40 oz to Freedom

[Anastasia Rade]

The noodles from last night were not terrible this morning. A few minutes in the microwave and they were perfect. She would have to remember this for later as she had a feeling that she would be spending awhile in this hotel. On another note she would need more clothes as she didn't bring too much with her. Twisting a few more noodles onto her fork she took a bite as she turned on her datapad to ensure that nobody was looking for her. While she may not be the most important person on Mandalore she still wanted to keep tabs on what was going on. She hoped that by doing this she could prove that she could do a little teleworking.

After finishing her most interesting breakfast she threw away the box before heading down to the lobby. It was still a little early to be heading out but Ana was far too jumpy and excited about the days events to stay cooped up in her room for another second. The lobby wasn't much better but it would have to do for now. As she pressed the button in the elevator to go down the thought of him perhaps showing up early crossed her mind. After last night she couldn't imagine him not being excited to see her again.

Stepping out of the elevator Ana made a beeline to the bathroom mirror just to check and make sure she looked alright. She had decided on a pair of blue jeans along with a pleated chiffon pink top. After twirling around a few times and being satisfied with how she looked Ana left the bathroom to go outside and wait for [member="Orick T'ane"] to pick her up. Normally the young woman was never concerned on how she look but Ana kind of wanted to look good for him even in jeans.

Stepping outside the hotel she looked to see if he was there yet but saw nothing. Ana wasn't disappointed or worried as she still had about ten minutes to wait. After taking another sweep with no luck Ana took a seat on the bench to wait for her date.

 

[Orick T'ane]

He pulled up to the hotel and saw [member="Anastasia Rade"] sitting on the bench outside. She was dressed casually, and it still stopped him in his tracks. He smiled brightly and looked down at the small bundle wrapped on the passenger seat. He had stopped quickly and picked up a half dozen flowers; all pink and had them wrapped, along with a few accenting flowers, in a plain brown wrapping to hide exactly what was inside. He left the brown wrapped package sitting on the passenger seat so that she would see it as soon as she got in the car.

He got out of the car and stopped for a second, taking in the view of her sitting there on the bench. there was something absolutely enchanting about her and it was pulling at him. He finally blinked and focused on the day ahead. He made his way over to her and gave her a small peck on the cheek before he sat down next to her on the bench. " Good morning beautiful, how did you sleep?" He managed to get the words out without stumbling through them, it seemed so much easier thinking about what he would say to her, but that was before he was standing in front of her. His smile was as bright as he could remember it being in a long time, and he hoped that she knew it was because of her.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Ana was giddy with excitement over today's events and couldn't help but smile as he came into view. She swore her heart began to race as he got closer. "Once I fell asleep I did," she smiled lightly kissing him back on the cheek as her hand reached for his intertwining their fingers together. Once she had finally fallen asleep Ana had sweet dreams of him. It had been the first peaceful sleep she had in awhile. He didn't need to know about how she modeled what little clothing she brought with her in the mirror before dressing for the day. "Did you? Sleep well?" She smiled her gaze fixed on him once again getting lost in his beautiful eyes.

"I got everything cleared up to stay awhile longer." The response had been a basic Ok, have fun type message which she took as that was fine. If she was needed in an emergency they trusted she would answer that call. She wanted him to know she didn't have to leave. Hopefully he hadn't been handed orders to ship out tomorrow. She didn't think it worked that way but she wasn't well versed in Republic laws.

Seeing [member="Orick T'ane"] again brought all the emotions and feeling bubbling back up to the surface. It had only been a few hours but it had seemed much longer to her. Ana could sit right here on this bench all day with him and be perfectly content.

 

[Orick T'ane]

Her hand found his and their fingers just wove together, the whole act felt natural to him. " I didn't have many problems falling asleep, I ended up sleeping on the Ranger, and I always sleep well on the ship." He didn't mention that he had been up cleaning late into the night, or that he was up early for his usual planet side workout. He didn't want to worry with the little things, all that mattered was they he was refreshed and he had the rest of the day with [member="Anastasia Rade"].

