Bed Bugs

[James Justice]

The Nestis Cora hummed through hyperspace with a gentle rumble. James had hardly left the cockpit, his room, or the bar during the whole time. He had a passenger on this run as well as a belly full of illegal spice and guns bellow deck. The passenger, who'd said their name was Evie or something like that, hadn't paid him to ask questions. She was cute in her own way with that dark hair and mysterious, mystic way if that was your type. A pang of reminiscence hit him as he remembered the mysterious types he had been with in the past.

There was no need to relive that.

He took a swig from the bottle in his hand as he sat on his bunk. It would take so much more than what he had onboard to get rid of those awful memories. Reed, James' faithful astromech trundled in with a series of beeps.

"Aye, aye, aye," James said rising to his feet. "I imagine I should and let her know. Ye pull us outta hyperspace and set us down. I'll be in there after ye shortly."

The space rose to his feet, pulling a shirt on from the nearby closet. Over it he pulled his trademark bantha hide leather jacket, worn and nearly tattered from years of faithful service. Across his hips he fastened his gunbelt, tapping the aged blaster pistol methodically. There was some security in the familiarity of the actions.

Bottle in hand, James strolled down the hall to his "guest quarters," just one of the opulent suites on the Nestis literally designed for royalty. He knocked on the frame of the door before looking in. He flashed a winsome smile. "Almost bout to make planet fall. Prepare yeself," he offered his bottle. If his passenger indicated yes, he tossed it towards her, "Pack up and ye can pay me the rest ye owe me when we land."

[member="Evie Miramat"]

 

[Evie Miramat]

Whatever cargo her pilot carried besides the Joiner, she did not care. In their few interactions thus far, she had kept an air of mystery about herself. He had not attempted to get to know her and that was fine. She had paid him for travel and transport, not opposed to conversation, they ended up keeping themselves almost separate the entire journey.

In the cabin he had given her, Evie sat in an almost meditative state. She communed with the Hive in her mind and she was never really alone. That was a benefit of being a Joiner and something she enjoyed all the time. Dressed in dark clothes, she had her cloak hanging in the closet and her dark hair gleamed in the light of the cabin. Her black eyes looked almost emotionless at James when he knocked the frame of the room and informed her of their imminate arrival.

Standing up, her face was more emotional and she returned that smile with one of her own. "We graciously thank you for the room here. It more than provided what we needed." As she spoke, she moved with some grace and reached into the closet for her cloak. After putting that on, she allowed the cowl to rest on her shoulders and caught the bottle of liquor he tossed in her direction. Taking a drink from the bottle, it showed that even if she appeared to dress to impress, she would do something mundane. Handing it back to him, her eyes looked at him with a new interest. "We have little use for many belongings. If there is anything we need, it will be provided to us."

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Evie Miramat"]

James knew his smuggler's cant was odd but this lady's verbage was just strait bizarre. All this "we" business. Just weird. He had been from one side of the galaxy to another and back, it reminded him some of the Verpines he had interacted with before. They were intense dudes, they called it a hive mind or something like that. James shuddered. He had been ripped apart mentally before and put back together a few times. He didn't have any interest in anyone else crawling inside his head again.

"Er, right," he said taking his bottle back and taking another drink from it. "Dun't worry bout it. In me line o' work, a man's reputation be the best thing he got, just be assured ye tell others about the pleasantness ye got from ridin' with me."

The Nestis settled down on Alderaan. James felt the familiar feeling of the ship's artificial gravity finally releasing and real gravity taking hold.

"Follow me, miss," he said offering his arm.

The spacer lead her, if Evie would allow him, down the loading ramp to the shining surface of Alderaan.

"Ye know where ye goin? We out here in the middle o' nowhere," he said, blinking.

 

[Evie Miramat]

Listening to what James said about his reputation and how if she got the opportunity to spread good word about him to do so. Giving him a slight half smile that was almost a smirk, she nodded. The way she spoke was as natural to her as breathing. She was part of the Hive and most of the time, not an individual person. One of many and that was all she knew.

