Major Kerrie Kiley walked through the bustling streets of Cormond, capital city of the planet Brentaal. Entering the marketplace, her mood always soured ... as it was here just several months ago that she had been the victim of a vicious bombing undertaken by the local Rebel cell. However, since that time the Imperial forces had undertaken a fierce crackdown of the local area. There was a constant Imperial presence in the form of Stormtrooper patrols, security cameras, and even undercover operatives. Nevertheless, her instincts were sharp and her guard would remain up at all times. She was dressed in her svelte, black Imperial uniform. She would have preferred to be wearing a suit of armor, but the Admiral insisted she dress in uniform to keep up appearances. Maintaining her appearance as a Human female had become second-nature to her, but nevertheless it required concentration to maintain her desired appearance. She came to a stop shortly walking onto the first block of the marketplace, not wanting Htaere to fall too far behind. As she halted, her hand floated over her sidearm, kept always in her right hip holster.

Only her second outing, but fascinated none-the-less, Htaere was soaking up the surroundings enthusiastically, a content smile on her face permanently, despite the trouble they'd had. Cool grey orbs glistened from beneath the protective shroud of a hooded cloak, drifting at a leisurely pace behind the major. Constantly drawn from one thing to another, her attention span was that of a child's, simply basking in the raw grit of the vernacular.

"Do you intend to do any shopping, Malady?" Kerrie asked quietly so that it could not be overheard, "Or is this merely a sightseeing expedition?" She maneuvered herself around Htaere quietly, her eyes darting over the various merchants, vendors, and shoppers. She was soon slightly behind Htaere and just off to the left, the position she was most comfortable defending her target in.

Htaere spared a moment for perplexion before her soft gaze flickered eagerly to her escort. "Should we buy something?" In truth Htaere didn't go without, to say the least, in Hapes, nor in her engagement to Claudius. The concept of shopping for the sheer hell of it was unknown. "What should we buy?"

Kerrie was more than aware of the considerable finances at the disposal of Htaere and the Admiral, but she was well composed to the point where she would not make a snide remark or comment. "I'm not really what you should purchase, Malady," she replied honestly, having had to do very little shopping herself in the past several years, "My knowledge is limited and I doubt you'd be interested in purchasing a weapon." She looked around for a moment, scanning the bazaar with her ever-watchful eyes, "Perhaps you should just see if anything strikes you."

The Hapan heiress' eyes panned across the flourishing hub of activity. A few measured steps forward and she evaluated the myriad items available for purchase, everything from food, clothing, tourist trinkets, weaponry, furniture and beyond. "What would you buy?" Htaere asked, almost dreamily as she took in the expanse of possibilities.

"Hmm," Kerrie murmured as she considered the situation at hand. "Perhaps something to keep as a memory of the time you've spent living on Brentaal," she suggested, thinking it as good an idea as any. "Perhaps some trinket or small piece of art indicative of the local culture," she added.

"Oh that is a very good idea" Htaere bubbled, simply thrilled at the prospect of being one of the layman, if only for a short while. Armed with the idea, she shifted gracefully among the crowd, cloudy grey pools sweeping over the different vendors, searching for the right item, one that struck her, as the major put it.

"I read in the cultural report provided to us before our arrival that none of the locals pay the first price offered. They pride themselves on the art of negotiating a business deal. I'd recommend you attempt to haggle should you decide to purchase anything," Kerrie explained as her eyes narrowed one of the ubiquitous vendors who was operating on the street, "You might save some credits and also avoid insulting any of the locals.

"Haggle?" Htaere's largely concealed face was mired with confusion. It was as foreign as the marketplace. "Money is not an object" she added simply, well accustomed to the exceptional wealth of her heritage. "Perhaps a native vase or piece of hand-crafted art work" Htaere mused, out loud, but mostly to herself.

Kerrie tried her best not to crack a smirk at Htaere's comment, but she failed and a small smile formed upon her face. Her cheeks reddened as she tried to force her lips back down into a more professional appearance. "It has more to do with the nature of their society than the credits, Malady," Kerrie explained. "You of course may proceed however you wish."

"Oh" Htaere nodded slowly, ambling at an unhurried pace until she stopped, drawn to something that widened her eyes in wonderment. A street vendor was peddling small companion animals of various sorts. The array of cute, fuzzy, feathered and scaled faces peeked at their would-be owners from behind the bars of small cages, making noises and pawing at their confines. Htaere couldn't help but stare. Pets were yet another concept that was lost on her. The House Ka`a Sha`ar's closest thing to pets were its collection of servants, most of which were male. She was utterly fascinated, and slightly appalled at the same time that the animals were caged.

