Dramaphone

[Hira Mitsae]

E T T I IV​

[member="Sam Paige"]​

​

Ben was a worrier.

It's what he did.

Didn't matter if there was a rational explanation at the front, the back of his head would keep on whining and worrying about the what if's and the could be's. It could very well be that Sam was just busy, that she simply didn't want to talk to him anymore, that she found some work for herself?

But the worry stayed, he could still remember her face, the tears, the shudder of her shoulders.

There were rationale explanations... but right now Ben wasn't much for ratio. He left for Etti IV the very next day, leaving everything else behind.

* * *​

​

Took him about three days to dock his ship with the landing platform of the dock Sam last contacted him from.

He had no idea where she could be now, but he had his way to convince people to tell him the things he needed to know.

 

[Sam Paige]

Sam wasn't exactly well known around the docks, per se- but the second person he asked perked up immediately.

"Nothing but red hair, big eyes and held together with overalls and engine grease? Haven't seen her in a couple days, that one's kind of hard to miss," the Besalisk rumbled, reaching up to scratch his armpit. Of course with four arms, he didn't have to put down the box he was carrying to do it.

"Not many like her running around this place, buying engine and ship parts like the sun's gonna collapse. Had a literal boat load of parts delivered..... last taunsday I thinks. Haven't seen her since. Her ship's over in block 3-C though. Watch out for the mouse droid. Never seen a mouse droid that mean," he muttered, shaking his head.

*****

"Pinch no!"

The mouse droid bewooped at her and she craned her neck to look at him.

Sam Paige was halfway beneath the primary manifold housing of the freighter she'd buried herself in these last few weeks. Held together by overalls and engine grease, the Coruscanti native didn't realize how much time had passed. When she got deep into a mechanical problem, the rest of the galaxy pretty much ceased to exist. Pinch, however, continued to make his presence known and impossible to ignore.

"I need that, put it back."

Pe-kang?

"Excuse you, no, that sounds uncomfortable and also ew." She frowned at him.

After the incident on Rishi, she'd expected the little droid to return to normal. Of course, for all she knew, foul mouthed and mean was normal. At least he wasn't trying to murder 'flesh sacks' anymore. But sometimes it seemed like it was only *just* off the table.

"Come on, please?"

He scrolled back and forth for a moment before offering a grumpy bap and pushing the servodriver back into place where she could reach it. Sam smiled.

"Would it be too much to ask you to get me the sockets from the bench, please?"

A blatted bwamp and she laughed, shaking her head. Despite that, he rolled off in that direction. Someone else would have recycled him by now. But Sam thought she understood.

[member="Benedict Ortega"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sam Paige"]

A frank nod and gruff thanks send Ben marching towards 3-C.

In his head the scenarios were unfolding already, one worse than the other, but that was just par for the course. Just a way for his mind to pick at a problem from different angles at the same time, while coming up with working solutions at the same time. He had his blaster, a lightsaber, a couple of knives and the Force... it should be enough depending on the problem facing him.

Criminals? Like on Coruscant?

That would be easy to deal with, but he didn't want to think of what that would mean for Sam.

Then again, this was Etti, a huge portion of the crime was perpetuated by the Mega-Corps dominating the political landscape. Maybe she had done something to piss them off... maybe she was in a work camp right now or a prison. Breaking her out of that? Far more complicated in the short and the long run.

Feth.

Ben was closing in on the freighter now- there was movement and that caused him to slow down. There didn't seem to be anyone watching the ship or watching his approach.

This could be good, could also be very bad if there were people and he wasn't noticing them.

He approached... nothing happened, but the door was open. Bad sign. His stride took him into the small cargo hold, lights were on, flickering, he took out his blaster and walked deeper into the little freighter. This was going to be a mess- Ben had no idea what the inside would look like, but what else was there to do?

 

[Sam Paige]

The interior of the ship was a disaster.

Wires ran everywhere. Panels were missing, the space behind them gutted with no clear rhyme or reason. Scorch marks, though if they were old or new was impossible to gauge, pockmarked the inner bulkheads that were intact. Someone looking at it from a starting point of fear of the worst would see exactly what they were expecting to see.

But halfway through the ship, there would also be the ghost of voices.

*****

"Thank you, Pinch," she said, reaching down to accept the sockets he'd dragged over. The little droid scooted back, pulling them just out of reach again and she sighed.

