Unedited/ first draft

I kept staring at him, my fingers on my chin as I considered my options.

In the meanwhile Kror was sitting on the floor, his legs crossed and his head down, showing his submission. But from time to time I caught him sneaking glances at me, a fearful look on his hairy face as he tried to guess my mood. He was like a big whipped dog waiting for his master to pat his head, tell him everything was alright.

Since I wasn't feeling particularly forgiving at the moment, I left him to stew for a while longer.

"Did you complete your assignment?" I asked at the end and immediately regretted my words.

I always forgot I had to ask very simple questions. You see, I'm quite educated; I speak several languages, and I know the history, customs, and traditions of various civilizations. I suppose this is one few advantages of the Jedi's instruction. Not that it did any good in Kror's case.

But this time he surprised me.

"Don't worry, everything is in position." His response was unexpectedly articulate considering he had the brain of a pigeon.

Maybe there was still hope for him, or he just stopped thinking with his nether region and started using his head for a change. Personally, I liked to believe he finally understood that the little girl before him was a devil in disguise. Pretending to be the innocent padawan is good and all, but it gets tiring when no one recognizes my greatness.

"Where is the device?" I asked, pleased my first apprentice wasn't a complete failure.

"Here" He said, and he handed me a box, rectangular and so small it could fit in the palm of my hand.

"Your master doesn't suspect anything, right?"

He shook his head. I thought everything was on the right track when I heard his next words.

"He wasn't there." 

"He wasn't there?" I repeated, dumbfounded.

He shook his head again.

"And where was he?" I said through gritted teeth.

Kror blinked those small brown eyes as he answered with a curt "Out."

I started counting. I learned more about patience in four months with Kror than in the thirteen years I spent listening to the Jedi's endless nonsense.

"Out where?"

"Beastmaster's business. They are making trouble again."

I understood what he meant at once. That was another thing about being a Jedi I didn't like; playing the peacemaker, especially when you can't use your lightsaber or any form of aggressive negotiations.

"Where is he?"

"Ehm, in the jungle? " He asked innocently.

"The entire planet is a jungle. Can you be more precise?" I smiled, all sugar and honey, and Kror smiled back, mesmerized and completely unaware I was imagining how to use his guts to make some pretty origami. "Think, Kror. Where is he exactly?"

Kror scratched his head like he was thinking very hard about it. At some point, a light bulb came on in his head and he opened his eyes wide.

"The Tanzai jungle! Master said there was trouble among the beastmasters'...frictions, no fractions?"

And no, he didn't talk this way. I'm translating, you would never understand otherwise. He slurred, skipped words or worse invented new ones.

He gesticulated---which for Kolvar meant swinging his huge fists in the air---probably thinking he could make himself understood if he used gestures.

Luckily, I was a fine linguist, I could understand the sign language and that primitive gibberish mixed with a bit of galactic basic.

"Factions" I supplied.

"That!" He exclaimed and clapped his hands, looking at me with open admiration like I was some sort of genius. "They fight for animals. Or it is over animals?" He tilted his head and looked at me like he didn't know the word and he was waiting for me to explain it to him.

"A hunting dispute" I translated.

Kror nodded eagerly, twice like he was really glad I could understand him.

"And first master" Which was the name he gave to his Jedi master. "wants them to make peace and be friends." He finished, wiping the sweat from his head like the conversation tired him enormously.

For sure it tired me. Still, I ascertained it was like I thought. His master was meddling in someone else business, a popular hobby for a Jedi. But there was still something I couldn't understand...

"Just so I know, since when did you know he would be out today?" I asked, and though Kror was dumb as a stick horse, he stiffened.

Maybe it was thanks to his sharp animal instincts or his dull Jedi senses; anyway, he picked up something was very wrong. Of course, the fact the metal of the walls started to bend and twist like soft clay as I unleashed my anger was quite the clue.

"I-i..." He stuttered and seemed to shrink before me, which was a bit comical since he was at least a feet taller, twice larger and two hundred pounds heavier than me.

"When?!" I shouted, unable to calm myself when I thought this dumb animal, no, this amoeba risked to ruin everything I built in the last five years. I wasn't even doing it on purpose when I flattened him, his back against the floor as my anger seemed to take corporeal form.

"L-ast week." He wheezed, his voice shaking while something big and heavy like a boulder kept pushing him down.

"And when will he come back?" I asked, calming down a bit and reducing the pressure on Kror.

My genius apprentice shook his head. It was a bit reluctant to talk at first, but when that pressure came back, crushing him like a bug, he caved in.

"I don't know." He said, and I believed him.

Kror was too stupid to lie. Besides, even if I was still convinced my plan was perfect, I also knew this was my fault. I didn't take his master's variable into consideration. I should have used some of my goons to watch his every move, though there was a pretty good reason if I didn't. Whatever I say about them, even I have to admit that Jedi have keen senses. Kror's master, in particular, would have noticed if someone tailed him in the middle of the jungle. That's why I left him alone, and that's why I was in this situation.

It was a case, and right then I still didn't like cases. If something went wrong, it was because I failed to predict it. I had been sloppy, but this didn't mean I had no way to solve the situation.

