The Shadow World…

[Corvus Raaf]

It was a routine trip – but then they always were – when Corvus’s ship dropped out of hyperspace somewhere it shouldn’t. One by ones system alarms bleeped, lights flashed and then they winked out.

Something catastrophic was occurring as Corvus considered her options. Her astro-droid offered some advice, which she reacted to. “Yes, I’m inclined to agree with you. Do you know what planet it is?”

After some more bleeps, Corvus replied, “Umbara? Can’t say I’ve ever had the urge to visit, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers.” So she sent out the standard distress call and wondered how many – or how few – systems would still be operational by the time they landed. Assuming of course landing rather than crashing was an option.

As the green and blue planet loomed ever larger, she could see the fact that wherever she looked, the rays of the sun seemed to never quite reach its surface. That explained the Umbaran’s complexion if nothing else.

As the ground loomed ever larger, she punched in codes frantically, “We need to divert whatever we can to life support. There’s no telling when someone is going to get to me, so it would be ironic if they found me suffocated in my own ship.”

She smiled and braced herself for impact and pulled the Force to her to cushion any blow before the inevitable thump and then blackness consumed her…

[member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

Lugus was in the middle of a testing repairs made to a freighter when his head snapped to his sensors as he noticed a ping from a distress beacon. He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He liked it better when the voice of the pilot came over communications before the call from the distress beacon. He deduced that there was probably a major systems failure on the ship. He checked the coordinates of the signal. Umbara... He hoped they had enough power from the ship and skill to land the ship on the planet. He personal had never been to the planet, but the name shared a resemblance to the Latin word 'umbra' which means shadow.

"Porkins to Command, I'm receiving a distress beacon from Raven 2..." He waited a second for a reply.

"Command to Porkins, That ship belongs to Grandmaster Corvus Raaf. We're unable to establish communications."

GRANDMASTER?! As in grandmaster of the jedi order? He felt a certain urgency that wasn't there before despite the fact he had never met the jedi or any jedi for that matter. He didn't know anything about the jedi order. This particular jedi seemed important however. He was grandmaster after all. Lugus imagined an almost decrepit old man with a large white beard maybe solid white robes as well. A being of pure power and immense knowledge. He assumed such by his title and what he named his ship. A ship named Raven owned by a man named Corvus. It was an interesting Easter egg he was sure most probably didn't get. Lugus had yet to regret taking Latin in University.

"Roger that. I'm in orbit of Onderon. Requesting permission to jump to hyper for rescue," as he spoke he entered in the coordinates. There was a slight pause and static over the communicator. His hand loomed over the switch waiting to hear confirmation. As soon as the word proceed hit his ears, it triggers a chain reaction. His hand feel on the switch and sent his borrowed ship into hyperspace.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

Lugus left a piloting droid in the cockpit as he went to the rest of the ship to see exactly what he had. He mainly had what he brought along on the trip. His tool kit and several tools he might need to use for repairs, a data pad, and a holdout blaster. He hoped that the Grandmaster didn't take too large of a plummet and that he would be mostly unharmed. Of course, this means the ship might also be salvageable. He was happy to see the freighter also had a med kit that was up to code. Better safe than sorry. He grabbed his data pad and went back to the cockpit. He planned to read more on this planet he had never been to. The last then he wanted to do was walk on to a hostile planet with out knowing what he was up against. Perpetual darkness... Location of an old sith academy... Evil looking flying manta crab creature... and it's own version of sarlaac. Lugus mentally marked Umbara off his list for potential vacation destinations. For a second, he even contemplated turning around. No. Whether Grandmaster of the Order or a group of lost soldiers his duty at the current time was a rescue. His mind hoped he would fly down to the Jedi standing out side his ship and waving up at Lugus. This would be the best scenario. Grab and go.

In the middle of his daydream, his ship exited out of hyperspace. Lugus was now staring face to planet with Umbara. It's dusky color gave Lugus a shiver. In and out. He reminded himself as he slowly approached the planet just incase something on planet caused the Jedi's ship to malfunction. No sign of fault as he pressed into the atmosphere, but he found it almost impossible to navigate the darkness. If it weren't for the distress beacon he wouldn't have noticed the position of the Jedi's ship.

