Title: The Show Must Go On
Author's Note: This story was inspired by the ever-wonderful Moulin Rouge, so don't be surprised if there are similar songs or overtones. ;) * * * * * Chapter One “You want me to what?” Jade asked, turning her right ear toward Master Windu as though she feared she hadn’t heard him correctly. “This is not an easy assignment for us to give, Jade,” Mace said gently. “You are the only one qualified, so to speak…” Jade planted her hands on her hips and glared at the Master. “What exactly is that supposed to mean? I’m the only Jedi qualified to infiltrate a whorehouse undercover?” Every master appeared to flinch at her temper and choice of words. Master Mundi chose this moment to interject. “Jade, you are still young and appear even younger though you are twenty-five,” he began. “You are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and you have always been far better at expressing emotion that any other knight we’ve been in contact with thus far. You will be excellent at winning Cress over quickly enough to discover what he is truly planning.” Only moments ago, the Masters had explained their concerns about Cress’ less-than-legal business. While a certain amount of decadence was allowed on the lower levels, and Cress was notorious for indulging people’s lusts, the Jedi were beginning to suspect illegal practices within his bordello which threatened the Republic itself. Cress was not an easy man to catch and always managed the utmost caution whenever a Jedi was near. They were seeing now that the only way to investigate properly was with an undercover agent, which was where Jade was supposed to come in. She eyed the Council members with both distrust and reluctance. “All right, so I look barely legal and somewhat attractive when I’m in something other than my Jedi robes,” she grunted. “So do many of the female knights in the Temple. Why me?” “Your investigative skills have always been superlative,” Master Mundi doted. “We could ask for no better Jedi for such a mission.” “That’s all very sweet,” she winced, “but I’m really not fond of this idea at all.” Master Adi Gallia, who had sat silently throughout the discussion, stood and moved to Jade’s side. She placed a tender hand on her shoulder, drawing the redhead’s gaze to her. Jade managed a timid glance, then looked away again. “I know this is a terrible thing to face,” Master Gallia said. “But understand, we do not intend for you to become sexual with anyone. We will give you the proper tools with which to avoid such situations.” “Yes, but you must understand better than anyone else here why this is bothering me,” Jade pleaded. “Master Gallia, the Jedi strive to overcome the misogynist view that plagues the galaxy. Within our ranks, the power of females and males is judged by their skills and training in the Force, not their gender. I feel very belittled by simply being asked to do this. And I feel my… chastity is threatened, as well. Regardless of what tools you give me, none of them will be failsafe. This is going to be a terrible risk.” “I do understand your reservations and your offence,” Master Gallia said. “But if our suspicions are unveiled and proved valid, you will understand why such a risk must be taken.” Jade sighed and looked at the Council members surrounding her with trepidation. Finally, she nodded as if in defeat. “All right. I’ll do it.” Master Gallia squeezed her shoulder, and Jade only half-heard one of the masters explaining that she would be provided with a civilian wardrobe and several other items to assist in her mission. She was also asked to leave her lightsaber behind and handed it over reluctantly, the look in her eyes that of a small, doomed animal. Obi will not like this at all… * * * * * Jade adjusted the strap of her yellow halter top, ignoring the urge to yank her pants up as they hung very low on her hips. She carried a bag slung over her shoulder and strolled down the sidewalk, garnering interested and offended looks from the beings that passed her. Finally she reached her destination and found herself staring fearfully at the blue and green neon sign above her head: The Head Rush. She licked her glossed lips and put on a purposeful half-grin as she sauntered inside. Almost immediately, a Nikto bouncer put his hand in her path. He leaned toward her and snarled, informing her in a not so delicate manner that she had to be a member to get in. “Hey, big boy, I don’t swing that way,” she grinned. “I’m here about a job…” “Ah, in that case…” He escorted her personally across the dance floor, which was empty so early in the day. On stage, one dancer was already performing, but the audience was sparse. Jade glanced at her, trying to hide her discomfort as she was led into Cress’ office. Jade wasn’t sure what she had expected. Perhaps it seemed even more disturbing for the office of a man like Cress to look so well-furnished and