Mission Ain't all buttons and charts, little albatross

[Chloe Blake]

A U R O R A H A W K
L A E K I A
​

"So, I can give you the two-credit tour, or Trextan can. Up to you," Chloe relayed to Kyra Perl , the Warden of the Sky, leading her and Trextan Voidstalker from the primary hanger to the communal area. The footsteps echoing down the hallway gave way as the blonde passed the threshold into the open area. While not the nicest, the level of attention towards the attempt at making the ship seem less like a military vessel and more like a home was evident. There was an acceleration couch with a few throw pillows and thick, warm blankets. A large, semi-circular seating area that backed a wall of drawers and bookshelves, with security latches to ensure nothing would go toppling during any extreme maneuvers.

A few posters of classic rock and Corellian folk music were on the walls, along with a series of holo-pictures featuring several galactic wonders. A squadron of Oswalft swimming in space, the kaleidoscopic color changes of the Flamewind, a winged Duinuogwuin coiled against the backdrop of the Graveyard of the Dragons, a pod of Purgil. A guitar was secured to the wall, and beside it, an extensive music entertainment system would allow the playing of just about any known music datadisk or cube.

"I've four single cabins, crew quarters, and a few double bunks. Captain's quarters are mine, and one single is Choli's," referencing her longest-running apprentice. "Reckon Trextan will take the same one from before beside it. You're welcome to take the open single after if you like."

A thumb jerked upstairs, "If'n you feeling like you need to get some introspection or want to chat up one of the mighty fine gentlemen or women in their cube abode, let me know. " It was a joking reference to the holocrons of Arca Jeth, A'aang, Shae Koda, the Je'daii Codex, and Sar Agron. That didn't include the entire cabin she'd retrofitted to classic star maps and advanced navigation charts. The entire secondary hanger on the second floor had been converted to turadium vault, complete with Nullification Resin Echani Graphite Pill Containers. Complete with self-contained air recirculators, inertial dampeners, rations, and a distress beacon, this 'inner hull'-slash-safe room is designed to preserve life even if the rest of the starship is destroyed.

"However, first things first," Chloe began, spinning on the ball of her foot to face her two younger companions. She stopped beside a series of three barrel-shaped containers about a meter in height. The whimsical smile was back.

"Hand over your blasters," she instructed, pressing her hand on the biometric security scan to slide open the top shelf of the Nullification Resin Echani Graphite Pill Containers.

"Any questions?"

​

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra looked around the space with wide blue eyes. This would do. She let her shoulders relax and her bags fall to the ground around her feet.

"I don't have any," she shrugged. Her pockets still appeared completely empty. She cocked her head up at Trextan and flashed a knowing smile. "He does though."

Trextan Voidstalker Chloe Blake

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"She knows..." Trextan muttered. He had nice memories of this place. Choli had brought him to Chloe and she might not have shown him how to live his life, but she had shown him another path.

He was as enthusiastic about handing over his blasters as Kyra was about manual labour.

Trextan set down a duffle back he had already brought along. It made a heavy sound as he set it down.

First came the occluder hand cannon - his pride - then the scattergun, then two more blaster pistols. Finally one blaster rifle he had never been a particularly good shot with. Finally, finally, he handed over a small palm gun that he felt embarrassed to own.

Trextan gave a sigh and help up a metal safety container of blaster packs.

"These too?" he asked.

He was certain Kyra was enjoying this.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra shook her head, a laugh threatening to spill through her words. "Poor farmers. Won't know what hit 'em..."

 

[Chloe Blake]

Kyra Perl ’s sense of humor suited Chloe just fine. Right as rain and timing impecable.

“Pfft,” Chloe was never one to hold back her amusement, lips twitching and her shoulders shaking at Trextan’s resigned yielding of his small armada of weapons.

“Well then, I see you’ve gone on and expanded your collection.” The Corellian mused aloud, the twang in her voice full of mirth.

Although she was curious just where he stored these. Did he carry them all the time? Or did he get some new cybernetics and storage capacity?

“Them too.” She answered Trextan Voidstalker grateful he was respecting her rules and at the same time simply enjoying the younger man’s company once more. They had plenty of interesting tales in the past and she was sure he’d have a few new ones of his own.

One by one, Chloe secured the weapons, but a distinct perk of a brow at the derringer sent a silent inquiry.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"Yeah, yeah..." he muttered in Kyra's direction, passing over the power packs.