He smiled and leaned into her, " If that's what you want to do, then that's awesome, but please don't think that you have to stay for me." He loved that she wanted to stay while he was here, but he knew that she had responsibilities of her own and he was going to feel bad about keeping her here for at least the next couple of days. " Hey so, I was thinking, maybe we could just sit here for the whole day." He joked as he let go of her hand just long enough to wrap his arm around her shoulder. " Or if you want we can do the things we planned."

He didn't care what they did, he just wanted to keep her smiling. If seeing his ship was what she wanted, then he would give her the grant tour of the Ranger and hope for the best. He wondered what questions had been asked about her request to stay, wondered who more specifically would ask those questions.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Ana had called Az and let him what was going on in a message. She wanted him to know everything was fine just that she was planning to stay a few days. "This is where I want to be," she smiled at him lightly kissing him on the cheek again. "The project I had been apart of is halted for the moment. If I get a burning desire to design I have a datapad in my room." She could also remotely view things the team sent. They were still brainstorming so it was fine. Ana wasn't worried too much about it. This right now was where she wanted to be.

"Trying to get out of showing me your ship?" She giggled slightly leaning her head against his shoulder. The idea of just sitting here with him all day didn't sound so terrible but she wanted to his his ship. "I was looking forward to the tour of your ship and than spending the rest of the day doing whatever." She wasn't worried what came next after a tour. Ana only wanted to spend time with him.

As happy as she was snuggled up against him on the bench she wanted to get going. Ana was quite sure their would be more snuggles on his ship most likely. "Ready to go?" She questioned as she got up off the bench her hand still in his.

As they walked to the car she couldn't help but notice a brown package sitting in the passenger seat. Blinking slightly her gaze went from the package to him. Picking it up she looked at it again before looking to him. She didn't want to assume it was and begin opening anything. It was more than liking his breakfast or something he picked up for the ship.

"What is this?" She questioned looking to [member="Orick T'ane"]. Presents were not something she was used to so the thought it was for her never crossed her mind. As she continued to hold it, she noticed it was quite light so maybe not a ship part.

 

[Orick T'ane]

He was about as happy as he could be when she answered and kissed him. " What project is it that you're working on?" He asked. He wondered what it was that she was working on. she had mentioned designs and he wondered what it was she designed. He wanted to know all about the things that she was interested in, once he knew that he could get her little things that were more meaningful than flowers.

" I will gladly show you my ship if you want, I'm not trying to get out of anything, not as long as it involves you." Her head was on his shoulder again. It felt as god to have her near as it had last night. He wanted nothing more than to spend the entire day with [member="Anastasia Rade"] and he wanted her know it as well. " That's a fantastic idea, I don't have anything on the docket for the day. I imagine that i can pencil you in for the whole day." He said jokingly.

Walking towards the car he couldn't help but hope that she liked the flowers that he had gotten. He opened the door and smiled as she saw the package." Well there's only one way to find out. you're going to have to open it." He said after he helped her into the car. He walked around to the drivers side, watching her to see her reaction to the flowers. He was going to gauge how the day was going to go by it.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

"Well, this one is different then the normal things that I dabble in. Normally we work on such things as weapons, armors, and other such things for war. I'm working on something less violent in nature. A medical pack that can be taken in battle. As it is we throw a few things in her bag and go. It would be nice to have something compact and easy to use seeing as we are always getting hurt. First is figuring out all what to include." Ana could go on about what her plans were but it really was all still in the planning phases so there wasn't much to say. She as well as others were fine tuning the list still adding and subtracting things.

Ana was more than happy to spend the whole day with him learning what she could about him. His ship she knew would say more about him than words. Unspoken tales of all the battles and journey it has been through just like a suit of armor. Getting to know it was just as important as knowing him. She couldn't help but smile as they walked hand and hand to the car.

Even when he told her to open the brown package in her arms did she think it was for her. Slowly and carefully as to not injure what was inside. As the wrapping was pulled back pinks, purples, and yellows petals began to be revealed. The smile that was on Ana's face became brighter and bigger as she saw what was in the package. "They are beautiful, thank you." She leaned in slightly careful not to hurt her flowers to give him a quick passionate kiss. Pulling back she looked back to the flowers and held them up to her nose to smell them. "Thank you," she stated again kissing him. "I love them."