clean. Perhaps the most sickening part of all was Cress’ overall demeanor as he lounged behind his desk. He was relaxed, businesslike, handsome. Jade nearly grimaced at herself when the last assessment traveled across her mind, but it was true. He was very handsome, and it was no wonder he won females over into this line of work with a face like his. “Grunt wouldn’t have brought you in here without a good reason,” Cress began smoothly, leaning forward with his elbows on his desk. He flashed a crooked smile which actually looked fairly charming. It would have appeared even more so to Jade if she didn’t know he was the proprietor of a gentleman’s club. “How can I help you?” “Name’s Jade,” she said saucily, her mouth tipping up at one corner. “I’m looking for work.” “You want to be a dancer?” he asked, raising both eyebrows, and Jade detected a slight accent in his deep tones. “Do you know what that entails?” “I get the general idea,” she chuckled. “I show some skin; I get some credits. Sounds good to me.” Cress nodded thoughtfully and ran a hand through his dark hair. Jade noted that his nose was a tad crooked, as if it’d been broken at least once. She could imagine what the fist fight had been over… “You seem eager,” Cress said quietly. “What would a fresh-faced young woman of…” “Nineteen,” Jade lied. “Nineteen,” Cress replied, “want with a life down here? Hard times?” Jade shrugged. “When are times easy? I just want some fast credits. Honestly, it sounds like a blast.” “Are you ready to go a step farther than dancing?” he asked candidly. “If you can’t perform in every sense of the word, we don’t want you here.” Jade paled slightly but hid this with a curt laugh. “Buddy, I’m ready for anything you want to throw at me.” Cress nodded decisively. “We’ve lost a dancer just last week, so you’ll do as a replacement. Nata’s on stage right now, but when she gets done, she can show you around. We can provide you with ‘work clothes’, but the rest needs to be bought with your own credits.” “Understood,” Jade said, smirking. She raised one finger into the air and leaned forward. “One more thing…” “Yes?” he asked, squinting at her. “I don’t have a place of my own right now,” she said. “Oh, you’ll be living here,” Cress informed her. “No problems there.” “Sleek,” Jade grinned, pushing herself to her feet. “Pleasure doing business with you…” “The pleasure will be all theirs,” he replied, nodding at her. Jade swallowed down the need to vomit and stepped back out, scanning the empty stage for Nata. Apparently her performance was done, so Jade moved cautiously backstage. Nata glanced up from adjusting the laces that wound their way up her leg to see a tentative young woman step backstage. Since Nata was the only one currently backstage, she made the final adjustments and stood up, turning to the woman. "Greetings!" she called cheerfully, a smile across her young face. "Is there something I can help you with?" “Hey, Cress just sent me over here,” Jade said. “I’m knew and… kind of lost. I just saw you dancing… You’re really great.” She felt odd complementing her on such a risqué performance, but no other words would come. Besides, she hadn’t lied. Nata had been very graceful and was obviously a natural dancer. "Yeah, kinda figured you were new. No offence. You just looked slightly out of place," Nata said. "Totally understandable in a place like this. I'm guessing Cress sent you to me for a reason? Wants me to show you the ropes, no?" “Right,” Jade laughed, trying to appear more at ease. The last thing she needed was to stick out as Nata had already noticed. "Not a problem." Nata waved for the new woman to follow her. "I'm probably one of the dancers whose been here the longest." Nata led the woman out from behind the stage and onto the main floors. "By the way, what’s your name?" “Oh, I’m Jade,” she said. "I'm Nata. Nice to meet you Jade." She stuck out her hand for Jade to take. Jade took the other woman’s hand and shook it gently, smiling openly now. “It’s a pleasure.” She paused and blinked at Nata. “Can I ask you something without you thinking me an idiot?” Nata returned the smile with a grin of her own. "Course you can. Ask away." “Cress was kind of vague about what exactly I’m to do here,” Jade said. “Don’t get me wrong! I get the overall idea. I’m just wondering exactly how much… performing is involved here? I mean, how much dancing do you do?” "Ahh, you are certainly new to this..." Nata laughed lightly. "We dance nearly everyday, depending on the clientele. We do some general shows for everyone, then there are the private shows for the high paying costumers that go on in our rooms." “Private shows,” Jade smirked, though she felt nausea clamping on her stomach. “I know what that means… But what about the general shows? What typically goes on in those? Just slinking around and taking clothes off? Because that I can do.” "Yeah, pretty much. Some shows are bare