Pink slip

[Kaile Vera]

"You're fired."

It was all rather bleak sounding. Truth be told, Kaile kinda just stared wide eyed for a moment at the Chagrian manager of Yum Bunnies Regional Sector Manager. Her name was Chacha Lah, a rather busty blue skinned woman with a known heart of gold. At least, as long as the girls followed the rules. A rule that Kaile, well... had kinda broken.

No hankypanky with the patrons.

Yeaahh, about that.

See, what had happened is that things kinda got a bit crazy and chaotic after that fight. And well she had tried to show a little bit of gratitude to the would be hero who helped Lana. But then things kinda got out of hand...

And that storage room did have a holosecurity camera...

There were things Chacha was willing to look away, and heck, had the camera not caught on to the steamy action, Kaile would have been just fine. Had Kaile been able to get to the cameras first, fudged things a little bit, it would have been great! But.. well... things didn't quite end up as planned....

So there Kaile sat, not an hour later, in front of the docking bay of the busy spaceport with her backpack on her back, a rather wide eyed look, and Bobo's nutrient pack clutched in her hands.

She not only lost her job. But she also lost her home - ( Company apartments for this area of the sector ) and now... how the heck was she supposed to report this?!

A sigh went whooshing from her lips, and she sank her head forward. Strawberry blonde hair went everywhere while black beady eyes stared up at her from the open sack.

"Oh Bobo what are we gonna do?!"

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaile Vera"]

Kurt was unaware of Kaile's plight.

He sat in Hangar 23, his feet dangling from the edge of his loading ramp which currently refused to lower all the way. His hands were caught in the mesh of wires and hydraulics that controlled the function of the ramp. Of course, fixing the problem had proven to be far more difficult than he had originally thought it would be, apparently systems on a seven hundred year old ship tended to start breaking down.

The pilot let out a loud sigh. "Frak."

Was all that he could say.

The old VCX-820 was beginning to fall apart. Last week the hyperdrive had cancelled out right near a black hole, the week before that the engines had cut while landing on Kashyyyk and now the ramp was refusing to work. Granted, the ramp not working was small compared to the other two problems, but things were beginning to pile up to a point where they became unmanageable.

He shuttered at the thought of what would happen when the ship broke down for good.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Okay!

Well, there were a few things she first had to do. Carefully she took out her wallet and began counting her credit chips. What with what happened last night - cough - there were a few things to take care of. Personally, she wasn't quite looking forward to it, but this was a LESSON to be learned!

No getting distracted by an ass so firm you can bounce a credit chip off off!

"Ugh! Kaile how can you be so stupid!" she told herself. Honestly, this was her own fault. She should have known better. Oh but feeling the scruff made it feel as if she was being ravished by a space pirate, and well then... yeaaah.

Headquarters was likely not going to be happy with her. She would first have to find a new job; this time... without having to contact Xypher. He would yell at her -- again, she thought with a rather shifty sheepish expression.

A small movement brought her attention back to Bobo. Squaring her shoulders, she gave a nod. "Okay, so we got a bit of fluid credits. Need to first find a Med droid, then... maybe I can swing a job as a mech!" Okay, plan in motion. This was good.

That's how she ended up at Hanger 23...

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaile Vera"]

It wasn't that he ship annoyed him, it wasn't even that it had almost killed him. It was the fact that it had decided to act up right before he had a job to do. Yesterday had been a good day, a very good day, and despite the aching pain of his face he still found himself with more than a little spring in his step this morning. Yet when he had tried to take off...well his ramp had refused to close.

It was disheartening really.

it was like his ship had decided that today of all days it would not be taking off, that it would be staying stationary on this stupid trade port.

Kurt let out a loud sigh, his head tilting forward and pressing against the cold metal. He Shook slightly, his eyes finally moving up to look at the wires that he clutched between his fingers. Slowly he tapped two of them together, and suddenly the ramp jump. It lurched upward, springing and catapulting him up. His head struck the metal railing there and his finger sliced down a wayward piece of wire.

Blood dripped down his hands and a curse escaped his throat. "KARK!"

 

[Kaile Vera]

"KARK!"

The curse made Kaile jump a bit, it went echoing down the hanger, prompting a few curious glances over towards the VCX-820. Her own curious expression would follow suit, and it was with a double take that the half smushed, scruffy face of the man half at fault for her current predicament came into view. Blood was splattering on the floor, and he was holding his hand to put pressure on the digit currently lacerated by the wire. Shifting Bobo's sachel sling over her head and on a shoulder, she freed her hands and wandered on over. Curious Bobo was curious, and he quickly went climbing up her arm to settle on her shoulder, just under the fringe of her strawberry blonde hair.

