The Festival of Glad Arrival [ Open To All! ]

[Jamie Pyne]

If only Kurt knew that she had been captured again, but this time by a member of the First Order.

"That's good." She said with a small smile. "Boring and safe is good." It gave her less to worry about. There was already plenty on her plate, now being Queen. Her ability to freely leave the planet for her own personal voyages was drastically reduced, but knowing that Kurt was in a stable and safe job brought a measure of peace.

"You took pictures?!" The girl's face lit up. Jamie loved to see the galaxy, and even if that meant she couldn't do so in person, pictures were a fantastic substitute. As a kid that had been the closest thing to space she'd ever been, but it was exciting nonetheless. "Do show!" That would also take away from the immediate need to let him in on the fact that she had been on Mustafar and Hoth, news he would likely find upsetting, more so than just the fact of war breaking out.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I knew you would want to see them." He told her, fishing through his communicator before eventually pulling up the correct album.

Most of the worlds they had visited were in the core, though a few had been in the Mid-Rim too. All of them were planets that had either never been occupied or only held a failed colony thousands of years ago. Most of what they had found was boring for his standards, but some of it had been astoundingly beautiful.

"Here." He moved a bit closer to her and showed her the first picture. "This is from a core world, most of it is ocean except for a string of islands in the South."

The photo depicted himself standing near a massive lavafall. "The islands are going to get continuously bigger because of geo-thermal activity."

He flipped to the next picture showing the lava fall drop into the ocean.

"It was pretty neat." Kurt told her as he flipped through the next few photographs, most of them depicting the islands jungles and beach terrain.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie leaned close to view the pictures as eagerly as a child while Kurt flipped through one after another. They were places so exotic and untouched by civilization that they seemed almost unreal. Much to her relief there didn't seem to be any monstrous wildlife resembling Manka Cats to be found. "It looks wonderful. Maybe a boring job, but at least you get to see things nobody else does, and while relatively safe too."

Surveying for the Alliance was a much safer prospect it seemed, than running research teams at ancient Sith ruins on notably Sith homeworlds.

At least one of them was relatively safe doing what they did.

Not that Jamie intended to wind up in the middle of a warzone, but it seemed the galaxy had a fickle sense of humor that way. Even more so than usual.

"Maybe some day they will establish a colony there. It might be interesting to see the birth of a planet that way."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Maybe." He said with a shrug. "I think we put that one pretty low on the list because the islands will take so long to actually 'grow'."

That was part of their work after all, seeing which worlds were uniquely suited to becoming part of the Alliance, where refugees would be safe, what communities could be established. All of that was part of what they did. Of course Kurt just mostly flew around and set up the scanners.

Kaile did most of the complicated stuff. "This one..."

He trailed off for a second as he flipped through an assortment of images, eventually landing on one that was himself standing in a large grassy field. An odd sort of six legged creature stood behind him, looming somewhat but with an almost friendly expression on it's otherwise dull face.

"Is prime candidate." He cycled through a few more pictures of grassy fields, open plains, and large mountains. Some of them had him in them, one or two had Kaile, most of them had those same creatures. "We called these things Spots...not really sure why, but they're friendly enough. Kind of dumb."

He smiled. "The planet is deep in the core, hard to get to, but has three huge continents and massive lakes. Apparently the Old Republic set up a colony there once."

Though what happened to it they had no idea.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Low on the list is a good thing. We can be the first to colonize it then." She said with a smirk and a nudge of her elbow, sparkling blue eyes staring off into Kurt's own. "We can claim ownership over the islands, build a giant palace, grow fruits and vegetables, and our vacations could be trips to populated planets, instead of vice-versa." The thought tickled her, though she knew it wouldn't be possible. At least, not in their current situations. Kurt still had Kaile to worry about, Jamie still had Naboo to govern, as well as everything in between.

"Maybe some day."

The blonde gave a wistful sigh, eyes settling back to the communicator to view the remainder of the photos Kurt had taken.

"That looks pretty. But if it's in the deep core and difficult to reach, wont it be difficult or dangerous to build a colony?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"A palace huh?" He smiled at her. "I'm not that rich."

He smiled at her. "I can build you a log cabin instead."

