All Our Yesterdays

[Ra'a'mah]

The years had passed since she last saw Jim and when their last meeting ended, life had changed for both of them and their connection lost. He was one of the few people that knew she could use the Force, but there wasn't anything beyond that. In the passing time, she had since turned into a different person.

No longer was she a simple freighter pilot trying to make a living. She lead the Merchant Fleet and made contacts between various peoples and factions to do business with. At the same time, she was also a sith lord. However, she put a mask on her Force and played a businesswoman far more often and liked it that way.

Before they parted years ago, when they had their first and only date out, they had a picnic outdoors and ended up getting rained out. Taking shelter under a statue, they made the most of the situation though and got to know each other. It would take a bit of time for them to catch up on the years that had passed.

Another aspect of life for Ra was that of an assassin. It was something that fell under the umbrella of the Sith Empire, but Ra was not part of that large faction. Instead only the assassins. Being a part of them, allowed her make use of certain facilities that were scatter around the galaxy.

Houses that on the surface appeared to be a business. That is all most people saw, however behind the scenes they places were more. Each staffed by fellow assassins and marked somewhere on their bodies the sigil of the order. Making herself known to them and requesting the use of a room wasn't an issue.

She provided Jim with the address and now waited for him.

[member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim arrived at the place they were meeting, he had never heard of it before but he trusted Ra would make a good choice. He hadn’t seen Ra in ages, not since that wonderful picnic on Naboo. He learned a lot about her that day. He also remembered that short but tender kiss they shared. Jim walked into the establishment. Jim walked up to the hostess, he was nervous and was showing it physically. Not everyday Jim is nervous with a date.

“I’m here to meet with Ra.” Jim said, “Full name Ra’a’mah.”

The hostess looked up from her datapad, “Of course, she’s been expecting you. Follow me to your room.”

Jim couldn’t believe she got an entire room for them. Was this a common business practice for Ra? Was this a special occasion? Jim wondered if Ra felt the same way he does. Jim took out a handkerchief from his jacket and dabbed his forehead with it. He calmed himself down before they arrived to the room.

“She’s in there for you.” The hostess said. Jim looked over to her and she gave him a friendly smile and a nod as in to say go ahead. He smiled back and opened the door. There she was. Her hair a fiery red, her eyes as golden as they ever been.

“Hey Ra,” Jim said with a friendly smile as he found himself a seat. “It’s been too long since our first date.”

 

[Ra'a'mah]

The façade of the business was that of a restaurant and he was lead to the room set aside for her use. The private room was not like that of restaurant exactly. It looked more like a den or study. Leather furniture, a desk and shelves. Along with tables and lamps on each of them. This was far more intimate and personal than some place that was more public.​

She sat in one of the chairs and stood up when Jim entered. Since he knew she could at least use the Force, she did not bother to mask what her skill or alignment level was. He couldn't use the Force so it made no difference and he wouldn't be able to sense what she was.

Giving him a return smile and motioning to the other chair or the couch to sit on, she sat back down in her chair. It might seem odd to ask him on a date and then not sit next to him, but Ra was totally out of the loop when it came to this sort of thing. Far more logical thinking than emotional. Who knows maybe she had too much time around droids and lost touch with that aspect of her personality. Even before then though, Ra had been logical in thought and not as emotional as others.

Jim may or may not remember that about her. She was difficult to open up and they really hadn't had that much time together before. Her life had changed since then, but Ra was still difficult to feel comfortable enough to open up.

"At least we won't get rained on this time."

[member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim smiled at the comment Ra had made. She sat distantly from him, which concerned Jim, but Ra was never a very emotional person always thinking with her head, not with her heart. Jim had a feeling she had her emotions under a tight lock, after all she never talked about how she felt. Jim had always wondered if he could be the key to opening up to Ra. He hoped so, since the moment he laid eyes on Ra at that dusty old bar all that time ago, there was something truly special about her.

The room she had been in was quite spectacular. Rather than being a private dining room it appeared to be a den or a study. He made a mental note not to drop any of his food, because everything in the room was so nice, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pay for it. He looked back at Ra.

