"This is important," declared Elsah, voice muffled
because she was currently sunk headfirst in her
closet.

"She's right, Kora," agreed Ardith. "This is the
first time in forever that we get to wear civilian
clothes. As soon as Elsah finds her ch'raith, we are
going to plumb the depths of your woeful wardrobe."

"I'm thrilled," replied Kora, sounding anything but.

"Ha-HA!" Elsah emerged victoriously from her wardrobe
with a round box held high over her head. "You shall
never get the better of me!" she crowed to the
closet, hair a bit disheveled from battle.

"If you would just clean your closet, it wouldn't
constantly try to thwart you," said Kora, sounding
maddeningly sensible to Elsah's ears.

"Maybe I can program a droid to do it . . . anyway,
never mind that." Elsah gathered her ch'raith box,
two other boxes, and a white plasteen bag, and led the
way to the door. Ardith followed, similarly laden.
Kora trailed behind, managing to look simultaneously
doomed and amused.

"To your quarters, Lady Kora," said Ardith as they
walked down the hall.

"But I don't have anything . . . and my dress uniform
only has one button now."

"How did you manage *that*?" asked Elsah.

"Your candy dish runneth over," snorted Ardith,
referring to the place where Kora kept the buttons
which always seemed to find their way off her
uniforms.

"I--well, my dress uni buttons are in Obi-Wan's
office. He, er . . ." Kora flushed.

"OHHHHH . . . I see. The Desk." Elsah smirked
knowingly.

Ardith chortled. "Zandru tells me he can't look at
Kenobi's desk ever again. Something about the General
lacking in shielding skills."

Kora was the color of a Lendamarian beet as she keyed
open her door. "I'm just going to sit down while you
two explore my wardrobe." She heaved a galaxy-weary
sigh and settled herself on the bed.

"Good call, boss," said Ardith, practically inside the
closet already.

"Gods, Ardith. We won't both fit in there," said
Elsah.

"No need. Look what I found." Ardith popped out of
the closet holding a clear plasteen bag, through which
lustrous claret-colored fabric could be seen.

"Oh, that's fabulous," breathed Elsah. "Okay, Kora,
put that on, then we'll see to the rest of you."

"Right, then," said Kora, surprisingly docile. "Why
don't we all just dress here?"

"I wonder where they're taking us," mused Ardith as
she stripped off her uniform and threw it aside
disdainfully.

"I wonder what Rinan thinks of our boys." Kora smiled
a little.

"I had my doubts about sending them to meet him."
Humor sparkled in Elsah's eyes. "If I know my Rinan,
he's probably got Zandru blushing and the General
giggling. He's wicked like that."

"And my General's naughty like that."

"And my Zandru blushes so easily like that." Ardith
wiggled into her dress. "Elsah, do up these clasps
for me."

Elsah fiddled with the side of Ardith's dress, then
turned so Ardith could do the same for her. Kora had
managed to zip her own dress.

The three friends crowded in front of the mirror.
Kora was resplendent in her long, wine-red gown with
its fitted bodice and full skirt. Elsah and Ardith
both wore traditional Corellian dresses, one
shouldered and made from a draping, softly shimmering fabric--Elsah's in a deep, rich green, and Ardith's in midnight blue.

"Oooh, and we don't even clash," remarked Kora.

"We look great." Elsah vamped in the mirror.

"They'll keel over." Ardith winked at her reflection.

"*Before* they even see all that stuff we bought
earlier." Kora giggles. "Now, to finish this off."
Kora went to her closet and retreived a pair of
slippers int he same fabric as her dress. She stepped
into them, then began rummaging in a drawer. Ardith
and Elsah tied the ankle straps of the simple sandals
they wore with their dresses.

"Ardith, help me with my ch'raith," said Elsah,
handing over the round box.

"Okay. I've got to brush your hair first." Ardith
brushed Elsah's hair to a shine, then opened the box
and removed the ch'raith, a circlet of gold metal
leaves. She positioned it on Elsa's head so that the
golden medallion symbolizing Elsah's family rested on
the center of her forehead. "Perfect," declared
Ardith, handing Elsah her own silver ch'raith.