The gift was touching and special in ways she wasn't sure [member="Orick T'ane"] knew. Az had given her a knife along ago for protection but this was a different kind of gift much different. It showed Ana that he had been thinking about her and not only that he had gone out of his way to get her something. She very much appreciated his gift and wished for him to know that she did. Ana would cherish these flowers and what they meant. Smiling up at him she brought the flowers back up to her nose again to smell. "They also smell nice as well." As much of a battle harden warrior Ana was she still enjoyed pretty girly things.

 

[Orick T'ane]

He listened closely as she described her intention with the design. It was a great idea, finding ways to streamline what medics carried while still providing all of the things that they needed. It was a great idea, he had wondered what it was that she did when she wasn't a diplomat, but she never really did give specifics to it. He would have to ask her about it more when they were through with the tour of his ship.

He watched as she opened the wrapping on the flowers. Her eyes and her smile were exactly what he was hoping for. Her face was in danger of breaking because the smile had gotten so wide. He wanted to give himself a pat on the back for getting it right, but he didn't want her to notice how nervous he had been as she opened it. Her kiss was even more magical this time, her emotions rolled off of her like a tidal wave and he was caught in the moment as he returned her kiss, sharing in a moment that was completely theirs.

He couldn't even reply as she thanked him for the flowers, he just smiled at her and sighed into her next kiss. He wondered if she knew that she took his breath away with each kiss, that he was lost for words afterwards as his brain tried to catch up with his body. " I'm glad you like them, I wasn't sure that you would." He started the car and pulled away and out into the street. The ride back to the base wasn't a long one, but traffic was against them today and it took them almost an hour to get into the compound. The ride to the hanger wasn't a long one, once you got past all of the security checkpoints. He pulled the car up to the hanger doors, which were opened all the way. He parked so that she could get a good look at his ship.( minus the guns and more beaten up) He sighed and glanced over at [member="Anastasia Rade"], checking to see what her reaction was.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

"I do, they are beautiful." she turned to smile at him as they drove to where his ship was docked. I may be a Mando but I still enjoy pretty things." Turning she looked to the flowers sitting in her lap. When she got back to the hotel she would need to place them in water she knew eventually they would die but the water should help keep them fresh longer. Before she left Ana was determined to give him something in return, perhaps finding a kitchen and baking up some cookies for him. The young woman didn't think much on it right now. His ship, his home would probably give her a better idea of what he may like. Ana for now was just happy going for a ride and enjoying the last remanence of that kiss on her lips. She wondered if he knew those kisses of his drove her crazy.

Due to the hanger doors being wide open Ana could see his ship as they pulled up to park. It was nowhere near as shiny and new as the others that Ana had seen the day before. The view she had wasn't very good from the car but it was easy to see it had been though a lot. "So, this is the Ranger." She smiled looking out the window to the ship in the hanger turning briefly to glance. It was beat up from what she could see but that just gave it more personality which was something the carbon copy ships lacked. "It's really something. I have never seen a ship like it before. Can I get a closer look? I promise not to touch anything." She questioned as she opened the door to do just that. Getting up she gently set the flowers on the seat before walking closer to his ship. It was an older model from what she could tell which wasn't a surprise. [member="Orick T'ane"] was no doubt close behind her.

 

[Orick T'ane]

Orick watched as she saw his ship for the first time. it wasn't flashy or special in any way to anyone but him, but he did feel that it was part of him in a way. She got out of the car and approached the ship, he could see her eyes scanning every inch of the ship. He wondered if she saw the things he did. The buckled plate at the back that had stopped a blaster cannon from ripping through the hold. The rebuilt landing struts that had survived a crash landing on Denon. How the front transprarasteel of the cockpit just seemed to be tilted at an angle that seemed just a little off. " She's an old beauty, she's been flying for a long time. " He chuckled at her promise to not touch anything. " You can touch anything you want, anything that might have been fragile enough to fall off has long since fallen off " He stepped up to the rear cargo doors on the left side of the ship and flipped open a small hatch. He punched in a code onto the small keypad and the door began to open slowly. Opening like a set of double doors, the two doors pushed out and slid along the hull of the ship, the hydraulics squeaking loudly as they do.

