500 PARSECS ~

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

That small subtle clang of the door was like a dagger to the heart.

Curling up into herself, Kaile trembled. Being so still, so quiet, was so unnatural for her. The jovial woman felt wretched, as if she were the most horrible person in the 'Verse. Irrational thoughts raced through her mind, and being how she was, her emotions overtook her. Silent tears carved a path down her dirty cheeks, clearing the salt and grime that she'd collected earlier during their trip to the Wound.

Her hand came up, rubbing at her nose. A silent sniff.

Were anyone to come upon her, she would make the most pathetic of sights. Red rimmed eyes, tears rolling down her face, and looking as if someone had torn her heart in two. To a degree it held a measure a validity, because she felt responsible for being so selfish. For not telling Kurt earlier, and for letting this drag on for so long.

I should have left, she told herself. I shouldn't have stayed.

I shouldn't even be here.

It was illogical, but reason rarely roused its sensibility when one felt as if they were the ones in the wrong -- even if she had done everything right. For her safety, for his.

But this was a reminder. What she did meant that she couldn't bring others in.

It just... was so nice.

Quietly, she finally got to her feet. The agent needed to keep busy. To think. To plan. She carefully picked up after the empty bowls. The spoons. She set them in the sonic steamer, setting it to wash. Then she carefully made sure to wipe up the table, clean up the counter. Everything was set as if it hadn't been used at all. Not a trace left behind.

The sandstorm still wailed overhead, it could be hours before it would wane. Her lower lip trembled, and she took a deep breath. She was a big girl. Coming in and out was normal for her. This had been her life. Was her life.

Her stomach sank again.

"Guess it's time to go Bobo."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

A lot of people likely thought that Kurt would've thrown a fit, that he would've been angry or in a rage, that he would've thrown things and flipped over a workbench, but that wasn't him. He wandered into the garage feeling broken, defeated. He didn't know what to do. Anger was never his way, was never how he processed things. Sure he could get upset, he was human after all, but the greater part of him always won out in the argument of anger over sadness.

He supposed that wasn't really a good thing, especially since anger was a powerful motivator when it came to accomplishing things. The truth was however that he had no real reason to be mad at Kaile. Oh sure she had lied to him, had told him half truths and let him believe what he had wanted to believe, but in the end he couldn't really fault her for that. She had been keeping that secret because she'd been working for the good guys, because telling Kurt would have broken the agreement she had between her bosses and herself. Lying to him had meant security, peace, and probably less danger for him in the long run.

It still hurt though.

It was that hurt that Kurt couldn't quite shake off.

The Courier crashed against the side of the Pod-racer, resting his head against the side of the cold cockpit and letting out a deep sigh. What was he supposed to do now? What was he supposed to tell her? He didn't want Kaile to leave, he certainly didn't intend on throwing her out or forcing her away, but he was hurting. A frown pulled at his lips, and slowly Kurt dug his face into the crook of his elbow, a deep shuttered breath running through him as he wiped away tears.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Guest room down the hall.

That's what Kurt said. It was easy to find it, but to get there she had to cross the living room. The low flicker of a holoscreen and the soft murmur of white noise drawing her attention. She was half sniffing half rubbing the back of her hand under her nose, one would wonder if she was a snot faced youngling.

Red rimmed eyes caught sight of Kurt's father, snoring softly on the couch. It wasn't a second thought, just a reaction. Sniffing, she quietly made her way over. The small control for the holotv was next to him. Carefully, she ambled over, reaching to quietly shut off it off. It went with a slight click, thankfully not loud enough to stir him from his slumber.

While it certainly wasn't an issue on heat at Tatooine, it could get cold at night. There was a small blanket to the side, one she carefully unfolded. With as light of a touch as she could, she would drape the blanket over the slumbering image of what Kurt would be in decades to come.

A soft sigh, weary and exhausted fell. Straightening, she brought her hands up to rub her shoulders. She felt cold, goosebumps down her arms. With that, she turned away. She had a lot to think about. People to contact. Things to plan.

Walking down back to the corridor, her mind clouded and racing with guilt, shame, and a sense of loss, she made her way over towards the guest bedroom.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt stayed in the garage, he had made his way into the pod racers seat, simply sitting in place and looking at the ceiling of the pod.

He wondered if he had done the right thing.

He wondered if he should have stuck to his original plan and dropped Kaile off somewhere, if it wouldn't have been better for both of them, if they wouldn't have gotten attached. They had spent so much time together already, weeks, months, almost a year in fact, and nearly every moment had been a joy. None of it was romantic, sure there was sex, but there wasn't any sort of drive to be together, at least not in that form. They ahd found each other as companions, as friends, as people to depend on.