all, everything comes off. Others are only down to the panties and bras. We do pole dancing and lap dances as well as group dances." Jade nodded and tilted her head. “Group dances?” "Yeah, six of us dance together. It's a lot of contact, but it makes the clients go wild. None of us likes it much, but we have to do whatever Cress asks." Nata shrugged, stepping off to the side of the room as a new dancer came on stage. “Wow,” Jade said. “Sounds pretty… kinky. Listen I’m going to warn you now that I’ve not had a lot of experience. I put on a pretty good front for Cress so he’d let me in, but I’m not really…” Nata nodded and touched the other woman’s arm. "Don't worry. I'll teach you what needs to be done, what’s expected, and what you can and can't get away with." Nata glanced up at the dancer on the stage. "First lesson, see that dancer? That’s Annette. You don't want anything to do with her. She's kinda the head girl here and thinks she owns the place. She'll bite your head off if you so much as look at her the wrong way, and she especially loves trying to chase the new girls off if she feels they’re a threat to her." Jade winced as she watched the Annette move across the stage, demanding attention and overzealously selling every move. Her blond curls bounced as she moved and her glittery-red outfit whirled around her as she spun in place. Annette glanced at Jade and narrowed her eyes minutely before returning to her dance. “How’d she get so high up on the food chain?” Jade asked, appearing unimpressed. "It's all about how many times you sleep with Cress of your free will," Nata said. "I mean... we've all slept with him, but not by our choices. You'll have to eventually, but he likes to see you work for a while first." Jade suddenly wanted to change the subject. “Hey, where are the dancer’s rooms? Once I get my stuff together, I’ll need a place to put it all.” "Ah yeah, you will. This way." Nata moved off down a hall, Jade behind her. She led the newcomer down a long flight of stairs that moved under the complex. They walked through a door and were greeted with a long hall lined with doors. "All the girls rooms are down this hall. I'm guessing you're taking Lathe's old room." Nata started down the hall, stopping before one of the many doors. She waved her hand over the panel, and it slid open. Revealing a room done in soothing earth tones. In the center of the room was a large bed with many pillows laid across it and a little off to the side, but in front of the bed was a pole. Jade nodded her head at all of this. “I prefer pink, but it will do,” she laughed. "The good thing about this place is each girl has her own room with private freshers. Makes life a bit easier. Okay, so what do you want to learn first? Cress is going to expect you to start dancing tomorrow night. He doesn't give the girls much time to settle in." “Wow,” Jade said, sitting down on the bed. She was assaulted by a sudden sick feeling as she wondered who had been in that bed, but she pushed these thoughts down. “Well, first thing I’d like to know is who chooses the music and costumes? Do we have any say in that?” Nata sat down in one of the chairs, nodding. "Only in the music. Each girl is given her costumes, and she picks them for the dances she is doing that night." “And I’m expected to be naked by the end of the song?” she asked. "Not in every song. There are certain dances that are only a tease. You'll be doing those to start off with probably. Since you're new, you'll start the shows. Whoever starts the shows are 'teasers.' They don’t take everything off. Just enough to get the guys warmed up," Nata replied. “I see,” Jade said with mounting relief. “Why don’t you show me some moves? I mean, if you don’t mind. I don’t want to make you feel like I’d be copying…” "Not at all. Anything to help out a fellow dancer." Nata stood up and looked at Jade. "What do you want to see? Do you want to learn to use the pole first or learn a few of the group dances?" “Well, if Cress makes me open tomorrow it’ll probably be solo,” she said, leaning back on the bed. “How about showing me something like that?” "Alright, that will just be solo work on the stage, nothing hard, and you're only up there for a few minutes. You won’t be expected to do anything too fancy your first few times. Just simple moves." Nata moved herself into the center of the room and took up a seductive pose, one leg out and her hands above her head. "You have to move your arms and legs in synch together." As Nata spoke, her body began to sway to a tune that only she could hear. Her hands moved down her body as her legs began taking long strides forward. "The main thing is to feel the music as you dance. As hokey as that sounds, it helps." Jade nodded and watched her for a moment as Nata’s body moved sinuously. As a Jedi, she had a feel for syncopated movement. She’d never danced in any kind of professional sense, but