Chapter 7: Workplace Exposure

<i>"Humility is the only defense against humiliation."</i>

The first day in the Tower was a dizzying immersion into data streams and alien interfaces. Ahsoka, undercover as Liana, sat at her terminal, the cool glow of the screen a stark contrast to the warmth rising in her cheeks.

"Okay, so you see this energy cascade pattern?" Jax leaned over her shoulder, his breath warm against her blue and white lekku. He pointed at a writhing line of blue light on her screen. "That's the primary diagnostic for the shield's outer harmonics. You don't want to see that spike. If it spikes, you run a Level 2 diagnostic, not a Level 1. A Level 1 will just tell you it's spiking. A Level 2 tells you why. Run the wrong one, and Valen gets a report. Valen doesn't like reports."

Ahsoka had to stand and enter commands into an upper terminal. Raising both arms caused her to feel the crisp breeze in the cool chamber between her legs. She went from showing glimpes of orange to revealing her whole fruit in all its curvacious glory. A soft chuckle from Jax made her cheeks burn. "And whoa, look at that. A full level 1 diagnostic of the 'Liana system'. Seems to be functioning... Perfectly." He grinned, a teasing, roguish smile that held no real malice.

Ahsoka flushed, yanking her hand down and pressing the front of the dress against her crotch, despite the fabric not being long enough . "Focus, Jax."

"I am focused!" he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Just appreciating what's presented in our shared workspace." In spite of his teasing, Jax shifted in front of her, his body a casual shield. "Don't mind me. Just providing some strategic cover." He winked. "Now, with the overhead panel, you want to use a cross-hatch diagnostic. It checks the primary and secondary relays simultaneously. Go on, reach up. I've got you."

Trapped between embarasment and trusting her new friend, Ahsoka reached up again as he continued his lesson, his eyes only occasionally flicking down.

Just as she was starting to find a rhythm, Valen's smooth voice cut through the air behind her. "Progress, Liana?"

Ahsoka flinched, spinning around and dropping her arms. Valen stood there, his hands clasped behind his back, his smile as sweet and untrustworthy as ever.

"She's a natural," Jax said, stepping aside.

Valen ignored him, his eyes fixed on Ahsoka. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Your lack of height might be a hindrance with the overhead console. Inefficient. Come." He led her across the circular room to a lower mainframe console set into a raised platform. "This is the primary diagnostic for the power flow regulators. It's just as important, but much more accessible."

Ahsoka looked relieved, believing he might be doing her a favor. That relief was short lived. He required her to kneel down and bend forward on the platform, slicing theblowest part of the mainframe and putting her body on eye level with the rest of the room. She obeyed timidly, unable to keep the dress from exposing her entire bottom and the soft gap of her thighs to the room. She could feel everyone's eyes on her like a tangible weight.

"Excellent," Valen approved, his gaze lingering on the Togruta's curvy cheeks. "I want you to work on this for the rest of the day. Familiarize yourself with the regulator couplings." He didn't leave. He stood right behind her, supervising for one minute. Then two. Tears of shame pricked at her eyes. She was flashing him, flashing everyone. A strange, unwanted warmth gathered between her legs, moisture filling the small space of her exposed vagina as she stared at the console, her mind a blank wall of humiliation. She felt her thighs weakening. The thought of gushing everywhere in front of Valan, Jax, and everyone made her tremble.

Just as she thought she would break, a flash of pink jogged past. It was Eola. "Message for you, sir!" she said, her voice bright and eager.

Valan turned to the Twi'lek. "Liana, stand up and observe," he commanded.

Ahsoka scrambled to her feet, desperate for the reprieve. She watched Valan pull out his personal code cylinder. "With such sensitive information, we have to make sure it gets to the right person." He explained proudly to ahsoka, showcasing his little project. He lifted the swell of one of her small round breasts, several chips dangling from her engorged nipple. "These clips are bio-synced to her exact bodytype and bmi. If the wrong person attempts a removal or transfer, well..." He smiled. "Let's just say they don't last long in the coaxium mines." He let go and pressed a button on his code cylinder. One of her biochips beeped and the Twi'lek reacted instantly. She turned around, planted her hands and feet on the polished black floor, and presented her backside. A data chip clipped to the backmost part of her plump labia was flashing a tiny green light, cleared for removal. Her posture was perfect, practiced.

Valan unclipped the chip. "Stay for a moment, Eola," he said, turning to Ahsoka. He gestured for her to look at Twi'lek's vaginal canal, obcenely visible from that angle. Ahsoka didn't want to, but Valan's gaze was a command. She forced herself to look. "You asked about her collar?" He said casually, hooking one fingertip into her orifice, puling it up and open a bit wider. Deep inside the pink Twi'lek's darker-pink canal Ahsoka could see what looked like the end of a black, vented device with a tiny red light.

"We found an internal cylinder to be far more... efficient," Valan said, his voice a pleasant purr. "Only had to use it's shock feature... two... no, three times? And suddenly, she is our most trusted worker. You make certain messages only go where they need to, right, Eola dear?"

"Yes, sir," Eola replied in a perfectly humble monotone, her pink lekku twitching as Valan's fingertip lingered against her open genitalia.

Ahsoka saw it then. A glisten of moisture building in the Twi'lek's canal, seeping through the venting in the evil device. A year of this, and she still feels everything, the shame, the arousal. Ahsoka thought, feeling sick. She just hides it well.

Valan waited a moment longer before removing his moistened finger, holding it up to the light. He sighed dramatically, pulling a folded white kerchief from his pocket with a flourish, then slowly wiping his finger clean.

Finally he read the message on the data chip. For the first time, his pleasant demeanor vanished. "We have a situation," he said, his voice sharp. Eola, dear, with me. You'll be working a double tonight. She stood up quickly and they strode off without another word.

Ahsoka returned to her work, kneeling in front of the mainframe once more, her body trembling from everything she had seen. It certainly hadn't helped her feel any better about her own indecent exposure, especially with how similar the Twi'lek looked to her in age and height. Even their lekku and breasts were the same size, if you didnt count the stretched-out nipples.

Having trouble there, Liana?" Kaia's soft voice cut through her humiliation. A moment later, a spare gray jumpsuit was draped over her lower half, a shield of kindness. "Let me help you with that." Kaia knelt, her movements efficient and sure, and clicked a coupling back into place. "There. The connectors in these older terminals can be sticky. Just ask next time."

By the end of her shift, Ahsoka understood the basic functions. But it was all busywork. The true purpose, the connection between their menial tasks, the scary helmet with tubes, and the planet-smashing power of the Kyber-Matrix Synthesizer remained a mystery. What was 'the work'?