Varactyl - tales of a Cathar Smuggler

[Jaiddyn]

Updated: 8/30/2016

 

I’ve always loved the Firefly/Serenity series, Guardians of the Galaxy, and similar settings so it was natural for me to love the idea of the Smuggler and his crew best of all in SWTOR. Because I love to write and I love building characters stories just kind of happened. So I figured I might as well write and enjoy and share them with others.

 

These are stories, drabbles, and possibly journal entries about the adventures of Rukahr Tahjan and his crew. Aboard his ship, the Varactyl, they travel around the universe, making credits, getting into trouble, and meeting all sorts of interesting people.

 

The character in question is Rukahr. He is a Cathar smuggler found on the Ebon Hawk server and is open for role-play, connections, and such things. Obviously for role-play, some of his stories are tweaked a bit (since there isn’t supposed to be a hundred Corso Riggs, many Outlanders, etc.). These stories are based around the in-game story line for fun though.

 

WARNING: The following stories may contain spoilers and quest information. I will do my best to remember to include a spoiler warning at the beginning of each story posted to warn people.

 

DISCLAIMER: All the characters appearing in Star Wars: The Old Republic (including NPCs, companions, etc.) belong to Disney/Bioware/Star Wars/Lucasfim LTD/etc. No infringement of these copyrights is intended and is not authorized by the copyright holder. Please don’t sue; I have no money to take anyway!

 

All original characters (particularly Rukahr) belong to me. Please don’t take, borrow, or alter without asking first. Thank you and enjoy!

 

TABLE OF CONTENT - just to keep things neat

Introduction

The Cast

List of Stories

Extra

 

P.S. - If you notice any spelling errors or have constructive criticism, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m working to improve my writing so it’s always good to have friendly help.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

THE CAST

 

Updated: 8/30/2016

 

Rukahr Tahjan (Rook, Captain) - the owner and captain of the Varactyl. A Cathar born into slavery, he escaped when he was half-grown, taking to life on a ship quite naturally. While he’s not the biggest Cathar, he’s quick thinking, clever, and has a good head for business most of the time. Fiercely loyal to his ship and his crew, he’s generally honest with his dealings but has a streak of malice if he gets double-crossed.

 

Corso Riggs (Farm Boy) - A little younger than Rukahr, Corso Riggs is still very young at heart, cheerful, and second-in-command to the Cathar. The ‘good guy’ of the crew, he often acts as a moral compass on a lot of things. An expert in about anything that shoots, blasts, or cuts, he helps keep the crew of the Varactyl well-armed and ready for anything.

 

C2-N2 (Seetoo) - The Varactyl’s droid (or at least Rukahr’s reckoning). Unfailingly polite, frustratingly happy to pamper, and with no real understanding of privacy, he tends to ‘mother’ the crew within an inch of their lives if at all possible. Quite frankly, Rook might have spaced him, except the droid makes fantastic food and the captain loves to eat.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

1. 
   

LIST OF STORIES

 

Updated: 8/30/2016

 

Story 1 - Never Easy - 1000+ word short story about meeting up with Corso Riggs on Ord Mantell

 

Story 2 - Nothing But Trouble - 800+ word story about dealing with reporters on Ord Mantell

 

Story 3 - Mercy - 3500+ word story about the last part of the Smugger quests on Ord Mantell

 

Story 4.1 & 4.2- The Esseles - 10000+ word story on Rukahr's adventures with the Esseles and Grand Moff Kilran. (Broken into two parts due to posting restrictions.)

 

Story 5 - Hunting Contacts - 1500+ word story on meeting up with Dekk'lar as Corso and Rukahr try their hand at bounty hunting

 

Story 6 - The Right Choices - 1000+ word short story about Corso helping Rukahr do the right thing.

 

Story 7 - No Love Lost - 4000+ word short story about Rukahr and Corso helping a dancer out of a bad relationship.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

EXTRAS

Updated: 8/30/2016

 

UPDATE 1: I gave the current stories a little once over. After chatting with a few nice people on the forums about POV and such, I decided to stick with First Person but gave the story a tiny revamp. Basically a second draft, corrected a few errors and hopefully smoothed out the reading. I used "Hemingway Editor" to help out and try to keep the stories easy to read and enjoyable! Any input is welcomed.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

SPOILERS - This includes some vague spoilers for the first quests on Ord Mantell and meeting up with Corso Riggs and Skavak.

 

NOTES - This is version 2 of the story with a few small tweaks for ease of reading and Rukahr's apperance. Same basic character, but I tweaked his look in game a tad so I altered a bit of the story to reflect that.

 

NEVER EASY

 

The moment the Varactyl touched down on Ord Mantell I got a bad feeling. There was no reason for it. My fur just hackled on my neck and back, rubbing against my clothing. It itched and sent a tingle of nerves down my spine. For a moment, I dug my claws into padding of my chair to fight the urge to just take off again. Still, the job was almost done and leaving now was just plain stupid. Snorting a little at myself, I shook my head to hit the airlock and step out into the pale sunlight. Everyone got a strange feeling now and then, right? It didn’t mean anything.

 

My boots thudded against the durasteel as I headed down to meet my contact for the first time. He was about average height for a human with a wiry build and slick, dark hair. An eye-catching jagged black tattoo arched over his right eye and trailed down his face to his neck. Handsome enough, but an arrogant smirk and hard blue eyes ruined it. Immediate dislike made my fur itch worse. A wave of cloying cologne hitting me in the face as I got closer didn't help at all. Humans have lousy noses, but I couldn’t imagine it wasn’t strong even to them. My ears flicked, muscles twitching as I fought not to flatten my ears and grimace at the stench.

 

“Name’s Skavak,” he said, chin up and managing to look down his hawkish nose at me. It was a good trick because we about the same height. “Nice to meet you, Captain.”

 

It sounded like it was anything but nice and I felt my lip curling to show a fang as his back turned. I’d seen that attitude before in the Empire. There were plenty of people that didn’t care for ‘non-humans’ and being a Cathar I’d had to deal with it before. My claws flexed with irritation, but I held my tongue. Better just to get the job done and get the hell of this planet. His credits would spend as well as anyone else’s.

 

Of course things could never be easy.

 

“Skavak! We got a problem!”

 

The voice wasn’t unpleasant, even tight with stress. It lacked the arrogance of Skavak and had a soft drawl that was kind of interesting. I hadn’t heard it before and I put it down as Mantellian. Turning toward the newcomer, I perked my ears and tilted my head back a bit to look up at him. He was tall, just a touch under two meters with the broad shoulders and swinging stride of a rancher or a soldier. Square, angular features showed a nose that had been broken at least once. Pale scars marred across his nose, left cheek, and throat. They were thin and near symmetric: odd but interesting. Definitely handsome in a rugged kind of way. It reinforced the soldier impression. Deep brown hair was woven into neat dreadlocks and pulled back in a knot at his neck. He might have looked tough if it wasn’t for the fact he had eyes like a ronto: big, brown, and rather soft. He noticed me looking and give a quick, rather boyish smile. That smile made me think he wasn't much over twenty years.

 

“You got a name?” I asked, only half-listening to whatever they were arguing about. I figured it had to do with something other than me. I’d made my delivery.

 

“Huh? Oh! Corso Riggs,” he said, sticking out a large, gloved hand. “Nice to meet you, Captain.”

 

“You too.” I smiled back, careful not to dig my claws in. Curved and retractile, they tended to pop out if someone squeezed too hard. Which he was. I extracted my fingers before he ended up scratched, tilting my head to regard him.

 

He was looking back and I wasn’t exactly surprised. Cathar weren’t too common, but enough were around to be ‘exotic’. From what I’d heard, a few centuries or so before I was born, the Mandalorians had some big war with them. The Cathar lost and a good ninety percent of my species were gone by the end. A lot of the survivors ended up slaves. Cathar males were prized as 'wild beasts' for the arenas. Females were 'exotic beauties' and much in demand. Now, generations later, interesting patterns of stripes and spots were common. The 'pretty' colors were more in demand for the slave market. Most males were large and heavy-muscled with thick manes. Females were lithe and graceful. Cathar were perfect slave material from the standpoint of Hutts and the less scrupulous.

 

And then there’s the occasional throwback like me. I was short for one, only about one-point-seven meters when most males went to over two meters. I was lean instead of bulky; long-limbed instead of thick. My fur was a tawny brown fading to a creamy shade on the front. Dull compared to the more common orange, white, or shades of gray. Fine sepia-brown stripes marked my face; similar stripes marked my back and limbs. The pattern was faint compared to the more showy spots and patterns out there. The most distinctive mark I had was a darker stripe from my nose down my spine. Even the thick strip of mane between my ears was the same shade as my markings. Compared to most Cathar, I was downright drab when it came to my fur. I even lacked the profuse mane that so many Cathar boasted.

 

Still, there was something to be said for being so plain. It was unusual enough that I got attention for it. Attention I tended to like if I wanted to be honest with myself. When most of your race is all flash and bright colors, being ‘plain' is actually an advantage. I let him look and lifted my chin a bit, raising my eyebrows at him.

 

After a minute I flashed him a toothy grin that made him blush and clear his throat. “Name’s Rukahr Tahjan,” I offered. “Rook’s fine though.”

 

He smiled back at that but got serious again as Skavak continued. I finally listened for a minute and groaned. They were expecting me to deal with the problem of these Separatists. To get my ship off the damn planet, I was going to have to go out there and fight a bunch of blaster-carrying militia. “Damn,” I muttered, sighing as I checked my blaster. “I need to start charging extra for my thrilling heroics...”

 

“Good luck,” Corso Riggs called as I strode toward the door. “Hope we see you again.”

 

“Me too,” I muttered as I stepped back out into the sunlight and into a hell of a lot more trouble than I bargained for.

 

-END-

Edited August 20, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

SPOILERS - Includes spoilers from the Ord Mantell side quest, 'the Untold Story'.

 

NOTHING BUT TROUBLE

 

“When I am gonna learn?” I muttered through my teeth as I tilted my head to peek around the corner. My ears flicked and tilted, listening for the sound of heavy boots moving toward me. “I had a feeling the minute I landed,” I grumbled as I slid around the corner, slinking past the guards. “This planet is full of idiots and insane women...and I’m starting to be one of those idiots.”

 

It was pure stupidity to try and find this ‘Waxx’ guy for that crazy lady Lamalla Rann. After snapping at me like a pig-lizard with a sore tooth, she immediately tried to hire me. I couldn’t do much more than stare at her. I’d barely gotten a word in edgewise with her. She spat out insults, rants, and declarations of greatness in a confusing tangle. Using her words like a knife, she drove them home along with jabbing a well-manicured nail at me. At that point, I’d figured she was a reporter; the kind that gets people killed and calls themself a hero. I let the offer of ‘enough credits to bribe a small army’ tempt me though. Now I was searching the base of the Mantellian separatists for some blasted holo-discs. "Should have asked for more credits," I muttered under my breath as I searched.

 

It took a few floors before I was pretty sure I found what I was looking for. A plain-looking human with messy light brown hair and no armor at all unlike the rest of them. After a minute of watching him fiddle with some holo-recorders I was certain. Easing into the room and closing the door, I headed for him, one ear on the door just in case a separatist came in.

 

“Hey, watch out! You’re getting in my light!” he immediately snapped.

 

That was enough to make me pause and blink, brows raising. “Huh?”

 

“Lighting is essential to selling the message of urgency,” he explained as if I were a child. Or cared.

 

Folding my arms as my ears flattened, I glared at him with annoyance. “I’m here for the holodiscs, Waxx.”

 

“What? No! You’re from the Republic aren’t you? Come to kill me for my noble work! Well, you’re not going to succeed!” There was the fervent light of a fanatic in his eyes, which made me groan and pinch the bridge of my nose. “There’s no way I’m giving up my footage of the glorious uprising! Lamalla may be willing to hide the Republic’s warmongering, but I’m not!” His voice was proud and the pudgy fool straightened sharply. “I’m with the separatists now!” As if I hadn’t figured that out.

 

“Look,” I snapped, intruding his next tirade. “Do you have the recordings or not?”

 

“Of course I do. That’s what it’s all about. I’ve re-edited those holos to show the plight of the separatists and their families. So you go back to Lamalla and tell her she can find another patsy to do her work! I’ve seen the light!” He took in a deep breath, ready to launch into his ranting again.

 

“Give me the holo-discs,” I growled, letting a deep rumble rise in my chest. I curled my lips to show teeth in a snarl that tended to make humans nervous. Cathar females have delicate fangs, but males do not. More than twice as long as a human's and sharply pointed, they tend to have an unsettling effect on most people. “Or I will make you give me those holo-discs!”

 

My intimidation worked because Waxx went pale and held up his hands, sputtering. “W-what?! I d-don’t even have a weapon! I’m just a journalist!” He winced as I took another step forward and growled again. I rested my hand on the table, claws flexing enough to dig gouges into the cheap plastic. Another of those 'unsettling' traits, a Cathar's retractile claws curved to a dangerous point. “Fine! Okay! You can have the holo-discs. There’s just one little problem.” Realizing something, his expression got triumphant. “The separatists’ propaganda officers have them. You want those discs, you’d best get them--before they distribute them so everyone can see.”

 

He grinned at me for another second before I punched him hard. He went down with a yelp of pain, blood pouring from a broken nose and busted lip as he fell on his backside. Clutching his face, he looked at me with wide watery eyes, shocked that I’d actually struck him. He cringed as I pointed a claw toward him, snarling.

 

“You are lucky I’m such a nice guy,” I snapped, forcing my fur to settle again. “Otherwise--” I stopped with a snort of disgust. The unpleasant stink of urine hit my nose as a wet patch showed on the floor. I shook my head with distaste, but that cooled my temper off. Beating up cowards wasn't particularly satisfying for me. "Grow up, you idiot,” I grumbled as I headed out of the room. “Being this stupid is going to kill you killed by someone one of these days...”

 

Leaving him in his own mess, I shut the door behind me. Grunting in annoyance, I peered both ways before heading for the nearest set of stairs. “She better pay me extra for having to deal with this pile of bantha waste,” I grumbled as I started searching. “I’m going to start charging a ‘vexation fee’ for these jobs.”

 

-END-

Edited August 20, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

SPOILERS - This includes spoilers for the last part of the Smugger quests on Ord Mantell and teaming up with Corso Riggs. The end also has a spoiler for the first Corso Riggs conversation.

 

MERCY

 

When the separatist leader crumbled into a heap, I whirled toward the others. My muscles tensed to dodge, adrenaline pumping. I was only slightly surprised to see two already down and taken care of. Corso Riggs had proven himself to be every bit as adept with that blaster rifle as Viidu had said. I took a step toward the last one, only to have him stumble back a few steps and collapse to the floor. He wasn’t too old, dressed in battered, ill-fitting light armor. Short dark hair was messy with sweat, half-hiding his wide eyes. His plain features were pale under the particular tan of someone that wore goggles way too much.

 

“Please!” His blaster clattered to the ground as he raised his hands to shield himself, shaking. “I surrender, I surrender! Please I don’t want to die!” His voice cracked as he cringed away from my own weapon leveled toward his eyes. “I know why you’re here and you’re wasting your time!”

 

That brought a growl to my throat as I narrowed my eyes. “I’m here for my starship and Skavak. Where are they?” My barrel didn’t waver as Corso and I stepped toward him. The dreadlocked human kicked the dropped gun away, moving to cover our prisoner.

 

“Skavak is long gone,” the separatist said, voice shaking. “He left hours ago.”

 

I swore under my breath, claws digging into the well-worn handle of ‘Flashy’. The SoroSuub SSK Heavy Blaster had been a gift from Corso and done better by me than about any gun I’d had before. Trigger was light and smooth; the sights damn near perfect. I had to wonder if Corso and I were just that close in fighting style. Otherwise he’d actually managed to modify it for me in the short time we’d known each other. That would be almost scary impressive. Something to ask about later though. I lowered Flashy, letting Corso keep his rifle trained on the man as he spoke in shaky stutters.

 

“Dareg was stupid to fight you,” he murmured, the sharp bitter taint of fear and regret thick in the air. I assumed Dareg was the dead leader a few yards away. “He got everyone killed when he should’ve just told you the truth...” He staggered to his feet, stumbling back as Corso took a threatening step toward him. “Skavak showed up a few hours ago to deliver the guns, but it was all a trick. He pretended to be on our side so he could steal some rusty antique droid from Dareg.”

