keep the dates straight. Not to mention it played havoc with my inner clock.

But I was in a place that had my kind of tea. So I got up and ready for breakfast. My pad told me that I had a debriefing with his Admiralship scheduled first thing in the morning. I also noted that it was late enough to give Arn lots of space to report first.

So, priorities. I had them and I would keep them. I marched myself off to the refectory and grabbed breakfast. I was only starting on my second cup of tea, when my pad blared at me. I had been missing that. Somehow. I chided myself for the need of a higher authority to decide on things. Then I shrugged it of, seeing how reality had taken care of that snag conveniently. I should count myself lucky.

So I did. And also at least twelve differing charts of Byss hanging in space in the command room. I tried to memorise their different readouts as I approached the ring of double displays. That was sure enough important, even if my stupid head refused to admit it. This was war. I was a part of it it, and no, I still didn't like it. Not that anybody cared. All as usual.

The displays circling the command chair in the middle of the command room were brimming with battle plans. I would so love this conversation. Not. Thrawn was sitting in his chair with half closed eyes, almost a cliché of himself. I didn't really mind. It gave me time to collect my thoughts, which had strayed in all directions at seeing him again.

"Good morning, sir."

He didn't turn or acknowledge me. He might be counting sirs again. I decided I would possibly not mind. He could just as well be thinking up the most devious attack plan that had ever been devised. I waited for a moment, looking at the displays and leant against the command chair. The rather high back of it rather invited leaning.

"I assume that Arn has already been here." There was still no reaction. "Sir?"

"Booster Terrik." He dropped the name just like that.

"Well." It seemed that we were past niceties now. "He's got a Star Destroyer. And he's more or less neutral."

"And expensive." Thrawn's head lifted a little.

"But it will be worth it." If we played it right, and he was Thrawn, so where was the risk? "You just need to make it work out."

"Which of course, I will."

"Of course." I smiled.

"If only everybody else was that confident about it."

Saying what? I stared ahead, trying to find any kind of inflection in that. There really wasn't. "What does everybody else think?"

Carefully he tilted his head in my direction which I deigned to read in human body language."That the Empire is too entrenc

 

I made another cup of tea. And while I sipped on it, I stared at the dark screen. It felt like the perfect occupation. What had my life come to? The Prince-Admiral blew me a miss for reasons. The Grand Admiral did not for other reasons. What had happened to simple love. I had been there. I had been doing it the simple way. What had happened to that?

I closed my eyes trying to think of my non-admiral and former boyfriend. I could hardly remember his face. I could barely remember his voice. How long was I here now? At least I could remember the colour of his eyes: green-brown like sunlight on trees. I pressed my lips together. Because that was it. The colour of his eyes. I remembered that.

But that wasn't enough. Why, the hell, had I been in love with that guy. Music, disco, cooking - all that was just reasons again. And the reasons alone didn't add up. They didn't turn the heap of facts into love mysteriously. Not at all. I had forgotten - actually ****ing forgotten - why I loved my boyfriend.

And while I was at it, I had just forgotten how it had felt. Great, just great. All I could feel now was complications, contradictions and generally confused. This was not how this should be working. Really. Not at all. I felt I should be crying about my loss. I stared at the black monitor and couldn't. I just couldn't and I wasn't even numb.

Nobody can write about love sickness as ironic and heartfelt as you, dear. Sucking the reader in!

 

Ah, sorry! I realized I hadn't been here in...2 months? Well, before NaNoWriMo madness, that is. Gomen!

Great update! I really love your interaction with Krennel. If only it would work that well with his Admiralship....then again, he wouldn't be Thrawn if he turned into a puppy, right?
Quite amusing that people seem to think he is completely smitten by Melanna...but maybe there's some truth to it?

Loved the shopping trip, too. Hehe, if someone else is paying for it, why not severely abuse that privilege?
I can't believe what you told Arn about the nightgowns!!! Wow, talk about things-you-don't-want-to-know-about-your-boss.

Great humor and excellent update!

 

Sigh no more Lanna
Sigh no more.

Thrawn was a deciver ever
One foot in space and one in your door
To one thing constant never

Then sigh not so
Just let him go
And be you blythe and bonny
Converting all
Your sounds of woe
Into hey-nonny-nonny

 

"If only everybody else was that confident about it."
Is Thrawn wishing that there were more Melanna's around.

