Private Smuggling Hope

[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

Junior found himself walking back through the passageways of the Starchaser until he finally found the bunks where he had put his duffel bag and quickly grabbed it to bring to an area where he could spread his gear out and inspect and clean it properly. This was a ritual he had gathered long before, stemming from many hours in hyperspace between deployments.

He found a table with a large enough table for him to spread his gear out. In the duffel was an array of weapons but Junior only took out what he planned on bringing to the meeting. Besides his blaster pistols that he drew from their holsters and laid up the table he also had a blast vest/plate carrier combo, slugthrower carbine, a sawed off scattergun and a pair of knives.

As he went through the well rehearsed and meticulous process of breaking these down into the component parts, checking the parts and cleaning them where needed he noticed the blood that had been spilled on him. He didn't grimace or groan, bodily fluids such as this were an occupational hazard in his line of work, and simply stripped the garment off as he had spares in the duffel.

As he went to get the spare shirt from his bag he noticed that some blood had found its way onto the bolt carrier group of the carbine and he went about scrubbing the offending matter off, leaving himself shirtless as yet another offending object in his gear came to his notice.

And so he sat there, shirtless, cleaning various pieces of his equipment. It was at this time that Jazz decided to cross his sightline, having apparently positioned himself not too far from her cabin. His jaw nearly dropped and he found himself swallowing hard as he observed her shirtless form pass him by, sure that she hadn't noticed him.

He returned to his work as she entered his cabin, still unaware of his own state of undress. His body was muscled as one would expect but it was muscled from years of training and combat, not body building. Scars littered his upper torso as well as two tattoos. First was an obvious unit insignia on his left shoulder and second was a row of tallies approximately several dozen in number.

As he heard the shower kick on he continued on his work, becoming engrossed in almost a trance like manner.

 

[Jahzra Rocvard]

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Tag: Noah Corek Jr.​

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A few minutes later, the water cycling through the ship stopped. Jazz toweled off quickly, slipping into a set of seafoam green pants that hugged her like second skin, and tossed on an athletic top. Wrapping her dark hair up in a towel, she made sure it wouldn't go anywhere and padded back out of the cabin into the main lounge area, heading for the galley.

As she passed through the area, humidity and the scent of shampoo and a flowery bodywash came with her. Gone were any signs of blood, smoke, or ozone, save for the slight scarring along her right shoulder, and peeking a little from under the top along her ribs.

Unconsciously, she started some caf brewing, filling the ship with the rich aroma. Meanwhile she leaned against the counter, forehead resting against the storage cupboards, shoulders riding high.

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[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

He continued with his trance-like work for as long as it took for Jazz to take her shower, cleaning and maintaining his weapons and gear with the efficiency someone gained over doing the act dozens of times, which was completely true for Junior in this case.

His eyes were drawn upwards as he heard the door to Jazz's cabin open and observed her walking towards the galley, his heightened sense of smell picking up her shampoo and floral bodywash, a type of lavender from Zeltros if his nose was correct.

Quickly putting his gear back together he left them all on the table and made his way to the galley, the aroma of caf hitting his nose and making him aware of just how tired he felt after their brush with the pirates, the adrenaline having finally filtered out of his blood.

Once in the galley he observed Jazz and knew immediately what was on her mind without even having to use the Force, it was a string of thoughts he himself had often gone through. Mulling over what he should say he decided on levity. "Pour me a mug will ya?"

His smile at her wasn't flirty or teasing but was understanding and genuine, knowing that at the moment she might just need a distraction.

 

[Jahzra Rocvard]

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Tag: Noah Corek Jr.​

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The voice came out of nowhere, startling her out of her reverie with a gasp. a second later she let out the breath, shoulders dropping. . She glanced over her shoulder to regard him with one eye then nodded. Saying nothing, she fished out a pair of mismatched mugs from the closed cupboard.

"How do you want it," she said, her voice almost dead flat, mechanical. Hands moving on automatic, she poured one for herself, then for him. Reaching into the conservator, she pulled out a creamer, added some to hers. Then added a somewhat unhealthy dose of sugar. Realizing she'd forgotten a spoon, Jazz cast about the galley fora moment, then seemed to remember where they were. Fishing one out, she went to stirring, barely paying anything any mind.

Stir, stir, stir.

Finally, she took an experimental sip, then nodded to herself in approval. It would do. And the sugar would probably help sharpen her back up for now.

