First Reply Ghosts on the Road

[Zee Caromed]

Zee leaned out of the engine enough to give the large green woman a mildly incredulous look, though his antagonism softened slightly. There was a rope somewhere, and this woman sounded like she was near the end of it. It made sense, in a way - hardened mercenary with a sputtering lightsaber, knocking over a two-bit smuggler with a shivheap garage in the middle of the night? Times were tough out there. If the woman was a goon, she could have just killed him. Or the bossman. She hadn't. She sounded tired. She'd mentioned feeding mouths, of only knowing how to do so with violence.

Someday, he reflected, his tendency to start building a narrative around people he barely knew was going to get him killed.

"You like watching?" Zee asked as he pushed himself up again. Was the glamourshot bent back strictly neccessary? Absolutely. Professionals had standards. "I'll tell you the same thing I tell everyone else who likes watching - you get a better look up close."

Scooting over, Zee made room for Vendra Vane to join him at the engine compartment. "The big, exciting bit is behind this intake manifold, here. This supplies air to the engine, keeps things moving smoothly." He indicated, tapping on a series of pipe-organ tubes. "Think that's one of the parts you mentioned behind it. Big, trapezoidal knot of electrical and such, latched onto the wire harness like a tumor."

He offered Vendra a hydrospanner. "You wanna learn how to strip the good bits out of an engine, get this done quick?"

 

[Vendra Vane]

After some hesitation, Vendra approached the engine compartment and ducked her way in.

She had heard of all these parts before, but never had to consider where they were or what they really looked like until she was up close and side-by-side with an expert. When he pointed at one of the suspicious parts, she eyed it with curiosity.

He offered Vendra a hydrospanner. "You wanna learn how to strip the good bits out of an engine, get this done quick?"

Again, there was hesitation. A sharp drop in her heart said this was a trap. She'd let her guard down and he'd screw her over, and yet another part wanted to trust Vivi. Am I stupid? She thought to herself. A fool? She continued the internal scolding. Her fingers wrapped around the hydrospanner.

She nodded. "I guess I have no choice," she had nothing better to say.

The Mirialan sighed. What the hell am I anymore?

Zee Caromed

 

[Zee Caromed]

Vendra Vane

"You always have a choice." Zee promised earnestly, with all the gravity his voice could muster. "I'm glad you're making this one, though."

Back inside the engine casing, Zee was all to happy to explain every step he took. The svelte man's fingers worked with casual speed and surety, deftly weaving between warm components and hot wires to work whatever angle he needed to. Every so often a bolt or a fastener would require a bit more force, and while Zee was happy to brush these off on his lovely assistant he did occasionally need to flex a little. By flexing a little, in this case. He had definition when he worked it, and could bring slightly more strength to bear than his slight frame would suggest.

With the two of them aligned towards the same goal, he was also remarkably less catty. Zee filled the silence with cheerful conversation or explanations if allowed.

Before long, the two of them had extricated almost 20kg worth of premium parts from the engine of the old prodracer, all collected neatly in an old metal box. "That's - about all of them, I think." Zee explained, offering a weary smile as he wiped his forehead off again. "G'head and take stock, lemme know. There might be one or two in the swoop over in the corner, but they looked like normal junk. Probably not what you're looking for."

 

[Vendra Vane]

"You always have a choice." Zee promised earnestly, with all the gravity his voice could muster. "I'm glad you're making this one, though."

"Don't tell me--you're a trained therapist as well?"

Vendra did her best to follow along, despite her demeanor. In fact, she seemed rather inclined, even if she didn't show it. Nor did she protest at the yapping, though she remained largely silent save for the occasional 'mhm' or nod to prove she had been listening along.

By the end of it, she was surprised by how much they managed to get done and had a newfound appreciation for garage work. If this was just part of it, then she underestimated the demand. No wonder they couldn't keep a quality mechanic aboard their ship anymore. Well, that and the quality of the slop they served in the cafeteria got worse and worse over the years.

"Thank you," she said as she began sifting through the parts.

There was some hope in her eyes and then... "Nothing," she said, more disappointed than upset.

Was the whole thing a lie? Did he stash it away elsewhere? The Mirialan turned her head to the nearby swoop.

Her heart sank.

Maybe the parts were there. Maybe they weren't. Somehow, it didn't matter anymore.

"I didn't expect this." She said flatly.

Truly, it was a response to everything.

Zee Caromed

 

[Zee Caromed]

Having somebody to talk to and teach made the work fly by compared to when Zee had put all that junk in. In that case, he'd been more or less on his own in a hot garage, listening to the occasional complaints of a protocol droid or feeling the boss' eyes on him when he thought Zee wasn't paying attention. Overall a more pleasant experience entirely. Sure, by the time they were finished it was nearly dawn and he'd been working for... fourteen hours or so with barely a break. Zee was tougher than he looked. Admittedly, not hard.

He was, however, completely crestfallen when Vendra Vane reported that none of the parts they'd liberated were the parts they were looking for. His shoulders slumped, he leaned against the stripped engine of the podracer, and his eyes looked a little misty. Somebody looking in might've thought that it was HIS parts they were missing, and not the belongings of a woman who'd threatened him with a lightsaber only a couple of hours before.

"They aren't here? This sucks." He complained with sudden viciousness, spitting on the concrete floor of the garage.