"If you don't want to help you don't have to!" Exasperated, she scooted out from beneath the manifold. Sitting up, legs akimbo, she reached out to snatch the sockets. Pinch blatted rudely at her.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose, pushing her glasses up at the same time.

"I don't know what happened. But, I mean it. If I ask you for help, I'm just asking. You don't have to do anything. You are allowed to tell me no. But please don't play this game? I need that part. I'm not playing games with you. I mean it. You don't even have to stay here if you don't want. But you can."

The little mouse droid whirred indecisively for a moment, rolling back and forth. She waited, giving it time.

Suddenly it blatted rudely and went scurrying off.

Despite that, Sam smiled.

Because it had left the piece she needed there. And it hadn't headed toward the hatch. Progress was slow, but, she was patient. Leaning over, she went to retrieve the sockets.

[member="Benedict Ortega"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sam Paige"]

As he wandered closer to the core of the ship the voices started to resonate, echoing from wall to wall, it made him furrow his brows and only increased his caution.

After all, the blaster marks told him the tale he had come to expect, but Ben stopped when he suddenly recognized her voice. It was punctuated by the insistent beeping of a... droid. They seemed to be locked into a conversation. Too far yet to really make out what they were talking about, but he wasn't hearing any panic?

This was starting to confuse him.

But before he could do anything about the confusion suddenly a mouse-droid whisked out around the corner and froze once it picked up his presence with its sensors.

Bop-beep-twaaaang?

"You seem cute, little gu-" It attacked. With a loud weeeeeeeee-woooooooooooooo it charged at him, already extending a loose wire that was sizzling with static.

 

[Sam Paige]

She heard Ben's voice. Heard the particular bzzt zap zap of Pinch readying that wire (no matter how many times she fixed that, he kept redamaging it, and Sam was starting to think it was on purpose). She was up in a flash, sockets clattering to the decking. She almost lost her footing, but managed to scramble up.

Making it to the door of the engine room, she took in the scene.

Ben backed up against the bulkhead, looking like he was about to stomp on the mouse droid. Pinch menacing him fearlessly with the raw wire.

"Pinch no!"

She dashed in, scooping up the droid. It let out an alarmed woeeeeeee and in it's fear lashed the zotting wire out at her. She winced as it caught her on the forearm, but held on tight. Wheels spinning, it let out a small, inquisitive bewoop?

"Ben's my friend," she said firmly. "No attacking him."

A mournful eeewooooo erupted from the small machine and she shook her head, smiling.

"I appreciate it, but he's okay, really. Gonna put you down now. Be nice."

Blart.

"Okay, fine, just, not mean, okay?"

Beboo.

"Thank you."

Carefully, she put him down, looking up finally at Ben. Pinch wheeled back and forth, then made a soft, rude noise, more to himself than either of the humans, and went rolling back into the engine room.

She had no idea why he was looking at her like that. Probably Pinch.

"I'm sorry about him," she said, "Um.... are you.... okay?"


[member="Benedict Ortega"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sam Paige"]

He had been planning on slamming his heel into the little droid.

The only thing holding him back was the fact that the little one seemed to be protecting Sam's ship? And Ben knew how much the girl cared about droids and other machinery, they were basically like people to her, which was weird.... but he wasn't going to judge her on that.

Especially because part of him understood.

People were messy, difficult, more often than not you had no idea what they were going to do until they did. More often than not they ended up disappointing you in a lot of ways. But a droid? It was programmed to do one thing or another and that was it. There was almost no chance of surprise in that.

"Sam?" The droid wheeled away and left them alone, while mumbling digitized expletives along the way. Some of it made even him raise his brows about it.

He searched her face- any sign of distress, pain, fear... nothing.

So she was fine?

"You are okay. That- good. I am good, didn't figure you had a little guardian these days."

 

[Sam Paige]

Sam was confused and it showed on her face. Her brow furrowed and she canted her head to the side slightly.

"Um, of course I'm okay? Why- why wouldn't I be?"

She rubbed absently at the small flash burn on her arm. She wasn't angry about it- She didn't know everything Pinch had been through, but if a droid could have a post traumatic disorder, well, that little mouse droid sure had it. One of the delivery beings had suggested she wipe his memory, that it would be a kindness. But that was out of the question, something she'd never do to a droid, any more than she'd do it to a person.

