asdfl;jk

asdf

It was raining when Commander Davin's airtaxi hovered in front of Alsa's apartment-- an elegant little brownstone perhaps a kilometer from the Capitol complex. A uniformed doorman held a rainshield over her as she slipped gracefully into the taxi, and Kix couldn't help admiring how her simple black dress showed off her legs. He felt his heart rate kick up a little, like a Dragon going into battle.

She wore rare gemstones. A choker, earrings made from clusters of Aegeon stones, and a bangle bracelet on her right wrist-- the sparkles sharp against her tan skin. Her hair was still down about her shoulders, but held back from her face by a pair of diamond hairpins. The complex elegance of her jewelry beautifully offset the simplicity of her dress. He wondered what those gemstones represented. Family heirlooms? A wealthy lover's gift? The spoils of ill-gotten gain?

He looked at her. How could anything so beautiful also be so dangerous? Yet the potential danger was part of what made her exciting. Or was it her after all? He'd known Dragons who stormed headfirst into danger, simply for the glory and excitement of it. He'd never thought of himself as timid in battle, but throwing himself into danger for its own sake-- simply for the thrill, and consequences be damned? He'd never understood such suicidal behavior. Until now.

But if his interest in Alsa was about courting danger, it also served his legitimate purposes. His mind flashed ahead to the coming party. He thought about what Kin'son had said about making an entrance, and smiled. Everyone would be watching him. Everyone.

"I'm just a simple soldier, Alsa. I don't have words that can do you justice."

She smiled, and for a moment outdazzled every gemstone she was wearing. "Commander, you are a soldier, but simple? Never. You honor me." She settled back in the airtaxi as casually as one might in a comfortable armchair. She was clearly used to such travel.

"That seems to be quite a nice apartment you have. When you said you were an art dealer, I might have imagined more spartan quarters. Your family--"

She seemed embarrased. "People of a certain class are not allowed to live in hovels. Part of me wishes I could, just for a year or two. It would be part of the 'experience.'"

He laughed. "I understand more than you know. A Dragon commander doesn't live like a foot soldier, of course. But I'm pampered, pulled from the heat of battle to run," he waved his arms, "diplomatic <I>errands</i> like this one. I'd like, just once, to actually be a simple soldier, answerable only to fate, the fellowship of my equals, and my own skill in battle."

"The Imperium keeps you on a tight leash, don't they?"

He laughed. "Again, you seem to be one step ahead of me. How is that?"

"The Black Dragon Empire are hardly a low-profile faction of this galaxy. Plenty of information on the Holonet databases-- a great deal more written about them circulated by various other factions as well, I'm afraid."

"I thought you weren't interested in politics?"

"I'm interested in <I>people</i>, Commander. I find you Dragons <I>very</i> interesting."

"Would you stop calling me 'Commander'? I feel like I should be asking you to salute. 'Kix' would be fine."

"Kix," she rolled the name off her tongue. "I like the way it sounds."

<I>So do I</I>. He glanced out the airspeeder window. They were headed out of the center of the city. "Where are we going? I assume you've been there before?"

She nodded. "Prefect Prescott lives in the High Class neighborhood. Very exclusive. He's the rep of the House of Toola, and it shows. It also explains why I warned this could be a dull party."

"I don't understand."

"It's related to the success of your accord. The House of Toola is conservative in all respects. Skeptical of change. <I>Terrible</i> dancers. Of course they voted against you, despite Pakunni's signing to your outpost coalition."

He laughed.

She continued. "The House of Cholganna: mostly new credit, self-made male and females, reactionary, volatile, and most can cut a rug with the best of them. They may vote to sign on."

"And the House of Quermia?"

"A mixed bag, dominated by whatever the political flavor of the moment is. The current group? Bad dancers coming in, good dancers on the wane, but still holding a power base."

"So my real strategy should be teaching people to dance?"

