Brina Thalin

The peace summit wrapped up faster than Brina had expected. It seemed that the galaxy leaders truly were ready for peace. She had kept an eye on the proceedings but there was no violence, even when Faust stormed out. She shook her head in amazement. Well, this will be interesting for business, she thought. The good thing about war is that it makes the rich want to spend money on entertainment. The good thing about peace is that everyone wants to spend money on entertainment. She actually thought the new resort would benefit greatly in this new galactic government situation and the economic policies that would go with it. Perhaps their security line might fall in profit a little, but then, one could never tell what the market would demand. It was the Link's goal to be ready to meet that demand when it came. She rose and stretched. She would eventually return to the Casino, but for now, she was eager to finish her tour of the new resort. She left the security room, passing on some compliments to the staff on jobs well done as she did so. As she wandered leisurely through the station, passing an open air lounge where a band was playing an old song. Alderaan angel, won't you be mine? She smiled. The band was good. She remembered a time--the only time she had ever convinced Kat to dance with her--that that song had played. It brought back some good memories. Her smile turned wistful, but she passed on with no ill humor. She had made peace with her memories of him, and had decided that it was finally time to move on. The Link businesswoman continued on through the station.

The employee motions and leads the entire group to a large conference room. In contrast to the rest of the resort, this room is positively plain, dominated by a large polished wood table that the art lovers in the room would recognize as famous Alderaanian wood. A rich rug covered the floor, and each chair around the large round table was cushioned for long negotiations. The room was dominated by a sweeping view of the planet below, and the opposite wall doubled as a holo projector. In the center of the table were refreshments, and there were complimentary datapads at each seat if the delegates wished to take notes. The employee stepped back and stood quietly in the corner, there if anyone needed anything.

Brina nodded, accepting the weapons. "I swear that I will," she said. She then motioned him through the entry arch that led to Alpha Wing. Once he was through, she turned to the four children. "Come with me," she said. She took them into the turbolift and went immediately to medical, where they were scanned to make sure they were completely clean and any wounds or abrasions they might have treated. They were clearly malnourished and had been through hell and back, but she knew the medical staff would take good care of them. Once she made sure they were comfortable, she headed down to the main security control station for Alpha Wing. Once there, she settled down, Faust's weapons still on her person; she was there to be another pair of eyes to make sure everything went smoothly, on hand personally in case anything went awry during the negotiations.

The red-headed co-owner of the Link stepped out of a nearby turbolift in time to hear Faust's response. "I'm sorry you refuse to surrender your weapons," Brina said, taking over for the guard. "I'm Director Thalin. Onboard all of our stations, the Link has a strict no-weapons policy. I'm sorry, but if you refuse, you will have to leave." She paused. "In this situation, I would be satisfied with you surrendering your disruptor, lightsaber, and sword. You would still have access to your cybernetics, naturally, and for a bounty hunter and Sith Master of your caliber, I'm sure that you could still adequately defend yourself if you're afraid of treachery by the Jedi, Republic, or Empire. "I don't know of what value your word is, unfortunately, so I'm not inclined to trust that," she added, speaking bluntly. "You are welcome at this peace summit--as far as I've been informed, everyone is welcome--but you must comply with station rules just like everyone else. If you continue to resist, we may be able to set up a holo connection between your ship and the conference, and you may participate that way. But we don't bend our rules for anyone." She hoped he'd be reasonable. "As for your...slaves...they also are required to be checked into our security and left outside Alpha Wing or returned to your ship, as you have admitted yourself that they are rigged with explosives." The former smuggler raised an eyebrow. "If you truly want to participate in this conference, then you'll need to trust the other representatives at least a little." But we'll be watching your every move...Your reputation is not one that allows me to freely trust you on our brand-new station...