"Porkins to Command... This is not good," He paused taking a deep breath as he fixed his eyes on the ship. "I've never seen a ship so wrecked."

"Recover the Grandmaster if you can, Porkins."

"Roger that," He placed his ship down facing toward demolished ship so that he could see it from the cockpit. He took a second and rubbed his face before leaving the cockpit. He grabbed a utility knife and a crowbar from his tool kit before heading out in to the darkness. When he reached the Jedi's ship the front panel was bent enough for him to reach in an press the emergency release for the door. He heard the door let off air, but it didn't budge. Lugus used the crowbar to pry it the rest of the way free. He then made his way to the pilot's seat noticing there was barely any damage on the inside. Maybe there was still hope. He bypassed the no longer functioning astromech and found himself face to face with a unresponsive woman. He felt a pain in the pit of his stomach as he put his fingers to her neck AND BY THE FORCE, she was ALIVE. He almost didn't believe it. The pulse was light but it was still there. He gave her a quick glace over stunned at first at her soft features rather than the white beard he had imagined. She looked at peace to Lugus' eyes. A few cuts and scrapes but the only major problem being a rather large knot and cut on her forehead. Other than that she didn't seem to have any broken bones despite crashing her ship as horrendously as she did. He didn't bother with the button on her harness instead he just used the utility knife to cut her free. He put that back in his pocket then lifted her into his arms cradling her as he carried her away from the ship. Lugus was glad that she wasn't the decrepit old man he envisioned. It wouldn't have been as easy or as good on his back if he had to drag him out by the armpits.

He placed her down flat on the ground as he noticed another dilemma. He moved his ear over her mouth looking down the length of her body. From what he could tell she wasn't breathing. He couldn't hear her breath or see her chest rise. Lugus checked for her pulse again this time he moved from the spot on her neck to on her wrist. He couldn't find it in either spot, but he was sure it was still there. He didn't want to believe that she would live long enough for him to find her just so she could die in this moment. She was a Jedi after all. Lugus wasn't going to let this be the end. He tilted her head back then used one hand to pull her jaw apart and the other to pinch her nose. He placed his lips over hers then gave her two breaths like he learned on the CPR droid. Which, despite teasing from his sister, did NOT count for a first kiss. He sat up then began chest compression counting out loud to ten before leaning back down and giving her two more breaths.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus stirred. She felt a pressure on her chest and wondered if some part of the cockpit was pressing against her, but almost immediately the sensation stopped. The fact that she was breathing was good, right? The fact that the air smelled of…cookies was less so. It could just be the air wasn’t being scrubbed properly but as she opened her eyes and did her best to focus on what she could see, she knew the real reason.

With blurred vision she had the face pegged as a Republic pilot – but it could just as easily been a Wookiee with alopecia. She was then aware his lips were on hers and she slapped him on the back. Her first thought was that he was practising CPR. Her second thought…no, she wasn’t even going to go there. It had to be CPR.

She still didn’t have full vision but the more she saw, the more she was convinced it was a man in uniform. Perhaps many a girl’s dream – just not this Jedi’s.

“Thanks for the…rescue. Is my ship OK?” Her voice was croaky and she coughed once she'd finished.

[member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

Lugus nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden thump on his back. His mind went back to the manta crab creature or worse a tentacle from the shadow sarlaac. If he hadn't seen her move, he probably would ran for the ship like a coward and may or may not have remembered she was just laying there. He relaxed again however and his lips curled slightly as he watched her comeback to life in front of him. A lowly Republic pilot such as himself was not only meeting the grandmaster of the Jedi Order, which he felt such an honor was like meeting royalty, but also rescuing her... No one would ever believe him if he told it. Especially the part about the CPR. Of course they would laugh and ask 'Why would ANY jedi need Porkins to rescue them?' Still he could at least have the satisfaction of knowing that it was true. Even though the rescue was rather simple so far. Only one scare.