 

“What?” That made me frown, glancing at Corso who raised a shoulder in a small shrug. “Skavak came here to steal a droid...?” That was puzzling. What kind of droid was so valuable he’d run the risks he had to grab it? “Why?” I asked, folding my arms as my ears tipped back in thought.

 

“I don’t know,” he said, swallowing. “It was just some worthless pile of scrap that’d been in Dareg’s family for generations. That droid was ancient--practically useless--but Skavak grabbed it like some big treasure and blasted his way out.” His voice was steadying a bit, but he kept shooting Corso uneasy looks. “He left in your ship. I don’t know where he went, but I can guess who does. Skavak has a girl at Fort Garnik named Syreena.”

 

I twitched in shock, jaw dropping and ears folding down. “What?” The edge in my voice made him flinch back again as I snapped. “You’re trying to tell me Syreena is with Skavak?!” I could picture the girl I’d met a few times in Viidu's warehouse. Short, curvy, with black hair and the kind of big green eyes that made me do stupid things. I instinctively wanted to call him a liar, but how the hell else would he know her name? Corso tensed as well, jaw tightening and fingers flexing against his rifle.

 

“They go way back from what I’ve heard!” Our separatist friend sputtered, glancing back and forth. “They... they’ve been scamming Viidu all along. It was Syreena who warned us you were coming! If you want to find out where Skavak went, Syreen’s the one who knows.” Frightened hazel eyes darted back and forth between Corso and I like a trapped animal. “...Please... Let me go. I have a family back on the mainland. Please.”

 

I opened my mouth to say something, but swallowed it when Corso moved. The tall human stepped forward, rifle against the man’s temple as the separatist cowered. I could only give him a surprised look. The dreadlock-wearing man was normally unfailing cheerful and friendly. Even in combat he often kept up a steady good-natured stream of chatter and a warm smile. I wasn’t used to seeing his angular scarred features so drawn and vicious; even his eyes were hard and flat. “Separatist scum killed my family,” he said in a tight growl of his own. “and I promised myself I’d bury every last one of you.”

 

Terrified eyes cast me a pleading look. “I--I’ve only been here a few months. I didn’t kill anyone’s family. I’ve only ever followed orders. Please...”

 

“Then I order you to die.” Corso’s voice was colder than I’d never heard it and his finger flexed, brushing the trigger.

 

Most of the time I wasn’t one to stand in the way of anyone’s vendetta. At least as long as that vendetta didn’t involve me. This didn’t, but it just felt wrong. Granted, I’d only known the man a few days, but this ran against everything I’d seen in Corso before. He hated the separatists for good reasons. Still, gunning someone down was something different all together.

 

“Are you sure about this, Corso?” I said, surprising even myself. I stepped forward slowly, lifting a hand to rest on his arm. The muscles underneath were hard as durasteel, shaking with tension. I kept my touch feather-light as I didn't want any accidental shots happening. I watched a muscle twitch in his jaw, but his eyes never left the cowering man. “The man seems pretty sincere.”

 

“Sincerity has nothing to do with it!” Corso snapped, brown eyes darting to me for a moment. “Every one of these motherless scum deserves death.” His voice cracked a little with emotion as he tensed again. “I can’t just let him go home and pretend like nothing ever happened!”

 

He had a point, but there was something in those big brown eyes that made me frown with concern. Under the anger was pain and this was one of those things that people didn’t come back from. Corso might be a soldier, but this was plain murder. I had a bad feeling if he did what he was thinking of, he’d lose something inside himself. My fingers tightened a little on his arm. I didn't try and push his arm down. All I wanted was him to focus on something other than killing the helpless separatist. “Would your family want you executing people?” I murmured for his ears only. “Shooting a helpless man in cold blood? Even for them?”

 

Uncertainty flickered across his expressive features as he hesitated. “My family were farmers, not soldiers... They didn’t deserve what happened to them!” I watched as his lips thinned, gaze focusing on the cowering man once more.

 

“Please,” the separatist whispered in a broken voice, a tear slipping down his cheek. “I swear to you I’ll never serve a man like Dareg again. I’ll just go home and take care of my family.”

 

“You remember what it was like to lose your family, Corso.” I slid my hand down his arm to touch the rifle, finally trying to ease the barrel toward the ground. “Are you going to do the same thing to his? Are you going to take away their son? Their brother? Their father? You’re better than that.”

 

For a moment, Corso tensed and fought the pressure I was putting on his weapon before he shuddered. The tension flowed out of his jaw and shoulders, leaving him looking tired and pained. “Get out of here before I change my mind,” he grunted, letting the rifle lower.

 

“Thank you,” the separatist gasped as if he couldn’t believe he’d just survived. He didn’t take it for granted, bolting toward the door.

 

I watched him go, frowning. I glanced at Corso, who turned away, rifle dangling in one hand and shoulders shaking a little. His expression was still taut, but the anger had turned into something else. Brown eyes were soft again, glistening with unshed tears. Without thinking, I reached up and rested my hand on his nape. My claws flexed, carefully scratching his scalp. It was a soothing gesture that came instinctively to most Cathar. Rubbing around the ears was pleasant for most of us. It was something I’d done to my siblings a thousand times and more. Something my mother had done when I needed comfort. I don’t know why I had the urge to do it to Corso Riggs. Nonetheless I stood by him and ruffled the sweaty dreadlocks without speaking.

 

I waited for him to calm, fingers still moving. His hair was softer than I thought it would be. The texture made me think of a bantha: thick and kind of woolly. I was a little envious actually. He had a better mane than I did...

 

“Thanks, Captain,” he said, bringing him out of my fascination with his hair. He was blushing a little at the contact but offered a worn smile. I wasn’t sure if he was saying thanks for comfort or for stopping him, but I didn’t have the heart to ask. “Come on. We have to have a little heart-to-heart with Syreena.”

 

I watched as he rallied himself, lifting his chin again and checking his weapon. “You’re right,” I said, giving his nape a little squeeze before dropping my hand and turning away. “Let’s go see what Viidu’s girl has to say about all this.”

 

 

Less than an hour later, I strode into Viidu’s office with Corso at my flank. My ears snapped flat when I heard two voices. I ground my jaw to keep from snarling, glancing around the corner. Syreena was standing before a holo of Skavak. The burnt ozone smell of a recently fired blaster mixed with singed flesh. It drew my eyes to a motionless form on the floor. It was Viidu, well-tailored clothing tangled around his bulk. There was a puddle of dark red around him; for a moment I thought it was blood, but the scent was that of a good wine. It occurred to me he’d been waiting for us to return when it happened. He’d promised us all a glass of his best vintage when we succeeded. My eyes focused on Syreena and my vision sharpened as adrenaline and anger flooded my veins.

 

“I can’t believe you fried Viidu, sweetheart. So what if he caught you talking to separatists?” Skavak’s arrogant voice made my lips curl back from my teeth, forcing me to swallow another growl. I wanted to hear this.

 

“He threatened to turn me in to Rogun the Butcher!” the short woman said, gesturing toward the corpse of her former boss and lover. “I had to kill him! Besides, now we can finally be together.” Her tone made me grimace in distaste. Last thing I needed was the mental image of Skavak getting it on in my head. Yuck.

 

“Yeah...” Skavak blinked and shook his head, amusement in his tone. “The thing is... my cargo hold is full and I’m busy with work. I’ll call you some time though. I promise.” He was leaving her to take the heat. Given my experience with Skavak that wasn't shocking. A bit like being told jumping out of an airlock naked into space was a bad idea.

 

“What are you talking about?” Syreena’s wounded voice made me huff in disgust and give Corso a look. I was a little surprised to see the man looking sympathetic toward the girl that had just murdered his boss. “You promised to get me out of here. I’ve done everything for you, Skavak!”

 

The tattooed bastard dropped the soothing tone to give her a self-satisfied grin. “Please,” he said with derision. “You did it for the money, same as me. The only difference is--” A smug hum entered his tone. “you’re not actually getting paid. I’ll see you around, darling.” With that, he cut off the communication and disappeared.

 

“You’re right, Corso,” I said, walking toward the girl with my own hint of scorn. “Skavak does know how to make an exit.”

 

Syreena flinched and turned, hands wringing. She offered that heart-melting smile that had gotten me thinking below the belt more than a few times. Of course this time I realized what it was and just showed her my teeth in a threatening snarl. She shied back, resorting to that soft, sweet voice she’d used on me before with pretty damn good effect. “Captain? I... I didn’t see you come in. It’s wonderful you’re still alive. How...long have you been back?”

 

“Long enough,” I rumbled, claws twitching to dig into my leather jacket as I crossed my arms. “I heard everything, Syreena, and your separatist friends had some interesting things to say.”

 

Green eyes widened and turned soft and pleading. “Then there’s no point in lying to you,” she murmured, small white teeth catching her full lower lip. She was turning on every charm she thought she could get away with on me. “Skavak used me just like he did everyone else. That man could charm the armor off a Mandalorian.” Big green eyes darted toward the door before focusing on me. They rounded, still attempting to use those ample wiles of hers to soften me. “Rogun the Butcher’s bounty hunters are on their way right now. We don’t want to be here when they arrive.” Her tone turned coaxing. “Skavak took your ship and the guns to Coruscant. If you go now, he won’t know you’re coming for him.”

 

The fact I could feel myself softening just a bit fueled my anger and I dropped a hand to rest on Flashy. “What is he doing on Coruscant?” I growled, fingers wrapping around the handle.

 

“I don’t know,” she murmured, eyes still large. I wasn’t sure I bought anything coming out of her mouth for a second. “He wouldn’t tell me, but it was something big. He was excited about it.” She took a step toward me, adopting a look of wide-eyed admiration that had flattered me once. “The separatists are in chaos and retreating thanks to you. The Republic just reopened the shuttle port.” She rested a delicate hand on my arm, ignoring that fact I tensed and growled low in my chest. “If you hurry, you can catch the first one out. I have a shuttle pass. I’ll give it to you if you let me disappear. You’ll have to hurry though...”

 

I shook her hand off, making her step back in surprise. She gasped as I pulled my blaster free and pointed it at her pretty face. “I have plenty of time to kill you and chase down Skavak.”

 

“Captain...” Corso’s voice was uncertain at my shoulder. “I don’t-- You shouldn’t--”

 

I shot him an angry glare, ears folding flat. “She killed Viidu in cold blood. She set us up to die. She betrayed you, Viidu, and me! Give me one damn good reason I shouldn’t!”

 

He flinched a bit in the face of my words, but those big soft ronto eyes of his were back. Deep brown with flecks of amber, they filled with distress as his lips turned down in an unhappy frown. “Killing women isn’t right...”

 

I blinked at him, so startled that I nearly lowered the blaster right then. “What? What the hell kind of backwater attitude is that!? She’s just as damn capable of shooting us as any man. Hell, she killed Viidu without blinking! Being a woman isn’t some kind of--”

 

Corso blushed and his gaze dropped. His shoulders sagged and I could almost feel the hurt my words were causing. Abruptly I felt as if I’d just kicked a puppy. “I know,” he mumbled. “but it still just... It doesn’t feel right.”

 

I groaned and gave a low vexed hiss in his direction that made his shoulders slump lower. I couldn’t believe the nonsense I was hearing. It was pretty clear to me at least. Syreena was a woman that used every charm, wile, and trick she could to get what she wanted. She relied on people like Corso to let her get away with it because she was ‘just a girl’. “Of all the stupid--” I started to snap, biting it off when he gave me that pained look again. I stared at him for a long moment. It hit me then. If I did what I was itching to do Corso would never look at me the same again. That---well, it actually bothered me for some crazy reason. More than the idea of letting Syreena go.

 

“Damn it.” I groaned, letting the blaster drop to point to the floor with a disgusted expression. “Fine.” In the effort to save my wounded dignity, I turned toward Syreena. “The shuttle passes and your credits. Now. I have expenses and your slimy boyfriend stole my ship. You owe me.”

 

“Of course,” Syreena said, expression turning smug. She'd realized she wasn’t getting shot as she so richly deserved. That almost made me do it anyway. “I keep some on hand for this kind of thing.” She pulled out the shuttle pass and a few credsticks, passing them to me. “I’ll be on my way then, Captain.”

 

“I’d say it’s been a pleasure,” I spat, tucking the items into a pocket. “but I’d hate to lie.”

 

She eased past me and paused, giving me a small sad smile. “When you find Skavak, go easy on him... He’s a two-timing liar but..” She pushed a strand of black hair out of her eyes. “It would be nice to see him again. Someday.” She hurried out, leaving behind a faint trail of citrus perfume.

 

I snorted hard, holstering Flashy and turning toward Corso. The tall man looked relieved, offering me an uncertain smile. “...I’m glad that ended peacefully,” he mumbled. “Thanks, Captain. I’m-- I’m not one for hurting women.”

 

“I noticed,” I grumbled, letting my fur settle as I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “I’m normally not either but.. Don’t you even care that she killed Viidu?”

 

“Of course I do,” the man said, sounding somewhat offended. “I’m not letting her off for that. I’ll spread word about what she did. No one’s going to be dealing with her for a long time. If ever.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Poor old Viidu. I wish he could hear what he did. It would’ve put a smile on his face.” He shook his head a bit, glancing at the corpse. “It’s not healthy for us to stick around, Captain. I believed what Syreena said about the bounty hunters coming. We don’t know how long Skavak will stay on Coruscant either. Let’s hop a shuttle and catch him while we can.”

 

“We?” I blinked and tipped my head to one side, studying him. “You planning to tag along or something?”

 

He gave that sweet boyish smile that made him look too young for those scars and the way he handled a rifle. “I’m not bailing out on you now. Besides, my Torchy still needs rescuing.” He bit his lower lip, brow furrowing. “Viidu left me some stuff. I’d expect he’d want me to share it with you.”

 

I stared at him for a long moment. It was long enough that he shifted uncomfortably, no doubt wondering if I planned to chase him off. I considered it because I was damn well used to being alone and handling things myself. Still, Corso had been kind, helpful, and honest. He'd had my back and then some since we'd met. He might be pretty odd when it came to handling females, but if that was his worst trait...

 

I drew a deep breath and sighed it out, rolling my eyes for effect as I headed for the door. My ears tilted to track him, hearing him shuffle but not yet follow. “Fine, Farm Boy,” I said with a grunt. “Come on then. And has anyone ever told you you have a really weird relationship with your guns?”

 

Corso barked a husky laugh, jogging to catch up. A big sinewy hand caught my shoulder in a squeeze for a moment. “Come on, Captain. We’ll hop a shuttle and be off this planet before you know it.”

 

 

“This is the best feeling.” Corso’s words caught me by surprise. He was leaning against the shuttle’s window. Clouds swept by, thinning until blue turned to black, scattered full of points of light. “A sky full of stars... A new planet waiting across the galaxy... It never gets old!”

 

I raised my eyebrow, watching him look positively gleeful with that disarmingly open grin on his face. “You’ve done this before?” I said, unable to keep surprise out of my tone. “I thought you’d never been off Ord Mantell.”

 

He actually gave that husky warm laugh of his. “You know that much about me, Captain?” His tone was teasing, playful even. “You’re a rare man to read someone’s whole life so fast.”

 

I opened my mouth and blinked, clicking my teeth together with a grunt. He wasn’t wrong. I’d judged him quick and hard as some backwater hick of a soldier from Ord Mantell. I really didn’t know too much about his past at all. My ears dropped a bit as I felt my nose darken with my species’s version of a blush, feeling foolish.

 

A better man than me it seemed, Corso didn’t rub it in. He just smiled and looked back out at the sky. “When I came back to Ord Mantell, I thought that was the end for me. So thanks for giving me a way off.” The genuine happiness in his tone surprised me. I had to admire a man so resilient that he was undaunted even after the rough few days we’d just had.

 

I turned my gaze back to the window and felt a smile twitch at my own lips. It faded quickly though. Looking at the many worlds through some shuttle’s windows soured it. I should have been in my Varactyl. I felt a sudden tightness in my chest: anger, loss, and worry. I knew it was just a ship, but it was my ship. She was my home, my pride and joy. She wasn’t the newest model and maybe I might be the only one to consider her ‘the best’, but the Varactyl was mine. The only thing that had ever been just mine. I’d found her in bad shape, bought her cheap, and spent years learning every inch of her inside and out. I taught myself the tricks to care for her and spent hard-earned credits to make her what she was. She was mine and the thought of Skavak in her made me see red. My claws twitched as I turned away from the view. Normally the stars filled me with excitement. Right now, they just made me feel lonely and a bit lost.

