Scipio
“…listen, ma'am, I…uh.”
The security officer looked helplessly to his partner, who seemed no less flummoxed with what to do about the situation.
“Don’t you ‘listen, ma'am’ me, Mister, I didn’t come all this way nor file with the Banking Clan’s attorneys to be patronized and discriminated against–”
“Now hold on, I’m not discriminating–”
“He didn’t mean–”
“You asked if I was really pregnant!” shouted the Miraluka woman, drawing several looks from customers and workers alike milling about the lobby. The receptionist was looking anywhere else, as though grateful this had become her coworkers’ problem before it had become hers. “What next? Are you going to ask if I’m actually blind? If it happened while I was on my back or on my hands and knees? Demand video? Demand to touch me?”
“NO!”
“That’s– no no no!”
Both officers were visibly frazzled now.
“So you just don’t believe me, what, because you know Hukan so well and he’d never do something like run out on a woman carrying his child?”
“I uh, he just works here, I don’t know the guy that well–”
“He didn’t hold the elevator for me once, actually.”
“–Yes well he’s a prick and clearly I’m an idiot for believing him.”
“Now don’t say that about yourself…”
“YOU ASKED IF I WAS REALLY PREGNANT WITH HIS BABY!”
“I’M SORRY I JUST THOUGHT– YOUR OTHER KID IS FUZZY OKAY?”
-
A wild gesture went to the hoverstroller the heavily pregnant Miraluka had pushed in to the apartment lobby of this particular grand financial institution. Everything was expensive and respectable…except maybe the inhabitants. In the stroller, a fuzzy white creature with a bib sucked on a pacifier, tiny black-red eyes staring out at the world.
“Oh, so my first son, who is MINE, thank you, doesn’t look like a bloody Muun, and so I’m lying? I can’t have sex with more than one man in my life?”
“That’s really not what I meant okay it was just obvious–”
“Kirl, shut up,” hissed his fellow.
“No no, let Kirl talk, clearly he has opinions about a Miraluka and a Wookiee, or a Miraluka and a Muun, you think my stomach would be this big if there wasn’t some big head in there?”
“I–sure?” Kirl clearly didn’t know the safe answer by now and just wheezed.
“Well it wouldn’t be, since you’re such an expert on pregnancies to know if they’re real or not on sight! Why don’t you get out a bloody speculum and we’ll go digging for PROOF!”
“Miss,” finally interrupted one clerk, who’d been watching but now seemed to actually have to do their job, “the officers are just attempting to protect our clients and the building. I apologize for your experience. Please, can we speak about this and come to a resolution?”
“I told your receptionist, I’m here to see Hukan. He wants to dodge child support, he’s got another thing coming, and I’ve already told the Clans I’ll be filing an injunction from Alpherirides. They actually respect the agreement, so someone here needs to let me up the elevator to his office so I can serve these papers myself before I go into labor on the damn floor!”
“I…look, let me make a call, and we’ll get you settled?”
In short enough order, the Miraluka was hastened into a lift, and if her knuckles went white under her gloves as she gripped the stroller, it was only her ‘son’ who was any the wiser, easily able to sense her deep terror.
- The Miraluka smiled brightly, forcibly, and said telepathically in case of any recording devices around them as they rode up, I think that went well, don’t you? I was worried when I started throwing out random legalese but most people get quite in a tiffy about hysterics and pregnancies.
“Bub,” said Bub aloud.
Bub laid back in the stroller, content for the most part. He had his bottle, his snacks, a strange spinning device above him that someone had informed him was called a ‘mobile’ with X-Wings chasing TIE Fighters that spun in the breeze. The erratic blindfolded tall female stood above him, putting on her best act of, as a native of Endor knew, the beast known as the ‘Karenous’ to force their entry past armed men. It had taken some convincing to get Bub Bub to go along with the plan of a live capture, though much less to get him in to the stroller itself. His little fluffy feet kicked a bit under the blanket as he yawned and stretched inside the stroller…every mighty hunter knew that you should take and enjoy rest when it was available to you, after all.
“Bub,” he repeated ,nodding knowingly, adding to the conversation.
Right you are, Bub, replied Atyiru mentally, and finally stepped off the lift with her compatriot in tow at the appropriate level as the doors opened, having listened for the number of dings.
Another receptionist awaited, and he directed them into an officer further in the penthouse floor. There was their target, and Atty wasted no time.
“Who in the blazes are you…”
“You’ll be coming with us, dearie!” she exclaimed cheerfully, offering out her arm and then forcibly looping them together. She stuck both his hands on Bub’s stroller. “Don’t resist.”
“Bub,” Bub commented, a terrible threat of face-eating.
They walked right out without incident, the Ewok’s protective skills turning out to be unnecessary for the endowed Miraluka. Atyiru hummed happily as the pilot droid directing their ship took them back out of the system, feeling accomplished. After all, it was a wife’s business to care for her husband’s interests, and the Envoys were just one such aspect.
“Bub?”
“No, Bub, you may not have an in flight snack of a finger. I don’t care that he’s not an Ewok, it’s still cannibalism.”
“Bub Bub bub.”
“Because cannibalism is wrong.”
“Bub!”
They debated all the way home.