"We will spread good word of you and your ship," when he offered her his arm, she accepted it in the same manner she had his bottle previously. Her hand was light on his arm and she barely used him to help balance or keep herself upright. The only time that happened was when the real gravity took ahold of her.

When he asked if she knew where she was going, her body turned while her hand remained on his arm and she lifted her other arm to point with an open palm, "We sense there are hives that way."

Her nostrils flared at the pheromones she sensed around her. A sudden buzzing intensified nearby and two human sized Kiliks came out of the brush their weapons at the ready. Quiet clicking communication occurred between the three of them and it appeared they offered an escort for James and Evie to their Hive. Turning to look up at James, "Do you wish to join us? We can promise for the night we will not attempt to tempt you to join us. You can then pass along your good word about us."

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Evie Miramat"]

As they switched to real gravity, James placed a second, steadying hand on Evie. "Steady on, lass. Ye dun't fly too much, eh?" He chuckled, 'Dun't feel too bad about it. I grew hopin' from rock to rock across the galaxy with me Dad. Ain't too many who find the switch too easy fer a while."

"We sense there are hives that way."

James blinked. Yeah, this definitely sounded like the Verpine all over again, only in a much weirder, more convoluted way. He nodded, "Right. Makes perfect sense."

Or maybe she was a Jedi or a Sith. He wasn't too fond of either, but if she was going to be one or the other, he was hoping Sith. They were easier to get along with in the long run than the Jedi. He nodded when she asked if he wanted to go with him. His eyes didn't leave the bugs that came out from nowhere. He could nix the the Jedi/Sith idea. Kiliks. He should've known. "Aye. I might as well, I dun't get paid till delivery. Ain't no reason for me to wait on the Nestis."

The idea of him joining a hivemind made him genuinely smile for the first time in years. The hedonism was strong in James, his aura and personality had marked even the the powerful inquisitor who had ripped him apart with an insatiable drive for alcohol and women. The idea of changing an entire society over to his purely hedonic ways was almost almost worth the horrors of being grafted into something again.

He fell in beside or behind her, which ever was more appropriate. Either way, he retrieved a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it with a snap of his fingers.

"So ye got any specific plans for this venture or is it more o' a vacation?" he asked, sending a plume of smoke into the air.

 

[Evie Miramat]

"We do not have any ship large enough to provide false gravity such as your ship." She said this as she accepted the second hand to steady her and they walked off his ship.

The two Kiliks did not care if he walked next to or behind Evie. She was the one that part of them and the one that mattered in their small minds. Her steps did not falter or seem odd as she adjusted to the gravity of Alderaan. Allowing him to remain next to her, it was a feeling she found she enjoyed and returned that smile he had. Even if the reason for his smile was unknown to her. As ever, her eyes remained mysterious.

"We suppose sight seeing is the plan. To see what other Hives are like to compare to home. This world is where we originated and moved away from. What we expect is to see our origin story. We also expect a warm welcome. As you can see, our guides do not attack and want to take us to their home." Noticing the manner he lit his cigarette, Evie lifted her free hand and attempted to do the same thing and only accomplished making a snapping sound with her fingers. "We are curious as to how you do that."

The understanding of the Hive and the Force was interesting and full of knowledge but they had no idea how to teach her. So lessons would have to come from parties outside of the Hive.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Evie Miramat"]

James smirked, he couldn't remember the last time he flew anything smaller than a light freighter. It was his niche, he felt the most at home in a cockpit, but the light freighter gave him the most comfort. "Aye. Tell ye what's really terrifyin'? When the ship bout that size loses the art-grav. Then ye better kiss ye arse goodbye."

There was nothing more terrifying than drifting in the void like that. You never forgot that horrible feeling of being turned loose into the endless nothing.

He nodded as she said what she was on her way to discover. It was a noble effort.

"Ain't got too much knowledge on where I from," James said letting out a plume of smoke, "I know me dad, never met me Mum. But where he were from, he ain't spoke too much of 'afore he went lost."