Shaking my head slightly I sank into a cross-legged position on the floor.
What a debriefing and change of pace.

Gee...I think Thrawn cannot wait for a fashion show.

Maybe he can order Arn to take Melanna to one. Which would be a prelude to more shopping. One can only hope.

 

I really liked the blunt reply to the question of what she would do without Dave "Fail."

As for Han, you could always call him 'scruffy lookin' to rile him up or stun him.

 

Azure
Your version of 'Sigh no more' is wonderful. I shall sing it to his Admiralship next time he annoys me. And then I will imagine he's david Tennant and hilarity will ensue. Maybe Thrawn can take me to see a good play some time. There has to be some kind of culture around somehwere.

Yeah, you kinda dropped over the edge of the world, Chilla. But so did I. And I only return here to update this now...

Well, Thrawn has been seen with a lday and dancing, too. Something must be verily amiss there... and so peole draw conclusions as they are wont to. I am not sure I could hanlde puppy!Thrawn. I might be too annoyed.

I also refuse to treat Arn as if we had any work-relationship. And he started it. So he now has to live with the images.

I think he's just wishing for more support from the old Imperial garde, serenity.
Fashion show? Me? Oh God, you want to kill me, right? I dislike fashion with a passion. Only more need to get me acquainted with it, probably.

Dave is a gem, Mitth_Fisto.
No-nonsense for him, and no whining for me while around him. All the good it does me. *lol*
I shall keep the stunning option in mind. Oh wait - you meant with a balster...?

---

[u]One-Hundred and Sixty Eight[/u]
[i]
Get your sorry ass out of bed and do something for the Empire!

Go, go, go! This is not a pleasure cruise!

Move it!![/i]


I hadn't slept well. I felt like I had a headache when actually having none from all the things throbbing in my head just beyond reach. But there were no long, dark corridors and running. It was all tangled, twisted and squirming. I rubbed my eyes in an effort to get rid of the afterimages. I had no time for this.

And I had still woken up with my back pressed against the bulkhead behind me. Shaking my head at this sad lack of constraint I got up. I expected more from me. Well, that might just be the problem. I stared down my breakfast still mulling over the right amount of expectation to be applied to myself. Naturally, I didn't come to any conclusion. Less than perfect, more than average was too wide a field to be useful.

Seros was not helping any. He was doing his best to turn me into a perfect representative of highest standing. I obliged as well as I could. Still I was happier with my sports because progress was much easier seen there.

"It's only going to get worse," Arn assured me as I commented on that.

"Was there ever any other option?" I wanted to know. There was an ominous entry reading 'command training' with Dave's name attached to it on my schedule.

"There might," he replied. "Had you been looking for it."

"Thank heaven for my blindness then. I would be better of as a coward." I sighed. "No, not really."

He clapped a hand down on my shoulder. "Say that again when you're dead."

"And you're the reason?" I mocked. "But I know that already. Maybe I shall say it after Dave is through with me tonight." I stopped and considered my words, then shrugged. "Will nobody here ever be convinced of the fact that I am not command material?"

"We all [i]know[/i]," Arn objected. "We just have to change that."

Rolling my eyes I vanished to have lunch with Seros and a couple of manners I hadn't encountered before. the man was a treasure trove. Which didn't make him any more annoying. In the free time after lunch I read up on the news and found it extremely confusing. Since Arn had mentioned Gargon I had tagged it. I liked tags.

Not that it helped any. the Republic claimed that they were about to win the planet over, while the Empire said just the same. In the middle there were several gangsters complaining about the abounding of sudden law and order, citizens complaining about the lack of business due to lack of gangsters and satirists making funny drawings I didn't understand. Well.

The other news could be less puzzling, but were not. Even with Karrde's information in the mix nothing was actually

 

One-Hundred and Sixty Nine

There had been no wake up call. I would sure be late and I didn't feel to well. I thought. One of those days again. Keeping with tradition I rolled out of bed and dropped to the floor with a muffled sigh. Then I realised that it was not my floor, which meant that consequently I had also not dropped out of my bed. I suppressed my first instinct, namely jumping up in a frenzy and pretend nothing happened. Because it had, and covering up would not work. And this was me anyway.

"Oh, bother."