 

“No problem, Corso,” I murmured, pushing away to head for our seats. “Owed you for sticking with me this long.” I gave him a small smile as I dropped into a chair, throwing a leg over the arm. I wiggled to get comfortable, trying to shake off the bad feelings. Dwelling never did me any good and be damned if I was going to let Skavak keep my ship. “Besides, I never had a sidekick before.”

 

He snickered and moved to settle beside me, ignoring my leg taking up half his seat. “Funny, Captain. Me either.”

 

I chuckled, rolling my eyes and nudging his arm with my toe. “In your dreams, Farm Boy.” He laughed again, eyes dancing with mirth. Suddenly I did feel a bit better. Maybe I wasn’t so alone after all. “Wake me up when we get to Coruscant,” I hummed. I leaned my head back against the cool plastic of the window and closed my eyes.

 

-END-

Edited August 20, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

SPOILERS - Deals with the FP The Esseles on Republic side. It contains spoilers. There's also some violence (shooting Imps), but nothing too graphic.

 

THE ESSELES

Part 1

 

“The Esseles?” I repeated, perking an ear toward the Republic officer before glancing at Corso.

 

He just shrugged at me, looking as confused as I was. Our shuttle had been waylaid at the Ord Mantell Orbital Station due to Imperial patrols so we were told. That was unusual, but not so much that I was too surprised. The Republic and the Empire had spent years tiptoeing around each other. The Treaty of Coruscant kept some things in check, but mostly just made them inventive. I couldn't help pacing up and down the small room they’d put all the Mantellian passengers in though. Skavak was still on the move in my Varactyl and every minute was giving that scum an advantage.

 

When the uniformed Duros gestured us over, I tensed. I was completely clean at the moment and had no reason to worry. Even my weapons were legal right now. Years of habit and avoiding military made it hard not to be uneasy with the attention though. Still, my claws flexed nervously as I walked over. I tilted my head back to look into solid orange eyes, trying to read the nearly-flat features. The blue-green skin was smooth and Duros lacked a nose or prominent lips. It made it damn hard to read their expressions.

 

“Yes, sir,” the officer said in Durese. For a moment, I only caught a word or two. Luckily the Republic was pretty good about that sort of thing. A few taps to my wristlink and my earpiece synced so I could understand it. I had a handful of common languages programmed in, but Durese wasn’t one of them. “You will find the Esseles very fast and comfortable. It does travel through some dangerous territory, but if that is not a problem...”

 

“Nope,” I said immediately, grabbing my jacket to slip back on. “That works for me. You, Corso?” The less time Skavak had to get away the better.

 

“Right behind you, Captain,” my companion said with a grin, giving the officer a little wave. “Let’s get going.”

 

 

“Excuse me,” said a pleasant feminine voice, making my ears rotate to home in on the source.

 

Turning, I came face-to-face with a well-dressed Twi’lek. She was a Rutian with rich blue skin, bright green eyes, and dark patterns down her lekku. Quirking a brow up, I studied her with interest. “Well, hello there, gorgeous,” I said with a grin, pushing away from the wall to walk toward her. “Can I help you?”

 

“You’re the pilot boarding from Ord Mantell, right?” she asked. Her voice had a faint accent I was having trouble placing, but it was definitely rather nice. “Has the crew spoken to you?”

 

“No... Are they hiring?” I laughed, grinning at the Twi’lek. “I mean, I don’t usually do civilian work but I’m pretty sure I could get this scrap-pile to Coruscant faster than--”

 

“Oh, no, no, that’s not-- There’s something going on and the crew isn’t telling us anything. I heard a rumor an Imperial warship is following us.” A frown thinned her lips as she glanced at the door where one of the ship’s crew was standing. “I know, I know, the Treaty of Coruscant, but I don’t trust the Empire to keep the peace. If we’re in danger...”

 

Corso gave a little grunt, instinctively checking his blaster-rifle and vibroblade. I twitched an ear, folding my arms with a rumble. “Well, no sense in worrying if we don’t know anything, but...if we’re heading into trouble, the crew should warn us so we can at least prepare.”

 

“Exactly,” she said with a relieved smile. Seemed not everyone agreed with her. “We should at least--”

 

The sudden blare of alarms sounded a few moments before the Esseles shuddered. The scream of straining metal made my ears ring as the transport groaned like a wounded animal. Voices shouted over the intercoms; the words were lost in the chaos of panicking passengers. The impact of the sudden halt made the floor jerk, sending people flying. I wasn’t much better off, spreading my feet instinctively to try and keep from tumbling. I slammed into the nearest wall with a yelp, breath leaving me in a rush as Corso bashed into me. I grabbed him while he did the same, fighting to keep us both up. The ship steadied but the high-pitched hum of the engines said we caught with a tractor beam.

 

“Are you all right?” the Twi’lek said, struggling to her feet.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” I coughed, heaving Corso off me and straightening. “Good to go.”

 

“Glad to hear it,” she said, glancing at the door uneasily. “You should get to the bridge. They might need your help if--”

 

“Heading there now,” I muttered, checking to make sure Flashy was still strapped to my thigh. My scattergun was a comforting weight across my back under my loose leather jacket. The last thing I wanted to be was unarmed if there was an Imperial boarding party. “Come on, Farm Boy. With me.” I rapped a knuckle gently on Corso’s shoulder, heading toward the bridge with him beside me. Hiding with the rest of the passengers didn’t sit well with me and apparently not with my friend either.

 

Getting through the dark, damaged corridors was interesting. We ended up having to avoid malfunctioning droids and scramble over twisted metal. Still it didn’t take too long for us to get to the bridge. It was a mess with a few dead lying around. From the looks of it, the Imperial warship had fired a few times to soften the Esseles up before grabbing her. A rather frantic man was crouched beside what I assumed was the captain, pleading with him. Blank eyes and the angle of his neck told me the captain was dead. A glance showed two more bodies, but the rest of the crew seemed to be in on their feet other than bumps and some cuts.

 

“You need help?” I asked, climbing the short stairs up to meet them.

 

“Who are you?” The young officer snapped angrily, turning on me and striding forward. “What do you think you’re doing--”

 

“Sir,” a thick, worried looking man said, brow creasing. “We could use all the help we can get and he looks like he can handle himself...”

 

“Help?! How can he help?” The officer rounded on his man, eyes wide and expression panicky. “The Imperials have us by the throat! We’re as good as dead already.”

 

“That’s really not helping things right now,” I growled, narrowing my eyes at him. “Your people are depending on you. You need to pull yourself together.”

 

The new captain scowled at me; he was terrified and I was something he could take it out on. He started to say something before a communications alarm chimed. “Sir, incoming message. It’s the Imperials,” said another of the crew. “They’re hailing us...”

 

“Oh. Well, put them on,” the auburn-haired officer said. His name-tag said Haken. He attempted to rally himself, turning to face the holo. The form that appeared was impressive; even I had to admit that. He was big, muscular, and had piercing blue eyes, jet-black hair, and a confident manner. Vicious burn scars twisted one side of his face from temple to under his neat, pressed uniform. Despite that, he managed to exclude arrogance and smug amusement even as a hologram.

 

“Republic transport Esseles, this is Grand Moff Rycus Kilran,” he said in a precise Imperial accent. The deep smooth voice that was at odd with his scarred appearance. I'd expected something harsh or gravelly. “Your defenses are entirely disabled. Attempt no resistance.”

 

“Look, we know the situation,” I snapped after a minute. It was pretty clear that Officer Haken was just going to stare at the man with wide, terrified eyes. “Just tell us what you want.”

 

A dark brow rose and he turned, focusing on me instead of Haken. His lips thinned a bit and I smirked at him. Imperials weren’t fond of non-humans and Cathar were quite noticeably 'non'. He stared at me for a few moments, keen gaze raking over me. With a thoughtful hum, he shifted, folding his arms behind his back to face me.

 

“Your ship is transporting a known anti-Imperial terrorist and seditionist, the so-called ‘Ambassador’ Vyn Asara. I’ve come to collect her,” Kilran's voice was calm, almost bored.

 

“Who? We didn’t take on any passengers by that name.” Haken interrupted, drawing both of our attention. “I’ve never even heard of this person!”

 

“Interesting,” Kilran said with a faint sneer. “Lying or incompetent? No matter. My agents aboard your ship have confirmed the ambassador is there.”

 

“You have spies aboard our ship?” I said, feeling my ears flick forward with confusion. The idea of spies wasn’t anywhere near odd for either faction. Spies on this little no-name transport was surprising though.

 

Kilran offered me an almost pleasant smile, inclining his head. “I have eyes everywhere.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Corso piped up behind me. “Our captain says she’s not here. Even if she is, you can’t make us give her over.”

 

The Grand Moff lifted a brow again as I gave Corso a look. Challenging arrogant Imperial officers in this situation was never a good thing. “Oh, I believe I can actually,” he said with a little chuckle that made Corso frown. “Imperial soldiers are preparing to board your ship through its primary air lock. My agents will ensure you do not interfere with them. If you attempt to stop my men from arresting Ambassador Asara, I will have every living thing aboard the Esseles killed.”

 

The holocom shut off and I groaned, elbowing Corso’s side lightly. “Really, Farm Boy?” I muttered.

 

“Sorry, Captain...” He cleared his throat as we looked back at Haken.

 

“Where’s the primary air lock?” I asked, feeling my fur hackle with tension. “We can stop the Imperials as they try to board.”

 

“Weren’t you listening?” The thickset man said. Plex was written on his uniform and he has the insignia of a navigator. “If we try to fight, they’ll slaughter us! We have to cooperate!”

 

“It won’t matter,” Haken said with tired resignation, still looking pale and shaky. “Kilran has us now. He’ll kill us all. He’s famous for it. The only one he wants alive is the ambassador.” He turned to em, squaring his shoulders as he did his best to try and take command. “If Kilran gets the ambassador while we’re sitting in his sighs, we’re goners. Those soldiers have to be stopped before they can succeed.”

 

“Exactly,” I said, dipping my chin at him. “Good to know we’re on the same page. So let’s do something about it.”

 

“Listen, I’m sorry I lost it earlier,” Haken said, looking the part. “It means a lot to have your help right now. Thank you.”

 

I couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “Yeah, well, I’m not very interested in ending up dead either. Least I can do.”

 

“Maybe so, but we appreciate your help all the same,” the First Officer said with a nod. “I’ll have our security team meet you by the primary air lock. They haven’t seen much action, but Commander Narlock knows his stuff.” He hesitated a moment and cleared his throat. “Good luck. We’re counting on you.”

 

I nodded and gestured Corso to follow as I jogged toward the elevator. A few skirmishes with what I assume were Kilran’s agents later, we headed into the hanger. A green-skinned Mon Calamari paced in front of nervous but serious-looking soldiers. He was giving some stirring speech that seemed to be working. I only half-heard it. I was more interested in listening to the sounds as the Imperials worked to force the air lock open. The distinctive sound of metal being cut through by plasma-torches hissed through the room. The air was filled with the smell of molten durasteel and ozone. It mixed with the scent of nervous sweat and tension off the small security team. The smells made my muscles tighten and my ears fold back. I noticed Narlock gesturing to me and Corso for support. He was probably hoping I’d help keep the troops motivated.

 

“Bring ‘em on!” I growled, showing my teeth in a grin I didn’t feel. “I’m just itching for some live target practice!”

 

The soldier cheered and looked at least a bit more ready. That was something. I grunted and grabbed Corso’s arm, pulling him down a little to make up for the fact he had about a head of height on me. “Cover me from back here. Don’t go shooting any holes in the ship, huh?” I muttered against his ear as I nodded toward a corner with decent cover. “If they’re typical Imps coming in for an easy fight, the officer is going to charge in first.” As he nodded, I pulled out Flashy to check the charge out of habit. “Behind that will be the rest. You keep the rest off me. I’ve got the officer. We put him down fast it’ll give us the advantage. Got it?”

 

“On it, Captain,” he said cheerfully. “Sergeant Boom-Boom and I got your back.”

 

“Sergeant who?” I glanced at the security forces and frowned, puzzled for a moment. When Corso grinned and lifted his rifle to show it off, I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. “Oh. You and those guns, Farm Boy.” I patted his arm and stepped back. “All right, let’s do this.”

 

A few minutes later the glowing heat of Imperials cutting through started to show. I crouched down nearby, switching on my stealth-generator. It didn't make me completely 'invisible', but if I was still, it worked well on most species. I could hear Narlock trying to settle his nervous men into line. I hoped the kids wouldn't end up shooting me by accident. I was reassured to see Corso calmly taking his position, rifle ready. At least he knew what he was doing. Tilting an ear toward the sound of the cutting torches, I focused with a slow careful breath. The thick metal groaned and keened as it bent open. I cringed as my ears rang. I really needed to remember to put some kind of dampener in my earpieces.

 

“Surrender!” shouted the bald, pale-skinned human male with a rifle that burst in. The tread of boots and droids said he wasn’t alone, but judging by the colorful bars on his chest he was a lieutenant.

 

I waited for a breath until he was a few steps past me and moved, pulling my scattergun out to point at his back. It was a short range weapon, but devastating this close, which is exactly why I favored it. The look of surprise on his face was almost comical as the blast slammed into him, throwing him forward. The Imperial hit the deck with a strangled cry, trying to turn over. The look of shock went away as Flashy went off. His head snapped back as he went limp, the blaster wound obvious. I turned my head, tensing as the soldiers shook off their surprise at their leader's sudden death. One barked an order, prompting the boarding party to raise their weapons. I threw myself to the side, rolling on my shoulder as shots went over my head. I wasn't sure if it was the Imperials or Esseles security.

 

The heavy tread of a droid was right behind and I twisted around, trying to bring my blaster up. I was saved the trouble by a clean shot hitting the droid’s head. It went down in a twitching, sparking heap near my feet. I glanced and grinned, seeing Corso raise a few fingers in a half-salute. Scrambling to my feet, I breathed out a sigh of relief to see the rest of the Imperials were down. The security team was rushing to close the airlock again, sealing it.

 

“We did it, men!” Narlock said, looking about as happy as he would manage, pumping a webbed hand in the air. Mon Calamari have few facial expression. The bulging wide-set eyes and fish-like mouths made it impossible. His men were cheering and I headed over to Corso, leaning against the wall to catch my breath. I watched them a minute before my ears twitched at the sound of rapid footsteps. I tensed and blinked at the blue-skinned Twi’lek woman appeared.

 

“I’m sorry, Commander,” she said, looking tense and frustrated. “But that..that isn’t the case.”

 

“Let me guess,” I said with a hint of annoyance. “Ambassador Vyn Asara?” When she nodded, I grunted and glanced at Corso. “What is it with green-eyed women being trouble? I swear...”

 

“Listen, that’s not important right now,” she said impatiently. “We have a serious problem. First Officer Haken walked us right into a trap. The attack on this air lock was a ruse. After Haken sent you here, Imperial commandos snuck aboard. They were led by a Mandalorian mercenary called Ironfist.”

 

“How? No one got past us,” Corso protested, gesturing his rifle toward the Imperial boarding-party.

 

“No, not past you,” she agreed. “but past him. Ironfist and his commandos stormed the bridge and now the entire area is locked down tight.”

 

I groaned a bit, ears folding back. “Then we have to stop the Imperials from gaining control of the ship.”

 

“Thats why I rushed to find you,” Asara said. “Something has to be done.”

 

I grimaced a bit and wondered if I could file some report for the Republic to pay me for all this. I wondered if 'heroes' had a standard fee. This was just a transport ship, but they seemed nearly helpless. They were swarming with Imperial spies. They hadn't known they had an ambassador on their ship. On top of it all, their security was so wet-behind-the-ears they barely knew which end of their blasters went toward the enemy! It was damn near astounding. I pinched the bridge of my nose a minute with a groan, grumbling a soft curse in Huttese.

 

Commander Narlock looked confused as he focused on the Twi’lek woman. “Look, what is this all about? Why are the Imperials so desperate to capture you?”

 

“Because of my work. I’m a Republic ambassador,” Asara said. Her chin lifted with all the pride I was used to see from those kinds of officials. I had to find not to curl my lip at her. “I travel to Imperial-controlled planets and convince their governments to come over to our side.”

