No Matter Where You Are

[Judah Dashiell]

En Route to Gala | ETA One Galactic Standard Hour | [member="Thessa Kai"]



Goopy batter dolloped on the hot pan, spreading out to form thick circles. Bubbles quickly started to rise to the surface, prompting Judah to flip the circles to keep them from burning. Throughout the Siren's Song it was quiet, save for the sound of the engines and the shower running in the refresher. Down the corridor, the whirring of wheels could be heard. Sparky was on the move and by the sounds of it, away from the galley and back towards the cockpit.


Reaching out, Judah stirred another pan to keep the fruit from sticking. Semi-mashed berries gurgled in a sugary syrup, thickening to nearly a jam. A slight smile graced his features. Should the CEO thing fall a part there was always the back up of being some type of line cook. He wasn't really that good despite what Thessa said.


In the distance, the water stopped running as he plated breakfast, pouring the berry mashed syrup across the pancakes. Glass filled to the brim with kelp juice, Judah poured himself caf. They could be married for fifty years and he still wouldn't be able to drink the stuff. Turning to turn off the cooktop, he shook his head.


"Miss Kai, breakfast is getting cold. You'll figure out where we're headed in due time." There was no need to raise his voice to be heard down the hall. Or to look. He knew the Galan far too well.


It was probably killing her that she didn't know the destination. Then again, if she knew the final stop she'd probably kill him. Gala was always a touchy subject. He'd heard from the grapevine the planet was trying to rebuild, become a jewel once more. What better time to go then now? He needed a break. Thessa needed a break. They needed some time with just the two of them. If he was lucky Thessa would realize he was only thinking of her on this trip.


Let's hope my luck doesn't run out.

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

A white-fluffy towel wrapped around her freshly moistened-form. "Mmm, smells good Dash," she leaned in the open door-frame and smiled. It was long overdue for the two of them to spend some...quality time together.

A prolonged date night.

She pushed away from the doorway and grabbed some plates and utensils, setting the small table. She leaned in next to Judah, her damp toweled form slightly brushing up against him. "Family recipe? And you sure you don't just want to tell me where we're going?"

It better not be Tatooine.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


Trying to stifle his laughter -- and failing incredibly poorly, Judah pressed the glass of kelp juice into her hand, trying to shoo Thessa into sitting down. He placed a kiss on her temple before grinning like an idiot.


"You had much more...uh...persuasive techniques last night and this morning, you should have asked then. I probably would have given up any secrets like a fool. However, you won't have to wait much longer. Less than an hour. I promise. Its going to be....interesting to say the least. Personally, I think its going to be a great time. You may have other opinions."


Breakfast hot on the table, Judah grabbed his caf and nudged Thessa gently before taking his seat. He watched her, getting back to the other question.


"Yes and no. Modified slightly, the very same recipe I used to win your heart. I'll teach Makai once he's old enough to stand longer than five seconds....and old enough not to drool in the batter. I didn't take you away to talk about the Tadpole though. I've been away a bit too often, anything exciting happen? I really need to stay at home more."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Well, I can certainly be persuasive now." She grinned and slide her toweled-form into the chair across from Judah, taking a healthy bite of breakfast. "I hope Makai is doing okay. He hasn't been without both of us in awhile," worry flashed briefly across her scale-speckled face.

She studied a bite of the pancakes for a moment on the edge of her fork. "You do a good job, Judah," voice was quiet. "I know you wish you could hang out at home more but you certainly aren't absent in our lives. Don't be so hard on yourself."

She shifted the bite in her mouth.

"I went on a mission for the Levantines and got to meet some sentient tuk'atas with some jedi master. Very interesting. It made me nervous to be around force users again." Iced-azure gaze held his eyes quietly for a moment, knowing she didn't need to say anything more.

"What about you? Any exciting business deals lately?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]



"I'm sure he's enjoying time with my Ma and sister. Probably being spoiled to death as we speak." Sure, they could have taken the Tadpole along, but it would have been a totally different trip. Judah wasn't so sure a child who was learning to walk and still drooled over everything could appreciate Gala. Heck, he wasn't sure Thessa was going to appreciate Gala.


Fork clinked against the plate as he listed to Thessa. There was no reason to argue the point. Besides, some of his plans had been set in motion, allowing for more time with the family. Her news was much more interesting than his. Sentient tuk'atas sounded much more news worthy than business meetings.