He was dumbfound by her first words to him staring at her in shock. She crushed her ship like a can and yet the first works out of her mouth are 'Thanks. How's the ship?' Lugus remembered his older brother flipping his speeder on Bestine IV and knocking his head so hard he was speaking Huttese, or gibberish similar to it. She however didn't seem to have any problem knowing where she was or speaking basic. If her head wasn't splitting with pain, he imagined it would be soon, but then again she was taking the rest of the crash like a champ. He wondered if all jedi were this incredible or just the grandmaster kind. He managed to close his jaw back to then helped to sit her up slowly so she could see her ship. Needless to say it won't be leaving Umbara.

"You'll need another Raven... Are you OK?" His voice hit a higher octave as he asked her how she was. If he weren't so jittery by the planet they were on he might have made a joke. Something along the lines of 'well to quote the raven your ship is NEVERMORE.' He wasn't in the joking mood at the moment. He wasn't a soldier, being on the ground on a planet he knew little about with limited visibility scared him more than he was willing to admit. A distant unexplained noise quickly reminded him of this fact.

"Bacta? Light? Oxygen?" He nodded quickly and moved her arm around his neck lifting her from the ground and into his arms. He was sure she was perfectly capable of walking might even insist to do so, but he knew he could move faster if he was carrying her rather than keeping her steady. He wanted in the ship in a hurry, and closed the door behind them as soon as they entered. He placed her down on a cot in one of the cabins then left the room to go retrieve the med pack. When he came back, he handed her the med pack and sat on the bottom corner of the cot. A jedi like her didn't need him to play doctor after all.

"You crashed that ship like a Corellian, you lucky duck," He grinned as he attempted to make small talk. "Of course, a Corellian wouldn't admit to crashing the ship in the first place."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus wanted to laugh as he nearly jumped out of his skin when she tapped him on the back – but her head hurt too much and besides, he’d most likely saved her life.

As he sat her up, she groaned. “Not another one? This was absolutely not my fault. Not that the other ones were either, I hasten to add. I presume there are some more ships?” She smiled weakly, “Yes, there are always more ships. Did you come in…” She did a funny sign with her hand which was clearly supposed to mean something. Realising her ability to mime using just a few fingers was poor, she added, “Something that can take me too?”

“And yes, I’m OK.” Despite this she allowed him to escort her to his ship and saw it was indeed able to accommodate her too. She took the med pack and held it to her chest as she lay on the cot. Closing her eyes, she drew on the Force and imagined the pain in her head receding and the cut closing. As she did, she felt the Force flow through her and within a few seconds she was feeling a lot better and the cut had gone and the swelling reduced.

She laughed at his joke. “I’m good at crashing, I’ve had a lot of practice. And yes, I’m a Corellian – which is why I’m probably still in one piece. So tell me, where do you hail from?”

[member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

Lugus furrowed his brow as she closed her eyes and just held the med pack to her. she didn't even bother opening it and that worried him slightly. Maybe she did need him to play doctor. He shortly realized why and his jaw dropped at the sight. He turned and watched in awe as she was healing herself. The cuts and scrapes disappearing before his eyes. Incredible. Truly remarkable. He secretly wished to be a jedi and to be able to buy the right midichlorians to make himself force sensitive. He obviously didn't know how being force sensitive or a jedi even worked. He wanted to be one just for the cool powers and of course he would still still try to protect people.

He laughed lightly as she said she was good at crashing and the fact she actually was Corellian. That was something he had never heard a Corellian admit. You always hear about the good pilots, never the good crashers.

"Well, I hail from Bestine IV. It's an aquacultural planet located in the Inner..." He answered very matter-of-factly before cutting himself short. He didn't like how she still had her eyes shut and he tapped at her inner ankle to get her attention. "I know you probably want to rest but it's not a good idea to sleep if you have a concussion."

He stood up then gently, at least to him, he lifted her to sit up moving her close enough to the wall so that she could use it for a back support. He tried not to be too rough but the last thing he wanted was to take the grandmaster back to the jedi and then explain how she fell into a coma. He sat back down on the cot beside her exhaling and then chuckling lightly, "CPR might have saved you before but I doubt the kiss of life will pull you out of a coma."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus opened an eye. “You’ve not spent a lot of time around Jedi, have you?” She smiled at him. That was OK, smiling didn’t hurt. “Yes we need bacta and medicines and stuff like that but often we can do field medicine ourselves. I actually trained in a hospital as part of my learning. Alongside real doctors.” She put extra emphasis on the word real, as if there were any other kind?

