Raith Sienar sat at his desk, surrounded by holographic blueprints of a new warship, when Asha entered his office. The blue-skinned Twi'lek moved fluidly, showing her grace in every step and involuntarily drawing the man's gaze.
She stretched her arms, adjusting the lekku that hung along her face and fell onto her shoulders.
Having gotten rid of dozens of flamboyant decorations, without those vulgar rings, chains, and bracelets—her true beauty was revealed, which often threw the man off his thoughts.
Since the day he decided to keep the senator's "gift" for himself, his life had been constantly throwing him new curveballs... though, to be more precise, Asha was throwing them herself.
The clothes she wore now were simple but refined, making her look much more attractive than that provocative garbage she had appeared in his life with.
A fitted shirt, leather pants—popular among the inhabitants of her home planet—and a small choker-band with a pendant around her neck, which hid the scar from an implanted slave chip.
The next day, when he found out about it, the man gave his word to himself and the girl—to get rid of the chip. Barbaric and savage—it's simply madness that such a thing exists in the Republic. Even if Asha isn't human, it doesn't mean she should be chipped like a dog...
"It seems we're having software trouble with the navigation again," Asha said, pointing to the screen where red warnings flashed. Jarring him from his thoughts, the girl stepped closer, brushing his nose with the scent of flowers and the desert. A unique blend he felt only from her. Embarrassed by his own thoughts with a mix of slight disgust, Narro Sienar, immersed in his own musings, merely nodded, entirely absorbed in his reflections.
And then everything went wrong again. While troubleshooting, Asha accidentally brushed against the ship's touch interface, triggering a total shutdown of the control system. Involuntarily, she cried out:
"No, no, no!" She reached for the buttons, and instantly the entire building absorbed the sound of a system alarm. Narro Sienar watched in horror as the surrounding screens glowed with fiery orange backlights, and the trash robots in the corner suddenly raised a din and scurried about, making strange noises.
Gently pushing the girl aside, he began rapidly switching the flashing screens, already imagining the lecture he'd get from the old security officer who loved to corner people and preach to the youth.
With mounting anger, he turned to Asha as soon as everything calmed down, only to be met with a terrified, cowering gaze. The Twi'lek huddled in the corner, afraid to move. She was shaking all over, every breath interrupted by sobs that threatened to evolve into full-blown hysteria.
"I don't like women's tears..."
"It's alright. Just be more careful next time." Oh, he wanted to say so much more. Unaccustomed to such manipulations, the man felt a strange tingling in his temples, always finding himself at a crossroads... On one side was his father's upbringing, pride, and high status; on the other lurked kindness, understanding, and humanity. The latter won out most often, and so, with a tired exhale, Narro Sienar simply beckoned the girl with his hand. "Give me the report, I'll look at it later."
"I'm sorry..."
"It's nothing. I told you..."
With each passing day, more awkward moments became part of their routine life. She often forgot things, acted strangely, and constantly blushed—or more accurately, turned blue—whenever he tried to calm her by stroking her head and lekku. This bothered Narro Sienar immensely, and he had made a mental note dozens of times to research Twi'lek culture and anatomy, but an interesting commission took up all his time.
Asha would sometimes burst into his thoughts, asking unexpected questions.
Like, "What is the most delicious food you've ever eaten?"—after she noticed him frequently rubbing his chin while staring at the rather spicy and heavy dishes of Ryloth cuisine. Or, "If you could travel to any time, where would you go?"—with a sincere interest in her eyes that made him forget his heavy thoughts.
Simple and mundane questions, many of which he couldn't answer himself, causing him to freeze for long, agonizing minutes while his unusual assistant-secretary-maid waited patiently for a response.
Narro Sienar remembered how he once arrived with a new figurine for his youngest son, Raith Sienar, who remained far away in the Inner Colonies, the safe and beautiful worlds of the Core Ship.
