Coupled Off Corellia

[Connor Harrison]

CorSec Prisoner Transport Ship
Corellian Run, Core Worlds ​

The soft hum of the 4 ion engines could be heard in the bowels of the CorSec ship, devoid of insignia and badges to help it blend in with public transport. Acting solely as a transport to ship prisoners from A – B and back again, this ship was loaded with 6 prisoners, 3 flight crew and 5 CorSec guards en-route to Coruscant’s mighty Republic Detention Center.

In the containment bay, the prisoners were seated in 3 x 2 formation – 2 rows with 3 seated one behind the other. The masked CorSec guards had the front and back of the bay while another was stationed outside in the passageway through to the cockpit, armoury, med-bay and stock room. It was far larger on the outside than it seemed from inside, but as this was for prisoner transportation, most of the ship was built for defence in protecting all passengers in the depths.

One of the CorSec guards walked up the aisle in a routine sweep. Some prisoners were actually conversing across the way to each other, the rest kept themselves quiet. Kail Ragnar was seated at the back in the right row behind a Twi’lek female with heavy blue tattoos and a porky bearded human. In the other row sat a Zabrak, a Gran and a…protocol droid? Crime takes many forms in this galaxy.

Kail was comfortable at least and resigned to the fact at least in detention he could get a little peace and quiet. Arms bound by restraints, but legs free, he was seated in his tan shirt and combat trousers and boots. He was sadder however that he had no idea where his armoured vest and weaponry were – probably destroyed by now. They had been with him for years.

Sighing, he flexed his shoulders and relaxed as best he could. Not too long now, he could already feel the ship banking and slowly starting a decline.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Core Worlds;
Corellian Run;
Deep Space.

She screamed like an over excited girl behind the wheel of her new car, slamming hands across the sleek surfaces. So many buttons, so many levers, and computer screens. Processing power enough to accomplish twice as much as she could have previously. A massive starship moved through space. 3PO units which paled in comparison to her own Kink programming wavered about the bridge where she remained. An array of screens and holo-panels danced like magic around her, skilled hands conducting her droid crew. Admittedly, the 3PO units made terrible pilots, and it had in fact been recommended that they not see conventional use during more hectic scenarios. Well, she'd say this counted as one such 'hectic scenario,' but she had been given no other choice. The low, almost purr like hum of the gargantuan hull swelled in the space around her, her thumbs flicking through the system coding, tearing it apart and rebuilding it as if the designers had no idea what they were doing. Already, she had added significant modifications to some of the core computer processing systems, allowing her almost infinite access over holo-networks.

A red flashing alert surfaced on her screen, and Xenia quickly drew back the power on the engines. That sucking moment, and the entire starship warped out of hyperspace, painting itself into visibility as a massive hulking creature. Most of the 3PO units gave some kind of stirring and mellow dramatic yelp, mimicking the feeling of any real emotion. "I want all targeting systems activated, ion cannons primed, but we're not taking any shots until I give the command." She could see some of the protocol droids already fretting far from their comfort zone. It almost made her laugh harder.

<<Captain, they're hailing us.>>
"Let it through."

A holo-projected image spit forth shape before her, suspended in the air. A man of middle age, human, and in uniform stood there rigid, peering about as if waiting for the holo projection to show up on his end. When it did, he came to a more formal attention and Xenia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "This is CorSec prisoner transport, ID number 114b, what is your course...?" Xenia looked up, smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead, she looked back down at the holo-pads projected for her, and began to place a long series of digits and symbols together. Interfaces and coding panels threw themselves across her body, from one hand to another, and by the time she was done she heard the report coming from the other side. "Sir! They've just caught us in a tractor beam!" The captain spun to meet Xenia's face, the girl still not saying anything really. "What're you doing? Who do you think you are? You're messing with a CorSec operation--" the transmission faded out. She was done hearing his voice.

They would board...

Before long, the hull of the prisoner transport was glued to her own starship, and she was prepared to enter. She had no back up, really, but had already planned ahead for that. She was clad in tight fitting boots, with only a small heel at the back, black. In fact, most of her outfit was black, tight fighting, and in some places revealing. Metallic ringlets circled her wrists. When she turned around, her face met the cold response of droids. Not the flimsy 3PO units, either, but fully armed droids. Nastass-Tech droids, and in numbers. Two sonic droids sat before a crowd of at least twenty Front Droids. The data-pad on her wrist unfolded, and she could see clearly the schematics for the ship she was about to enter. Pressing a button on the wall, the hatch began to pull open, peeling the CorSec's wall away until there was enough room to enter. A tremble of thrill ran through her, gripping the small nubian blaster pistol holstered on her thigh. Each coverings protected her from whatever frequency the sonic droids would put forth, and at a wave of her hand, the take over began. Front droids moved like trained soldiers into the confined space of the enemy ship. Blasters almost instantly began firing but the victory was quick. Only one droid had fallen, though its internal systems were yet in tact, a failing leg its only issue. Still groping the gun, the Front droid propped itself on the ground, aiming down the corridor and still ready.