That was a powerful bond in a galaxy where nearly everything was trying to kill you.

It wasn't something that one could find every day, wasn't something that was around the corner on every planet. It was something special. He knew that Kaile acknowledged that too, that she knew it just as much as he did. He supposed that's why she had told him the truth, and in reality...he had never asked before. His lips thinned at that thought, and as the hours passed it quickly became the bottom line to the thoughts forming within his mind, the reasoning.

The end of it all was one simple thing.

Kurt didn't want Kaile gone.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile spent the most of the night thinking of what she would do next.

She couldn't contact headquarters; with the storm, even with her special long distance encryption package, there was something within the ground, a type of ore, that prevented her from being able to send something through.

The Lorrdian hadn't bothered going to the sonic shower, she felt lethargic and just exhausted, but unable to sleep. She didn't want to ruin the bedsheets, so she sat on the floor instead. Her satchel was next to her, the ties undone and the flap open. In front of her, she had her datapad, with an encrypted holoarray activated to reveal three small screens floating in front of her.

Honestly, the words were all a blur. Her eyes were puffing from crying, and she felt worn out. Drained. A small blinking screen would stare right back to her. It was a message to the Big Guy. She had only gotten as far as, 'Hey Big Guy..' before her vision became blurry again.

Bobo was beside her, curled up in her lap. It was as if he sensed her melancholy, and did the only thing he could do to help. Her thumb would lightly rub against his lightly furred scales, eyes seemingly blank and staring off into the distance.

Minutes turned to hours, until the sandstorms howl would wane, leaving behind a different version of what had been before. All she had to do is find a way back to Anchorhead. With the SSB going at full swing, it would be easy to get a ride. Contact another Alliance agent for a pick up.

Yeah, that would be the easiest way.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt had eventually fallen asleep in the pod-racer.

Unlike Kaile, he had not been able to stave off the exhaustion of the day. Everything that had happened eventually got to him. Getting to Tatooine, racing nature, the confrontation with Kaile, everything had piled up and he had simply fallen into a deep sleep. His father had tucked a blanket over him, finding his son early in the morning and making sure that he was comfortable enough not to have to wake up any time soon. After that the Old Man had headed out onto the ground of the farm, checking the Moisture pillars for any damage and clearing away the excess sand from the buildings.

It was a full time job maintaining a farm of this size, and even though the place had a legion of droids Kurt's father still insisted on doing everything himself. For Kaile the old man had left a set of clothes before the door. They weren't anything fancy, likely something that Kurt's mother had once worn, a simple set of desert wear that would be far more comfortable and breathable here on Tatooine. It was meant as a gift, to make Kaile's stay here on Tatooine more comfortable.

He was kind that way.

Kurt of course simply slept, tired and worn from the previous day he sat within the pod, his head up against the metal bulkhead even as the twin suns of Tatooine began to rise.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Realizing she had to do something other than sit here, Kaile got up. With the storm gone, she had to consider what she had to do. She couldn't end up feeling sorry for herself, that wasn't going to help any matters. If anything, it was Kurt who was the one who had every right to be upset. With a deep breath, she pushed herself to her feet.

With a small cradle of her hands, Kaile carefully set Bobo into his nutrient tube. She'll take a sonic shower, get cleaned up. Maybe ask Kurt's dad if there was a way for her to head on to Anchorhead. Kaile felt numb. Just detached. Putting everything to the side, she picked up her bag. A general sweep through of the room made sure it was clean, the bed left as it had been before.

Now to find the refresher.

The door slid open with a slight hiss, and Kaile's attention feel to the neatly folded desert clothing there. With trembling fingers, she bent down to pick it up. Her head rose, and she glanced around. It must have been Kurt's father, she couldn't imagine Kurt coming over after last night. Her lower lip trembled, and again she felt the sting in her eyes.

"That's real sweet of him." she told herself, drawing up to her feet again. "Real nice."

She didn't want to take his hospitality, but she knew that if worse came to worse, she'd need the clothing due to being on Tatooine. Closing the door quietly behind her, Kalie quietly went searching for the 'fresher.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

Kurt was fast asleep.

There was no waking him, at least not naturally anyway.

He had always been a deep sleeper, and the events of yesterday, the depression that hung over him and the sadness that clung to him were enough to make him simply not care when he did wake up. His eyes always fluttered closed again, his head just pressing up against the bulkhead.

The Courier still didn't know what to do.

So he slept.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Finding Mr. Meyer took a little bit of time. Kaile wasn't used to the layout of the compound, and she spent a good half hour wandering around from one side to the next. She deliberately avoided the garage, as she didn't want to catch Kurt if he was there. Actually, she felt a little bit of trepidation of having to face Kurt at any point after last night. He could be anywhere, maybe even helping his dad. It was a risk she had to take though, one that she felt a little bit relieved when she ended up walking up the stairwell outside the pourstone walls.

