Aiden wasn’t exactly a stranger to the act and art of osculation. He was familiar with the social kiss, the butterfly kiss, the cheek kiss, the earlobe kiss, the eye kiss, the finger kiss, the foot kiss, the nip kiss and others that slipped his mind at the moment. He had been kissed and kissed enough times that a simple kiss, although appreciated, rarely jolted him and stunned him to attentiveness. None that he could remember affected him like the innocent kiss Melanctha gave his cheek. An electric charge seemed to shimmer down his body and back to the blessed cheek giving it an instance of hypersensitivity and gave Aiden the odd sensation that his cheek actually craved her lips and begged them not to part from it. Of course his cheek remained mute… as did he for a moment as he realized how his heart was racing from that brief warm contact with this lady. Concerned that he, a jedi knight, should be subject to such vulnerability, he rallied to regain his composure and somewhat stammered…
“I don’t recall that festival on Naboo, Melantha. Perhaps it was during the period of time I spent on Lianna. I seriously doubt that we’ll find the old manor to be as glamorous. The receiving yard between the house and the lake was where several of my ancient relatives were executed for their part in the failed rebellion.” He doubted that he needed to explain further. Cheruba was one of the rifle worlds and he expected, if they didn’t actually participate, they knew the details of that affair better than he did, being a relatively new resident of the Cluster.
Her mention of business caused him to glance upward at what appeared to be a bluish-grey cloud the size of a small coin that hung just above the horizon. The cloud and what it concealed was what remained of the large asteroid Luciftias Tira or Brightness Three, one of a group of six large asteroids between the Gray Moon and the gas giant Relephon. Luciftias Tira was the third such asteroid being harvested with the assistance of Burke Enterprises. Harvested was the only word for it. All he valuable metals and minerals were mined; then the remainder of the asteroid was processed and sold to a terraforming company for raw materials. Even the dust that was currently visible would be vacuumed from space, erasing even that evidence the asteroid had once been there. When the AlGray family and Burke Enterprises completed the project and all six asteroids were processed, the AlGray coffers would be filled and the family prepared to face whatever their political fate might be. That reminded Aiden, Jon Burke was to arrive that same day to discuss the implementation for phase four of the project with his parents. For some reason Aiden couldn’t exactly put his finger on, Jon Burke being on the Gray Moon didn’t please him - odd considering their history together. Perhaps he would be away during Burke’s visit and not have to confront those feelings.
When she asked him if this was to be the only time she would see Aiden, it was his turn to shock his mother via her spies. He lifted the hand he was holding to his lips and kissed the backs of her fingers lightly as he replied, “I sincerely hope not, Mel. I find the idea of not seeing you again an unacceptable fate.”
Every word was the truth and he was puzzled by that very fact as much as she may have been. It was like the last time they saw each other in college was only yesterday and the Mel who drank too much stim-café, who only tolerated her intro to archeology class because he was a graduate assistant instructor, who delighted in stuffing a snowball down the back of his shirt right before class was to start… that Mel who was so different from all the uptight, stuffed-shirt Hapans he’d met since his return,,, that same Mel was here with him now. He realized how much he had missed having a friend like that and he really didn’t want to lose the chance to rekindle their relationship if it was at all possible.
“I will be staying here for a few days to be available if my parents need me during a meeting they are having with a business associate. Then I will be returning to Hapes to do some research in the Museum of Anthropology and Archeology. If that goes well, I’ll be trying to follow the trail of an ancient cult that thrived in the Cluster about two thousand years ago.”
As far as Aiden knew, Mel didn’t know he was a jedi. She only knew him from their university days and the fact never came up. H wondered how she would feel about that but didn’t broach the subject.
Then he thought about his mother and her scripted plan for his future realizing that Melanctha Dallamoor more than met all of her criteria for an acceptable “alliance.” Aiden scowled then quickly banished the evidence of his discomfiture from his brow lest he concern Mel. He would never use a friend to solve a family problem. In a way that he couldn’t describe, she was too valuable to him as a friend to use her like that.
He was given a respite from that train of thought as they crested the ridge of the mountains that ran between the chateau and the lake.
“We’re going to begin to descend into the lake valley now. Gray Manor is across the lake. We can repulse over in the Mekuun or we can take small sailboat; whichever you prefer.”