Intergalactic Relations

The transport reverted back to realspace without even so much as a shudder. I was quite impressed by the quality of the crew and their ability to handle such an old vessel. My name is Telyk Dhrar and I am one of a multitude of New Republic trade envoys trying to establish new trade opportunities with previously independent star systems. I had been sent on a mission to Yersinia Prime, a backwater planet on the outer rim, some way off of the main Corellian Trade Route, which was why I was not given the newest vessel in the diplomatic fleet. In fact I think this ship probably saw service during the Clone Wars some 40 years ago, which mad it much older than me. I looked out of the small view port of my cabin and saw a large planet tinged with green, but was dominated by what looked like arid zones. The Yersinians are reptilian and lived in large open building that were heated a constant temperature for most of the year. However, for three months out of their year (which is 4 months longer that Coruscant standard) the temperature is dropped and the vast majority of the population hibernates. If they don't hibernate they will irreparably disrupt their breeding cycle. Unfortunately, I had not discover this problem until it was too late and I was already on route, for the hibernation cycle had been in full swing for almost two months already. I did not know how I was going to achieve any decent results if I had no one to communicate with. Time would only tell.

Within three hours the transport vessel landed at the main cities spaceport. I gathered my belongings, which consisted of a large bag and a diplomatic case, and walked out of the stuffy environs of the spaceship and out into the humid temperature of Yersinia Prime's capital city Aqaf. If this was their cool season, space only new how hot it was during the rest of their year. I passed through their security and customs check points extremely quickly due to my New Republic credentials. I looked around and saw a diverse range of species in the facility, but not too many Yersinians. I looked around for my minder, whom I had been told was to meet me here. I continued to look around the facility as I slowly made my way through the throngs of visitors. Then I saw a Twi'lek female with blue skin that gleamed like iridescent Reki glimmer gems. She was holding up a digital message board that had my name written on it in basic.

I walked over to her and bowed my head slightly and said, "Dae wana wan'ga!!" the traditional greeting of the Twi'lek peoples who had originated from the planet Ryloth.

"Dae wana wai'go!!" she replied mimicking my bow. "Envoy Dhrar, I presume?" she said with a wave of her hand.

"I am he." I replied.

"Excellent. Trade Minister Taa'e will not be able to see you for another week as he is still in hibernation. Are you familiar with the local customs Mr Envoy?" she asked.

"I am familiar with most. Uhm, what name can I call you by?" I asked in return.

"Oh pardon my rudeness, it has been very hectic leading up to this years breeding cycle. All major businesses are closed and all trade stops for those two weeks. By the way you can call me Talia'attanga." Replied the Twi'lek. The Twi'leks added what humans would call their last names to their first, enabling quick recognition of their clan heritage, which is vital in Twi'lek society. In human terms her name was Talia Attanga.

"Thank you 'Cave of Gems'." I said, giving her the meaning of her name. I would continue to use her proper name out of respect for her position. "I fully appreciate you assisting me in translation and minding duties, I am sure you will carry them out with utmost efficiency." I said tweaking her ego a little, Twi'leks like that, a lot. As we got into a special Yersinian government hovercar I asked her where we were going next.

"Your command of Twi'lek culture is extensive Mr Envoy.We are going to my residence, as all the major hotels suitable for a person of your stature are booked out by the tourists, and I live in the only building purpose built for non-Yersinians who are permanent residents of Aqaf. You will be comfortable there." She replied.

Satisfied with the answer I stared blankly out the window of the hovercar. You could tell a lot about a species from their architecture. From what I saw the Yersinians seemed to believe in the KISS principle, Keep It Simple Stupid, as all of their building were made from rock and sandstone. There was not a single slab of duracrete, or a beam of durasteel any where in sight it was almost as if they shunned more modern and technologically up to date building methods and materials. The cost in finances and manpower must have been enormous. After twisting and turning our way down a confusing maze of streets and thoroughfares we arrived at a small building made entirely out of sand stone. The Yersinians must not have held their alien assistants high in their society, for this place looked like a dump.