Actually that wasn't quite true either. His home world didn't even have anything like trees and Kurt doubted that he had the knowledge to build a cabin, but the joke still worked. The smile stayed on his lips however, knowing that ultimately it was likely Jamie's wealth which would end up buying them whatever home they built together.

Something he didn't really mind too much.

"Normally. The Deep Core is horrible to fly through, but like with Byss there are certain routes through hyperspace that actually make it pretty easy. That was also part of the job, surveying new hyperspace routes to the worlds we found." Kurt sounded much more excited about that part.

"Took us a bit with some." He said with a grin. "And some fancy flying."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"A log cabin? You have wood on Tatooine?" She asked quizzically.

Jamie wasn't aware the desert had trees plentiful enough for someone to build such a home. Naboo had copious amounts of trees, yet rarely did anyone make such a style home. The spiraled dome rooftops and tudor styled houses were the norm for Naboo. Perhaps if one traveled far out into the country they might find log cabins, but they were certainly the exception to the rule.

"Speaking of,"

It occurred to her that Kurt still had yet to take her to his home. He had come to Naboo a number of times now, but not once had she gone there.

"When shall I get to meet lord and lady Meyer?" Jamie knew his parents were not noble, though in the presence of the public she chose her words more carefully.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I don't think you'd like living on Tatooine." He said with a quiet smile.

Though Kurt loved his homeworld, he knew that it wasn't for everyone. The Twin suns, the rolling deserts, everything about it made it difficult to live on. He couldn't imagine that Jamie would ever want to actually live there, mostly because of the 'miserable' conditions. He loved it, she would be burnt to a crisp.

A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "Whenever you want."

The former Courier of course had no idea that Jamie was choosing her words carefully, such things were beyond him, instead he figured that she was making some type of joke.

"They're not going anywhere." He glanced around for a moment. "But I get the feeling you're going to be rather busy for a little while."

Amusement touched his lips, though his hand gently squeezed hers.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"No, I would not." She agreed.

It seemed as though the joke eluded him, that he might know how to build such a cabin, having grown up on a planet mostly devoid of trees. Still, a smile broke out in place of a laugh at the thought of living on Tatooine. It was not a place she could call home, for a multitude of reasons, two being that she was the elected Queen for the next four years, and that the heat and strength of the sun would do a terrible number on both her hair and fair complexion. An hour outside and she would look more like a star had gone supernova than a person. No, she would need a more temperate environment to live on, if not Naboo then something incredibly similar.

Kurt had a point though, she was going to be quite busy at least over the next month or two. There were hundreds of tasks on her to-do list, things that she had never imagined being in charge of. Everything she had been taught in her studies as a child was now the very things she were in charge of for the planet in its entirety. The economy, law enactment and enforcement, the various councils and courts, the people and their struggles. Everything.

It was going to be a very busy four years.

"Maybe in a few months, once Kaile has the baby, and you can afford some time away?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled.

A few months. That seemed like an age. He hadn't been lying when he told Jamie that things on the job were easy, but things with Kaile? Well not so much. It wasn't Kaile herself of course, mostly the situation and the fact that Kurt was completely and utterly out of his depth. He found himself helping as much as he could but half the time it seemed like he was hurting as much as he was helping. It was an odd sort of roundabout thing that was mostly brought on by Kaile's various flashes of hormones, their lack of space on The Messa, and both of their lack of experience in dealing with this sort of thing.

Still, it wasn't all bad. Never was. "That could work."

He agreed before glancing around shortly.

It seemed that more than a few people were now watching them. The Courier glanced at his girlfriend, taking in the splendor of her dress and the make-up lining her face. He couldn't help but smile slightly, glancing down at himself to wonder if he at all fit in besides her. The answer was likely a resounding no, but he'd tried.

"If you want..." He trailed off. "I could also bring them here."

Kurt wasn't sure when the last time they'd left Tatooine was, but he was sure they'd be up for it.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie reeled a bit, lips drawing back, and neck flaring ever so slightly. "While we could bring them here, I think I much rather meet them elsewhere. I don't want their first impression of me to be Jamie, Queen of Naboo. I would much rather it just be simply Jamie. Bringing them here just complicates things. I would prefer to keep things cordial." There was no way to be the type of person she wanted to present to Kurt's family if they came to the palace, or Naboo in general. Jamie would always have RSF nearby, as well as her handmaidens, but off world her demeanor could relax and she could drop the mannerisms that were required of her as queen while in the company of Kurt's family.

