I Need More Ramen

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Kurt flailed slightly, perhaps a bit comically, and then felt himself being torn along by Kinsey.

There were still many, many questions in the back of his head and admittedly he was on the verge of throwing out about a thousand curses as they suddenly broke out into the hallway. Just as suddenly as he had been torn along however Kinsey let himself go, one of the other men coming into the scene and Kinsey began to fall.

A curse escaped his lips and then he shouted. "Hang on!"

Kurt said as he caught his bearings and suddenly bolted down the stairs, his foot crashing into the gang members head and his hands suddenly reaching down to grab Kinsey and yank her up and to her feet. They needed to run, he still wasn't clear why, but they needed to run.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"WhooOOOP," she yelped as she felt herself yanked to her feet. The Keenjay member groaned on the stairs, blood sputtering out of his nose and mouth from Kurt's foot. Legs pumped beneath her.

"Come on," she grunted, boots touching the ground the right way. There were angry shouts behind them as the other gang-members rounded the corner to see their buddies incapacitated. The college doors swished open and her feet pounded down the steps. There was a flashing light down one of the hills. Must be campus security.

Frex, she hoped they had guns.

Finger came up as she pointed at one of the swoop-bikes. "There. You got a ship flyboy? I can explain more on the way."

She figured he'd just wait for campus security and be done with all this. Wouldn't blame him one bit.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"uhhh." A ship?

No he did not have a ship, well technically. He had given The Messa to Kaile but he was pretty sure that the documents were still in his name, so the ship was technically 'his', he just didn't have it or have any idea where it actually was. Not that it mattered much right now.

"Nope." Kurt said as he ran to one of the swoop bikes and hopped on board. "Don't need one though."

Luckily these idiots apparently thought they were immune from theft, and with three switches he managed to turn the bike on. "I know where we can hide for a bit."

He may not know this campus well, but he had a few spots to tuck himself away to.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Oh plan B. That was actually good. The clan might have some pull over University space or some sort of blockade going after all this. Then again, she imagined security here was pretty tight. As long as it wasn't bought out. Should give the professor enough cover still to escape with her Vagrant Fleet partner.

"Right," she nodded and quickly went over to the other bikes, hydrospanner in hand. With a quick yank, she dug it into each bike's systems and severed their power source. That would have to do. Flipping the tool back onto her belt, she climbed on the back of Kurt's bike. The front doors swished open and angry clan members began spilling out. Red blaster fire bit into the pavement near her feet.

"Go, go, go."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

At least this was something that he could do. School had taken up so much of his time, so much of his mind that it had honestly felt like things were getting cloudy up there, but this? Flying a speeder? It was right up his alley, in fact it was probably what he was best at in the galaxy. "You got it."

He said with a smirk.

His fingers tightened on the controls, his hand twisted, and then suddenly the speeder bike burst into life. The engines flared loudly and they shot forward like a rocket. Kurt didn't bother to hold anything back, instead he pushed the bike to its fastest speed in a near instant. They rocketed off with no hesitation, immediately dodging and weaving through half a dozen trees at he took them across the Kalinda University Campus. Behind them the bikers were following, but Kurt paid them no mind.

In his eye there was only one thing, and that was flying the speeder.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Most of the bikes she cut the wires to but there were a few she hadn't had time to get to. Didn't seem to matter though because Kurt.

"HOLY FETH," arms instinctively snaked around the man's waist as she was almost whipped back and off the bike. Sandy-brown hair snapped against her face. Thighs squeezed tightly down against either side of the bike's frame. Her voice was just as quickly taken by the roaring wind. The campus went by in a blur. The whole thing reminded her of her own reckless speeder bike ride through the bazaar back when she still belonged to the deranged Sith Lord.

That hadn't ended so well.

Hopefully this would.

Or else there would be a lot of duracreet burn.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Oh it would end much better.

Kurt wasn't good at many things, in fact there was really only two, three things tops, that he could claim as a talent.

Racing was one of them.

It was something that he had been born to do, it was something he had been meant to do. Whether it was pod-racer, Swoop, or just a speeder bike. He was good at it, he was a pro at it, and no one could deny him that. His fingers tightened and they banked quickly from left to right, dodging trees, statues, and even students.

There was no thought to it, no foresight, just pure instinct.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Eyes the color of blue just before twilight with pinpricks of peeking stars watered furiously as she squinted into the wind. There was definitely a death grip around Kurt. Eyes were slits. Could she use the force? Yes. And one of the few things she was actually good at with it was astral navigation and finding the empty spaces.