 

I couldn’t help showing the tip of a fang at that. Not that I had any love of the Empire, but she actually was a seditionist. I was pretty sure what she was doing was against the Treaty of Coruscant. Not that I cared much but the hypocrisy of her accusing the Empire of violating it made me rumble in my chest. Worse she was happy enough to use the lot of us to save her own blue-skinned backside! Still I wasn't eager to give that smug bastard Kilran a victory and it didn’t change we were in serious danger.

 

“Look,” I growled before she could start justifying herself further. It drew a startled look from both Narlock and Asara. I guess they were expecting me to be a bit more ‘patriotic’. “none of that matters right now. We have more pressing problems.”

 

That seemed to at least shake the Mon Calamari into action. He grunted and nodded. “We need to retake the bridge. The longer we leave the Imperials in control, the harder it will be to remove them.”

 

“I already told you,” Asara snapped, clearly a bit off-put I wasn’t more moved by her ‘heroic’ work. “Ironfist has the bridge locked down. There’s no way in or out.”

 

I felt my lip curling to show a fang at her again, but fought it down when Corso nudged me. He was right; yelling at this woman wasn’t going to help. It seemed like she was just expecting us to sit around while a bunch of Imperial commandos took the bridge. It begged the question why the hell did she come to find us then? Fortunately, Narlock seemed to be pretty level-headed as he folded his arms and considered.

 

“A security lockdown... that is bad,” he admitted, rubbing his sloping chin. “Chief Engineer Salen might know of a workaround.”

 

“Then we need to get to him.” I pushed away from the wall, settling my gear again. “Do you know where he is?”

 

“He and his team will be down in the engineering section. I’m sure they’ll be able to help us.”

 

“We’ll need a diversion. If the Imperials notice the hatches to engineering opening,” Asara interrupted. “they’ll flood the area with soldiers.”

 

I gave her a look. She was right, but it was pretty clear she had no interest in putting herself in danger to help. Typical ‘noble’ type.

 

“My men and I can handle that,” Narlock said immediately, gesturing to his soldiers. “Form up, men! We’re going to go start some trouble!” The handful of men responded immediately, heartened by handling the boarding party. That shaky fear was replaced by determination, at least for now. Even a small victory was good for confidence. They saluted, making the Mon Calamari nod with a pleased air.

 

“Then let’s get that bridge open,” I said, pulling out Flashy again. “Corso and I will find Salen.”

 

“We’ll give those Imps something to think about, won’t we, boys?” Narlock said proudly, prompting his men to nod and give a few whoops.

 

“I’ll go along with Commander Narlock,” the Twi’lek said, sounding as if she was doing them a favor. More like staying with the most protection. “Once you’ve cleared a path to engineering, I’ll double-back and join up with you there. Good luck.”

 

“Oh, goodie,” I muttered under my breath as I jogged toward the bowels of the ship. I pretended not to hear Corso's chuckle as he followed.

 

 

It didn’t take too long to make our way down to the engineering section. Luckily the Republic tended to treat their soldiers like they were idiots. There were plenty of signs along the walls to show the way. Other than a single run-in with some Imperial droids that was easy to take care of, Corso and I had no trouble. Of course, when we got there, a huge blast-door was covering the section. I felt a twinge of nerves as I headed over to the panel. Surely if there was some kind of radiation leak alarms would be going off. It was likely just a byproduct of the security lockdown. I gestured for my friend to watch my back as I examined the control panel. It was simple enough; a few taps and shorting a wire had it sliding open.

 

Corso came over to stand by me as I studied the energy-shield, careful not to touch. Through the yellow haze of it I could see movements, which at least meant people were alive over there. I could hear someone talking and a dark-skinned human in an orange jump suit gave us a surprised look. He got the attention of another in a dark uniform, pointing toward us. He was a balding older man with wrinkled skin and a tired look. My guess was that was the Chief Engineer. They all seemed to have that gruff tired look; came with the job of managing too many mechanics.

 

“You must be crazy,” he half-shouted through the humming shield, moving closer. “coming all the way down here with the Imps everywhere!”

 

With a snort, I gestured impatiently. “Never mind that! Commander Narlock said that you might know of a way to unlock the bridge?” I pointed in the vague direction of the front of the ship. “The Imperials have it sealed off.”

 

“The Imps pulled the lockdown?” Salen said with all the irritation I’d expect. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” He rubbed his face, smearing grease on his forehead. He started to say something before pausing to glance past me.

 

I turned to see Ambassador Asara, feeling my ears twitch backwards sharply. “You really cleared this place out,” she murmured, looking impressed. “I didn’t run into a single Imperial on my way down here.” She marched over to me, lifting her chin with that arrogance of hers. It was starting to get on my nerves. “Listen--there’s no time to waste. Commander Narlock and his men are being overrun--we have to get the bridge unlocked now.”

 

I felt my claws flexing out with my irritation, biting my tongue to keep from snapping at her. Her habit of giving me orders was staring to rub my fur the wrong way. She wasn’t helping; just delegating and demanding. Besides, what the hell did she think we were doing if not trying to get the damn bridge open? It was not as if we were sitting around wasting time...or running around demanding others fix it for us.

 

“So I’ve heard,” Salen called, folding his arms with a sour expression. “I’d invite you in, but the lockdown has our doors sealed too.”

 

“Are you all safe in there?” I called, turning my back to Asara for the moment. “Do you need help getting out? Anyone injured?”

 

Salen cut me off with a little dismissive gesture. “We’re fine. Getting the bridge back in our control is much more important. Now let’s see...”

 

“...What about a reactor reset?” The orange-wearing crewman said, heading to a readout to study it. “That would disengage the security locks, wouldn’t it, sir?”

 

“Yeah,” Salen said with a slightly amused sound. “but a reactor reset vents the engineering compartment. We’d be blown into space. Besides, the controls are on the other side of the door.” He gestured toward the panel I was standing near.

 

I couldn’t help making a face. “Let’s...not do that. There must be some other way to override the lockdown.”

 

Salen frowned but then brightened, grinning. “The secondary conduits! They’re spread around a bit, but if you shut them all down, security will go down too! Then we’ll be in business.”

 

I moved to a layout on the wall, tapping a few spots on the screen to light up the right areas. It didn’t take long to find the trio of conduits, which on the same level. “Sounds like a plan,” I said, eyeballing the schematics. “I’ll get them shut down fast then.”

 

“There’s no time to go running all over the ship,” Asara said, folding her arms. “If we don’t act now, the Imperials will overwhelm us.”

 

I felt another surge of anger. All she’d done was run around, risk all our lives, and use the lot of us to save herself. She didn’t seem to care what happened as long as the Imperials didn’t catch her. For a moment, handing her over to Kilran looked very good. I turned toward her, opening my mouth to say just that when she continued. All I could do was gape for a moment.

 

“I’m sorry, Salen. We need to unlock the bridge now while we have the chance.” Her voice was calm and set. As if she thought when she decided the rest of us would just follow. “We have to reset the reactor. You and your men will be remembered.” She stepped toward the controls while Salen gasped, hands out, looking shocked.

 

My hand lashed out, grabbing Asara’s wrist with a growl. “We are not killing these people!” I snarled, ignoring Corso’s grunt of disapproval. I didn’t have time for his ideas about how to treat ladies. Besides, Asara was no lady. “There’s another way and I’m not letting you murder them to save your own backside!”

 

She cringed as my claws dug into her arm, staring at me as I shoved her back a few steps. “Fine,” she snapped, rubbing her arm where my nails had caught her. “but you’re dooming everyone on this ship. Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.”

 

“The greater good?” I sneered, stepping toward her as she backed off. “Funny how that just seems to be us dying to keep you alive.”

 

She paled and stared at me for a moment, lekku twitching nervously. “Fine. Who am I to argue?”

 

“You can save that pile of bantha-waste,” I snarled. “If you’re trying to make me feel guilty for not murdering a bunch of helpless people it won’t work.” I stalked past her, shoulder knocking her thin one. “And here I thought ambassadors were supposed to be nice...”

 

“You crazy witch!” Salen shouted, still looking shaken. “Shutting down the secondary conduits will work, I promise!”

 

“If you’re going to do it, go now,” Asara ordered, recovering from her shock with pretension. “The longer you wait, the more Imperials you’ll have after you.”

 

“Corso!” I snapped as I headed for the hallway. “Stay here. If she so much as looks at that control panel the wrong way...Shoot her.”

 

My brown-eyed farm boy gave me a shocked look. I had my doubts he’d actually be able to do that. He’d been angry himself at her words, but he had that odd code of his when it came to women. Still, the Twi’lek wouldn’t know that. Hopefully that would keep her from trying to do anything while I was gone. Corso cleared his throat and nodded, lifting Sergeant Boom-Boom to rest across his chest. I shot the ambassador a hard look before slipping into the narrow corridors.

 

Activating my stealth-generator, I hugged the walls as I moved. A collection of droids were guarding the room, settled near the conduits. Luckily they were just standard models: basic combat skills and no real intelligence. They were little more than mechanical watch-dogs and easy enough to get around. Keeping my stealth up, I eased to the largest one that was station near the conduit. Pushing up my sleeve to expose my wristlink. It only had short-range slicing capabilities, but a few meters was no problem. It only took me a minute to get into the droid’s programming. It was easy enough to just revert it to ‘standing by’ and shutting down its weapons. That done, I reached over, hitting the shutdown on the power conduit. With the largest droid not sounding the alert, the handful of smaller ones didn’t even notice.

 

Sneaking away, I repeated it twice more around the other conduits. I left the now useless droids where they were. If they were suddenly gone, the Imperials would get a warning, making it a hell of a lot harder to pass unnoticed. That done I trotted back to the main engineering section. My ears caught the sound of the reactor powered down. The click of the systems resetting came within seconds. A minute later, it was powering back up. I strode over to Corso, patting his shoulder and looking at the ambassador with a frown.

 

Naturally she looked elated as if she’d had anything to do with making it happen. “I don’t know how you managed it, but you did! The security doors around the bridge have opened.”

 

I raised an eyebrow at that, but I was going to assume Commander Narlock was up there. When she tilted her head, I realized he was keeping her informed. “So the bridge is open,” I quipped, unable to help myself. “and no one had to be spaced.” I folded my arms, ignoring Corso’s little noise of disapproval.

 

“You were right,” the Twi’lek said, looking down. I made a small face, not sure I bought her humble act even if my friend looked pleased at her apology. “I’m sorry. Please understand. I didn’t want to kill anyone. I just... It seemed the only way to be sure.”

 

The only way to be sure she would be saved was my personal thought. I just stared at her as she waited for me to accept her apology. I'm sure ‘proper’ people would have, but I just narrowed my eyes before turning away. I didn’t even believe she was truly sorry; all she cared about was protecting her own interests. I hadn’t once seen her do anything that wasn’t putting the rest of us at risk to keep herself free. While I could admit I’d do a lot to keep my own freedom, at least I wasn’t pretending it was for anyone else’s ‘good’.

 

She blinked as I turned, looking uncertain. “I’ll...go and help Narlock with another diversion. So you have as little resistance as possible when you attack the bridge. You’ll still have to deal with Ironfist though. And that’s no small challenge.”

 

I growled and gave her a look. So she would be hiding behind security again while Corso and I went did the work. That sounded about right. I grunted, shaking my head. Nothing to be done for it now if we wanted to survive. “What do you know about this Ironfist?”

 

“I only know Ironfist by reputation, but he’s been doing Grand Moff Kilran’s dirty work for a long time now. He’s never been captured, defeated, or even driven back. You’ll have your work cut out for you.”

 

“...So he’s a Mando,” I growled, giving her another irritated look. “That’s pretty much their standard, you know...” I checked Flashy’s charge again in a nervous habit. “Still, sounds like if I kill Ironfist, I get famous. Could be fun...”

 

She missed the sarcasm judging by those puzzled green eyes. “...I think the last thing you should be worrying about is being famous.”

 

I sighed and shook my head, growling under my breath. I patted Corso’s arm and rolling a shoulder toward the elevator to signal him to get moving. With a glance and a nod at Salen, I moved to follow Farm Boy.

 

“Well, there’s no more time to waste,” Asara offered. She seemed to be thinking she was still in charge. “Narlock, are you there? Can you hear me?”

 

My ears twitched. Cathar have sharp hearing and I could catch the Mon Calamari’s voice as I walked by the Twi’lek. “Copy, this is Narlock! Set for second offensive?”

 

“That’s right, Commander,” Asara said, trailing behind us. “I’m on my way to join you now.”

 

I snorted again, grimacing a bit. “You ready for this, Corso?” I murmured at my friend, glancing up at the taller man.

 

“You know it, Captain,” my dreadlocked friend grinned. “Let’s do this.”

 

Narlock had done his job because the way to the bridge was clear. I was relieved to see Asara break off once we were off the elevator. Her presence was making my fur itch and my claws twitch. I grumbled as I marched toward the bridge, hitting the unlock and striding in. I was greeted by the sight of a group of Mandalorians holding First Officer Haken and the rest at blaster point. The Republic crew was on their knees, hands bound and looking worse for wear. A large figure was lounging in the captain's chair. He didn’t turn when one of his men cracked Haken across the jaw as the First Officer saw me and made a hopeful sound.

 

Instead the big man just clapped as I stalked onto the bridge, Corso at my heels. I assumed he must be Ironfist as the rest of the Mandos glanced at him for instruction as I appear. Putting a hand on the railing, I hopped over it. Landing lightly, I moved closer with my head high and my shoulders back. My stomach knotted with tension, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let this lot know that.

 

“Well, well,” Ironfist said as he rose. He was a huge man with close-shaved hair and a thick scar across his face from ear-to-ear. His voice was deep and rough, but he sounded rather pleased to see me. “I was wondering when you’d finally show up.” He glanced at Corso and back to me, one thick brow raising. His two-plus meters made my one-point-seven feel damn near petite. “...This is it?” He said with a little laugh. “There aren’t more of you?”

 

“Nope,” I said nonchalantly. “Embarrassing, huh? Getting beaten by some alien and his friend? You must be getting old, Ironfist.”

 

“Strange view of the situation,” the Mando said with a smirk. “Guess you’d have to be a little crazy to put up the fight you have though.” He lifted his hand and gestured a few fingers toward us. “Let’s vape this worthless scum and get back to work.”

 

Well-trained and eager, his men turned on us without hesitation, weapons raising. Corso proved his worth again. He got off a shot before the Mandalorians had even raised their rifles all the way. The sound of the shot was loud and one of the soldiers crumbled to the ground, a smoking hole through his helm. The bridge erupted into chaos. Shouts bounced off the walls, some angry and some afraid. The ozone of blasters mixed with the smell of sweat and fear as the crew scrambled to get out of the way. The voice of Ironfist raised above it all, barking commands. I kicked a Mando’s legs from under him, grabbing his neck. I bashed his helmet hard against the nearest railing with my weight behind it. He dropped as I ducked a shot from Ironfist.

 

Trusting Corso to handle the last two Mandalorians, I headed for Ironfist. As I expected, he was pretty quick, but in heavy armor, he wasn’t faster than me. He gave a snarl of frustration as I dove to the side to avoid his fist, twisting around to get behind him. With a curse, he tried to turn but I grabbed a strap, clinging to him. Digging my claws in, I hissed as he slammed an armored elbow into my side, sending a jolt of pain through my ribs.

 

“See the problem with letting people get close enough for you to gloat,” I rasped, twisting to avoid another elbow. “Is that lets them get close enough to hurt you.”

 

My wristlink was a light metal cuff that went halfway up my forearm. It also had a hidden vibroblade, which I extended with a particular flick of my wrist. Using my heel to push off and spin with him, I hooked my claws into the strap to pull myself up. His head snapped around to give me a startled look just before I drove the blade into the side of his neck hard. He tried to say something, but all that came out was a bubble of red and a wheeze as his knees buckled. I gave the blade a twist to open up his jugular and windpipe before stepping back, letting his body fall. The Mandalorian gave a few weak spasms before going still, breath rattling.

 

“Captain, you all right?” Corso headed over, shouldering Sergeant Boom-Boom. He was panting a bit, but didn’t look any worse for wear. I glanced to see the rest of the soldiers down.

 

“Fine. Just a rib,” I grunted, rolling a shoulder and wincing a bit as my side throbbed. “I’ll worry about it later.” Now that the fight was over, the pain was starting to make itself known.