"Guardia- oh, that's Pinch. He's.... um.... twitchy? Doesn't really like.... sentients all that much. Doesn't trust them. But yeah, he did kinda, didn't he?"

Not so secretly, she was a little pleased by that. Because it meant that maybe she was getting through to him.

She smiled at Ben, but it was a bit baffled.

"What are you.... I mean. It's g-good to see you but- um. Why....."

Gosh there was no way to ask him what he was doing here without sounding entirely rude.

"We talked two days ago so, um, I didn't expect to see you, you know..... "

[member="Benedict Ortega"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sam Paige"]

Slow blink.

But she went immediately onto the next topic and Benedict wasn't able to explain why he thought- Sam started to talk about the droid again, well, at least it was a slightly more... safe conversational topic. He listened, before snorting bemusedly. "Yeah, I noticed, little guy almost got the drop of me there."

Well, not really.

That didn't matter though, seemed like the least Benedict could say, especially with the way her tone went up as she thought about the implications of him protecting her.

"Two days? Sam... that was a week and a half ago." Ben didn't consider himself a clingy person, even if this entire episode was slowly making him reconsider that just a little bit. She was fine, he had overreacted... probably made a damn fool out of himself in the progress. "Send you a few messages... probably should have just waited, you were busy."

He scratched his jaw.

"I am sorry I barged in like that."

 

[Sam Paige]

A week and a half?

She blinked, head moving back slightly. An affirmative bewoooo came from behind her through the engine room door.

Two things came crashing down on her in that moment.

The first was that she felt awful. He'd been worried and no wonder! Usually they talked every couple of days, or if one didn't have time, at least shoot a quick note back when they were available. He'd come, all the way here, because he thought something had happened. So not only had she worried him for no good reason, but he'd wasted his time to come check on her and he was probably secretly annoyed by that! Which of course he would be, she couldn't blame him for that either! Her cheeks flushed slightly.

The second was that the sudden, audible grumble of her stomach told her that she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten anything.

Slight blush went to scarlet and she kind of wanted to turn around, turn on the engine, and dive in.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, looking down at her hands. "I was- I get like this- I'm not really- I was working on something- I'm really sorry Ben- I d-didn't realize. Sometimes I.... I lose track of stuff. When I'm working."

Her stomach grumbled again, louder, as if to punctuate that she had lost track of more than just talking to him.

[member="Benedict Ortega"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sam Paige"]

Another slow blink.

That.

Hmm. Benedict was the first to admit he wasn't good with people- he had been once, before failure after failure piled up and left him wondering if anything was really worth it. But this didn't seem to be someone who had been purposefully ignoring him or too busy to really react, she did genuinely seem worried about it all.

Then his attention was drawn to her stomach growling, back to her face growing red, then back to her stomach as it demanded attention.

"Looks like you didn't just forget to check your messages, when was the last time you had some real food?" Once more Benedict noticed her leaning her head back a bit, almost as if she was trying to get the droid to help her out here.

The former Jedi sighed and shook his head. "Let's go, the ship can wait, we are going to get you some actual food."

There were a lot of things that Ben had patience for, but self-neglect wasn't one of them. Food was important, it kept you going, kept you strong and capable, he wasn't gonna ask her opinion about this. Which probably would tell her how serious he was about it... after all, he was one of the few people who actually bothered to listen to her throughout all the time they had known each other.

 

[Sam Paige]

"Um. Define 'real.' "

Ben looked back, brow raised. "The kind that you have to chew on for more than five seconds, before it melts in your mouth."

She shuffled her feet.

Pinch, from the engine room, let out an exasperated rump.

*****

She insisted on a trip through the 'fresher before she'd go anywhere. She didn't take long, which was good, because Pinch never really stopped eyeing Ben from beneath the bench in the engine room, giving off the impression of a disgruntled predator lairing. Reappearing looking slightly more human and clean smelling, Sam led the way off of the ship. Pinch stayed behind, and she honestly didn't know how she felt about it.

It took her a moment of turning around in the main corridor but then she remembered where the nearest café was. It wasn't terribly busy this time of day, long after the lunch rush but before most people were contemplating dinner, so they had the place largely to themselves. Ben picked a table toward the back, settling where he could see the entrance, and Sam shrugged but didn't argue with him about it either.