"Reckon you ain't having a good day at all either," her drawl would float over to him, just matter-of-fact and out of the blue. There was no judgement in her tone, honestly, he wasn't the only one to blame. More pressing was the fact that he was bleeding like a stuck womprat now. Taking the small bandana wrapped round her neck, she tugged it off. With a snap, the fabric unwound, and the young woman went over to Kurt's side.

"Let's see here," she said off the get go, extending her hand out to take his wounded one.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaile Vera"]

Kark.

Rule number four, broken.

He hated when that happened, though it didn't happen often. They weren't supposed to see the ship, once they did...well, the mystique was ruined, not to mentioned they knew how to track him. There weren't many VCX-820's left in the galaxy. The ship was easy to find and anyone with half a brain could track him down. One woman had done so in fact...that conversation hadn't been too pleasant at all, which was why rule number four existed.

Oh well.

What was done was done, no need to be mean about it now. Maybe he could keep her attention on him, not the ship. "Nurse joy."

Kurt said the name with a smirk on his lips, though it was half false. He didn't know what kind of woman she was, and if she had tracked him down to the hangar on purpose. A shutter ran through his entire body as he thought of what a situation that could become. Nobody liked the idea of being chased by crazy, though oddly enough, he hadn't noted any crazy in her eyes yesterday.

His lips thinned for a moment, but then he shook his head by a milimeter and continued speaking.

"What a pleasant surprise." Silver tongue went to work. "Come to heal me of all my woes again?"

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile gave a rather sheepish grin. That was about the time Bobo would poke his head from under the fringe of her shoulder length hair. Black beady eyes would stare almost in judgement at the scoundrel.

Black. Beady. Eyes.

"Heh, no." Kaile said, glancing down to finish tending to his wound by wrapping the handkerchief in a neat knot. Heat colored her cheeks a bit pink, "Looking for a job actually..." her nose gave a slight scrunch, and she would rub it with her other hand.

"There you go!" she said, glancing back up at him. "Just get yourself a medkit and some synthflesh and you'd be fine. Might even leave a scar," she flashed him a teasing wink, drawing her fingers back to hook them on the straps of her backpack.

That's when her chocolate brown eyes went panning over to the VCX-820, "Golly..." she said in mild awe, moving forward to get a closer look. "Haven't seen one of these old girls in ages!"

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaile Vera"]

Oh no.

There was a sudden sinking feeling. Her words had been in passing, but he knew what the cause was. Unlike some pod racing champions Kurt wasn't an idiot. Sure he was good looking, sure he had a great ass, but he also had smarts. He knew exactly why she was looking for a job, and he knew exactly the reason why she was looking for one. Sure Nurse Joy could have looked at her manager and beat the crap out of him, sure she could have punched a customer in the mouth and called him a punk, but for some reason Kurt doubted that Nurse Joy had done either of those things.

No.

No he knew why she had been fired.

"Looking for a job." He repeated the words, looking up at his ship as she talked about it. "Any leads?"

The pit in his stomach only increased as he thought about what the terms of this meant. He knew what was coming, he knew what was about. He may not have been a hero, but he was a nice enough guy on most days.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


Bobo's head would give a slight bob as Kaile would give the old girl a gander, "Huh? Oh!"

A slight shrug then another sheepish grin, "As good as any," she said, but would quickly shift the attention back to the freighter. "Ain't seen a Vee Cee Ex in a lonng while." she gave a low appreciative whistle. "Practically a small warship with all the goods." like a curious child, she would wander over closer, scrunching her face and looking around. She headed towards the jammed ramp. frowning at how it was stuck a half mast.

"Can't find much parts for it tho, if I remember right." she told him. Her brown eyes went tracing the exposed wires, the blotched splices, and the console where it all lay. "'Course you can do just fine if you just get a bit inventive."

Frowning, she would lean forward. "Huh," bold as you would, she took a small hydrospanner clipped to her bag. With a small flip of it, she caught it and continued on, "Though I reckon it gives a few aches and pains now and then."

That's when she began to mess with the wires herself.

"Power couplings tend to burn right on through too if I remember right."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaile Vera"]

He bit his lips. "They fired you?"

Kurt knew everything she was saying about the VCX. He himself had patched up this ship more than once. The ability to do so had practically been part of the requirements for the job. Kurt knew the systems of the ship inside and out, they were just annoying as kark to fix. Of course he could do it, he knew exactly what was wrong with the ramp in fact, his hands were just too big to actually fix the problem without much issue. He watched her, not stopping what she was doing.

