Hello. It's me...

[Arabella Darkhold]

Months had passed since [member="Gir Quee"] had been on Artisia during this time Bella had time to think, to make plans, and finally decide to face her fear of leaving. As much as she loved her father and brother neither were here anymore and wandering around the grounds with all of the constant reminders was draining and added to her dark mood.

In her mind it was keeping her to the Sith.

It was time to step into the unknown and hope for the best. She would take nothing that wasn't hers, nothing that had not been given, or earned by her. Hyogo belonged to her father and his legacy, Garith would likely one day if he returned take over Hyogo. Bella had seen to its protection, and it earned enough that the staff would be paid and the grounds kept up for sometime.

She was ready to go to Vena. Perhaps with a stop by Alderaan.

Maybe.

But first she needed to secure a ride. She held the plastic flimsy in her hand gathering her courage once more she input the numbers and waited.

Would he answer?

Would he come?

Would he understand when she told him the truth?

 

[Gir Quee]

Lucerne Labs Shipyards, Denon

Gir strolled an observation walkway of the station, looking out through its transparent viewports to see a collection of LL-1300s under construction. He briefly came to a stop as his gaze wandered from the partially built ships and to the gleaming horizon. Light from Denon's sun glinted off the massive beams which stretched out from station's spoke as the sun's beam descended to suffuse the world's atmosphere in a warm glow. Gir glanced at his wrist chrono. It's almost morning on the world below...He briefly rubbed his eyes. And I'm still not adjusted to local time...His comlink buzzed before he heard an audible click reverberate through the otherwise deserted hallway. A low, almost growling voice began to flow out of the device.

"Mister Quee, this is Administrator Logue..."

The mere mention of the name conjured up a mental image of the muscular man with hazelnut hair wearing a precisely tailored blue suit. Gir doubted that he would ever forget his first handshake with the man. As impressive and dramatic as the man looked, Gir distinctly remembered a certain feeling of groundedness with him as well.

"...I just wanted to let you know that several messages have arrived for you. Normally, I wouldn't bother you with such trivialities, but one of them is tagged with an urgent flag, and another one seems like it might be more personal in nature..."

The man briefly paused, "Your brother has been telling me to remind you of those when they come up."

Gir nodded, "I'll be down there shortly to look at them then. Thank you Ryan."

[member="Arabella Darkhold"]

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

[member="Gir Quee"]

Bella let go of the breath she had been holding when it came time to leave the message..so...here goes

"Greetings Gir Antilles, I don't know if you remember me this is Bella from Atrisia, Bella Darkhold. I was curious if you would be near Atrisia any time soon. I'm." Feth what was she suppose to say without it sound like she was..struggling.

"it's time for me to leave Atrisia and I was wondering if you could help me do that. If you can wonderful, if not I understand. I hope to hear from you" She ended the message.

Ok she thought I did that, that was probably the hardest part asking for help. Me. Something I've never had to do in my entire life was ask someone else for help. All the tension she had felt drained away. ok.

"I might actually be able to do this" Bella looked out the window of Hyogo and the panic of what she had just done began to seep back in, "kark" she whispered.

 

[Gir Quee]

It took Gir several minutes to walk through the halls towards the communication's room. His mind wandered to who would be calling him. He had just talked to Salmakk and his wife two days ago, while he had talked to most of his inner circle of friends at the Labs several days previous to that. That left the possibility of Admiral Reshmar or one of his old Galactic Republic colleagues', but Gir doubted that they would contact him about anything that could be construed as "personal": most of his relationships with them were purely professional or political. He passed through a pair of sliding doors into the communication's room. At this early hour, the communication consoles were unoccupied except by a skeleton crew which consisted of a pair of protocol droids. They briefly glanced at him before they continued their work. Gir moved to the console on the far right which had consistently been using during his stay on the station.

After typing his login information into the command prompt, he opened the first message. He felt a mixture of surprise and curiosity wash over him at the realization that [member="Arabella Darkhold"] had sent it. He played the short message several times over, noting what he thought might be a slight strain in her voice. I hope I didn't get her into trouble. That thought bothered Gir's conscience. Even as the Republic collapsed in a shadow of its former self, so had the One Sith. Gir couldn't help but wonder with that the central authority leaving those worlds, that perhaps some political enemy had taken the chance to move against Arabella. Never one comfortable with leaving audio messages, especially about personal matters, Gir drafted a quick verbal response, edited it, and then sent it back through the subspace radio chain to the woman.

Arabella, I am several days away from Atrisia right now, but I will take the most direct route to your world. You can expect my ship to arrive inbetween two to three days from now. If there is anything that you may need in the mean time, please do not hesitate to ask me. While I cannot be with you in person now, I know people who can be present there far faster than I can be. I have not forgotten that I owe you one.