“That is true.” Jim said chuckling. “I hope renting this room didn’t cost you too much.” Jim said. He would’ve been just as pleased with a table. Maybe Ra wanted to see Jim privately, and with a couch? Most restaurants don’t have couches. Could it mean...? No... could it? Jim quickly tried to get his mind on track before it derailed completely.

“Oh before I forget I got you something.” Jim said with a smile he reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out an Ithorian rose.

“An Ithorian rose for the beautiful lady.” He said with a smirk. He got up to give the blue flower to her.

“I would’ve brought a bottle of Aldeeranian wine, had I the time.” Jim continued as he sat back down in the chair. He knew this could spoil the date but he had to get it off his chest.

“Look Ra, I’ll be honest, I never really forgot that day on Naboo. I never truly appreciated the beauty of Naboo until we had that picnic together. That picnic, that afternoon we shared... it was one of- if not the best day of my life. I never got to thank you for that. So I’m glad I got the opportunity to do that right now.” He said sincerely.

“After that, I should’ve contacted you sooner. I certainly wish I had. I know you probably didn’t think twice of it, but I genuinely liked you. I still do. If I didn’t I probably wouldn’t have came today for a job. I know you should never mix business with pleasure, Hell I try not to. But with you, I enjoy everything about you. Your personality, your eyes, your company. Plus the sandwiches you made were so good.” He said with a slight smile. While his mouth smiled the rest of his face expressed regret.

“I’m sorry, I had to go all emotional this early, but I had to get that off my chest.” He said with a slight chuckle. Ra deserved to know what he was feeling, and if she was no longer interested, well, Jim would take the job offer regardless. After all, he had already said yes to the job. They were here to talk details and catch up, but he felt he owed Ra an explanation, so that’s what he did, whether it was the right thing to do, he just had to wait and see.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

They shared a brief smile before Jim commented on the price of the room. Ra shook her head and attempted to wave it off. She would explain things to him very soon, but not until he finished speaking.

He pulled out a rose, saying he had almost forgotten to give it to her. It reminded her of the flowers he had given her before and she smiled as she took it.

"You didn't need to bring anything, Jim. This place has pretty much anything you can think of. Maybe not as vintage as the last bottle, but Alderaanian wine can be had if you want some. What drink would you like?"

There was a slight change in him before he spoke again. What he said surprised her. Thanking her for the date they had those years ago and that he should have contacted her again. Regret covered his face, but there was a sign of humor in his tone. The mention of her sandwiches she almost chuckled a little. It had been a long time since she had to prepare any food herself.

"What happened between then and now is in the past. We can make a new future, possibly together. I'm going to be honest with you about something. Love is a myth to me and life is almost nothing but pain. Especially since the last time we saw each other. Things went very bad for me soon after. However, in the last two years, this improved greatly and aren't as dark. I've not thought of a future at the side of anybody and have never mixed business and pleasure as you put it. Not by choice though, but more because there is little pleasure to be had for somebody like me."

A person that keeps her thoughts and feelings close, not giving voice or expressing them. She didn't know how.

"I'm glad you told me, Jim. Don't look at this so much as working out the details of employment, but as an opportunity to make up for years missed."

[member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

Possibly together. Those words stuck to Jim. He had felt something he hadn’t felt in a while, hope that his life would change for the better. He can work with possibly. She mentioned that love was a myth to her however. Jim felt that by some extension, sure Jim has been in some relationships but love, love was never something he had truly felt. He didn’t give up hope when she said that, rather it gave him inspiration to bust that myth.

Jim didn’t believe the statement that life was pain, but Jim had no clue what Ra had been through for the past 2 years. He did know, however, that she is far more powerful in terms of influence, running a whole fleet of merchant ships. In terms of aspirations, Ra did far better than he has, the most Jim had accomplished these 2 years was a new engine for the Roska, his heavily modified G-9 Rigger-Class Light-Freighter. The ship’s body is ancient however Jim kept it due to the Miniature hangar bay in the back of the ship where he stores cargo and his N-1 Starfighter. Jim listend closely to Ra and nodded at the correct times.

“Well I’ll take a glass of lum if you don’t mind.” Jim said. He then adjusted his seating to get more comfortable. “So Ra, I’ve told you what I’ve been up to, how about yourself?” He said with a smile.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

He gave her a few brief details on what had happened to him since they last saw each other. If Ra was the type of person to compare herself with another, she would notice a difference in their views on things. It might be the code she followed, The sith code spoke of self empowerment. While not power hungry, she was a woman that got to where she is by her own power, drive and abilities.