 

“You saved us,” Haken sputtered in shock as I undid the binding.

 

“That surprising?” I said with a chuckle, helping him up as Corso tended to the others. “What? That Ironfist was an arrogant idiot. Too used to winning. Gave me an opening.”

 

“Still...” He murmured, looking at the dead Mandalorian before the bridge opened. Commander Narlock jogged in, trailed by ambassador Asara. I made a little face. I had half-hoped some Imperial would take her. The woman was nothing but trouble.

 

“First Officer Haken,” she called, voice full of that ill-placed command again. “do you have any spare shuttles in the hangar bay?”

 

“Spare shutters? Yes, we do, but I don’t--” he said in a puzzled tone, rubbing his wrists.

 

“Then that’s our only chance,” Asara said, turning toward me. “You have to board Grand Moff Kilran’s ship and disable the tractor beam so that we can all escape.”

 

I burst out laughing, wincing as it made my side throb. “Oh, sure, why the hell not?” I tossed a hand upward. “I mean, we’ve been doing insane things all day-- Wait.” I stared at her hard, ears flattening back. “You’re serious. You really expect me and Corso to bloody assault an Imperial warship? Are you out of your mind?”

 

“I’ve been aboard warships like Kilran’s before,” the Twi’lek with that infuriating arrogance. “The tractor beam controls should be easy to find if you know where you’re going.”

 

First Officer Haken got a thoughtful look, glancing at the Rutian woman. “Ambassador, you’re familiar with the layout. Perhaps you should go along to help get the tractor beam shut down.”

 

“Hmmm,” she murmured, glancing up in thought. “We need every advantage we can get.”

 

I snorted hard, drawing their eyes toward me. I could feel my ears folding back until they disappeared into my hair and my hackles rising with anger. The way Haken stepped back told me I was looking as angry as I felt. “You two are serious. You are actually expecting me to-- And even if I agree to do this insane mission, you expect me to babysit you?” I hissed in Asara’s direction, making her flinch before she composed herself. “You haven’t done anything but--”

 

“I’ll help in any way I can and we don’t have time to argue about this,” she said, still talking to me as if I was an idiot cub.

 

My claws drove into my palms so hard that pain shot up my arms as I growled, narrowing my eyes at her. I weighed the options and quickly realized no one else was going to do a damn thing to help us. For some reason, everyone was expecting me to be able to take on a damn warship full of commandos. Of course, the other option was doing nothing and waiting for Kilran to reduce us to atoms.

 

Narlock, at least, seemed to see me coming to a silent decision because he turned to the Twi’lek. “Ambassador, before you go take a spare uniform. We wouldn’t want any Imperials to recognize you.”

 

I had to bite my tongue not to hiss with irritation again. As if a change of clothing was going to hide the only Twi’lek on either ship. Never mind her bright blue skin. Were they going to try and pass her off as a Chiss? As she headed off to change, I glared after her, debating if it was worth it to toss her out of an airlock. I would have sat there and stewed in my anger if Corso hadn’t gently tugged my arm. “Come on, Captain,” he said in a soothing voice. “Let’s get some kolto on your ribs, huh?”

 

I sighed, suddenly feeling tired and in pain. I let Corso lead me off to the side. I peeled off my jacket and undid my light armor. The air felt cool and soothing on my sweaty, messy fur, prompting me to relax a bit. Lifting it out of the way, I let my friend would smear some kolto over the bruised, tender spot on my side. Corso putting a spray-bandage over it to keep the kolto in place. I probably needed something better for the rib, but it would have to do for now. I settled my armor again before turning my attention to giving him a once-over myself. Luckily, my Farm Boy was in one piece. One of those advantages to using range, I suppose. I reached up, ruffling his hair and sighed, smiling a bit as he relaxed into it. Sometimes Corso was so damn happy for just a little bit of praise it made me feel bad for not giving him more.

 

“Think we can do this, Farm Boy?” I murmured as we waited for Asara to get back and get this crazy plan going.

 

“’Course, Captain,” he said with a grin. “Nothing we can’t do.”

 

“Love your optimism,” I murmured, giving a dreadlock a playful little tug. “Let’s hope I don’t disappoint you.”

 

“Not possible,” Corso grinned before glancing up and nodding his chin behind me.

 

I turned to see First Officer Haken walking over with an odd expression. I raised an eyebrow, sliding my scattergun back into the sheath under my jacket. He glanced at Corso and then around, jaw set and eyes hard. “Hold up a minute before you head to the hangar,” he muttered. “I need to talk to you before you go.” When I rotated my hand in a little ‘go on’ gesture, he continued. “I just talked to Salen from engineering. He told me what Asara tried to make you do down there. Thank you for stopping her.”

 

I grunted, ears twitching back as I remembered. “That woman has a heart of stone... There was no way I was going to let her kill them to save her own skin.”

 

“You stood up for the lives of my crew and risked your own instead,” Haken said firmly. “I won’t forget that.” He hesitated and his voice dropped. “Listen, I’ve been thinking. I really believe this plan is going to work.”

 

I couldn’t help but stare at that. Two men against an entire Imperial warship was going to work? I couldn’t believe that Asara was actually going to come along and be any real help. She hadn’t done anything but bark orders and act as if that had accomplished anything. I folded my arms, tilting my head and waiting for the First Officer to continue.

 

“But there’s only one way to guarantee that we all make it back home safe,” his tone hardened as he spoke. “And that’s to make sure the Imperials have no reason to keep chasing us.”

 

My brow furrowed for a moment before my eyes widened. “This is about Asara isn’t it?” I said with a hint of surprise. “You want me to leave her behind. To let Kilran have her.” Granted, I’d be pondering tossing her into space. I knew that was just my natural dislike for being ordered around though. I hadn’t been actually considering doing anything to hurt or kill her.

 

“With the tractor beam down, we’ll be able to escape,” Haken rushed on, prompted by the look on my face. “But Kilran will just chase us down again--unless he’s already captured his target.” He gestured to the side, waving toward the ship and crew. “As long as Asara is on this ship, everyone aboard is in danger. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of risking all of our lives for that woman.”

 

He had a point. That Twi’lek was rubbing my fur the wrong way and her selfish behavior didn't help. Still, the anger in his eyes told a different story. “...Is this really what you think is best for the crew?” I responded. “Or is this just revenge for what she tried to do in engineering?”

 

Haken frowned, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “Maybe a bit of both, but can you really say it’s wrong? Just think about it. I’d even make it worth your while if things go the way I’m suggesting...” He cleared his throat and stepped back. “Anyway, you better get going-- I’ve held you up too long already. Good luck.”

 

I grimaced a bit and headed for the elevator with Corso behind me. I glanced up, seeing the unhappy expression on the Mantellian’s face. “...You’re not going to do it, are you, Captain?” he whispered. He turned those big soft brown eyes on me, which had an awful habit of making me waver on my convictions. I couldn’t stand that wounded puppy look.

 

“It’s tempting,” I murmured, leaning my shoulder against his as we rode down to the hangar. “but it’s...wrong,” I said after a moment. “It would make me no better than her trying to vent the engineers. She might deserve it, but leaving her behind to die like that... I won’t do it.”

 

Corso broke into a bright smile, heaving a relieved sigh. “I don’t care what you say, Captain,” he murmured. “You’re a good man.”

 

 

-END-

Edited August 20, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

SPOILERS - Deals with the FP The Esseles on Republic side. It contains spoilers. There's also some violence (shooting Imps), but nothing too graphic.

 

THE ESSELES

Part 2

 

‘Attacking’ the Grand Moff’s ship was a generous way to put it. What actually happened was we managed to get aboard. Predictably Asara decided to ‘protect the shuttle’ with the security. That left me and Corso heading toward the tractor-beam alone. Despite what the Esseles crew might think, I wasn’t going to assault every damn Imperial in my way. Using my stealth-generator and a lot of caution, Corso and I eased deeper into the ship. Of course our luck ran out halfway there. We had to put down a passing patrol and the alarms started going off like crazy. As if there wasn’t enough chaos, I had to deal with blaring alarms and flashing lights giving me a headache.

 

We cleared the engineering room: a handful of droids and just a few soldiers. Corso’s rifle offered me cover when I was forced to get in closer. It was how I usually dealt with fights, but a cantina brawl was miles from this mess. I had to admit I was very glad to have Corso with me. When the room was safe, I had him watching the doors as I went to the control panel. Syncing with my wristlink, I started searching for the commands to release the Esseles.

 

“Well,” said a smooth, familiar Imperial voice, tinged with annoyance. “I’ve seen some incredible things in my time, but you’ve just topped the list.” I turned to see a holo of Grand Moff Kilran activated and staring at me with a blend of admiration and irritation. “I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you in person--If only you had let me know you were stopping by.”

 

I widened my eyes at him, doing my best 'harmless little kitty' look. “If this is a bad time,” I half-purred at him. “we could come back later.” He was already pissed. I didn’t have much to lose by giving into my natural urges to have a smart mouth.

 

I swear the bastard smiled. “Oh, no. Not at all. I assure you, I’m quite prepared for your little visit. My men will be along shortly to escort you to the accommodations I’ve arranged.”

 

“Let’s get started then,” I smirked, showing my teeth at him. I hit the commands that shut down several security systems and opened the way to the tractor beam. “Looking forward to some fun.”

 

“Hmph,” he grunted, head tilting to watch us. “You greatly overestimate your chances. Ironfist wasn’t the only weapon in my arsenal nor the deadliest. See you soon.”

 

I tossed a lazy wave at him just before he shut the comms down, breaking into a jogging as we headed down a corridor. “Come on. He had it locked down from here. We’ll have to shut it down directly from the reactor.”

 

“Should be interesting,” Corso chuckled, bringing Sergeant Boom-Boom to the ready.

 

 

“... That is a big droid,” Corso said as we headed up the ramp.

 

“...Yep.” The massive droid was heavily armed and set to guard the reactor we were trying to get to. I wondered if it was just standard or if this was what Kilran had been talking about. I took a breath and grunted. “You ready for this, Farm Boy?”

 

For an answer, Corso laughed and his first shot hit the droid’s midsection, making it stagger. I shook my head a moment, lobbing a small thermal detonator under the droid. It shrieked, sparks flying as the bomb exploded, making it stagger as one of its three legs started to fold under it. Of course, that didn’t stop it from opening fire and forcing us to avoid the stream of blaster-fire. Still, not being able to keep on its feet made its aim a lot worse. I whistled to get Corso’s attention, pointing at the droid and the ledge it was stumbling near. Just past the thin railing, a wide shaft extended down for dozens of meters before reaching the core. He looked puzzled a moment before brightening and nodding.

 

“Hey, Ugly!” He shouted, finger squeezing out several shots as he drew the droid’s attention. “This way. Come on now!”

 

Taking advantage of Corso’s actions, I skid around and toward the droid. Flashy went off, crippling a second leg. The droid made alarmed sounds, half-collapsing and rolling toward the ledge. It flailed, weapons going off as it struggled to right itself. I ducked a massive, swinging arm, rolling across the floor. On my back, I kicked it hard in the side with both feet, making it rock. A few more shots from Corso jolted it back another meter. With a scream of abused metal as its bulk bent the railing, the droid tumbled and fell. A few moments later, the muffled explosion made the platform shudder as it hit the core and came apart.

 

Corso gave a delighted whoop. “Now you’re dumb, ugly, and dead!” he called down to the droid.

 

I couldn’t help laughing as I got to my feet. Reaching the controls, my fingers flew as I initiated a shutdown. “Later, Farm Boy,” I said, hitting the last sequence and watching the reactor dim and fall silent. “Now we need to get the hell out of here. I doubt going back the way we came is going to work...”

 

“I don’t want to do anything drastic,” Kilran’s voice sounded over the intercoms. “but I will. Surrender. Now.”

 

“Think he’s a little annoyed,” I hummed, pausing to glance at a layout on the wall. Thank the stars, the Empire was like the Republic in that respect. They both tended to leave maps on the walls for their less than bright solder-boys. “Come on. I have an idea. An awful idea that will probably work...”

 

 

“...Oh no. Captain,” Corso protested a few skirmishes later. He looked down at the open chute filled with pipes and a stench that was making my eyes water a bit. “Down there? Really?”

 

“Waste goes all the way down,” I explained, trying not to gag a bit as the smells assaulted my sensitive nose. “We drop down, we’ll be right next door to the hangar and we can get out of here. They won’t be expecting it.”

 

“I can see why,” he said with a groan. “It seems worse than a rancor that’s been dead for a week!”

 

“Try having my nose,” I mumbled. I moved forward and jumped down, balancing carefully to keep from falling off the pipes. “Come on, Corso! Let’s move!”

 

With a little whine of protest, he followed. We hopped, scrambled and slide down the pipes, trying not to break anything. Finally we dropped the last four or five meters into a sludge of oil, fluids, floating parts and who-the-stars-knew-what-else. I couldn’t stop from gagging then as the mess splashed up, covering us both. I almost covered my mouth but my hands were covered. That wouldn’t have done much but make it worse. Rubbing that stench on my face would make me throw up anything I had left in my gut. Corso dry-heaved and groaned, already heading for the door with me a few steps behind.

 

I shook hard once we were out, instinctively trying to get it out of my ears and fur. “Yuck. I’m going to be in the ‘fresher for a week after this. Let’s move before they smell us coming.”

 

I figured Kilran had realized we’d slipped his trap by now. I wasn’t surprised to see the hangar locked down. Glancing through the laser-field, I could see the shuttle was still there at least. The security forces were holding off the Imperial troops for now, but I doubted they could do it forever. Asara was standing near the shuttle, glancing in our direction with relief. I grumbled a bit, but started tapping the control panel. I was sure I could slice it, but I didn’t know how long it was going to take. Time wasn’t something we had a lot of.

 

The sound of blast-doors opening got my attention and Corso gave a hiss of concern. The revealed Imperials included four heavily-armed commandos and a dark figure with a hood. I frowned in puzzlement before giving a hiss of horror. The cloaked figure gestured and slammed one of the Esseles security into the wall. The man made choking noises thrashing as an unseen hand held him up. The noises stopped when a lightsaber sailed through the air, impaling him. The glowing weapon returned to the figure's hand as he moved toward. He walked toward the panicking Asara. The commandos opened fire, dropping the security team in moments. The Twi'lek cried out as she tripped over a body, scrambling back on her hands to try and get away.

 

“Great. A damn Sith,” I muttered, stepping back and pulling out Flashy to shoot the control panel. It worked, but the alarms started blaring again which is why I hadn’t done it before.

 

“Put her down!” Corso shouted, moving ahead of me and raising Sergeant Boom-Boom. Past him, the Sith had Asara dangling in mid-air, struggling to breath.

 

Tilting his head, the Sith obeyed, although I figured it was because Kilran wanted her alive. “Greetings,” he said in a low, raspy voice, turning to study me. Gleaming orange eyes flared in the hood as he stared at me. “Kilran promised me a challenge, and this is what I get?” A sneer entered his voice as he took a step toward me.

 

“Well, aren’t you scary,” I grunted, glancing to the side to see Asara crawling out of harm’s way. One less thing to worry about.

 

“None of you will leave here alive!” the Sith snarled. “To destroy a dangerous foe...that is the way of a true Sith. But you...you are nothing. Less than nothing.”

 

I quirked an eyebrow upward. “I’m betting you’re completely insane,” I said, hand dropping to my blaster as I tensed.

 

“You dare mock me?” he snarled, fingers curling into a fist. The Sith always were dramatic sorts. “The power of the dark side is infinite! Are you ready to face oblivion?”

 

“No, by all means,” I said with a dry snort. “Keep on talking. This is fascinating...”

 

The Sith tensed and a snarl spilled out of him. “You’re right. Words are nothing without action!”

 

The twin lightsabers hummed ominously as he drew them. The red glow threw shadows on his face, which twisted into an insane eager grin. He lunged and I hit the deck, rolling to avoid one of them coming down, scoring the metal an inch or two from my side. I scrambled back, lashing out with a heel to catch him in the chest. He gave a snarl and stumbled back. He seemed shocked I hadn’t just laid down to die for him. Guess he thought I'd fall to my knees and beg or something. I was aware of Corso facing down with the commandos, which I was pretty sure was the crazy Sith’s plan. I think he wanted me to himself. It’s tough being wanted. I felt a bit of concern for my friend, but I couldn't do anything to help. All my attention was focused on the Sith, who surged forward to press his attack.