By the time Xenia entered, almost all of the CorSec agents had been removed, and she was free to move about without fear. The sonic droids followed her, as well as a pair of the Fronts behind and before her. The captain's vital signs had no yet been removed from the bio scans on board her own starship, as shown on the screen of her miniature data-pad. A small ping flashed on the screen as if something had finished loading, and she tapped the uplink. She had just broken into the com channels, officially owning each of the simple systems on board. "--Kkftt-- Kail," she started, thinking the sound of her own voice over the com channel to be odd. "You have a super awesome, amazing, capable, smaaaart rescuer here to deliver you from eviiil--" At times, especially when she went higher in tone, the audio would static out. "-- Rich! Attractiiiiiive," she continued, taking pleasure in her seeming repeated victory over the male she considered her partner.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Kail was ignoring the singing Twi’lek in front of him and drifting off to sleep when the brakes were applied, rather suddenly. All the prisoners lurched forward in their seats, 6 pairs of hands coming up to stop themselves hitting the chair in front. The three CorSec guards noticeably fell respectively in different directions as they faced forward as the ship halted all too quickly.

”What was that?” The Gran hissed.

Kail looked at the floor for a second, feeling himself move forward slightly, meaning they were…going backwards.

”Tractor beam.” Kail said with utter confidence in his deduction.

”Silence! Don’t move!” The CorSec order was barked out.

There was movement, but it was calm and smooth. Two of the CorSec officers conversed and moved out through the front facing entrance to the prisoner bay, leaving one guard.

”Keep calm and don’t try anything.”

The prisoners hissed softly to each other, looking around nervously and expectantly. Kail chewed his cheek and kept his eye on the entrance, waiting for something – anything. Soon enough the ship came a halt and loud bangs and echoes could be heard up above them.

”They got us.”

The Gran stood up and held his hands out, ”Hey, let us out! This is an attack!”

”SIT…down.” The rifle of the CorSec agent snapped up to the Gran, who cursed and slumped back down.

Metal on metal could be heard, and the sound of dull mechanical whines, bangs and creaks came through the ships vents and passages creating a disorientating perception of events. Soon, after what sounded like heavy blaster fire erupted, it went quiet. Too quiet. Kail looped his fingers over the head of the chair in front, peeking over the top to see the CorSec guard listening to something in his headset, before raising his hand to slam it against a blue data pad, which in turn flashed to red. The lights dimmed and red silent alarms began to flash in the bay.

”We’ve been breached – stay here!”

”Ola toy-vey!!” The Twi’lek shouted, but it was too late.

The CorSec agent turned and ran from the room, leaving the 6 prisoners unarmed and alone in the bay, swirling with red light.

”Now what??” The Gran stood up and raced to the entrance, but it was locked down.

As they all stood, some kneeling on the chairs and as confused as ever, the com above their heads spat into life, rather loudly, and strange noises could be heard, like heavy machinery.

”I have a bad feeling about this!” The protocol droid exclaimed.

And then, a familiar voice started to almost sing out over; not the one of a warlord, or vicious pirate captain, but the sweetest sounding female Kail Ragnar could have hoped to hear; Xenia Nastassia. A grin broke out on the mercenary’s face as she spoke to him – just him it felt – and made him chuckle at her exuberant show before shouting upwards.

”That’s my baby! Come on girl!”

He slapped the seat with a rush, in total awe of what she was doing to save him. She must have really meant what she said on the landing pad on Corellia.

”Who the frack is that?” The Zabrack turned to Kail.

He just looked at the being with a smile. ”That, friends, is freedom. And the most gorgeous looking slice of freedom you’ve ever seen.”

The heavy movement started again overhead and Kail quietly mouthed up to her to be careful in whatever she was doing.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Core Worlds;
Corellian Run;
Deep Space.

When the hatch to Kail's holding room finally opened, Xenia didn't step through. Instead, two, followed by another two of her intimidating Front droids loaded into position at either side of the entrance, the droids holstering the massive and heavy looking weaponry; no doubt enough to tear the ship apart from the inside had this been her intention. A click-click-click of a female's boots, and they were certainly hurried in one direction. Closer. "-- Braaaaave, charmiiiing," she continued, even when she first caught a glimpse of her man. A smile, the kind which lit up her entire face and eyes too, spread from cheek to cheek.