Reaching over, he gave her free hand a squeeze. "I'm sure it did, I bet you did great though. I have no doubts about that." Which of course, he didn't. Another small squeeze and he let her hand go, picking up his coffee and taking a long sip. His news was....different....but he wanted to play it off casually.


"Well...I wouldn't say exciting. I sold Sedna Mining Corp for about seventeen million. Also got a five percent stake in a subsidiary of the company that bought it. So I put the seventeen back into a new venture. The five percent stake and its profits I put into Makai's school fund. I didn't think we need to add it to our personal income. We've been living off that ten percent stake in Mara TibX comfortably. More than comfortably."


"I hired your ex-fiance to be my head of security. Never showed up for his orientation, so its back to Lady Kerrigan and Firemane to be our muscle."


"Oh, my new venture. Its going to be building spacestations, we've been having some successes with that. Going to open in Levantine space, on Tabaqui. The Heavenshield family and Firemane have been doing a lot of work there. It has potential. Quiet enough where I don't have to worry about some force coming to damage things under construction."


A soft ding echoed throughout the vessel and Judah felt them pop out of hyperspace.


"Looks like we arrived ahead of schedule."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Slow blink.

"Wait. What? You hired Hutch?"

Aqua-lips parted significantly as she stared at Judah in shock. "You. How...did he? Did you? Did he come to you for a job?"

She leaned back in her chair and finally closed her mouth. "He never showed up, huh? Why am I not surprised. And space stations?" Driftwood-brows rose. "That sounds like it would make you more busy than you are now." She grinned.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Yes, I hired him. Owed a touch of a favor. He came to me on Ceto, so you could say I was more than surprised. Either way, left me in a bit of a lurch. I really need someone who could coordinate the entire security umbrella. Probably for the best at this point. Kind of need someone on call frequently, not in and out constantly."

Judah shrugged slightly. He shook his head for a moment before grinning back.


"Not really. We've already got operations out that way. I'll do an internal hiring search and find someone to run the space station sector. Won't be any different than it was when Sedna was under our belt."


"So, are you in so much shock that you have yet to realize we're out of hyperspace?"

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"No, of course I can feel when we're out of hyperspace."

She lied. Straight-up and without blinking an eye and into the face of the man she loved. And of course she knew he knew it was a lie.

Rising from her seat, she held the fluffy-towel against her body with one hand. "Guess this means I should go and change, huh?" Iced-azure gaze looked suggestively at her husband before she turned slowly and stalked to their shared living quarters.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]



"So we've come to the point in the marriage where we can lie so casually?"


Judah could barely ask the question without laughing. If his better half wasn't clad in only a skimpy towel and making bedroom eyes at him, perhaps there would have been more teasing. While Judah was hot on her heels out of the galley, there was the small issue of being out of hyperspace and clogging up traffic lanes. Good thing he decided to bring ol' Sparky along.


"Don't start without me."


Picking up the pace, Judah quickly arrived in the cockpit doorway, sticking his semi-shaggy head inside. Sparky immediately twittered and beeped, demanding several things. Funny how the droid and its towel-clad owner were so much alike. Ignoring it since he had his own agenda, Judah quickly spoke.


"Land us somewhere nice. Doesn't matter where, although you know us, we do like a sea side locale. Use your judgement."


With that, Judah was back down the hallway and into the captain's quarters faster than a Jedi could turn into a Sith. A fluffy towel on the floor was the last thing our viewers would see before the entire scene faded to black.

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

She finally managed to roll out of bed and shimmy on some clothes. Fingers brushed through her tangled strands of hair. Propping up on the edge of the bed, she went to slide on some boots. A smirk was on aqua-lips.

"With Makai around, I don't think we've been that...crazy in awhile. Will you please tell me where we are or are you going to lead me blindfolded off the ship?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]



"Blind fold you? Whats next, using our good fuzzy handcuffs for securing cargo?" Judah smirked and pulled a shirt over his head. Yawning a little, he wondered how long her could avoid her next question. It wasn't like they could lounge around in the ship all day......probably could, but he didn't fly this far to keep Thessa distracted within the confines of the Siren. After all, there was an entire planet he could distract her on.