“And closing our eyes tends to help us focus – or me anyway. Not that I do it when I’m focusing landing a ship I might add.” She shook her head – now that hurt. “That would simply be silly. But I take your point about concussion. I had it once before – but I don’t think anyone noticed. Funny thing was, I crashed a ship that time too. Or rather the ship crashed itself – I was just a passenger. Well, OK, the pilot, but there was nothing I could do. Some sort of EMP thing and then…poof…no systems. I managed to land half a ship. I can’t remember the name of the planet. Is that significant? Am I rambling? Is that significant? I ramble anyway, so how could you tell if it was..you know…” She pointed to her head, “Related. VOSS. Sorry, did I startle you? Voss. That was the planet. That’s good right? That I remember, not that I crashed on Voss, that would be stupid. And I didn’t even land close to the temple you know. Well…” She held her hand up and pinched her thumb and forefinger together. “Maybe a little close, but I was in control…of a ship with no systems…which makes no sense does it?”

“Bestine IV right? Famous for…being a famous rebel base. And a famous rebel pilot. I mean really famous. Zev Senesca. Funny how these things pop into your head. Was there another one? Nope, it’s gone.” She smiled at him. “Bestine IV right? Famous for something, right? And no kiss of life. Connor might get cross.” She wagged a finger at him in admonishment.

“It was Voss – I remember now. See nothing wrong with my memory. Concussion? I don’t think so.” She smiled broadly. “Is my ship ready?”

[member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

Lugus just watched her as she continued to jabber on. It was better for her to talk rather than fall asleep. He didn't mind of course. He could only talk so much before his voice would get annoying even to him. Her voice was gentle on his ears so he let her continue at her pace listening of course for subtle clues in case she has a concussion. He was a good listener and dubbed it one of his best traits. He noted that her speech wasn't slurring which was a breath of fresh air. This was the biggest scare for his brother. he remember his mother and everyone being panicked over his bother's slurred words. His eyes darting from her violet hues to her mouth only when a smile graced her face. He held his own smile. his lips curled inward to suppress the grin that wanted to be on his face.

Lugus always expected the first jedi he met to be this emotionless husk or some high and mighty warrior who wouldn't even let Lugus look at his boot. Nearly indestructible beings that were good at everything. In his mind jedi were simply jedi. This jedi however... She was human. A living human being with emotions and faults. Still in the back of his mind, he was telling himself that as a jedi she could easily melt his mind or twist his body into a pretzel. He really didn't know how force powers worked. However, she spoke to Lugus like he was already her friend even though the had just met nearly seconds before. She was very trusting. He felt as though a fellow squadron pilot was sitting in front of him. Grant it if she had ever made it as a pilot in the navy, she would have done so barely. Lugus made a mental note to ask her just how many ships she's totaled. If these were issued ships, Lugus was willing to make a bet that when checking her identification the person issuing the ship simply saw she was Corellian and didn't give her another thought instead of actually checking seeing the part where it says 'NEVER GIVE THIS WOMAN ANOTHER SHIP.'

If any part of him was loosing interest in the conversation, Lugus was quickly brought back when she mentioned Voss. He had only heard of it and learned a little on it when he was a child. Remembering was good, he thought. Letting his smile become larger to confirm this for her, since she wasn't slowing down with her 'rambling.'

"Connor. Lucky guy," He said with sincerity in his voice and offered a grin after he made a mental note to correct her on her Bestine knowledge, especially about Zev Senesca. He was about to comment further on Connor's name and the meaning, but she cut him off by mentioning Voss again and remembering it. A corner of his grin slipped when she asked if the ship was ready.