Asha, curiously examining the tiny figure, asked what its story was. Sienar, like a boy, began telling her about the figurine modeled after an ancient warrior, but soon noticed with bated breath that Asha was watching him with genuine interest. At the moment she burst out laughing, describing how she'd like to try walking in armor, Narro Sienar felt his heart start to beat faster.
Disgust quickly faded into the background, and he began to feel sincere respect for the unfortunate girl with simple dreams, for the fact that she hadn't broken under her harsh fate.
With every moment of their proximity, the labyrinth of prejudice and pain in which he had lived since his wife's death began to dissolve. After the death of his dear Marianna, the beautiful girl who had given him four children, Narro Sienar had closed himself off. He hid from the world in his work, becoming a melancholic mad scientist who understood nothing but his own labor.
He had distanced himself from his children, even forgetting how old they were, and still bought figurines for his youngest son, even though the boy would soon be in his final year of school and accepted his father's gifts purely out of politeness...
Speaking of life, dreams, and regrets, they increasingly deepened their support for one another. Asha told him more than once how interesting it was to be near him, and with every phrase, she helped him forget his problems. He found himself thinking that her laughter brought light even to the darkest day, helping him see the world outside the window again, not just through a screen full of blueprints.
Days turned into weeks, and a whole month had flown by since the moment he radically changed his life. They began to communicate more often, sharing opinions, spending more time together, sometimes ignoring work and annoying colleagues...
And on one such sunny day, as they ate lunch together on the roof of the corporation's main building, near the cliffs descending to a churning lake, caught in another wave of emotion, he suddenly realized that he truly loved her.
A feeling of warmth spread inside him as he watched her smile, illuminating everything around her. Asha was not just a slave to him, but a person who had managed to melt his ice.
She hadn't broken; she had overcome the trials that fell to her lot and coped with the fear and horror that flared in her heart whenever her life of slavery was mentioned.
And so, continuing the conversation and reflecting, Narro Sienar—one of the wealthiest men in the Core Ship worlds, a man whose works are read in textbooks on thousands of planets—realized one simple thing.
Suddenly his voice broke, and looking at her with childlike bewilderment, he said: "I never thought I could love again."
Asha, not expecting this confession, simply froze and became embarrassed. In her eyes, fear and hope reflected simultaneously. Her blue cheeks darkened, and the girl began nervously fidgeting with her hands, looking away. Her breathing quickened, and she bit her lips in agitation.
For a moment, Narro Sienar was afraid to take a step. He remembered his late wife, the pain he had endured and brought to others after her death. How could this unexpected feeling now be a healing patch of Bacta, removing all unpleasant memories? But at the same time, he knew that his feelings for Asha were not a change, but a liberation. In that moment, as the days grew warmer and life gained light, Narro Sienar, realizing he had fallen in love, looked into her eyes and, involuntarily cursing all prejudices, let go of his shackles, realizing he was choosing love.
****
"What a sweet love story." Crossing my legs, I pretended not to notice the facepalm from the Shorty and the dissatisfied snort from Somnia. The giggling Miranda nearby faded into the background, for my crazy follower of the cult of Holy Liberty was quite the character. "Now, tell me, Nathak, how the hell are you and your independence fighters connected to all this?"
Hanging by his feet, the leader of the Shackle Breakers let out a long muffled groan into his gag. Bound hand and foot, his eyes bulged wildly, and his lekku jerked violently from side to side every time the man tried to convey something to us.
"Don't want to talk, eh? We'll fix that." Picking up a large book, a real tome like a Soviet encyclopedia, I swung it with all my might flat against the Twi'lek's thigh, eliciting a dissatisfied groan of pain. Naulo Shikra's eyes bulged; he was clearly swearing and writhing like a worm. "Come on... Speak, you damn Mohican!"
"What did he call him?" In the background, there was some more extraneous noise, but I steadfastly ignored it.
"You don't want to? Take that!"