Kerrie stayed behind Htaere as she walked. Her eyes darted around the area, looking for danger in every corner. When they reached the animal vendor an almost cruel smile formed upon her cold lips. She leaned close to Htaere and quietly whispered into her left ear, "I think I just figured out what you should buy." She laughed quietly, always amused by her own jokes, "You should see if they have a cage that size for Drusilla."

There were many moving through the marketplaces, more then enough for people to not really notice one another as they passed through the normal days of unending buying and selling of many assortments of items. Had he come to the planet seeking these trades, or perhaps what all those of his people sought, bounties. Who knew. His armor was not like that of the modern Mandalorian Warriors. His attire made him look more like a tribesmen of some kind, or some member of a barbaric race. However, all that aside, once one spotted the T-Visor, they would realize, hopefully, what he was. He had no flashy weapons, if you counted a blaster pistol with his own modifications to it, a few grenades, and a vibro sword that hung at his side, in a sheath of coarse, though it had holes. His armor was not old, though it looked rather old. More like bone, then armor, but that was apart of the illusion. He wore only a few pieces of armor, a Chest peice, his helmet, and armor on his shins, fore arms, crotch, and boots. He would move slowly to the caged animals, where the female and her companion were, his T-visor offering a light green glow. "Interesting…" Was all he mumbled, as he looked for a specific species… "Boma beasts…Hard to find…"

Htaere's gaze was pulled from the assortment of animals to the being standing next to her. Being a Hapan, and her time beyond the Hapan borders had been very limited thus far, she knew nothing of his kind, and regarded him with the same curiosity with which she regarded everything else that was new and unusual. "You...own these animals?" she inquired oddly.

The merchant smiled at her widely, grinning from ear to ear as he came around from his stand. He motioned to the assortment of small, caged creatures and glowed with enthusiasm. "Yes, yes, yes!" he informed her, his voice more cheerful than most individuals would be able to stand, "And *you* can own them too ... for just the low, low price of forty credits. You won't find a better deal in all of Cormond ... this I tell you!" He reached down and picked up one of the cages, which contained a particularly small, furry creature. "This," he continued, "Is one of *the* most popular pets in all of the Core. You can keep one right in your purse and carry it wherever you go." He pushed the cage towards her face, allowing her to get a better look of the creature, "And that's not all!!! If you lose it ... they're so cheap you can always buy another!"

The Mandalorian would look to the female, letting his T-visor shut down so as to not appear intimidating in some way. "Definitely not…" He said as his eyes, though hidden by the T-visor would look up to the man, and examine the creature." They are only forty credits because they are diseased…Many of these creatures are not well fed..." He would then look to the Hapan girl. "Do not buy these…Heh...They do not even measure up to my own peoples animals...Such beauty in those creatures..." He said in a low voice, obviously thinking back to Mandalore for a moment. "Hmm. You do not carry the same look or smell of the people around here…Where...If i may ask, are you from?" He inquired in a respective tone, sense it was often smart to make a good first impression with people. Though he was Mandalorian, he still ventured into the arts of conversation.

Unaware of the potential danger in speaking to total strangers, Htaere was all too eager and polite not to make his acquaintance. With all the decorum and diplomacy of her formal upbringing, Htaere lifted her hands to the hood on her cloak, hands that had never seen a single day of suffering, neglect or work a day in her life. Carefully she lowered the hood and bowed slightly, not entirely a custom for women to respect men, but she was the proverbial black sheep of her family. Beneath the hood she sported some ornate hair style and a small heavily decorated tiara-like head band. A small mature rainbow gem, amber in color, glowed from its place surgically embedded in her forehead, set on a tattoo of jade green. Beneath each eye were two upside down triangles, side by side, jade as well. "I am Htaere of the House Ka`a Sha`ar of Hapes. It is an honor" she said, with all the regal stateliness that came natural.

Kerrie stepped out from behind Htaere, her focus no longer on the display of caged pets. Now standing next to her, her gaze focused on the individual standing before them. Her gaze narrowed on him, furrowing her brow, and scrunching her eyebrows. "Not dressed," for a marketplace visit, she thought internally to herself. She wiggled the fingers of her right hand, loosening herself up just in case this person proved a risk. Thinking the matter over further, she was careful to position herself at an angle from which she could lunge in front of Htaere before any danger could befall her. Noting from past experience, she expected for the conversation to be somewhat lengthy as she had long before come to realize that this woman was blessed with the gift of gab.