But before that, I had to deal with another, more pressing matter. I stared at Kror. He was panting loudly, catching his breath as the pressure around him disappeared.

"Kror, do you remember what happens tonight?" I asked him. My voice was calm, and my demeanor placid like nothing happened, as if I was the same Alora Kismet he came to know in the last months.

"I-t's the day of your promotion to Jedi Knight."He answered. His voice was a little shaky but he managed to complete the entire sentence without mangling the language. I was impressed.

"So you remember. Then, why didn't you tell me about your master?" I asked though I was pretty sure I wouldn't receive an answer.

Kror was at loss of words like he really didn't know what the problem was. I thought about removing this thorn from my side immediately, well aware he would become a liability sooner or later.

But at the end, I decided otherwise.

Kror's connection to the force was pathetically low, but the pure brutality of six-five feet Gotal armed with a double-bladed lightsaber shouldn't be underestimated. Otherwise, I wouldn't have paid thousands of credits to my Quarrens friends to smuggle a valuable durasteel heavy armor specifically made for someone of his size.

Maybe it was because I spent half of my life undercover, pretending to be someone I wasn't, but I always had to use every resource I had at my disposal. That's why I hated waste. Even a blunt instrument like Kror had his purpose. Besides, he could be a useful tool if managed correctly. But now that push came to shove, I hesitated.

He behaved like an animal and had the intelligence of a five years old---a dumb five years old.

However, if I asked him to do what I had in mind and he actually succeeded, I risked unleashing something I may not be able to control. Still, I always liked a good gamble, especially when I could hack the game.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Kror." I said and pouted, using my best sexy voice to test a theory.

Somebody said to me that animals have short memories. I didn't know if it was true, but if it wasn't, Kror's Ippocampus must have been completely necrotic. When he opened her eyes wide, I batted my eyelashes, making one, two, then three steps forward until I was face to face with him. He looked feverish, so rapt by my body he completely forgot what happened just a few moments ago.

"I planned this for so long, but now what do you have done, Kror?" I said, my index finger brushing against his jaw.

"I fix it" He said, his voice hoarse and deep.

"How?" I asked ignoring that lust-filled gaze of his as I was quite used to it. Besides, this was exactly what I wanted.

"I'll do whatever you want." He said, and I knew I had him.

"Then, go find your master...your first master" I clarified since I didn't want to confuse his little and feeble mind. "and..."

"And?"

"And kill him" I whispered in his ear.

Kror seemed to stiffen a bit, but he didn't back away.

"And when you do, I'll give you what you desired for so long." I said, my finger going down as I started opening my shirt. "For as long as you want it."

I kept unbuttoning it very slowly, button after button until he could see my black bra underneath it. Then I stopped, well aware he watched everything. I could feel Kror breathing heavily, a primal look in his brown eyes as he stared at me like he wanted to eat me whole.

At that moment I knew he would do everything, even kill the old fart who raised him to have me. He made a step forward, clearly unable to control his bestial urges anymore.

"Not yet" I said, shaking my finger, a coquettish smile on my face. "First do what I asked. Then..."I trailed off before winking at him.

Then I took a risk and turned my back on him, fairly sure he wouldn't pounce on me like a starved beast after what happened earlier. Then again, I could have been wrong.

Luckily, I wasn't.

I heard him panting heavily, the noise of his heavy steps fading away when he left the room. Only then I turned and took out my comlink.

"Mrixx"

"What's your order?" Mrixx Jol, my Trandoshan hunter, hissed.

"Assemble your squad. Kror is going to the Tanzai's jungle. You have to follow him." I paused. "But keep your distance. The beast has keen senses."

"Like a wookie." I heard another, longer hiss. He was looking forward to hunting him. I could feel it.

"I gave him a mission." I warned. "He has to kill his master."

"Then, Kror will die." Mrixx was quite sure of it, but I had to agree with him. That was the most likely outcome.

"If he fails, you'll hunt his master, but if he succeeds..." I licked my lips. "you'll hunt him."

"You honor me." He said, and the call ended.

But I wasn't done with my preparations. After all, every good backup plan needs a great backup plan. Besides, my best weapon wasn't on the planet but over it, placed in a geostationary orbit.

"A2 S3."

"Mistress." A2 S3 robotic voice resounded in my ears.

"You have a new mission."

"Parameters, mistress?"

"We have to change target. Aim our weapons at the Tanzai jungle for the orbital strike. Wide range. I want both ion cannons and turbolasers on it."

"It's my duty to warn you this will affect the masterplan, mistress."

"I'm well aware of that A2 S3." I answered, my irritation leaking into my voice.

A pity A2 S3 couldn't read the mood.

"What about Iziz, mistress? Moving the target at this stage will leave our troops in the city vulnerable..."

"Onderon's defenses are pathetic. The only danger is the Jedi, and I'll deal with them. Personally."

"Acknowledged mistress."

I closed the call, wrinkling my nose as Kror's fetid stench hit my nostrils. It was quite a while since he'd left, but that smell was still lingering in the room. Apparently, I needed a shower...and deodorant, a lot of it. But first I had to attend a meeting. No, they were two actually, and I was late for both.