Shades of Purple

Out of Control

"You two."

One of the Irkenettes reacted first. "Need anything, ma'am?"

"I'm fine. I wanted to ask you if you'd like something to drink."

The Elite shifted uncomfortably. "We're not allowed to drink on duty, ma'am. The Tallest forbid it."

Tenn smirked, raising her glass. "Chill out. My husband doesn't have to find out about this. Consider it a reward for doing such a good job."

The other Irkenette spoke first ."Nam, don't you think we could...? Even if a tiny sip..."

"Are you nuts? If Tallest Purple finds out, we'll be lucky if he doesn't have us re-encoded as service drones or worse!" her companion, whose name was Nam, hissed in a low voice.

"Oh, come on, you're not telling me you don't miss the after-parties on the Academy?"

"This isn't the Academy, Jal! One mistake can cost us more than a few hours in detention!"

"How about this? Just one little shot." Tenn served the Krazy Kobra on two glass shots meant for whiskey. "It won't do you any bad. This drink doesn't have any alcohol, so nobody will notice that you took a tiny sip," she held out the two glasses, smirking. "What do you say?"

The Irken Elites exchanged looks.

**SoP**

I can't believe it worked!

She almost laughed as she snuck out her way out of the bar, down the corridors and into the Massive's teleporter, where she typed in the command to teleport herself to the planet's surface. True to her calculation, the Elites couldn't resist the temptation to take 'one more shot.' And they didn't know the ingredients to the Krazy Kobra, so they didn't suspect a thing. By the second shot, they were completely drunk.

Tenn stepped out of the teleporter triumphantly, looking around at her surroundings; she relished in the familiar cold green colors of Devastis, waves of memories of her younger days coming back to her. There's the bench where her younger self would take a nap after long hours of training, and the training course where she first met Dren; she even saw a newly-arrived group of smeets from Irk's main smeetery arriving in a ship. For a moment, she almost saw her younger self amongst those newly-arrived trainees.

Tenn left this part of Devastis and headed towards a small area located a few streets away. This street was known to have a few entertainment facilities, mostly bars, cafeterias, and music lounges. Tenn walked down the metallic path for a while until she came unto a familiar establishment named The Pinkorse. It still hadn't changed much after all these years; she had fond memories of coming here after a whole day of training to take a well-deserved break, sometimes meeting with her training companions or even Dren. Taking a deep breath, Tenn stepped into the building.

The Pinkorse was perhaps the most famous establishment in Devastis. It wasn't only a bar; it also had a small restaurant area and a dance floor, not to mention its delicious food. Unlike the rest of the buildings on the planet, the interior was decorated in the Irken Empire's warmer mauve, pink and purple palettes, giving it a more welcoming feeling. The food or drinks were delivered by service drones, though their tables were not as tight as those in the Massive or Foodcourtia restaurants, probably to help their backs get used to the position. 

The place was filled to the brim with trainees who wished an escape from the hard, brutal training. To Tenn's luck, no one seemed to recognize her; she wasn't wearing her royal robes, after all, but an ordinary piece of clothing. Her height, however, demanded respect on itself, which made it easier for her to find an empty seat at the bar. Casually, one of her neighbors happened to be a communications officer from the Massive. He wasn't that hard to identify; his uniform was brilliant pink-red, and a high collar hid the lower half of his face.