It was her turn to laugh. She put her fingertips to her lips for a moment, and when she lowered her hand, it fell casually, and lightly, on his knee. "That's not really my area, but if you want to meet people, that I can help with."

"I've hired this fellow, a Bothan named Ozak Kin'son. You know him?"

"Oh, certainly. We move in much the same circles here."

"Do you think he knows his stuff?"

"I believe he does. He has a good reputation among the Prefects. I will warn you of one thing though." She leaned toward him, narrowed her eyes and whispered conspiratorially, "He has two left feet."

They laughed together.

"Commander," interrupted the driver, "we're approaching the address."

Kix tore his gaze away from Alsa to look out through the clear plasteel. The rain had stopped, leaving slick pavement on the steep, winding, tree-lined streets. The houses were large, and widely spaced. The lumas were mounted in filigreed housings, atop slender columns. Ahead, one house in particular was brightly lit, and he could see a large number of people inside.

"Fashionably late," said Alsa.

Kix smiled. "The better to make an entrance," he said.

The airtaxi landed and stationed itself under a temporary awning, set up to protect arriving guests from the intermittent rain. An attendant opened the door, and Kix stepped past Alsa to exit first. He then took her hand and led her from the vehicle. They climbed a short run of red-carpeted steps and passed through an open set of double-doors. Ahead, he could hear live music.

A Rodian butler stood at the door, a storklike guardian with his pointed snout. He glanced at a datapad. "Ah, Commander. Good evening, Miss Vinda-- always a pleasure."

"Thank you, Solr. Would you be so good as to announce us?"

"But of course."

She leaned in close to his ear. "You did want an entrance."

The butler placed his pad on a podium and stepped through the inner doors into a grand ballroom. "Ladies and gentlemen." The music faltered, and heads turned. "Commander Kix Davin of the Black Dragon Empire and Miss Alsa Vinda."

Kix took Alsa on his arm, and they swept through the door. People looked and whispered. He felt splendid, and he had certainly made his grand entrance. Dignified old men fell over each other to be the first to greet Alsa, and she addressed each and every one by name. She also skillfully disengaged herself from each-- shedding them as easily as a Naboo duck sheds water, and leading Kix through the crowd to the bar.

<I>Whatever else she is, she's a smooth social operator, and I can use that...</i>

Kix watched as the bartender mixed two kinds of transparent fluids, followed by a shot of red liquor, and shook the combination before pouring the result into a cocktail glass and garnishing it with a slice of namana fruit. He handed it to Alsa, who took a deep sip, licked her upper lip in a way that made him quiver, then smiled. "I will say this for the Toolans, they do have the best-stocked bars."

"Commander!"

Kix turned in response to the voice, and spotted the Bothan, Ozak Kin'son, moving toward him from across the room. "I'm glad you could make it"-- he glanced at Alsa and smiled-- "and I see you arranged for your own escort."

"A very fortunate and timely encounter," he explained.

"Well," said Kin'son, "indeed. You're already being seen, mingling, that's good. Don't plan on leaving early. I'll come around later and bring you into a few backroom gatherings. That's where much of the real business gets done, you know."

He looked around the room. "Meanwhile, circulate. You couldn't have a better guide than Alsa. I have to go set things up." He took Alsa's hand and bowed. "I hope you'll save me a dance for later, my dear."

She smiled graciously. "I wouldn't miss it, Ozak, my charming little Bothan."

They watched as he walked away.

"So," said Kix, "you're a diplomat, too?"

"Many skills are necessary on this battlefield, Kix."

<I>Well, now</I> there's <i>an opening.</I> "Really? I'd like to hear more about that."

The jizz band struck up a slow number. Alsa took his hand. "And I'd like to find out how many left feet you have."

He smiled. <I>Skillfully dodged.</i> "I rarely get to use them. Shall we see what happens?"

They stepped onto the dance floor and he put his hand around her small waist, feeling the delicate curve of her back through the thin material of the dress. She stepped in close to him, and at the gentle urging of the music, they moved as one.