Another blow with the tome to the thigh triggered a torrent of muffled insults. The Twi'lek was clearly promising me all the punishments of the world, and seeing how a reddening spot spread even through the red skin, I merely nodded with satisfaction.
"I'll try one last time. Will you talk?!"
"M-M-M-M-M!"
"He shook his head, Boss." Einz, sitting on a nearby chair, looked at Nathak with sympathy, but I wasn't to be moved by that puppy-dog look...
"Sam, enough already, he would have told everything anyway."
Placing a palm on my shoulder, Somnia looked up at me, giving me a light, warm smile.
"Fine. Take him down."
"Simp." No need to explain who that was, as the annoying giggling was included.
"What is wrong with you?! I would have told everything anyway! What was the point of all that?" Lunging at me like a Hawk-bat, Naulo Shikra winced painfully, clutching his leg and hissing. "Damn it, that hurts..."
"I can imagine what happened even without your duck tales." Sitting on a chair and folding my arms across my chest, I rolled my eyes. "You saw them together in some remote place and tried to save the slave. After which you beat up Narro Sienar, and now that he's called us, you've run out of your hideout with your tails between your legs and want to settle everything peacefully before I order Helldivers pods dropped on the planet to take back our Chief Engineer's girlfriend."
"HA! It wasn't like that!" Pointing a finger at me, Naulo Shikra sat on a chair brought by one of the brothers, then allowed a Bacta patch to be slapped on his leg. Miranda gave him water, and the second Zabrak gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Oh, that's better... Mirka, baby. Don't want to switch to the team of real anti-slavery fighters? I promise you..."
"No." Smirking, the girl turned sharply on her heels and, with a hip-swaying gait, stepped behind my back, where she began demonstratively chewing gum loudly, blowing bubbles and popping them.
"As always, an instant rejection." Clutching his heart, Nathak sat motionless for ten seconds, staring at the water bottle, before raising a serious gaze to me. "I give you my word, we had nothing to do with it. Narro Sienar found us himself and came to us himself."
"Explain yourself, old man. So far, this is all flimsy." Leaning forward, I reached out my hand, and the Shorty handed me a tablet displaying a wanted poster with Nathak's holophoto. "Wanted for attacking government officials... No, that's not it. Blah-blah-blah... Murder, robbery, looting... Falsifying the race and gender of honest citizens of the Galactic Republic?"
"Long story, I'll tell you sometime." Embarrassed, Nathak looked away from the group's chuckles.
"...Right, here it is. For the attack and kidnapping of Narro Sienar. Santhe Corporation has already put out a hefty reward for your head... Phew." Whistling, I showed the counter updating in real-time. "Three hundred thousand Credits, can you imagine?"
"Sam, believe me..."
"Nathak, I haven't heard anything worthwhile yet. I have no prejudice against you, but so far all the evidence is against you. Witness statements, camera footage, and even your signature kidnapping method..."
"We didn't do it. Sienar came to us himself, and I was no less surprised by his appearance than you were. Because a person of that level showing up in our little operation... It's a bit much." Grinning crookedly, Naulo Shikra scratched his cheek with his hand. "We're not Helldivers, making planetary governments piss themselves at the thought of dealing with us... Just runaway slaves."
"Don't pull the wool over my eyes. I know all about you and your little interest group. Where your branches are, how many of you there are, who helps you, and where you get your elusiveness." Hinting at connections with certain senatorial aides and other well-wishers who used Nathak's hands to fight rival slave owners. "So get to the point. Why did he come to you? What did he say?"
"Wanted to show off in front of his girlfriend."
"What?"
We apparently said it in unison, as a moment later we were looking at each other in surprise.
"Narro Sienar? The work fanatic? The rich fop from the Core? Decided to help slaves."
"When a beautiful lady captures your heart, aren't you ready to do anything for her?" With a pointed look at Miranda standing behind me, I heard the deafening pop of a burst gum bubble in response, after which the girl started anew. "Oh... No mercy for a soul in love..."