The cargo hold was clean, but there were years of use visible in the worn deck plates. Scratches and pits in the deck made it apparent where the cargo was usually stacked. There ramp into the ship was worn smooth in places, and in others it still held it's nonslip surface. The right side of the ship had another cargo door that was open as well, allowing [member="Anastasia Rade"] to see the hanger wall through the ship. the cargo hold was 30 meters long by 15 meters wide, the top of the ship was around 25 meters high.

He smiled as he bowed slightly to her, " You're chariot awaits my dear." he laughed as he waited for her to step aboard the ship. Once aboard she would see that there was an old footlocker built into the front wall of the hold. next to it there was another small door that was closed.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

It was clear to Ana as she got closer that this ship had been though a lot. Every dent, scratch and repair told the tale of a war or battle the ship had been though. It was pretty clear that he and his ship had been though a lot. It could use a paint job but than again so could her armor. The scratches gave it character. She thought of asking the story behind some of the dings and patchwork she could see but didn't. She didn't want to offend him or the ship by pointing out flaws when all she was was curious.

Once given the green light to touch the ship she moved closer to gently outline one of the scratches with her finger wondering what happened. "You two have been though a lot together but she's in good shape." Ana used to go scavenging for old ship parts with Az before he was Mandalore. She had seen some bad looking ships younger than his. It was obvious he cared for his ship.

Lowering her hand she began to walk around the ship as she heard it quite literally squeak open. It sounded as if it hadn't been taken out for a spin in awhile. Ana wondered if perhaps if he would with her. Turning she couldn't help giggling a little before playing along. "Why thank you," she smiled at him taking his hand as she walked onto the ship. She could imagine him whisking her away on his ship.

The ramp was worn in areas and the cargo area as well but that made sense. He actually used it for its intended purpose which was to move stuff legal or otherwise. She didn't judge, Ana had done things she wasn't proud of to survive.

"So, this is home." She smiled turning around to look at [member="Orick T'ane"] . "Show me around?" She questioned reaching her hand out for him. She could explore around on her own but she rather him show her around.

 

[Orick T'ane]

He watches [member="Anastasia Rade"] examine his ship and he smiled, she was studying it and seemed genuinely interested in in. Her assessment of his trials with the ship were pretty close to true, " The Ranger has been good to me over the years, she and I have seen a lot of the galaxy together." He ran his hand along one of the bulkheads, his touch was light and affectionate.

He smiled and took her hand, guiding her towards the small door along the forward bulkhead, " This door leads to the crew area and the cockpit." He slapped the small panel next to the door. The corridor was 15 meters long and wide enough for them to walk along it next to each other. There were six doors, two on one side and three on the other side of the corridor and one at the end, across from the door he opened. " There were originally four cabins for the crew to use, but one of the older owners decided that he didn't want that much of a crew. Probably the same guy that sold the weapons. " He chuckled as they reached the first door. He tapped the panel next to it and the door slid open quickly, revealing a small room that was filled with small crates and a few old pieces of equipment. " This old cabin has been turned into storage, there's wasn't really anything left inside when I got it, the last owner stripped all of the stuff out of the room, I'm pretty sure they used it for cargo when the hold was full."

He closed the door and turned to the door across from it, " This is the only other actual cabin on the ship besides the captain's cabin." He pointed to the door next to the one they stood in front of. He opened the door and frowned as slightly stale air filled the corridor. Inside the cabin there was a bed built into the wall and a standing wardrobe bolted next to it. " This room isn't used much, I don't take on many passengers when I transport. Sometimes I help people with bounties on their head get to somewhere safe, but that's more dangerous than smuggling most of the time, and doesn't pay as well." The sheets on the bed were clean but everything seemed to have a very faint layer of dust on it.