I got out after Talia'attanga and went to retrieve my bags when two small hands appeared out of nowhere and grabbed them. I looked up to see a young human dressed in a white suit disappearing into the building. "Come Mr Dhrar." She said with a wave of her arm. So I followed her into the decrepit looking building. It could have not been more wrong about the quality of the building. Inside it was luxuriously opulent. The walls and floor were made from crushed opal, with magnificent marble pillars stretching from the floor to the ridiculously high ceiling spread out along the perimeter of the expansive lobby. I saw a variety of humanoid species present and they paid me no attention to Talia'attanga or me as she followed the bellboy to the maglift.

We stepped into the maglift and the boy pressed a button on the touch pad near the door. Down we went until we reached the 15th floor down. Talia'attanga informed me that the most influential lived further underground where it was cooler. I was impressed, both by the social structure of the Yersinians and the apparent status of my minder. I wonder if she realised that I was only a minor player in the scheme of things within the New Republic government.

The door hissed open and we stepped into a beautifully decorated studio apartment. "Thank you that will be all Yanus." She said to the boy as she took out a small coin and flipped it to him. The boy eagerly caught it in mid air with a swoop of his hand and then he was off back into the maglift to see what his next job was to be. She turned to me and said, "Follow me." So I picked up my two items of luggage and followed her up a flight of ivory white stairs. We emerged out onto a mezzanine deck. In the corner were a double bed, and an assortment of vanity cabinets. On the other side of the room overlooking the main living area were a pair of conformal chairs and a small table. Talia'Attanga walked over to a control panel and touched the screen, a door hissed open next to her. "Your ablution area is through here." She said.

"Thank you Talia'attanga for your hospitality in allowing me to dwell in your domicile." I said in my most polite politicalese.

"The honour is mine Mr Envoy. And you may call me Talia any where except when we are engaged in trade negotiations with Trade Minister Taa'e." she said in her own polite manner. "If you do not mind I have had a long day already and want to freshen up before we dine at the restaurant tonight."

"It is your abode Talia, do as you would if I were not here." I replied. Talia bowed slightly, which I mimicked, and headed back down the stairs.

I decided that I would review some of the cultural aspects of the Yersinians, so that I could avoid any embarrassing events during my stay here. I also jotted down some of the things I had already seen that were of value, such as the ability of the Yersinians to keep things hidden and the value of pretence in their culture. All these things would assist me in my negotiations with the Trade Minister some time in the near future.

I had been reading for some time when I heard the running water of a refresher unit. Water. In a semi-arid environment like Yersinia Prime water was more valuable that a fleet of star destroyers. It meant life or death. And to use it so frivolously meant that Talia had an extremely high standing in the political circles of Yersinia Prime. After many minutes I heard the flow of water stop. Talia had finished. I heard the door to her quarters hiss open, so I looked down through the opaque plasti-steel barrier and into the open living space below. Talia stepped out into the room clad in only a small white towel around her waist. From my lofty perch the view of her voluptuous cleavage was astounding. Her breasts were enormous, it would have taken two of my hands to cover them completely and they were tipped by large pointy purple nipples. I had no idea how she had hidden them under the dress she was wearing previously. Now her blue skin sparkled under the light, as it was still damp from the refresher unit and her body was lithe. It was a glorious sight, but then I had always had a thing for Twi'lek girls. Except most of the one's I had seen were dancers in the cantinas and caf-lounges that I visited on my many previous diplomatic missions around the galaxy. Most of the Twi'leks I had come into contact with had been males. She soon disappeared out of view, only to reappear soon after carrying a shimmering silver dress in her arms. She re-entered her quarters and the door hissed shut behind her.

I returned to my work and soon forgot where I was, as I was focussing hard on reading the reports and analysing any cultural patterns of behaviour I could use in my negotiations. I did not even hear Talia walk up the stairs. "Ah hem. Mr Envoy are you ready?" she asked. The sound of her voice startled me.

"Oh, yes of course." I said standing up. "And if I am allowed to call you Talia you may call me Telyk when we are acting outside of our official duties." I added.

"As you wish Telyk. If you will follow me." She said before informing me that, "We are going to a special non-Yersinian only restaurant and they have a fabulous menu from all corners of the galaxy."