"Besides, you've been to Naboo several times, I've never seen Tatooine. I'm guessing there has to be something to do on that sand ball other than look at the dunes, right? You can show me around this time." She nudged him with her elbow, "If nothing else I'm sure dinner will be a lot less stressful for everyone."

It was hard to imagine anything more trying than dinner with Jamie's family.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He shrugged. "Whatever you want."

Kurt didn't particularly care if his parents came to Naboo or if Jamie went to Tatooine. What he did care about was that his girlfriend didn't die of stress. Already he could see her nerves were running short. The small lines of her face etching as she thought of even more piling on top of her. Briefly he wondered what all had happened while they were separated from one another. He frowned for a brief few seconds, then slowly shook his head before looking back at Jamie.

"That ball of sand." He began with a smile. "Is home to more mysteries than you can imagine."

True enough in a way. Places like Naboo were all explored out and completely looked at. Tatooine? Half the planet was still a complete mystery. Sure there had been orbital scans, but lost within the dune seas was everything from Crashed Star Destroyers to ancient Jedi Temples. At least that was what he had believed as a kid. "Just make sure you pack plenty of sunscreen."

Like a whole Tibanna drum.

"Well, there's only going to be one fork per person." Kurt said with a slight smirk.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"The biggest mystery of all," She said, holding up a finger. "Is how anyone finds their way around with nothing to look at but dunes."

Tatooine wasn't the only inhabited desert world, but it was certainly the most notorious. Jakku wasn't much better in terms of its prosperity and law abiding citizens, but Tatooine sure held the bar. The few cities, if one could call them that, were often teeming with bandits and scavengers. To Jamie, it was a completely different habitat and life. She wondered sometimes what her life would have been like if she were born there.

"I'll just make sure I wear protective clothing, and maybe a hood anytime we go outside."

She would look like a Jedi of old, wearing an old burlap sack for clothing, but it would hide her appearance and her complexion from both the sun and anyone that might recognize her.

The blonde gasped, "One fork!? What kind of barbaric place are you taking me, Kurt Meyer!?" Her tone was over-exaggerated and sarcastic, and the woman leaned halfway into Kurt's lap, laying her wrist over her forehead as if she were to die from the mere thought of only using one utensil for dinner.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt 'caught' Jamie in his arms, letting her half settle so she wouldn't fall over by accident.

"Hey you're lucky you even get the one." The Courier joked. "Some of the Tusken's just eat with their hands."

That wasn't entirely true, though more than a few of the tribes had never really used utensils. That was mostly due to the nature of their cuisine though, not because they were savages or anything of the sort. Jamie didn't know that of course, but perhaps he'd explain it in the future.

"I'm putting you in the lap of Tatooine Luxury." Also not true.

Despite most of the planet being a complete backwater, it was still home of one of the largest corporations in the entire galaxy. ATC had worked pretty hard on bringing some gentrification to Mos Eisley, and although the culture of his homeworld hadn't changed all that much, it's defacto capital was still something to behold. At least he thought so anyway. "Just try not to be too impressed when we get there."

Fat chance of that, but still.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie's facial expression went flat. "Barbarians." Her nose scrunched in slight disgust, though her tone was soft and sarcastically offended. She had learned a bit of Tatooine since meeting Kurt, and knew some small bit of Tuskens. They did not have the best reputation, often reported to be ostensibly cruel. "Perhaps I should pack several extras, just in case there aren't enough for proper etiquette."

The idea that Tatooine had some kind of lap of luxury was amusing to her. A planet where water was a commodity and sand storms were more regular than rain storms gave her the impression that he was more than bluffing about such a thing as luxury. She had slept elsewhere, comparatively worse off, so Jamie knew she could survive this, especially if Kurt was the way he was and had lived there for most of his life just fine.

"I'll try not to be, it might be hard." She said with a wink.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Bring all the forks you want." Kurt said as he leaned slightly towards her.

Briefly he caught the flash of what was likely a camera out of the corner of his eye, his lips thinning for a second after as he glanced towards the crowd. It was easy to forget that they were sitting in a mass of people, and those people were staring at them. He frowned for a moment, trying to remember what it was like to stand in front of a crowd without freezing up.