 

What happened was little more than a game of ‘catch-me-if-you-can’ for several long seconds. I narrowly avoided his frustrated swings, hearing the dangerous hum of the lightsabers. He spun to try and follow, eyes enraged and teeth in a harsh line in his sickly-pale face. Judging by his expression, he was not used to having this much difficulty. The angrier he got, the more erratic his attacks; they were stronger but lost all their finesse. That usually happened with the arrogant ones. Bringing up Flashy, I aimed and caught him in the knee. He gave a cry of surprised agony, staggering and clutching his leg for a moment. He threw the lightsaber at me, forcing me to drop the ground as it hissed over my head. My next shot took him into the chest, throwing him to his back. His armor took part of it, but he wheezed, struggling to rise and looking baffled. He groaned as I stepped on his arm, keeping him from bringing up his remaining lightsaber.

 

“Challenging enough for you?” I growled, pointing Flashy between his eyes and pulling the trigger.

 

I panted a moment, glancing to see Corso taking out the last commando. My ears snapped up as Kilran’s voice sounded. “I’m charging up our main turbolaser batteries,” he said with an angry edge to his voice. “In a few moments, your pathetic ship and all of your pathetic friends will be nothing but floating debris.”

 

“Time to go,” I panted, giving Corso a little shove in the right direction. I headed for Asara. “On your feet,” I growled, dragging her up and half-carrying her toward the shuttle.

 

“Come on, hurry!” she said, making me want to swat her for the tenth or twentieth time since we met. As if we weren’t already heading that way! She’d done exactly nothing but cower during the whole fight and was acting as if I was the hold-up... “If we launch fast enough, I think we can make it. Are you ready?”

 

I stared at her for a long moment. I was tempted by Haken’s offer if I was honest. She was worse than useless and a danger to us. I didn't like her. I didn't trust her. She was just about everything that rubbed me the wrong way. Still, I glanced at Corso, who was giving me a worried look before I just shook my head a bit. “Yeah. Come on,” I said, marching past her into the shuttle. “Let’s get out of here.”

 

“Let’s just hope Haken has the hyperdrive ready,” the Twi’lek muttered. “Come on!”

 

Sliding into the pilot’s chair, I powered up the engines and gunned the shuttle. The engines whined in protest, but the little ship gave everything it could as we fled. Sliding it into the Esseles’ hangar with speed if not grace, I hit the controls to close the hangar. Bolting toward the bridge with Asara and Corso, I hit my wrist-com. "We're on board! Go! He's charging weapons!"

 

Haken's voice was shaky with relief as we headed down the corridor. “Everyone’s aboard, Plex. Get us out of here now!”

 

We ended just in time to see the chubby Navigator nod, bolting for the controls. A few moments later, the stars streamed by as the hyperdrive was engaged. I breathed a groan of relief, leaning on the nearest railing to catch my breath. I was sweaty, tired, shaking a bit, and I reeked of things I didn’t want to think about. I closed my eyes, feeling my muscles shudder as the constant rush of adrenaline finally eased. Now that we were safely away from Kilran, I just wanted to lay down and not move for a week.

 

“We’re safe!” I looked up at First Officer Haken, chuckling tiredly as he walked toward us. “You did it--you did what no one else could have done! You saved us all. We owe you our lives... every one of us. So, on behalf of the passengers and the crew of the Republic transport, Esseles, thank you.”

 

I waved a weary hand with a huff. “It’s all part of the service. You know...thrilling heroics and rescues and what not.” This tired I didn't even bother trying to keep my tongue civil. I just wanted this over and to be away from this insane transport.

 

“There’s no reason for modesty,” Haken said. “What you accomplished here is truly amazing. I took up a collection from everyone on the ship--hopefully these credits will help you save other people in need. The same way you saved us.”

 

I blinked and stared, glancing at Corso perked up. Seems he liked the idea of being a hero, but I wasn’t so sure about that. I spent most of my life trying to keep under the Republic’s radar and out of the spotlight. I made a little face, clearing my throat.

 

“Ah, thanks,” I said as he offered me the collection, taking it out of habit. “Very kind of you, but you don’t need to--”

 

I glanced to the side as Asara walked over, making Haken’s eyes widen a bit. He glanced at me, clearly wondering what I told her. I shook my head a bit to let him know I’d kept his little ‘offer’ to myself. He looked ashamed and relieved, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“Ambassador Asara,” he said. I think he was trying for nonchalant, but was failing miserably. “it’s...it’s a relief to see that you made it back to us safely as well...”

 

“It’s a relief to be back, Haken,” the Twi’lek said, smiling at him. I wondered how much of it was real and if she realized what he was skittish about. “I’m just glad that this is all finally over.” She turned to look at me, putting gratitude into her voice. “We’re finally safe. I want to thank you again for everything you’ve done. Heroes like you are hard to come by--and the Republic needs everyone they can get.”

 

Corso straightened more, shoulders back and looking pretty pleased at the praise. I had to fight not to make a face. “I’m no hero. I’m just trying to get by like everyone else...”

 

“Well, even if you don’t think you’re a hero,” Asara said, her voice firm. “What you did here was incredible. I should warn you though... Grand Moff Kilran is never going to forget what we’ve done. He’ll stop at nothing to get his revenge.”

 

I felt my lip curling at that. ‘We’ was a generous term because she hadn’t done much, but I just sighed, too exhausted to get into it at the moment. It was like arguing with a stone anyway. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I muttered instead, pushing away from the railing to stand. “If he wants to try me again, that’s fine. I’ll deal with it when it happens.”

 

Her voice followed me as I headed for the door with Corso trailing behind. “Just be sure to stay alert from now on. Kilran is full of surprises.” She blinked as I walked off, talking a bit louder. “Anyway, enough of that. I’d say it’s about time we all relax a bit and enjoy the rest of our trip. Thanks again and good luck in the future.”

 

The door shutting stopped her from adding something else. I snorted hard, heading down the hall. “So glad she was nice enough to dismiss me,” I muttered with a grimace.

 

“You don’t like her much, huh?” Corso said, keeping step with me.

 

“She’s arrogant, selfish, and thinks she knows better. And she nearly got the lot of us killed just to protect herself. So nope. Don’t like her at all.”

 

My dreadlocked friend hummed and then brightened. “We’re gonna be heroes, you know! That’ll be interesting. Think we’ll get a story on the Holonet?”

 

“Ugh,” I grumbled, looking for the ‘fresher to get the stink of Imperial warship garbage off me. “I hope not. I’m no hero, Farm Boy. And I don’t plan to be one any time soon.” The first unoccupied cabin I found, I headed into. I figured with what I'd done, they would at least let me clean off.

 

“I don’t know, Captain,” Corso said with a laugh. He stopped by the door as I headed into the ‘fresher for a much needed shower. “Enough people say you’re one...you might be one.” With a smug look, he shut the door and left me alone to ponder that while I scrubbed the filth out of my fur.

 

-END-

Edited August 20, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

SPOILERS - This is a little cameo of meeting with Dekk'lar, one of the information brokers you can run into during Bounty Hunter week. I left the quest/bounty kind of vague so not really too many spoilers. I loved Dekk'lar too much not to use him a little though.

 

WARNINGS - There's some talk of bisexuality and a little m/m flirting, which is completely PG. Still, if that kind of stuff bothers you, best not to read about my Cathar smuggler shamelessly flirting with a male Twi'lek.

 

HUNTING CONTACTS

 

“Bounty hunting, Captain?” Corso Riggs asked uncertainly, giving me those big brown eyes.

 

I had a feeling he was the worst sabacc player this side of Hutt space given how easy he was to read. “Mmmhmm,” I said with a little grin. “Oh, come on. We’re not going to go hunting a bunch of innocent children or something.” I patted his shoulder. “You heard that mercenary. The Bounty Brokers Association is legitimate. And they have very strict guidelines on what they’ll take.” I put a coaxing purr into my voice. “It’s easy money.”

 

He frowned and looked down at me, grunting softly. “If it’s so easy to deal with them, why do they even need bounties on their head?”

 

“Well because they’re not us,” I quipped, reaching up to lightly tug one of his loose dreadlocks. “We did take on Kilran, Ironfist, and free the Esseles, right? We might as well make some money on the side with the sudden fame.”

 

“What about Skavak?” he asked, letting me pull his head a bit to one side. It brought a grin to his face though. “And did you change your mind about being a hero?”

 

“Nope. Being a hero doesn’t pay well. Still, you heard Darmas. No leads just yet. We’ll just take a quick job,” I promised. “Something here on Coruscant. Better than pacing around. Or watching Darmas seduce some ladies and win more hands of sabacc, huh?”

 

“I suppose so,” Corso mumbled, wrinkling his nose a bit. I had a feeling he was somewhere between jealous and disapproving of Darmas’s womanizing.

 

“Let’s go get registered then. What’s the worst that can happen? Kill a few hours, nothing much to show for it,” I said, heading for the shuttle to the Republic Fleet. “Not like we’d be doing much else.” He finally gave an agreeing grunt and a few minutes later, we were off.

 

 

“A Cathar, how interesting,” the droid said in a metallic voice that had the faint buzz of electronics to it. It swiveled its long, narrow head toward me. Its single 'eye' scanned me, small lights blinking with whatever readings it was taking. “There are many of your species that follow the noble profession of Bounty Hunting.” Agile fingers tapped a datapad held in metallic claws. A few moments later my wristlink chirped as I received the necessary forms. “Please be sure to read all the information completely and fill it out accurately. Retina scans and genetic coding will be taken to register you as an official amateur hunter of the BBA.”

 

“Sure,” I said, moving aside so he could help Corso next. I dropped onto a nearby bench, reading over the rules, regulations, and standards. I tried not to let my eyes glaze over, but in short order I was more scanning than reading. Most of it was pretty standard stuff anyway. Same rules for transporting cargo funnily enough. If I violated the rules I wasn’t going to get paid. Undue property damage was on my head not the BBA, etcetera, etcetera.

 

“Huh?” I mumbled as Corso flopped to sit beside me. “Did you know that there’s a maximum weight for thermal detonators when in use against legally pursued criminals?”

 

“Half-a-kilo for standard humanoids and two kilos if it’s against a Hutt. It depends on size and weight,” Corso said without missing a bit. He looked up at me as I stared at him, blushing. “What?”

 

A laugh escaped me as I shook my head. “Nevermind, Farm Boy.” I crossed my legs, leaning my shoulder against him as a prop while I kept reading.

 

My lips twitched in a smile as he gave a little pleased sound. Cathar tend to be a pretty ‘touchy’ species by instinct. I'm sure it comes from our ancestors being very driven by scent and contact for social bonds. We might be more civilized, but those old urges never quite went away. It was nice that Corso didn’t seem to mind or take offense when I did those little things without thinking. Most humans were weird about it. I tended to normally be pretty cautious about contact these days. It was a little odd that I fell into trusting Corso so easily, but it was hard not to. He was just so damn earnest and easy-going.

 

“All this seems pretty straightforward at least. I mean, boring to read but nothing too surprising.” I mumbled, swiping through the pages.

 

He nodded, his expression one of boyish concentration as he read his own forms. I smirked a bit as I noticed him biting the tip of his tongue. I fell silent to let him read. I tried not to chuckle at the little grunts and hums he made, which prompted me to peek over his shoulder a few times to see. It was amazing how many little side-codes and rules there were. They dealt with everything from civilians in the way to how to deal with law enforcement. Not to mention over a dozen pages on what species could be shot, stabbed, or captured with what. The BBA really did think of everything it seemed.

 

I pressed a thumbprint to sign the proper parts of the form. I registered my name as ‘Rukahr Tahgan’, which conformed to the Galactic standard. I used it on all my official licenses. Cathar actually had long, complicated names that traced clan lines, parents, and birth order. And that was before one got into earned names and titles. Keeping it short and simple was just plain easier.

 

I muttered a few explanations when Corso had a question. Seems like my friend wasn't used to the 'fancy' wording of contracts. I couldn't blame him, but I was familiar with it. Part of the job when it came to transporting cargo. Within an hour, we were both signed up and registered. The droid handed us our licenses and pointed us toward the holonet of available bounties. Just like that we legally were Amateur Hunters of the Bounty Brokers Association.

 

 

Picking a contract wasn’t too hard. We decided to stay on Coruscant in case Darmas had something for us. That left three. We narrowed that down to the one that seemed the easiest. An hour later, we ended up meeting with a middle-aged tired-looking man in worn clothing. He represented several other business owners in a less than reputable part of Coruscant. They were having some serious troubles with some of the Black Sun gang. Shot at, extorted, and harassed, they’d finally pooled what they could and put up a bounty. It wasn’t much of a payoff, but I knew the minute Corso got ‘The Look’ that we were doing the job.

 

With the limited information we had, we headed off. I bumped Corso with my elbow as we walked. “Softie,” I muttered. He looked a little crestfallen, but perked up when I dug my claws gently into his hair for a scritch. “You’re going to start giving me a rep as a nice guy,” I said with mock-disgust. “Next thing you know people are going to expect me to give discounts and such.”

 

We spent some hours poking around local cantinas. Without much to go on, I bought plenty of drinks and asked a lot of careful questions. Sometimes we got nothing. A few times it broke into a brawl when someone got offended by those questions. It was well into the evening before we had a name: Dekk'lar.

 

From what we heard, Dekk'lar was an information broker with good connections on Coruscant. He would be able to find us at least one of the ring-leaders that were causing our clients problems. A few credits passed hands and I had a comm frequency for him. A message later and we had a meeting arranged.

 

“Are you sure about this?” Corso murmured, glancing around the little cantina Dekk'lar had picked.

 

I sat down at the table, leaning against the wall and rotating my ears to catch any interesting sounds. “Relax, Farm Boy,” I soothed. “It’s going to be fine. I do this all the time. I mean, less for hunting down people and more for arranging cargo, but don’t worry so much.”

 

Right on time, a tall Twi’lek entered the room and glanced around. Dark eyes found me and he smirked, striding toward the table. He was a rather handsome Rutian with rich blue skin just a shade or two lighter than his eyes. His lekku were long and sleek, lacking any markings. High cheekbones, a well-shaped mouth, and an angular jaw made him rather eye-catching. Of course, Twi'lek had the same problems as Cathar. They were popular slaves so most of them came in 'pretty' to 'beautiful', at least the ones out in the stars. His clothing was functional, but flattering, showing off a well-toned body. He leaned against the table, a smirk on his lips as he looked me over.

 

I leaned back a bit and let him look, returning the smirk. I was different enough from most male Cathar that I was used to getting looks. A less than impressive one-point-seven meters when most topped two meters was just the beginning. I was slender, if pretty fit in my opinion. My fur was rather drab compared to the bright whites, blacks, and oranges that were the most common. Tawny-brown faded to creamy shade on my throat and chest, marked with faint sepia here and there. A darker stripe went from the tip of my nose over my head, through the fluffy crest of my dark brown mane. Normally I kept it shorter, but I'd be lazy the last few months. It rose between my ears, giving me the illusion of a bit more height. It matched the darker fur growing on my chin and jaw in a short goatee. I was thinking about keeping it. It made me look rather rakish, at least in my opinion. Plus I'd been told I was pretty damn good-looking and I wasn't lacking for pleasant company when I wanted it.

 

When I felt like he'd had enough of an eyeful, I shifted in my seat. Kicking up my boots, I crossed my ankles and propped on the nearest chair. Folding my arms I purred at him. "You must be Dekk'lar," I offered. I let my eyes run over him slowly from head to toe, back up again, letting him see I liked the view myself. That made his lips twitch in a wider smile. "I'm looking for information."

 

The Twi’lek gave a low laugh, straightening and spreading his hands a bit with a playful little smile. “And I’m looking for a wild night out interspersed with one to three pulse-pounding, death-defying dust-ups. Can’t always have everything, can we?”

 

My own laugh rumbled out of my chest as I raised my brows at him, ears tilting toward him. “Well, if I didn’t have other priorities, I’d take you up on that. And then some.” I let suggestion purr in my voice as my eyes half-lidded.

 

He blinked and a warm masculine laugh escaped him. “Good to know I’ve still got it.” He slid into a chair and hummed for a moment. “Tell you what... Since you’re obviously of sound mind, body and taste, why don’t I give you what you’re after?”

 

“I would appreciate it.” I gestured a server over to bring a drinks. “What would I owe you?”