For Davin, the evening seem to fly by. They danced until they were too tired to stand, found quiet corners to talk, then danced again. She was intensely curious about him, especially his most recent adventures. He told her of redemption on Gand and Toong I, and of his victory in winning Pakunni to the Black Dragon Empire.

Suddenly, he found himself telling her about his troubles with his cousin. It wasn't a calculated effort to draw her out, it just happened. He reproached himself even as he started. His family problems were of strategic and political value-- the sort of thing that could, at the very least, give encouragement and comfort to their enemies.

Yet, it was liberating, intoxicating-- perhaps not in spite of the danger, but because of it-- and all the more so because he knew his cousin would be outraged if he knew. But he wasn't there, wasn't calling the shots, and Kix needed a confidante.

He got little in return. She was still close-mouthed about her family and personal history. Yet there was a connection. They shared something in common, even if it was unspoken. He knew in his heart that they were somehow very much alike.

Later, the tempo of the music picked up, and they danced until they fell, exhausted and laughing, into each other's arms. Her lips found his, and he was lost. When he regained his senses, he was suddenly aware of how many people were around, and he didn't want to share her with anyone.

She seemed to sense his concern. She grabbed his hand. "Come with me. I know someplace where we can be alone."

He had a flash of guilt, and his sense of duty tugged at him. "Kin'son said he had people he wanted me to meet."

She leaned close against his chest, and looked up into his eyes. "It's early for one of these things. The real business won't happen until nearly dawn, when half the guests have already left." She stepped back and tugged at his hand.

She led him past the bar, through a servant's passage and down a narrow staircase that led underground. They passed through a heavy durosteel door at the bottom and into a large room lined with utilitarian bunk beds, and doors leading to other passages.

He looked around. "What is this place?"

"Catacombs. Kind of a defensive shelter. All the older buildings here have them. Pakunni hasn't been attacked in a long time, but it's a strong local tradition."

"Cozy," he said.

She reached up with one hand and quickly opened the top button of his black uniform. Her fingers brushed his chest, and then hooked into the front of his tunic, pulling him down with her onto one of the beds. "Fully equipped," she said softly, "with everything needed in an emergency..."

<I>PRESCOTT: "Toola safe from the piracy of the Cavrilhu" -- Toolan Prefect Imam Prescott is quoted as saying that his personal belief is that the Cavrilhu Pirates are, "no threat to Toola. I'm confident that with our accord signed last night with the Black Dragon Empire, their advances will bypass our world. These are dire times and an alliance with a stong faction will ensure our security here in the Outer Rim from criminals who wish to oppress us."</I>

-- HoloNews Network of the Imperial Dragon

<B>Capitol Towers
Pakunni
Next morning</b>

Kix awoke in an unfamiliar place, and it took him a moment to recognize his hotel room. He was disappointed to discover that Alsa was gone. He rolled over to smell her perfume on the pillow, and spotted a flimsi on the night table. He read it. She had an early appointment with a client, and promised to meet him for lunch.

Davin had his own appointment with Ozak Kin'son, to review the previous evening's events. He smiled. <I>The official ones, anyway.</I>

He and Alsa had emerged from their hideaway in time for the appointed meetings. Kix had pleaded his case to several men and women, all of whom Kin'son swore were important, and all of whom showed, or at least feigned, some degree of interest in what he had to say.

Kix had expected that Alsa would excuse herself when the meetings started, but she was there till the end-- listening, yes, but also working the room quietly to help win people to his cause. In the end, Kin'son assured him that they had swayed critical votes, but Kix had only his word to prove it. As was usual with the local politics, he was never sure what he was accomplishing-- until he heard the news this morning.

For now, his thoughts flashed back to before the meetings, when he and Alsa had been curled together in the bomb-shelter cot. There had been an exchange. At the time it had seemed like a trifle, casual pillow talk, the sort of random thoughts that sometimes surfaced at such moments.