"Well, at the time I was in a faction called the Dominion. Shortly after our date, I became head of intelligence and learned a great deal of things. Before that I had my life memories shattered. I'm not the child that grew up on Coruscant. Instead I'm from literally a no name planet. My parents were farmers and we lived in a small community. An attack happened and my parents were killed. A man adopted me and raised me. However, this man wasn't just a man, he was a sith lord. That was what I grew up and the code I live by. He was killed in front of me and I hit my head hard enough to knock my memory out. So when we met, I thought I had been on Coruscant my whole life and lived in that orphanage."

A small motion was made at the room and building in a general sense before she spoke again.

"The Dominion was destroyed, I stayed with them until their dying day having pledged my loyalty to them. I've since learned not to give my word on a whim and owe nobody any loyalty. However, I am not going to betray on a whim either. As lead of the merchant fleet within the Metal Lord and Coalition, this must be kept secret. Jim, I'm trusting you not to reveal I can use the Force or that I follow the sith code. In here, we can speak freely about anything."

Ordering them both a drink, when he answer earlier, they were delivered along with a menu for him to look over. Ra had already placed her order and would wait on Jim before having it prepared.

[member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

A sith... Ra is a sith. Jim had met sith before but he never truly experienced one that was like Ra. He knew she was a force user, but from what he could tell was that she was a Jedi. Her life story was interesting, she wasn’t the simple orphan he thought she was, she was an apprentice to a Sith Lord. He grabbed on to every word as she spoke. After she was finished speaking, he gave her a confident smirk.

“Ra, I’m a smuggler, a good one if I say so myself. If I couldn’t keep a secret, I’d be six feet under. You’re secret is safe with me.” He vowed.

Jim looked over the menu, everything looked so good, he couldn’t decide on what he wanted. He looked up to the server “Yea, can I get whatever she’s getting.” Jim said with a sheepish smile. The server nodded and walked off. He looked back to Ra.

“This place is safe to talk about everything? So is this place, like-” his voice went to a whisper, “-ran by the Sith?” he asked as he peeked over at the door.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

At the time they had met, she could have been Jedi. Her then master disappeared though and not seen or heard from since. He was one person she missed greatly. Dune she had looked up to for guidance.

What Jim said about being a good smuggler and having to keep secrets brought a smile and nod to her face. He had a point there. While she had never been a true smuggler, Ra did understand having to keep things on the low sometimes to accomplish goals.

Their orders placed, he turned his attention back to her, asked if they really could speak freely here. There was a nod from her to answer him before answering his second question.

"Not all the people here can use the Force, but all employed by the assassins. You don't always need that to accomplish your goals. Hey I should know. Been something like two years among the Metal Lords and haven't touched it when I've been doing business for them. Anything said between us will stay here. I'll give you my word on that and that's staying a lot."

[member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

“As will I,” Jim said responding to her pledge.

Jim had so many questions, “Assasains? Was she going to kill me if I didn’t take the job offer?” Probably not, but if Jim refused to keep her secret allegiance she would probably have him killed, Jim would’ve probably killed himself too in the same situation, so he didn’t have any hard feelings. He tried to get comfortable in his chair and readjusted his seating.

“So Ra, this job you’ve got for me, what does it require me to do?” He asked, the job she had offered him was intriguing, but he hadn’t heard many details of the job at all “You’re not going to hire me to be a janitor, are you?” He joked with a grin.

At this point he would take even a janitorial job, steady work was hard to come by now and days, many of the other hundreds of smugglers are getting to the jobs quicker than he is, this lead to Jim losing lots of valuable customers. They work for less than Jim, and some of them are faster even. So while Jim didn’t want to show it, Jim’s eyes revealed the eagerness for the details of his job.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

She could sense Jim had many questions and for a moment almost appeared uncomfortable when she mentioned the assassins. If she was in his position, it was likely Ra would have felt the same way.

"Don't worry, nobody here is going to kill you."