"I am proud, Zar. It looks exactly like I imagined it to," Brina replied. The station manager was hanging around, busy on the comms, and Brina felt bad for him. "I'm going to give him a hand," she told Zara. "Why don't I meet up with you guys in Delta Wing? There is supposed to be a water park there that I'm sure Melanie and Kalyani will love." She gave Zara a brief hug, then walked off with the station manager. When the Imperial delegation arrived, they were granted landing in the same hanger as the Republic delegation. Captain Raven, Admiral Reilly, and Emperor Deton were all escorted to Alpha Wing with no issues, save for one stormtrooper who refused to surrender his blaster. Everything was going smoothly, and then the station manager's face went white. "M...Ms. Thalin? It's Faust...he's landing, whether we give him clearance or not." Brina caught her breath. "Alright...we need a security team watching his ship--make sure he's in a separate hanger from the others. I've heard his ship has an AI onboard that makes it as deadly a weapon as anything. Put that hanger in lockdown--no one enters or leaves without permission from me. As for Faust..." She took a deep breath. She had never met the famed hunter--thankfully--but the entire galaxy knew of his atrocities. "We already have max security in Alpha Wing, but make sure there are people manning the internal defense command center in the core. I want his every move watched." She keyed her datapad into the security cameras and watched as Faust and his...child slaves?...entered the station proper. Her blood ran cold, but she struggled to maintain a cool professionalism. A brave security guard, accompanied by one of the Link's new Lyger-class security droids, approached him. "Sir, in accordance with Link policies, you are required to surrender all items that can be considered weapons and pass through the scanners," the man told him, only the tiniest waver of fear in his voice, doing his best to be respectful. Brina had a fleeting thought that if they all survived this--if Faust really was here to be part of the negotiations--that security guard deserved a huge raise. The rest of the guards in the area, already on alert for possibly violence between the New Republic and Imperial soldiers, grew more alert, if it was at all possible. Everyone knew Faust was unpredictable and violent. There was a collective feeling of held breaths as they waited to see how the hunter would respond.

Both the Jedi Grandmaster and the small delegation from the New Republic were granted clearance to land and directed to Alpha Wing, the branching arm of the pristine space station where the peace delegation would be held. Once they reached the wing, they were required to check in their weapons with the security for that particular area of the station. After this was done, a member of the staff approached them, assigned them rooms in the wing, and escorted them to the lavish rooms, letting the guests know that if they needed anything at all, the staff was on call at all hours. In the guest suites were everything from maps of the wing and station as a whole, highlighting places to eat and major attractions, as well as the location of the various conference and observation centers in Alpha Wing. *** The station manager put a hand to his ear. "Actually, Ms. Thalin, Ms. Nargal, the first guests have just arrived. I've been notified that the Jedi Grandmaster and a delegation from the New Republic have arrived and been escorted to Alpha Wing." Brina nodded. "Alright, thank you. I want an extra detail of security for that wing during this conference. You never know if something may go wrong, and we don't want to be in a bad situation."

The Crazy Mynock exited hyperspace in the Adumar system, but the ship's destination was the not the populated planet, but rather the brand new Link space station in orbit around one of the gas giants in the system. As they approached the lavish resort, Brina commed station control and requested berth. "Welcome Ms. Thalin. Proceed to Bay A1." The hanger was a small personal one set aside for her and Zara's particular use. Brina set her ship down without even scratching a hair on the shiny new deck plating, and was down the ramp a moment later. "C'mon," she said, grabbing Melanie's hand as all four strode into the main section. It was everything Brina had imagined when she came up with the idea. The resort was lavish. Thick carpets cushioned their feet, elegant works of art adorned lit up niches in the walls of the wide hallways, and larger areas were accented with waterfalls, graceful fountains, or small groves of exotic plants. Dark Alderaanian wood complimented lighter Chandrilan stone in the arching and flowing design of the bulkheads, and indeed, Brina barely remembered she was on a space station. There were large curved viewports scattered generously throughout the facility, made of the clearest transparisteel and revealed the breathtaking swirls of colored gas that made up the planet below. Everything about the resort whispered extreme luxury and relaxation, even the large rippling pools for swimming and the massage parlors for relaxation. There was a small casino in every wing, but Brina had not wanted there to be too much of a focus on gambling; that was what the Golden Link was for. The purpose here was to be a fabulous place for the more upper class of the galaxy, and Brina was extremely pleased with the results. The station manager approached them, and Brina praised him for the flawless job of making her vision for the station reality. "Thank you, Ms. Thalin," the man said. "I'm glad to see it finally opening. We've been sending out notifications of our grand opening, and I have good news. We've received notice from a captain in the New Republic that they want to rent out Alpha Wing for the ratification of their peace treaty. So we'll have our first business right away." It was indeed good news. Brina thanked him, and after he left, turned to Zara, her green eyes sparkling. "So what do you think?"