In retrospect, it was the most candid moment Alsa had allowed him.

As he showered and dressed, he commed his assistant and checked his messages. As he'd instructed, Kin'son had been forwarded the latest batch of invitations, which seemed to come in at the rate of two or three a day. Most seemed considerably beneath the power level at which Kix needed to operate, but only the Bothan could tell him for sure.

He had breakfast with his Falleen aide in the hotel's restaurant. On impulse, he had flowers delivered to Alsa's apartment. Then he called his transport around and left for his meeting with Kin'son.

The Bothan was working the Capitol Building that morning, so they'd arranged to meet in the rotunda there. As they hovered up to the diplomatic entrance, Kix was struck by how attractive the building was. There were three golden domes over the central rotunda, and three long wings projecting outward, each pointing toward a different Planetary House. It reminded him of holopics he viewed of the Royal Palace on Naboo when he was young.

He flashed his diplomatic credentials at the entrance, and had the guard direct him to the rotunda. He walked half the length of one wing, passing through only a single security checkpoint before entering the more public rotunda area. The security was amazingly lax to Davin's eyes, but these people had known peace and safety for a long time.

That, of course, was part of Kix's problem.

He spotted Kin'son sitting on a bench near the entrance, reading a flimsiplast. The Bothan stood as Kix approached, and greeted him with a handshake, then visibly ruffled his fur. "I've got maybe half an hour, then I need to get over to the Prefect of the House of Cholganna." He looked up nervously. "Sound plays tricks under these domes," he said. "Someone across the room could be listening in on us. Come on, I know somewhere safer."

He followed Kin'son through one of the archways, past another low-security checkpoint, and into a side corridor. They entered a glass-walled room full of neatly packed bookshelves and small tables. Gold letters on the door said, <I>Law Library 1-B</i>. Kin'son glanced back into the stacks to make sure they were alone.

He returned and beckoned Davin to sit across from him at a small reading table. "You did well last night. You got the Toolans to sign up with your Imperium and got the Quermians and the Cholganna to listen again. I've scheduled a follow-up meeting tommorrow with the Prefects of Cholganna and Quermia based on the groundwork our little midnight meeting established. If we can revise your accord to their satisfaction, we'll be a long way toward getting a favorable result next time it's before the system Governor. Who knows? We might even come up with something the Legate likes and shortcut the whole process." He smiled apologetically. "But probably not."

Kix sighed. His initial feeling that he might be able to ram things through and sign the entire Pakunni system was fading. He seemed as mired in the local politics as ever.

"Chin up, Commander. This is going nearly as well as it could, under the circumstances." The Bothan put his briefcase on the table and opened it. He pulled out a datapad and pulled up a file from the recording rod. "I've got a new draft of the accord for you to examine here. It removes all the trade restrictions that were in the original draft."

Kix blinked in surprise. "What? No trade restrictions? You expect the Black Dragon Empire to go on selling materials to our enemies?"

"Understand, Commander-- that's at the heart of the accord's initial failure. Cholganna and Quermia had strong historic ties to outside interests in the past, and some of them are important trading partners.

"The conservatives are leery about the current incursion of the Cavrilhu, yes, and might be willing to lend some material support to a stabilizing resistance. But not to the extent of losing a substantial portion of trade from their partners that gives them their power."

"That's unacceptable."

"But it may be inevitable, if you want to get this accord accepted..."

Despite the many things already troubling him, Kix was able to maintain a proper sabbacc face. In a way, Kix was suprised it hadn't been noticed before, but negotiation of accords usually comes down to small details.

Kin'son frowned. "I don't know how extensive your diplomatic experience actually is, Commander, but nothing is a given in these matters."

Davin looked straight ahead, saying nothing.

The Bothan studied Kix's face, looking for some sign of capitulation. "Look, you have both versions of the agreement here for comparison. Highlight where you have problems, cross out what's totally unacceptable, and we'll discuss it tommorrow morning." He pushed the datapad over to Kix's side of the table.

