Ad Diem Pervenit

[Nyx]

Outside House Fortuna Grounds, Serenno. . .​

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Selene sighed as she pulled her hood lower over her head. This was dangerous, and stupid. The young woman nervously looked around her, her blue eyes searching for the smuggler she had contacted. [member="James Justice"]. She had heard of him, or more accurately, her contacts had. He was supposedly one of the best in the game, along with a reputation as a womanizer. While that made her hesitant, she had little choice. Countess Fortuna would never let her off world, and the young noble wanted to be free from this political hell.
So she waited in the corner of the cantina where she had arranged for them to meet, a dagger in her hand underneath the table. She had never been around this many peasants, before, and she was terrified they would recognize her and attack or try to rob her.
By the Force, this James had better hurry, or Selene Fortuna was going to lose her damn mind.

 

[James Justice]

James did as James was. He had been contacted with a possible high-dollar job. While he generally wasn't into the passenger business, he was told it could be made more than worth his while. He swaggered into the low-life cantina, more than at ease here. His customary leather jacket fit him quite well, and his DeathHammer was strapped to his thigh.

He spied his contact in the corner. She looked so out of place. He grinned and swaggered over, ordering a reactor ore and waved to have her drinks on him. Turning to the young lady he gave her a winning smile, 'James Justice, miss, I believe ye requested some work from me?"

[member="Bellona"]

 

[Nyx]

By the Force, it was worse than she thought. [member="James Justice"] fit every stereotype she had ever read of a womanizing smuggler. He was one of her books come to life. All that was missing was the damsel in distre-
Dammit.
"Yes, I did. You may call me Selene."
Her accent was refined, posh, and most of all, disgusted at where she was. She was more at home in a library, or a training yard. This cantina was filled with far too many peasants for her taste.
The noblewoman lowered her hood, exposing her pale face and deep red hair framing her crystalline blue eyes. Among the filhy atmosphere of the establishment, she was a spot of groomed cleanliness.
"Price is not a concern. Just get me as far away from Serenno as possible, without drawing attention from Countess Fortuna."
The young woman nervously glanced behind him before returning her attention to her savior.
Dammit, she just knew this was all going to come crashing down. She had never done anything like this before. Had never sneaked out, had never broken curfew. If she was caught-
Keep it together, Selene! Just convince the plebeian to take you away and everything will be fine.

 

[James Justice]

Ugh, James felt instant revulsion. He was about to be some snot-nosed rich kid's caddy boy? Oh Force, he could feel himself throwing up in his mouth. Thank goodness he had a lot of practice keeping his smiling face on when he felt most like tearing it off and telling his clients what to do with themselves.

He could guess what this was; she wanted a little outing. She wanted some sort of rebellion against her over-privilaged pampered parents. On the tax dollars they squeezed out of every innocent everyday person on the planet. He took a sharp inhale and raised his eyebrow, "I can get ye pretty far, miss. Quite far. I could take ye where we are so far out the stars dun't shine anymore. Or I could take ye to the Core and give ye a new name."

He drained his glass as he began escorting her towards the door, "So why don't ye tell me a little more of what ye have in mind?"

[member="Bellona"]

 

[Nyx]

Selene Fortuna was many things, but stupid was not one of them. She could sense his revulsion for her, his hatred for her. This was to be expected. She had no doubt this man had struggled throughout his life far more than she had. It was natural for him to be disgusted with someone who had been given everything.
That was part of why she was doing this. She didn't want to be pampered her entire life just so she could be another Fortuna daughter waiting for her six elder sisters to die off so she could have a chance at playing Countess. She wanted to live, to explore. To earn her own name.
So when she stood with [member="James Justice"], she sheathed her dagger, and walked with him. He obviously did not care for her much, and she couldn't say she was his biggest fan, but he wanted money, and she wanted off Serenno. They were stuck together.
"I wish to go somewhere where no one will have heard of this planet, somewhere I can become my own person. I know little of the galaxy, I am afraid."
She had been very sheltered, much to her chagrin, and know nearly nothing of the galaxy outside of Serenno.
"If I may ask, where does someone such as yourself prefer to spend their time?"

 

[James Justice]

He led her into the streets, "We just came from it, sweetheart."

The word came from his lips almost as a spat. Sweetheart. It would get under her skin if he did it right, and that was all worth it. He shook his head watching a pair of drunks go on their way. Lucky bastards. Here he was playing babysitter. Ugh, he hated it. This had a familiar ring to it.