He would never had aimed the subtle sass in Chloe's direction. Even if Chloe was aware that he was playing up to this just a little. He didn't really need his weapons for anything they were planning. He had an artificial arm that could punch through thin durasteel, a lightsaber and the full weight of the Force.

"You can borrow the smallest one when we leave," He told Kyra.

He stepped back, looking around them and letting some of the nostalgia hit him. It was a long time since he had been here.

"Where we heading first then?" he asked, flashing a smile. Of course, what was actually on his mind was when they would eat, but he tried not to be rude.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra leaned back and tilted her head, studying the shape of said buttocks.

"You can borrow the smallest one when we leave," He told Kyra.

"I think you're packing enough for the both of us." She grinned and strung her arms back through her two duffle bags-- a notably smaller number than he had seen her haul in the past. She surprised herself with how much she was able to do without these days. Now that her savings account had run out, it was harder to accumulate needless junk.

Everything cost money.


"She promised me a burger. But I would like to know where to put this down and grab a shower. I smell like my father's workshop." It wasn't a good look for her.

 

[Chloe Blake]

"Haha, alright, you two," Chloe laughed, taking Trextan's power packs and securing them in the canister. A soft hiss, and they were locked up tight. It wasn't to say that Trextan Voidstalker could not access his weapons. Chloe had given him biometric access the first time when he'd decided to take Chloe's offer to travel with her and Choli for a while and get his bearings. That rainy day he'd crossed her threshold, he had a mighty deep hurt and the sort of baggage one as young as him should have never had.

He'd told her then that he was tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of being used as a tool and just wanted to help people, not make things worse.

Keen on providing him a way of showing him the many other paths he could take, the Corellian Warden took him under her wing. All she could do was show him what was out there beyond the war and that which churned its wheel. Perhaps it was through the will of the Corellian Gods that he so should walk the wanderer's path for a time until he got his roots situated on who or what he was meant to be.

"Knowin' Trextan, he's mighty happy to get a full meal, so we got some options." She relayed, tucking her palms into the pockets of her pants over the curve of her bottom, rocking on her heels.

"We got Yum Bunnies, McYoda's, or we get you two a good taste of my mighty fine white Nuna chili." It was as fresh as it was going to get, seeing as she had bartered for one the day prior with one of the locals. Processing wasn't a thing, and at least it wasn't a processed ration bar.

"Once you two decide, Trextan, how 'bout you show Kyra her cabin? It will have its refresher and sonic, but if you want the real treat, the communal refresher has a water tank. Use sparingly, of course. While I just refilled the tank, it will have to last us until the next refill." she relayed, turning from the younger Voidstalker towards Kyra Perl .

"Otherwise, how bout ya'll get settled, and once that's done, we head towards where ya'll wanna eat?" A full stomach and some good conversation would start out this mission in the best of terms. Nothin' like sharing a meal to open up both kids and learn where they were, what they wanted to do, and just how Chloe could help support or guide them in any way.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

He took a playful step away from Kyra when she bemoaned her own smell.

"Thanks Chloe!"

Trextan was still mulling over Yum Bunnies. He had seen the adverts. As much as he was motivated by food, he was going to feel deeply uncomfortable being served food by provocatively dressed girls sat between Chloe and Kyra.

"Either burger or chilli will do for me," Trextan said to Kyra. "Come on, I'll show to your shower...Your room."

A slight flare of his eyes and he put the embarrassing mistep behind him.

"Want me to carry one of those?" he offered Kyra, looking at the bags. He thought it was polite. "This way."

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra handed him both.

"She's nice," she commented, once they were deeper into the ship. "Warm. Like the rain." She stepped into her new cabin and gave it a curious glance over. It was better than the back of some speeders she'd been in.

She grabbed one of her bags back from him and laid it on the bed, cracking it open for the numerous bottles she'd need to get clean.

"Guessing she's part of that past of yours." She glanced up, then reassured with a grin. "Don't worry. I'm still not askin'. Some things are best kinda just... left back there... huh?"

The words were less pointed and more weighted. They had never asked each other questions but now a days the things she wasn't saying were... harder to look around.

She gathered her bottles up in a towel and gestured for him to show her to the shower. "Speaking of, I never did thank you. For last time."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"Warm like the rain," he echoed. Trextan tilted his head to one side in a way that let her know that he agreed with the sentiment. It had rained heavily on the day he'd met Chloe. Because it always rained on the world she'd picked him up from.

