Through Darkness, Light

Title: Through Darkness, Light
Author: HiperBunny
Rating: R, for violence, m/m luuv, etc.
Summary: Once upon a time there was an assassin named Kourt Crowe. And he met this guy named Kato...
Disclaimer: Georgie Porgie Puddin' Pie/ If you sue me I will cry/ If you don't you'll get my dough/ Check your funds, you'll see it's so.

Notes:
Thanks to Fox, who seeks out grammar errors and EXPLAINS to me why I'm wrong.
Okay, you're going to see some links throughout this story. If you click on them, you SHOULD reach a pic that inspired whatever scene you're reading. Call it Kourt Illustrated or whatever. I've never had the guts to do this with BoC, But I thought you guys might get a kick out of it.
Also, I have no idea where this takes place in the BoC timeline. I'll let y'all know if it ever becomes important to the story.

---

Kourt Crowe had heard more than his share of shit within the Temple walls, but this time the Council had gone too far. Yes, he was young. Yes, his master had been one of the least-welcome Jedi to ever grace the hallowed Chambers. YES, he had followed in her footsteps with all due haste. No, that did not mean he needed a keeper for this or any other mission. Least of all this mission. *The one time I need leeway to act as I see fit, and they're going to saddle me with some kind of... of... watchdog.*

"Good morning, Padawan."

Kourt looked up, then back down, surprised to see his master leaning against the corridor wall. She was smiling, seemingly pleased about something. Kourt immediately suspected he was about to be stunned.

"Heard about the Council's idea. Thought you might need a hand," she mentioned casually.

Kourt refused to consider how Sarafel might have gotten access to the Jedi Council's secured records. It was a problem he himself had not yet solved, but he wasn't ready to ask for help on it yet. He continued on his walk towards his quarters and Sarafel fell in step beside him.

"Where is your lightsaber, my chosen one?" she inquired, tucking her hands inside her sleeves.

"You know where."

"It is done, then? I thought as much. It is yours now to make another, Padawan."

"I have no heart for it," Kourt replied, opening the door to his quarters.

"You have not the heart? Well and good that I am here to give it you again." She smiled and passed him, entering his small common room and kneeling beside the low table before his sofa. "Come, then, and listen to an old woman's words."

He nodded, taking a place opposite her.

She laid on the table between them the components for a lightsaber, each in order of use. "Assemble."

He frowned, but reached for the first piece, obedient to his master's wishes. As his hands took over the familiar work, she spoke.

"In the days and weeks ahead, there will come to you one with a strong spirit. He is not of us, and yet will be one of yours. It is for your part to make him of us," she began, fishing a thin packet out of a belt pouch. "There will be no darkness in him, nor has there yet been cold blood shed by him. At your side he will learn the path of the shadow, and with his hand in yours he will learn to walk it, and be yet of the light."

"Yes, Master," Kourt murmured.

"You are unwilling."

"Yes, Master. The Darkness has touched me."

"Touched, but not taken. My Padawan, if you were to turn, rest assured I would come to cut you down. It is meet that it be so. From the hand of learning comes the hand of unmaking to the Dark ones. Ever has it been so."

"Ever has it been so," Kourt repeated. "But I yet have no stomach for it."

"No stomach, no heart... how is it you are yet a man, my Padawan?" she took a thin green wafer from her packet and placed it on her tongue. After a moment, she sighed in relaxation.

"It is the will of the Force, my Master."

"Then as the Force wills, so shall it be. Live, if you must, with no heart, no stomach, no soul and no self. But live of the Light, and I am yet satisfied."

"Thank you, my Master."

"Soon you will come to a place where passion and desire is the greatest power. Do not turn from it, but embrace it. Let me see your work." Kourt handed his assembled lightsaber casing to her and she inspected it carefully. "It would seem I still am able to serve you."

"So it would seem. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was the saber I made while still bonded to you," Kourt smiled.

"Are you sure you know better?"

Kourt's smile disappeared.

"Now, look here." She took a velvet bag from out of her sleeve and emptied its contents into her palm. "Know you these?"

"No, Master. I have never seen the like." Kourt leaned forward to inspect the pure black crystals.

"And you may never see them again, unless need is great once more. These I mined and cut for you, with my own hands. They are pure and strong. Also will they serve you well. Nothing more do I have for you at this time."

She placed the stones on the table, rose and bowed. A moment later, and she was gone.

Kourt sighed. After a long moment he centered himself and placed the stones in their proper place, sealed the casing and powered the now-complete lightsaber.

A blade of blue-black light leaped out. Kourt focused on the stones, learning their properties. Balance, peace, serenity, wisdom... all of these and powerfully connected to his own being. He nodded once and turned the blade up to full power, adjusted its length and stood. He balanced the hilt on the back of his hand and let it roll up his arm to his shoulder. Lacing his fingers together, he sent it back down the inside of his arm, up the left and across his chest. As it crossed his heart, he felt a surge of connection, the Force, his own being and confidence of his place within the web of life. He let the blade continue its circuit as he spoke the ritual words of connection.

"I shall not fear my weapon. Fear is of the Dark. I shall not doubt my body. My body is of the Light. I shall not fear my comrades. My fellows are of the Jedi. I shall not fear the future. The future is of the Force."

The newly-made lightsaber slapped firmly into his hand and he stepped into the first position of the primary form. As he worked his way through each form, he continued his mantra. With each step, each parry and strike, each breath and motion he let his past go and looked towards what was yet to come.

*************************** Click here to see Buni's picture. ***************************

The man who stepped from the Urna Karee was in no way reminiscent of a Jedi master. Kourt caught a glimpse of himself in a window as he made his way through the spaceport to his connecting transport. The leather jacket was quite becoming. Its large, sturdy sleeves easily hid the bulk of his lightsaber. The plain denim pants and half-boots could have come from any world, though the shirt he wore spoke of wealth, or at least a steady income, it was not so remarkable as to warrant any notice.

He shouldered his satchel and turned his steps towards the berth of the Soma where his 'partner' would probably be waiting. As he turned a corner he ran smack into another man whose every breath screamed JEDI to Kourt's force-sense.

The other man seemed to recognize Kourt in the same way and bowed. "Greetings. If you will follow me?" Without another word he turned on his heel set a fast pace in the direction he had been coming from.

*Kato Giavanni? What kind of a name is that for a Jedi knight? They should have changed it once he got to the crèche,* Kourt sourly opined as he followed the energetic young man towards their ship. He observed the other man's manner and began to re-assess his first opinion. Kato's eyes were never still, his hands were empty, ready to react, and his step lost them no time in getting to their transport. His clothes, too, were nothing that would tag him as being any sort of law-related personage. The simple yet elegant black suit and shirt were cut to imply a longstanding relationship with a great deal of power and money. Perfect for the role he was slated to play during this mission, that of a jet-setting child of some wealthy family or other.

His appearance was not altogether unpleasant, Kourt was quick to notice. The strong chin and deep-set eyes were quite becoming. His long blond hair was secured with a heavy clasp that glittered in the neon lights of the spaceport. From well-groomed head to perfectly-shined shoes, Kato had apparently prepared to inhabit the persona of his choice. That persona would need to be just the right mix of carelessness and cash to require the bodyguard that Kourt was meant to play.

******************

The short hop from Coruscant to Viega was uneventful. Kato had ensconced himself in the large armchair and begun cycling through the files Kourt had brought and stayed there for the better part of the hour-long journey. The moment they had landed, the younger man had assumed a chatty, wide-eyed façade, and Kourt was getting seriously curious to see what this man was truly like. Still, there was time and yet time again to discover these things, and there were more interesting complications afoot. One of those complications was being vigorously debated by one Kato Giavanni, as Cirra Peco, and several heads of staff for their hotel.

In that Coruscant was a city-planet, most of its moons were de facto suburbs. They were the primary dwelling place of the middle class Coruscation population not rich enough to have a really good townhouse but not so poor as to be stuck in a level-two slum. For all that, they did have enough money to play. This not-quite-affluent situation had led, eventually, to a singularly booming business on the moon of Viega.

Most of Viega's patrons were polite, unassuming, upstanding citizens of the Republic. The fact that they chose gambling as their form of entertainment took nothing away from that. Of course, the owner/operators of the Viegan entertainment plexes were well aware that one can't gamble all the time. Therefore, they expanded their offerings, over the years, to fulfil every desire one might reasonably expect in the population of the Galactic hub. For years Viega had been carefully and studiously left alone by the local lawmakers. If some drug smuggling and unlicensed prostitution took place, well, what of it? If cutpurses and creditslips abounded, at least it was localized. Viega kept up the appearance of harmless scruffiness and that was plenty good enough for most.

All of that had ended when bodies began turning up. Wealthy bodies, unrobbed, unassaulted and singularly unrelated to any sort of underworld infighting. That they were, to the last, related to certain wealthy families of Coruscant was of definite interest to anyone with an eye towards politics. In Kourt's estimation, there were no twelve beings with their eyes more firmly fixed on politics than his own Jedi Council. That they had given him this investigation as a sort of warm-up, he was well aware. That he was grateful for their consideration, he chose not to reveal. That they had funded himself and Kato quite extravagantly, he was planning to exploit to the fullest, for as long as he possibly could.

One thing he could say about the Chancellor's Suite of Cerasi's Palace was this: it certainly was pink.

Kato had not paused in his highly detailed derision of the décor for almost five minutes and had managed to mention his assumed family's connections no less than eight times. The hotel employees were on the edge of panic and tension was high. Perfect. When Kato paused for breath, Kourt interposed himself upon the conversation. "Sir?"

"What is it, Moran?" Kato turned on his heel to face his bodyguard.