They ordered, Sam pausing and then adding on extra eggs and toast.

"Caf, sweetie?"

She shook her head.

Waiting until the waitress left, she looked back up at Ben guiltily.

"I'm- I'm really sorry," she said again. "I didn't mean to make you.... come all the way out here? But. But I'm happy to see you. So."

[member="Benedict Ortega"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sam Paige"]

He ordered the same.

Not that Ben was feeling particularly hungry, because he ate during the last transit, but... more food was always good. His metabolism burned through any energy given without prompt, especially with the way he lived- constantly on the move, constantly active, it was no wonder that the army reserves had been pulling their hairs out when watching him devour things.

"If I didn't know better I would assume you just didn't react to get me to come visit you." There was humor now that they were sitting at the same table, breathing the same air and Ben knew for a fact she was okay. "Easier ways to get a guy's attention, you know."

In part it was just self-defensive snark.

Part of him wondered if he should feel hurt that she had gone through two weeks of silence, then assume they had last talked two days ago. It was probably silly, after all... they weren't anything to each other, right? Just friendly, just... friends, even if he wasn't a droid. It was probably even more special considering he wasn't a droid.

"It's alright, Sam." Ben brushed it away just as his hand landed on hers without him realizing it, until it happened. "I am just glad you are okay."

 

[Sam Paige]

Her eyes widened in very clear concern and alarm.

"I didn't- I mean- that's not what I- I didn't mean to- that wasn't what I was trying to-"

It took her a minute to realize he was teasing her. She flushed, looking down at her hands. It was something her sisters liked to poke at, how seriously she took things, how hard it was for her to notice subtle humor. She was used to it, knowing it was something wrong with her, not with everyone else and how they joked. At least she recognized it, so she could appreciate her sisters for that at least?

Then his hand came down on hers and she looked up, smiling at him.

Sam didn't have a lot of friends. There were people she liked that, she thought, liked her. Tegan. Yvanna. But Ben took the time- not just to come check on her when he thought she was in trouble, but in the little things. Letting her finish what she was saying, even if she was stumbling along, rambling beyond any reasonable person's attention span. Only her gram had that much patience for her. That and machines, but that was different. She didn't have that level of awkward with droids or engines. She squeezed his hand, trying to find some way to let him know that she appreciated him.

"Thanks," was what came out instead.

Food arrived, including a cup of caf that the waitress winked at her and said in a low, sweet (kind of condescending) tone that it was on the house and Sam helplessly thanked her and took a sip.

And immediately made a face, nose and cheeks all crumpled up and tongue sticking out.

"Blech. How do people drink this stuff?"

[member="Benedict Ortega"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sam Paige"]

The flush was cute...- no, she was cute.

It was when she looked up, dazzling smile shining, that Ben finally realized that he liked her.

Oh boy.

"They don't if they don't like it, Sam." He send a foul glance at the retreating waitress. He hadn't missed the slight condescending tone and would have said something, if not for the fact that his feelings were all out of whack right now. Was Ben even being rational right now? It was a difficult line to walk here. "You know, you can refuse if you don't want it."

He pulled his hand back, before it became awkward (might already have become awkward) and tried to focus his attention on his plate.

Failing.

This was nonsense.

 

[Sam Paige]

Sam didn't notice his discomfort. Ben wasn't someone who wore his heart on his sleeve to begin with, and subtle signs were very likely to go unnoticed by the redhead in general. Not because she didn't care, they simply flew in beneath the radar. She noticed when he removed his hand, but since she'd thought it was just a friendly gesture and hey, food was here now, it wasn't particularly noteworthy.

She put the caf down, rotating the mug a corner turn absently, aligning the handle with the edge of the table.

"I know- but she went through the trouble? So. I mean. I could try it again. I didn't want to be rude."

She paused, her stomach positively roared, and she set to the plate of food in front of her. They ate in silence for a few minutes, her attention entirely on the food because by the maker was she hungry. Hadn't even fully realized how much until she actually started eating.

"So. Um. Have you...."

She paused, not having any idea how to smoothly segue into something that what had been rolling around in her mind for the last two weeks.

"Heard about what happened? On Serreno?"

[member="Benedict Ortega"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sam Paige"]

"Ain't rude to stand by your own wants, Sam, just good sense." He dropped it after that, though.