He stepped into the room and tapped a spot on the center of rhe ceiling and there was a slight turning of gears as a hatch opened and a small tray was lowered down to about waist height. "One of the many smuggler hiding spots in the ship. It's in the ceiling and hard to find the spot unless you know what to look for. Most customs people ignore this room because the layer of dust for the most part confirms that there's no movement inside of the room." He looked up at her and smiled

 

[Anastasia Rade]

"Would the Captain quarters be in a different area?" Ana questioned as she followed him down a corridor not unlike a hallway that she had in her home. The first room he showed her was just a storage closet full of boxes not unlike one of the closets in her home. The other closets she had filled with fluffy towels and extra sheets for her spare rooms. Ana had to imagine the boxes were filled with odds and ends that wouldn't fit in his quarters.

The next stop was a clean but dusty room second cabin which was empty except for the bed and wardrobe next to it. The settled dust made her think that it hadn't been used in a very very long time. If the dust didn't make her think it needed a makeover the smell did. It could use a good spring cleaning regardless if he planned to ever use the cabin for visitors. Decorating was definitely something that she could help him with if he wished. Ana had quite a bit of fun decorating up her own place and that cabin had potential. It just needed a woman's touch is all. He did a fine job of keeping his home clean though, she gave him props for that. He was a sweet friendly guy so it surprised her he hadn't a co-pilot yet, a partner to smuggle with. She knew he didn't like being alone so probably it was just that he hadn't found the right crew member yet.

Instead of moving on they stepped inside where [member="Orick T'ane"] showed her where one of the smuggling hiding spots. "When you bought the ship did they show you the smuggling spots or did you find those on your own? Have you ever used this before?" She questioned as she looked up to the celling as if trying to figure out where it sat before looking back to him. "How many smuggling spots are on the ship?" She knew that when sellers were trying to show off their "property" they liked to highlight all of its features. She wondered if the previous owner had done so for him or if found it on his own.

 

[Orick T'ane]

He nodded as [member="Anastasia Rade"] questions him about the ship, " Yes he did, he was trying to get enough credits to get away from someone, I don't know who, but he was very eager to show me all of the little hiding spots for smuggling. He was willing to take the money I had at the time as payment for the ship, which means to me that he was very concerned about getting far away from whatever it was." He shrugged as he pushed the tray back into the ceiling. " His misfortune was my gain, the Ranger has been good to me over the years, she's family. " He moved back out into the corridor and closed the door behind him. " This next room is pretty self explanatory" He stepped forward a few feet and tapped a small panel across the corridor from him. the door opened and showed another small room, but this one had all of the necessities of a refresher. A small sink with a mirror in front of it on the bulkhead. Next to the sink was a small toilet, across from a small stand up sonic shower. the room was well used but it was as clean as it could possibly be, there was nothing inside the room besides the functional things, nothing personal or even warming, it was all function.

He shrugged and tapped the panel to close the door, " Nothing exciting there, but this one might be a bit better", the door directly next to the refresher was opened and inside was a small lounge/kitchen area. There was a small table bolted to the deck with a small couch wrapping around it against the bulkhead in the right corner. Along the back wall there were lots of little drawers and cubbie holes filled with various bottles and knickknacks , as well as several metal plates and utensils. the left wall had both an oven and a chiller unit built into it. There were several small cabinets built into the bulkhead above the appliances. " This is the galley slash lounge, it's not much, but it's a nice little space. I can usually get some decent food from some of the merchants I deal with, so it's rarely just ration bars. I have collected quite an array of spices from around the galaxy in my time." He points to the many small jars and bottles along the bulkhead.

Orick let her look around a bit, knowing that she asked about his cabin and he had intentionally left that part out, for now. He wanted her to see everything else before he showed her his personal space. He wanted her to see his freedom last, so that she could understand it. " Have a look around the little room, see if you can't find the little smugglers hide hole in this room. " He had a smile on his face and wondered if she could find it.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Ana had lived with her brother for a very long time before getting a place of her very own. Apart of the reason was she couldn't be left alone in her condition but another was that Ana wanted to save for her own place. She wanted to be able to say that her home truly was hers. "Sounds as if you were lucky, ships like this go for a hefty price." She lightly smiled following him to the next room which as she peaked her head in noticed it to be just as plain as the last. It made her wonder if this was his or the guest refresher the lack of dust layer was why she was even questioning it.