"In looo-- ohh!! --K-Kail!--?? --Thankgod!!--!"

The com-unit she held made a small metallic noise when hitting the ground, and she burst forward in a near sprint, running like a child to her long lost puppy. When in range, she braced herself and hurled forward into a leaping embrace, curling around his husky torso and slipping her face into the scruff of his neck. She didn't say anything, just squeezed tighter and tighter, her body beginning to shake with what seemed to be repressed anxiety. If anyone could understand the amount of stress she put herself through before operations like this, before much anything, it'd be Kail. And she had been left to her own devices, there was no one this time to push her forward in some direction and crunch her into a choice. No Kail to hold a gun to her head, and pretend to be a terrorist-- because that had gone over sooo well. She preferred to handle this like a girl, with the purchase of anything and everything in sight that may or may not be at all related or useful to her current task; and you better believe she had dumped credits from her numerous accounts in her efforts. Her voice was cracked with overwhelming levels of ecstatic emotion, and her fingers curled into his hair, desperate to feel his textures again.

"My terrorist-- mine!"

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As the doorway opened, a gasp from the prisoners signalled 4 heavy looking droids who poured into the room, standard formation with heavy armour and weaponry. The Twi'lek stepped back in shock and the protocol droi raised his hands in exclamation.

”Oh dear...!”

The droids halted, like perfect guards, and the sound of boots came down the hall from outside. Kail peered over the seat and watched, a grin creeping across his face. This had the hallmark of -

- she entered the room, looking fresh faced and battle ready.

Kail felt a wave of happiness come over him as he saw Xenia with his own eyes again; she had done this for HIM. Risked her live to save HIS. He stood and pushed around the seat to stand in the aisle, holding his arms open as Xenia broke into a giddy run, leaping to embrace him. As she wrapped herself around him, Kail held her to him with one arm, and held her head with the other, sighing with relief as he touched, smelt and felt her close to him once more.

He felt complete with her again, and he hadn't felt like this about anyone ever before. Call it the rush of facing death, or trekking across stars with danger on your tail, but the feeling he felt for Xenia was something born out of chaos and was becoming more real each day.

”I'm yours. Oh god I've missed you.”

Kail didn't want to move as he held her close, savouring the girl he loved. But a cough behind him signalled they weren't out of danger yet. He let Xenia down as he turned to the other prisoners.

”Look, we're never gonna cross paths again, I hope, but I'm not the judge and jury here. We've gotta go, but we'll disable the tractor beam and you can pilot the ship down to Coruscant, or wherever you need to go.”

The Zabrack stepped forward and nodded. ”Good fortune to you out there, cowboy.”

”Rad e'myua, tordan hu enk'ya.” The Twi’lek grinned.

Kail nodded and smiled, glancing at Xenia sheepishly. He reached out and slipped his hand around her waist and looked at her, and then the hulking war droids guarding the door.

”Lead the way, princess. I have a few questions to ask you when we get out of here - and I hope you have a good ship.”


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Core Worlds;
Corellian Run;
Deep Space.

Xenia practically squealed at the mention of her ship, and she wriggled mostly free of any embrace, allowing her excited eyes to meet his own. She held stories there, locked up and in bulk. Already, she wanted to tell him so much. Even just from the past few days. What it had been like to survive, to get what she needed and do the things she had done-- what she had done, exactly. A curiosity, too, in what Kail's experience had been, what had happened, and what was going to happen. Yanking on his hand, Xenia tugged for Kail to follow, not even so much as looking at the other prisoners on board. They were unimportant in comparison to everything else, at the moment.

"Oh! Oh--!! Kail! I've gotta show youuu!!"

She was obviously excited, and continued this contented hum all the way back through the halls. The droid who had fallen before had now found a way to prop itself up so as to get a more accurate shot. Marching came from behind her, and she powerfully avoided conversation about their origin just yet. They passed the cockpit, doors open and pilots dead in their seats. She had already been in there, already done whatever work she had planned to do. "I got a new ship-- us, a new ship!" Her hands sort of panned out, fingers pressed until straightened and she held them about as one does when explaining a possibly risky story. Carefully. "I think you'll really liiiike iiiiit," she began, rounding the corner to where she had forcefully boarded. All anyone would be able to see was a hole in the wall, and another, much larger room on the other end. Somewhat darker than this though, and filled with-- more droids. Tons more droids, no lights activated signifying that they were not currently switched on. The room just on the other side opened into something rather massive, though only large enough for Kail to begin understanding the size of her new purchase. What was more, she had chosen to board from her holding bays down on cargo level, so the entrance wasn't as glamorous as it could have been-- the point was to enter on the floors with the most droids, in case she needed back up. Their steps would sound hollow and echoed inside the durasteel bay.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a mock salute, Kail would never see the 5 prisoners again. As Xenia dragged him away, he heard them start to converse and barrage the protocol droid with orders and commands to get the ship ready for take-off. As the banked to find the way out, the Gran made his way to the cockpit behind them.

