Friday Flash Fiction #22

The Jedi's Slave: Beginning Again

Again she walked across the floor to the leader. She knew that Jar Gon was despondent - he sensed he was losing her, but he also knew - they both did - that she must make her contribution to the republic. She bowed.

"Sir, I have a question"

"Lara, please. Speak you will"

"Sir, the hardest thing is for me to give up is my slave submission to Jar Gon. It complicates everything. Is there a way I can serve as a Jedi and still be submissive to him?"

His eyes glittered - a smile on his small face.

"Lara, believe I do that you have been placed on this planet to challenge us all"

They both laughed.

"This consider I must"

"Sir - if I can continue as a submissive to only him, I would do whatever you and the council feel best. If not, I would want to stay as I am. I know that I would be giving up much..."

"Lara. Too strong you are to allow failure. A success we must find."

He turned and walked across the room, lost in meditation.

She returned and started to sit at Jar Gon's feet. He stood instead and pulled her to him.

"Little one, I know what you prefer, and it is indeed what I prefer. But it may not be best for the republic."

She interrupted him

"No Master. Please..."

"If we must - I will relelase you from your slave contract"

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They rode home, silent for a while, The air conditioner struggled to overcome the heat and humidity that had left their clothes plastered to their bodies.

"Padawan" he began.

She cringed.

"Master..."

"Padawan your first assignment is to determine how our Ordelian bretheren are passing messages without encountering our decryption barriers. We believe it to be buried in some simple file structure, perhaps in the matrix of an image file. Steganographic analysis is called for here. But you knew that."

She was silent. It would be a difficult day.

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BTW this is exactly how terror groups in europe were circulating messages. If you look at the jpeg spec it is open ended, meaning it is easy to add a data type that passes non-encrypted data that is invisible unless you're a hacker. Like I am...