He flicked some of the ash from his cigarette before offering it to her. "My mystic friends call it The Force. Some Jedi and Sith, and the likes. I ain't never got too deep into the dogma 'o it. Alls I know is how to make it happen. It be a pathway to many abilities beyond the natural. I seen a small woman, no bigger 'en you use her mind to hurl a fighter into the side of a building. I seens it used to level cities and heal the 'night dead. I seens it," his voices faltered. "I used it afore to rip a man's spine out an' hurl it into another's chest."

He was silent for quite some time as they walked. He took a final puff on his cigarette before taking a swig from his bottle. "I can teach ye if ye want."

 

[Evie Miramat]

Evie tilted her head to the side as she attempted to imagine what he described might be like. Her face grew thoughtful and impressions from the Hive nearby came to her. The Kiliks might have originated here and moved off world to other locations, but they shared a conscience mind. What they knew, Evie learned and vice-versa.

When he spoke of his family, she looked at him but did not say anything until he finished. "We were raised by the Hive. Our parents were the parents of many like us." Her words might be confusing to somebody not of the Hive. What she meant was she was raised by many people and not just her parents. Everybody took care of everybody else.

"You know more than we do about making it happen," she said this with a chuckle. "We have some understanding, but no idea how to implement its use. What powers you speak of are immense and we would very interested in knowing how to work with it more." There was some sense of surprise in her tone and showed on her face. Letting out a small shiver when he said he had ripped a man's spine out, she did not pull away. Maintaining the same contact and physical distance between them.

The walk did not take them long and soon a hive built into a rock cave was seen in front of them. Kiliks of various sizes scrambled around and the smaller ones flew through the air. As they approached with the two guides, a path opened for them and allowed them in. Inside, there was a constant hum from the kiliks and they were taken into a community area. Here there were gathered kiliks and few other races. Among them there were some other humans and they greeted Evie and James like guests should be.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Evie Miramat"]

"Ah," James said with a nod, completely missing Evie's point, "It dun't matter where ye from. None of us have to come from anythin' special. It be about where ye goin', not where ye comin' from."

He listened and though for a second as she spoke about the immenseness of what he could do. He could feel her reaction, it was a chilling thing. They had threatened to hurt one of his children, and when that happened--all bets were off. James was a monster when he was fueled by pure rage. He drew off his pain to fuel his dark side strength, his compassion to fuel his light side. In the middle was just him, James, a vortex of both.

"Ye wanna work with what ye got," James began, "It ain't so much a matter o' a right or a wrong way. Use what ye feel, ye emotions to make ye do what ye want."

He took her hand in his, calloused and besmirched by grease. "Concentrate on ye hand. Feel anger, as much as ye can. Fury. Rage. Feel it so much ye cain't stand it no more."

He paused, giving Evie a chance to do just that.

"Now," he said, "Visualize it. Fire an' flame. All that rage in the palm o' yer hand."

Even if it was just a spark, it was something, a start for her.

As the bugs began to scramble to meet them, along with the other species, James' ears perked. He was so used to knowing every language around him, not knowing what was being said felt foreign and painful to him. He would have to listen carefully to pick it up. But, for him, as a polygot--it was only a matter of time before he picked up this new native language.

 

[Evie Miramat]

"What do you mean by where we are going? How is that more important than where we came from?" Biological family meant almost nothing to Evie, it was not what she was raised with and she thought nothing about it. Where she came from was of actual little importance to outsiders. To those of the Hive, they were a curiosity and even James might notice or feel that. They took almost a special interest in him, however, there really was no direct interaction between those interested and with James himself.

Everything was passed to Evie and she then spoke for the collective. "They want to know your name, where you are from and what your interest here is." They would be able to understand his answers even if they might not speak basic. The understanding would come from Evie herself.

As he explained how he made the flame on his fingers, she again brought her hand up to snap her fingers again. "What we feel," this was more spoken to herself than to James. Her face went distant and for a moment, her blue eyes appeared. Another snap and surge of the Force came with a tiny spark that disappeared right away and her eyes returned to the black they normally were. What emotion she felt in that instant was resentment and anger at being forced to be what she was. That fully human side of her that had never had the opportunity to become had surfaced for just that moment and had been buried again by what was familiar very quickly. People sought what was comforting in the face of change and that is exactly what happened. Alderaan was new to her, this Hive was new and deep inside Evie wanted what was comforting. The Collective mind provided for her and she craved that again after just that moment of freedom.