Slowly I raised my head and found myself alone. Bother indeed. I would sure be late for everything. Racing through the shower I grabbed my pad. It told me very calmly that it was six in the morning. Welcome to my nightmare. I went to have breakfast anyway. That's the good thing about living on a ship with several shifts. It's always morning for somebody.

"Tea, Earl Grey, hot," I told the man behind the counter. He shook his head, but gave me tea. I would not complain. Other than that is was yubi glob with fruits. The chocolate coloured mousse tasted of corn and lemon. 'Journey' was a bother to read and I was not ready for poetry yet as 'Sun and Eyes' proved. So I stared 'Into the Dark' which seemed to be some kind of science fiction thriller. If this category was applicable for the GFFA.

My pad blared at me that I would indeed be late if I didn't get started now. I was annoyed, because Sen'am'eron had just discovered that the spaceship he was on was deserted. With scary quirks and such. I approved of the story. Arn did not approve of me being late.

"I thought this topic was done for," he chided. "Hanging out with the 501st had done so nicely last time."

I mentioned how Dave did his best to kill me and how that might logically lead to me being late to my own death. Arn reacted with showing that my death might as well come early. It took me some time to realise that I was actually fighting without choreography and not losing. I had been here for too long. I had become, I had become - I didn't even want to know. But I was. And it seemed to work.

It didn't work where Seros was concerned, of course. Etiquette was not my strong point, I just didn't have as much enthusiasm for it. And Seros would not be distracted by talking about his family. I really learnt more about the art of deflecting from my attempts to make him talk then I learnt about making conversation.

And thus time went by. I managed not to die. Barely. I think it was Dave clapping my back at one time, even cracking a smile; and Seros nodding with that satisfied look on his face telling more than any praise; and Arn grinning from ear to ear at my target tally, promising me a poster to hang up on my wall; and Krennel wooing me with the ferocity of a thousand suns and as much subtlety; and even Thrawn.

"I don't care if the Chiss society reads it as a metaphor. It's a damned good story"

"The two are not mutually exclusive."

"They are, if you refuse to talk about the one." I folded my arms before me. "And just so you know, your poetry sucks."

An immaculate brow rose. "So you did come around to deciphering it?"

"Well," I hedged, "not quite. But beauty is simple and those poems are surely not." Arguing literature with Thrawn was dangerous, but I had more of a chance than trying to talk art.

"So how would you define that simplicity?" A host of poems spring into life on the displays around us, hovering in the air like so many veils.

I had to admit they looked quite simple. "But I will always stand by the conviction that if you want to be understood, you should write in a way that makes this possible." I paced among the offensive bits of literature. Poems were not supposed to look simple. Except if you were into visual poetry. Or Ernst Jandl. Or both. Bother.

"They are said to be better understood if read," Thrawn explained.

I squinted at the nearest copy. "That may be true," I conceded, still squinting. "But it doesn't really help me." I pointed at the mix of broken morphemes running into each other wildly. "I get as far as 'rereo[/

 

... no one replied to your last chapter? That shocks me.

As always, wonderful update. Good luck with getting Rukh to socialize more. I wouldn't be able to stand having a body guard. Bother. XD

Great job, as always.

 

I looked at him and didn't answer. But he was right and we both knew it. I rubbed my forehead vigorously. "I wish," I just replied. "Don't you? I mean, where you are concerned?"

"You are my only concern," he replied flatly.

"I wish I wasn't." I glanced at the tea, but discarded the idea again. Not enough time. So I would have to make do with words. Good luck to me.

And this is the reason I didn't update here.

That is very romantic, despite Ernst Jandel.

Warum denke ich nun an Ottos Mops?

Must be your fuss about the dress colour.



Bitte NICHT kotzen!



I am not such a word genius as Thrawn... actually.

 

Poems were not supposed to look simple. Except if you were into visual poetry.

So very true! I'm currently in a poetry class for my grad school, and I've been thinking that first part all week, since I submitted my first poem for the class. I'm suspicious I've done something wrong, because it was so simple for me to write.

Anyhow! Enough about me. Loved the lit conversation Mel had with Thrawn. But then, I'm a little biased.

 

"Well," I hedged, "not quite. But beauty is simple and those poems are surely not." Arguing literature with Thrawn was dangerous, but I had more of a chance than trying to talk art.