"Where are we? I told Sparky to land us seaside, so I imagine that's where. I mean,we are beach people. I don't think we would ever be the type to go skiing." Judah was rambling on now, lacing his shoes. "Anyways....is the destination important? Its the journey. I mean, we're together and thats all that matters."



Judah made sure to have enough berth between himself and Thessa before speaking the next sentence. Just in case he had to make a run for it.


"If you must know, we're on Gala. Not sure exactly what part."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"What?!" Face-paled slightly. The word Gala instantly brought memories of Daxton Bane to her mind. Suddenly, she felt weak. Hand went to the wall to steady herself.

"Is...is it even safe here?" Hand immediately went to the blaster holstered along her thigh. She knew it was a stupid question to ask Judah. He never would've brought her here if it wasn't stabilized.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

One hand bracing herself and another fumbling for her blaster, Judah arced a brow. It was as if he told her they were throwing their firstborn into a pit of despair and then fighting their way out of a death star. There was something more to her reaction though. [member="Thessa Kai"] wasn't one to balk from danger -- at least not in his experience. Judah was trying to rack his brain on her reaction, probably with a stupid look on his face in the process.



"Of course its safe. I wouldn't have brought you otherwise."


He crossed the distance and pulled her in for a half-hug, hoping Thessa wasn't going to pass out on him.


"I thought it might be nice for you to come back. See the sights you haven't seen since you were a kid." Had it been that long? Didn't they come back for Thessa's parents? Wait...no, they had found them. When they were dating. When Thessa went back to Gala and.....oh.



"Didn't think about the.....other thing.....that happened." Judah paused and felt incredibly stupid. He couldn't stand there with his arm around her like an idiot though. "Sparky, I know you can hear us. Get off this rock and I don't care that you just landed."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

She leaned into Judah. That man, that name sapping the strength from her for a moment. Arms remained clenched at her sides even as she pressed against Judah's stronger frame. She knew how her reaction would make Judah feel and she didn't want that. His husband's intentions were always...okay, not always like when he forgot to do the dishes or put on his anti-snoring strip, but usually, good to the point of being paved in gold credits.

"No, no, wait," voice whispered against the side of his neck as the petrified feeling began to ebb out of her system. Very slowly. "Wait, Sparky," voice croaked and her iced-azure gaze timidly connected with her husband's.

"I don't want Daxton to take this away from me. From us. I don't want him to own this too." She took a trembling breath, frustrated that Judah had to see her like this - weak. "I want to see it. I have to see it. I want to remember all the good memories I had, growing up here, too. Before...before sith psychopaths. Please. Please Judah."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]



Judah was patient, giving a smile when her gaze connected with his. This was something he'd never been able to be a part of -- the Daxton Bane saga. Thessa had kept her mouth clamped shut and never talked about her experiences. There was only guesses at what had happened. He wasn't sure of what could be a trigger for something more dark in terms of emotions and thoughts. It was going to take a bit of delicate navigating on the planet in order to avoid such mishaps.


Rubbing her back with his free hand, an idea popped into his head.One that should keep the darker parts of Gala at bay.Judah paused before gently navigating the conversation elsewhere. He knew Thessa well enough not to linger on this, as his poor wife hated any sign of weakness. He was quite surprised she was showing this much emotion about the situation in fact.



"Sounds like a plan. I've never been here, why don't you guide us around then? I don't even know where we are really....I've been cooped up in ships and enclosed spaces far too long. How about we hit the road then, huh? Take in the scenery, stretch the legs."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Okay," she took a shaky breath and pulled away from him, just enough to see his face and to connect her iced-azure gaze with his. "I can do that. We can do that." She stared at him quietly for a moment. "You know I don't deserve you, right?"

Before he could say anything, she wrapped her arms around his sturdy-frame and hugged him tightly.

She stepped back but kept her hand entwined with his, fearful that if she broke that connection she wouldn't be strong enough to step outside the ship. She walked with him out of the ship and onto the sandy beaches. "You do spend too much time indoors." A timid smile pulled at her lips as she tried to regain a sense of normalcy. "I'm worried you'll develope a vitamin D deficiency or turn into a vampire."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]



"You don't deserve me? I'll remind you of those words next time you complain about my snoring."