He would also offer a bow to her, following after her so not to provide some kind of disrespect to her. When he arose, he noticed the other female had moved from obscurity. He was no fool, he could tell off the bat, just by how the guard had positioned herself, that she was indeed a guard. This meant that this Hapan female was not something small. That was irrelevant though, he had met with many in the past, Jedi, Sith, rank and title were nothing to him now. He would nod his head lightly. "I see…Well then...So as not to be rude..." He said as he would bring his hands up to that bone looking helmet of his, and slowly pull it from his head and would bring it to his side, the tubes that where attached to it, stretched a little bit as he tucked it into his arm. His skin was somewhat tanned, but from exposure to sunlight. His hair was a dirty blonde, and quite short. His eyes were a dark brown as well. He would then speak, his voice baring his Mandalorian Accent. "Sirus Skirata…Of the Mandalorian Clan Skirata...It is a pleasure to meet you, Htaere...You say you are from Hapes...I have not seen many around..." He said as he would offer a curious look to her.

"We choose solitude and safety over the perils of open commerce" Htaere replied. "I am not familiar with the Mandalore either" she added in admittance.

If this were an interrogation, there were a number of questions Kerrie would love to have asked the Mandalorian. However, in her present role it would be considered 'out of turn' to question the individual. Nevertheless, she was quite a successful eavesdropper and began to file away all of the bits of information that trickled out of the conversation in the back of her head to run a database query on later.

"Heh...Yea…People only thing of the we Mandalorians as bounty hunters or mercenaries...Never mind the fact that we are indeed a race...With our own homeworld…But…The light of the Mandalorians burned out four thousand years ago…With the end of the Mandalorian Wars, and Jedi Civil War, sadly..." He said with a light frown, but it would turn into a slight smile.

"Then...you are alone as well?" Htaere's good natured smile seemed to thin, all too familiar with being the unwanted guest and tolerated outsider. For a moment, she shifted her cool oculars to the major to gauge her temperament and patience. She offered a pleasant smile to reassure Kerrie that all was well and safe.

Kerrie nearly lost her self-control and rolled her eyes at Htaere's reassuring smile, but she was able to restrain herself at the last moment. Instead, she curled her lips upward into a small smile that vanished almost as nearly as it had formed. She was confident that with the increased security patrols that it was unlikely an abduction would occur, but she had to prepare for every possible situation.

"Quite." He offered as he would look down to the ground, going over his own situation that he often did his best to forget. The longing for being around others of his culture was one that was often rather strong, but he managed to suppress it, and get on with life. "Mandalorians have spread through the galaxy…And the only center we have, is our home world of Mandalore...Heh...I can only assume with the fact that i have never met one from Hapan…Or whatever it may be that your home world is addressed as, that you guy's have staying in your area of the galaxy…Very lucky..." He said with a light nod. He would then look to her guard with a quirked brow. "And who is this? She seems a bit...Annoyed..." He said, offering only a light chuckle and grin.

"Oh I apologize for lack of etiquette" Htaere answered. She held back, simply fixing the major with a small smile, fully expecting her to speak for herself.

If making conversations was an art form, the best Kerrie would be able to manage was stick figures. She raised her head slightly so that she could look directly into her eyes. She smiled politely, not because she wanted to, but because she had to. However, she had become so adept at the false niceties that went along with her position that there were times when not even she could tell the difference. "Major Kerrie Kiley," she said in a manner that seemed as if she were reading it off a cue card, "charged with Lady Htaere's protection."

He would listen to her words and offer a light grin. His eyes would then come back to Htaere. "Lady Htaere." He said with a quirk of the brow. "You will have to excuse me, if i am not all that good with titles and the sort...In my culture...There are very few…We are all warriors at heart. " He said in a low voice. "On this world...It is not always to stay in one place for to long...If you do not mind...Perhaps we should move.."

Htaere's expression took on a more serious hue as her eyebrows arched slightly. She looked to Kerrie for feedback regarding some threat, perceived or otherwise.

"Our advance team made a complete search of the surrounding area, Malady," Kerrie explained in a confident tone, turning to face her once again. "You should feel free to navigate the area within this district," she continued to inform her. Kerrie shifted away for a moment, extending her right index finger forward to signal the roving Stormtrooper patrols that they would soon again be moving. Her attention then returned to the individual, continuing to listen intently to the conversation, monitoring it for any content that might seem pertinent.

