Part 13

Si’Haad followed Vidar everywhere he went. Nothing interesting happened until Vidar entered his private study. From there on, Si’Haad noted his every move.

Crossed to the wet bar and poured himself a stiff rock brandy.
Downed in one gulp and poured a second.
Sipped that one as he meandered around the room.
Muttered to himself about thief Si’Haad. Nothing worth repeating and nothing new.
Stopped at his Brion desk, complete with ornate Brion Dynasty carvings.
Unlocked the second drawer using a type D initializer, code 4-3-R-7-09.
Dug around a bit and brought out a blue package.
Opened the bag and dumped the contents on his desk. Mostly disks and folded parchment.
Reread something on the parchment. Seemed to satisfy him.
Replaced bag but kept the parchment.
Walked to window and soundly kicked open a crawl space that leads down.
This is a new place to hide your stuff.
He’s disappeared down the crawl space.

Si’Haad hesitated for only a second before following. A small ladder allowed her to climb after Vidar but she didn’t dare follow too closely, lest the ladder jolt enough that he notice the added weight.

Unfortunately it hosed her in the end. Vidar got down to the end, punched in a code she couldn’t see and entered a secret room below. The door immediately closed behind him, not giving the thief time to slip in herself.

"Damn," she muttered to herself and climbed back up the ladder, only to discover that the panel had closed as well. No amount of searching found a catch.

She was trapped.

"Hey, Jedi, come with us." Three guards entered his cell and Qui-Gon stood up. "You have to get ready. Can’t go to the show all grungy." They laughed.

Qui-Gon tensed. "Show?" he asked.

"Sure!" guffawed a guard, slapping Qui-Gon on the shoulder good-naturedly. "A good portion of the Céad present here at Hell’s Watering Hole is preparing for the big event, especially Elisha." The guard winked at his companions and they erupted into more laughter.

*They’re going to watch?* Qui-Gon asked himself as realization dawned on him. That would explain why Si’Haad wanted him out in a hurry. It seemed he was the floor show. The thought made him nasueous but he fought to keep his wits about him.

This was definitely more than any Jedi knight should be subjected to, Qui-Gon thought again and was propelled forward.

The guards escorted him to a cleaning facility, where three women were waiting to wash him. Not inexperienced when it came to the opposite sex, Qui-Gon had never had one wash him before, at least not this thoroughly. Nor had he had more than one female companion at a time. To his mind, one was more than plenty to get the job done. It had always been for physical pleasure, never more.

The three girls giggled as they cleaned, talking rapidly to each other, oblivious to the fact that the man they were washing could hear every word. Qui-Gon had the distinct impression that it never occurred to them that he was sentient. He was just another sex toy for their mistress. He was irrelevant beyond that.

They dried him off with a rough towel and placed drops of a musky scent in strategic places on his body that Qui-Gon would have never considered putting any. He never bothered with the stuff much anyway. It was rare he felt the need to impress anyone in such a fashion. Jedi were normally unconcerned with the luxuries of life.

Invisi’silk was folded next to him and for a moment he thought he’d be dressed in it and taken in early for the "show". The girls placed him into a heavy soft, fiber robe that drug on the ground as he walked out of the cleaning chamber.

"My, my, you clean up even better." Elisha’s voice caused Qui-Gon to pause. The guards, who met him outside the chamber, paused and nodded respectfully to the powerful madam. "I don’t suppose you have any idea what’s going on?"

Guessing that no one knew that Si’Haad had been in the cell with him, Qui-Gon played dumb. "No, Madam, but I’d like to hazard a guess?"

She seemed amused. "By all means," she gestured for him to continue, "show me what a clever Jedi you are."

"I’m going to be a guinea pig for Siren’s Song and you volunteered to be the partner in the experiment." Qui-Gon kept his voice steady and his face impassive, though inside he recoiled. It wasn’t that the woman was ugly or distasteful in anyway, but Qui-Gon was still repulsed by something else, something he sensed within the Living Force.

She was a viper. A spider waiting for the fly to land in her web.

Elisha gave a delighted laugh. "You are a clever Jedi." She clapped her hands like an excited child given an exquisite toy. "I hope that the evening will satisfy you. I believe that Vidar will be down to your cell to administer the drug in an hour so. We prefer a full stomach before the show. I would suggest you eat heartily as well." She patted his cheek as she sashayed past him, winking flirtatiously at the guards.

"Lucky Jedi," murmured one of the guards in his ears as he pushed the Jedi forward.

The cell door closed behind him and Qui-Gon frowned at his predicament. Where the hell was Si’Haad? It was getting close.