"Don't change the subject."
"Fine, fine. You're always the one deflecting anyway." Having the last word, the Twi'lek settled in more comfortably and began his story. "He came to us late at night..."
Arching my brows in confusion, Naulo Shikra spread his hands as if apologizing for such a meager answer.
"Even then it was becoming clear that things smelled like shit. Not only is finding us quite problematic, but Sienar hardly hid at all, just pulled a hood over his head..." Sinking into his memories, the Twi'lek winced when his hand accidentally brushed his leg with the patch. "And the fact that his shoes cost as much as our ship—this individual didn't think of that."
Staring somewhere into the corner, Nathak pursed his lips and spoke much more quietly, as if afraid to say it out loud.
"He arrived alone, without weapons or guards. A real madman whose brains were pushed out by tits... Although, ha-ha, I saw his girlfriend, I see why he got so stupid; those weapons of hers could knock the sense out of any man." The crooked smirk held no joy, only old memories and pain that the recollection stirred up. "He spoke confidently. Boldly..."
"Narro Sienar? He's a weirdo even more than our Shorty..."
"Hey!?" Waving off the Jawa who was ready to leap into battle, I returned Nathak to the story. "Are you sure it was him?"
"Of course. Everyone was talking about him and his lady, and their photos were all over the net, so I recognized him immediately." Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, the Twi'lek lit up, clearly not with us at that moment. "He said something about helping all Twi'leks, maybe even all slaves. About freedom and the power of Democracy. That the Galactic Republic would find out what's happening here and then... That he has the power, the means, and the influence... He was talking utter nonsense, the kind I expected to hear from you."
Pointing a finger at me, Nathak took a drag of the toxic stick.
"But you have a bunch of patrons behind you, a battle fleet, and an army of thugs whose ranks are filled faster than you can lose them." Raising his hands pacifyingly, Naulo Shikra smiled sincerely for the first time. "And I don't envy you at all."
"What happened next?"
Looking around, showing us the state of his "secret" base, Nathak smirked crookedly.
"Can't you see for yourself?"
Yes, there was plenty to see. Everything was covered in soot and bloodstains. There had clearly been a heavy fight here recently, but considering I met many familiar faces among the Shackle Breakers, they had managed to deal with the enemy.
"Don't overestimate us. They wanted Sienar, so they just left us to lick our wounds. Besides, it was some small Clan; now if Orn Free Taa had taken an interest in us... Then we'd all be dead for sure."
"And he won't?" I was hinting that the hideout was exposed and now there was no problem wiping out all the slave rescuers in one blow.
"Maybe... But in a couple of hours, we won't be here. Living light allows for such maneuvers."
"A small Clan, you say? Do you know the reasons?"
"Pff, any reason you like." Demonstratively counting on his fingers, Naulo Shikra leaned forward. "They were set to watch your engineer and got scared by his talk. They just happened to overhear his ramblings and took the chance. Some nobodies from the deep steppes want a ransom..."
"What does this mean for us? You know the local landscape better."
"Hard to say. In the first case, Orn Free Taa will contact you. If you can settle things with the Senator, they'll just give the idiot back and forget everything. The Senator himself won't want to mess with the Sienars, and any resident of the Outer Rim won't want to mess with the Helldivers."
Flicking away the cigarette, the Twi'lek took a gulp of water, wetting his throat parched from talking.
"In the second case, it's roughly the same, only you'll have the advantage in negotiations and Orn Free Taa will pay you off himself so you forget everything. If the fat bastard didn't organize it himself, he'll likely try to hush it up."
"And the last option?"
"Well, if you get him back in one piece rather than in parts, that'll be good. The savages from the wastes are pretty dim and don't really understand the global balance of power. They think the desert will protect them from everything."
"Shit..."
"Hey, those are just possible scenarios. The most likely ones, of course, but..."
"Fine. We'll handle it."
***
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