"Advance team?..." He inquired as he would look to Htaere with a quizzical look. He had not assumed she was Imperial, but more some kind of explorer of sorts.

Htaere wove her fingers together in front of her as she took to continuing down the street, occasionally having to dodge a passerby who failed to yield, intentionally or not. "The last time we came to peruse the markets, we encountered a bit of trouble" she supplied the response.

Kerrie tilted her head slightly and threw a quick, confused glance at her as if to say, "WE?" As she recalled, only she had spent any time in the hospital ... but it was a small matter and she was a mere subordinate. She refocused and quickly stepped aside from the party beginning to clear a route through the crowd to allow Htaere a path with which to continue to roam the marketplace. "Step aside," she barked at various patrons who were looking on deals on various items none of them really needed. She never understood the appeal of going to the market, what little shopping she did was done on the Holonet.

"Yes...Many planets are troublesome...And were left as such after the destruction that the Clone Wars left...These planets can prove to be treacherous to even Imperials…There is a lot of malice towards them after all...Though they are good payers.." He said with a shrug. He was neutral on such matters after all, he did not care either way.

"I am not well versed in such matters. I try to remain well out of their business" Htaere answered, feeling the odd pang of guilt that what little bit she had been involved in had proven to be catastrophic on a personal level for all parties.

Kerrie soon found herself enveloped in a crowd of busy shoppers who had swarmed the area like a group of insects. "What am I doing this for?" she asked herself internally, pushing back against the rising tide of the crowd. "Ugh," she groaned as a particular burly Uganaught slammed into her left side. For a moment, she considered firing off a shot into the air, but that was hardly the impression her superiors would want her to leave on the locals. She stopped and turned her head over her shoulder, looking to see how far Htaere had progressed. She was slightly dismayed to see that she had not moved at all and began the struggle of pushing back through the crowd towards the one she was tasked with protecting.

"Heh…If you have seen one slum, then you have seen them all...People caught up in the need to survive, day to day...And then there are those that only seek to manipulate and use people for their money…You are not missing much...Do not mention you are an Imperil to people…And you should be ok...Because Imperials of rank and stature are often kidnapped or something...I've had to rescue a few." He said, offering another light chuckle.

"But...I am not an Imperial by affiliation. Hapans are neutral" Htaere reasoned. She'd had this conversation many times, and no matter how thoroughly it was dissected, she simply could not get past the very black and white mindset she held regarding her own personal safety. Sheltered or foolish? Maybe a little of both.

The diminutive Kerrie emerged from the crowd and again stood next to Htaere. She folded her arms in front of her chest, waiting for whatever movements, or lack thereof, she had planned for the remainder of their stay in the marketplace. While she might have been frustrated at being gobbled up by the crowd, she knew her place and did not question it.

He would only nod his head. "Most people do not make distinctions like that…If they see your guard here, moving about...Then they will automatically assume you are of some importance... Speaking of which, he would look to the guard. "Tell me…Kerrie...How long have you been in service to the Empire for?"

"This is my second stint in Imperial service," Kerrie informed the Mandalorian. Out of respect for Htaere, she would answer the man's politely, although briefly and without going into great detail. "My service totals some five years within the service." She nodded her head politely at the Mandalorian, hoping she had satisfied the man's question.

Htaere's eyes shifted to Kerrie, suddenly aware that the major appeared short on patience. And yet she tolerated Htaere's oblivious social indiscretions when it came to roving about, unmindful of the extensive guard assigned to her protection. Still, she found it amazing that Major Kiley bothered to answer at all. Htaere's cool grey orbs shifted to her new acquaintance. "I would tell you that her bark is worse then her bite...but I would be incorrect" she added, her shoulders lifting and falling in a subtle shrug beneath her cloak.

He would offer a single nod. "I see...I worked for the Emprie for a short time...Mostly to train the clones that were designated for special activities…Only for a short while.." He said with a light smile. He would then look back to Htaere. "I can only assume...All guards are usually vicious...Makes them far more..I.nteresting." He said in a low voice as he would look back to Kerrie for a moment, his eyes immediately shifting back to Htaere. "So...The markets of this world gained your attention i can only assume, why? if you do not mind my asking."