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[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

When she turned to regard him he raised his hands in a placating manner and the galactic signal for either 'sorry' or 'don't shoot'. He smiled and nodded in thanks when she pulled the mugs from the cupboard and poured them both a mug.

Hearing he speak he shook his head and shrugged. "I never usually had the luxury of cream and sugar so I tend to just take it black. The bitterness helps sharpen me up almost as well as the caffeine."

Taking the mug with a smile and grateful nod his blows on it before taking a small sip, the bitterness hitting his tongue giving his brain a momentary jolt before the caffeine even started to stimulate his system. He kept sipping on the caf for a few moments before finally deciding to speak.

"Probably not my place to say but…I know what you're going through right now, at least I think I do. My advice? Don't focus on it too hard, the more you focus on it the more you start to think hard on it the more you over analyze it. Learn what you can and move on."

 

[Jahzra Rocvard]

Tag: Noah Corek Jr.​

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She nodded, carefully cradling the mug between her hands, letting it's heat seep into her skin. "It's not my first wild reek ride."

Torn dress. Exposed. Promise made. Promise kept. Bang. Blood and burnt brains. Ozone More flashes of blaster fire.

"This job is always a risk," she murmured into her mug. "Thankfully nobody died. But that's probably the closest I've come in a long time." She took an experimental sip, only half-tasting the caffeinated concoction.

"I don't see any mistakes on my part, or even yours. I feel like that went about as well as it could have." She shook her head. "I just feel sick to my stomach a little, and like a raw, exposed nerve. And exhausted. Like I've been up for a couple days. The noise is turned down on everything and yet too loud at the same time." She shook her head, her expression drawn and worn, as though the youthfulness normally there had faded.

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[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

He chuckled at her summation of what they had gone through. "I've actually ridden a wild Reek before, surprisingly it's a pretty good comparison to a firefight."

His own thoughts reeled from past experiences. Bogan, one of the moons of Tython. Mortars and artillery raining down around him as he commanded his platoon to hold the line. They held but they'd lost many soldiers and in the end it was for nothing as the battle had been lost. A fighting retreat had cost even more soldiers.

He quickly shook the thoughts from his mind and took another sip of the caf, letting it bring the edge back to his mind at least for as long as the stimulant circulated.

He let her words on their firefight linger for a minute before speaking. "Yeah, any firefight you walk away from is a good one." He sipped at his caf again and let her words process in his mind. "Probably a little overstimulation, not uncommon. It used to happen to me all the time, honestly."

He scratched his chin a little, the stubble growing a little longer than he was used to. "Usually found that rest and meditation helped. Well…rest more than anything to be honest. Meditation was never my strong suit."

 

[Jahzra Rocvard]

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Tag: Noah Corek Jr.​

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Jazz listened, sipping at her caffeinated concoction a little more then gave a bleak little nod. Dark eyebrows fell, knitting together, jaw set. For a time she remained silent, turning it over in her head. "You're probably right," she said, finally finding a little of her voice again.

Meditation wasn't really in the cards. Sleep? Maybe. But at the same time she didn't really feel like sleeping Truth was, she didn't know where to go or what to do. ... She nodded to herself. Certainly sounded like overstimulation.

But then, what was there to do about it? Sleep. Or the other thing she sometimes did.

Jazz stepped around the island in the galley corner, brushing past him, bare feet hardly making a sound on the metal decking as she headed forward.

Moments later she eased into the captain's chair in the cockpit and put her feet up on the console. The large viewport allowed a fantastic view of the mottled blue-white rolling tunnel of hyperspace as they streaked along. Sometimes it was easy to get lost in that mesmerizing miasma

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[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

His smile was somewhat self satisfied when she agreed to his assessment of overstimulation. He wasn't surprised, it was a common problem post-firefight. The adrenaline dump powered by the body's natural instinct was impossible to turn off, no matter how man proclaimed 'badasses' said otherwise. His own father, a man with over forty years of soldiering under his belt, still experienced it.

He sipped at his caf and studied her expression and used his senses to try and detect some of her emotions. Empathetic reading had never been his strong suit but he was able to catch bits and pieces here and there and for Jazz he felt that she was mostly just wound up and tired at the same time.

So when she brushed past him and silently made her way to the cockpit he didn't stop her, one because they didn't know each other like that and two because he didn't feel as if she was in any immediate danger from being by herself for a bit.

He finished the rest of his caf and even poured himself a refill before making his way back to his self appointed work space, checking all his gear and making sure it was all squared away. Looking at his watch he saw they still had a little over four hours so he made his way to the cockpit.