"I'm given to understand the Sebro suite is infinitely more tasteful and understated."

"Is it?" the Knight inquired.

The staff leaped to assure him it was, and the transfer of their luggage began. Kourt was hard-pressed to hide his satisfaction. With all this fuss, word of the energetic young gentleman was sure to reach even the lowest ranks of the hotel waitstaff within the hour. From there it would be a simple jump of the rumor circuit for every guest to have information on him by nightfall. Unless Kourt was very much mistaken, they would be in social circulation by breakfast at the very latest.

Kourt surveyed the room with satisfaction. From the huge bed in the master bedroom to the comfortable-looking, yet merely large bed in the junior accommodations to the whirlpool bathtub and all the data communications equipment anyone could ever ask for, there was not a scrap of pink in sight. The private dining room was elegance itself, and though the sauna might be a bit much, Kourt certainly wasn't going to complain. The view was lovely and the menu exemplary. Kato nodded once, dismissing the staff, which left the Jedi alone in their Republic-funded pit of iniquity. Kato fell back onto the four-poster bed and sighed. "You know, for once in my life I'm starting to hope our murderer is as wily as he is brutal. I think I could stand to be here for a while."

Kourt nodded and began rooting around in their packs. Locating the sweeper, he began a survey of the room designed to detect any unwanted listening devices. As he passed from the entertainment center to his own bedroom, he noticed that Kato was setting up their communications array and he nodded again, this time in approval. When he was satisfied that their rooms were clean, he went to join his new partner at the dataset. "So, dinner?"

"Sure. What do you like?" Kato asked.

"I'm not terribly picky," Kourt assured the Knight, who went to get friendly with the sentient kitchen staff. By the time he returned, Kourt had shuffled through the hotel's guest list and selected a few targets for observation. "I figured we could start here," he said.

"What makes you so sure our murderer is in this hotel?" Kato inquired.

"Long experience plus intuition," Kourt shortly replied. "Find what you can on these individuals. I'm having a bath."

Kourt had just settled in to the whirling water when Kato came in to join him. Kourt gestured towards the opposite end of the bath/whirlpool and Kato began disrobing without so much as a blink. Good. Prudishness was not called for in this situation. Kourt observed the subtle thud and chink of concealed weaponry as clothing hit the floor, but did not look at his partner directly until he was settled in his place. As with prudishness, neither was over-familiarity called for. "So, what do you think?"

"I think you're dead wrong about half of your targets," Kato informed him, reaching for the soap.

"Which half?" Kourt inquired, sinking further into the tub.

"The half you listed to see if I would notice," Kato replied, and ducked under the water to soak his hair.

Kourt smiled.

When his partner resurfaced, Kourt said "Very well. I am not stupid and you are not stupid. That much is established. Now tell me what you think is going on here."

Kato began lathering his hair while he explained, seemingly putting more thought into the scrubbing than the telling. "Looks like someone's using Viega as a sort of competition clearing house. The children of families with connections in... what, we've got a controlling share of a shipping combine, the middle child of the Secura group's leading family and Tsindo Fedal's girl. Plus this last one, Rendo Calras, whose mother holds the patents on the new hyperdrive cooling system. You know, the one all the pirates are literally killing to lay hands on? It all points towards some clave trying to edge in on some new business without pulling the Coruscant Guards down on their own heads."

Kourt ducked to wet his own hair and popped back up while Kato rinsed. "I don't think that's it. Any of these kids could have been picked off on their homeworlds, at their businesses or universities... there's something going on here, on Viega. Something we haven't seen yet. I'm dead certain it hasn't got the faintest thing to do with business or politics."

"Is that the Force talking?"

Kourt shook his head no, then ducked to rinse. "Gut instinct."

Kato considered that for a long moment, then stood and reached for a towel. "Sorry, I'm not willing to give this mission over to the wisdom of your digestive tract."

**************************

Kato carefully reviewed each victim's file as he waited for dinner to arrive. Kourt was wrestling with his hair in the next room, various grunts and curses punctuating his struggles with the comb. Kato finally called "Start at the tips. It makes the rest easier to comb."

Kourt did not reply, but the invectives ceased so Kato knew he was making some sort of headway. He smiled to himself and returned to his subject survey. It had started with Juridan Tming, next in line for a seat on the ruling board of Cabo Transport. Subii Secura had been the next victim, though her placement in the pattern hadn't been noticed until much later. Rebma Fedal had been discovered mere moments after his killer's getaway. Rendo Calras might never have been found if someone's pet qestran hadn't, well, sniffed her out. It made next to no sense. If the murders were to send a message, who was the message directed towards? The families of the victims were baffled. The murders seemed wholly unconnected, except that the methods were perfectly matched.

That none of the victims were in any position to effect changes of company policy seemed to indicate they were being used as pawns in some larger game. But what game? Kato shook his head and pulled up the autopsy reports again. Bracing himself, he started the video feed for Juridan Tming.

"Hey, don't look at that now! Dinner's here!" Kourt pre-empted him. "Besides, you aren't going to find anything new. It's too straightforward. They were choked to death. No fiber traces, no DNA, no prints or marks, no nothin'. So come have a steak and let's figure out how we're going to do all this."

Kourt settled down at the very elegant and somewhat overloaded dinner table and began helping himself. "So," he began, "cause of death?"

Kato began garnishing his potato and explaining the medical findings at the same time. "The cause of death in all subjects appeared to be asysteolyc asphyxiation. In fact, it was this that brought the matter to the Jedi in the first place. As you know, the only reliable source for an asysteolyc asphyxial death is through a properly trained Force-user."

Kourt nodded and chewed thoughtfully. "Do you mean to tell me no one else has worked out how to choke someone to death merely by thinking about it?"

"Not with the degree of precision we Jedi have achieved. But as you have seen through the autopsy, the air passages of the victims remain unharmed. There was not a single case of structural damage, which is the hallmark of our technique. The affected areas, in these cases, appears in the lung or lunglike tissues specific to the species of the victim. If you know anything about collapsing absorption tissue in the lungs, I'm all ears." Kato dug into his steak and raised an eyebrow at his partner.

"I've long been of the opinion that you only need a dozen or so methods for choking a being to death, given species variation and so forth. Learning more seems, you'll forgive the pun, overkill. Sorry, I can't help you on that one. What about races with an inherent knowledge of telepathy or suggestion?" Kourt asked.

"Nothing on record. If anyone can do it, it hasn't been done to the point that there's a record in the Republic legal system. Which pretty much means it hasn't been done," Kato clarified. "Someone's trying to make it look like Jedi are murdering these kids."

"They're doing a piss-poor job of it, thank the skies above." Kourt reached for the bread. "How about chemical applications?"

"Of what kind? What could cause the exact same death in such radically different species?"

"Well, when we know that, we'll probably be able to corner our killer."

*********************

Kourt propped his feet up on the coffee table and began shuffling through the invitations that had been directed at Cirra Peco since their arrival. Parties, parties and more parties seemed to be occurring throughout the hotel. "So, how'd you end up with such a crap assignment?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Kato counter-inquired.

"Babysitting me. I can't think you actually chose this assignment. The Jedi shouldn't even be involved, here," Kourt clarified.

"Oh. Well, Sarafel asked me to," Kato shrugged. "It seemed a good deal... indefinite stay, work with a reliable partner, capture of a murderer. Better than negotiating water rights, anyway."

Kourt narrowed his eyes. "Sarafel sent you?"

"She said I might be able to help you out with some personal issues," Kato shrugged again.

Kourt ground his teeth. "And you agreed to this... why?"

"Saw your last mission report to the Council."

Kourt had never literally 'seen red' before, and was interested to note that he could, after all these years of training, be made angry enough to do so. That it was his master who had so moved him was of no surprise whatsoever. A few soothing breaths and he was able to continue. "And how, exactly, do you think you can help me with that?"

"Well, my first Padawan didn't quite make it, you see..." Kato shrugged. "Not quite the same, of course, but somewhat similar."

"Ah, soŠ that's why you're still..."

"A knight, yes. So if we could dispense with honorifics in private, I'd appreciate that." Kato pushed back from the table and headed towards the dataset.

"Well, that's fine with me, Vanni. Just let's not get touchy. I, uh... well, I had to take out a Knight who turned and... it just hasn't settled in to me, yet. Killing in cold blood, I mean. I suppose it's a little better than killing in passion or combat, but..."

"Trust me, it's far better than either of those. Killing in cold blood, at least you had time to weigh your options and make a choice." Kato plunked down in the desk chair and called up the medical files on the case victims. "Let's get to work."

It was a short few minutes' work to set up an invitation to the 'high stakes' portion of the casino. Kato changed clothes and began working up the energy to properly portray Cirra Peco while Kourt began secreting his weapons about his person. By the time they hit the casino floor, no trace of Jedi could be found about them. Cirra flirted and gambled and drank too much under the watchful eye of his silent protector. Both made mental notes on each person in the room, working out who was with whom, where the real money and power resided, and which other people took note of that power.

Kourt was just about to call it a night when two individuals attracted his attention. They had traveled from conversation to conversation, surreptitiously shadowing Cirra Peco from one end of the casino to the other. That they had blended so seamlessly spoke well of their skills. Kourt, however, was in no position to be appreciative. Before he could signal the danger to Kato, he overheard the slightly tipsy young knight accept an invitation to a more private gathering. That this gathering was being held by one of their suspects was both fortuitous and worrying. Kourt double-checked the placement of his needler and followed Cirra Peco from the private gambling room.