While the refresher was anything but exciting the next stop did peak her interest. Ana loved the kitchen in any capacity whether it was cooking or baking she found it calmed her. On the nights the night terrors are too much for her Ana got up and made a batch of cookies or muffins. She couldn't explain it but in those moments the mixing and stirring of ingredients always helped. The same could be said of the day terrors that used to plague her. Luckily those didn't come around much anymore. Her eyes lite up at the sight of the spices he had acquired over his adventures and she went over to look at them. Some were familiar to her but others she had never seen before. Grabbing one she had never heard of before Ana turned it over it her hands a few times. "Do you cook much?" She questioned setting it down as she went to open his chiller unit to find her question answered for her as he had nothing but a lot of beer and a couple frozen meals. Wrinkling her nose slightly she shut the door as she opened the cabinets to find a sad display of kitchen utensils.

"Have you ever had a home cooked meal before?" She turned to look at [member="Orick T'ane"] as the wheels began turning in her head. Ana had a pretty good idea that the answer was 'no' so what she kind of wanted to cook for him if he would allow it of course. There had to be a fresh market around here she could go to and pick up a few things for them. Perhaps she would also bake some cookies for him.

She wasn't too surprised to hear there was a spot for smuggling here. She wouldn't be surprised if the refresher had a smuggling spot. Glancing around the area she thought for a moment of where a good hiding place would be. Crawling under the table she tapped around for an entrance thinking officials wouldn't want to crawl around on the floor. After coming up empty handed Ana tapped around in the cabinets to see if there was a little hole or back door he could shove something in. So far she was coming up empty handed. This place wasn't that big, so where was it?

 

[Orick T'ane]

He watched her rummage through his kitchen and couldn't help but smile, [member="Anastasia Rade"] was looking at all of the spice bottles and opening every possible cabinet. He wasn't sure if she was looking for the smuggler spot or she was that curious about the stuff in the cabinets. " I don't cook that often, no. I don't have the time. OK so I have the time, but I choose to do other things with it." He laughed at her, " Of course I have had a home cooked meal before, just not often. I spend a lot of my planet time in cantinas and casinos meeting people. Everyone thinks that the only place that you can do business with a cargo captain is in a cantina. I guess it makes them feel like they are doing something more exciting than having me deliver ten tons of bantha meat to Alderraan." She kept rummaging around and that's when he knew she was looking for the smuggler hole.

He walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled it open. inside there were two boxes of baking power that looked just like any other boxes ever made. He picked one up and placed it on the back wall of the cabinet. As soon as the box touched the wall it stuck in place and she could see him pulling the entire plank away, revealing a small spot that wouldn't fit much, but it looked impossible to find when everything was in place. " It's more for small things, like explosives, but I know the last owner smuggled spice through it. I don't touch the stuff myself." He put the wall and the box back into place and turned to her, " One room left, I guess i've stalled for as long as I can."

He walked back out of the door and he stepped up to the last door on the right side of the ship. It opened without a sound and he stepped inside so that she could get a look once she was done inspecting the kitchen. The room was much larger than the other cabins, almost three times larger, The bed looked much softer and larger, even though it was still built into the bulkhead. the standing wardrobe was almost twice as big also. Across from the bed was a small desk with a built in computer terminal. There was a small fold out chair attached to the desk that prevented it from clattering about if something happened to the ship. The bed sheets were plain white but they looked soft and comfortable. She would also notice a small drawer on the bulkhead about a foot above the bed, the handle was recessed and it looked very well used. " And finally the captains cabin." He said with flair. " Someone made the cabin much bigger than it originally was, I'm almost positive that there was another cabin on the ship that was absorbed into this room. Not that I'm complaining, I've spent years aboard ships, and having the luxury of a large cabin was unheard of. This is a treat for me and I'm happy to have it. The wardrobe is large enough for everything I own with space left over." He shrugged