"Your ship?" Lugus raised an eyebrow, "It's wrecked... it's not going to be flying off here any time soon. The Raven II is nevermore." He chuckled lightly but really he was putting on a brave face for her. She didn't think she had a concussion, but she gave him a tell that almost had him convinced. He decided to check and see if she remembered it right. "I got the distress beacon, pulled you from your ship, and then gave you CPR... You may just have that concussion. It looks like one side of your forehead might be a little swollen. I'll get you my ice pack for that. Might help with your headache too if you've got one. Something else, do you remember if you had any problems with your balance or any dizziness when you walked on to this ship?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

“Connor, do you know Connor? Heck, it’s a small world, eh? And is he lucky? How do you know that?” Her voice may not be slurred but her eyes were certainly slightly glazed now.

“Did I tell you about the time he…” She shook her head, and it really hurt this time. “Ice-pack, yes, good. I think my head is a little,” she waggled her hand as if this meant something. “You know…” She nodded as if to affirm what she was clearly trying to say and failing at miserably. Nodding it seems hurt too.

“My ship’s wrecked, well that’ll put the insurance up, eh?” She smiled. “That was a joke by the way. Except, it’s true, so does that make it still a joke? And does it have to be funny to be a joke.” Her face wrinkled as she clearly tried to work this out.

“So, to recap. My ship is totalled. Not technically my ship, but we’ll gloss over that. You and Connor go way back and you’ve witnessed him win big or something, yes? And…I remember the CPR – was that outside? I don’t remember travelling here. Is that one of those doctor type questions. Do you think I’m concussed, eh? Or dead. Are you checking to see if I’m dead?” Her eyes opened wide in horror.

Her hand snaked out and she touched his face, manipulating his features. “I've been dead before, so I have some experience. You feel alive to me, so I must be alive, right? And…what was the question again? I hope it wasn’t about maths, I’m rubbish at maths.” She smiled up at him and realised she still had her hand on his face. “Sorry, I forgot.” She removed the offending digits.

[member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

He played the listener again listening as she rambled away. Missing his chances to join the conversation simply because he didn't speak quick enough to interrupt her. He noticed the subtly winces in her face as she nodded or moved her head. He definitely needed to get her something for that. He tried to keep a smile on his face though one eyebrow was cocked higher than the other. He didn't want to alarm her but she was slowly starting to worry him more and more. Especially asking if she was dead.

He froze when her hand reached his face pushing it around. It reminded him of the elderly women in his family who use to pinch his cheeks as a boy. She was being much more gentle than them however. He remember his face being red with fingertips after the old women were done. He huffed and grinned as she mentioned being dead before. That wasn't surprising considering the ship she just crashed. He darted his eyes from her face to her hand then watched as she finally darted the hand from his face.

"Didn't do any harm I guess," He replied to her apology then scratched his nose. Lugus moved his first two fingers to her neck just under her jaw line, "You could have been dead earlier today.... You're alive now though."

He tried not to laugh but he couldn't help himself. He laughed anyway grinning from ear to ear at how silly it was for him to check her pulse when she had yet to shut of since he got her on the ship. When he finally pulled himself together, he place the same fingers on his own wrist waiting for a bit. "Uh oh," he moved the fingers from his wrist to his neck. "I might be dead... There it is. PHEW!" He put his hand down and grinned at her chuckling lightly.

He thought back to her questions. She asked so many questions that he couldn't remember them either. He remember the first one however. "I actually don't know Connor. Just sort of commenting on him... Unless he's from Bestine. If he's a jedi then no I definitely do not know him, but if having you as his girlfriend counts winning big then, yeah, he's definitely won big." He smiled then laughed slightly. Did that count as flirting? He was just trying to be nice in his opinion. This Connor was a lucky guy to have her. "I'm not really here to dwell your love life however. In fact, I should really get you that ice-pack," He shook his hands to dismiss the conversation before stood up after that then backed away from her slowly.

"For now you should just shhhh...," he put his finger to his lips. "No more talking or moving for now just relax and rest."