"We can go as soon as we're ready," Brina said, rising. "Everything is ready there. Let's go give it a grand opening. We can take the Mynock. I'll meet you guys in the hanger." She locked down her computer and made her way to her room. Grabbing a few necessities, including some more formal wear for the actual small ceremony that she knew was going to take place, she threw them all into her small traveling bag that she used for short trips. That done, she made the necessary notifications to the staff informing them of her and Zara's departure and destination before heading to the hanger. She arrived before Zara and the girls, and spent the time warming up her beloved ship. It had been too long since she had been behind the controls, and she couldn't help stroking them fondly. Soon the others arrived, and once the girls had settled in the main cabin and Zara had joined her in the cockpit, the Crazy Mynock lifted from it's berth and was in hyperspace a moment later.

Brina smiled at Zara as her partner entered. "Everything is great. I just reviewed a report that the resort is in it's final stages of completion now. In fact, it should be done by the end of the week." Her smile widened into a grin. "In fact, I was thinking we should take a little trip out there to officially open it up. And...it still needs a name. I was thinking the Kat Nargal Memorial Resort." Her eyes met her friends'. "What do you think?"

The next few days went really well for Brina. She was feeling infinitely better, and took the time to catch up on all that she had missed being sick. The Casino was doing very well, and Brina knew the time had come to check up on her new pet project station. As she sat at her desk on afternoon, she pulled up the blueprints: Its center is a two-kilometer-wide disc, 300 meters deep. The center contains hotels, shops, and gardens. From the disc are quarter-kilometer-long spokes, each which end in luxury pods that are 40 meters thick and 250 meters across. Six are disc-shaped and six are triangular, with the variants alternating. The six that are triangular are Force-neutral zones, lined with ysalamiri. Each pod can be self-sustaining if need be, able to be completely shut off and detached from the main hub in case of an emergency. Each pod has two turbolaser batteries mounted on it for defense. The station itself is extremely luxurious, with the main idea being that it's for the wealthy to have lavish celebrations and private vacations. The cheapest sections available have a daily rent that is the same as the yearly earning of a middle-class family. It is protected by Link security and ThorpeCorp security Lyger-class droids. The most recent reports on the project said that it was almost done. Brina was excited to see her dream finally in person; she made plans to visit it as soon as she received the word that it was finished. She was even toying with a name for the station--the Kat Nargal Memorial Resort. She smiled. Zara, she thought, would approve.

Brina grinned. "Definitely. You know those ideas I've had for a new upscale hotel/conference center?" She was sure she had mentioned the idea to Zara before. She tapped a datapad by the side of her bed. "Being sick gives you plenty of time to get the logistics and plans for something like that worked out." She really did have high hopes for this new place. From the way she envisioned it, it would be perfect and fill a definite hole in the market. Lucrative and profitable as well as entertaining sounded like the best of all worlds to her. "But actually, before I get back to work, what I really need is a shower and to get out of this hospital bed." She slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed, then rose to her feet, waving off the protestations of the med droid on duty. "Zar, will you help me?"

When she woke, everything was better. She could tell instantly. She felt better than she had felt in...a long, long time. It was funny; she hadn't realized how long the disease had been sapping her energy and wearing her down. She had only noticed it when it had progressed to actual pain. But now that it was gone...she felt light and free and full of new energy. Opening her eyes, Brina saw her family gathered around her. A big smile grew on her face. "Hey guys!" she greeted them. "It's so good to see you all!" She reached up and gave Melanie a hug, then rotated to Kalyani, and finally Zara. "Wait a minute, let me sit up." She adjusted the hospital bed so that she was in a seated position. "There! I feel like a new woman. That Jedi...she did amazing work." She fell silent, but it didn't last. She was brimming with new happiness. "Oh, it's so good to see you all again!"