He seemed to shake off the previous difficulty almost immediately, and his smile returned. "Now, we need to review last night's meetings so that I have a better idea of where we stand, and what needs follow-up on my part."

"You were there for most of it, other than the mingling and casual introductions. Chitchat, mostly."

"Nonsense. You were gone for quite some time early in the evening. I assume you were pulled aside by the Prefect or senior staffers for a conference. I need to know the details."

Kix Davin was silent.

"You <I>were</i> in a private conference?"

Despite everything, Kix found himself grinning. He felt like a teenager again, but not in a bad way this time.

The Bothan's mouth opened, and hung that way for a moment. "Oh." His yellow eyes widened. "Oh! You were alone with Miss Vinda."

Kix felt his grin spread.

Kin'son took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Commander, excuse me for prying into a client's private affairs, but you have the look about you of a man who is smitten."

"Smitten?" He sighed. "I suppose that's possible."

Ozak rubbed his face with his claws, and rippled his fur to one side. "Oh, this is awkward. I assumed you knew. I assumed that this was all part of one of those espionage intrigues that you Dragons always have in your agenda, that you were just-- playing her."

He frowned. "Kin'son, what the hell are you talking about?" He said it, and yet he knew. At some level, all along, he'd known.

"Miss Vinda is a spy for the Mistryl Shadow Guards."

<center>****</center>

The restaurant where Alsa had arranged to meet him was located just across the street from the House of Cholganna. Once he and Kin'son had finished their business, he offered the Bothan a ride. There was an awkward silence as they stood waiting for the transport.

The journey was only about a kilometer, but they were quickly snarled in air traffic.

Kix looked at the datapad in his hand, feeling sorry for himself. "You don't have any real evidence, though?"

Kin'son looked up from where he was sitting, across from Davin. "About what?"

"Alsa. Being a spy."

"Evidence? No, I suppose not. But it's a well known fact that she collects information for them. I mean, it's not like she's stealing people's files or breaking into places and downloading secrets. She really is an art dealer. She merely has other interests on the side.

"She's... tolerated. As I said, the Pakunni system has deep historical ties with many outside interests: pirates, warlords, the Cavrilhu, the Shadow Guards. In a sense, I suspect many people in the government are glad that they're keeping tabs on us. Perhaps they even consider it their right."

Davin shook his head. How was he supposed to turn these people to sign with the Black Dragon Empire? It was madness, and he had no one to blame but himself. He should have left as soon as he'd seen the possible failure that loomed ahead regarding this mission. All he wanted to salvage from this now was Alsa, and he couldn't see how that would be possible.

<I>One night. How can one night change so much?</I>

He dropped Kin'son near the Prefect of Cholganna's office, where he announced he planned to spend the afternoon reviewing the accord with a top aide. Only two more planets now remained in the system to be signed into the Imperium.

Kix arrived at the restaurant early. With a few whispered words to the host and the exchange of a hundred credit-chit, he arranged to change their table to an intimate private dining room in the back. He ordered a bottle of Bakuran wine, and was already sipping when she arrived.

He stood as she was escorted in. She took his hands and leaned forward to kiss them passionately. She put her arms around his neck and he held her close, smelling her perfume, enjoying the moment despite himself, knowing it could be the last time.

They sat, and she studied his face, seeming to sense something was amiss.

He poured her a glass of wine. She took a deep drink. "Kix, what's wrong? Is it last night? Are you having regrets?"

He put his hand over hers. "No. It's not that. Last night was-- Last night was something I'll always cherish." He licked his lips. "I-- I heard some things about you today."

She smiled nervously, eyes wide, head shaking. "What?"

He took a deep breath. <I>Out with it</i>. "Are you a spy for the Mistryl? The Shadow Guards? I know they are in league with the Cavrilhu..."

Alsa's eyes had widened in surprise. "Who told you that?"