But with the way Kurt was flying, driving?

Still made her stomach churn. Couldn't stop the tense, goofy smile from spreading partially on her lips. She'd always been a bit of an adrenaline junky and this little ride was fueling her addiction. Even if it was slightly terrifying.

"How much further?" She yelled near his ear, finally having to close her eyes against her better judgement.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

He didn't answer, he was too drawn in on what he was doing, too focused. This was what he was born to do, what he did best. It was an almost euphoric feeling, and for just a brief moment he felt like this was what he was supposed to be doing. There was a gratification in that he couldn't have described if tortured. This was simple, it was easy. It came to him almost as quickly as breathing. He smiled, and that smile only broadened as they suddenly began to drive straight for a towering building.

The structure seemed to loom over almost everything surrounding them, hanging high above the campus and almost reaching out towards the sky. On the other side, not visible by Kinsey or Kurt, it read "Kuhn Science Building". It was where Kurt spent most of his time on Campus.

Of course as they approached Kurt didn't slow, not one lick.

Instead he simply began to turn, and in an instant he swept the speeder bike to the right. The Repulsors screeched, and then suddenly they were torn to a jarring stop as the bike half flipped and then came back down to a resting spot just by the building, both Kinsey and Kurt sitting safely atop it. "Here."

He said with genuine joy in his tone.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Holy kriffing CHIT," teeth grit, hair a wild mess around her face. Pools of blue finally opened. Felt like her bones and muscles were thoroughly rattled and jarred. Kriff. Still felt like they were racing. Death grip finally eased off the pilot.

"Where in the stars did you learn to drive like that?"

Thighs ached and her legs trembled slightly.

HOLY FETH.

Shifting weight to her feet she went to step off the speederbike but found her legs didn't quite work yet. Instead, weight tipped to the side and she began to fumble and tip over. Fingers frantically grabbed at air.

Kark me.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Kurt reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, catching Kinsey just as he himself stepped off the bike on the opposite side. There was a broad smile on his face, and it was clear that Kurt was more than just a little bit proud of himself.

"Tatooine." It was true enough.

He had always had a natural talent when it came to speed, though of course most of his racing experience came from when he'd run the Boonta Eve races back home. He'd won the title of champion three times in a row until he'd decided to leave the planet behind. It was a fact that he was rather proud of, though one that he didn't share all that often. His smile didn't change as he pulled Kinsey back up to her feet, making sure she settled into place so she wouldn't fall again.

"Come on." He told her as he began to push the bike. "Gotta get this to the garage."

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

She hopped on one foot and with Kurt's help, managed to get her noodle-legs firmly planted beneath her. Sandy-brown hair flopped across her nose and eyes, tickling across paler features. Palm pushed the strands away.

"It's okay. I'm good." She teetered but managed to smack her hands down on the seat of the bike. "Yeah, yeah. Good to go here." The explorer straightened and took the other side of the bike handles, helping Kurt push it along.

"Tatooine. Some of the best racers in the galaxy. At least you're not lying to me this time." She snerked wondering where the kriff they were going.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Kurt mumbled something under his breath. "This way."

There was no use in arguing about his 'lying' anymore, not right now when they were being chased by gangsters. Though the mention of lies did bring his thoughts back to the map and whatever the hell reason Kinsey was actually here. He frowned for a moment and looked at her.

"Speaking of lies." He said. "What the hell is that map?"

Kurt wasn't dumb...well not completely, and he wanted to know what the kark was going on.

Especially if he was gonna be involved further.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Lips pursed and she gnawed lightly on the inside of her cheek. She didn't really know Kurt. Not really. Sure, he'd just helped her out but in a way but he probably did most of it just to save his own hide. She sighed as they wandered further around the building. She cast a nervous glance over her shoulder.

Didn't see any of the gang members. They were probably running back to the spaceport by now. Maybe some of them were laying low to circle back for Kinsey. She'd have to comm her partner in a bit and see if the professor made it to their ship.

"It's a map to something that may or may not be valuable," she said vaguely and continued pushing the bike.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"Great detail." Kurt commented as he motioned her to the left and banked the speeder slightly. As they approached the garage door located on that side of the building came up ahead of them, Kurt reaching into his pocket to pull out his student ID. He swiped it against one of the readers on the wall, a slight lag taking place until the heavy steel door suddenly jarred and began to move upward. Kurt looked around, and then pushed the speeder inside.