******************

Kato led the way back towards their rooms, explaining as they went. "We'll want to change clothes before showing up. I think there's something... different happening. They're on one of the lower floors, one of the smaller suites, but I'm not really sure that matters."

Kourt pressed the call button for the lift. "You've been shadowed by two... dunno, security, thieves, two somebodies for the past hour. Did you pick anything up?"

Kato began to turn when a flicker of movement caught their eye. Kato flung himself backwards against the lift doors while at the same time Kourt moved to cover him. A sharp sting to his left shoulder caused Kourt to turn his head in time to see one of the followers bolt down a nearby corridor.

"Are you okay?" Kato murmured as the lift doors opened before him.

"Sure, yeah," Kourt replied. A sudden stumble as he walked belied his words.

Kato frowned worriedly and turned Kourt around. "Oh skies above."

"What?" Kourt demanded, feeling another twinge in his shoulder.

Kato wordlessly held up a tiny dart. The tip was long and more than sharp enough to have penetrated Kourt's leather jacket. Kourt frowned at the dart, then leaned heavily against the lift wall as a wave of dizziness overtook him.

---

Kourt focused on the dart, suddenly realizing how difficult it was to do so. "My eyes..."

"Poison, probably..." Kato put the dart in his jacket pocket and began searching Kourt again. "There has to be another one... here."

Kourt drew in a gasping breath, let it go slowly. "Can't breathe..."

"It's okay, we're almost there. Stay with me..." Kato slipped under Kourt's arm and dragged him out of the lift. "Here, mind that room service tray..."

Kourt narrowly avoided tripping on the dinnerware, then fixed his eyes on the door at the end of the hall. After an interminable time, that door opened to Kato's voiceprint and Kourt was deposited on the sofa. "Species?"

"My medkit's in my pack," Kourt gasped, astounded at how painful it was to speak those few words. His lungs felt like they were slowly filling with molten lead. He concentrated his focus down to exclude all concerns beyond getting his next breath. A dozen or so eternities later and the pain began to recede.

"Master Crowe?" Kato looked down at him with sharp concern.

"Call me Kourt," Kourt croaked.

"Fine. Kourt, listen... do you have any unusual sensitivities to dioxys?"

"Dunno... that's, what... doesn't the Trade Federation use that..."

"Yeah, more often than not. The darts are testing out as bimuradal seoxys, but your blood is showing traces of dioxys..." Kato explained.

"They blew darts full of easy at us?" Kourt was incredulous.

"Apparently easy with a twist," Kato wryly replied. "I can't figure out what it is you're reacting to, here..."

"What antidote are you using?"

"Cleaosabyl. That's when the dioxys traces showed upŠ"

Kourt closed his eyes, trying to think. The chemical bite in his shoulder was beginning to fade, and with it the confusion. "Okay, we have a dose of easy, a dose of clean, and... did you check the dart itself or just the load?"

Kato slapped his forehead and walked away. When he returned, he showed Kourt the chemical analysis. "The drug itself is here, in this glass chamber, but it is delivered through the needle, you see... the needle is some oddling blend I've never seen before."

Kourt took the lightslate and set it to analyze the compound's possible reactions and byproducts. While that processed, he experimented with sitting up. When no ill effects were encountered, he relaxed his guard a bit more. "See if you can find me the effects of easy on the species to which our victims belonged."

Kato went to do so. Kourt spun the dart between his fingers. Why would anyone want to dose a couple of jet-setters with easy? It just made no sense. Bimuradal seoxys had long been popular with the club scene, providing a sense of euphoria and invincibility while removing all traces of inhibitions. It was also the drug of choice amongst street thugs and some low-grade assassins. If one could work around the high, it gave one nerves of steel, capable of almost any act.

*There has to be a relationship between this and that party.* "Hey, Vanni, I think... I think we need to get up to your new friend's gathering."

"You know, I was just thinking the same thing. I mean, it can't possibly be coincidence, can it?" Kato handed him another lightslate. "Besides, look at this."

Kourt scanned the information and frowned. "Skies above. The level of toxicity is way lower for these species than for most standard metabolisms."

"It looks that way. Even a tiny dose of easy would have caused them serious medical problems," Kato affirmed. "It would seem that whoever is spiking these party favors has skimped on their research."

"So it would seem," Kourt agreed. "But why these little party favors at all? And is this the standard mode of delivery, or did we just get lucky?"

************************

Kourt added a stimulant patch to his medicine and made ready to party. He looked at himself in the mirror and rapidly came to some conclusions. First, the hair had to come down. He had tied it back into a tail, thinking it best for functionality as a bodyguard. Now he let his curly locks loose, shaking them and scruffing it all up a bit for extra added disarray. They would have to play drunk, in case their quarry was indeed in attendance. "Who is it we're going to see?" he called.

"Xander Dwyellin," Kato replied. "One-time podracing champion, now full time chance cube shark. Little guy, but quick. What are you doing? You look..." Kato stopped and swallowed.

"What? I'm getting into character. I've just been drugged and am now very relaxed about just about everything. You don't like?" Kourt tilted his head to one side.

"Oh, no, no... it looks fine. I, uh... you know what? I'm going to change clothes again." Kato turned on his heel and disappeared into his bedroom again.

When he returned, Kourt found himself quite at a loss for words. A thin, loose, charcoal gray tunic under a cream-colored vest above darker gray... well, the only term Kourt had for them was harem pants. But not quite. Though they gathered at the ankles and hung low on the hips, the cut was rather more angular than one would expect to find on a pleasure boy. The vest was tightly laced, revealing the narrowness of Kato's waist and muscularity of his chest without showing a single inch of skin. Though barefoot, Kato's walk was still firm and steady when he exited his bedroom. By the time he got to the door, he had reduced his stride to the gait of one who has overindulged. "Ready to go, Moran?" Cirra Peco called.

"Right behind you," the bodyguard replied with a very subtle slur. *And remind me to thank the Council for putting me there.*

*************************

The suite of Xander Dwyellin was crowded with beings in various states of intoxication and dishabille. The moment Kato entered he was caught up between two lithe and welcoming youths and dragged away into the crowd. Kourt sighed and scanned the gathering, seeking others of his own perceived rank. After a moment of searching he spotted two other abandoned bodyguards on a sofa in one corner. Straightening his shoulders, he went to join them.

A bored yet tempting waitbeing brought him a drink, which he nursed along with all care due his position. Kato, he noted, was doing his level best to keep on the move. It would seem that Cirra Peco was the evening's 'fresh meat' and everyone wanted a taste. Not that Kourt blamed them for a second. The knight was everything graceful and well-made in a human male. From graceful motion to open smile, he was poise and balance personified, even in his faux state of overindulgence. His eyes flashed both sultry inhibition and cool refusal by turns, striking a balance with the role he needed to play and the acts he did not, apparently, care to participate in. Kourt was momentarily distracted as his drink was refreshed. When he looked back to Kato, the Jedi had disappeared.

He stood, searching the room with all his senses. <<Vanni?>>

==Um, help?==

<<Where are you?>>

==Take four steps forward, one to the left... good!==

Kourt nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand closed over his ankle. <<What the hell are you doing under the buffet table?>>

==Being ravished. Save me!==

Kourt got down on his knees and peered under the table. "Sir?"

"Mmmph."

Kourt sighed and grabbed the arm that was flailing wildly outside of the pile of bodies. With no further ado, he hauled Kato bodily from the pile. ==Bless you.==

<<Uh-oh. Problem.>>

==Whichwhat? Where?==

<<Your playmates are less than pleased.>>

==I can see why. They've tried to dose me, what, six times now?==

<<You're kidding.>>

==Nope. I kept score. Um... kiss me.==

<<Right.>> Kourt dragged Kato closer, delivering a deep, lingering kiss with significant tongue involvement for all to see. After a moment, the need for this pretense faded and he focused only on the warm mouth beneath his. Kato was at once spicy and clean, more than welcome and very, very pleasurable.

==Goodskiesabove==

Kourt pulled back and looked down into the somewhat dazed eyes of his mission partner. <<Time for a clean getaway?>>

==I'm gonna have to say yes.==

Kourt stood and helped Kato to his feet, delivered a warning glare to the assembly and led his 'employer' from the room. Once in the hallway he allowed himself a chuckle.

"What?" Kato asked.

"Oh, I was just wondering if they're going to decide I'm a battle-trained pleasure worker or a bodyguard with fringe benefits," Kourt explained.

"Does it matter?"

"Not really. As long as they know not to remove you from my sight again. Now, who was trying to drug you?" Kourt turned the conversation back to more neutral territory.

Kato gave him an odd glance, but replied "Xander tried twice, and this guy named Perose."

"No females?"

"Nope."

"Any other similarities?"

"Well, they both have Kedalsi accents," Kato replied, punching the lift call button.

"Hmmm. Rimworlders."

"Outer rim, now. The Secog sector just lost its place in the senate last month, remember?" Kato chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Do you think?"

"It's better than anything else we've come up with," Kourt said, twisting a curl of hair around his finger. "Sleep or research?"

"Oh, skies, sleep. I'm still a little spacelagged, and they did pour a couple drinks down me." Kato rubbed his eyes.

"Works for me," Kourt agreed. "My room or yours?"

Kato raised an eyebrow.

"We've already been nearly drugged several times within eight hours of arrival. I don't want us separated for any reason," Kourt elaborated.

Kato thought about that, then acquiesced with a shrug. "My room has a bigger bed. C'mon over when you're ready to sack out."