James' body stiffened and his hand strayed into his coat pocket, fishing out a cigarette to clam himself. The last time he had agreed to help some blue blood off world he had ended up being captured and tortured for weeks by the Prosecutor. He scowled as a stream of smoke began to flow from his lips and the light.

He shook his head in disgust, looking away as he mockingly mouthed her words I wanna be my own person, oooo look at me, what a peril it is in me luxury heels sitting on a luxury sofa eating--

He stopped himself. Job. Money. Right. Be civil, "And ye, sweetheart?"

[member="Bellona"]

 

[Nyx]

Sweetheart.
He did not just call her sweetheart. The redhead's began to grind her teeth together as she mentally restrained herself. How dare this peasant refer to her with such a demeaning title! She was not just another groupie swooning after his every step, she was Lady Selene Fortuna, dammit!
Her fists clenched, and she forced herself to breathe deeply through her nose. It was fine, it was fine. In exchange for him getting her off planet, she could allow sweetheart.
Her nose scrunched with disgust as he lit a cigarette. How typical for one of his station. Selene had never used any narcotics nor drunk alcohol in her life, and she didn't plan on changing that anytime soon.
"If you must know, Mr. Justice, I enjoy reading in libraries and performing athletic activities, as well as observing political events."
While no politican herself, Selene was the youngest daughter of a very wealthy and influenital Countess. Having at least cursory knowledge of politics was essential to her survival.
"I don't suppose you happen to be in possession of a library for our journey?"
"If you can read." She added under her breath.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

"Hey I be a betterer-er reader than ye be thinking!" James snapped, oh he caught her little remark. What a little punk. Who the hell did she think she was? "I read good. I read damn goodly, thank ye very much, Sweetheart!"

His strong rage could be felt through the Force like a billowing cloud, throwing his hands up in a faint, helpless maiden pose as he mocked her, "Oh look at me I be liking politics and chit like that that no real body ever be caring about. Oh what I be doing is hiring some pesant to be calling me and be my babysitter."

James glared at her, "Grow up, Sweetheart, ain't nobody really like that. Lesson 1 of the real world; nerds who like the politics get their arses kicked. Lesson," he paused a moment remembering what number he was on and shaking it off, "next lesson. No one does 'athletic ativities.' We do sports damn it. I be a damn good shock boxer for one. We dun't do that lame chit. If there ain't blood it ain't worth it. And for ye information, I do have a hellva lot of holobooks on board."

[member="Bellona"]

 

[Nyx]

At first, Selene was too taken aback to say anything. The noblewoman had never before been spoken to like this. How was she supposed to react? Anger, rage, respect? If she went by her holobooks, she was supposed to feel some sort of respect for [member="James Justice"], now. But as she was swiftly starting to learn, life wasn't like her holobooks.
"How dare you speak to me like this! I am paying you to take me far away from here, not give me life lessons! Besides that, why in the name of the Force would I take the advice of someone like you? In fact, I-"
She stopped mid-sentence, her face draining of all color.
For ahead of them, she spotted five Royal Guards. They were tall, clad in silvery armor with the seal of House Fortuna carefully painted onto the front and back. They held powerful blaster rifles in their hands, their helmeted heads searching the streets for a certain red haired escapee.
"Dammit, they saw through the decoy. Those are Royal Guards, the creme de la creme of Countess Fortuna's forces. What are we supposed to do, now?"
Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper, her hands clenching each other tightly in worry. Damn, damn, damn! She knew this was going to go wrong, she just knew it!
Her wide eyed gaze swung to James, her eyes begging him to save her from going back. She'd pay any price to ensure this man got her away, even if meant swallowing her pride.

 

[James Justice]

James stood back, watching her sweat for a moment. He could turn her in. He was sure there was a reward. He would be paid. Or he could just let them find her, and let that be revenge in itself. After all she had made him angry, and she had mocked him. He wasn't one to be mocked.

Instead he rolled his eyes. Good Gods, some girls were so fething dense. The spacer quickly took his jacket off, "Put this on, quick."

It was a start, it would obscure her some. And that was a start, after all. The hood would help to cover her up some. This wasn't the first time the smuggler had moved passed some authorities with contraband. Living or not, a smuggle was a smuggle. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, partially obscuring her face even more and began swaying down the street, singing a drunken carol. He had a lot practice acting drunk--and being drunk.

The Force wrapped around them in an obscuring Jedi Mind trick. They appeared to just be an extremely unimportant set of low lifes. The guard waved passed them, the noxious fumes of alcohol wafting off the jacket. James waited until they were several streets away before snatching his jacket back possessively and scowling, "Let's get moving, sweetheart."