"Never mind that. It's true, isn't it?"

"I'm not a <I>spy</I>, Kix. It's not like that at all."

He stared straight into her eyes, offering no comfort. This was hurting him more than he could have imagined. "What is it like, then?"

She hung her head. Took another big drink of Bakuran wine. Silence. She tipped the glass back and drained it. "Kix, you know what it's like to depend on others for everything you have, everything you are. I was Daddy's little girl, and Daddy was a rich and powerful man. He sent me here because they have one of the finest art exhibitions in the Outer Rim, and I loved attending them so much. So much, in fact, that I pursued my own business and started up my own dealership. That was all I wanted. To indulge in art and to share with others who feel the same." She looked away at nothing. "All that I wanted."

"What happened?"

Her eyes were moist. "I'd been here six months when they sent word. There'd been a scandal at the company, and my father was dead. They said it was suicide. I never believed it. Everything we had was tied up with courts, lawyers and accountants. The rest of the family disowned mother and me-- took control of what was left of the business." She chewed her lip. "I think they were behind it somehow." She looked at him, her eyes full of shame. "I know. How could people in a <I>family</I> do such things to one another?"

His resolve was melting. "I know it all too well."

"I was all alone here. Mother was having enough trouble taking care of herself. I had bills stacking up, and not even enough credits for passage home. But Daddy had friends, business contacts in the Corperate Sector. They came to me with an offer of help for Mother and me. All they wanted was for me to go to some parties, talk with people, let them know what I heard." She smiled through tears. "I'm not a spy. It's just been fun. It's no more than a game really."

"Was I part of your game?" He recalled his initial suspicions and chided himself for not listening to them.

"No! I mean..." She looked away. "It was no coincidence that I ran into you the other day. The Mistryl told me you'd be here-- that they would be very grateful for anything I could tell them about the Black Dragon Empire's intentions and your mission here. But that's all. A chance meeting, and the rest just happened." She looked at him. "Kix, I'm not a whore! How could you think that? I go to parties. I flirt. I talk. Men like me, and I like them back. But that's all. I don't sleep with people for information."

He drained his own glass, poured another. "I want to believe you."

"What was between us was real, Kix. Please believe me. It still is."

"This changes everything," he said.

She hung her head. "I know. I'm sorry, Kix. I can't help what I am, any more than you can. People like us, we're never really free. We're always beholden to someone."

The words were especially bitter, because they were true. Yet what could he do? <I>Sim, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, a spy for the Shadow Guards and the same pirates we are fighting against.</i> There would always be lingering doubts.

Hell, the Dragons didn't even trust each other. There was certainly no reason to trust an outsider, a <I>spy</i>!

Part of him wanted to stay in the trap, to let the accord run its long and unnatural course, while he spent his nights in Alsa's arms. But it would only be prolonging the agony.

He was trying to think of something to say, when there was a rumble like thunder, and the room trembled. They both looked around.

Alsa looked at him. "What was that?"

Another rumble, louder this time. Then another sound-- a siren of some sort. Though he'd never heard it, he thought he knew what it was. He grabbed Alsa by the hand and pulled her up and out of the room. "We have to get somewhere safe."

The main dining room was in chaos-- people scrambling out the door without paying, the staff in confusion. Through the row of windows across the front they could see people running down the street and slidewalks in both directions.

"I don't understand," said Alsa. "What's happening?"

There was a flash in the sky outside, followed moments later by the sound of an explosion.

"The Maker above," she said. "It can't be."

He looked at her. "They really didn't tell you, did they? Didn't they warn you?"

She shook her head.

"The Cavrilhu," he said, "have come to Pakunni." Another explosion, and the floor shook. "These are the people you're working for," he said.

She seemed genuinely surprised. He felt sorry for her.

A louder explosion, frighteningly close. Then the whole front of the restaurant seemed to light up, and the noise hit them like an invisible hammer, as every window in the building shattered...