she and Obi-Wan had shared a few heated dances that she remembered vividly. She felt her cheeks growing red and coughed a little, pushing herself off the bed. “Maybe I should try…” she said meekly. She moved up beside Nata, studying her as she let her own body imitate the movements. She knew she must look too stiff in her nervousness, but she did her best to loosen up. Nata noted the strained tension that Jade held in her body and gave her a warming smile. "Just relax." She stepped behind Jade and took her arms, moving them out in front of her and helping her curl her hands and fingers into different poses. "You're doing great! Just loosen your waist up a little." Jade let her hips move in a more fluid motion, writhing gently with Nata’s instruction. Her mind was filled with the absurd vision of Nata as the Jedi Master to her learner, and she laughed merrily. She broke away from Nata with a giggle. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re a really wonderful teacher. I’m just… not used to this just yet. But I’m getting there I think.” "You'll do great. You move really well, so I don’t see a problem with that. You just have to be comfortable with yourself, and that will take some time, I'm sure." Nata sat down on the edge of the bed. Jade sat down in the chair Nata had taken only moments ago and sighed. She smiled uneasily at the other woman and began apprehensively with, “this next question might be a bit personal. You don’t have to answer it, but… has Cress ever forced himself on you like you were talking about earlier?” Nata looked down for a moment before answering Jade’s question. "Well... yeah, he has. He's forced himself on most of the girls here." “Have you ever thought of reporting him?” Jade asked gently. Nata's dark eyes widened, and she shook her head. "No, no one has. This is the way we live. It's expected that things will happen like that. Besides, for most of us, this is the only job we've ever known. I've been here for nine years; it's all I've ever done." “Nine years?” Jade asked. “How old are you? I mean, you can’t be more than twenty…” "Hmm, close. I'm 19." “You’ve been here since you were ten?” Jade asked. “Doing what?” "Started working behind the scenes, then waiting tables, and I've been dancing on stage for four years now," Nata answered. “I’m only nineteen myself.” Jade felt the lie buzzing in her mind. “And my parents would kill me if they knew I was here. So how does a ten-year-old end up in a place like this?” "Their parents sell them because they are dead broke and feel that they would have a better life in a place like this instead of on the streets of Coruscant." “I’m sorry,” Jade said softly. She wanted to press the issue, asking how being underage and forced to shimmy for sexual predators was a better life. But this was neither the time nor the place. Nata shrugged, "don't be. We've all got a history, some better than others. Mines one of those I'm not too proud of, but it's mine, so I make the best out of life." Nata stood up, "It's almost time for me to go on again. I suggest you come watch and get an idea of what will be expected. I'm just doing a tease tonight, so it will be close to what you'll need to do. After I finish, we can go grab something to eat if you want." “Sounds good,” Jade smiled. “I gotta grab my stuff later tonight, but it will give you time to get cleaned up before we eat.” Jade followed her back upstairs and moved out to one of the tables while Nata prepared herself. As she sat back, a waitress came over to offer her a drink. Jade was about to wave her away, but she saw Cress watching her from the bar. She nodded that she’d like an apple martini and settled with her drink as the stage lights went up. A saucy string of music began playing, and the stage curtains pulled back, revealing a scantly dressed Nata. She was garbed in a light material that wrapped itself around her body, making sure to cover all the important places. Her black heals wrapped their way up her tan calves. Her body began swaying to the music as she worked her away across the stage. Jade watched her take immediate control of the audience, those males closest leaning in for a closer look. Part of her was in awe of Nata’s natural instincts in drawing their attention, but the stronger part of her was snarling at these patrons. She knew what was going through their minds, and she wanted nothing more than to stop them short with a lightsaber to the temple. She glanced up at Cress and furrowed her brow as he watched the dance intently. Nata was moving against the pole now, and several beings were breathing hard at the sight. Jade found her eyes drifting to take in the rest of the club. There was enough room for the dancers to roam around the tables and make friends with the patrons. There were also some booths off to the left of the room, and Jade had an idea of what these were used for. Private dances that