Those around them waited on answers from James and business around the Hive continued like normal.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Evie Miramat"]

James chuckled and gave the woman an affirmative pat on the back at her progress. It was a spark, a step forward. Sooner than she knew it Evie would be burning down entire forests. It was all a matter of time.

"What do you mean by where we are going? How is that more important than where we came from?"

James pulled his bottle from his pocket, taking a swig from it as he thought about his answer. How much of his story was appropriate to tell? The rise and fall of Dal'Bor? Justice Shipping at its prime? The story of how he and Ryn became blood brothers before he vanished?

"Where ye goin' is more important 'cause it means that be the direction ye set." he motioned back to the Nestis Cora far behind them. "If I be plottin' a course from here, where I goin' be more important cause that course can decide if I goin' to a good place or a bad 'un. It decides if I be goin' to a black hole or another planet. Life be the same way. The goals ye set determine where ye goin', and where ye goin' decides who ye becomin'. And that be pretty damn important."

James wished he had figured that out sooner. He pursed his lips wistfully.

He smirked at the questions, "Me name is James Justice, I'm just a smuggler from nowhere lookin' to help a lil' lady get dropped off at her destination, that be all."

 

[Evie Miramat]

With the control of the Hive having retaken Evie, she lost most of her interest in the spark that had come from her fingers.

All of them listened to the answer he gave to the questions asked and her black eyes took on a bit of a shimmer. The pools did not really alter or change that much, but they seemed to move slightly. Like waves of oil on top of water. "We understand much better, thank you." The way he phrased his answer, the woman really did understand what he meant.

When it was noticed he had his own drink, some noises were heard and Evie turned her head. Tugging on his arm, there was a table cleared for them. "Would you care to try any of the Ambrosia? We have heard it compares to your drink and we have to agree," after she spoke, she would move to take a seat at the table that was waiting. Local food was brought for them and some of the young kiliks and children took up spots on the floor to listen to the conversation that was happening.

Listening to the talk going on by the kiliks around them, Evie turned her gaze back to James when it got quiet again. "Everybody comes from somewhere, Mister Justice. Those around us are from Aldereen. We are not and they are interested in us as much as we are them."

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Evie Miramat"]

"Would you care to try any of the Ambrosia? We have heard it compares to your drink and we have to agree,"

More alcohol? The spacer was always down for trying two things when it came to the local life; the women and the alcohol. He shoved the bottle of liquor into his leather jacket's pocket and shrugged, "Aye, I be tryin' that."

James was careful of local food--usually. You could only be poisoned so many times before you ended up getting more used to it. He didn't sense any danger from it, so he sat, took a dish and a serving of what looked like meat. He hadn't had a lot of chance to eat Alderanian food, ironic since one of his lovers had been a bad girl from Alderan. He smiled to himself thinking of that stint. It was something else, even on his standards it hadn't ended well.

He gripped a slice of the meat between his fingers and popped it into his mouth, probably breaking a few local rules about social graces. He chuckled at her statement about everyone being from somewhere. He would have agreed, if the statement couldn't have been the absolute truth.

"I be one o' the few nationless folk," he said swallowing and making room for some of the kids. "Ye know, born on a ship. I never knew me ma. But they tell me she were a Zeltron. Me dad were a near human, but what exactly, we dunno. He ne'er talked about where he were from afore he vanished."

He paused, taking another slice of meat from his dish and chewing it. He wasn't sure he understood half of what the we and us was. He guessed she meant he and her by us. Or maybe there was a language barrier. Maybe her native language had a few different we terms, like Mando'a had 20 words for stab. You could tell a lot about a race by their languages--Mandos loved to stab things.

"I guess they are," he said in vague agreement. "Aight, ye know bout me, now it be your turn."