Kindest Regards,

Gir Antillies

With the message sent, Gir logged off his computer and taped a button on his cylindrical comlink.

"Administrator Logue, I will have to depart via my shuttle right now. Please have the mechanics crew go over it one more time and top off the fuel tank before I depart."

"How much time do they have?"

Gir thought about for a brief second, "Ten minutes. I will be packing my personal belongings in my cabin during that time."

"Understood. It will be ready."

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

He was several days away that worked actually and it could also work against her. Several days was a long time to sit and think.

What if he showed up to help her and she changed her mind? She didn't want to, but she was. He said there were others closer but she did not know them, well she did not really know him either but she was familiar with him.

No she would wait.

//Message - I will be waiting for your arrival. I will prepare clearance for you at Hyogo's landing area. Patiently waiting, Bella//message end

All she had to do was tell the staff someone was coming and that they would be using the family's landing area. It was currently clear of ships, it to was waiting for the return of her family. It would wait in silence now.

"Izumi, I have a guest coming" Bella wandered to find the head housekeeper to talk to her about a room for her friend in case they ended up staying a night. Also it wouldn't look right if she didn't tell the staff, though she had a feeling that a couple had an idea what she was up to. They lingered a bit longer and looked as if they had questions but refrained from asking.

[member="Gir Quee"]

 

[Gir Quee]

LL-1200 Light Freighter Java, nearing Atrisia

Gir reclined in the cockpit of the Java, watching the elongated lines of hyperspace flash past him as soft, languid music flowed out of the cockpit's speakers. Gir closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the blend of melody of the instrumentalist. It seemed that every time that he listened to the track, he noticed a new rhythm hidden underneath layers of the main theme. Minutes passed before the console chimed with a dissonance that ruined the song's melody, causing the blonde man open his eyes and lean forward towards the ship's controls. The bright lines of hyperspace disappeared to reveal Atrisia before him. Sunlight glinted off the world's atmosphere, briefly suffusing the world in a golden glow to his eyes. He gently tilted the yoke forward, taking the Java to descend towards the world. As he did so, his headset comlink crackled.

"Freighter Java, this is Atrisia Traffic Control. Please move your freighter to the coordinates that we are transmitting to you now. Your craft will be inspected for contraband and any occupants will be expected to produce identification documents. Please state the nature of your business on Atrisia and your destination."

"Atrisia Traffic Control, business is personal, to see a friend of mine. Destination is a private landing pad, sending destination coordinates to you now."

"Coordinates received. Enjoy your stay on Atrisia."

"Thank you Control."

Gir tapped a button on his console, sending an automated message to [member="Arabella Darkhold"] that his ship had arrived through to the world and was going through customs.

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

Arabella got the word there was a ship headed to Hyogo's landing pad. She wore a dress today having taken time to choose her outfit carefully wanting to give the proper impression to her guest. The light blue kimono with her hair done up into the traditional atrisian style she walked with a careful step to wait for Gir's ship to land.

She was glad that he had been able to come, and yes she was still fighting the panic that kept dragging her back to the home of her father.

She looked behind her to see the pagoda style home that she had been raised in she dearly loved the place and promised herself to come back once she had established herself, her own home, her own way in the world.

A soft intake of breath to calm her nerves, as cobalt blue eyes stared at the tarmac, and her heart thundered in her chest.

[member="Gir Quee"]

Spoiler

sorry took so long

 

[Gir Quee]

LL-1200 Light Freighter Java, Atrisia

Even after traveling in deep space for only a couple of days, he found flying through atmosphere surreal. The dark void was replaced with vivid swathes of colors; the very act of flying changed with the addition of a large gravity field. Gir tilted the yoke to the side, pulling at it a bit harder than he had during the Java's travels through space. It was a stimulating experience, yet his mind couldn't help but wander off to thoughts of [member="Arabella Darkhold"] and her message. The freighter broke through a layer of clouds, which finally presented Gir with an opportunity to see the surface of the world itself. If there was any significant upheaval on Atrisia from the events rocking the galaxy at large, he couldn't see them. Yet he knew in his heart that that was no guarantee that the planet, its people, or Arabella hadn't been affected by them. The cockpit's holo-graphic overlay highlighted the landing pad, causing Gir to rapidly decelerate the craft as he realized just how close he was to his destination. He slowly began to lower the craft to land on the pad, noting the presence of a solitary figure awaiting his arrival. That has to be her. He shook the thoughts from his head as concentrated on landing the craft. After conducting a rapid post-flight checklist, Gir sauntered out of the back of the starship wearing a pair of gray-blue trousers, a collared charcoal-colored shirt, and a leather utility belt that held up a handful of useful tools and his blaster pistol's holster. He took in a deep breathe of the fresh air as he slowly ambled towards the woman. He briefly halted and offered her a brief if somewhat stiff half-bow.