Kerrie stood there like a loyal and faithful bodyguard, perfectly content to allow others to talk about her, even in a negative context, right in front of her. Nevertheless, she took a keen interest in the man after the events he had just referenced. Oh there was definitely a file on this fellow alright and the first thing she would do when she got back to the ship was read it. She smiled politely at Htaere and nodded, as if to signify "she's right." As her superior ... she was always right.

"I am afraid it is not the markets that have drawn me to Brentaal. I am here on....." Htaere took a moment to conservatively evaluate what information she offered. The major should be more content with that. The Hapan heiress' grey pools flickered towards Kerrie, hoping for a bit of direction as to what she should supply as a truthful answer, but not a revealing one.

He would only chuckle. "Is that so…And by what group, if you do not mind me asking." He added as he would look to the guard once again.

Kerrie flashed a slightly concerned glance towards, Htaere. The man was beginning to probe a bit deeper than she was comfortable with. Still, it was a quiet night and such an environment was known to bring out a lonely man ... or twenty ... so she was not yet prepared to ring her internal 'alarm bell,' but nevertheless she began looking around the marketplace and confirming the various exit points with the street map she had spent hours burning into her brain before they departed the ship.

"..diplomatic reasons" Htaere supplied at long last, her gaze vacillating between the two. "We are hoping the length of stay here at Brentaal is finite." Htaere offered up an elegant and convincing smile, mindful of Kerrie's seemingly habitual state of unease.

"I see...Well, this planet still remains dangerous one for the most part…What the Imperial Data base tells you...And what really happens are often in conflict…But...If you wish, I can guard you two a bit. " He said in a low voice as he would look around the area for anyone that he knew of, that was of annoyance or bore the possibility of danger. "Heh, an yes, I have grown quite bored with just killing and the sort…Even when I get paid for it."

Kerrie threw a glance at Breaker as if to say "cute." She stepped next to Htaere and raised her head before addressing him a confident tone, "I can assure you ... she is quite safe. I see that no harm comes to her." This was one of the rare occasions when she would step out of line and show some emotion, some sign of 'life' beyond merely breathing. Her life had become her job and she would not allow anyone, or anything, to degrade that in any way.

Htaere's crowned head nodded once. "The Major is quite astute. I have learned the hard way to trust her judgment entirely in these matters."

"I see. Tell me though…No offense to your guard, but how much does you guard know of those in this area, and what they will do?" He inquired. It was the same with most guards, they knew how to protect, but they did not know exactly from who to protect.

"Her guard," Kerrie said to the Mandalorian in an increasingly more frustrated tone of voice, "Happens to be very well versed on the area. Especially considering the fact that her guard was recently the victim of a near-fatal attack no more than fifty meters from the point where we're now standing." Her cheeks had become red as the blood rushed to her head, she was not used to having her skills questioned and as such was nearly to the point of having a tantrum. "Serenity now!" she thought to herself as she tried to calm down. She took a deep breath, stepped back, and looked at Htaere, face full of embarrassment. "I am sorry, Malady," she said sincerely, offering a bow of obedience before continuing, "It was not my place to address the situation in the manner I did ... I shall attempt to not allow such an outburst to befall me again."

"Major Kiley…" Htaere addressed her in the softest of voices, her right hand extending towards Kerrie's shoulder reassuringly. In merely contacting the major, one automatically committed an irrevocable act of trust, given the woman's most likely reaction was a violent one. She shifted closer to Kerrie and spoke to her in a low tone. "Should we perhaps find a quiet place and a warm beverage to soothe you?"

"Mhmm...No matter...Guards will be guards...No matter their training." He said as he would then grasp his helmet with his free hand, and then place it back onto his head. "Stay safe then." He said in a low voice, as he would offer a light bow to the women from Hapan. He would then stand upright, turn his back, and proceed to walk away from them.

Kerrie raised her head slightly and turned to send a glare towards Breaker that would burn holes through the man's back. "The nerve," she thought inside her head. She exhales and turned her attention back towards Htaere, "It has been a long day, Malady. Perhaps it is time to return you to Esseles?"

"Yes of course" Htaere answered in resignation. Carefully she lifted the hood on her cloak to cover her jeweled head. "I am ready" she nodded, offering Kerrie her warmest smile in hopes of settling the major's nerves a bit.

Kerrie motioned to the Stormtroopers that they would be leaving the area. She performed one final glance over the area, ensuring that all was safe. She began walking towards the street leading back towards the spaceport, acting like a human plow to clear a path through the crowd of Htaere to follow. A column of Stormtroopers began to form up near the street, preparing to flank the two as they proceeded through the remainder of the city.