Private A Surplus of Understanding

[Evander Corvis]

Calia Rook

He bowed to her in response to her question.

"Of course, forgive my manners. My name is Evander Corvis, Knight of the Order and Jedi Shadow." It was an odd thing to do. Bow before a woman who he had just branded as a criminal and treated... well, accordingly.

She probably wouldn't be aware just by his name that he was noble. House Corvis was one of the smaller Naboo noble houses, it was why they pawned him off to the Jedi Order with sheer relief, when his force sensitivity came to surface. If they had been one of the larger families, they may have not seen the need for that.

But one less mouth to feed, one less boy who would need a title, a household, a keep, to ensure he didn't cause trouble for his older brother and heir.

* * * * *

"I am eternally grateful." Evander responded with amusement while his eyes caught the ship. "Oh, pure vintage, I dig it." He didn't seem particularly bothered by how outdated it was and took her explanation in stride. He wasn't a motorhead or a ship fanatic, so some of it went over his head, but he had always enjoyed the older styles.

The new voice popped up and Evander blinked. Then he remembered mention of the droid.

The Jedi Knight watched the exchange between the two quietly and took some lessons. Clearly these two had a longer history.

"Partners indeed." Evander said smoothly, confirming the branding. While it wasn't... strictly entirely true, it was close enough that the Jedi didn't seem particularly fussed about it.

The way the conversation ended surprised him yet again. It seemed the droid had been about to say something... sensitive. Evander looked at Rook curiously as they walked to the spare room.

"Something I need to know about?"

The Jedi still didn't know that Rook got honey potted after all.

He stepped through the cabin and looked around.

"What's next..." Said absently as he took in the sight. It was not exactly what he was used to, but Evander supposed that it was a consequence of his line of work. You couldn't be a Jedi Shadow who was constantly moving about by luxury liner. At some point someone would catch on. It was important to be able to travel incognito.

"The Morants were just the start. They are a small time family, but they had deep seated connections. Part of the operation, I managed to slice into their systems and extracted some names. Higher up individuals who were supporting them this entire time." Evander turned around to look at her.

"It seems they were part of a larger criminal conspiracy, I aim to shatter it entirely. But that is a long term project. For now, we are going to Naboo, I need to gather some of my things. I suppose we can get to know each other on the way there."

 

[Calia Rook]

"Something you should mind your own business about," Calia corrected Evander, and though she said it in a friendly, almost chipper way, there was unmistakable steel behind it. She was otherwise quiet, almost broody as she led him through the ship, jamming her hands in her pocket. Dorran wasn't a threat anymore. He was dead, or he'd be in prison. That was good. That was right. That was no less than he deserved.

When they arrived at the cabin, she had a distinct impression that it was not what the man was accustomed to. Interesting.

Then he described the plan he wanted to prosecute next. "That all sounds like a good thing," she said. "Naboo. All right, I can manage that. Come on, I'll show you the rest of the ship."

Calia led him out, pointing out features as she went: escape pods, engineering, the galley, common room with holo and some books. "You can use the cargo space -- if there's space in it -- to do your... Jedi practice or whatever," Calia said, pointing to the entrance to the cargo area. "Otherwise, the mess doesn't get much use when I don't have charters. It's over there, behind the galley. Just push the chairs and table to one side. Don't wreck my furniture."

Captain Rook finally entered the cockpit and settled into the pilot's seat. Kex was off to one side, working the pre-flight. "Kex, I'll take over that," Calia said. "Destination is the Naboo system. Program the navicomputer. You," she said over her shoulder to Evander -- a warmer reception than the one he got in Dixon's office, to be sure -- before nodding to the co-pilot's seat. "Strap in. What can you do if we get into a tough spot? Are you certified on any weapons?"

Evander Corvis​

 

[Evander Corvis]

Calia Rook

Sweet and hard at the same time.

Evander knew better than to make an issue out of it and inclined his head. "As you say, ma'am." He murmured quickly before continuing on.

He took it all in strides as she showed him the different spaces of her ship. It was quite clear that Rook had made this her home. It was far outside of the norm that Evander was used to, but that was a good thing. That was exactly why he sought her out. You couldn't be a Jedi Shadow, if all you knew was being a pampered noble boy or a strict Jedi monk.

You needed more than that.