********************* Click here to see Bunny's photographic inspiration. *********************

Kato had gone directly to bed upon reaching their suite, but Kourt was far too wound up to rest yet. This mission had a multitude of questions clamoring for attention in his mind, and the scarcity of answers only added to the din. Instead of trying to sleep, he dialed up a pot of tea on the catering unit and settled into an armchair in the master bedroom. Out of deference to his partner's need for rest he worked by the light of a single lamp, cataloging information, suppositions, mere suspicions and possible courses of action. As he worked, his eyes periodically wandered towards the sleeping form nearby. The more he thought, the more he worried about Kato.

So far, all victims in the recent rash of deaths had been young, attractive, affluent guests of this hotel. No matter how he searched, no other connections arose. Now it seemed that Kato had attracted the attention of the killer. That this was their goal made no nevermind to Kourt. He had gone into this mission thinking it would take some time, days perhaps, to do so. With that assumption, he had also believed he would have time to assess the Knight's abilities, his readiness to place himself in danger for the good of the mission. That time had now effectively been denied them both.

Kourt rubbed his eyes and called up Kato's service record. It was much longer than he had first realized, his initial perusal of the file having been mostly directed towards finding any glaring weaknesses in Kato Giavanni. He had seen the truncated record of Kato's Padawan, and the date of death. His assumption had been that the apprentice had died in some mission-related incident. Now he knew better. Again, Kourt glanced at the sleeping man. *How can he be so calm? He must be a much stronger Jedi than I thought.*

He considered that and accepted it. Kato's unflinching acceptance of this mission's dangers, his actions in the face of attack, his frank and honest offer to help Kourt in any number of ways supported the idea. Kourt glanced down at his left hand, studying the plain gold ring on the smallest finger. Kato wore the same kind of ring, unsurprising now that Kourt knew of Sarafel's involvement in his life. Kourt hadn't really noticed it until he had begun laying plans for resolving this mission. Its presence only added to the argument that Kato would be able to carry out his end of the needed investigation.

It also meant that Kourt had another reason to wish his role was less dangerous.

The Jedi Master closed his eyes, remembering the feel of Kato's mouth under his own. How much of that kiss had been a ruse? How much of it was reality? The truth was that Kourt might never know. Something within him rebelled at the thought. He liked Kato, probably more than he should like a man he had known for less than a day. He seriously did not want to see him sent into danger. Unfortunately, it seemed that into danger was exactly the way Kato would soon have to go.

They needed to know why someone, apparently several someones, were trying to drug young, affluent citizens. The best and simplest way to find out would be to let Kato be so drugged. Kourt pressed his lips together, disliking the very idea of it. He pushed that dislike aside. Clearly, the Knight had enough field experience to handle such an assignment. If he were able to accept it, then Kourt could do no less than the same.

That did not, however, mean he had to like it.

Kourt stood and stripped down to his underclothes, turned the lamp off and took his place in the large, very comfortable bed. There was nothing more he could do until the next day. Best then to rest while he had the opportunity. If Kato was going to be in danger, Kourt would be ready to protect him.

---

"So that's the plan?" Kato rubbed the sleep from his eyes and slowly stretched from toes to shoulders.

"I think it has the best chance of success, don't you?" Kourt returned.

"Yes... but I also think we're going to need some backup. Why don't you order us some breakfast and I'll see what Artur Bale is doing. Last I heard he was headed towards Coruscant, so maybe he can hop out and give us a hand." Kato reached for the comm and began a long series of connections and security routines.

Kourt stood and took his business to the dining room. With part of his mind he made the breakfast order. The rest of his thoughts were on making backup plans and failsafes that would protect his partner, who would most certainly be in a large amount of peril for the duration of his investigation. Artur Bale would definitely be a good asset to have in reserve.

Master Bale was one of the most likeable, easygoing Jedi Kourt had ever had the pleasure of studying under. Once Kourt had passed his trials, Sarafel had turned his continuing education over to Artur. There had been many strange moments, purely surreal exercises that had left Kourt wondering how many of his experiences had occurred and how much was pure hallucination. Much of that confusion was due to Bale himself. He could go from a smiling, congenial, intensely attractive, young-seeming man to an emotionless assassin in less than a heartbeat. For months they would travel together, carrying out the common, peaceful duties of the Order. Then, with no warning whatsoever, they would be shifted onto some new mission and the other Bale would put in an appearance.

With training, Kourt had come to understand this schism and eventually emulated it to perfection. Occasionally Kourt thought perhaps he had learned all too well. Some nights he had dreams - strange, fitful visions of himself. They were visions of the moments when he, like Bale, held the universe at a remove from his own reality. In those dreams he was capable of anything, because nothing was real. Disassociation made all atrocities possible. Those dreams were the only thing that could still frighten Kourt.

Kourt shook those thoughts off and put his mind on a more productive track. If Kato was going to be drugged and possibly harmed, it might be a good idea for him to try the chemicals du jour in a more controlled environment. With that in mind, Kourt sought out the darts that had been fired at them the night before. He removed the dose of easy and set it aside, then went to take a shower.

When he emerged from the bathroom, Kato was already tucking in to a hearty breakfast. "I saw the easy on the coffee table. It's a good idea."

Kourt nodded once and took his place at the table.

"Why so quiet?" Kato inquired.

"I don't like seeing good people go into bad places," Kourt explained.

"Hmmm," was the only response Kato made, but his gaze lingered on Kourt as they continued to eat.

"Now you're quiet," Kourt pointed out.

"Oh. Well, I was just thinking that, with you on my side, I shouldn't have anything to worry about."

Kourt turned his attention towards his food, but inwardly he made an oath to be worthy of that trust.

****************

With breakfast finished, Kato made his way to the bathroom for his own morning routine. Kourt went into his own bedroom to make ready for their experiment. He laid in a supply of fruits, plenty of fluids, a stack of towels and a bowl of cool water. Beyond that, he meditated, preparing himself for whatever bits of Kato Giavanni might be hiding in the carefully controlled mind of a Jedi. With so little time between them, there was much he could not honestly prepare for. It would, however, be very possible that few secrets would remain on Kato's part once the drugs wore off. Inhibition was the first thing to go on an easy trip. The second thing was usually secrecy. The third element, a lack of deception, made for a rather volatile mixture. Especially when the subject wore a particular sort of golden ring.

Kato poked his head in the door, perused the layout and smiled. "You didn't need to do all that."

Kourt shrugged, not sure how to answer. "I just want you to be comfortable. Have you ever done easy before?"

Kato shook his head no. "Is it... bad?"

"No. It makes you very uninhibited. Plus, you talk a mile a minute, and every word tends to be true," Kourt pulled a chair over closer to the bed and sat down.

"Huh," Kato said, considering. "Well... what sort of stuff..."

"Things you would normally never, ever say, no matter what. Or you'll start doing things you might secretly want to do, but your reservations won't let you. It damps out fear and guilt and just makes everything in the universe... easy. Hence the name." Kourt sat down and propped his feet up on the end of the bed.

Kato stretched out across the pillows and gave Kourt a considering look. "Then if I have some secret, would it be better to tell you now or tell you once I take this?" Kato held up the tiny capsule of fluid.

"That depends on you. If you're already thinking about it, I'll probably hear it either way."

Kato turned over on his back and popped the capsule open, letting the milky fluid run down his throat. "I find myself almost uncontrollably attracted to you," he said. His tone was even, perfectly conversational. "I don't think the drugs have kicked in yet. Rebuttal?"

"Um..."

"If you find I'm throwing myself at you this morning, please understand that you're not taking advantage of me if you join in. Not as such." Kato turned over onto his stomach.

"Um..."

"Though I think this exercise will prove more fruitful if we keep it as controlled as possible. Since I've just pissed my control away, I guess that part will be up to you," Kato closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

"Ah... yes. I suppose so."

"Good luck. Force be with you, Master Crowe."

"And with you."

***************

Kourt took a deep breath and released the tension from his body. Again.

"Then after that I think we were supposed to go and take down the spare prince, but we never got around to it. It was after that, when I was waiting for new orders from the Council that Nira actually turned. Well, I suppose you could say it all started with a question. Fucking Council. As if the fact that I was once a Shadow meant my Padawan needed to be in those kinds of situations. So anyway, she started asking about whether or not you could kill someone in cold blood and still be a Jedi. I didn't want to lie, so I didn't and she got to thinking and one thing led to another so eventually she turned and I had to kill her. And that was Nira. Do we have any more grapes?"

Kato had been talking nonstop for almost an hour. Kourt was monitoring Kato's systems, waiting for it to hit peak levels before he told Kato to purge the drug. It was purely amazing what one could learn about another person in such a short period of time. The trouble was, the easy was metabolizing slowly. Even though the younger Jedi was well and truly zonked, the full effect of the drug hadn't quite hit him yet. So, despite the fact that he had recited the darkest parts of his personal history, removed his clothes and eaten most of the fruit on handŠ the worst was yet to come.

"Kourt? Listen, I know I'm talking a lot right now but I thought you should know my skin feels... fizzy."

"It should level off in a minute or so," Kourt absently replied. "Then you'll get the Force's own boner, and I'll quietly turn my back and leave you to it."

"Oh don't. I see what you mean about the boner, but don't turn around. I want you to watch. Will you?" Kato turned over onto his back, crossed his ankles and propped them up on the headboard of the bed.

"Um... I don't think that's a great idea," Kourt hedged.

"Don't you want to? I mean, you don't have to do anything... I'm awfully horny here and I'm probably going to do that anyway. It would be way better if you weren't ignoring me. Unless you don't like guys, that is. Do you like guys?" Kato asked.

"Yes," Kourt assured him. "I even like human guys."

"Wow, I forgot... you're not really human, right? But you fuck humans, don't you?"