Once the two Corellians had their headgear sorted out,
they descended upon Kora, who, to their surprise, was
doing just fine, having pinned a white silk
Alderaanian rose behind her left ear. Kora looked
worriedly at her discarded utility belt. "I feel
almost naked without my blaster."

"Use your leg holster," suggested Elsah. "Your
skirt's full; it won't ruin the line."

"Good idea. Are you two going armed?"

"Yes, but not concealed," replied Ardith. "Ours are
part of our outfits," she explained as she looped a
silver belt around her waist and attached a
silver-sheathed sword.

"These are klai m'rs," explained Elsah as she put on
her own gold belt and sword. "They're ceremonial, but
the blades are quite keen."

Kora finished buckling her blaster to her leg, and the
three stood before the mirror again. "We look
marvelous," declared Ardith.

"And whatever happens, we're armed to the teeth."
Elsah laughed. "Ardith and I with our swords, our
Jedi with their lightsabres, Kora with her blaster,
and Rinan with at least a vibroblade or two."

"We are ready for anything." Kora smiled as she
dabbed on perfume from a fancy lavender bottle.
"Obi-Wan told us to meet him at 2100 hours. That's in
five minutes. Let's go, girls."

The three friends linked arms and walked out.

As they walked down the ramp from the ship, Elsah
broke into a run when she saw her Rinan, clad all in
black, looking as roguishly handsome as one would
expect a Corellian venture capitalist to be. When she
reached him, he picked her up, kissed her soundly, and
swung her in a circle. He set her down, and, clasping
each other's hands, they conversed with all the
fevered, ecstatic greetings, bursts of news and
declarations of happy love expected from a couple
separated for too long.

Ardith smiled at the reunion, then focused her
attention to Rinan's left. What she saw there
quickened both her heart and her pace down the ramp.
Zandru had traded his uniform for the traditional Jedi
tunics and leggings in a soft grey. The leggings were
tucked into a pair of black boots that had Ardith
thinking dirty thoughts. She could tell Zandru had
picked up on those thoughts by his slight flush and
bemused expression. He embraced her warmly and kissed
her gently as they traded wordless compliments.

Surprisingly, Kenobi had also abandoned his Fleet
uniform for Jedi attire--his tunics and leggings in
cream, worn with brown boots which gave Kora some
naughty ideas. Obi-Wan leered at her playfully, then
caught her up an kissed her passionately, stting her
down to whisper salaciously to her about what her
outfit made him want to do. She responded with some
whispered salaciousness regarding his boots. Obi-Wan
whispered a promise of "Later," then addressed the
small group.

"We've had an eventful day." Kenobi grinned. "Almost immediately after we met Rinan on teh platform here, we were caught up in a crowd of Draecian dignitaries."

"They were here to welcome the great Jedi General
Obi-Wan Kenobi," continued Zandru.

"And Jedi Knight Zandru Khirin, who, it seems, saved
their world with his Master some years ago." Rinan
winked.

"And Corellian hero Rinan Solo, who smuggled supplies
to them past the Trade Federation blockade last year,"
finished Obi-Wan.

Elsah squeezed Rinan's hand, glowing with pride. "So,
you three are heroes here."

"Anyone would've done it." Rinan blushed. "I just
didn't want the nerf-screwing Federation controlling
another world." The rogue's humility was touching.

"And it was just a treaty. We didn't really save
their world." Zandru looked equally embarrassed.

"And other squadrons of the REpublic army have been
fighting in this sector, not mine." Even Obi-Wan
looked humble.

"So, you're heroes here," said Ardith firmly.

"Exactly," said Kora. "Now, where are you heroes
taking us?"

"Well, that's the thing. They're having a banquet for
us to show their appreciation." Obi-Wan was still
blushing.

"And they've insisted on puting us up at the Grand
Hotel Draecia City," added Rinan.

Ardith, Elsah, and Kora exchanged a glance.
"Fabulous," said Elsah. "I'll have some droids bring
up our, er, things."

"Shall we go, then?" Zandru took Ardith's hand in
his.

The three friends and their three blushing heroes left
the landing platform and walked toward Draecia City's
town square.

*******
TBC, of course:)

=====
"Luceo non uro."

"Work like you don't need the money, love like
you've never been hurt, and dance like no one is
watching."