"Yeah." Kurt agreed with her. "It's an old ship, from the original production line, no Idea how they kept it going this long."

He paused for a moment. "Isn't mine. It's contracted out to me by the company."

Truthfully Kurt would have preferred to own his own ship, but he simply didn't have the money for that. His job didn't pay too much, and the winnings he had gotten from the races on Tatooine had mostly gone towards his parents so they could be more comfortable. Besides, in the end the VCX hadn't been too bad, he hadn't gotten killed in it and the ship had served him just fine over the last few years, only the occasional breakage problem.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


There was the growth of a sheepish grin and Kaile kept her eyes downcast.

"More like..." she began, working the wires and using the servospanner. "...Promoted to customer." well that was one way of putting it. "Now they have to live with my customer service reviews, and let me tell ya," a splice of a wire, a twist. She had tiny hands to get to it all. Then she gave a shake of the spanner in her hand as added emphasis,"I'm one tough cookie to impress!"

That she would make light of the situation was probably what would drive the seriousness of the situation home. Again, it didn't help matters that Bobo was still staring at Kurt with those judging, black, beady eyes. One could even imagine him sticking his little neck out more, narrowing his gaze at Kurt.

Yeah. You did this, bud!

Or maybe that was just a figment of Kurt's imagination. Either way, there was a sudden spark in the console, and then the sudden groan of the ramp as it jerked to life. "OH!" Kaile gave a little jump, startled for a moment before beaming a sunny grin. Hydraulics kicked in, and the hiss and subsequent hum of the ramp slowly folding down.

"Not too shabby!" She finally glanced up at him, giving him a delighted smile.

"Should do you right now."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaile Vera"]

He briefly glanced at the lizard before looking back to Kaile.

The ramp that he was sitting on slowly began to lower until his knees were completely bent and he found himself looking up at the young woman. It was at that moment that he realized he didn't even know her name. Part of him felt bad, maybe even a little guilty. Though the two of them had made a conscious decision he was well aware that were it not for him, that decision never would have been made. He frowned slightly, looking passed her for a few seconds and into the hangar. He was hung up on the crowd there.

The Trade Station was huge by any standard, massive enough for nearly fifty hangars and thousands of people. One could live their entire life on this station, in fact, he wondered if woman before him had. The former podracing star knew absolutely nothing about her, not her name, her past, not her background. About the only thing that he did know about her was that her vocal cords worked very well and her cup size.

That seemed a tad shallow. "So uhh."

Kurt trailed off, not quite sure where he was going now. Of course the ramp was now fixed, so he could get underway, unless something else broke of course. The old VCX was acting up more than usually lately, and he wasn't quite sure that everything would run so swimmingly.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Reckon you should be good now," Kaile would say right after, giving a flip of her servodriver and a flash of a cheeky grin.

"Just needs a little love," she would clip the tool back onto the hook by her back pack. A shrug and a chuckle would ensue afterwards, "Or smaller hands." she teased, lighthearted for someone who was in a situation such as she. These types of ships were just as much like humans. They all had their pain points; some bits just needed a little extra care. The old girl seemed as if she was taken care of well enough. Considering how many years she had on her at least.

Rocking on her heels, she gave a nod and then would pan her attention back over to him.

"Well," that's when her left foot took a step back. Then the right. Backpedaling in a slow gait,"You take care now then."

Black, beady eyes would glare judgmentally in complete contrast to the warmth in Kaile's own.

"Bye Kurt."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaile Vera"]

"Wait." Oh he could have kicked himself.

In that moment he wanted to scream. He wanted to jump off the ramp, run up it, and into his cockpit to immediately leave the Trade Station, and Kaile, in the dust. Every single nerve in his body told him to move, every single vocal cord in his throat tried to get him to clamp his lips shut and not speak. Yet the part of him that was innately human, perhaps the part of him that his mother would be most proud of, suddenly decided that it was a good idea to engage Kaile further.

"Do you have a place to stay?" He asked sheepishly. "While you look for a new job I mean."

He knew that some of the girls at Yum Bunnies lived on Company housing, if only because more than once he had been taken back(secretly) to that company housing. He wasn't sure if it was the same for Nurse Joy, but if it was...well then he had not only gotten her fired, he had also made her homeless. That thought made his stomach turn, mostly because he was still a moral man, despite what so many in the galaxy might have thought of him.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Hmm?" Kaile spun on the ball of her foot, giving a half turn of her torso back at the Tatooine native. There was an expression of curious expectation, of a pause to see what he wanted. That's when his question hit. Again, that rather sheepish expression, a shrug of her right shoulder. Bobo's head would bob for a moment, hiding under the shelter of her hair before appearing anew.