Kinsey followed along of course, and as soon as they were both inside Kurt took a short jaunt over towards the entryway and quickly pressed one of the buttons.

The door immediately began to fall back towards the ground. "There."

Kurt said.

"No one will be here for a few hours." He glanced at his chrono. "Classes are done for the day."

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Good," she breathed and felt her shoulders begin to relax just a little. Walking over, she switched on a few of the shop lights in the garage, taking a look around. The mechanic in her was squeeing with a bit of excitement at the amount of tools on the wall and the speeders and bikes currently being worked on.

Fingerless-gloved hands snatched up a hydrospanner, whistling beneath her breath.

"Ooooh, the latest model. Nice. Bet it cuts like a dream."

She put it back on the metallic surface of the ship table. Finding some space on the corner, she hopped up and took a seat, sitting opposite Kurt. "I could tell you more but it's probably best you don't know a lot. Plus. We hardly know each other." The explorer shrugged. Wide pools of blue caught the shop's light, making it look as though a thousand stars sparkled within their depths.

Comm crackled at her side and Dillon's voice came through.

"Kins. Got Professor Gumsworth. Increased chatter about security shutting down the local port temporarily cause of the gang activity. You got a ride back to the fleet or want me to stay?"

Fingers plucked the comm off her hip.

"Get the professor back to Wesseq. I'll sort out the rest."

"Copy that. Make it back or Brak will have my hide."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Kurt put on a rather irked expression.

"Look." She was right that she didn't really know him, but he was being chased here too. Those gangsters had seen his face, they would invariably come after him, and that meant that whether or not Kinsey liked it Kurt was involved in this. Maybe not as much as she was, but he was still involved. That meant he at least deserved to know what all of this was about, an answer that dodged his question wasn't good enough. Not anymore.

"I got chased too." He argued. "I deserve to know what the kark this is all about."

He paused for a second in thought.

Was it a treasure map? That seemed likely at this point, and with gangsters he wouldn't really be all that surprised. On Tatooine there were always rumors of treasure maps and that sort of thing, though Kurt had never really believed in that. "And who the hell were those guys?"

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Hands pressed down on the worktable behind her, leaning back. Booted-feet swung lightly beneath her. She gave Kurt a look.

"OH. You deserve do you?"

Blues rolled before settling back on the flyboy. "Keenjay clan. Run a good chunk of the spice smuggling ring. I'm sure they're just lackeys for a bigger syndicate. Heard rumors of a map."

She paused and stopped swinging her legs, gnawing on the corner of her lip. "I doubt they got a good look at your face. I can make it pretty obvious that I'm leaving so they can track me. And with campus security around, I'm sure you'll be okay."

Pulling out her blaster, she frowned, checking the dying battery pack.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"A syndicate." He said plainly.

Great so a little bit more than just a swoop gang. Kurt hated the idea of organized crime here on Campus. He wasn't exactly a defender of Education or anything like that, but there were a lot of good people here and they didn't deserve to get hit in the crossfire. Campus Security would be around eventually, but they weren't really equipped to deal with gangsters, mostly they just made sure drunken students got home okay and no one got into a fight.

"I kicked one of them." He reminded her. "Directly in the face."

He frowned. "Actually, two of them."

Generally, gangsters of any sorts didn't like it when you disrespected them like that, they preferred it when you...well just rolled over and did nothing. Kurt knew that because he'd been raised on Tatooine, a place that most agreed was a hub of criminal activity for the last five thousand years.

"They're gonna be after me regardless." Unfortunately.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Well," she drew slowly. "If you kicked them in the face hard enough they might not remember you." Okay, so it wasn't funny. But frex! Not like she could just invite him to the fleet. Wesseq would have her hide. Not to mention she didn't exactly trust him. Or the friends he held. All secretive and chit like that.

What if he was a spy for the sith? Or that friend of his had been? Or the karking First Order? Or the Empire?

Then again, the only one she was really worried about was the former.

"It's your choice. You should stay here. They know the professor's gone. And soon they'll know I'm gone. And the syndicate thing was just a hunch. But...." she sighed and hopped off the table, setting her blaster down. Walking to some of the storage compartments on the walls, she began looking for another energy source. "...if you're insisting on coming. We'd need a ship. And I guess....I can fill you in on more of the details on the way."