"I see this is as much your home as it is your mode of transportation, miss Rook." Evander said finally as they reached the cockpit. "I appreciate you sharing it with me. I will do my best to be respectful."

To some degree.

He wondered how she'd react if he began to clean things up. Some of the surfaces on this ship looked like they could benefit from a stiff and hard rubbing for instance.

As ordered the Jedi strapped himself into the co-pilot chair.

"You mean outside of waving my literal plasma blade and using magic?" Dryly as he glanced to her.

 

[Calia Rook]

"Yeah," Calia said absent-mindedly as she studied the progress on the pre-flight checklist. She made a check of a system, frowned at the indicator, then gave the glass a tap. The dial indicator flipped from red into green. Calia squinted at it a moment, checked off the item. "Kex, remind me to have the hydraulic auxiliary looked at when we get where we're going. Not critical, but -- it will be if the primary goes out. I think it's fine, but the gauge is sticking."

She turned her attention back to Evander. "Yeah, besides that. Unless there's some way for me to launch you at an enemy ship, then you can do your plasma blade and magic tricks. Can the Jedi survive in a vacuum?" She checked another thing, made another mark on the checklist. "Got some turrets that link to that computer. Can you shoot? Look, I pretty seldom run into trouble, but occasionally pirates will try to take a swipe." The young pilot checked another item off, then looked over the checklist at Evander.

The eyelash model didn't seem like he'd ever had to do anything so pedestrian as defend a ship from pirates, but appearances could be deceiving. She was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt -- which was more than he was willing to do for her, she thought as her nostrils flared -- but she needed to know what she was working with. "There's no shame in not knowing how to use quad turrets, Evander. I can show you if you want. But if you can't and don't want to learn, you'll have to give Kex his chair back."

Kex wasn't a person, and his droid programming had some limitations, but he was better than nothing.

"Coordinates set," Kex reported from the navigator's station.

"Pre-flight complete," Calia answered, and she entered the record into the log. She strapped her headset on, activated the comms console, and let her fingers dance over the keys near the data terminal. "Druckenwell Tower, Jammy Bastard, Dock 621-B requesting clearance for takeoff. Flight plan transmitting." She went still as the tower transmitted back. "Strap in," she mouthed to Evander. "Druckenwell Tower, Jammy Bastard, thank you, queue position three confirmed. Will monitor." She muted the headset.

"So. Family on Naboo, or just your magic school?"

Evander Corvis​

 

[Evander Corvis]

Calia Rook

He thought about that long and hard.

It had been a tongue-in-cheek joke. The kind that implies 'what else do you need, besides the Force and a Lightsaber?', apparently the answer to that question is: a whole lot.

"There have been cases of Jedi Masters being able to survive in the vacuum of space, yes." Then a pause and a shrug. "You are not looking at one of those however."

If she launched him into space, he'd be dead within the next time he tried to take a breath.

"I have always been a crack shot? Precognition and such, I generally know where and when to pull the trigger to hit the targets. But that has only been with small arms, hunting rifles, things like that. I have never been in a gun turret." But if Calia was looking, she'd see a gleam in his eyes. He even sat up a bit straighter as the opportunity was dropped in his lap.

"I'd definitely wanna learn, that sounds exciting."

The co-pilot chair was getting comfortable and Corvis was not eager to give it up again, not even for a droid who had been sitting in it up until now.

He strapped himself in at her cue.

"Both. I will wanna swing by my parents' place to gather up a few things and then to the Jedi Temple, yes, to pick up a few things from my cell." He snorted and then smirked at her. "Guess you will get to see the inside of a cell today after all, just not the kind we were both expecting, yeah?"

 

[Calia Rook]

Calia held the headset against her ear, half-monitoring the channel traffic and half-listening to the Jedi. "Good to know," she said absently, then tapped the key to activate her microphone. "Druckenwell Tower, Jammy Bastard, understood. Liftoff imminent. Switching to space ops channel. Thank you, Tower, Jammy Bastard out."

The ship's thrusters fired, lifting the ship off the duracrete pad. Calia carefully maneuvered it up the steep walls of the bay and then into open air, following flight control's instructions. As the atmosphere went cerulean and then navy and then black, she touched the comm console to switch to the channel that monitored the transit into and through space. "So, no combat in space. Good, because I don't actually have a way to launch you. I don't think you'd fit in the torpedo tube."