He watched her take in the room in before he showed her the special piece of the room. After a few moments he took her hand, " Alright, now, I need you to trust me on this." He took her over to the bed and smiled, " Lay down on the bed for just a second," He said, hoping that she didn't get the wrong idea about him wanting to show her something that involved his bed. He stepped back towards the door as soon as she was on the bed. "Now, watch this, and look up at the ceiling." He turned off the lights, and as he did the ceiling would light up faintly, there were lines and swirls, in a dozen colors. There were yellow lines that stretched across the entire ceiling. Purple dots clashed with red ones. Blue circles flowed out from the center. The circles were odd shaped and far from perfect, but If she looked close enough she would be able to make out a colorful painting of the galaxy on the ceiling. " The day I bought this ship, I hired an artist on Nar Shaddaa and I had him paint a map of the galaxy on the ceiling. He used a special iridescent paint so that it would glow faintly when I turned off the lights. It's my reminder every time I lay down that no matter how bad the day was, there's always a place to go. This map is my freedom. It's always there to remind me that I always have options."

He leaned against the bulkhead and looked up, he always seemed to get lost in the painting, no matter how many times he saw it.

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Ok, so he had a home cooked meal before but he hadn't had her cooking yet. She would have to change that at some point and cook something up for him to try. "How do they find you? Bounty hunters use a database where we can pick up jobs or volunteer our services. I have seen cargo jobs on there too. Do you find jobs in a similar way?" Ana never had picked up any jobs before as she never really found herself strapped for cash. Ana was lucky that way in that her brother had helped her out till she could stand on her feet. If she was strapped for cash though she may do a cargo run because people hunting didn't really seem to be her thing.

The little hole that he showed her would be good to hide anything small and valuable from others. She wasn't the best at finding his little smuggle spots but it seemed as if that the officials were none too good at it either.

After she had finished her inspection of the kitchen Ana followed him to the last room on the tour, the Captain's cabin, which had to be the size or bigger even than her own room back home. She was glad to see that he had some actual space. The room was plain just like the others or so she thought until he seemed eager to show her something.

Nodding she crawled onto his rather comfy bed and looked up to the celling. If Ana didn't trust [member="Orick T'ane"] she would never would have followed him on his ship today. There was just something about him that made her instantly comfortable. She knew he meant no funny business even when he turned off all the lights. He had shown he was a gentleman yesterday by taking her out with no thought of anything else but making her smile. The same could be said for the flowers that he had given her this morning.

As soon as the lights were turned off the celling light up in an array of brightly light colors. There were lines, circles, and swirls all around. It looked like a picture of the sky but soon found out from him it was the galaxy. She at first didn't say anything as she laid there looking up at the galaxy in amazement. It was beautiful despite its imperfections. That was part of its charm after all the galaxy itself was imperfect.

"It's beautiful Orick like your looking up at the night sky. It's amazing how just by laying right here the whole Galaxy is right at your finger tips. I can see Mandalore from here," she lightly smiled as she continued to take in the picture. Words couldn't properly describe it and how it made her feel.

"When I was a little girl I would look up at the galaxy above in wonder. I didn't know what was out there but that didn't matter. It gave me hope that something better was out there. It made me feel less alone and gave me the strength to carry on." Sighing lightly she wiped her now watery eyes before he could see. There were many days in which she just wanted the pain to be over, that she wished for the death. The night sky even though it was between bars was a small comfort in her world.

"I can see why you always sleep peacefully here. Who wouldn't while look up at the galaxy above them."

 

[Orick T'ane]

He could hear it in her voice, she completely understood the meaning behind the painting on the ceiling. It was nice for him to find someone that could see what he saw just by looking at it. He couldn't help but think that somehow they were meant to cross paths in that cantina. He let her lay there for a few more moments before he turned the light back on. [member="Anastasia Rade"] was there on the bed, her hair was haloed around her head and he could see a bit of wetness on her cheeks. He smiled and just looked at her for a moment, the entire scene was perfect. She was beautiful and he could feel the butterflies in his stomach returning. He wasn't even sure what to say next, he just wanted this moment to continue for as long as possible.