Following the girl, Kail saw the opening she boarded and followed her through, but couldn't help but slow down in awe of the room - HANGAR - he was in.

He knew the size of the CorSec transport, and that thing could fit in here at least twice over. This wasn't just a ship, this was a super cruiser. Kail looked at the lines of faceless droids, stationed for battle and looking like a small army.

Kail wanted to speak, but he didn't know where to begin. He walked deeper in, checking out the nearest units to him. They were sleek, efficient killers and looked monstrous. The mercenary slowly turned, a sly grin on his face.

"Is there anything you want to tell me about what you've been up to since I've been here?"

The cruiser felt alive, and it looked clean, modern and simply huge. And this was just the hangar.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Core Worlds;
Corellian Run;
Deep Space.

Xenia smiled, emotions a flurry with Kail's own curious excitement. At any rate, it was clear she was a perfect partner, and certainly carried her own weight. Of that there was no question now, and while she need not prove it, the proof felt nice. Each droid stood much taller than her against the back wall of the hangar bay, lifeless and yet still very much intimidating. As if at any moment one would reach out and eradicate the smaller female before them.

"Uhhhh-- looong story--! Instead, close your eyes. Close your eyes!"

Yanking his hand into her own, she'd tug him back through the bay and to one of the numerous gravity lifts. The undertone of holographic buttons being pressed, and they'd hover there. Obviously levitating upwards, ascending to the upper levels of the ship. Assuming Kail was, at least to some degree, paying attention to the time spent on the grav lift, he would certainly be able to make note of the hull's expansive size. When finally the lift slid to a very graceful stop, she'd once again yank at him and bring him out. Before them was a room of shocking beauty. A wide expanse of pools sunk right into the floor. Large rocks, fastened into the ship's flooring for aesthetics were positioned around the room in frequent clusters. Some of the pools were larger than the others, and the bottoms of each were made with transparisteel. Like glass, everything below was able to be seen from above through the clear water, merely distorted by the motion therein. Below were whirring lights of something impossible to see clearly. But it looked like gargantuan engine parts moving in silhouette under a light of changing colors. The air smelled of light oils and aromas and the entire ceiling was lit up with hologram projector energy, casting the image of a night sky swept with aurora.

"Open your eyes!"

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He shook his head and smiled at her request, closing his eyes – breaking them open for a moment as she pulled him forward (he DID trust her…but this was a place beyond anything he’d imagined her to have, she was still far more complex than he thought) – and they stopped.


Laughter. That was hers.

Movement, upwards. That was a lift.

Whirring, gentle and soft motions. Still the lift.

A smell. Xenia, sweet but with a hint of oil and grease to it, like machinery – the droids?

A chime. The door.

Her hand in his, pulling him forward. Where were they?


Kail stumbled forward, the blind human instinct to slow himself down in case there were hazards she was unaware of – his hand came out as he smiled, half with amusement and half with anxiety about the ship and what was before them.

All he could hear was soft water trickling and bubbling, and the faint hum of an engine or motor. He expected a luxury suite, a relaxation spa and place to freshen up with soaps and oils. He opened his eyes at her command, and had to blink twice to take the utopia in before him.

”Wow.”

A feeble reply, but literally all the mercenary could manage – he was speechless, and very confused. It was like they were stood on the edge of a cruise liner, never mind a suite – a whole cruiser! And, yet, almost like they were on a planet looking to the stars. He was disorientated, but immediately at peace.

His sensory stimulation was overloaded with the hypnotic lights of the shimmering pools surrounding him, the smells of the sweet oil and burning candles, the sound of bubbling water and the hum – it was painting a picture that was like something taken from Naboo, her home world, and placed inside a ship – what sort of SHIP was this?

Kail stepped forward and looked around at the pools, up at the pretty pattern of stars above and around at the fauna and rock décor to create a tranquil place away from everything else around them. He brushed his hand over his stubble, grinning at the absurdity of what was happening. From a hangar full of deadly battle droids to a peaceful slice of utopia, all within the distance of a turbolift.

”Well…this is nice! Xenia...what HAVE you been doing since Corellia?”

He slowly took in all the various pools, lights and silhouettes and shadows created by the moving lights and mechanics.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Core Worlds;
Corellian Run;
Deep Space.