"For the most part. I like humans. They're all nice in just the right way. Especially guys," Kourt was astounded to hear himself reply. He shook his head unsteadily. *Huh. Must be a contact highŠ*

"What is it you really are? I mean, okay, some kind of shapeshifter, right? That's what Sara said once. But what do you really look like?"

"That's private, Vanni."

"Right, right... sorry. So are you going to watch, or what?"

Kourt took a breath to demur, and stopped himself. Why not? Why not watch and enjoy? The display was sure to be replete with deeply satisfying sexual energies... *No. If anything ever does happen between us, we should both be in our right minds. Bare minimum. I want nothing between us that could cause bitterness in the future.*

Still...

Kato's hands were making a slow tour of his own shoulders and chest, with particular attention paid to the nipples. From the soft gasps of delight and tiny ripples in Kato's stomach muscles, Kourt deduced that the nipples in question were highly sensitive. As Kato's hands traveled lower, so did Kourt's gaze. With a start he realized that Kato's body was almost hairless, only the faintest traces of curl evident here and there. It was also evident that Kato was well and truly aroused.

Kourt tore his eyes away from the rampant member between Kato's legs, firmly fixing his eyes on Kato's face. To his startlement, Kato was looking straight at him, watching Kourt's reactions to Kato's patient and sensual attentions. Something in that frank observation caused a heated stirring in Kourt's belly. His fingers reflexively crept towards his waistband, though whether to still those reactions or to encourage them, he did not know.

Just then the chronometer by the bed chimed the hour and brought Kourt's wandering thoughts to heel. "That's it, Vanni. Purge out. I'll have notes for you when you're sober."

"Huh?"

"Look at me," Kourt sighed. Kato obeyed, and Kourt made a short gesture with his right hand. "Purge your system of drugs."

Kato blinked, then let his eyes drift closed. When Kourt saw that Kato's breathing had begun to slow and his erection to subside, he let go a relieved sigh. *I swear, the moment he's sober, all bets are off.* A chime at the door stopped that line of thoughts dead in its tracks.

********************* Click here to see a picture of the new guy. **********************

Kourt went to the door and send out an investigative probe through the Force. He met up with the shields of a Jedi and the signature of his one-time teacher. After a few moments to steady his nerves, Kourt opened the door and let Artur Bale into the suite. "Long time," he greeted.

Bale did not choose to answer. Instead he gave a warm smile and a strong hug, then made a beeline to the suite's bar. "Council picking up the tab?" he asked, perusing the selection.

"But of course," Kourt smiled with a tiny bow.

"Then I believe I'll start with the De Siget and some strawberries. What's on the agenda?"

"Sending Kato into peril."

"He did mention something like that," Bale said, popping the cork on a rather expensive bottle of sparkling white wine. "Berries?"

Kourt pointed towards his bedroom and Bale headed in that direction. After a moment he returned, plate of strawberries in hand. "Did you know Kato's naked in there?"

Kourt nodded, hiding a sheepish smile. "Our targets have been trying to dose him with easy. We thought we should test his reaction to it, and his ability to purge it out of his system once it's in him full-force."

Bale took a seat on the sofa and poured for himself and Kourt. "I thought we were here after murderers."

"Uh, well, we were... listen, how did you get here so quickly?" Kourt took a glass and a berry.

"Well, I was just knocking around the Temple, waiting for Sarafel to stop humming to herself... she's been meditating for twenty hours straight. Sometimes I think she's more crackers than Jedi, you know? Anyway, Kato calls up, says 'peril' and 'murder' so I just hopped in the White Star to come have a little look-see." Bale took a moment to peruse the suite's layout. "Whirlpool?"

"Next to the sauna," Kourt doggedly replied. "You just... came here?"

Bale shrugged. "I figured you'd have a good room."

Kourt sipped his drink, trying to get himself back up to Bale-speed. The man, like Sarafel, was more than a little bonkers in his natural state. Sarafel at least seemed to know her sanity was finally slipping. To Kourt's knowledge, Bale had not clue one that he was losing his grip. "So, where's your luggage?"

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Bale asked, collecting his provisions and setting off for the whirlpool. "See if you can find me some chocolate."

Kourt studied Bale's clothes and could hardly decide where to begin. His thick sweater and heavy workpants were bad enough. That he had chosen to wear sandals and socks just made it worse. Giving any attempt at an explanation up as an exercise in futility, Kourt went to find some chocolate.

When he had secured the candy and delivered it to his new guest, Kourt went to check on Kato. "How's it going?"

"S'going. Did I hear Bale come in?"

"Yeah. What the hell was he doing at the Temple?" Kourt dropped back down into his chair and put his feet on the bed again.

"Probably fucking Sarafel stupid. I don't think they've seen each other in, what, almost a year now?" Kato turned over and began looking for his clothes.

"Wait, what was that? Bale and... and SARAFEL? That's just wrong," Kourt tried in vain to internalize the concept.

"Why? Somebody's got to do them. They might as well stick to folk who won't be driven crazy just from being around them," Kato reasoned.

Kourt paused to think about that. From the direction of the bath he heard something that sounded like singing, then the yodelish sounds of someone screaming underwater. "Okay, I see your point," he conceded. "So why did you call him to come up here?"

"Contingency," Kato explained, pulling on some pajama pants. "I think I'm clean. Do you want to join me for a bit of a sauna?"

Kourt shrugged and followed him, feeling that he was rapidly losing control of the situation.

***********************

Kourt had lost control of the situation.

"Well, if you really think it'd work, I guess we could try it," Kato finally agreed.

"Sure it'll work. Worked great on Sevatu and their communications system is WAY less advanced than ours," Bale assured the younger Jedi.

Kato shot Kourt a questioning glance. Kourt just shrugged.

"But, well... my mental projection has been clocked at over a mile," Kato restated.

"Sure, that's a good thing... but outside of a mile? An internal tracker is definitely called for, here," Bale poured more water over the heated rock pile and sat back, sighing. "Saved my life twice now."

"You have one?" Kourt demanded.

Bale pointed to his left hip. "About the size of a grape seed. Sarafel put mine in, oh, couple hundred years ago. Still works fine."

Kourt frowned. "You've got a transmitter permanently embedded in your body."

"Sure."

"You're bonkers." Kourt stood to exit the sauna.

"Remember that time I got picked up by slavers, and you couldn't find me?"

Kourt nodded.

"Remember how you called Sara, and she told you where I was. To the mile?"

"Yeah."

Bale pointed to his hip again.

Kourt crossed his arms. "So why don't I have one? Or Sarafel for that matter?"

"Shapeshifters can get out of tight spaces easier. Plus, having a little metal thing inside, where you're all tender... she said it got irritating pretty quickly." Bale leaned his head back. "I'm assuming she didn't want to put you through it."

"Sara's a shapeshifter too?" Kato asked.

Kourt exited the sauna a little too quickly and had to sit down while his body adjusted to the relative cool of the bathroom. A transmitter. A fucking distress beacon. What kind of idiot was he, sending a perfectly good Jedi into a situation where he would possibly need a fucking transmitter.

*Face it, Crowe. He might not be able to scream for help, once they're done with him. His mental agility went way down, once the drugs got into him.*

For a moment he considered his options. They could always set Bale up for the fall, but there was something about Bale that was just too unreliable. Unpredictable. Kourt preferred keeping him within arm's reach and out of harm's way. Now it seemed that following that preference would be seriously and completely dangerous for Kato.

*Why do I care? I've sent folk into more dangerous situations than this without so much as a twitch,* he mentally scolded himself. Just then the sauna door opened and Kato emerged, toweling himself off as he headed for a cool rinse. *Well, I suppose the answer is fairly obvious, isn't it?"

Kourt rubbed his eyes. He liked Kato. Too much. That kiss... it meant something to him, whether Kato felt the same way or not. But given the morning round of truth-telling, it would seem that Kato liked Kourt as well. Which just made the whole thing worse.

Bale came out of the sauna and bent over to whisper into Kourt's ear. "Do it my way, and you'll be able to find out."

"Find out what?" Kourt demanded.

"How far it could all go."

Kourt frowned deeper.

"If you think we didn't both notice how you were looking at him, you're only fooling yourself. Do it by the numbers, put your feelings aside and do this the right way. When you both walk away from it, you'll still have the rest of your lives ahead of you." Bale went into the shower stall, whistling an odd little tune as he went.

Kourt closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, centering himself to release his anxieties to the Force.

**********************

The Casino was even more lively at midday than it had been in the evening. Patrons of all species and planetary origins mingled, laying down money and trying their luck. Kourt followed Kato and Bale, watchful for persons he remembered from the evening before. Bale and Kato were busy being seen. Despite Bale's earlier comments regarding his wardrobe, he had dressed himself to play the part of a popular entertainer. Though until just hours before no one had ever heard of Cherato Mendubal, he was now the darling of the social glitterati.

Looks, both speculative and jealous, were directed at the effusive pair as they made their way through the crowds. Kourt was all but ignored, invisible in his role of employee and protector. As the day wore on, invitations to more private celebrations poured in. When Xander and his crew finally showed up and tendered their own offer, Kato pounced, but with a negligent air of one accustomed to such attentions. To Kourt's eye, the exchange was ripe with tension. Carefully, he examined their admiration, tracing it back to their motivations for once again focusing on the young, seemingly affluent man. What he found was less than encouraging.

Their thoughts were centered on Kato, but not upon who Kato was. In some way, through some logic path that Kourt couldn't quite fathom, they were making the connection between Kato and a Jedi presence.

He put his hands out, stilling Kato and Bale in their stroll. <<Gentlemen, they're thinking of Jedi.>>

"Well, being this close to Coruscant, what can one expect?" Bale answered Kourt's sending out loud while mixing his words to fit the ongoing conversation.