"How have you been Bella?"

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

[member="Gir Quee"]

"I've been well thank you Gir I'm extremely pleased that you were able to come, how have you been?" She stood there not moving allowing them to enjoy the moments of their greetings, she taking in his face for changes as subtle as they could be.

She would not immediately leap into why she reached out, but that he would come was a testament to his character when he offered to help if she needed it. She smiled she couldn't help it. It gave her a warm feeling to know that she might actually have made one true friend.

Would he understand what she had to say? Would he still be her friend after it? Was she really leaving?

She tried not to show her nerves though they were starting to tickle at her resolve.

 

[Gir Quee]

Gir watched as a smile creased [member="Arabella Darkhold"]'s face. That loosened the tension that Gir felt. While he wasn't entirely sure about her situation, it seemed to him that whatever it was, she seemed capable of compensating for it, at least emotionally. Knowing that helped Gir relax. He glanced briefly at the ground before looking back up at her with a wan smile across his face.

"I suppose I can't complain too much," mused Gir, "business is well, as is my life in general, I suppose..."

How to put this into words? Small talk was undoubtedly not Gir's forte, nor was talking about feelings. To be sure, there were a few people that Gir could talk to easily enough, trusted comrades in arms and the extended family of Lucerne Lab's inner circle, but that was an openness derived from shared challenges and good length of time spent among them. He fervently wished for that feeling of open trust between them now, yet in a sense, he knew that his own actions were the very reason why he didn't feel it now. Arabella knew Gir Antillies, freighter captain with an involvement in a distant corporation, not Gir Quee, one-time officer of the Republic and CEO of Lucerne Labs. Rather than awkwardly wait for the moment, Gir opened his mouth, abruptly shut it, and then opened it again.

"I don't mean to intrude too much into your personal life..." started Gir, briefly hesitating, "and if you're not comfortable sharing, I'll understand...but is there a reason for you leaving home?"

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

Why was she leaving home? Izumi had asked her the same question, Bella looked down embarrassed she had felt he would ask her this question having seen how much she loved her home before, during his visit.

She had only one thing to hide, and it played only a part in why she wanted to leave.

"This place, Hyogo, " She looked up, "this place is my father's and will one day belong to my brother, as I see it. My father has 5 children" She thought about Faith, Alyesa, Theo, and Garith. How odd they all were, how...alike.

"With 5 children it is hard to leave a single estate. But my sister recently acquired an estate on Vena, she says I am welcome to have it. That I can do whatever I want. She wants me to knock down the old house and build a new one, something about eliminating bad history."

Bella exhaled, "I want a life that I can build, and show as my own. Here I am always a daughter of house Togashi, I want to be Arabella. I want to be seen as Arabella."

And she wanted to escape her own bad history as a Sith, and move forward to become more, to become a master of her own destiny.

[member="Gir Quee"]

 

[Gir Quee]

Gir nodded in understanding. As a single child from his biological parents, it was not something he had ever to worry about from his human parents. But his mon calamari family that had adopted him provided him with some insight into a similar position. Mabettye and Nasrabi had already had that talk with Salmakk, Deshet, and himself. As close-knit as we all are, it was awkward...I can't imagine it being any more pleasant if it's not split equally among the heirs...but that's tradition they are used to, I suppose. The blonde man briefly looked down at the ground before looking back up to [member="Arabella Darkhold"].

"I suppose being a member of a noble house brings not only some privileges, but some confinements as well," decided Gir, "but I am glad to hear that nothing too ill has befallen you. When did you want to leave for Vena?

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

"I think I should leave quickly before I change my mind. I"m scared, I'm unsure and I know if I linger too long I could change my mind. I have a few things to attend to and then whenever you are ready.."

She felt a deep seeded feeling of obligation to be honest with him to let him know her past, her other reason for wanting to leave, "Gir do you believe people can change you know go from associating with the wrong people to do good by being with the right people? I Know what I am saying is confusing, misleading,and odd perhaps."

She looked at him trying to read his face to see further than just the surface did she make sense or just make things worse?

"This is home." she didn't know how to explain all of it to him. She wanted him to understand.

[member="Gir Quee"]

 

[Gir Quee]

Gir blinked. She isn't fully committed to a course of action, but she wants to make a choice...Gir had found himself in similar positions before, but those had primarily been professional. In his line of work, hesitancy resulted in deaths, and it was better to make a quick decision even if it wasn't the right one. But he wasn't sure if that professional experience translated so well to a personal issues.

But he felt better prepared to answer her actual question.

"I do," revealed Gir, briefly glancing down at the pavement before looking back up at [member="Arabella Darkhold"], "one of my mentors once told me that you become like those who you spend time with. The more time you spend with them, the more you become like them. He told me that when I had started a new chapter in life by attending a professional school. I really think that he was trying to keep me away from the bad crowd there when he told me this, but I guess I interpreted more positively to find the right people to hang out with."