couldn’t wait for the bedroom. There were also two cages toward the center of the room, and Jade surmised that in the height of the evening, there would be wiggling, undone dancers captured in them. Her attention was directed back to Nata as she tossed her dark hair back with a hungry look. Jade couldn’t help but smirk and sip her drink. The girl was good. Nata moved back to the front of the stage and slid down into a split. Her hands crawled down her leg in front of her until she was laying fully on it. With one last wink to the men, the music stopped. Nata stood and made her way off the stage and through the audience as they howled at her. She didn't have to spend too much time with them because the next dancer was already taking the stage, and their attention was being drawn away. She spotted Jade at a back table and moved towards her, smiling. “Well, I definitely learned something,” Jade chuckled. "I hope you learned something useful," Nata laughed. "If you're still up to it, after I change we can head above ground and grab some food." “I’m up for it,” Jade confirmed. “I’ll just get my gear and set up in my room wile you do that, okay? It’ll give you time to get unsweaty.” Jade pinched her nose and stuck her tongue out. Nata pretended to look offended. "I do not smell!" She tilted her head slightly towards her arm and sniffed. She made a disgusted face and wrinkled her nose. "Okay, so maybe I do. Give me thirty minutes. I'll come to your room when I'm finished." “Great, I’ll meet you there,” Jade said, standing from her seat and striding out of the club. Dusk seemed to enfold her as she exited, and she hailed a taxi, ordering the driver to a planned drop-off point for her supplies. Rather than risk her cover by racing back to the Temple, the master’s had arranged for a safer location. When she reached a random apartment building, she stepped inside and feigned going toward the lift. Truly, she bypassed it when she was sure the taxi flyer wasn’t looking and stepped outside via the backdoor. In the alley, faint dripping noises and full dumpsters dominated what there was to notice in the ever hastening night. She crept up beside one of these dumpsters and found her bags. There were two of them, both pink. She rolled her eyes with amusement, knowing that Master Gallia was behind that somehow. The larger of the two was filled with civilian clothes of many styles and hues. The second was much smaller and held mainly hygiene products. On closer inspection of several hidden compartments, Jade found an emergency communicator, a vibroblade, and the baggy of sedatives they’d promised. She pulled the bags up by their straps and slung them over her shoulder, hauling them back inside the building and out again toward the air taxi. Once back at The Head Rush, Jade was escorted through a backdoor for employees only and quickly found her quarters again. At first, she didn’t really look at the room, watching her feet until she plopped the bags on the floor. Then it occurred to her that the carpet was suddenly a different color. It was pink. Slowly, Jade raised her eyes and took in the décor, gaping with a dropped jaw at the walls, furniture, and bedding which had all been switched. It was frilly and overwhelmingly pink, in both pastels and hotter tones that complimented one another. She rushed to the closet and found an array of pink outfits to wear at show time, grinning widely at each of them. With a shake of her head she rushed to find Nata, hurrying to her when she spotted her in the corridor. “That was so sweet of you,” Jade smiled. “To tell them about that.” She gestured to her room with a merry giggle. Nata titled her head slightly at Jade as she frowned. "Tell who about what?" “My favorite color,” Jade said. “The room looks wonderful! I just can’t believe they finished it that fast.” “What?” Nata asked, then laughed. “I’m sorry, but I’m not following.” “The room…” Jade said softly, her face falling. She glanced over her shoulder, then back at Nata again. “I thought that you…” She shook her head and took Nata’s hand, tugging her to her room. “Let me show you.” She gestured at the abundance of pink that had once been soft earth tones, and Nata blinked. “That’s interesting,” Nata chuckled. “But at least you like it.” “Yeah, but you didn’t tell them that I wanted a pink room?” Jade asked. “No, I didn’t say a word to anyone.” “Then how did they know?” Jade asked accusingly. “I didn’t say anything to anyone else besides you.” “They’re always watching, Jade,” Nata said softly. “Everything you do, they see it. That means they hear everything you say, too.” Jade seemed to seize up, turning to look at her room again as paranoia set in. “Come on,” Nata said gently, urging her out of the room. “Let’s get something to eat…” “I think my appetite just vanished, but yeah… Let’s get out of here,” Jade replied.
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