"Jussst... working my magic--"

She whirled into a turn as she spoke, her veil of mysticism never failing to hide her true form. She now stood just ahead of Kail, the only other organic life form aboard the massive starship. White teeth bit at her bottom lip, and she nervously tugged at the bottom of Kail's shirt, nipping it with her fingertips and attempting to move him in her direction. The light in her eyes showed that she was very much alive, exhilarated by what had just happened. The danger and wild affair she looked at now with devouring eyes. Without saying anything more, she took a step backwards, dropping the man's clothing and instead grappling her own. A pool just behind her drew nearer as she stepped back, a suggestive stare, a begging, steady connection. With her heels now to the edge of the pool, clearly knowing of its location just another step backward, she pulled down the zipper at her front, bisecting the tight material of her clothing. A straight line from her bosom to her bellow button, though there was room to push it further. Nothing was exposed so to speak, aside from the long strip of skin revealing a flat stomach with the suggestion of toned muscles.

"You... like what you see... then?"

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Hyper Space
Across Perlemian Trade Route

She's sure something special.

Kail looked up at the stars above the small pool he was in, now surrounded by green neon lights around the waters edge, a couple of small candles at each corner, and blue pillars of light around the room shone upwards to dissolve in the holo-projection of the galaxy.

Floating on his back, he gently waved his arms back and forward, treading water and letting the soothing oils relax his muscles and refresh his skin. It was as if he was floating on air, the constantly cool water carried him as he floated in space - so it felt.

Having discovered just how much of a tease - or a pain - Xenia was, he needed the time to cool off and unwind. Where she had taken herself in the monolith of the yacht, he didn't know, but with the amount of security on the ship he never felt more safe and...at home. An alien concept to him, being used to the harsh cool caves of Tatooine and only experience menial pleasures in the Sith abode on Annaj, this was something else. This was another world. Another life.

His tan shirt and combat trousers neatly on a pile next to the pool with his boots, Kail was mournful at the loss of his possessions - the SSX pistol, the KX-60 rifle and his armoured vest. That vest had saved his life more than once, and the two blasters had seen him through countless encounters with trouble across the galaxy. He would need to source them, or replacements.

Turning around with a crash of water, Kail treaded the other way, looking up and losing himself in the quiet peace of the room; a sub-room of the larger pool and rockery she had led him into an hour or so before.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Hyperspace;
Perlemian Trade Route;
Starship Lower Levels.

Four hours later...

"Frack--!!"

Her hands were shaking and although it was barely noticeable, she noticed it. A quick glance around her, as if afraid someone would hear her curse, she turned back to the mess of computer light before her. She was surrounded in it, screens and hologram projected interfaces. Lines of complex coding ran up, down, and across almost every one of them, too, her eyes darting back and forth as if she was reading it for its own language. A language which few people could speak with equal affluence, and something she would quickly resort to when in need of distraction.

<<Madam Xenia?>>

It was a male programmed protocol droid, gold and of a new model as well. It looked more sophisticated, though less comforting to the noble. She shrugged off his attempt at conversation. She had not touched any of the droids personality programming, only managing to sigh in thinking of tampering with each and every droid on her ship so as to make them something she could actually respect. Of course, these were every bit as smart as most droids, in fact smarter, that wasn't the issue she had. They spoke like droids, moved like droids, and reacted like droids. The difference was so obvious, their matrix systems were simplistic at best.

"It's nothing," but she was lying.
<<Are you sure, madam Xenia?>>
"You can-- just call me Xenia, please."
<<Yes ma'am.>>

The annoyance was clear on her face, lips tightened and adjusted so as to give white teeth permission to curl them between her bite. A roll of the eyes which seemed to get interrupted near the middle, and just fall back to the screen. This was always how she was with droids, annoyed by their programming, even Kinks-- but she loved their presence. Almost preferred them to humans because she could create them any way she wished. So long as she could complete the proper coding, and test it through to be exactly as she wished.

"Xenia--!!"
<<Of course, madam Xenia.>>
"Just Xenia."
<<Apologies Xenia, noted.>>
"Thank you."
<<Then... everything is alright, Xenia?>>

The droid sure was persistent.
But she didn't mind it.
The mechanical beings had a way of drawing her insides, well, out.

"What's your programming matrix, droid?"
<<AA-1 VerboBrain, manufactured by SyntheTech Corporation, produced by Cybot Galactica. TranLang III communications module provides me with affluence in over 6 million forms of communication, and-->>
"--Got it, so you haven't had any customization?"
<<Uh, no... not really, no.>>
"Well, whatever..."