"You can ask, you know," he said with a shrug. He stood just inside the door to the room she would be staying in.

Time could do a lot of good. He hadn't even spent it thinking hard to let the pieces fall into place. Over time the sharp edges got worn down and they just fit together more easily.

"But yeah, Chloe helped me a lot. Helped me find my own way. Well, I guess helped me come around to trying?"

He turned and stepped out of the door ahead of Kyra.

"And that's alright," he replied to her thanks. "I'm glad I was there at the right time."

Trextan wouldn't ask what she had been through to get here. Even though he wasn't always the most empathetic, he had the sense that Coren thought she needed this trip.

"Don't use all the hot water," he said, flashing her a lopsided grin.

 

[Chloe Blake]

Chloe watched the pair for a few seconds, chuckling to herself as she crossed her arms under her breasts. It was good to have company again. There were several bouts of hyperspace the Corellian tended to wander alone with only DOT, GT, and AL for company. Most folk would consider droids family, but this far out, after all her travels, it was nice also to have others take her boat for shelter for a while.

A curious trill behind her caught her attention. It was DOT, a CL-Series Astromech Droid. Thankfully, GT, was charging in his port, while AL was also charging within the confines of her turadium vault.

"Hey there," she smiled, giving DOT a gentle pat on to top of his flat head. "Aye, that was Trextan." another hoot and rocking back and forth, "No, not Choli this time. Her name is Kyra. Coren asked me to look out for her."

With a chuckle, the blonde rocked back on her heels and then made an about-face, spinning to head over towards the cockpit. "Alright, let's go through pre-flight. Double check we are all locked down tight." Trextan's ship, the 'Verre, was secured in the primary cargo hold while the rest of the food stuffs and seeds were strapped down along the bulkheads. There was plenty of space to spare, not including the 100 cubic feet of hideyholes the Aurora had for smuggling goods and folk alike.

Since Kyra Perl hadn't tossed her name in the hat on what she was keen on eating, Chloe would make the determining call. As Chloe knew Trextan Voidstalker had an appetite that could rival a Vornskyr, and had made his desire for burgers known, a trip to McYoda's might be the cards. If they decided at the last minute to change to Yum Bunnies, it wasn't an issue, as both franchises were in the Arceneau Trade Station on orbit.

With a plop onto her comfy chair, the Warden let her hands glide over toggles and buttons she knew as well as the back of her hand. The piloting console flickered on under her experienced care, with the six cones of bright blue flaring as engines came to life.

For now, she'd let the kids get themselves situated—no need to bother them unless they were keen on wandering on over for a chat.

 

[Kyra Perl]

"You can ask, you know," he said with a shrug.

And yet, she wouldn't.

Maybe the line was more self-serving than she realized. She followed him through the hall, her cheerful glib dissolving back into her previous silence as they went.

"Yeah. Well," she commented, stopping at the shower door. Thank you? Appreciate it?

"I got this from here." She patted his chest, purely to deflect with the embarrassment she sense would bubble over in him. She forced a cheeky smile and let herself in. The door closed firmly behind her.

The light flickered on in the small space. She let out a long breath and stood there, not moving towards that shower knob for several minutes.

She was tired too.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan, of course, was immediately aghast and assumed that Kyra had been deeply offended by him lingering at the threshold. It would take a few minutes before it sank in that she was just amused by his absentminded behaviour.

He was not always aware of how other people were feeling. He didn't know what Kyra needed and whether it was just time, but he was hopeful that the trip might be good for her.

Trextan went and fetched some of his belongings from the Verree. The room on the Hawk was more comfortable as a living space. There was a little spring in his own step as he headed back up to the cockpit. He liked having his own space, but long trips could be boring alone.

"Hey Chloe!" he said as he picked another chair. "So...er...what's new with you?"

 

[Chloe Blake]

A joyful grin shone at @Trextan Voidstalker’s direction, enjoying seeing the lanky twenty year old a little more confident in himself. He’d come a long way since she saw him last. It would be good to hear what he’d been up to.

“Ol’Val,” she scrunched her face in an amused expression, the Olys Corellsi greeting a singsong from the Warden.