@Bellona

 

[Nyx]

Selene stiffened as he lay his hands on her, panicking a bit. Was he turning her in? Dammit, how could she be so stupid?! How could she let this end before it even really-
Oh. He was giving her his jacket. So, she hadn't scared him away, then. Good, she supposed. He was still on her side, for now. She slipped on the jacket, tugging her dark hood lower over her face. The blade hidden under her clothes was flush against her, it's cold scabbard giving her goosebumps. As [member="James Justice"] began singing a horribly broken song and stumbling along, Selene did her best to mime him, though she kept quiet. It was likely the guards would know her voice.

Once he snatched his jacket back, Selene was silent for a moment.
"I. . . apologize, for earlier. You did not deserve such treatment."
Her cheeks were flushed scarlet as her eyes stayed on the ground. She wasn't exactly used to apologizing, after all.
"You are undergoing a rather large risk on my behalf, and I appreciate said risk. May we forget about the. . . altercation?"

 

[James Justice]

James tossed his cigarette aside and fished another out, pulling her along. They didn't have time to sit around and hold hands--or talk about their feelings. Its not like he was one of those freak shrinks who was ok with spending long sessions drawling on and on about someone's childhood. They were not out of the water yet, not for a while.

He began puffing out a fresh stream of smoke as they hurried along, "I forgive ye, but we can't. And won't. Long temper--and I hold grudges longer, sweetheart." He scowled, eyeing her, "Ye pissed off the wrong crime lord. I once put a big arse bounty on someone's head for--" he cut himself off, "well it dun't matter anymore. What matters is they spend their days now in the Pitt, a hellhole where nightmares come to life. But for now, ye get to live, we will leave it at that, miss."

He made his way with her through a side entrance to the space port. He led her along to the Lost Angel, in all her glory. She was small, but she would more than do the trick here. His living quarters were made for two, and served as his base of operations and his home. Clothes were strewn here and there, the place was peppered with bottles of alcohol in varying degrees of use, and holobooks were scattered everywhere, ranging from philosophy to engine repair.

A pair of framed pictures dotted the wetbar; one was of James and two teenage girls, the other was of James and a vibrant redhead woman.

"Dun't touch anything," James growled as he made his way to the cockpit.

[member="Bellona"]

 

[Nyx]

Arrogant bastard. Couldn't he see how much of her pride she was swallowing to apologize? But she supposed she deserved it, a bit.
For now, she would have to accept him not ending her life.
Selene entered the ship with him, scrunching her nose at the amount of bottles and clothes strewn about. On Serenno, Fortuna servants would take care of this. She hoped he didn't expect her to clean his ship or any of that nonsense. She had never cleaned a thing in her life.
She once more let down her hood, running a hand through her deep red hair. Well, she had almost done it. Chances were, her mother would ensure she was hunted as long as she was gone from home. She wouldn't be able to stay in one place for long, unless she joined up with some sort of faction.

Selene made extra care not to touch anything on the ground, standing awkwardly behind [member="James Justice"]. She noticed the pictures, and stared at them. He looked happy in them. She had stood still for many family portraits, but she always had to look somber and serious. Nothing like the expressions on these people's faces.
"Are these your wife and children?" She asked, desperate to make small talk to relieve the silence.

 

[James Justice]

James was running the preflight checks when she asked the question. He felt his muscles seize at her question. He clenched his jaw and fist, no matter how many times wife was brought up it still hurt like it did the first time---

"No," he said hurriedly, drawing his attention back to the work he had been doing, "No, sweetheart, she died a long time ago. That be Anara. She's my," girlfriend? Love interest? Mistress? Friend with benefits? "She's my rock. Yes. The two be me daughters."

A few moments later, he was moving the ship, up into atmosphere, then into space. James pinched the bridge of his nose before setting the course to the one place he knew she could get a false ID with ease and no questions. Nar Shaddaa. A few moments later, the galaxy was streaking by them in blue lines. He grabbed a bottle of ale off the dash before swaggering into the main room. A wave of tension eased off James and he let out a sigh, rubbing his free hand over his face. Damn he was tired. He needed to start taking more of a CEO position in the business, he wasn't as young as he used to be. The spacer took a generous swig from the bottle before offering it to her, "If ye are gonna fit in, ye are gonna have to learn to drink--at least socially."

He gave her a moment to imbibe the alcohol. They had a long trip ahead of them, "What ye gonna try to do in this galaxy, sweetheart?"