 

[Evie Miramat]

The Ambrosia was a milky style drink that had a certain bite to it that could not be mistaken for anything else other than some sort of liquer. It seemed every age was able to partake of it and did so freely. None abused it though.

The younger people here raptly stared at James as he ate the food offered and talked amongst themselves. "Everything here is natural and built by us. The food we eat is also grown and raised by us," Evie absentmindedly spoke of the food and drink they shared, eating with some sense of domesticity. Her brows drew together slightly as he told his origin story, understanding what he meant by not having a planet to say where he came from.

"Where you born on your ship?" He had said a ship, but not named it. Since the only ship she knew he had was the Nestis Cora, she felt it safe to assume that was the ship he meant. When he asked about her, she chewed on her food for a few moments longer than needed before answering. "We were born to human Joiners on Yogyog. This is the only life we have known, but a part of us wanted to leave home and see the wonders of the Galaxy."

If he had asked what she meant by the we and us, she would have provided an answer. Since he kept his confusion to himself, she said nothing. "We know about a great many things, but have little understanding. That is something we wish to accomplish."

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Evie Miramat"]

James in his day had maybe 2 milk based alcoholic beverages. They were a unique business, that was for sure. He took a pull from the bottle he had and decided that it would do just fine. His alcoholism had started at a very early age, maybe if he hadn't drank so much as a youth, he would've had an easier time retaining classical education.

"Aye, well not this one," he said nodding back to the Nestis Cora. "That one be a new addition, so to speak. And a costly one," he didn't want to relive that. The last thing he needed was to have a break down here, surrounded by the natives. Instead he took a pull from the Ambrosia to wash that memory down. He set his drained glass down with a sigh before resuming his story, "Nah, it were me dad's, the Drunken Marie. Old battered scrap that one were, hardly kept flyin' but by our will, rust, and a bit o' instaweld." He sighed, "That beaut be long gone, blasted lost on a run gone wrong."

He nodded as Evie mentioned her origin, he had been to Yogyog twice, but it was a blur. Honestly, he couldn't remember very much or what he was running, but given context, it was probably guns or spice. "Bit out o' the way there, idn't it?"

"We know about a great many things, but have little understanding. That is something we wish to accomplish."

"Knowledge without understanding, bout sounds like wisdom, idn't it?" he asked quirking a brow. "Ain't enough to go around sometimes these days. What specifically would ye like to do wid that wisdom?"

 

[Evie Miramat]

There were a few other ingredients to the Ambrosia the two of them received. Something in it to make inhibitions grow less and allow each of them to be more open and receptive.

The group gathered around them listened to answer provided by James and accepted it as truth. Something confused Evie and the others though, "what does cost matter?" Kiliks had very little concept of cost, money or anything fundamental about the Galaxy. This was something Evie was learning as she travelled and it still confused her to almost no end.

Waving a hand slightly before taking a drink, Evie nodded when he mentioned her home being out of the way, "It was one of the first places we settled after leaving Alderaan." This was before the Empire had blown it up and long before the planet had been rebuilt. The shared memory of the Hive gave her information she wouldn't have known normally.

"We do not think we are wise," this time she applied the meaning to herself and her body language would indicate that. He asked what she wanted to do with what she learned and as she thought about the answer, she turned her cup around on the tabletop for a few moments. "Pass what we learn onto the Hive and then use it to reach out to people. Get us known by others and keep learning. We want to be a powerful person and not always one of a number." Another small sign of the Evie under the control of the Hive.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Evie Miramat"]

"what does cost matter?"

James gave a pained grimace. He delayed his response by taking another slice of meat between his fingers and popping into his mouth. It took him quite a while until he swallowed and replied. "People died for it. Lot 'o 'em. Because o' choices I made."

It hurt to say it, it hurt to live it. The Arch Prince was right, their words echoed in his head still today. I will make you wish I killed you when this is over. Not a day will go by where you don't wish I killed you instead. James grabbed the jug of Ambrosia and chugged from it directly. He didn't drink quite all of it, but there was a lot less left when he was done. He set the jug back down. They may not have abused alcohol, but he certainly did. Moderation wasn't in the Justice vocabulary.