Giving herself over to a self imposed release, she opened her lips. "I'll call you Zip, cool?" The 3PO unit looked a bit confused, but she wasn't looking. It was behind her, at the entrance to the room behind her. <<Yes, call me as you please Xenia-- you're shaking,">> she held her hands up so that they could be set in clear view. "Yeah, I guess I am, what's that mean, eh?" The droid hummed with apparent interest, as if it loved having questions asked of it. <<I am no doctor, though I do have medical programming, all of which would dictate stress or anxiety of some sort? That, or an assortment of poisons and other, more serious sickne-->> She turned to face the droid and held her hand out to stop it. "I'm not sick, I'm probably just stressed."

<<Do you require anything I can provide, Xenia?>>
"Ha-- no, not unless you're much of a relationship therapist," the idea was almost comical to her.
<<Well, I'm well versed in about four million cultures and norms, as well as extensive human behavior diagnostic.>>
"Honestly," and she giggled "that sounded much more formidable than I had expected. I only wish actually therapists had that kind of qualification."
<<I was under the impression most had a similar base of knowledge?>>
"Yeah, no."
<<How sad.>>

She smiled, and stared the droid in its photoreceptors. "Yeah, well, I've waged a war against a criminal world so to speak-- err, not a real world, like," but she puttered out and gave up, temporarily. <<Forgive me, but I don't take your meaning.>> She waved it off, only to quickly come back to it. "It's hard to explain, but that's not the point--" <<Then you'll need to clarify the point once more.>> Her lips tightened again, and she pushed out a breath of understanding. "There's a man here," but the droid nodded, <<Yes I know, though I thought it might be rude to ask further about his presence.>> It was curious, the droid's almost natural facade of caring, something she was sure she'd never seen in a stock built protocol droid before. "I think I love him, but I don't know if that's... allowed." This concept obviously confused the droid, and it looked on in stasis. "I mean, I don't know how to do it," but she just laughed at herself and stared down at her feet. She had never felt like this for one individual before, not like this. Not by a long shot. But it made her nervous, and uneasy. Almost restricted, a feeling she would need time to grow adjusted to.

"... Oh?"

A vibrating ping of an incoming message shook her from her thoughts. It was a message, not sent to her directly, yet addressed to her personality all the same. It never mentioned her name, whoever was on the other end was careful enough. Glaring at the droid, and then back down at the holo-pad illuminated above her right wrist. It was a sleek, shiny metal band of a bracelet fastened onto the bare skin of her arm.

[[-- To the illustrious channels of metal and might of Nastass-Tech

I'm known as Blitz, and my game is one of pleasure and satisfaction. I'm in the market as it were for a custom project, and your enterprise caught my weather eye. I've been looking for something special, something crafted with that expert touch. Details are however, for the more in person vibe, and while this is secure, I like to look a partner in the eye, ya dig? Payment is not an issue, but the request is certainly an off the books order. We don't want anything done to sully the good stainless name your factory's reputation. After all, legitimacy is often hard to come by with people cut from our cloth. You'll find a transponder code with my coordinates, come as you please - the family awaits.

Regards. --]]

Hyperspace;
Perlemian Trade Route;
Luxury Levels.

The doors once again opened with a precise hiss, and she stepped into the glorious room. At first, she didn't see him. Kail. Though she heard him, or at least the water he was moving with his floating body. There, just behind a large rock formation near the room's rear. Kail's body floated, ears submerged in the water so as to nullify his sensory abilities just well enough for Xenia to make her approach unseen. She wasn't wearing all that much, but it was elegant enough. A white dress, made of a rare spider silk more thin and refined than most silks. Though, not a normal dress; it was fashioned like a shirt of sorts, though long enough to be worn by itself. It's loose fabrics swayed dangerously as she walked, but was never raised enough to reveal too much. It was more or less entirely transparent, giving sight to the black undergarments she wore below, also garments without much actual fabric involved. Leaning against a rock, and making her movements more obvious to Kail's peripheral vision, she tapped the rock as one would knock on a door before entering. Her voice was soft, but sounded only after Kail had risen his head to meet her presence.

"Hey you..."

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

His eyes seemed to open at just the right time, glancing right at the swirl of white that caught his eye. She was back, looking as angelic as ever. He smiled and righted himself, standing on the floor of the pool; green illuminated ripples shimmered across the surface as he broke the water to crouch and tread water, coming just under his pectorals.

”Hey yourself. You look beautiful.”

The water droplets ran down his front and his shoulders, over the mercenary tattoos and down his back as looked up at her, almost draped across the rock. Kail glided his arms forward and back, sending small rhythmic waves around his body as he moved forward to the pool edge.