Judah gave an easy smile, squeezing her hand tightly. They stepped out of the relative darkness of the Siren and out into the technicolor dream that was Gala. White sand. Turquoise waters. Warm sun beating down on them. Judah could certainly see why Thessa didn't want to move off Ceto, it must have reminded her of home in a good way. Gala without all of the emotional baggage.


"Vitamin D deficiency or vampire? That is a large range to jump from....I'll try not to take off my shirt in public. Don't want to blind anyone." Judah grinned at her,completely amused. His eyes scanned the surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary thus far. Seemed to be a little quiet on their stretch of beach but it was a week day. Mostly older men fishing along the shore it seemed.


Gaze turned back to his wife.Judah moved closer, nudging her shoulder.


"I'm beginning to think I fall in love with you more each day Mrs. Dashiell. Pretty sure at this point I'm a hopeless case."

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

She laughed a little less nervously as the familiar surroundings still tugged at her comfort senses. "I'll keep that in mind next time I read the tabloids." She walked with him along the beach as they approached a small village. "I think I can see where I grew up, from here. I'm surprised they left the villages standing. Well, some of it standing."

Iced-azure gaze panned across the horizon as she noted a few new structures going up over the rubble of war and occupation.

So much had changed. As they walked, she pointed out familiar landmarks to Judah, telling him stories - some of her favorite memories before she left for the rebellion.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Thessa Kai"]



While some of the village was damaged, a little over half remained. All of it was abandoned.On the outskirts some new buildings were being put into place, some being remodeled. Thessa had given him the tour, pointing out a few landmarks and places where she used to go as a youngster. It was a shame he couldn't have visited when it was full of people but such was life. As they wandered over the land though he did pick up a few random things, including an odd ocean fishing lure. Judah doubted they would be back anytime soon and wanted a bit of a reminder of the place. Scavenged items would have to do.


As the sun was going down, Judah had broken away from Thessa to do his own exploring. Take a few holos, that sort of thing. By now he had wandered to the outskirts of the original village and more onto the newer buildings, the new construction. It seemed out of place to him, in stark contrast with the raided village.


Wandering over the rubble, Judah wasn't exactly paying attention to his surroundings. Little had he known the Galan government had posted warnings about being on alert for slavers in the area. A small band of slavers had been combing the beach and rubble laden villages for stragglers and easy victims.


Entering what used to be a fish monger, Judah was poking around when the doorway darkened. Quickly, he turned around to find several imposing figures with blasters pointed at the most vital parts of his body. Hands slowly raised.


"Someone put a bounty on me?" Judah was in mild disbelief. Then again, the Dashiell family was (recently) fairly wealthy, and ransom was still a thing. Perhaps.


The largest one and most likely the boss laughed as if it was the most hilarious thing they had heard.


"Why would anyone waste their credits? We got somethin' else in mind for you." A motion with his hand and the goons fanned out. Judah was looking at his only chance to escape quickly disappearing. The windows weren't large enough to escape from due to typhoons. The door was blocked.


He went down swinging, but it was a mistake. Judah was pretty sure the goons hit extra hard. Soon enough, the world had gone black and he had been handcuffed tightly and drug out over the rubble. The goons were dragging him back to their headquarters, off to sort Judah with the rest of the slaves that had been collected. By evening, all of them were getting shipped out to auction.

 

[Thessa Kai]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

A commotion made her turn away from the sinking sun on Gala's saltwater horizon. She snapped out of her silent-musings and jogged over to see what it was. Blaster was already raised, set on stun. It took her one second to focus on the goons. It took her two seconds to hear the words 'get ready' and 'slave auction.' It took her three seconds to recognize the lifeless lump that was dragged between two of the man with a mop of not-so-shaggy but still a little shaggy hair.

Judah. I leave him alone for five minutes...

She stepped out from one of the rubbled walls she was crouching behind. "Stop right there guys. I won't warn you again." Finger pressed down on the trigger. She got one alarmed look, a high-pitched whistle, a chuckle, and a 'Hey toots!'

The bastards.

Finger squeezed down on the trigger as a sound from behind distracted her from the goons in front. Before she could turn around, an exploding pain accompanied by stars and blackness filled her version.

Sometime later she would wake up bound, next to her husband, in a musty-dark room filled with a few other unfortunate souls. Pounding-head shifted on his shoulder as she struggled to open and focus her eyes.