I wonder what he would think about Sherlock Holmes? Stephen king and all of the horror literature that there is to be had. You can tell what I would choose to buy before a book on romance. Probably thinks we are crazy. But then I am sure he already knows.

Excellent update

 

I don't even care, Amanda. Back to the roots. And I only come to the baords once a week to update this anyway...
I shall make Rukh a social Noghri. At least with me. This is my decision.

Aber, aber, Azure. Jandl hat doch SOOOOO großartige Sachen geschriebrn, nicht nur dn blöden Mops.
Thrawn reading poetry. Now that is something... manages to get past Doctor Who (I will ALWAYS want to shorten it Dr) and Sherlock and Supernatural. Though - Dean reciting... naw. Maybe John Coopler Clarke, but other than that? Naw...

Poetry is either easy or difficult for you, Thrawn. Peronally, I find it incredibly easy. Could spawn out a poem on demand... rather useless ability.
Biased? You? You surprise me, good Madam.

Whcih Sherlock, serenity? Do you know the new BBC version? <isert fangirly rant here> Maybe he'd think that the deductions of Sherlock are somehow a talent like his for deductiong from art. Just with a different source. SOmebody should pit those against each other in a crossover.

---

[u]One-Hundred and Seventy[/u]

All in all it wasn't too bad. I got back into the daily routine and the only difficult thing was gauging how official any meeting with his Admiralship would be. But that was okay because there were ways to get back to him. I sure was accepting things way too easily. Still, right now was not the time to complain. So I complained on a different level.

"I don't see why it is important," I lowered the pad and looked at Thrawn. "This is all internal core politics, and none seems to touch on the current situations on the borders. Except maybe for Balmorra."

"That is not the point," Thrawn told me. "Of course you can ignore all this and stand with the women, talking about their children, fashion and the holonet. It is quite customary, I hear."

I huffed. "Fat chance. I like neither of that." Oops. It was too late to bite my tongue. "I mean -"

"I know what you mean," he interrupted me. "Which is why I considered you would be off better in the political section of conversations." He nodded at my pad. "You still have two weeks, and updates will be sent automatically."

"I am counting on you to highlight your stance on things," I sighed. "Then I'll at least know in advance where we'll clash in public."

"Oh, you will know that in advance for sure." There was a tight smile on his lips. "You will have a lot of practice conversing on those topics before you can do so in polite society."

"Something to look forward to, I'm sure." I displayed a freakish grin which was completely lost on him. Sometimes I was not sure if I loved or hated that he knew me too well.

Rukh adjusted to having tea and being forced to talk to me by telling stories from Honoghr. I was a little disappointed until I realised in what situations I had been given stories about Khanathitera. I should be happy, things were looking good for me measured like that.

And then Jaing called. Unexpected and a rather nice surprise. Or so I thought. He was without helmet even. That should have been a warning. Rukh slunk out of sight, but I don't think anybody thought he was out of earshot for a second.

"Jaing!" I exclaimed. "How nice of you to call. And all official, too. To what do I owe the honour of this?"

"Business," was his curt answer. Still I smiled.

Jaing looked serious. "The Mand'alor requests an official meeting with a representative of the Empire," he said slowly. "Mainly to talk about Byss, but also more long-term political issues."

"Great!" I managed not to bounce. Much. "Who do you want? I-"

"Mellanna," that scolding sigh again. "He wants you, of course."

"Oh. Ah." I didn't feel like bounce much anymore. "I am a representative of the Empire?"

He gave me a really hard look. Okay, got it. I was a representative. "Do I have to wear a dress?" I didn't quite keep the panic out of my voice."

"I will talk to Shysa about that. I might even convince him that it is prerogative," he chuckled.

"Well, thank you for that. I will

 

"Shouldn't I get a pilot?", I asked Rukh as we dropped into space.

"Durron is going to fill that position once we picked him up," he replied.

"Oh, good. Does that mean I get to keep him after this trip?"

"Mellanna..."

"Okay, okay. Just wondering. If I am really to travel with a full entourage," I broke off. "I won't, won't I? This is just an exception because it's the Mandos. I really won't get to represent anything, right?"

The silence was answer enough. I stared at the blue pattern flickering over the viewport. I'd never get used to it. Just when I thought I was finding a place to occupy it turned into so much dust.

You greedy woman! You cannot keep every man that crosses your path.