[member="Bellona"]

 

[Nyx]

'She's my rock'? What the hell did that even begin to mean? Was this some sort of sex thing Selene wasn't aware of? With what little she knew of [member="James Justice"], it was likely. Her contacts had regaled her with the tales of his exploits. The young woman shuddered at the memory. Who knew what kind of horrible diseases this peasant had.

At the offer of the bottle, Selene hesitantly took it, staring at it. She had never before drank alcohol. Among House Fortuna, one always had to be on their toes. This was even the first bottle of the substance she had ever held.
But she wanted a new life, right?
So she took a sip.

She spewed the liquid on the floor, gagging as she tried to get the taste out of her mouth.
By the Force, how could anyone drink this foul substance?! She handed the bottle back as she coughed, pounding her chest.

"I. . . I'm not sure really. I honestly did not expect to get this far."
Selene ran a hand through her hair.
"What would you recommend? How does one earn a name for themselves?"

 

[James Justice]

James laughed at her attempt to consume alcohol. A real, hearty loud laugh. It never got old watching the first drink. He took the bottle back and took another swig himself.

"I 'mend ye clean ye piss off me floor," James said grabbing a stained shirt he kept around for cleaning spills and offering it to her. "That be step one."

He thought for a moment. The gravity of the situation and the power on his hands was not lost to him. She knew nothing, whatever he told her from here forward, she would believe most likely, for no other reason than she knew nothing.

"Step two depends on what kinda name ye want to have," the spacer began, "I be known for many things; money, women, crime, savagery, and being a damn good crimelord and businessman. Some I know are known for their skills brokering deals, stopping wars, freeing slaves, and helping the needy," he paused before adding, 'Granted I do it too, but in different ways. Hiring the poor gives 'em a second life."

The spacer got lost for a moment in is own thoughts before returning to the here and now. His eyes narrowed on Selene his voice took on a condescending tone, "The fact be that here in the real world ye ain't know for ye name, sweetheart. Ye be known for what ye do. Doing things is what makes ye great, no who ya mamma is. Is that easy enough for ye to understand?"

[member="Selene Fortuna"]

 

[Nyx]

Who could have guessed that Selene could tell the future?
She took the shirt with a sigh, mopping the spilled alcohol, cursing to herself. How in the Force could [member="James Justice"] imbue this stuff regularly? She would never understand this particular vice of his, she truly never would.

She continued to clean as he spoke earnestly to her, silent. He had. . . a point. She didn't know how the galaxy worked, out here. She had spent her entire life in a palace, watching her sisters fight for a scrap of their mother's attention. Countess Fortuna liked to keep her daughters fighting, the better to keep them from attempting a coup. It was part of why she was doing this, now.
"I. . . I don't know what I want. I want to be as far away from Serenno and my family as possible. I don't want to be just another Fortuna girl looking for a chance at the title. I don't want to be a Fortuna, I want to be just. . . Selene."
She looked up, her face contorted in worry.
"They're going to come for me. Mother will never allow me to live peacefully. I will never be able to settle down. This action has confined me to a life of running from my past."
She looked back at the ground, getting back to cleaning.
"I do not know why I am asking you this. I do not know you, and you know next to nothing of me. We are from two different worlds, you and I. And yet, I find myself asking a peasant for advice on what to do with my life."
She chuckled to herself, highly amused.
"Where is the best location I might travel to in order to disappear, Mister Justice?"

 

[James Justice]

James pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. She was just a kid. She couldn't choose where she came from, but at least she was trying to do something better, something different. He had to give her that.

"Nar Shaddaa, Soceras, Tattoowine, Jakka, Ryl, Hoth," the Spacer said in a rapid list, "Each a good place to start over. Anywhere ye find criminals, ye can pick up a fake passport, a place to start over, a cheep room, and easy jobs. Or ye can mug a poor fool and get easy creds."

He nodded, taking another drink from his bottle, "I be taking ye to Nar Shaddaa. I'll hook ye up with a lad who can get ye a fake ID, and ye can start over there."

***

The Lost Angel made a graceful landing in a space port on the criminal moon. Satisfied, James donned his jacket and began leading his young client into the filthy streets, his weapon showing prominently.

"First thing about the streets," he began, "dun't look at strangers. Second thing, ignore the stink. Third, keep one weapon openly visible at all times," the spacer pat his DeathHammer strapped to his leg, "And another not," he part his jacket just enough to show his concealed hold out blaster, "And a few more after that."

[member="Selene Fortuna"]