((OOC: Hope you're alright, Chris!)) It was a weird out-of-body experience, but the phantoms of those dearest to her comforted her as the procedure was taking place. The drugs, which were probably helping the phantoms to be there in the first place, were also keeping the pain to a minimum. In fact, Brina felt better than she had in a while, despite the odd sensation of seeing her body beneath her on the operating bed. "I feel weird that it's the Force that's healing me," she told phantom-Kat in a low voice. "I never even used to believe it existed." "We all have to change and grow every now and then," he replied, drawing a long breath on his cigar. She laughed. "I never thought I'd hear you say something like that." "Uncle Kat's right, though, Aunt Brina," Melanie chimed in. "The Force is real; I can feel it inside me at every moment." She laid a hand on her goddaughter's shoulder. "Yeah, I know, hun. If hanging around you guys and your mother has taught me anything, it's to not underestimate the Force or doubt it's existance. But you have to understand that for so much of my life, I've mistrusted and thought little of the Force...and those that use it. And even when I met your mother, she was an exception." She looked down and examined the Jedi Healer and her friend. "But maybe I was wrong. I've met many decent Force-users; I have no reason to mistrust them just because they're..." "Different from you?" Kat asked. Brina nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's the gist of it." He put an arm around her. "Well, well, well. A lesson and a healing. These Jedi are good." Brina smiled. Together, the family--adopted members included--waited and watched as the operation ended and Skye sat back, drained. Brina took a deep breath and let it out. "I guess this means I'll be leaving you." Sadness overcame her. In a way, she preferred this life over the one she was going back to, even if it was all a figment of her drug-altered imagination. She patted Melanie on the hand and gave Kane and Kalyani brief hugs. She did the same to Zara. "I'll see you all in a few minutes. Kane, take care of yourself, wherever you are." The spectres faded until Brina was left alone with Kat. She looked at him, then threw herself into his arms. "I need to get over you," she whispered. "It's been years since you left us. So why do I still think of you? Why can't I find someone else?" She drew back. "I guess I really did love you after all, Kat. I'm sorry I didn't realize it until it was too late for us. I'm going to try to move on, but...I don't think I'll ever stop loving you." There. She had said it. Already his image was fading, but he leaned over and kissed her one last time, a light airy kiss that half felt like nothing at all. Then everything else went blurry too, and Brina slowly closed her eyes. *** Brina opened her eyes. The woman Darla was caring for a recuperating Master Organa over to the side. The red-head took a deep breath, and slowly smiled as she felt no pain. "Thank you...both of you," she whispered. A moment later, she slipped into a deep, natural sleep, the one thing her body now most desperately needed.

Skye's words didn't really help; they simply puzzled Brina. But she had chosen to allow the Healer to try, and at this point, she knew it was this or nothing. Dr. Ran could do nothing more for her--this was it. She heard Skye and the other woman, Darla, begin to work. The IV in her arm soon made everything go fuzzy. It had to be a strong sedative, for little else had been able to completely free her from the pain. It felt like she was free, floating above the room and looking down on it. But she wasn't alone. Both Nargal siblings were there with her. Zara was smiling encouragingly as she held the hands of her children. And Kat came up to her and planted one of those big kisses she remembered on her lips. It was so vivid, she felt she could even smell the combination of cigarettes and alcohol that had always clung to him. Together, all of them hovered, watching the Jedi doctors work on Brina's body. They could hear everything being said, and Brina knew that if she spoke aloud, the Jedi would hear her, but it was a very strange perspective.