It helped that he'd done it before, but still this was decidedly different. Back then he'd earned it by winning the races, here? He was just a stranger sitting with the Queen of Naboo. The thought gave him pause for a few seconds, a frown pulling at his lips for just a moment before he finally looked back at Jamie. "I'm not carrying them."

He gave her a smirk.

"I'll make sure to park extra far away." The Courier told her. "So you can see how silly all those forks are."

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

The soldier crossed his arms, observing [member="Jamie Pyne"]...pine away for her boyfriend. Made sense. She was still a kid. Wasn't jaded like him and didn't refuse companionship. He ran a hand through his hair, observing her and [member="Kurt Meyer"] interact. Just two kids. Jamie Pyne was the Queen of his home planet and it was currently his task to protect her from yet another kidnapping plot. He was surprised no plots had come through now. Or a stealth ship landing in the middle of it all and causing a huge firefight and evil space wizards waving their space wizard laser swords and then she'd pull out her laser wizard sword and then the laser wizards would have a huge mess and he'd have to get someone to sweep it up and then rescue Jamie.

Again.

But right now, it was just the two kids talking, and Kaiden making sure security was tight and everyone was having a good, safe, nice time. And that they didn't take too many appetizers. His favorite part of any meal was appetizers.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"That is simply uncalled for and cruel, Kurt Meyer!" The woman scrunched her features in anger. "A lady needs accommodations you know!"

Her eyes rolled, "Not that I need you to carry them for me anyway! I can just use the Force! Then you'll see how silly you are for trying to inconvenience me."

An audible hmph could be heard as she turned her head back towards the crowd, spotting Kaiden nearby among her security team. The girl smiled and offered a small nod of acknowledgement to the man, his heavy set eyes and stern appearance always looking for a threat to her safety. The man wasn't much for words most of the time, but she trusted him. He had seen enough in his life to know what to look for. He was blunt, often times sounding a bit belligerent to those he deemed suspicious of character or behavior, whereas Jamie was much more open and trusting of new faces.

After a few moments the queen turned back to Kurt, "Speaking of your parents, are they aware of, well, everything now?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"] | [member="Kaiden Rohn"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt followed the path of Jamie's gaze, catching her looking at one of the guards for a brief moment. He glanced over, then shrugged.

This was wholly a new experience for him, being surrounded by Guards and everything that came with being Queen. He knew that privacy would probably be difficult to attain, and simply getting up and walking away would likely be frowned upon to an extreme degree, especially if they wanted to enter the crowd and walk around the festival. It was something he'd half to get used to.

"They know." He told her.

Kurt wasn't really the type of person to keep secrets from his family. His mother and father had always been supportive of him, no matter what he decided to do. Racing, Joining the Republic Navy, even being a Courier. They had tried their best to see the positive side of things. Of course when he'd told them about Jamie becoming Queen they had balked, mostly because he'd always left out of stories that Jamie was any sort of nobility. It had never really been important to him.

"I don't think..." He smirked slightly. "I don't think they care."

Kurt squeezed her hand gently. "To them all that matters is that you make me happy. Though I'm sure when I bring you home my mother will fawn over you."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie gave Kurt a curious look. "Why would she do that?" Where Kurt was from there was no such thing as nobility, or monarchs. There was scarcely law aside from the law one exerted over their own domicile and possessions. Why Kurt's mother would care much about Jamie being queen of a planet that she likely had never visited herself was strange. Generally speaking the only folk that would even take note of her current status, or that of nobility would be other diplomats or officials that dealt directly with Naboo in some manner, or the nefarious types interested in making a few quick credits off of ransoming a rich girl. Otherwise she was generally unremarkable when traveling.

"Though now I hope I'm not disappointing if I arrive looking as I typically do and not like...Well," She gestured to her current appearance, the makeup, attire, hairdo, the whole getup. Jamie didn't hate it or anything, she was quite proud of her people's traditions, but in the privacy of personal company she found it daunting and unnecessary, as well as overly smothering for polite conversation among friends or family.

This was arguably the first time Kurt had seen Jamie dressed in the manner she was as well, so she was especially receptive to the way in which he looked at her as well.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]