Fingers danced over the controls with a comfort and ease of a woman at home on her craft and confident in her abilities.

"Kex, strap in," Calia muttered.

"The Jedi is in my seat." Even though his voice was even, the complaint was clearly there.

"Then pick another one," Calia said firmly. She was not in the mood. "Thank you, flight control. Jumping in ten," she said into the headset, then muted herself again. "Sit down, Kex. I won't be responsible if you get banged up."

The combat droid made the silence sound like a profanity but he settled into the navigator's chair and strapped in just as Calia reached for the hyperdrive controls. The stars elongated into infinite bars before the ship gave a subtle lurch, and the mottle of hyperspace surrounded them. The pilot gave a small sigh and then tugged the headset off and hung it on the hook. She drummed her fingers on the edges of her armrest for a moment, then stood. "Should be a straight shot through to Naboo. Take us about a day, give or take." She raised a hand, worked a finger through her curls to scratch at an itch on her scalp, looking distractedly toward the viewport. "Uh, let me show you how to feed yourself, then I'm going to grab a shower."

"Kex, you know the drill. Intercom if anything happens."

"I cannot reach the intercom button from my new seat," Kex said.

Calia looked at Evander, her jaw setting. "Could you reach it from the trash compactor, do you think?" she asked her droid.

"Oh, look," Kex said, deadpan. "There is a button here on my datapad."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You coming?" she asked the Jedi, jerking her head toward the door.

Evander Corvis​

 

[Evander Corvis]

Calia Rook

"So, no combat in space. Good, because I don't actually have a way to launch you. I don't think you'd fit in the torpedo tube."

"Oh, I assumed you'd just hang next to them and then space me. Good to know that didn't cross your mind." It could have been an accusation, except for the little smirk and the teasing tone as he watched her work. She was a consummate professional in this regard at least. Her hands working steadily and without pause on the controls even as she interfaced with the transit tower.

It made him a bit more confident he made the right choice with her.

At considerable risk to himself, but Evander wasn't sure she realized that as much.

The Jedi watched the interaction between the droid and the woman. The two seemed innately comfortable with one another. Bickering like an old married couple or childhood friends that didn't skip a beat.

It was... cute to see.

"I am coming, yes." Trying to hide the grin, but not doing a good job of it.

Once they were out of the cockpit and on their way to the kitchen, he glanced to her. "So when did you marry Kex? And did you sign a prenup? Because he seems very unhappy in the marriage currently." A shrug there, casual and relaxed. "Just making sure we don't lose the ship when the marriage dissolves entirely."

As they entered the kitchen Evander looked around with interest.

"No droid chef or anything? Don't tell me you do your own cooking alongside the piloting..."

 

[Calia Rook]

"Kex is not a husband," Calia said with an exasperated sigh. "He is a rescue dog. Technically my property, but I view him as his own individual. He's not so bad once you get used to him. His programming is primarily in combat, but he's been domesticated, I assure you. I had to slice through some of his more aggressive security and firewalls to amend his personality, but -- he's perfectly safe now."

The Captain crossed into the galley. "Nothing so fancy as a droid chef," she said, leading him over to the autocook. She gave it a slap. "This is a surplus cafeteria droid. Salvaged it -- salvaged, Jedi, for true -- from a hospital ship at the breakers. Interfaces with the pantry and cooler. Keeps an inventory in realtime and you can pick whatever it can make. I'm always on the look out for menu cards. It's an old tech but so they're not easy to come by."

She touched the power button, showed him how to scroll. "You've got your breakfasts -- oatmeal, blue milk pancakes, whatnot -- and then savories. Sandwiches, soups, salads. I'm pretty partial to Byblos Squares so I usually make sure we've got plenty of veg-wrap, pickled paddy flowers, eggs, and canned meat. It's not fancy and pretty like a droid chef, but it's good." Calia shrugged and scrolled through a few more screens. "Anything available will be here. If you like a particular recipe, tap the green credit symbol and we'll buy it when we can. And there's pots and pans and whatever, so if you want to make something for yourself you can."

She then gestured to another cooler, this one with a glass door. "Drinks. Sodas and whatever. Some beer, some wine. Help yourself to whatever you want." Calia leaned against the counter island and folded her arms. "Questions?"

Evander Corvis​