The Jedi was not what Brina was expecting. She had auburn hair and intense blue eyes, and was younger than Brina had thought she'd be. For some reason, she had in her mind that the Healer would be an old woman, wrinkled and patronizing. But Master Organa seemed to radiate a glow, a calm presence. Brina couldn't imagine the woman ever being in a fight, although she knew that was part of the mystique of the Jedi--peaceful meditators one moment, deadly warriors the next. The other woman, Darla, was more interesting. She had nothing of the calm presence that Organa had, and her dark hair and green eyes gave her a more serious countenance. Brina was struck by how beautiful she was. Definitely in a different league than I am, was her thought. Master Organa seemed eager to start. Brina shrugged. "Whenever you're ready, I suppose." She was nervous, but as was typical for her, she hid it behind nonchalance. "What exactly will this...procedure...entail?" Part of her wished Zara was here, but the larger part of her was glad her friend was off working. She hated to think that her partner was worrying about her. "Do you have any idea what is wrong? Dr. Ran thought he had it figured out, but now he's not so sure. He was certain they had eliminated this already." Pain took hold of her again, and the last words were between gasps for breath. It was getting worse, and the episodes more frequent. If Skye couldn't help her...No, don't think it, Bri, she told herself firmly. You'll be fine. You've beaten this before. But despite her firm words to herself, in her gut, she knew better.

Brina set down her datapad and rubbed her head. It was getting harder and harder to keep up with her work. The pain drained her of energy. It was like she was a leaky bucket--she'd try to save her energy, but it'd simply drain out of her. She tried to force herself to focus on the data. It was plans for the new resort she had been inspired to build. Money was good and the plans seemed sound, but Brina wanted to be hands-on as much as possible to really invest in this new station. She wasn't about to let her sickness prevent her from getting her work done. But she had to face the facts. She was getting worse every day. Every day it was harder just to concentrate, much less get any real planning done. The day-to-day business of running the Casino had fallen on Zara's shoulders completely, and Brina knew it was too much for one woman to do. Zara never complained, but Brina could see the strain the stress was taking on her partner. The worst part, at least in Brina's mind, wasn't the pain or the lack of energy, but the frustration and desperation. There were so many things that she wished she had done differently in her life. She had made the best of the cards dealt to her, but she had also squandered so much. What ifs and if only's intruded on her thoughts no matter how much she tried to push them away. The small candle of hope that the Jedi healer's promise had kindled was faded but still resilient. It wasn't in Brina's character to give up. She was a fighter. And even though she knew without a doubt that she was facing a battle she couldn't win on her own, she clung to the idea that the Jedi could give her the weapons she needed to fight back. She shuddered violently as the pain flooded her again, and launched into a coughing fit. When she regained control, she picked up her datapad again. There was work that still needed to be done. She couldn't rest now.

At the nurse's questioning look, Brina nodded, and the nurse added some painkillers to the IV that was keeping her hydrated. The red-head nodded her thanks. She didn't like being on painkillers; they made her less alert, and some of the worse ones gave her hallucinations. But because of her past battles, she knew when the pain was building up rather than settling down, and now was one of those times. "Sorry, Zar. I don't mean to keep you. I'm sure you're exhausted. And you should have been in bed hours ago, 'Yani." Brina's tone was apologetic, but clearly she didn't want the two of them standing around pitying her. There was nothing they could do, and pity was the last thing she wanted. "A good night's sleep will do us all good. Tomorrow is another busy day. I'm going to want to discuss some new plans I've been working on for the new station we talked about, Zara. I think it will be great for business; I'm actually really excited about it." She smiled, a genuine smile that held no hint of pain, for as the painkillers dulled the worst of it, she was able to keep the remaining pain from showing. "Oh, before you go, did the Jedi say where we were to meet her? We can go to some Jedi base if she wants. She doesn't have to come here."

When the comm came in, it was as good of news as Brina could hope for. She told Dr. Ran to forward her file to the Jedi, then clasped Zara's hand. "Thank you." They both knew that this Jedi was quite possibly her only chance of making a full recovery. Brina didn't like that. She didn't like that the mysterious Force was the only thing that could help her now. But she had grown used to Force-users a bit. She still didn't have much contact with them--besides Zara, that is. But she didn't really consider Zara to be a Force-user. Possibly because she was never really trained. She knew that Draken and Sabian had both offered Zara training, and that she had spent some time with her sisters on Dathomir, but the Force didn't seem like it was part of her friend's everyday life, so that made it different. As she leaned back, she realized that she was fairly certain she hadn't come across a real Force user since Sabian, as long as one didn't include Mr. Vortex. And for some reason, he was exempt too. The thought intruiged Brina, but she assumed it was simply because he was first and foremost a businessman now, not a Jedi. Pain wracked her, and she closed her eyes and grimaced as she tried to fight it off. She didn't want to go through this again, and if this Skye Organa was her only hope, then so be it.