He stepped into the cockpit, making sure he had made enough noise as to not startle her; he sat down in one of the seats in it, not speaking but just letting his presence just linger there for her to acknowledge at her own convenience.

 

[Jahzra Rocvard]

Location: Hyperspace​

Equipment: ​

Tag: Noah Corek Jr.​

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Jazz sat, still watching the skies, but almost numbly. her eyes heavy. The mug of tapcaf rested in her lap, but showed no danger of tipping over. The sound of her guest's approach brought her back around to something resembling alert. Blinking hard a few times she straightened and sipped her alchemical potion. With one hand she sat it on a flat spot estimated to be safe, for now.

When he didn't say anything, she glanced behind her over her shoulder, finding him seated. He seemed to understand, which drew a small smile of appreciation and approval across her face. It faded moments later. Nothing to do with him. Just ghosts of the past, people she'd lost, and ... hope to leave in her wake but they always seemed to catch up to her in the quiet hours, especially between the stars.

Still facing the transparisteel viewport, her voice cut through the faint din of the cockpit, but still low. "Thank you for... back there. I don't remember if I said it then. But I'm saying it now. Probably saved my life. Or at least... kept me out of a bacta tank."

Then she turned, slowly, facing him, slouched in her seat now a though she had left her spine in the cargo bay. Finally she sat upright, again, leaning forward, elbows resting on her thighs, small and curled in. "I... dunno what else there is to really say, especially in a time like this."

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[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

Junior just simply sat there and bathed in the moment and in the light of the stars flowing past that was hyperspace. He gazed into the swirling blue mass as it hurtled by and he understood how one could get lost just looking at it for hours on end. Of course he'd heard the stories of 'hyperspace psychosis' just like anyone but no stock in them.

When Jazz looked over her shoulder at him his eyes were drawn to her and he was immediately struck by the image of her bathed in the blue of hyperspace, a wide contrast to her pink hued skin and purple hair. Even when she turned back around he kept his eyes on her, admittedly jumping when she spoke to him once again.

Despite the fact she couldn't see him he still shrugged nonchalantly at her words as if to wave them off. "Nothin to thank me for. You were hurt and I could help, so I did." When she mentioned thanks for it he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "You did thank me…you kissed me. One of the better thanks I've got."

When he saw her slumped and all but literally spineless in her seat his heart pained a little bit as the confidence he'd seen in her seemed gone, now she seemed smaller, more vulnerable and he felt the need to help her. Leaning forward he rested a hand on her knee and met her eyes, green looking into indigo. "You don't need to say anything, I understand…"

 

[Jahzra Rocvard]

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Tag: Noah Corek Jr.​

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The kiss, that's right. It came flooding back. A sheepish smile spread across her face for a moment. "So I did. There was a lot going on, and I must have been out of it. Or I am now. I don't know."

Despite the fact she couldn't see him he still shrugged nonchalantly at her words as if to wave them off. "Nothin to thank me for. You were hurt and I could help, so I did." When she mentioned thanks for it he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "You did thank me…you kissed me. One of the better thanks I've got."

She nodded, her lips pursing as he put a hand on her knee, a flicker of something between pain and sadness passing over her face and through the Force.

That was it. Where her mind went. Back to... An image flickered in her mind then. Naked space through a shattered gunwale canopy, walls splashed with greasy and burned blood, globules of it floating in the air. The chair mangled and burnt, half slag. Chunks of charred meat buried in what was left of the padding. And in the walls. And pieces floating in the air.

Tears welled up in her eyes for the briefest of moments, but just as quickly she put them away. It had been more than a decade now. But times like this made her miss him. Cale. Rock steady. His warmth. His laugh. His arms around her, making her feel safe. His kiss, his touch. Gone in an instant, a blaze of green light.

Today had gone different. But how many times had it gone different then. Until it didn't.

That was why she worked alone. Wasn't going to get anyone else killed because of her failures.

And it almost didn't matter anyway. Someone had to save her for once. New territory, she supposed. And besides the heady mix left by the ghost of grief and a close call, she didn't know how to feel about it or what to do with it. Especially ostensibly her boss, a stranger and probably ne'er to be seen again.

"You don't need to say anything, I understand…"

Finally, she nodded and slumped back into her seat, cursing herself the whole way. She was such a frakin' idiot.