 

“Well now,” Dekk’lar smiled, leaning back in the chair. “ Let's make a deal. How about you give me your Holonet information?" When I quirked an ear toward him, he smirked. "So I can contact you when you don't have other priorities."

 

That brought another purr across my tongue. Corso choked a bit as on his drink, blushing and glancing at me in surprise. I gave him an amused look before leaning forward, claws twitching to gesture Dekk'lar closer. When he offered his arm, I took his wrist, turning it a bit so I could reach his wristlink. It was completely unnecessary, of course; I could have just uplinked it to him. This was a lot more fun though. It seemed that the Twi'lek was enjoying it too, judging by the amused dark eyes and the little curls of his lekku. I made sure to trail a fingertip over the skin of his wrist before I entered the information.

 

I met his eyes as my claws tapped through the numbers by habit. I noticed those dark blue eyes had flecks of bright green and almost groaned to myself. I was having a record of having way too much trouble with pretty green eyes lately. Of course that just upped my interest. Damn it all to hell. I finished up and let go, giving him a wink before I leaned back to grab my drink. I sipped it, aware my pupils were just a bit wider and my ears were angled toward the Twi'lek.

 

Dekk'lar hummed in a pleased tone, soft lips curved in a knowing smile. He studied the readout a moment, nodding a little. One lekku twitched and curled like a lazy snake, wrapping around the other. The motion was entirely too distracting and enticing. A throwback to being a predator perhaps; Cathar were easily fascinated by certain movements. His voice drew me back from watching those sinuous movements.

 

“So...what do you want to know?” He asked, taking a long drink from his own cup.

 

 

“Captain?”

 

I swiveled an ear toward Corso as we headed out of the cantina to head toward the area Dekk’lar had told us about. “Hmmm?”

 

“....Are you actually interested in him?” Farm Boy sounded a bit uncertain.

 

I blinked and chuckled. “Well, maybe not to marry or something, but if he wanted to...you know...spend a little time? No reason to say no. Handsome, good sense of humor, nice enough to help me out.” I rolled my shoulders in a casual shrug. “Why not?”

 

“Oh...” He blushed and cleared his throat. “So you...like men?”

 

I snorted a laugh. So that’s what it was about. “I like...both, everyone, whatever.” I waved a hand in a careless gesture. “You’re surprised?”

 

“Little bit,” he admitted with a darker blush. “I mean, I’ve seen you flirt with ladies, but not males before.”

 

“Oh, you know that much about me?” I said, deliberately using the same phrase he had on me not too long ago. I smirked as he looked sheepish. “This isn’t a problem or something, is it? I mean...” I sobered a bit, eyeing him. Some cultures tended to be a bit odd about this sort of thing. I never understood why it was anyone's business. Nonetheless, certain relationships were pretty taboo to some cultures and people.

 

“No! No, of course not,” Corso said, raising his hands in the classic 'I'm harmless' gesture. “I’m not like that. I just...guess I thought...since you tend to be pretty good with the ladies.”

 

“That I was only interested in them?” I finished, relaxing. I hadn't even realized I'd tensed until I wasn't anymore. “Not the case. Although I do like ladies, I like the rest too.” I winked at him, grinning as he chuckled.

 

He was quiet a few moments before sliding me a thoughtful look. “...Do you think I’m handsome?”

 

I choked on another laugh, surprise and amusement mixing together. “Are you asking if I think you’re better looking than Dekk’lar?”

 

“...Maybe.”

 

“Definitely,” I teased as I tugged playfully on the thick, fuzzy length of a dark brown dreadlock. “But don’t tell him I said so just in case he does call, huh?”

 

Corso gave a low laugh, wide grin showing. “Sure thing, Captain.”

 

-END-

Edited August 20, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[Jaiddyn]

SPOILERS - This includes some vague spoilers for the quest 'The Senator's Stolen Goods' on Coruscant.

 

THE RIGHT CHOICES

 

“Spit it out, Corso,” I growled with a touch of irritation.

 

I glanced at him, ears flicking in the tall man’s direction. His angular features were pulled in a frown, brow creasing and eyes dark. He’s been stewing for the past hour as we made our way through the warehouses. Owned by the Migrant Merchant’s Guild, they were full of stolen goods. It was busy work yet again since Darmas was still working on tracking Skavak and the Varactyl. It was pretty easy money and quite frankly without my ship, I needed some way to pay for myself. We’d ended up taking a job from some senate page named Heerimus. Senator Doli-bur Barc had lost a ‘valuable shipment of computer chips’. It seemed that he needed outside help to get it back. That had tipped me off that it wasn’t exactly legal. If it had been, security would have been working on it. A quick chat with one Captain Denal-zon told the rest of the story. The senator was trafficking in illegal items: Rylothian slave collar chips. Since slavery was outlawed in the Republic so was anything related to it.

 

Still, my thought was money was money. The senator would get the chips he wanted one way or another. Why not my way? Why not make credits if there were credits to be made? It required raiding some warehouses and searching cargo, but that wasn’t too hard. At least the damn boxes were well-labeled. The manifest said there were seven boxes and I was digging through a crate to find the last one.

 

“Corso,” I said, putting a touch of edge in my voice when he just continued looking at me. “Come on, Farm Boy. What’s going on with you?”

 

“You’re not going to do it, are you?” The Mantellian asked, big brown eyes troubled and searching.

 

“Do what?” I had a feeling I knew, but I had to ask to be sure.

 

“Give that lousy senator the chips.”

 

I sighed, making a small face. That was exactly what I was worried he was going to ask. I found the right box, checking to make sure it was still sealed. All twenty-five chips were still tucked away in the protective packaging. I tucked the last box into the satchel at my hip where the others rested. I tapped my fingers restlessly against the crate, thinking for a moment. Sliding it closed, I nodded toward the door. He fell in step, rifle at the ready, but his eyes were still on me.

 

“Corso,” I sighed, trying not to grimace. “Look, he’s going to get the damn chips anyway. We can’t stop him. He has the money.”

 

The dreadlocked human frowned harder, expression disapproving. “That don’t mean we have to help him.”

 

I bit back a groan, sliding into an alley as we left the warehouse to avoid the Migrant Merchant’s guards. “No, but if someone is going to get paid... Well, we could use the creds. Both of us don’t have much since leaving Ord Mantell.” I glanced at him, releasing out an irritated rumble. “That senator is offering at least three times anything security is going to give us for this work.”

 

Corso’s jaw set, a muscle ticking as he looked away and forward while we walked. “The security officer said those things are bad news and illegal.”

 

“A lot of things are illegal,” I grunted, sliding a look at him. “We do plenty of things that nice, law-abiding citizens of the Republic shouldn’t be doing.”

 

“That’s different.”

 

“How?”

 

“We’re not hurting anyone,” Corso responded, only to blush when I snorted a laugh.

 

“Are you kidding? We shoot people,” I snapped, feeling a surge of irritation. I never had these issues on my own. My moral compass was quite different from Corso’s. I normally didn’t even think about this stuff. “We just attacked people to get this property back. Regardless of who gets the chips, we are hurting people.”

 

My Farm Boy scowled and thought hard for a few moments before his expression brightened. “Well, we don’t hurt good people.”

 

“What exactly makes someone good or bad?” I asked, shaking my head. I paused to grab the edge of a large cargo box. With a grunt, I pulled myself up before turning to reach down and offer Corso a hand. He wasn’t near as agile as I was. “We don’t know everyone’s story. Just because they’re not on the ‘right’ side of the law doesn’t mean they’re bad people.”

 

Corso frowned, but let me help him up. He was silent as we trotted across the cargo containers and used them to help get over a fence. My boots thudded against the ground as I bent my knees with the impact, trying to stay quiet. It was just a bit farther to the relative safety of one of the areas still held by Coruscant’s security. My friend dropped a few moments later, a little heavier than I did, wobbling a bit. I steadied him before we moved on.

 

“I know, Captain,” Corso mumbled as his brow furrowed in that troubled manner again. “But even you have to admit those slave collar things are bad news.”

 

“...Yeah,” I murmured reluctantly, shaking my head. “but the point stands that we can’t stop this senator from getting what he wants. We might as well profit... Right?” A glance told me Corso definitely did not agree with the sentiment. I let my irritation show on my short muzzle, wrinkling my nose and curling my lips a bit before I looked away. “Well, what do you want me to do then, huh?” I couldn’t keep the sharpness out of my voice.

 

“Give them to security,” he said immediately. “Let them take care of it.”

 

I sighed and shook my head, feeling the fluffy crest of my mane sway a bit. “And what makes you think that’s what will happen? For all you know, some clerk might get a few credits under the table and they might ‘disappear’ in evidence.” I blinked at his shocked face. Guess that hadn’t occurred to him. “Uniforms don’t make people good, Corso.”

 

“I know,” he murmured, shoulders sinking a little.

 

Stars, I hated casting shadows into that warm view he had of the world. It amazed me that after everything he’d been through he could still be so cheerful and happy. It seemed like no matter what Corso always saw the best in people, or at least gave them the benefit of the doubt. I couldn’t say the same. I was always looking at everyone sideways and trying to figure the angles. It kept me alive more than once, but it also made it pretty hard to let my guard down. It had been a few weeks of looking at Corso that way before I realized that Farm Boy was just...nice. He was just plain nice and honest. He just wanted to help me. He might be angry at Skavak too, but he’d yet to let me down. Hell, a few times, he even put aside his own wants to help me. It was a strange thing.

 

I rubbed a hand over my face and ruffled it through my hair. Suddenly I felt like the backside of a ronto. “All right,” I grunted. “All right. You win. We’ll give the damn chips to security...”

 

His eyes widened with cautious hope. “You mean it?” He broke into one of those wide boyish grins as I nodded. “Thanks, Captain. I knew you’d do the right thing.”

 

I groaned a bit and shook my head as we headed into the building where Denal-zon was waiting. “Yeah, well, too bad the ‘right thing’ always pays so much less,” I grumbled. “We have to do a whole lot of ‘right things’ to make the same money as one damn ‘wrong thing’.”

 

“...I actually like that idea, Captain,” Corso said happily, bright-eyed and cheerful again.

 

“Somehow I knew you would,” I huffed, but I still felt the corners of my mouth twitching up in a small smile. I had to admit that Corso’s warmth could be infectious. “You’re making me soft, Farm Boy. I can’t decide if I like it or not.”

 

“You will, Captain,” he retorted with a big smile. “Trust me.”

 

I sighed again, but it was mostly for effect. “Yeah... That’s what I’m afraid of.”

 

-END-

Edited August 23, 2016 by Jaiddyn

[wangxiuming]

You captured a Corso whose idealism is very endearing. Kudos, looking forward to seeing what happens with these two.

[Jaiddyn]

You captured a Corso whose idealism is very endearing. Kudos, looking forward to seeing what happens with these two.

 

Thank you! I'm glad a writer like you is enjoying it. That really makes my day. So thank you very much for taking the time to read it. I appreciate that greatly.

[Jaiddyn]

SPOILERS - This quest is based on the Coruscant quest ‘For Better or Worse’ so has spoilers from it. It also touches on Corso’s views of ‘proper ladies’ that Rukahr does not share.

 

NO LOVE LOST

 

A pair of voices arguing caught my attention. I paused, making Corso nearly bump into me. My ears flared up, twitching as I wandered toward the source. My friend gave me a puzzled look, but just trailed behind as I rounded a corner. Folding my arms, I leaned against the wall to watch the arguing pair. A Nautolan was gesturing and raising his voice to some tired looking man in a security uniform.

 

“I’m desperate, Mal!” the blue-skinned Nautolan’s enormous dark eyes glistened with distress. The long tentacle-like head-tresses were twitching and writhing, displaying his anger and unhappiness.

 

“I wish I could help, Nik, I really do,” the officer said, rubbing his fingers over his forehead. “but I can’t spare the manpower.”

 

“Is this what the Republic has been reduced to?” I rolled my eyes at that. Granted, aliens had their issues on human-dominant worlds. Still the Republic was pretty far ahead of the Empire when it came to ‘relations’ with non-humans. “Indifference to the suffering of aliens?”

 

“Is there something going on?” I interrupted because I had a feeling this tirade was going to continue for a while. I pushed away from the wall and sauntered toward the Nautolan, who looked surprised for a moment.

 

“You! Surely you understand the plight of aliens in the Republic?” The Nautolan’s voice was coaxing but underscored by the security’s groan. “For us, there is no justice. We are ruled over by gangsters who call themselves the Migrant Merchant’s Guild! While Republic Security--”

 

As a Cathar I could admit he wasn’t completely wrong. In some places being non-human could cause me a lot of trouble. The fact my people were popular slaves didn’t help, especially on the Outer Rims. Still, I hadn’t actually see much problems here in Coruscant. The heart of the Republic in many ways, it was a huge mixture of hundreds of races. Most of them even had their representatives in the Senate. This Nik fellow probably didn’t even know what it was like to have someone try and put a collar on him. I did.

 

The dark-skinned security officer seemed to agree with me. Mal rubbed his face and groaned as the Nautolan paused to draw in a breath to keep going. “Nik, none of you should be living here,” he said with an exasperated tone. “We can’t guarantee your safety. You know that.”

 

I almost cringed because I figured that was just going to be fuel to the tirade of suffering. “Our homes were buried under rubble during the war!” Nik said, voice raising again. “Not our fault the businessmen here are all crooks.”

 

I raised my hand a bit to stop the Nautolan from continuing. “Look, I understand things are difficult,” I said with a hint of annoyance. “but getting excited won’t help.”

 

The Nautolan turned toward me, eyelids flickering over his dark gaze. His species had a second set that went sideways across their huge black eyes. The movements signaled he was nervous or uncertain. My gaze was drawn to the nervous curling of his head-tresses for a few moments before Nik spoke again.

 

“Excited?” His distress thickened as those tresses writhed. “This isn’t some minor inconvenience!” He threw a hand to the side, gesturing to the city around us. “The Republic considers us squatters and wants us out! The Migrant Merchants’ Guild claims to protect us, but all they do is exploit us!” His voice caught and his eyelids fluttered unhappily again. “Now the guild has kidnapped my mate Ria and put her to work as an entertainer! Ria! Forced to dance for the pleasure of scoundrels!”

 

I had a moment of confusion before I realized what he was saying. It appeared his mate had been taken against her will to perform for the Migrant Merchants guild. I frowned hard, brow creasing. That was slavery and it was one thing that aliens in the Republic were supposed to be safe from. My ear swiveled to catch Corso’s sharp breath. I bit back a small curse. Corso had a huge soft spot for ‘ladies in distress’, regardless of age or species.

 

“Why did the guild kidnap your mate?” I asked hesitantly, hoping there might be more to the story.

 

“Because I failed to make my ‘protection’ payments!” Nik said, eyes wide and face taut. “And as you can see, Republic security couldn’t care less.”

 

“Oh for goodness sake, Nik!” Officer Mal sighed, shaking his head. “Give it a rest!”

 

I did mutter a faint curse under my breath then. I dared a look at Corso, who looked shocked and horrified. We were definitely helping now. I didn’t think Corso would let it go if we left someone’s mate in the clutches of a gang. I had no doubt at all that my Farm Boy’s imagination was running wild with all sorts of dangers this lady could be in. I sighed a bit, but refocused on Nik.

 

“There’s no telling what humiliations and depravities Ria’s been forced to endure. My beloved is worth a great deal to me.” I frowned as Nik continued, head tilting a bit. Something about the way he said that didn’t sit right. “Bring her back and I’ll reward you handsomely!”

 

I opened my mouth to refuse. I wasn't some kind of hero out to rescue anyone. Then Corso shifted beside me. He still looked upset, casting me an appealing glance. I got the full force of those big brown eyes, which was enough to make my resolve crumble. I drew in a deep breath and eased it out. “All right, all right,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. “I always was a sucker for people in love. I’ll see what I can do.”

 

“Thank the ancestors!” Nik said, actually looking relieved. “I cannot express what this means to me!” His voice rushed on as if he was afraid I might change my mind. “Ria is being held with the other dancers in the guild headquarters. She’s a beautiful Nautolan with lovely green head-tresses. I’m sure you’ll know her.”

 

I nodded and turned, tapping a knuckle against Corso’s armored shoulder to get him to follow me.