<<This can't possibly be a good thing,>> Kourt insisted.

"It's what I live for," Kato smiled at Bale.

Kourt sighed, quietly checked his weapons for the umpteenth time and continued shadowing his 'employer' on his wanderings.

Eventually the little party exited the Casino, headed for the more private, luxurious upper suites. As the party spread out, Kato and Bale were separated by pairs of hangers-on. Kourt positioned himself equally between them, all senses screaming warning. A hot mouth fastened over his, a dust-dry tongue slithering into his mouth, far too intimate and distracting. He pushed the intruder aside and glanced about him. Bale was similarly extracting himself from an embrace, but Kato was simply gone.

---

Bale exited Kourt's bedroom, his expression a mask of leashed ire.

"Why didn't you WATCH him?" Kourt demanded, throwing his jacket down on the sofa.

"That was YOUR job!" Bale testily replied. "And I WAS watching him. I was actually mindspeaking to him when --" here Bale snapped his fingers "--he was gone!"

"This is just insane. This can't be happening." Kourt stalked over to their equipment and picked up the beacon-receiver. "I don't suppose you actually planted one of those on him, did you?"

"Sure," Bale shrugged. "It only took a second."

"Um, why is this thing registering him at 30,000 feet and holding?" Kourt inquired.

Bale took the receiver from Kourt's hands and studied it for a moment. He fiddled with the dials and blinked. "This is not good."

Kourt threw his hands up in exasperation. "What are we going to do NOW?"

"Well, we have a choice. We can wait for them to come back, or we can go after them. I vote for going after them. If we go after them, we're going to need more information than what we have now. So ... let's ask him." Bale pointed towards Kourt's bedroom. "And bring your tools."

"Well of COURSE I'm bringing my tools," Kourt groused. "I just hate that I'm going to need them."

"Oh, be real. We've got us a cowardly Dug in there. This isn't going to take long at all," Bale assured the upset Master.

"It had better not. I don't think Vanni's got much time on his side. I couldn't sense him from five feet away when they snatched him. Clearly something has gone wrong with your beacon or it would be pointing straight at him. Plus, they have Jedi on their mind, and not in the casual sense." Kourt opened his kit and began checking the readiness of his implements.

"Then let's go. By the book, by the numbers. Keep your focus. Justice be done."

*************

Kato came gradually and unpleasantly awake. He was in a small, brightly lit room -- too brightly lit for comfort; the light hurt his eyes, so he closed them again. They still hurt. So did everything else. Either it was extremely cold in this room, or something was seriously wrong. Or both. He realized he was in his underwear. Oh, great.

It took him a few minutes to figure out how he'd got here. He'd been at the party, kidnapper bait, Kourt and Artur were watching him, everything was under control, then a sharp pain in the side of his neck... easy, OK, he knew how to deal with that, but there was definitely something else involved. Something that made him weak, and sweaty, and... he was trembling violently, and suddenly a wave of nausea swept over him. Oh, great. Whatever they'd mixed up in their little chem lab, he was having an incredibly nasty reaction to it.

He looked over at the door; moving his head was an adventure in vertigo. "I'm awake. You can let me out now," he called, sounding almost as bad as he felt. To his surprise, the door opened. His captor was, predictably, someone he had never seen before. *Great. Of all the luck. I've been captured by a Dug.*

The only thing more humiliating would be to fall into an Ewok's net trap.

The Dug addressed Kato, his voice the grating rasp of one who had sustained a serious throat injury. "I hope you don't have any immediate plans, pretty boy. I was hoping we could... entertain one another while I decide what you're worth."

*This can't possibly be good,* Kato decided. "I don't feel very... entertaining just now."

"We'll let me be the judge of that. You look pretty entertaining to me, especially once we get rid of that hair. Why you humans mess up a perfectly good head with all that hair, I don't know."

"Don't mess with my hair." *Oh, hells,* Kato thought. And then, *Why am I worrying about my hair, when I'm kidnapped and feeling like death itself?*

"A rich young man like yourself shouldn't leave himself so vulnerable. What will your family think when they find out what you've been up to?" The Dug paced forward and ran one finger down Kato's chest. "And what will your friends think when they see the holos of what you're ABOUT to do?"

The frankly lecherous gleam in the Dug's eyes made Kato's stomach roil. He decided not to fight the waves of nausea. Instead, he leaned a little closer to his captor and let nature take its course.

The Dug looked down at the mess, horror and disgust painting his every feature. Then anger wiped all other emotions away and he stalked out of the room, screaming orders to whoever was waiting in the corridor. *Oh skies above. Now I'm REALLY in trouble.*

*************

Kourt pulled the bedside table over toward the chair to which Artur had tied their captive. *Not captive. Subject,* Kourt reminded himself. With that mental designation, all emotions were shunted aside, all moral considerations were put neatly away and any qualm Kourt might have had about forcing information out of the being before him simply ceased to exist. He covered the table with a clean towel and began laying out his tools.

Artur came in a moment later, pulling the coffee table behind him. "Ready?"

"Definitely. You ever work on a Dug before?" Kourt asked, his tone politely conversational.

"Never had any need to," Bale admitted. "Though the files say they're a fairly basic physiology."

"Oh good. We won't have to get too exotic, then?" Kourt asked.

"Not unless he wants to be stubborn," Bale assured the younger man.

"You said he didn't respond to a mind-probe?" Kourt focused his thoughts on the subject and tested the waters himself. A firm, seemingly natural mental shielding was in place.

"As you see," Bale replied with a shrug. "Wonder if that's an individual trait, or special?"

"No idea," Kourt admitted. He stepped back to survey his subject and sighed in vexation. "Why'd you tape his mouth like that?"

"It saved on tape to go around, closing the jaw, rather than sealing the lips," Bale explained.

"Yes, but now I can't get to his tongue. Plus he couldn't talk if he wanted to."

"He assured me he didn't want to. Uh, before I taped him, that is," Bale opened one of Kourt's bags and began laying out the items in neat rows across the nightstand. "Would you please be so kind as to get my blue bag from Kato's room?"

"Sure," Kourt smiled. "Have a look at those whisker-things. I wonder if they'd bleed?"

"I know a way to find out," Bale smiled back.

Kourt noted the alarmed widening of his subject's eyes. *Fear reaction. Good.* He fetched the bag Bale had requested and began arranging the contents of it on the coffee table. "What's this?" he asked, holding up an unlabeled canister.

"Cleanser. You know how the labels always say 'keep away from eyes and mouth' ?"

"Yeah..."

"Turns out there's a reason for that," Bale smiled wickedly.

Kourt set the canister down, a newfound respect blooming in his breast. "What does it do to burns?"

"Nothing pleasant, I'm sure." Bale tossed Kourt a pair of pseudoskin gloves and they turned to study their subject.

"Wait, hold on. Lemme ask you something," Kourt said, drawing the gloves on. "Should we be doing this? I mean, it's going to be pretty painful for this guy here, and we're not supposed to use our powers to attack."

Bale frowned in thought. "Well, I suppose we could heal him afterwards."

"True," Kourt allowed. "But he'd still remember."

"I hardly think we can be held responsible for that," Bale replied. "I guess we could start with those whiskers. We'll have to untape him first, though."

Kourt picked up a pair of heavy shears and snipped the cloth tape away. He was just about to select a scalpel when the Dug cried out, "Wait! Don't! I'll tell you everything you want to know!"

Bale frowned. "Everything?"

"Anything I know, it's yours!" the subject assured them.

Kourt sniffed, studying his collection of needles for a long moment. "Let's start with what you've done with Cirra Peco and work our way out from there."

*************

Kato lay as still as he could; any movement and his stomach threatened to repeat its earlier performance, and his head spun whether he moved or not. He was soaked with sweat, and drifting in and out of consciousness. He wished someone would come in and give him something to drink, or something to wrap around himself to keep warm; he wished they'd at least clean up the mess he'd made, the part of it that hadn't landed on the Dug. He'd tried to purge whatever it was from his system, but he was just too sick to make much of an effort. He didn't feel any better than he had an hour ago, either; it didn't seem like it was going to go away on its own. He was in serious need of help.

He sighed. Chances were, Kourt and Bale were already on their way to fetch him. Chances were, he was still on Viega and in no immediate danger. He could sense a life-filled biosphere around him, so at least he wasn't being held captive on a ship in deep space. The problem was, even if he did escape he wouldn't have anywhere to go or any way of getting there. Add to that the fact that just getting up felt like an incredibly bad idea, and he'd just as soon wait to be rescued, thank you very much.

Of course, that meant doing his damnedest to stay alive. His captor had not returned, but Kato was fairly certain this Dug hadn't kidnapped a 'young, wealthy citizen' just to keep him stowed in a closet. There were no questions, no demands, no way of telling if he was to be ransomed or killed or anything, really. That was, to say the least, troubling. Then there were the Dug's implications that Kato might be subjected to blackmail of some sort. There was a clear lecherous intent on the part of that being, but to what other use Kato might be put, the Jedi was hard-pressed to imagine, particularly in his current condition.

Nothing was making much sense, so Kato tucked into Cradled Childe pose and reached into the Force, seeking calm, energy and a solid center from which to work. With things as they were, he was in a state of inertia. His only option was to wait for an outside entity to act upon him.

*************

Kourt stomped out of the bedroom shedding clothes as he went.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Bale demanded, wiping his hands on a towel as he followed the younger Jedi.

"Going to save the fuckin' day," Kourt growled.

"Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? Because after the list of security measures I just heard, I don't think I'd be moving so fast to do that," Bale mentioned.