”I don’t think I’ve felt this relaxed…ever. Your ship is stunning, and I’m very impressed.”

Bobbing his head underwater, he rose again and brushed the water from his face and his brow, gasping a little at how fresh it felt. He stood, placing his elbows on the marble edge of the pool, a few feet ahead of Xenia.

”So. Care to join me? The water is good, or are you in the middle of something.”

He leaned forward slightly, looking up at her with a small smile, just eager to hear her speak again. She was intoxicating to him.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Hyperspace;
Perlemian Trade Route;
Luxury Levels.

"I'm glad," she said in response to Kail's compliment of the ship.

And she meant it. She had been forced to give up two homes and a large amount from her savings in order to acquire the beautiful ship; though money would never be of any real concern. Picking herself up from the rock as Kail neared the pool's edge, she raked her fingers through her own hair. It was wavy, full of volume. It looked more alive now than it did on most occasions. Wild, yet somehow still in perfect shape. Olive skin struck a brilliant resemblance to those bright green eyes. A contrast to dark hair. "Oh-- I'm actually," but she didn't finish, not verbalizing anything and instead pointing back over her shoulder as if he were expected to just understand. A nervous smile, and faltering eyes made their way back to Kail's own. That smile was just as shaky. "I was just-- It's not important, listen I, err, we got a--" but she stumbled over her words once again, this time her face giving way the smallest traces of a scattered mind. Something else. Something else she wanted to talk about, but didn't know how to talk about it.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Resting his head on his hands, Kail smiled at her stumbling with the words. For a young girl with the weight of what looked like the galaxy on her shoulders, suffering personal loss and stress so quickly, all that he had pretty much brought on, she was coping rather well.

He brushed water from his nose and nodded at her.

"It’s ok. A ship can’t run itself this huge I imagine.”

Kail licked a trace of water from his top lip and shifted in the water, not wanting to be imposing or pushy, as she was obviously wresting with something.

"What’s up? Do you want to talk? You look like something’s on your mind.”

He wondered if she was thinking of the same area of conversation he was. It had been a long, but short, few days where so much had happened that was, literally, going to be life changing.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Hyperspace;
Perlemian Trade Route;
Luxury Levels.

"Yeah... that."

She was nearly speaking in a whisper, her mind elsewhere when she spoke. In fact, Xenia almost looked through Kail, only sometimes seeming to 'come back to reality' and redeem contact with his eyes. Mulling over whatever sentence she'd use next in her head before use, she began to narrowly move her eyes once more. There was a considerable pause before she answered, an obvious failure to speak what was on her mind.

"What-- Oh, me? Uhhh, nooo, just... y'know... space-- Oh! Well, yeah there was something, uh, now that you mention it."

But she dismissed the line of thought and approached the pool's edge herself, sitting down and letting the white dress to sprawl around her in a modest fashion. Her legs were crossed, and her hands folded neatly in her lap, grasping each other as if restraining them from doing anything else. When she spoke next, it was without much gap so as to not allow Kail much room to respond to her obvious and rather loose cover of emotions.

"Can I ask you a question?"

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Linking his hands, he laid them out on the side, horizontally placing his arms before him and smiling again at her apparent flustering. His stomach started to flip – he could feel something coming he may or may not want to hear.

”Of course.”

He eyed the rack of ivory towels behind Xenia, just in case he needed to get out fast.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Hyperspace;
Perlemian Trade Route;
Luxury Levels.

She didn't look comfortable, and she didn't speak again. It was rare that she found herself this tongue locked. Normally she was at least able to pull up a believable bluff, this time there was something else keeping her apart from her normal social abilities. A desire and looming anxiety, something deeper and perhaps more emotional than she had dealt with in the previous years of her life; at least, in this spectrum. Raising a finger to her own cheek and tapping it, she met Kail's eyes once more, dodging the conversation she so desperately wanted to have once again-- for some reason.

"How'd you... get that...?"

And before he'd be able to so much as absorb her question, she'd speak again.

"Matsu...?"

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connecting the dots from her anxious expression to the tap of her cheek, mirroring his left side, Kail heard the question and glanced to the star projection above for a second, exhaling and about to speak when she dropped the Sith’s name. Matsu.

Meeting her eyes again, he smiled and nodded softly, showing he didn’t mind her questions – if he was to gain her trust and love, he wanted her to know him as so many people out there didn’t.

”Yeah. Matsu Xiangu. Sith Knight. Terror amongst the stars and cold-hearted queen.”

He shifted amongst the illuminated water, an almost eerie green glow cast below his face and chest from the lights below, but he rested on the side and talked.