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[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

Junior smiled at her own sheepish smile when she gave it, shaking his head at her for just a shaking. "I can't say I didn't enjoy it…it's the most physical contact I've had in a long while…thank you for that, whether you were out of it or not."

He felt the shift almost as soon as he put a hand on her knee, both in her facial expressions and through the Force. It was odd he was picking up on the emotions of a non-Force user so easily but perhaps his use of the Force on her had created some type of link and he knew Zeltrons had a small amount of emphatic ability.

And then the image was all but directly beamed into his head. He immediately knew it wasn't a memory of his cause he didn't recognize the ship but he figured it out very quickly it must have been a memory of Jazz's. He could feel the emotions attached to the memory; sadness, loss, heartbreak and massive grief.

She was quick to pull back the tears but he saw them form nonetheless and almost shed one himself for her. He knew that this must have been long ago because he hadn't seen any evidence of another recently living on the ship but he also knew that deep in her heart and in her head that it must have felt like just yesterday and an eternity ago at the same time.

He watched her collapse into the seat, almost feeling the self-doubt and cursing coming through her head. Despite just meeting her he already felt a connection and so he didn't let her slump for long. Sliding out the seat he got down to a knee and reached for Jazz slowly and deliberately, making so she didn't feel threatened or trapped. His arms wrapped around her shoulders as he pulled her into his chest, one hand wrapped around her back and the other on the back of her head. He said nothing but just held her there, either until she told him to stop or something else.

 

[Jahzra Rocvard]

Tag: Noah Corek Jr.​

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Confusion swept over her as he moved first out of the seat then toward her, arms outstretched. She felt no threat, no sense of desire or hunger, save for concern, the desire to offer comfort. Something she would have expected form another Zeltron maybe. Was it that obvious?

She didn't shy away from him, again only sensing safety and comfort. An echoing ache within. It would have formed a feedback loop were she not paying attention.

Hesitantly, she let him gather her up. This was the second time in an hour she found herself there. And without pressing life-or-death matters at hand, she noticed the strength in his hands, arms. But so too, he was gentle as a breeze, as though she might break or flutter away.

Drawn in, she nestled against him, one hand resting against his bare chest. Her mind drifted back to another who might've held her like this. But Dar'no was... problematic. Attached immediately. She could have sworn his dark self had fallen straight into infatuation the minute they met. She sensed none of that pining and too-intense state from Noah.

After a few moments she settled down, her shoulders relaxing, and the noisy buzz in her head and her nerves began to fade. Closing her eyes she settled into and against him more, brows knitted in concentration, mind turned inward. Would that she could name the way she felt. The only word she could apply was ... unsettled. Not by him. Still, it was slowly fading, replaced by gratitude once more. For his presence. A little chagrined at winding up in his arms once more. And perhaps little flickers of shame at needing something like this, or wanting it in the first place. And being selfish enough to indulge in it, especially with someone she hardly knew.

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[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

Junior almost breathed a sigh of relief when he was allowed to wrap her up in his arms. He was as gentle as he could be, not squeezing but still put a comforting pressure around her shoulders as they sat there, making sure to project warmth, comfort and understanding through his mind, knowing work had innate Zeltron empathy she'd pick up on these emotions.

He became aware that he was shirtless, having forgotten all about removing it before, when he felt her hand press against his bare chest. He felt the heat that radiated though her digits and into his chest, she was much warmer than others that had touched and he chalked that up to her Zeltron biology but he found himself overall enjoying the heat, it was comfortable, soothing even.

They sat there in each other's company for a minute or two before Junior finally shifted and looked down at her for a second before deciding to make her more comfortable might be a good idea. "I'm gonna pick you up and take you to the lounge now, okay?" He'd wait for her to acquiesce before gently pulling back, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and behind her knees and gently lifting her from the seat.

He didn't pull her closer or tighten his grip, he let her simply hang in his arms and adjust herself as she saw fit and simply walked from the cockpit and a few meters to the lounge area they had been in before. "Where do you want to be?" He'd wait for her to indicate a spot and he'd walk over gently, setting her down, laying her back down first and then simply kneeling in front of her, a calming and caring smile on his face but still just there if she needed anything.