"Yeah, I heard. So what? They're guarding against transports and organized government assault. WE could get in and out, easy." Kourt dumped one of his bags out on the bed and began digging for his leather pants.

"Assuming we could even get there, which we can't without a ship. I mean, last time I checked that was the only way to approach a craft hovering several thousand feet above the lunar surface." Bale went to the bar to pour himself a drink. "Which I rather suppose is the point."

"Yeah, well, too bad. I have a job to do. You get on the comm and get the Guard moving to take the craft once it clears orbit. They'll probably bolt once they figure out what happened. Gimme enough time to get there and back before you move on them." Kourt buckled his belt on, stepped into his boots and pulled the tie out of his hair. "Hand me Kato's saber."

Bale complied, saying "Fine. Whatever. At this point, you're too pissed to make any sense. Aren't you going to need a shirt?"

"You're right. And no." Kourt stalked out onto the balcony, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He stepped his feet about shoulder-width apart and raised his hands above his head, palms inward.

"Is this going to be disgusting?" Bale asked.

"You're hardly one to claim a weak stomach," Kourt smirked, then turned his focus inward. A shift had to be done carefully or... Bad Things could happen. Especially if it was a shift that hadn't been accomplished in some time. First, he let his ribcage expand somewhat, altering the dynamics of his upper body. Then, relaxing muscles that he had kept tensed for so long that he rarely noticed them, he let what passed for his shoulder blades begin to expand. He opened his eyes to check his progress in the mirror opposite the balcony. Finding it acceptable, he closed his eyes again and drew his hair in and down, just so, altering the follicles' form, substance and use while pulling in mass from other parts of his body. A few moments later and he rolled his shoulders, adjusting himself to the new distribution of weight along his back.

*Gravity's pulling the wrong way,* he noted, and turned towards the balcony's edge. He gripped the edge and drew himself up into a handstand, stretching himself in a way he hadn't attempted in several decades. The skin on his back stretched and protested, then finally adjusted to what he desired. With that taken care of, he returned to a normal, standing position. Bale had come to join him on the balcony. The elder assassin stood with head cocked to one side, a half-curious, half-nauseous expression waging war upon his countenance.

Kourt put that out of his mind and shook himself one more time, hooked his fingers on his belt, and took a relaxing breath. Then, with a howl fit to shatter the sky, he effected the final shift. When the cry had faded, taking the echoes of pain with it, Kourt Crowe stood proudly, a mantle of black feathers cloaking him against the night sky.

He flapped his wings a couple of times, experimenting with their motion, re-familiarizing himself with their use and adjusting his own internal balance. The pure black of the feathers were as immutable as the green of his eyes. His feathers were always black, no matter what he tried. After decades of consideration, he'd finally decided he rather liked the effect. He could only hope that Kato would come to a similar conclusion. "I'll be back in a couple hours," he told Bale.

"See that you are," the elder Jedi said, shaking his head with indulgent consternation. "Force be with you."

---

Kourt stretched his senses ahead of him, reaching for the beacon of energy that meant 'Kato' in the Force. The air around him was thin and cold, almost too thin to support him. In his haste to reach his partner, he'd climbed high far too fast, precipitating the need to increase his lung capacity as he went. That extra shift had cost him energy which he was trying to replace from the reservoir of the living Force. Unfortunately, that was a skill that had never come easily to him. He felt stretched, thinned out to near-insubstantiality, his desire to rescue Kato the only firm anchor at the center of his being.

*You've lost your mind, Kourt-o. You should have waited for help,* he mentally berated himself. And yet he knew it was not so. Something strong, something needful was moving him along this course of action. Something undeniable as the winds around him.

==Kourt?==

<<Vanni! Thank the skies above! Are you okay?>>

==I'm... hanging on... got to get out of here. Where are you?==

<<Approaching from the south as fast as I can.>>

==Where's Bale?==

<<Organizing the local authorities.>>

==You're coming ALONE?==

<<No one else could have done what I'm doing,>> Kourt replied, hoping the younger Jedi wouldn't demand an explanation. <<What can you tell me about your location?>>

==I'm on a ship, I think... about ten feet away from the hull. No windows, only one door, but I can feel where the ship ends,== Kato explained. ==What's the plan?==

<<I'm following your signature to your location. I've got your saber in case we have to fight our way out. Are you up to that?>>

==Uh... I think so. There are... about four or five guards outside.==

<<I'll handle that. I'm probably gonna have to cut my way to you, so be prepared for anything. Oh, and... I look a little... different.>>

==Don't worry about it. I'm kind of a mess, myself.==

Kourt let go his touch on Kato's mind and turned his concentration towards the ship he could see just on the horizon. It was not so much a ship as a floating compound. It seemed to be about the size of a large house, but more heavily armed and less subject to gravity. *Rich boy's playhouse,* Kourt assessed. An extra burst of speed brought him close enough to begin a better scan of the area. A few moments later he had located Kato within the structure. He found a long row of windows on the proper deck and peered inside, looking for occupants. The room seemed deserted, so he drew his lightsaber and cut his way through.

The sudden shift in air pressure caused a violent reaction before it equalized. Unfortunately, it also set off alarms within the ship in the form of a rather loud claxon. Kourt put that consideration from his mind and gripped the windowsill. He carefully folded his wings close to his back and swung into the observation room.

The door was not locked, but when he opened it he came face-to-face with three crewmembers. One yelped and ran. The other two drew blasters. Three seconds later and they lay still upon the deck. Kourt focused on Kato once again and hurried down the corridor.

He came to a T-junction and turned left, directly into the path of Kato's guard detail. Five in all, each with a blaster drawn to attack. Kourt drew back for a half-breath, then launched himself through the beings, cutting weapons to bits nearly before they could use them. A flare of pain in his left thigh warned him that he had been hit before he damped the reaction down. Though disarmed, the guards did not back off, but rather attacked him with their bare hands. Kourt ducked under one, ran a second through and force-shoved the remaining against the bulkhead before racing past to the door they had been guarding.

Kourt's black blade disappeared into the plasteel, superheating it until it ran red and dangerous. The heat radiating from the metal singed his fingers, but he did not draw back until the door was cut away. One hard kick to the center and it flew inwards. "Kato! Come on! Let's get out of here!"

The younger Jedi was lying on his side, shivering; there was a greenish cast to his skin that Kourt didn't like the look of. His hair was lank with sweat, and when he turned to look up at Kourt, his pupils were extremely dilated. Kourt reached for his hand to help him up; he stood unsteadily, but immediately retrieved his saber from Kourt's belt. They turned back the way Kourt had come, only to discover that reinforcements had arrived.

Blaster-fire flew thick in the small corridor. Kourt was hard-pressed to defend himself and his prize, hampered as they were by Kato's difficulty in remaining upright. With an effort, Kourt reached through the Force and into Kato's mind, triggering fight-or-flight responses that dumped adrenaline into his bloodstream. A moment later and Kato's responses were up from 'sluggish' to 'survival' and together they cut a swath through their attackers.

In their battle-fervor they almost missed their turn. Kourt recognized it just in time, yanking Kato into the correct observation room and towards the open window.

"Where's your ship?" Kato demanded.

"Didn't bring one," Kourt replied, stepping up onto the windowsill. He held his arms out. "JUMP!"

To Kato's credit, he didn't hesitate to obey; he was too weak to make it all the way, but he made a game try, and Kourt got him the rest of the way with a Force pull. Kourt gripped him with arms and the Force, saying "Wrap your legs around my waist." Skies, but the younger Jedi felt hot; he must be running a fever.

Just then a fresh burst of blaster shots caught up to them. With no time to explain, Kourt fell out of the window, letting his wings snap out above them.

"Oh FUCK!" Kato yelled. "Where'd you get those?"

"I keep them with me," Kourt laughed. "Never know when they'll come in useful."

"I'm not sure I can hang on," Kato admitted, the effects of an adrenaline crash already showing in the trembling of his limbs.

"Oh, skies, okay, just relax. I've got you," Kourt wrapped his arms more firmly around the younger man and strengthened his hold with the Force. Not much, but it would have to do.

The guards were still firing upon them as they flew away. Kourt engaged in evasive maneuvers, losing altitude as quickly as he could so as to prevent Kato suffocating. "I just hope they don't send fighters after us."

Kato frowned up at him. "I think I could defend, if I needed to. Not that I want to test the theory."

"Me either. Just hang on. I'll get us out of here as fast as we can," Kourt assured him.

Kato obeyed, saying no more until the lights of their hotel were below them. It took Kourt a few tries to locate the correct balcony. When he finally succeeded, he set down with a sigh of relief. Once they were safe on the ground, Kourt collapsed into a sweaty, exhausted heap, taking Kato with him.

Bale sauntered out of the suite, a large glass of water in one hand. "So. How did it go?"

"How do you think?" Kourt growled. "Vanni's sick, says he's having a reaction to the drugs. Blankets, fluids..."

"Full-scale medical, rest, I know," Bale asserted, handing Kourt the water. "What about you?"

"Leave me alone. I need to sleep."

"Are you going to do that here, or would you like a bed?" Bale nudged him with the toe of his boot.

"Vanni first."

"How about both of you together?" Bale knelt down to help the fallen pair up, supporting them with the Force and guiding them towards Kato's bedroom.

"Is that Dug still talking?" Kourt inquired.

"Yeah. It's a pretty interesting story, but I doubt you want to hear it right now," Bale replied, hoisting Kato up off the balcony tiles.

"Later. Sleep." Kourt fell onto the bed and closed his eyes, finally acknowledging the hell he'd just put his body through. A bone-deep weariness washed over him. All other options being absent, he sank into an exhausted sleep.