”I’d say go back about…ooh, 3 months or so? I was with Matsu on Korriban, acting as her partner – not in THAT way – but helping seek out an ancient Sith relic known as “The Ravager”. It was something to do with the Force and a mental ability, because she was hot on mentalism and breaking into people’s heads to snap them from the inside out. Safe to say she did that with me a couple of times, and it was scary.”

He chuckled a little, seeing her face engrossed in his story.

”I was basically one of few people who didn’t cower before her; I’ve seen lots of strange, dangerous things serving my cell as a mercenary and Matsu Xiangu was cold, dangerous and tactically brilliant but is still a women – or half of one – with morals and a beating heart. I wasn’t intimidated by her and just gave her some support in helping her out. Did I tell you about Skye? Well, long story short, I found her left for dead on Skye as I was scoping out an abandoned monastery and saved her life. Never thought I’d see the girl again, but months later she turns up on Rodia – I meet all my women via that planet it seems – and offers to help me out to return the favour for saving her life, and we just hit of off there.”

Stretching his hand out a little, placing his hand on her knee, he shook it gently.

”We never slept together, I assure you. That wasn’t how we operated, ok?”

Kail held onto her, for his comfort and security as well as hers.

”Anyway, inside this Sith tomb we found the relic but she disturbed some Sith statues, horrid things made from sheer rock but infused with Sith magic or whatever, and they attacked us. Matsu was weak from this assault and handling the relic, so I did what I could to protect her. Took one down, but the other was moving on her and I just…had to act, y’know…?”

He dropped his head a little and scoffed. ”I can still feel it. Even know.”

A second later, he regained his thought and looked back to Xenia.

”It came for a blow, with its huge stone fist, like…huge…and I just barged into her , knocked her off the dais and I guess my head took the place of hers. I did turn and had my arm up, but…yeah. The impact just messed me up. Broken jaw, torn muscle, broken teeth, damaged optical nerve, busted ear-drum, broken bones, split my head open…just, really horrid. My jaw was pretty much hanging off and I was dipping in and out of consciousness. She used this rage with the Force to destroy the final statue and broke off part of its armour to affix to my head.”

Kail held his hands out around his head, mimicking a large brace.

”Huge, iron thing it was, like a brace, and it was strapped to my head to hold my jaw in place. We got out, just, and she took me to the Fringe, her group of warlords and whatever, and they did this – “ he traced his scars and skin graft, ” – hence why it still hurts to this day; bone rubs on torn muscle, the muscle that hasn’t died works harder to compensate. I’ve even got a metal place inside my cheek where the muscle was to pretty much hold my face up!”

He laughed a little, shrugging it off.

”But that’s it. Took me weeks to learn to talk again through the pain. It hurts daily, but I cope with it and some days are better than others. When I am stressed, or angry, then it hurts more, like some warning signal in my brain. I became pretty dangerous after that, trying to find my confidence again after facing this monster in the mirror. I murdered one of her guards in a rage with my bare hands, obliterated her – it was scary- and she cast me out. I don’t blame her. She labelled me as weak…pathetic…child-like.”

Looking at her, he held out his hands, questioning her motives.

”Maybe she was right. But from that day, I was nothing. I returned to Tatooine and began to try and find my way forward. I haven’t heard from her since, but I have a reminder everyday now about her and what I tried to do for good but made me more dangerous. I was pretty much done with the old Kail Ragnar, y’know, nothing to live for – scavenging for work around Tatooine and drinking daily to blind the past.”

Kail reached out for her.

”And then you came along, and saved me. Thank you.”



@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Hyperspace;
Perlemian Trade Route;
Luxury Levels.

It felt strange, hearing Kail reject the notion of Matsu and him sleeping with one another. After all, he was in no way bound to her, or in need of justifying his past to someone like Xenia. Her roughly vague face withdrew and eyes faltered back to the ground, seemingly paralyzed in place through the whole thing. The story, most of which made no sense to her. Sith magic? Sith at all, in fact, was a confusing notion. Jedi were the same, and more so the force itself. It sounded like religion to her, just another story which is widely believed, the same as any other 'god' idea. She had not put much more thought to it, and now this? Sith magic? She gave Kail a strange look, and studied his jaw, eyes laden with skepticism.

Who was this man?

"Uhhh..."

She began to speak, or at least try, but failed thereafter. "I," again, another attempted start, and when she looked up it was clear that she was struggling with words. She didn't hide it, instead she wore it in an effort to communicate at least that much. "Well, I-- I'm sorry, you said--" there was no fade out, or cool down in her tone. She was blatantly confused, and had no other way of describing her thoughts than by merely spewing the hardly formed, hardly literate sputters of noises.

"You-- ... she... what?"

[member="Kail Ragnar"]