The news about Idejjen was a shock. Brina hadn't even known he was sick, much less dying. She bit her lip. She'd miss their big head of security. He had been a loyal employee and a friend. She sat up and laid a hand on Zara's. "He led a good life. He will be missed." The red-head laid back again on the pillows. She was about to assure Zara that everything would be fine when her friend started and quickly shared her idea. Hope kindled in Brina. "Do you really think we could get her to come? I'm sure she's busy...that she has more important people to heal." But despite her doubtful words, she couldn't help hoping that they could get her to come. She knew that if anyone could heal her for good, it would be the Jedi healer. A small smile crossed her face. "What do we have to lose by asking, huh?"

Brina simply lay there as the droids moved methodically around her, drawing blood and tissue samples and hooking her up to an IV. She knew they knew what they were doing, but she always felt more comfortable with living doctors. So when Dr. Ran approached her, she met his eyes, waiting to hear what he had to say. "It's back." That was one thing Brina appreciated about him; he never minced words. "There were a few diseased cells that slipped through and started multiplying." Her heart sank. She had known what the prognosis would be, but she had hoped she was mistaken. "So can we start treatment again?" Dr. Ran nodded slowly. "Yes, but I have to warn you that the chances are slimmer this time. Since it came back, that means your body's resistances to the disease are down, and so you might not respond well to the treatment." She took the news unflinchingly. "I'd still like to try." He smiled gently. "I knew you'd say that. Alright, I'll get it all set up." As he left, she sighed. She had to resign herself to going through this again. But no sooner had he left than Zara and Kalyani burst in. Brina could tell Zara had been crying. She grew concerned immediately, and knew instinctively that if she heard more bad news, it would send her into a downward spiral. So she put a smile on her face, and although it wavered, was determined to keep it there. "It's nothing." But she couldn't lie to her oldest friend. "It's...it's the old disease back again. Apparently the last treatment missed something." She winced as a wave of pain swept through her, but when it passed, she doggedly pursued good spirits. "But don't worry about me. I've conquered it before, and I'm sure I'll do it again." She reached out and grasped Zara's hand. "Enough about me. What's wrong?"

For some reason, she couldn't sleep. Brina had retired an hour ago, but had lain tossing and turning. Finally, she gave up trying. Throwing an old jumpsuit on, she headed down to the hanger. The Mynock's power couplings had been sticking, and she figured she might as well be fixing them if she couldn't sleep. An hour later, she was covered in grease and coolant, but the couplings were replaced and she was feeling tired. She reached for her comlink, but realized that she had left it in her room. She shrugged. She was sure Zara wouldn't be trying to reach her at this time of night, and anything business related could wait until morning. She reached up and lifted herself out of the engine housing. As she did so, she gasped as pain ripped across her abdomen. She managed to pull herself onto the decking. She lay there, curled in a ball as the pain ravaged her. But as painful as it was, the majority of the pain came from fear. She knew this pain too well. The doctor said it was gone! I'm not supposed to be in pain anymore! She was terrified. Her disease couldn't, just couldn't be coming back. She had been in remission for so long... The pain finally lessened, and she lay there, panting for breath and coughing. Still shaking, she forced herself to get up. Holding her side, she made it to the lift and punched in the deck for the medical bay. She leaned back against the wall as the turbolift sped away, gritting her teeth to fight back the pain. When the doors opened, she stumbled into the med bay. The MD droids were there in a flash. "It's..." she gasped, "It's the old pain again...Where's Dr. Ran?" The droids immediately ordered her into one of the hospital beds. Dr. Ran was summoned, and the med droids began running tests. Brina could do nothing but lie there, pain racking her body, her mind full of terror that the disease that had taken away nearly a year of her life was back...

