Star Wars - Love is a Warm Blaster - Unpublished Read Online Free

finger would stay slid into the armed position.
    Time would tick down quickly and Daniera would hold her breath and prepare to get acquainted with her long-gone ancestors, but then the deactivation would come within what she was sure was the last fraction of a microsecond.
    If that wasn’t bad enough, Mah-Luu had a tendency to giggle at inopportune times, such as when no one had made a joke. Daniera hoped the Ubese had a malfunction in his vocalizer that was causing the outbursts. Either way, from what she had seen so far, “Thermal” Mah-Luu was altogether not the sort of being you would ever want holding a thermal detonator under any circumstances, except possibly if you happened to be really far, far away… as in the next galaxy.

    Actually, Daniera wasn’t sure what bothered her more, the thermal detonator or the fact that Love didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by its presence.
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    Love held up the Darth Vader figurine.
    Mah-Luu merely shrugged. “Plenty of guests keep souvenirs. I can hardly be expected to recall every being who crosses the threshold of my fine establishment.”
    “Why not?” Love demanded to know. “You probably have vid cameras rolling 36 hours a day for future blackmail purposes.”
    “You wound me,” Mah-Luu said, switching on the detonator. “Come now, you know I cannot reveal the membership of my club under any circumstances. That’s bad business. And my sort of bad business is only good for getting you dead.” He started giggling, then switched off the device. Just as abruptly, he re-activated the timer. “Not to mention, I have certain ethical responsibilities as the owner of this establishment. A bond with my customers. One of trust and mutual confidence that what occurs within these walls never sees the harshly judgmental light of day.” When he finished his soliloquy, the detonator was returned to standby mode.
    “I already know that the being in question had a membership. I even know why. I could smell the cheap perfume from one of your girls all over him.”
    Daniera’s eyes widened, but she remained silent.
    Mah-Luu leaned his bulk forward. The detonator was switched on… “Then why, pray tell, are you here, Love?”
    “I want to see the girl.”
    “It’ll cost you just like everyone else.”
    “Fine.” Love reached into a pocket.
    The Ubese’s finger hovered anxiously over the still-active trigger.
    Love held up a cred stick.
    The detonator switched off. Mah-Luu held out a corpulent hand for the stick and carefully studied the amount held inside. His giggle broke the silence.
    On went the detonator. Away went Daniera’s breath.
    Love locked eyes with Mah-Luu and a noiseless test of wills seemed to stretch on for too many seconds.
    Off went the detonator. “Who?”
    “Senator Luralon Odaay.”
    “Ah, yes. The Turian.” Mah-Luu touched a recessed button under his desk and the door swung open. “Thermal” gave a high-pitched giggle. “He just loved Induki.”
    “I bet he did.”
    The cred stick vanished out of sight, but the Ubese still played with the detonator.
    Love walked to the door, shadowed by Daniera. “So much for those pesky ethics,” he said.
    “I have to hand it you, Love. You are still pretty good at what you do… for your age, that is.”
    Love glared at him. “Is this the part where you give me the recruitment speech?” Mah-Luu giggled at that. “You? Hah! I’d as soon hire a Luudrian lockjaw. At least when its eyes turned red, I’d know it was going to turn on me. I doubt you come with any similar safety features.” The Ubese focused his gaze on Daniera. “Your companion doesn’t say much… I like that in a female.” The Ubese leered at her. “What do you say, sweetmeat? Looking for a job?”
    Already annoyed at having had to play the subservient mute, Daniera strode back to the desk and pointed her hold-out right at Mah-Luu’s head. “Are you looking for a third eye?”
    The