"Sounds good to me." I said in reply. We entered the maglift and travelled up ten stories then exited. Down a brightly lit corridor, whose walls were covered in exquisite murals of galactic scenery, we walked until we reached two large crystalline doors that swung open as we neared. A maître d' stepped from behind his bench and showed us to our table. The restaurant was only half full and we were given a small table away from the main crowd, over in a corner. I waited for Talia to be seated before I took my seat. Next to us was a large aquarium that housed a mixture of Mon Calamari rainbow eels, Corellian triggerfish and Knarian mud crabs. Almost immediately a waitress appeared, she was a Devonian and handed us a menu pad. I scrolled through the screens of the various dishes on offer.

"May I make a suggestion Telyk?" asked Talia.

"Go ahead." I answered.

"If I may, would you allow me to choose your meal tonight?" she asked of me.

"I would be honoured if you chose to do so." I said back to her.

"Excellent." She replied. Turning her attention to the waitress Talia began to order our food for the evening. "We will both have an entrée of Udjuk mussels on a bed of shredded kelp, for our main dish we would like a serving of Akluitok each, with a side order of Taku salad. For desert we will have Bantha milk cheese cake topped by Eisenberg Forest fruits."

"And what would you like to drink?" asked the waitress.

"If I may?" I asked of Talia.

She responded by saying, "You may."

"We will each have a glass of Corellian Rum and a bottle of water." I had chosen the rum for its sweet taste and the sooting effects of the alcohol and the water to show that I understood it to be a symbol of wealth and status. Talia's nod of approval showed that I had chosen correctly.

"Very well. Your meals will be ready in half an hour." Said the waitress before she took the menu pads away from us and walked away to serve the next group of diners.

Talia and I sat there for a few moments admiring the movements of the elegant marine creatures in the tank beside us before our drinks arrived. A single squat glass of rum was placed in front of both of us, and then a large ornate bottle of cold water was added to the table along with two empty glasses. I picked up my glass of rum and hoisted it into the air and said "Sa'artoki Na'ula!!" a Twi'lek toast.

"Sa'artoki Na'ula Brava!!" replied Talia as she hoisted her glass. I took a sip from mine as she asked, "Where did you learn Twi'lek customs so well?"

"From a Twi'lek" I said somewhat flippantly. " In all seriousness, I served as an aide to Senator Malik'alartoku many years ago." Talia laughed quietly upon hearing this. "What is so funny?" I asked.

"He is my Uncle on my mother's side." She replied.

"It is a small galaxy indeed, is it not?" I said.

"It seems so Telyk. It seems so." She said. "I would like to know what drove you into the diplomatic service?" She asked.

"Well Talia I grew up as a farmer's son on Corellia. The galaxy to me was full of adventure. So I joined the Imperial Service. But I soon lost my appetite for killing when I saw an Imperial Star Destroyer liquidate an entire space station full of refugees. It was then that I decided to try and make a difference in the galaxy, a positive influence if you will. So I joined the rebellion. I was used to garner support from those systems that were interested in fighting against the Imperial regime. In the end I served as an aide to Admiral Ahkbar himself, which led from one things to another and her I am." I told her.

"No family, children, mate?" inquired Talia.

"No unfortunately working in secret is not a good platform for building a lasting relationship, so I haven't ever married or had children. I had a few short relationships along the way, but nothing serious. As for my parents they both died a few years ago and because I am an only child I am alone in this here galaxy." I responded with.

"That is unfortunate indeed, that you have not felt the warmth of a female for some time. I too have not found a suitable mate because of my vocation." She said.

"How have you come to work on Yersinia Prime?" I asked.

"My Parents moved here before the clone wars, my father was the Security Chief for the President's personal body guards. I was born here and have lived here my whole life. And like you my duties to the Planetary Administration have not been conducive to mate bonding." She said somewhat forlornly. The arrival of our food allowed her to divert the attention away from her. It worked because it smelt very good.

Over the next hour we ate the three-course meal and discussed the cultural practises of the Yersinians and how they may affect any trade agreements we may come to in the near future. We then returned to Talia's apartment.