Speaking with a smile, she hoped to relieve any fears or concerns he had. Trying to relax he asked about the job she was offering and she almost appeared to think about it. Already having decided prior to today what to offer him, this was a pretend thought.

"As head of the merchant fleet, I have three ships I use mainly. The Kagemni,Tarkhan, and Hor-Aha. The Tarkhan is my flagship. You're welcome to be in charge of an addition smaller fleet or one of the ships in my fleet if you want to be closer. If you're not yet ready to take on such a large ship or fleet, you can always run smaller vessels."

In time Ra would tell him all the specific details of what he would need to do once he was able to. For now though, she would support him as the Metal Lords had done for her when she gained her position. It would be a big change for him, as much as it had been for her.
​
[member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim thought about his choices for a second, a small fleet of ships... it would be glorious. However, who knows how often he’d see Ra, a smaller ship would not leave much of a challenge for him. Which left one obvious choice.

“I think taking command of one of your ships would fit my needs perfectly.” He replied with a warm smile.

Now he’ll be a legitimate captain, not some smuggler who claims to be a captain. He tried to not show it, but he was very excited for this opportunity.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Having the feeling of his answer, Ra nodded and gave him a smile when it was exactly what she expected.

"That's exactly what I thought you would say. If you want, I can show you aboard the Tarkhan what is needed and then you can take command of either of the other two. Not really that much different than what I do, just on a smaller scale. You're okay with taking directions from me?"

Having worked with him before on his own personal mission, they had worked well together. This wasn't quite the same and would be under the umbrella of employment, not a mission like when they met.

"You'll have to give up being a smuggler or keep that on the very down low."

Giving Jim a wink, she ​knew of a few ways to get around the red tape.

[member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim laughed when Ra mentioned not being a smuggler anymore. There were nearly tears coming from his eyes.

“You kidding? I never wanted to be a smuggler in the first place. I was only a smuggler because I was a good pilot and a good liar.” Jim chucked. He got serious quickly and leaned towards Ra. “Look, one of two things happens to every smuggler eventually. One, They come across authorities and dump the cargo quickly and escape, it’s all good until their employers find out which then usually ends up with them being killed. Or two, they get caught by the authorities and put into a prison and their former employer gets them whacked anyways.” Jim explained. “This is finally my ticket out of that, awful, terrible, profession” he said with a wide smile.

“As for that tour,” Jim smiled charmingly. “How can I deny it when I’ll have such a beauty to be my guide.”

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Not entirely sure why he was laughing, but liking how it was something true, Ra couldn't help but smile a little.

"I think in a way I am a better liar now than I was then. Keeping it a secret that I'm sith for the past two years from the Metal Lords and our allies...Might not make me a liar exactly, but certainly deceptive for sure."

Jim couldn't use the Force, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to tell the truth of her next words.
​
"I'm quite glad neither happened to you. Welcome to my team, Jim."

Still quite unsure of how to react to compliments, there was a good chance she blushed when he called her a beauty. Attempting to take things in stride though, Ra returned that smile with one of her own and a small shake of her head.

"Do you have any business you need to wrap up after dinner?"

At that, the food did arrive for the two of them.

[member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim graciously accepted his meal from the server. It smelled delicious. But before he took a bite he answered her question.

“I guess the only thing to do now is sell the Roska, the ship is probably on a watchlist, somewhere and there’s no need for it to be tracked back to you or the fleet.” Jim said. He knew it was reasonable to get rid of it, however it still saddened him to see it go, he had done plenty of smuggling on it. “As for my N-1 Fighter. I’ll be keeping that.”

The Roska was Jim’s G9 Rigger Class freighter, original hull but besides that, most of it had been modernized d modified to be able to run with newer models of ships.

After a brief moment of sadness, Jim regained himself and picked up his glass to give her a small toast.

“To all our yesterdays and to all our tommorows, together.” Jim said and took a sip of the wine.

Jim took a bite of his meal, whatever it was, it was fantasistic. “Ra, I gotta say, if working for you means dining like this for the rest of my days consider me your hardest working employee.” Jim said as he continued to eat his food.