Dawn had barely broke, and there was a fine, curious low mist hanging about the ground. It was moisture, a fine mist that the moisture collectors would gather early in the morning when they rose. A hand came up to shield her tired eyes, her slightly puffy face scanning the area. Looking down, she caught sight of fresh tracks, along with a series of small personal speeders.

The tracks headed east. Without further ado, Kaile stepped forward into the desert. Maybe Mr. Meyer could be talked into taking her into the city.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Mr. Meyer, or Jonas as he went by for most people was busy on one of the outer pylons, a toolbox beside him and a smile on his face. This was work that he enjoyed, something that not only kept his mind busy, but his hands. There were always issues on the farm, things that needed to be solved and done away with, things that needed to be fixed. For him, it wasn't about feeling good or even being occupied, it was the simple pleasure of healing that mechanical wirr of a once broken machine.

Making something with his own two hands.

He had done the same work for The Empire all those years ago, though it had been starships and missiles then, much less pleasant work in the grand scheme of things. He smiled slightly as he placed a replacement water tube within the filter of the pylon, snapping i into place with a forceful press of his hand.

The pylon switched back on and began to hum quietly, Jonas stepping back and grinning. "One down, four to go."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Mister Meyer?"

It took another fifteen minutes to find him, and by now the first sun had risen, the second quickly in its wake. Sand sloshed over her boots, Kaile was not really used to having to walk across sand for so long. The bulk of her missions had her in urban areas, not out in the boondocks where she'd have to learn how to survive in extreme weathers.

Kaile wasn't a SpecOps; she was an embedded spy.

So weary, tired, and a bit out of breath, the Lorrdian finally caught up the the elder Meyer.

"Mister Meyer." he turned, giving a frown. The wind tousled up his hair, the weathered tanned skin a dark hue against his lighter desert clothing.

"Morning."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Jonas looked over to Kaile, an eyebrow slowly perking. She looked rather disheveled to him, her eyes were all puffy and her face looked a tiny bit swollen. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but somehow the old man didn't feel like it was his place to do so. Instead he simply smiled, looking up from the pylon and holding the small metal panel open.

"Mornin' Miss Kaile." Jonas said with the same tone and inflection that Kurt generally used.

The old man really was a kind figure, not an angry bone in his body.

It was a wonder that he had ever designed weapons for something as Evil as the Sith Empire, and no surprise that he had eventually turned away from them. Of course the circumstances of his work hadn't exactly been voluntary, and in fact Jonas had rejected the idea many times, but on Dromund Kaas...the Sith always got their way.

It had been inevitable.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The strawberry blonde would give him a half of a smile.

"Sorreh ta bother," with her goggles up on the crown of her head, hair going in all directions, she was a sight to see. The inflection of her voice would thicken to almost match that of Jonas, but not quite. There was a difference to it, certainly not of the Southern Systems. However, working on Dromund Kaas meant that Lorrd was well within reach. Although Lorrdians were not known for an accent, there was enough of a distinct twang reminiscent of Dantooine.

Slightly puffy eyes edged in red would peer up towards the pylon. "Reckon you are checkin' all the pylons for the morning run?" she would ask, knowing that it would be best to ease into the subject of what she really wanted. Not to mention, she was already feeling guilty of involving him in it in the first place.

All she'd need to do is collect a few things from the Messa, and she'd be good if he would take her to Anchorhead.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Ye', the storm did a number on them." Not really that much damage, as far as sandstorms went that one had actually been on the mild side. Jonas remembered when there had been a storm that had lasted a whole week! That had been a doozy, though the reports stated that it was some kind of odd weather occurrences and likely wasn't to happen again. He frowned slightly, thinking back to that moment for a few seconds before quickly snapping back to reality.

"Did you find the clothes okay?" Jonas said with a smile. "I wasn't sure they'd fit ya', Kurt's mother is about your size though and I know she'd insist."

That woman would have seen Kaile properly dressed if it killed her.

Tatooine was no place to come to unprepared, only an idiot would show up to this world without careful planning or know how of surviving in a desert environment. Jonas himself had done hours upon hours of research on how to survive, and thrive on this world. That had been before their escape, before they'd even acquired their shuttle in fact.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"They fit right fine, mighty grateful Mister Meyer." They did, with enough slack so that she didn't really need to worry none about the fit. It was airy and certainly of a breathable material considering the heat. It was nice of him. Too nice. Made her feel all the worse again for everything.