Ben wasn't her father, brother, not her teacher or anything else. All that he could do was give her some advice and his perspective on things, if she wanted to take that? Use it? Great, but in the end the only one who could change her movement was herself. If she wanted to- he saw how unhealthy some of her tendencies was, but she was an adult. They were friends and that meant he had to carefully walk the thin cord between caring and becoming overbearing.

Difficult things.

"Yeah. I was there." Another failure- he had given his services to one of the Great Dukes of Serenno, training his guards, setting up a way to stand against the Sith and push back against the tide. Instead that Duke had become... insane.

The green-skinned woman with honeyed words and promises.

But Ben had no proof and she disappeared soon after delivering her brand of 'salvation', the problems had started soon after. "The Sith need to be stopped... just unsure how to do that at this point."

 

[Sam Paige]

She was halfway through her food, and slowing down finally. A pause, and she looked up at him when he said that he was there. There was something in her eyes that might be a surprising. A certain gleam. She wanted to ask him half a million questions, but something about the way he said it kept her in check. But there was that look in her eyes that, until now, had mostly been reserved in his experience for when she started talking about engines and got lost in the ramblings.

Sam nodded, still holding her empty fork in the air, more like a weapon than a utensil for a moment the way she motioned with it.

"Yes!" she murmured, "But the Silvers won't. Or can't."

And just like when she spoke of machines, her stutter evened out, voice reaching an almost normal, conversational level.

"So I'm going to."

She saw the look on his face, only understood it part way, and hurried on.

"I can't stop them Ben," she said, her voice low and earnest. "But there are people there. Serreno. Telos. Mygetto- all of them! Not just people who found safety in the Dominion, but more- people that are at risk, and need a way out, Ben."

She fidgeted slightly in her seat, a certain barely constrained excitement, the need to be doing something, coursing through all of her nerve endings.

"I mothballed the Messenger," she explained in a rush. "Too big. Too weird. I mean, that's why I like it, but it's just too much. The transport I got is better. After I'm done, I'll be able to fit up to fifty people total. Or twenty, if I can only use the smuggling compartments I'm adding in."

That explained all the gutted panels finally.

"I'm going to get them out, Ben," she said firmly. "I can't stop the Sith, but this? This I can do."

[member="Benedict Ortega"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sam Paige"]

Head tilted.

His first thought was to ask her if she was crazy.

Then his second thought hit him: was this not exactly what he had wanted with the Compact? A place where people could join in? Join the fight and take it to the Sith and other Darkside threats? Why would he be against this? Because he cared about her. Which made it a selfish feeling and Ben couldn't afford selfishness.

Not when the stakes were this high.

"I love it." They couldn't fight against the Sith. Not on their own and not with the Silvers dragging their heels, but they could find other... different ways of fighting them.

Step for step, until they broke apart.

Because that's what Sith did in the end.

None of them lasted for long, because all of them were hungering for power and that countered any attempts at unity. The very existence of a Sith Empire was paradoxical to what they stood for. "I am impressed, Sam, very impressed." Nose wrinkled. "Slightly concerned? But I think it's great you came up with this."

And what was Ben doing in this time?

Nothing.

"Do you..." He pushed some of the eggs around as he thought about it. "...want my help?"

 

[Sam Paige]

She didn't say anything while he spoke. But she sat up a little straighter, breathing in through her nose as her chest rose slightly, her eyes getting wider and wider behind the glasses. She leaned back in her chair, the emotions on her face clear as just that, emotions, but entirely too muddied to be certain exactly what they were when they weren't all mashed together.

He didn't get an answer with words. Not at first.

Instead he suddenly got an armful of excited redhead hugging him.

Sam wasn't big on physical affection, or casual touch. But the pride and excitement that he not only liked her idea, but approved and wanted to help? It short circuited something in her and she just did it without thinking.

"Yes!" She said, face buried in his shoulder.

To someone looking from the outside, the assumption that he'd just asked her to marry him and she was accepting would have been better than what they were actually talking about.

She pulled back when she realized what she'd done, face bright red and expression beyond self conscious.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have- without. I should have asked. I mean.... um. Thanks," she said, a little shyly. "It- it means a lot.... what.... what you just said, I mean. And I'd like your help- I think- I think it'd be better. With you."

[member="Benedict Ortega"]