He let a rueful smile briefly grace his face.

"I guess I'm not sure if they were the right people in retrospect, but I am happy where I am now. If you think that you will be happier somewhere else, I think you should take it," offered Gir, "if you have some things to attend to, I might briefly take the Java over to the local refueling station to top of her tank. Unless you'd rather be with me there, or have me around here for the moment."

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

She had to agree that the people you are around often influenced behavior and attitude, she returned the rueful smile.

Did she have things to attend to, "I have some things, and I think I'll be happier I just.."she stared at the ground the things she had to do, could they make her change her mind? Could she do them from someplace else?

She closed her eyes, "Maybe we should just put my things on the ship, and I will just go with you." Fear climbed up using those razor sharp claws on her insides. She wanted to cry she wanted to, be free. She wanted a life.

No she would go. She picked her head up brushed the few strands that had come across her cheek, she tried to hide her feelings, tried to put on a brave face and smile.

[member="Gir Quee"]

 

[Gir Quee]

"If that is what you wish," said Gir quietly.

The blonde man watched as [member="Arabella Darkhold"] swept the strands of hair out of her face. His eyes briefly lingered on her countenance before he turned his gaze towards the Java as he thought about the voyage ahead. With only himself and a droid, the ship had two free cabins which could accommodate her. Perhaps just as importantly, the ship's hold was only half full, carrying only a couple dozen, small duraplast crates packed with common goods. It was just enough cargo that he could claim to be a legitimate freight runner if they were stopped and questioned, but it left plenty of room for whatever Arabella would choose to bring with her. That actually will be interesting to see...what do you take, or not take, with you when you try to move on? Perhaps being more of the sentimental type, Gir knew that would be a hard task for him. He wondered if she had thought closely about what she would bring with her.

"Perhaps it's just the freighter captain in me, but have you thought about what you are going to bring? Or should I say, how much?" asked Gir, "I've got plenty of room on the ship right now that I could probably accommodate a bunch of furniture or other larger items, if you would like to do so..."

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

She could answer that with certainty, "Yes I have my clothing, my books, some reminders of home and my heritage, a couple pieces of furniture, it comes down to about 5 small crates and one large for the furniture." Anything else she would have to buy, replace, and earn.

She was only taking that which was hers to take, that which had particular meaning, or that she could not bear to be parted from. Course she felt like she was tearing her heart from her chest by leaving for all she had ever known was right here.

She looked at Gir again, "I hope it's not too much" Course...if he said it was..what would she leave behind? She should have asked how much room he had available. "Oh and I can pay for the fuel."

[member="Gir Quee"]

 

[Gir Quee]

"Not at all," replied Gir, "we should have plenty of room for that."

The blonde man tapped a button on his comlink, which caused an almost pristine ASP droid to lumber down the ship's ramp to join them. While not a remotely impressive droid, it possessed enough knowledge and strength that he felt comfortable with it moving his own cargo. But perhaps I'm presuming too much into thinking that she will be comfortable with it. He glanced at the ground before looking up at [member="Arabella Darkhold"].

"This is Hobbs," said Gir, introducing the droid, "perhaps not the brightest droid, but I find him useful for hauling and moving things around. If you would like either or both of us can help you with moving your belongings into the Java."

 

[Arabella Darkhold]

[member="Gir Quee"]

Bella nodded to Gir and then to the droid, interesting it was a robust droid built for lifting. She had this thought suddenly that her life had not amounted to very much at this point if it could be summed up in a few crates and furniture. Oh. well. She half smiled sort off.

"The droid would be sufficient to move things, but if you choose to help I wouldn't say no." She glanced over at Gir, "Do you find this awkward Gir?" she had to ask, did she find it awkward? She found it..difficult not awkward.

She found it terrible that she had to ask someone she barely knew to help her and that she felt like she was sneaking away like a thief in the night. This. Just had to make her feel better to start a new life with a secret just, felt wrong, all wrong.

 

[Gir Quee]

Do I find this awkward? Gir considered the question for a brief moment. He was far from an expert statesman or a politician of any sort, yet his experience told him that this wasn't one of those moments where he could offer a glib or careless response. [member="Arabella Darkhold"] was going through life transition after all, and in doing so, she had appeared to have made herself somewhat vulnerable to him in the process.

"Yes and no," said Gir, carefully considering his words, "I think that there is an element of awkwardness to this all simply because we don't know each other terribly well, at least not yet. But at the same time, I don't think that the situation itself is all that awkward, only our responses to it can make it awkward. I imagine that the further on we go with this, the less awkward it will become."


http://starwarsrp.net/topic/39779-gir-quee/