Jim wasn’t used to a woman, being this far from him, typically when he’d have a date they’d be a bit closer. Most of the women he’d been with were like that. Ra, well Ra was Ra for Jim. Ra, was the most realistic person he had ever met, she might be emotionally detached but she wasn’t a poser like many of the people he’s had to deal with. She was truly and utterly amazing. Jim knew that she knew how he felt about her, but he didn’t really know how she felt about him. He wondered if he’d be heartbroken, if she wasn’t interested or if she ever found a better suitor. Has he ever truly felt heartbroken? He asked himself. Was he falling for Ra? Almost certainly. Jim the scoundrel, the mustachioed miscreant was falling for a woman. To take his mind off of his worries he decided to ask her another question.

“So Ra, you must tell me what we ordered, because it is absolutely delicious.” Jim asked trying to empty his head of toxic thoughts.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Cutting into her food, Ra listened to what Jim said about having to sell one of his ships. Nodding hesitantly, she thought of up a couple of options he could do if he wanted to keep it. Allowing him to finish speaking though, she gave him a real smile when he commented about eating like this all the time and that nod turned into a little shake.

"You don't get to eat quite like this all the time, especially in flight. Can get close though, just need to know the right people."

Giving him a wink, she took her first bite of food. When he lifted his glass to toast, she did the same. Not adding anything to it though, she just repeated the toast. Not missing a beat on the word together.

"If you wanted to keep Roska, you could do a couple of things. First, run its numbers and see if it is on a watch list of any kind. If it is, find out from where and we can deal with the situation. It would clear your name."

She hadn't given much thought to the distance between them when she choose to sit in the chair as opposed to the couch. It wasn't in her nature to think with her heart. Not being exactly used to socializing, Ra had no clue how to act on a date. They just didn't happen to her.

Jim asked what they were eating and she pointed at each item and telling him what they were.

"It's something local to this planet actually."

[member="Jim Pehico"]

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim continued eating the local dish. As he continued his meal he took a break to sip the wine that was handed out to him. It was aged to perfection. Far better than the wine he had originally brought for Naboo. He had so many questions. His main question was what the future held for them, whether it was just working together or if they’d end up romantically together. Jim hadn’t the slightest clue. While Jim was quite clear with his intentions, Ra had quite the Sabaac face. if she had any interest what so ever, she had it behind a lock, behind a safe, behind an armed security detail. Fortunately this was Jim Pehico, “Smuggler Extraordinare”, “Professional Heartbreaker”, “The Mustachioed Miscreant”, Jim finished up his wine to give him a bit of a boost. He then got himself to focus on the situation at hand. The Roska.

“That’s an excellent suggestion, let’s do that.” He agreed, he couldn’t bare selling his ship anyways. It wasn’t even a ship to him, it was his home and his livelihood. Far more of a home than Naboo or the Academy had ever been.

“After our meal, you care to take a walk with me to write down those numbers? Best to get that out of the way as soon as possible.” He asked.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

The emotionless Ra displayed was pretty far off from what she actually felt inside. Thankful she was able to keep them hidden, Jim wouldn't know or sense them. It probably wasn't fair for her to do it, especially since he had been so open with her. But by now it too far into her nature to keep them to herself.

Some related to business, but mostly Jim. This was their second date at least in her mind. Not yet ready to commit to a relationship so soon. She would be interested in further dates and seeing where things went. Her reservations from the past reared up and attempted to tell her that she would only get hurt...this was beyond reservations really, she was scared. Not showing this, Jim wouldn't know.

Having eaten about half the meal when he asked about taking a walk to his ship to get its numbers and run them, she nodded. Taking her mind off the thoughts swirling around in her head and focused on the answer.

"Yes sure. I didn't check the weather, so it's probably going to rain. Hopefully we'll be close enough to your ship before that happens and take shelter there."

[member="Jim Pehico"]​

 

[Jim Pehico]

Jim agreed. He got up slowly from his seat. He still couldn’t figure out if Ra was truly interested, she mentioned being together at the beginning of their meeting, but besides that tidbit, she didn’t show anything else. Jim knew he had to make a move, he had to know if she was actually interested. His first and possibly only opportunity was coming up and he wasn’t going to blow it.

“Best to get a move on then, besides with a hearty meal like that,” he said pointing to his plate, “it wouldn’t be terrible to burn some calories.” He said with a small chuckle.