 

[Jahzra Rocvard]

Tag: Noah Corek Jr.​

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When he asked about picking her up, she raised an eyebrow. Clearly he had something in mind, but again, sensed nothing untoward, deceptive, or sly. Rather it seemed he wanted to be somewhere more comfortable. That was understandable. But the question broke the spell, and sparked a small bit of annoyance within her. Why did everyone have to mess up things that should be a simple matter. If he really wanted to move her, and she said "no" it wasn't like she could do much to stop him. He had plenty of height, reach, and strength advantage. She could fight, she but was under no illusions she could have beaten him, not without winding up half dead herself.

The question was more annoying than being lifted and manhandled was. No, that sent a small thrill through her.

Entering the lounge area, she directed him to the soft bench-like couch seating in the corner by the holotable. That, at least had more room and was comfortable. When he laid her down she scooted back to give him some room, but he didn't join her.

Instead, he knelt, looking up at her. Jazz turned her head to the side, tilted slightly eyeing him with a small measure of suspicion, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her dark lips. What was he up to? What would he do next? She waited to see, even though an image flashed into her mind just for a moment, making her smirk.

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[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

It seems that feeling emotions seemed to run both ways between them as he felt the small spark of annoyance at him asking to lift her. He understood the annoyance, was his request perhaps a little infantilizing to her? Perhaps but at the end of it he was just trying to be helpful but he understood her wanting to be independent.

Again he sensed emotion from her when he picked her up, this time a much different one on the opposite end of the spectrum. Internally he chuckled and gave himself somewhat of a pat on the back, a little proud that he was able to elicit that kind of emotion from her.

Setting her down on the couch he once again felt something coming forth from her and this time was surprised that it was an image, a rather risqué one that involved the two of them. This time he outwardly chuckled at her. "Just so you know…I can uh…feel some of your emotions…and uh I can also catch some of your thoughts…such as certain images you might conjure up in your mind…"

 

[Jahzra Rocvard]

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Tag: Noah Corek Jr.​

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Jazz listened. Feeling other's emotions wasn't anything new. Quite common in her society. But a human doing that was kind of rare. Still, it put her a little at ease. At least he'd know more readily when he was making her uncomfortable. Picking up on thoughts wasn't terribly out there. Some Zeltron could, but they were kind of rare. Other species were better at it sometimes, besides the number of telepathic species. And then there were those that were strong with the Force. Foreceful as some might call them.

But then he mentioned images... Images and concepts were some of the biggest components of telepathy actually. Most of the time the information didn't come as words but impressions, images, and concepts. But sharp enough to translate into words.

Realizing what shed thought, just for a moment, and how loud it probably was, her face burned, going from light pink to almost burgundy all the way to the tips of her ears.

Mostly she was caught off guard. Have to be more mindful about that in the future, she supposed.

"Sorry. I-uh... It just sort of popped in there. Nothing I deliberately called on."

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[Noah Corek Jr.]

Tag: Jahzra Rocvard

He almost let out a laugh when her face all but shifted colors due to her blushing but decided against it as she was probably already embarrassed enough. Standing from his crouched position he shook his head, directing mirthful but also understanding emotions her way knowing she'd pick up on them and hopefully be a little less embarrassed. "No need to apologize, you ain't the first and you won't be the last…besides I see it as a bit of a compliment."

Walking away from her he looked around the lounge, noticing the kitchenette set up and the conservator and scratching his chin. "You hungry? I sure am. I'll whip us something up real quick." Smiling easily over at her he walked to the conservator and cupboard near to it and began to, for the lack of a better word, rifle through both of them to find something he could make them rather quickly.

In the cupboard found a couple of packages of instant noodles, Corellian buckwheat noodles to be exact, with freeze dried vegetables and meat in them. Not the most appetizing but he could fix that. Grabbing some herbs and spices from the cupboard he opened the conservator next and found a container of broth and some eggs. "Alright…I can do something with this."

Turning the range on he looked for a pan and a pot, finding them easy enough he put them down. Once heated up he poured the broth into the pot, throwing some herbs and seasoning in, and cracked two eggs into the pan, scrambling and seasoning said eggs while the broth heated. Once the eggs were done the broth had already begun to boil and so breaking open the noodle packs he dumped the contents into the seasoned broth.

It wouldn't take long for the noodles to cook so he quickly grabbed two bowls. After a minute or two they were ready and he quickly scooped them from the pot, splitting them between the two bowls and taking the scrambled eggs and mixing them with the noodles before pouring a little broth into the bowls. Smiling at the rather quickly cooked meal he gathered the bowls up, grabbed some utensils and brought them to the table, setting one down in front of Jazz before taking a seat opposite of her.

 

[Desbre Gensan]

oops