I had planned to go to bed quickly as I was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol combined with the long day I'd had. But Talia dropped a bombshell on me as soon as we walked out of the maglift and into her residence. "Telyk would you mind if I performed a traditional Twi'lek dance for you? I have not met someone who has such a command of our language and culture as you in a very long time and I have not been able to perform my clan dance since the death of my parents many years ago." She asked me.

I was stunned. The clan dances were sacred and shown only to their closest confidants and relatives. " I am most honoured and fortunate to have you offer to dance for me Talia'Attanga. I graciously accept." I was not going to miss this for all the women in the galaxy.

"Wonderful. It will take me some time to get ready so make yourself comfortable." She said before disappearing into her room.

I went to my quarters and changed into clothes that I would wear around my own home on Coruscant and returned to sit on the reclining couch in her living space. I sat there reading a current affairs digi-mag for a while when the lighting suddenly dimmed somewhat and the soft, sultry tones of traditional Twi'lek music filtered through the air. Talia walked out of her room with a grace she had not previously exhibited. She was dressed in her clan's traditional costume, which consisted of a single dress. The dress was made out of a light material and was see-through with the right lighting conditions. The aqua blue colour complemented her complexion. The dress itself was of a simple design, with two straps running from the front of the dress, over her shoulders, crossing over each other in the back and blending into the rear flap. The bottom section was really made up of two separate flaps rather than a single piece with two slits down the sides. Either way it showed off a good proportion of her long legs, and did not cover up much of her firm looking buttocks. As with all Twi'leks they adorn their brain-tails (lekku) with personal designs. Talia's were an intricate pattern of Twi'lek runes and religious symbols. She wore no leather braids like many Twi'lek females. The Lekku are particularly sensitive organs and to have them so extensively tattooed would have meant enduring hours of excruciating pain. The Lekku are also semi-prehensile, which allows the individual Twi'lek to use them in sending hidden messages between each other. I did not have the experience to be able to read Talia's head-tail movements. The Twi'lek even have names for their head-tails, they are 'tchin' and 'tchun' when referring to them singularly, or 'tchun-tchin' when discussing them as a pair.

She took her place in the middle of the open space and got into a very elegant position and froze there. The music's tempo changed and she began to move her lithe body in intricate spins, twirls and leaps. Her lekku flew in a multitude of directions, but they seemed always to be in controlled motion. Her exquisite breasts bounced around free on her chest, as she moved with a flurry of motion that sent the flaps of her dress flying into the air, revealing what was hidden beneath, her womanhood and her well defined rear. The mound of her womanhood was smooth as the marble floor she was dancing on. Then as soon as the glorious sight had appeared it vanished as she swung her legs around it a high kicking leap. The gyrations of her hips was mesmerising as I struggled to keep up with the frantic pace of her movements. Then the tempo of the music changed to a slower, more forlorn one and Talia altered her movements to correspond with those changes. For many more minutes I sat there enthralled at the beauty of this female and the elegance of her dance. Then the music stopped and she froze in position on the floor.

I stood up clapping. It was a performance worthy of a king and she had put it on just for me, I felt very honoured indeed.

"It is good to see that all of you enjoyed the dance." Said Talia, who did not seem out of breath, despite the physicality of her dance.

Then I saw her pointing to my pants and I looked down. Oh my stars!! I had an erection and it was causing my pants to bulge out. I was extremely embarrassed and my reddening face showed it plainly.

"It is alright Telyk it is probably the effects of the Udjuk mussels, they are said to have aphrodisiac qualities about them. That and the dance was meant to be a sensuous one." She said trying to brush aside my reaction. "In fact I know of only one way to remedy that sort of reaction." She added.

I stood there frozen not knowing what to do or what she meant by her remarks. It was then that I felt my pants fall to the ground, as well as my undergarment. Talia was still standing five paces away, so she couldn't have used her hands. However, I had seen her hand move. Then it dawned on me. She could use the Force. "You know the ways of the Force?" I asked forgetting that I was naked from the waist down and that my erection was not subsiding.