Her attention would drift over to the pylons. He was right, they weren't too bad, just likely needed some tending. Kaile bit her lower lip. Considering that this was his bread and butter, she didn't want to indisposed him. But she also was running scared and guilty with everything else.

"How many pylons you need checkin'?" she'd as in inquiry, a thought coming to her. If she could help him get done with it faster, then maybe he'd be apt to take her to Anchorhead after?

Certainly worth a shot.

"I can help you with the rest."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Jonas made a loud thinking noise, as if he were considering her offer. Of course, there wasn't really anything to consider. The old man was hardly sexist, his wife would have beaten any such notion out of his head the moment it entered it, but much like his son, Jonas loved to tease. "Well...I suppose you could."

There was only three other pylons anyway.

"Two of the others need their outside paneling replaced, the storm peeled off their tops, the last one needs a new filter." Jonas tapped his chin. "The Filter is easy enough to replace, actually I shoulda done it before the storm but I got rather tired."

He offered her a small smirk. "Old age gets tirin'."

That was his excuse anyway, in reality he had simply wanted to watch the grav-ball match that he had recorded two days ago. With his wife not around to nag him he had managed to sneak the game in before the storm and just worry about the filter later. A bit sneaky of The Old Man, but he had to get his fun in now before his wife returned and began to badger him about keeping everything up and running. Jonas knew she only did it to keep him healthy and active, but sometimes a man just wanted to sit on the couch and relax!

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The similarity only grew when Jonas did that. Would this be what Kurt grows into? Or would he be different? It was hard to say, but with the easy going manner by Jonas, Kaile imagined that it wouldn't be too far off.

He had a wonderful family.

Her eyes began to sting again, and the strawberry blonde forced a smile. "I can take care of the paneling." She offered, glancing away from the elder Meyer to search for the direction of the other pylons; and to avoid the blury eyes again. Could blame the sand. Yeah. That worked.

"Shouldn't be too hard. What direction are they at?" If they split, this will go even faster.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Jonas smiled. He rather liked getting help, even if it was only a little bit.

In the past, when Kurt had returned to the farm Jonas had usually made his son help him, though this time it looked like he was more than a little tired. Didn't bother the Old Man none to let the boy sleep this time, especially if this young lady was to help him. "Alright."

"There's one that way." Jonas pointed to the left. "I already set out the new paneling, there should be some tools somewhere around the house."

Jonas mused for a second. "If you can't find em they're probably in the garage."

Of course, the old man didn't know that Kaile would want to avoid the garage, or rather who was in it at all cost. Though he had only been a few feet away from Kurt and Kaile during their argument he had not heard them or even been aware of their existence at the time. Much like his son Jonas was known for sleeping in the ethos of the abyss, that was to say, not even cannon fire could wake him when he was really asleep. The couch was comfortable enough to trap him in it's embrace and because of that the Old Man had been fast asleep during all of their revelations.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"I got my own tools." Kaile would assure him, having her servodriver and hydrospanner in her bag. Kaile for the longest traveled as if she was about to depart into the black at any opportunity. It is why she normally kept all of the important things she needed in her backpack. Staying with Kurt well.. had made her lax a bit in that. There were still a few items she'd have to go back for in her room.

An ache shot through her heart again, and she felt terrible.

"I'll go get this one done then, Mister Meyer." the young Lorrdian told him, already stepping out. She was going to cry again. I can feel it. One gloved hand would rub at her eyes. "Sand just gets everywhere don't it?" she gave a short laugh, boots crunching sand under her boots. Her shoulders sank and she gave a sigh, walking towards the direction of the first pylon.

So, from Anchorhead, make contact with 'The Big Guy'. Explain what happened, get a new alias, find another place to go. The more she thought about this the more depressed she became. Before she knew it, she was sniffing and in tears again.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The Old Man shrugged and let Kaile walk off. It wasn't obvious to him that Kaile was upset, perhaps if he knew her better or hadn't talked to her for the first time ever yesterday he would have noticed something. Sadly, Jonas was neither intuitive, nor very observant. The Old Man had his own struggles, and although he was certainly attentive he just didn't know Kaile well enough to assess her mental well being.

Perhaps if he had known her, if he had seen that depression in her he would have said something.

Jonas had always been a man of kind and caring, gentle by nature. The Old Man had never sought to harm anyone, even when working for the Sith Empire, and had never much liked the thought of a person being sad. That was simply how he was, how he lived his life. That base need to comfort drove him to become friends with many people, drove him into the arms of Kurt's mother. She was stronger than him, but even the strongest required something to lean on at times.

"Careful o' Krayt Dragons." Kurt's father called after her. "They like to swim beneath the sands."

Was he kidding?

Hard to tell.