*************

The next day Kourt still lay on the bed resting up from his excursion. Kourt had been afforded the leisure to shift his wings away in a less hectic situation, a luxury he was most grateful for, all things considered. He and Kato had also been working with the Guard, deciding who was responsible for what and when. The story was pathetically simple, totally unworthy of a Jedi presence, and yet Kourt couldn't really complain. He glanced sideways, stealing a peek at Kato, who was also taking the opportunity to slack. No, Kourt couldn't really complain about this assignment at all.

The collection of thugs who had been so foolish as to mistakenly kidnap a Jedi knight were under the employ of a deeply misguided political faction of the Secog sector. Their tactics had lost them their place in the Republic, a loss that they had not taken with much grace. Their 'grand plan' had been to attract the attention of the Jedi, whom they believed would help them regain their Senate seat. Their method had been, if nothing else, creative. They had set about bodysnatching and blackmailing members of wealthy families. Once they had control of enough 'central figures', they had intended to use them as proxies to the Jedi. Their methods had been shoddy to say the least, in that most families simply did not have the power the Secogians assumed they did. On top of that, the Secogians had brought about the death of no less than five Republic citizens. All things considered, things looked very bad for all concerned.

Kourt sighed. "I just don't understand people," he said, turning to Kato. "What possessed their tiny little minds?"

Kato shrugged with one shoulder. "Some people will go to any lengths to avoid playing by the rules."

"It's all so SENSELESS," Kourt protested. "Five citizens dead, a dozen of their own people lost when I came to get you, and for what? They never worked within Republic law when they were members. What could they have hoped to gain?"

"It's a pride thing," Kato replied. "Being thrown out of the Republic made them very small fish in a rather large pond. Likely their system will be under the control of gangsters and pirates within a decade. I guess, facing that, this scheme might have seemed marginally viable."

Kourt sighed and stretched. "I guess we should talk about..."

"My big confession?"

"Yeah."

"Not much to say, is there? I like you. A lot. I can't take that back, now that it's said."

Kourt let his fingers creep across the sheets until they ran up against Kato's hand. "I like you, too."

"Good."

Kourt was rather surprised to be suddenly pinned under the warm weight of Kato's body. "You wanna?"

Kourt was so surprised he laughed outright. "Just like that?"

"Sure. Why not? We're out here by ourselves, no one's going to bother us for hours yet, and I even have lube," he proudly replied.

"A bit self-confident, aren't we?" Kourt arched an eyebrow.

"Well, I figured we were heading in this direction anyway. Might as well cut to the chase," Kato shrugged.

Kourt closed his eyes in careful consideration. "I don't really do casual sex with fellow Jedi."

"Me either. I'm not talking one-night stand, here. I mean, hold the wedding, please, but... I'd like to see where this could go. We work well together. Why not just try it out?" Kato leaned down until their noses touched. "I'm very good company when I try."

And with no further warning, Kato took Kourt's lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Kourt groaned, overcome by the enticing flavor of Kato's mouth. A warm blend of vanilla and desire, their kiss conveyed a sense of both craving and comfort. When finally they broke apart, Kourt was filled with longing and conflict. "Wait, wait... Vanni, you must understand. I'm not like other men. I'm not really a man at all..."

Kato shushed him with another kiss. "I don't want other men. I want you."

"Oh good," Kourt managed. "Just don't be surprised if things are a little... different."

Kato smirked down at him. "If those wings didn't scare me away, I don't think anything else will, either."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Take it as you will," the younger Jedi replied, then pre-empted any further conversation with another of his patented, breath-stealing kisses.

Kourt slid his hands up Kato's back, exploring the flex and relax of the muscles there. With one hand he pulled Kato's hips more firmly against his own. With the other hand he reached to free Kato's hair from its tie. The thick, nearly white-blond fall cascaded down around Kourt's face, filling his nostrils with the scent of Kato.

Kato sat up, shifting himself just far enough to work on Kourt's pants. The button fly came open under his nimble fingers and Kourt lifted his hips so that he could be more easily stripped.

"Um," Kato said.

"I told you, I'm different," Kourt said, explaining the very obvious flaccidity that had caused Kato's dubious reaction. Instead of explaining further, Kourt reached for Kato's pants.

"Yeah, but..."

"Would you just give an alien a chance? I need a working model," Kourt smiled, pulling Kato's pants off with a little more haste than was strictly necessary. "Ah. This will do nicely."

Kato laughed. "Don't tell me this is how you learn to take on new forms!"

Kourt shrugged. "It's easier if I have an example to work from. Then I know what's considered normal and acceptable."

"Fine," Kato said, lying back. "But I reserve the right to edit."

"Of course," Kourt readily agreed. "I want you to have what you like."

"Tell me what it is you're doing," Kato requested.

Kourt blinked. "Do you really want to know? It has been a while since anyone asked."

"Why? Is it really weird?"

"Not to me. For everyone else? The jury's still out on that. But if you really want to know..." Kourt took Kato's hand and placed it between his navel and the base of his penis. "Feel that?"

Kato nodded, stroking what felt like a long ridge of muscle. He was interested to note that Kourt shuddered at the gentle touch, his mouth going slack with pleasure.

"Okay," Kourt breathed, regaining control of himself. "That's my gurden, my sex organs. And if I flex like so --" here Kourt's lower abdomen undulated -- "It all moves downward, where it would be most useful."

Kato watched with interest as Kourt's body re-arranged itself for the occasion. The final product was not an exact replica of Kato's own member, but the resemblance was easy to spot. "That has got to be the coolest thing I've ever seen."

"I've always been fond of it," Kourt admitted.

"I bet you have," Kato smiled. "Now then. It is obviously my duty to appreciate the effect to its fullest. Therefore..." Kato rolled back on top of Kourt and claimed his mouth in an animated and deeply arousing kiss. After a long moment, Kato's mouth began to more fully explore Kourt's body, savoring the salty-sharp tang of skin, the warm softness of his throat, and the surprising lack of a pulse. "No heartbeat?" Kato whispered.

"Not where you'd think to look for it," Kourt admitted. "And the blood's a little... different."

"How about other... fluids?"

"Now that I do have," Kourt smiled. "But again, there are variations on the theme."

"Really? Well, in the interests of xenobiologists everywhere, I feel I should do a little research on the subject," Kato replied, taking his attentions lower.

Kourt gasped as sharp teeth nipped and worried at one nipple, then sighed as lips and tongue soothed the other. Soft, baby-fine hair draped over Kourt's chest, a teasing, slithering presence that drew breathy laughter as it tickled his sensitive skin.

"I'm glad to see those work," Kato murmured, beginning a slow, meandering descent towards Kourt's navel. He dipped his tongue in, noticed the lack of reaction, and continued lower. "How about these?"

Kourt bucked once, then settled into a long series of undulations and groans as Kato licked and suckled his scrotum. Kato held Kourt's hips still as he lapped a filigree path up his cock and tasted of the heated tip. Kato then took a deep breath and plunged downwards, swallowing Kourt's cock to the root.

Kourt's hands fisted into the sheets as he struggled not to thrust into the hot, wet embrace of Kato's kiss. His breath hitched and rasped in his throat as Kato began to slowly draw back up to the head of his shaft, only to become a moan as Kato swallowed him once more. He was grateful for the strong hands that anchored him to the bed, preventing him from ravaging the sweet mouth as it pleasured him. He was quite sure such control was beyond him.

When Kato finally released him, Kourt twisted his hands into Kato's hair and drew him up for a long, deep kiss. Now Kourt's own syrupy flavor blended with Kato's natural taste, a combination that quite enthralled him. "How would you have me, Vanni?"

"I want inside of you," Kato growled.

"Oh, yes," Kourt sighed. "Just give me a moment."

Kourt made the necessary internal adjustments, then turned over onto his stomach, drawing one knee up to his chest. Kato was immediately upon him, teeth marking a path from neck to shoulder as he pressed close to Kourt's back. Kato's hands stroked gently along Kourt's arms until their fingers entwined and their joined hands made a pillow for his head. Kourt pressed his hips back at the same time he reached out with a tendril of the Force and guided Kato's cock to the ready opening.

Kato's breathing became more uneven as he slid gently forward, luxuriating at the divine sensation of Kourt's body making way for his claiming. They lay together, Kato buried deeply inside of Kourt, each of them near vibrating with the sense of connection and completion that resonated between them.

<<Do you feel...>>

==Oh yes... more...==

<<More, now, please...>>

Kato began to thrust, at first slow and gentle then with increasing strength as Kourt arched up to meet him. Perspiration slid down Kato's chest, pooled along Kourt's spine and made salty the hard, sucking kisses Kato marked on Kourt's back. Kourt shifted up onto his knees, subtly changing the angle of Kato's entry, drawing twin moans from them both as he did so.

Kato pulled Kourt's hand downward, grasping Kourt's straining shaft in their joined fingers. They stroked Kourt's turgid flesh in rhythmic counterpoint to Kato's thrusting, thereby prolonging their pleasure, drawing sensation out to a fever pitch.

Kourt turned his head, whispering "Vanni, Vanni..." Kato leaned forward, plunging his cock even deeper as their mouths met, sparking their climaxes within seconds of each other. They came, swallowing each other's moans and sighs.

When they were again capable of independent thought, Kourt turned onto his back and pulled Kato into his arms. "So."

"Yeah," Kato agreed.

"The Council wants me to take a work partner."

Kato smiled as he leaned up to place a kiss on Kourt's cheek. "Well, I guess it looks like I'm your man."

---

-end-

---

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