Zee pushed himself upright, frowning. "Alright, boss. What's our move?" Zee asked intently. "We gonna cut that swoop open, or go shakedown that cheapskate bastard?" The skinny human asked with a determined huff. Whatever was happening here, he was involved in it now - and on the side of the woman he'd worked alongside and who'd paid him, not the man who'd invited him here.

 

[Vendra Vane]

Vendra stretched as she paced about the garage again. Then, she stopped. Only because he was surprisingly emotional about the whole thing, and then those words! The Mirialan blinked in shock at the complaint. At first, she didn't believe it was genuine, but given the tone now compared to before?

She internalized it as truth.

"Our next move?" She said while rubbing the back of her neck. "Even if the parts are in the swoop, I..." She stopped herself from saying more.

The Dark Jedi walked towards the garage entrance and stepped outside into the darkness. It was cold. At least to her.

Or maybe she just felt cold.

It didn't matter if he was in earshot or if he listened at all--she spoke. "I thought there was more for me. In the beginning, you know?"

"You start out, get off to a great start, you make a friend along the way... She comes back at you harder, so you think this might be a thing." She gestured vaguely at the dusty street. "But then..." A sullen tone.

"You stop for a little while. You try again, you stop. The things you do don't last as long as you remember them to. Cycles feel shorter." She unclipped the lightsaber and ignited it again. The foul thing screamed at her with rage, and she too screamed in return as she chucked it clear down the road.

The fiery blade extinguished as soon as it hit the dirt.

"I wanted more." Bitterness.

Zee Caromed

 

[Zee Caromed]

Man, she was working through some stuff. The reasonable thing to do would be to walk away from this whole situation. Zee couldn't bring himself to do that, though. Not to a stranger. Not to somebody he'd worked next to all night. Not even if she'd threatened him with that hateful junksaber. Walking away wasn't in his nature.

He let her vent, remaining a respectful distance away. Zee knew full well what somebody with Force training was capable of doing, even if they didn't have a lightsaber. When his intuition told him it was slightly safer to approach, he did so cautiously - from the angle of somebody who'd been around women who could casually backhand him through a wall if he spooked them at the wrong time.

Zee carefully placed a tentative hand on the shoulder of Vendra Vane . "...may I help?" He asked in a soft, hopeful voice. There was anguish here. Pain, bitterness, regret. A thousand compromises leading to an unfulfilling present that he just so happened to be a part of. Zee was keenly aware that he'd been blessed with advantages, and he'd spent most of his life trying to use them to give back - travelling the stars solving issues and making things to help people. While he wasn't an especially religious creature (especially considering how religious his parents were) he did believe that The Force generally put people in his path for a reason. So he could assist.

"This isn't over. This isn't the end of anything we don't want it to be." Zee promised plaintively. "If you need help, if you're stuck - if someone's coming for you. I can help. At least a little." He explained. "We both left blood on that engine, burc'ya."

 

[Vendra Vane]

"...may I help?"

Vendra didn't say a word, but neither did she shrug him off. No, she stood like a statue and just stared down the street after the blade. As if she somehow expected it to come crawling back.

"This isn't over. This isn't the end of anything we don't want it to be." Zee promised plaintively. "If you need help, if you're stuck - if someone's coming for you. I can help. At least a little." He explained. "We both left blood on that engine, burc'ya."

"Listen, Vivi..." She stepped forward and turned to face him--a hand on each hip. "I appreciate the sudden act of support."

She looked at the ground at kicked up some dust. "But what I need is to go home." Unfinished business by the tone of it.

The Dark Jedi turned and walked in the direction of her lightsaber. Yes, she was angry. Yes, it was a piece of chit. But no. She wasn't about to leave it behind. They had a journey together.

"You can come with if you like," she raised her voice without looking back. "I'm sure there'll be a whole lot more credits for you to shake out of me."

Zee Caromed

 

[Zee Caromed]

Zee considered his options for a moment, weighing reality against curiosity and his concscience. As always, the latter won out. He dashed back inside to get his ever-reliable armorweave bag and ran after Vendra Vane with... well, not all due speed. But most of the speed due. "I'm in." He promised cheerfully. "Two thousand for a couple of hours of chump work with an assistant hardly feels fair, anyway, and trust me - I'm not losing sleep over the likes of this when I can set it right."

He flashed what he hoped was an encouraging smile. And slightly apologetic. "By the by. It's 'Zee'. My name." He explained sheepishly. "Only gave you an alias because I wasn't sure if you were a psycho or not. Sorry for lying to you."

Bag over his shoulder, Zee waited as Vendra retrieved her lightsaber and then followed her off... somewhere. Wherever they were going, Zee suspected, his presence was needed. That was reason enough to be there.

 

[Vendra Vane]

"Zee," she repeated the name as if committing it to memory. She didn't acknowledge the lie at all.

She leaned down to grab her lightsaber and hesitated. The damn thing was angry with her--which was usual--but now it was seething because she discarded it. Vendra looked sullen, all-in-all. She flinched when she finally grabbed the weapon and clipped it to her belt.

Rather than let it be the mood to see them both off, the Mirialan smirked. "Oh, I have plenty of psycho in me. You just happened to find me in a good mood."

With that, she walked off in the direction of her ship and waved Zee along.

It would be quite the trip, as the Kathol Outback was far, far away.

Zee Caromed