James picked up some hints of individuality in her speech. He inclined his head toward her at the statement. He wasn't just a smuggler, he was also an anarchist, rules and systems were made to be broken for the oppressed and less fortunate. Everyone should have a right to their own voice, opinion, and pursuit of pleasure. Sometimes that took a massive explosion, sometimes that just took a gentle nudge.

"I find that if ye dun't wanna be one of a number, if ye want somethin' bad enough, it's worth fightin' for," he fished a cigarette from his pocket, extending the carton to her. "Here be the first chance; decide if ye want one er no."

James had worked with slaves a lot in his anarchist days as a caviler, dashing hero before his dark phase. Sometimes just finding that they could make choices of their own, no matter how small, was the first step in discovering true freedom. He didn't know if it was the same with people in a hive mind, but he could only guess so.

 

[Evie Miramat]

The human side that wasn't of the Hive could feel the pain James had. Even if she had the combined memory of the Kiliks and their understanding of life was a little odd, she could begin to understand what he meant. "We are sorry for your losses, James," her hand met his for just a moment as she reached for the jug of Ambrosia as he set it down and then pulled it away as her fingers wrapped around the base of it. Finishing off what was left, another was placed on the table for them.

Tilting her head in an attempt to comprehend what James meant by his statement, she made her choice and accepted the carton of cigarettes from him. "Life is worth fighting for but we do not think that is what you mean. What we want isn't easily explained. We are one of a number here and that is acceptable. Outside of these walls, we want to be something more. How do we accomplish that?" She had accepted long ago what she was and did not want to change that entirely. Evie did not want to be free of the Hive, but it would be nice to sometimes be alone. That was something she had never had.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Evie Miramat"]

"We are sorry for your losses, James,"

James shook his head. He didn't deserve sympathy or for people to feel sorry for him. He wasn't the victim, he was the cause of the problem. "I make bad choices, people around me pay the price."

If she knew how things had gone down, James doubted she would have felt that sympathy towards him. He gave her a sad smile as their hands met, "I'm a bondfire, the world is full of moths. They get close to me, too close--then they go up in flames 'cause of me. I'm dangerous."

At the mention of fire, he placed the cigarette between his lips and ignited, letting him take several puffs of the tobacco. If she wanted, he would light a cig for her too. When the new pitcher of Ambrosia arrived, he poured himself a fresh glass. He thought he got that now. Somewhat.

"Believe it or not I were something back in me prime," he said, smoke escaping his lips with every word. "I owned an ran a crime organization that brought in more credits in one day than most star systems do in a year," he took another drag from the cigarette before continuing. "In my experience its a matter o a few things. Ye gotta surround yeself with the right people. Then ye gotta have something people want, and when ye give them that, people will come to ye and do whatever ye want."

He took another drag from his cigarette, letting those two steps linger for a moment before he continued, "Then ye gotta be at the right place at the right time. Greatness strikes where ye least expect it. Then, maybe ye gotta chance at becomin' something big out here in the nasty wide galaxy. Think ye can do that?"

 

[Evie Miramat]

Whether he felt or deserved it or not, the human in Evie expressed her sympathy. "Who hasn't made mistakes, but we see your comparison very clearly," far too many people looked on Kiliks and Joiners as bugs. There was even an insult called to those that joined, freely or not. In a way, Evie was one of the latter group but this was the only way to live she had ever known.

"How are you dangerous, James?" The questions she asked were mostly her own, some still came from the Hive mind, though. She had already accepted the cigarettes from him and took one for herself when he gave her the chance. He did not speak as if this was in his past and that he still felt he was a danger. If she had held her tongue, her question would have been answered. Maybe James was psychic and had picked up her question before she asked. Then again, he could have been opening up due to the effects of the Ambrosia. She did not know and listened as he spoke.

A small smile passed through her lips before she spoke and it remained in place, "are you one of the right people?" Picking up the pitcher, she poured herself another glass and set it back down on the table. This conversation was proving to be very enlightening and enjoyable. Evie had very little opportunity to do this before and she didn't want it to end.

[member="James Justice"]