 

 

I grunted as I walked right into Corso. He’d stopped dead, blushing as he stared at the building. He didn’t seem to notice that I smacked my nose against his shoulder, giving a little hiss of pain. I rubbed the sting out of my short muzzle, glancing at the neon signs and bright colors. When I got tired of waiting, I sighed and rolled my eyes.

 

“Move it, Farm Boy,” I growled, giving his lower back a little shove to get him stumbling a step forward. “Come on now. You can’t tell me you’ve never been in a place like this? Ever?”

 

“No. I mean, yes... I mean, I don’t-- But--” He stuttered over protests, leaning back against my hand in protest. I pushed on his back firmly, making him walk in far enough that I could at least step by. It took some work as he was almost half-a-meter taller than I was and outweighed me by a good twenty kilos.

 

“Stars’ sake,” I grumbled, glancing up at him as I moved in front of him. “I promise not to let any naughty dancers take you away or something. Just come on. Business, remember? Gotta rescue the girl?”

 

That seemed to get him a little more focused, even if his cheeks and ears were still red. Blushing was such an odd trait, but I guess with no fur humans had to communicate some way. At least Corso was following now and looking less like a spooked nerf. I shook my head, running my fingers through my fluffy mane, trying to smooth it down. I had another one of those envious moments about Corso’s nice thick mane. Hair. Whatever humans prefer to call it. Compared to most Cathar, my own was downright sparse.

 

The inside was quite nice, given what the rest of Coruscant looked like. The lighting was low but not too dim. There were plush couches and chairs scattered around, covered in deep purples and blues. Even the floor had nice rugs on it to soften the look of the place. It was almost classy. The holograms of gyrating near-nude girls sort of kept it from being that though. And, of course, there was a handful of actual dancers. Corso made a little noise behind, prompting me to glance at him. I smothered a snicker at his expression caught between fascination and embarrassment. Guess they didn’t have places like this on Ord Mantell. I was kind of surprised that all the dancers were, well, dressed. They weren’t wearing much, but they weren’t naked. I had kind of expected the place to be more... sleazy.

 

The dancers were mostly Twi’lek, which wasn’t surprised. They were pretty much considered the ‘best’ dancers across the galaxy. It was just good business sense to have plenty. There was a rainbow of skin colors: blues, yellows, and greens and a few paler ones. I was pretty sure I caught a glimpse of one with rare purple skin heading into a room with an eager patron behind her. There were a few humans too, and I thought I saw a Rodian. There was no sign of a Nautolan though. I glanced around until I noticed one girl that didn't seem busy with a customer. She was sleek with soft yellow-green skin and dapples on her lekku. The dark purple costume she was wearing left almost nothing to the imagination.

 

When I got close, she gave me a charming smile. Her lekku twisted and curled in a beckoning way that made me think she knew how much Cathar loved movement. She spoke in Huttese, which surprised me, but I understood just fine. “If you’re looking for dancers for a private party,” she purred at me. “they’re booking up fast.” Curved hips never stilled as she spun and writhed to the soft music filling the place.

 

I shook my head a bit, giving her a small smile. “No, I’m actually here to see a...friend of mine,” I improvised. “Ria Deleru?” My ears perked up, waiting. I didn’t actually expect that to work. Nik had said she was kidnapped so they wouldn’t admit she was here. I was hoping to see some kind of reaction.

 

“Oh!” the Twi’lek said with another of those heart-melting smiles. She spun, giving me a flash of her slender back and rounded backside. For a moment, I just stared before forcing myself to focus on her words. “She just got in. Doesn’t even have her costume on yet. Ria!” She raised her voice a bit over the music. Her fingers waved toward a door marked off-limits for patrons. “Someone to see you!”

 

I stared a moment. That definitely wasn't the reaction I was expecting. The dancer gave me a teasing wave and sauntered off to find someone willing to pay. A minute later, a female Nautolan emerged. I tilted my head, studying her closely. She had no slave collar at all. There were no bruises and she was moving with the same easy grace the rest of the dancers were. Her expression was puzzled but warm. She smiled at me, huge dark eyes studying me with a bit of confusion. I had to admit Nik was right. For a Nautolan, she was a knockout and then some. While Ria didn’t have the pronounced curves of a Twi'lek, she was quite lovely. With the sleek build of most water-born species, she was long-limbed and elegant. Her skin was a soft warm green, dappled with darker shades and hints of blue in a few places. Her head-tresses were decorated with little colorful bands that chimed as they moved. Her mouth was small, but full, curving in an inviting smile.

 

“Thank you for considering Hanera’s Dance Troupe for your entertainment needs,” she said warmly. “How may I please you this day?”

 

I couldn’t help but give a little appreciative hum, ears perking how. “....What does someone like you see in a loser like Nik?” I muttered before I thought better of saying that thought aloud.

 

Her dark eyes widened, swirling a moment before she groaned. Dropping the ‘professional air’, she now looked uneasy. “Oh, please don’t tell me he sent you,” she sighed, shaking her head with a frown. “Should’ve known he’d try something like this.” She put her hands on her hips, lips thinning with annoyance. “I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time. I’m not here ‘against my will’.”

 

The words definitely seemed true. I couldn't see even a hint that she was being forced to stay here. If anything she was looking as if she was expecting me to kidnap her. I held up both hands in a soothing gesture, showing my empty palms. “Relax. You can talk to me,” I said gently. “I’m not trying to force you to do anything. I just thought you were in trouble.”

 

She stared at me a moment, eyelids flicking across those huge slanted eyes. Whatever she saw made her relax a bit and she nodded, sighing again. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told Nik the truth. I was just hoping to spare his feelings.” Her hands lifted, moving in animated gestures as she spoke. I could see how she would make a fantastic dancer. Everything about her movements was fluid and graceful. “Life with him was miserable,” she explained, giving me an appealing look. “Not only were we barely sc****** by, but I was fed up.”

 

I glanced at Corso, who looked confused. I shrugged and gave a small shake of my head before turning back to Ria. I made a little go-on gesture with one hand, folding my arms and flaring my ears toward her to listen.

 

“His jealousy was driving me crazy!” the Nautolan sighed, more feeling in her voice. I got the impression this had been building up a while and it was a relief for her to get it out. “He didn’t want me talking to anyone or going out. Life here is... better.”

 

I was starting to get the picture. I remembered Nik’s words about her being ‘worth a great deal’ to him and his talk about his suffering. As if she was something of his taken away, instead of a person who might be in trouble. I frowned and gave a small snort. “Why does none of this surprise me?” I muttered, ignoring Corso’s disapproving grunt. “So you really prefer it here?” I asked Ria instead.

 

“Oh my stars, yes!” She said, lips curving in a wider smile. “All the dancers are so kind and Hanera says she’s never seen anyone with as much potential as I have. I can really make something of myself here.” She glanced at Corso, who had made another uncertain noise. “Nik and I left the homeworld together. His devotion was flattering...but I grew to realize the difference between love and obsession.” She hesitated a moment before biting her lip nervously. “Could you please tell Nik I was shipped off Coruscant? If he thinks I’m gone, he might move on.”

 

I blinked and frowned, ears tilting back a moment. My first thought was to just tell her to inform Nik it was over. Still, I paused and clicked my tongue, grunting. If she was being honest, and it felt like she was, her mate was obsessive and not likely to take no for an answer. If he thought he had some way to get her back, he might just keep on trying. He might send someone less nice than I was; someone who might force her to go back. I took a breath and sighed it out, rumbling a little in my throat.

 

“Stay here,” I said firmly. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

 

Her face was incredulous for a moment before it lit up in a smile that made it worth it. “Thank you!” she nearly sang. “I appreciate your help. Nik’s not evil, but I just... I couldn’t stay.” She paused a moment then walked up, leaning to kiss my cheek. My eyebrows shot up, but I gave her a grin. “I...hope you come back and see me some time under less formal circumstances.”

 

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that, winking at her as she headed back into the dancers’ dressing room. “We’ll see. Good luck, Ria. Come on, Farm Boy.” I turned and grabbed Corso’s arm to steer him back outside. I glanced up at him, frowning as when I saw his expression. “What’s wrong, Corso?” I murmured once we were back out into the cooler open air. “You look...upset? I mean, it’s good, right? She wasn’t hurt or anything. She’s where she wants to be.”

 

“Yeah, I know, Captain,” he said, still looking rather crestfallen. “I guess I just-- Mmm.”

 

“Oh,” I said, not pressing any further for a minute. I realized he was having another of those times when he had to realize the world wasn’t quite as he wished it was. Watching his sad eyes made me want to say something though. Something to make it a little better. “Look,” I tried quietly, moving to ruffle my fingers in his dreadlocks. That usually seemed to help a bit. “I know you’re not...happy that Nik is..well, what he is, but look. We’re helping Ria, aren’t we? She’s where she wants to be and has a chance to be happy. That’s good right?”

 

“Yeah, but there?” Corso said, even as he leaned a little into my hand. “Dancing? That’s--”

 

“That’s what?”

 

“...It’s not...respectable.”

 

I blinked and stared at him a moment, giving a dreadlock a little tug to get his eyes on me. “Says who?”

 

“Well...” He frowned, brow creasing. “Everyone.”

 

“Oh, Bantha waste,” I snorted, shaking my head and tugging the dreadlock a little harder. “Not everyone. Maybe your old-fashioned parents or something, but not everyone. There’s nothing wrong with dancing. They’re clearly not slaves. Ria looked excited, happy to be a dancer, didn’t she?”

 

“I guess, but if she knew better--”

 

“Corso.” I put a bit of a firm edge into my voice. “You gotta let this go a bit. These...ideas. That doesn’t work out in the galaxy.” I sighed as he looked unhappy. “Look, I don’t think you’re stupid,” I soothed. I knew that idea bothered him. “I think it’s...sweet actually. A little naive maybe, but sweet.”

 

“...You think I’m sweet?” Corso managed a small chuckle, brown eyes slanting toward me.

 

“Yeah, I do,” I teased back, smiling wider. “Also a really good shot. And...a nice guy with his heart in the right place.”

 

I let go of his hair and patted his back as we headed down the road, keeping an eye out for any of the Migrant Merchants. “Still,” I said, getting back on topic. “Ria isn’t doing anything that’s not ‘respectable’. She’s choosing to do something she loves that makes her happy. She’s not being forced. She gets to do what she wants with her life. Did she look unhappy to you?”

 

“...No.”

 

“Okay,” I said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Do you think less of her for being a dancer?”

 

“No!” Corso was quick with that. “Of course not! But--”

 

“But what?” My tone was firm again, giving him a hard look. “Why should she force herself to do something she’s doesn’t enjoy? She can make plenty of money dancing and enjoy it. The place looks clean. All the dancers had clothing on, which is better than some places. Hell, we might not like that they’re around, but seems like the guild keeps them pretty safe.” I pointed a claw at him to make sure he was listening. “So you don’t get to decide for her what she gets to do.”

 

“I wasn’t--”

 

“You were,” I said. “You were all ready to defend her from being in some kind of...” I waved my hands a bit. “Sleazy place forced to dance. You wanted to save her from some...life of degradation or something. Like a Jedi in a story. Problem is, Farm Boy, that’s not the case. She’s not a slave to some Hutt or whatever. She’s a lady making her own choices. So, show a bit of respect and try not to judge, huh?”

 

“Yes, Captain,” Corso said obediently. His shoulders and subdued expression reminded me of a scolded cub.

 

I shook my head and grunted. “I’m not upset at you, Corso. I like how...upbeat you are. I do.” I gave him a little smile. “It’s nice. Getting real used to having you around.” He brightened at that. “I just...Guess I don’t want you feeling bad. You gotta...look at things a little different sometimes. Consider it sideways.”

 

“Sideways?” He blinked at me a few times.

 

“Yeah. You know,” I said as we slipped past the security fence into a safer zone. “Look at it from a different angle. Think about it in another way. All that stuff.”

 

“Oh,” he murmured, looking thoughtful again. “So...what are we going to tell that Nik guy?”

 

“A lie,” I said without missing a beat. “I know you hate lying, but it’s better that way. She’ll be safer.”

 

It was reassuring to see him nod firmly and I gave him another smile as we headed toward the meeting place.

 

 

“What?” The blue-skinned Nautolan’s eyes grew wide, eyelids flickering in distress. “No, this can’t be! Where did she go?”

 

I shook my head a bit, fighting to keep my ears from flattening at Nik. “I don’t know. All I know is she’s not here anymore.”

 

“My Ria,” the Nautolan said, voice thickening as his expression grew distraught. “My beautiful beloved... Why do the ancestors punish me so?”

 

That made me want to grimace, struggling not to show my teeth at him. He talked as if she was a prized item instead of a person. He didn’t really care where she was or if she was happy. He only cared that he didn’t have her. I worked to keep the disgust off my face so I didn't show my teeth at him. Judging by the concerned glance I got from Corso, I wasn’t completely successful. Fortunately, the Nautolan was too busy feeling sorry for himself to notice.

 

“I suppose we should settle up,” he said, giving me an accusing look as he gathered himself. “Despite the fact you failed to bring my beloved back. Here.” He tossed me a credstick. “This is yours.”

 

“You are--” I started, a growl in my voice that made Nik’s head-tresses twitch nervously. I almost stepped forward before Corso grabbed my arm to stop me. I glanced at the human and snorted, but jerked my chin in a nod. “a piece of work,” I finished, a hiss escaping me before I turned away from the blue-skinned man. “Next time have some guts and take care of your problems yourself.”

 

I stalked off at a rapid pace, enough that Corso had to job to catch up. He fell into step behind me, making use of the fact he was taller than me. I growled out a few curses, ranging from Huttese to Shryiiwook. He actually looked impressed, but laughed a little, shaking his head.

 

“His mother is a...what? I missed that,” he said, trying to cheer me out of my mood.

 

I snorted again, but softer. “Sorry, got a terrible accent in Shryiiwook. Throat isn’t quite right for it, but eh.” I waved my fingers and sighed. “Sorry. That guy just hit a nerve is all.”

 

“Why?” Brown eyes studied me keenly. His gaze was sharp enough that I sometimes wondered if Farm Boy was smarter than he even thought he was.

 

“...Used to be a slave,” I said after a long minute. Rolling my shoulders in a shrug, I shook my head again. “I don’t like people being treated like...trophies or possessions. Just hits a nerve with me is all.”

 

He was giving me those wide startled eyes. “I didn’t know that...”

 

I laughed a bit, patting his arm as I slowed down. My angry stalk turned into an easy walk. “Well, you never asked and I don’t mention it much. I mean... I’m technically still someone’s slave. I ran off. I wasn’t freed. Mention it to the wrong person, I might end up back there.”

 

He nodded, but he was giving me that curious searching look again. I had a feeling we were going to have a talk about it eventually. It could wait for now though. I wanted to see if Darmas Pollaran had any news yet. I was ready to get off Coruscant already and certainly ready to see my Varactyl again.

 

-END-

[wangxiuming]

Haha! Corso seems a bit out of his element. Good thing Rukahr is there.

 

Your writing style is quite good - the words flow very well and your use of first person really conveys Rukhar's personality well.

 

Out of curiosity, is there any chance we'll see the pair have hijinks outside of actual quests in game? Would love to see what kind of shenanigans they could get into in unexplored territory (though, don't let me influence your narrative decisions).

[Jaiddyn]

Haha! Corso seems a bit out of his element. Good thing Rukahr is there.

 

Your writing style is quite good - the words flow very well and your use of first person really conveys Rukhar's personality well.

 

Out of curiosity, is there any chance we'll see the pair have hijinks outside of actual quests in game? Would love to see what kind of shenanigans they could get into in unexplored territory (though, don't let me influence your narrative decisions).

 

Thank you! I'm glad you like it. Always looking for tips and pointers to improve.

 

Oh, yes, I have a bunch of little short stories planned for these two. Rook's my main and my favorite character in SWTOR. Once he gets his ship back and actually starts settling into being a crew, I plan to have 'non quest' stories out there to show how he treats the crew, various friendships, and the kind of trouble he tends to get into.

[MishaCantu]

I am actually enjoying your character Rook quite a lot and I believe you have captured Corso quite well also. Writing in first person is something I find challenging and you have carried it very well.

 

Like Wangxiuming, I will be very glad to see them deviate from the class stories and was happy to see that you have plans on doing so.

 

Although I believe you add a nice touch to what you are doing so far, it will be additionally interesting to see them spread their wings into new adventures. I am looking forward to it.

[Avashnea]

Needs a Twi'lek.