“Well as can be. Got word from the old Vagrant Fleet and Levantine crew that they were lookin’ to see who be needin’ some help out here on the Tingel arm. Lots of folks in recovery, with the spaceplanes turning’ a bit more Wild West everyday.”

Hands holding steady the piloting control, the blonde panned him an inquisitive quirk of her brow.

“How ‘bout you? Been a season.” she’d ask about Kyra Perl in a bit. For now, she was hankering to see how her apprentice had been doing.

“Reckon you got some tales to tell.”

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“How ‘bout you? Been a season.” she’d ask about Kyra Perl Kyra Perl in a bit. For now, she was hankering to see how her apprentice had been doing.

“Reckon you got some tales to tell.”

"Spent a lot of time around the Outer Rim," he replied. Force he wished it had a different name.

"Spent some time dealing with slavers and rescuing a captured crew. Spent some time around the Scar Worlds, after they were recovered from the Bryn invasions. Then I spent a bit of time trying to keep the peace around the Western Cluster."

"There is a new Alliance and plenty of fairly safe space around there, but I've kept well clear," Trextan said.

Upon reflection, he supposed he had done a few good things over the last few years. He'd stayed far from the wars, but it felt like he had helped more people that way.

 

[Chloe Blake]

The smooth upward flight into the upper atmosphere beheld a sight, revealing the vast mountain ranges of Laekia. This high-up would allow an ample view of bountiful valleys and the meandering streams below.

Attention towards where they were heading, Chloe said in pleased surprise, "Sounds like you had quite the journey."

While not a Lorrdian, Chloe's empathic demeanor caught the tone inflection of internal musings from Trextan. Perhaps he hasn't realized how much he's done the past few years until he got to processing it all.

A nod in regard to the core worlds and alliance space. It was the fifth, no sixth iteration in her lifetime? Chloe wasn't sure.

"Well folks out in the core worlds have better security compared to those of little means out in the fringes. I heard about what the Bryn did to the Scar worlds. It's those tryin' to survive such devastation that need aid. Gettin supplies is a feat with pirates, warlords, and others tryin to toll the lanes or steal what little anyone has left."

The Aurora Hawk's viewscreen began collecting condensation from the scattered clouds as it continued its ascent.

"So, you reckon you found your place in the black or still lookin'?"

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan, still slightly nervous of space travel after all this time, gripped his seat a little tighter.

The view had been remarkable as they had taken off, but as they started to leave the atmosphere he looked away. He always found that you had to turn all the lights off to truly appreciate the star scape.

"So, you reckon you found your place in the black or still lookin'?"

"I don't know," Trextan replied. "Thinking that I'm okay with that."

It was a small change, but an acknowledgement that he was on a journey and not at the destination.

 

[Chloe Blake]

"That's fine if you don't know. Life's a journey and one can't know when a forked path comes to play. The Gods might have something more in store before you feel right." Chloe acknowledged, turning to catch Trextan white knuckle grip on his armrest.

A smile in compassion would follow, "So, hows your navigation skills now? Need someone to jot in the coordinate for Trian once we get a move on from McYodas." she asked, using this task as a method to keep Trextan's mind busy and out of his uncomfortableness.

"Reckon a burger and a few baskets of fritters would do your stomach good," Trextan had always been enthusiastic regarding food. When he and Choli stayed on her boat for a while, Chloe had to make sure she tripled her food stores just to make sure the growing teenager had plenty to eat.

Speaking of, Chloe added, "You've chat to Choli much? I know she's isolated out on that system that makes communication a hot mess, but last I heard, she complained that this go around took far much longer than the last." There was a nod of acknowledgment. "I take that one on the chin. I didn't expect the blockades to last longer than it did." The Bryn warpath had upturned the Outerrim and the Wild Regions. There had been so many refugees and chaos that it was best that Choli remained where she was to help out.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"We haven't talked enough," Trextan admitted. "I caught her very quickly visiting a real colony of mist-weavers. It wasn't enough time to catch up and I think I really need to go see Choli soon."

He didn't linger on Chloe's apology. It was nice of her, but it wasn't her fault that events had gone the way they had gone. It was remarkable how fast or slow time could progress. But looking back, it always seemed as if it could run away from him. He was glad that the years in the Sith academy seemed to merge in together.

"If we're getting burgers I will give the nav system a good go," Trextan replied. He smiled and relaxed back in his chair.

"It was really nice of you to do this for Coren," he said.