Chocolate cake and a holofilm later, and Zara hadn't returned. Brina had assumed business had called her partner away, so she focused on enjoying spending time with the two girls. Kalyani was almost a grown woman, and even Melanie seemed like she was growing up overnight. It made Brina a bit wistful; she had never had children, and some part of her wished that had been different. When she caught herself thinking that, she chuckled. You must be getting old, she told herself. When you were younger you would never have wanted kids. "Alright girls," she announced at the end of the holo, "time for bed." She walked the girls back to their apartment, and seeing that Zara wasn't present, helped them get ready for bed and settled down. She kissed them goodnight, then, leaving their tutor in charge, headed back to her own apartments. She cleaned up, then checked the messages that seemed to be accumulating at her desk. The first was from her secretary, informing her that there was a new applicant, a Mandalorian looking for bounty hunting work. Brina pursed her lips. She couldn't think of anything in particular for the bounty hunter to do at the moment, but it beared talking over with Zara. Perhaps Idejjen needed help with station security? She shook her head and filed the message for later. The other message was a standard one that she recieved every evening with the names and information on new patrons. She noticed an upswing in business, and wondered if it was the result of the rumors of war she was hearing from over Coruscant. Her business complete, she returned to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she sighed. It had been a rather long day.

((So sorry I left you hanging Chris!)) Brina smiled back over the empty plates. "I actually learned how to make it a long time ago when I was living on Coruscant. I had many jobs back then, including some not as...wholesome," she said, choosing her words carefully as Mellanie was present. "But one of the jobs was a cook's assistant. It was a terrible job, but the cook took me under her wing. She was Corellian, and she said this recipie had been passed down in her family for generations." When Zara excused herself to take a message, Brina recruited the girls to help her clean up. "By the time your mom is back, we'll be done and ready for dessert." Mellanie needed more convincing, but soon all three of them were cleaning dishes in the kitchen. Of course, with all the high-spirited Wartide blood in her, Kalyani made the job much more fun by constantly teasing her little sister. The Devanus in Mellanie made her retort with a jet of water from the sink, and Brina contributed to the jesting by using the wet towel she held as a whip. Of course, the Nargal blood in both girls wouldn't stand for that, and everyone ended up with a few harmless but stinging marks from other towels. Finally, Brina called a halt. "Alright girls, that's enough. Your mom is probably wondering what we're up to in here, and that chocolate cake won't eat itself." They trooped back into the dining room with the cake and clean plates, but Zara wasn't back yet, so they chatted aimicably while they waited for her to finish her business.

Brina answered the door and waved the girls in. "Well, it smells delicious, but I can't make any promises for taste. I haven't cooked in a long time." She smiled at Melanie. "I've got someone to show you, Mel. Come see." She led Melanie and Kalyani to where she was keeping her new whisperkit. It was creamy white with distinctive dark brown speckled markings. It's large ears quivered, then it dashed forward towards Melanie with a plaintive mew. Brina smiled. "I found it on Coruscant. Or rather, it found me. It still needs a name. Why don't you think of one?" She turned to go back into the kitchen while the girls played with the kit. The timer beeped and she pulled out a cassarole. Letting it cool, she stirred the soup and found that it was ready. She chatted with Zara, just making small talk, as she sliced a loaf of fresh bread. "I think we're ready." She brought the food to the table and poured the girls cups of blue milk. For her and Zara, she winked and pulled out a bottle of Corellian ale. "Dinner is ready, girls!" she called.

"We might as well get started on it right away," Brina replied. "I'll get some engineers and architects started on the design." She was pleased that Zara thought her idea had merit. She thought it had enormous potential, and would hopefully attract a broader range of clientele than the Casino did. She went back into her own office to make the calls, then worked on other things for several hours. Finally, she poked her head back into Zara's office. "Do you and the kids want to join me for dinner in my quarters this evening? I'll make Corellian food." She knew that Zara would accept, so she winked and headed out, making the short trip back to her quarters. Once there, she changed into something more comfortable, fed her whisperkit, and started to cook.