"Ahh..." she began, not quite sure how to start out. "It's a pretty big station!" Not a direct answer but one all the same. On this station, it was company housing for the Yum Bunnies of this Sector. Or well, had been.

"I'm not worried about it." she added, continuing her slow back step. "You should probably get going though." she reminded him.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

Well, that answered that question. He hadn't really been sure if he had wanted to know the answer, but he supposed he knew it now. Part of him wondered if this had been some sort of plot by her, part of him wondered if he was being fooled or tricked. Nurse Joy didn't seem the type of girl to do that, nor did her lizard, with his judgy eyes. Yet the cynic in him knew that perhaps he was being played. Kurt frowned slightly, lips turning down into a scowl until they eventually were pressed into a thin line.

Suddenly, just as the idea of simply leaving crossed his mind, the words of his mother echoed through his ears.

Don't let a girl go home alone.

Part of him reasoned that this situation didn't even apply here, Nurse Joy didn't have a home, and this wasn't Tatooine. She wouldn't be running into any Tuskens or bandits on her...kark. He knew that was bullshit. A load groan suddenly escaped his lips, his head falling forward as he buried his hands in his face. He shook his head for a few moments, fighting against the urge to kick himself before finally being able to choke out some words.

"Okay." He dug into his pocket, pulling out a stack of credit chips. "Take these, go buy a sleeping bag, some food, and whatever else you need."

Kurt. Stop. Stop it. No. His inner voice was screaming at him. "You can live on my ship until you find a job."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

That is when Kaile's lower jaw would drop. It took another second for her to close her mouth before a bantha fly decided to fly in. Confusion, bafflement, and utter surprise would wash over her features, so much that her brows would scrunch and she would peer at him as if he grew a second head.

"What? Why?" she would ask him. Chocolate brown eyes would go from his face, to the offered credits, and then back to his face. There was visible strain over his features, as if he was going through some great internal conflict.

Or maybe he was constipated.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaile Vera"]

Kurt grumbled quietly to himself.

"You don't have a home." Stating the obvious, maybe slightly insulting if you had delicate sensibilities but he doubted that Nurse Joy was that type of girl. "I know it's my fault. I mean, well...kind of, you knew what you were doing, but I'm not going to pretend that I didn't do my part."

Did it damn right. Kurt's inner monologue chimed in long enough for him to continue. "I doubt you'll find another place on this station to work. Not with the way things are right now. You can live on my ship until you find something. It travel to pretty much everywhere in the galaxy. In fact, I have a delivery right now to Cloud Nine, I'm sure you can find something there."

Cloud Nine was a new vacation city that just had been built, he was delivering some jewelry that a very wealthy man had ordered for his wife. Apparently the delivery had to be completed soon or she would just die. It wasn't something that he really wanted to think about, mostly because the package was probably worth more than the entire farm back home. Part of him kind of wanted to just take the box, but the same voice that told him to take in Kaile, told him not to do that.

He offered the Credits up to her.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


Black, beady eyes would still scowl at Kurt, but Kaile's would remain without any judgement. Just shock.

"You don't need to," she would assure him, pushing back his hand with the credits. "I work my way if I need to." she said plainly. Which she did. She might be a sleeper agent but she still worked for a living. She was alright with favors, but that meant she would pitch in her part.

"I can find my way just fine. Ain't no need to worry your head 'bout me none." she said with a reassuring smile. Granted, that wasn't really looking to be the case considering the girl was still looking for a job, had no home, and well... from all appearances was just gonna be wandering about until she found a job.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaile Vera"]

He let out another groan.

This was something that always bothered him about women. He was offering help, why couldn't she just accept it? She clearly wasn't worried about him murdering her, nor was she afraid of him in anyway. What was wrong with simply saying thank you and accepting the hand held out? Was there an issue with that? No. There wasn't, she was just being difficult.

"Look." His voice had a hint of annoyance to it. "Just take the credits, buy a sleeping bag, maybe a space heater, and get on the fucking ship."

Kurt's tone was rather strong at this point. "You have no job, no home, and I assume no saving. I am offering you help, if you don't want it, that's fine, But I don't see you having many options."

He felt bad, it was true, but the inner voices inside of his head could only take so much. At a certain point a man had to take charge, and if she was going to continue to be difficult, then he would turn around, get on that ship, and leave her here without a second thought. Well, maybe a second thought, but there wouldn't be a third!