He turned off the light again for just a second and then turned it back on, and she was still there, nothing had changed. " Sorry, I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming this entire moment. I saw you laying there and I couldn't believe that i was this lucky." He smiled as he walked close to her. He knelt next to the bed and leaned down , his face was close to hers, he could smell her perfume with each breath in. " Ana, I'm sorry about how things started out for you." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. " I'm glad you found a way out of that." He gave her another kiss, this one on the cheek. " I'm glad you were in that cantina" He brushed his lips across hers softly. "I'm glad you're here with me now." He pushed forward and gave into the desire to give her a full affectionate kiss. He held nothing back, she was in his most private place; his sanctuary from the galaxy, he had nothing left to hide, nothing left to keep from her, and it was refreshing.

He wasn't worried about how long they were together like this, it was just the two of them, nothing could spoil this moment for them. He finally broke away from the kiss and he stood, careful not to wobble as he did, the kiss had left him lightheaded. He smiled down at her as he held out his hand for her to use to stand up. " Nothing left to see but the cockpit, if you want that is."

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Each of his perfectly placed kisses sent shivers down her spine. She knew he spoke some words after each kiss but she could barely concentrate on those as her heart raced and emotions ran wild again. Everything that had happened up to this point had brought her to him. Had she never been a slave she never would have found him. Ana would have never thought a by chance meeting in the cantina would turn into this.

Before she could speak again he had her lip locked in another kiss. All his affection and desire for her was portrayed in his kiss which she returned with all the desire and affection she felt for him. Her arms had found their way around [member="Orick T'ane"] to pull him in closer to her making it pretty clear how much she desired him. Even though she couldn't articulate it right now Ana was pretty sure he understood that she too was glad to be here with him.

As their lips parted Ana was left breathless as she looked up at him with a goofy grin on her face. It was pretty clear that Ana was falling for him already. This was both a thrilling and scary thing.

"Perhaps we could stay here for a little while longer," she smiled as she rolled on her side taking his outstretched hand. Playfully she went to pull him onto the bed with her scooting over to give him room as she did so. Her lips found his again as she pulled him into a deep passionate kiss. His kisses drove her mad, she couldn't get enough of them. She was sure the cockpit was a lovely place but this was one of the first times they were alone. She wanted to take advantage of that to kiss him again, show him how she felt and snuggle more. Ana loved the feeling she got when he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

As their lips parted again she could only smile at him for the moment as she caught her breath. In the meantime her hand went up to gently caress his cheek. She felt what they had was special and it was fate that had brought them together. Ana did want him but at the same didn't want to rush things with him. She hoped for now snuggles and kisses would suffice.

 

[Orick T'ane]

She had taken his outstretched hand and had pulled him onto the bed and into another passionate kiss. Her forcefulness in the kiss was apparent to him and it drove him crazy. She knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it. he returned her passionate his with his own passion filled kiss. He let himself go fully into the kiss, his arms wrapping around her carefully, as to not disrupt her. he moved in so that their bodies were tightly against each other, he wanted her as close as possible. He knew that he would need a few minutes after this kiss to regain his composure. He would be light headed for a few minutes after the kiss. She seemed to have the effect of taking his breath away with each kiss.


As she broke the kiss he lay there, next to her and couldn't help but smile. He rolled over onto his back and pulled her with him, if she went with his motion she would find her head lying against his chest with her body still next to his. His arms were still wrapped around her, his hands rubbing her back softly. He was content to just lay there and hold her, " You're right, it's got seats and a control panel. You see one cockpit, you've seen them all." He smiled and gave her a light kiss on the top of her head. " We can stay here as long as you like." Orick felt more comfortable with [member="Anastasia Rade"] in this short time than he had in months with other people, and none of them had gotten this far. He wasn't just giving her a tour of the ship, he was showing her his secrets, his life.

" I didn't have anything planned after giving you a tour of the ship, I was just thinking we would wing it." He sighed deeply watching her as her head rested on his chest. This was about as perfect a moment as he could have ever had. He had a beautiful women in his bed and he was content to just lay here with her and enjoy her presence. "You're welcome to stop by the Ranger any time you like. As long as I'm on the planet, you're welcome here." He didn't want to rush anything, since they had only known each other for a short time, but he felt as if they had been together forever, and he wanted her to feel comfortable around him.