The power of fine dining has brought the end to many horrors. Soldiers have thrown aside their arms to have a savory meal and a thirst quenching drink. Sith and Jedi suddenly find themselves pulling credit chits out of their robes instead of their lightsabers. Many a dinner party has been had in the past where treaties were signed, trade franchises created, or new governments who wish fair treatment to their constituents suddenly sprouted out of tyranny.

Sonfax's Port Nesh Diner threatens to become one of these places as it sits upon the precipice of immortality. Originally a standard diner inside of a spaceport on the blue collar world of Corellia, it seems that the proprietor of the establishment has moved up in the galaxy since closing that first location only a few weeks ago.

The new location on the relatively unknown, isolationist world of Voss comes with a few hang-ups. Diplomatic or trade passes to the planet are rare, but easily attainable if one does not mind the 180 basic standard day waiting period for travel. While it is unsure how the self-made Twi'lek man managed to get his hands on the lease to a Voss establishment, the only thing that matters is the food and how darn good it is!

BLASTech is back after a short hiatus, ready to bring you all the knowledge you can handle on tech around the galaxy! We use it every day; you probably take it for granted, that slick Lhosan speeder or the (somewhat) reliable taxi vessels on Nar Shaddaa. They all have one thing in common besides the ability to get you where you need to go, and even then they need repulsors. These pieces of equipment are created in an incredible way that many do not appreciated, making it one of the most taken for granted pieces of equipment.

It all begins with a black hole—those terrifying enigmas in the galaxy that can decimate entire systems—but ingenious scientists have been able to create massive unmanned refineries that harness the properties of black holes to create repulsors. These lifts can be assembled in arrays, clusters, or vanes studded with micro-coils of gravity 'knots' to fulfill the need of the situation. After the repulsor has been fully assembled, it is ready to be mounted in the previously mentioned patterns.

The hours went by slowly as the evening wore on, as the first annual "Mister and Miss Nar Shaddaa" pageant unfolded in the grimy and rather stark surroundings of the location known simply as the Blood Factory. Fourteen hopeful contestants gathered in the space as seven judges decided who was the fairest of them all. Any contest on Nar Shaddaa isn't complete without accusations of foul play, bribery, or other suspicious possibilities. Some questions arose for those that attended the pageant, and speculation apparently ran rife when the results were finally announced after a rather lengthy deliberation process as the host, Vaanthe, and a Jawa or two worked over the results of the judges' accumulated votes. 

The winners were announced with Franky Fourfingers, a known Huttball player, being crowned as Mister Nar Shaddaa, and Ali’anjya Elyse Fayn as Miss Nar Shaddaa. The runners up were Vertigus Abd'Zoth, apparently known for his prolific supply of offspring, and Briah Silvertongue.   The two newly crowned beauty 'king and queen' will reign for a year, with the two others stepping in if something should happen to the winners.

A hunter hosting a 'beauty' contest? Is this as crazy an idea as you have ever heard or what? No, readers, you heard it right when the first annual "Mister and Miss Nar Shaddaa " Beauty Pageant was announced over the planet. Hosted by Vaanthe, known for running security at the Yocola Tonka when it was open, as well as refereeing at the Blood Factory, this contest allegedly was begun as a bet with a Gamorrean, Nautolan, Human, Twi'lek, and others of some unsavory reputation over a game of dice. Speculation over what was the true standard for beauty on the grimy yet brightly colored world of Nar Shaddaa sparked this idea, and so it is really happening.

Will the contestants be as gaudy as the city's lights and glamour, or is it all really more than skin deep in the 'Vertical City'? That's the question to ask as fourteen hopeful men and women go up for their chance to be voted Mister and Miss Nar Shaddaa for the duration of a year. The deal includes the title to be held by the winner of either title as well as possibilities and deals to be made for future endorsements to some local businesses, public appearance opportunities, and other deals. It is rumored that a Hutt or two might even want to meet some of these contestants personally. Blessing or curse for that one? We value our lives so we won't speculate publicly!

Welcome back to another issue of The Darker Side of Life, the roleplay column for The Old Republic where we take a look at the issues concerning roleplayers, and try to find solutions for them. In this week's issue, we're tackling stealth and how it affects roleplay, specifically spying and information gathering. Spying can be a core part of an RP community, with different groups trying to figure out what each other is doing. There are all sorts of ways to gather information, from bribery, to torture, even just being a fly on the wall and listening in. The real question is, what happens if that fly on the wall has stealth abilities and can't be seen by the other players, is it still legitimate?