He slipped out of the room heading to the cockpit first relaying the grandmaster's safe yet concussed state to command and how he would be bringing her back to Onderon. That was the safer bet rather than taking her all the way to Ossus and risking something major being wrong. While in the cockpit he was suddenly reminded of where they where. The mangled ship and devouring darkness clear from where he was standing. They definitely needed to leave sooner rather than later. He left the cockpit then when to his lunch box taking the ice-pack from it also another treat as well that he was sure she would positively love. He hid it slightly behind his back as he walked back to her. He put the ice-pack over where the knot was previously only moving his hands from it after hers held it in place. He then showed her the snack. A piece of ryshcate wrapped semi-neatly in a sandwich bag.

"Second best tasting ryshcate in the galaxy," he grinned triumphantly giving it to her. "I'm not allowed to claim it's the best since I'm not Corellian." He shrugged then chuckled lightly.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

She was aware he was feeling her neck. Perhaps it was for her pulse. Or maybe he just had a neck fetish. She giggled.

“Sorry, nothing,” she said and did her best to keep a straight face.

“Connor is not my boyfriend...And I’m not his girlfriend.” She added the second sentence in case the first was ambiguous. “I like him, he’s a friend but I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m a Jedi.” She said the last word with gusto, as if this meant something. “He didn’t put you up to this did he?” She squinted at him, as if appraising him.

“But I’m relaxed.” She closed her eyes before re-opening one. “And I’m shussing, OK?”

When he returned with the ice-pack she shuddered when he placed it on her head but quickly appreciated the cold. But it was the ryshcate that solicited the most memorable response. One smell of her favourite food provoked a most interesting and colourful array of projectile vomit she’d ever produced. Better even than the time she was attacked by voxyn.

[member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

Why was she making that face? He quickly learned why. His eyes slammed shut like a barricade separating his vision from the sight. His hands move next pinching his nose and covering his mouth. Don't smell it. Don't smell it. Don't smell it... He repeating in his mind like a mantra. He felt the warmth on his thigh however and his mind quickly switch to telling himself how it was on him. That was all it took. His eyes opened back looking around as he choked back his own gagging. He went for the med-kit opening it and then dumping it's contents. He wasted no time empting his own stomach into the empty kit. His eyes water as he pauses for a second. Then notice a couple of air sickness bags on the ground. The must have been in the... Oh well. He passed a bag to the grandmaster then closed and grabbed the empty yet no longer empty kit on his way out. He didn't bother to look at her in fear he might be sick again. He shut the door to the cabin then opened the hatch to outside and Umbara. With out wasting a second, he quickly tossed the box out of the ship.

Next priority was the vomit on his suit. This would be a story for the future kids. The story of how he saved the Grandmaster of the Jedi order... And then she threw up on him... Such is the noble life of Lugus Porkins. If she were a man, he would have just took the suit off and tossed it off the ship as well. He couldn't do that however. He found a rag and cleaned it off the best he could. Then he tossed the rag from the ship and shut the hatch back.

He shuddered violently then knocked on her door not daring to enter again... or at that moment at least, "I just had a nightmare that you puked on me. Did that just happen? ... I'm going to go get your astromech. Do you need anything else from you ship before we get the hell off this rock?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was aware of what she was doing – but that didn’t stop her doing it. She flapped around for something to be sick into when she was passed a small bag. She gratefully took it and retched and retched until what must have been the entire contents of her stomach were contained in the paper container.

Well…apart from the bits that were all over the pilot that is.

Oddly, she felt better – although her head hurt more. So she pushed the ice-pack back into place and closed her eyes, before quickly opening them. The darkness made her feel nauseous again, so she decided to keep her eyes wide open that you very much.

Aware that Lugus was doing a variation of baling out a ship that was talking on water, she offered, “You might want to up the scrubbing on the air-con – for the…you know…smell.”

She was actually feeling far more lucid now. “Sadly it wasn’t a nightmare – sorry. It actually happened.” She pulled a downward smile, “Sorry.”

“Astromech, yes. Um, let’s think…” She seemed lost in concentration for a short while. “Bottle of Corellian’s finest in the fridge and some spare robes. They might even fit you, if you need to change. Otherwise, the salvage guys can come and take what’s left.”

“Be careful out there and…thanks.” She smiled warmly. He’d been a trooper for her and she genuinely appreciated his efforts. She resolved to put in a good word when she got back – he deserved more than a vomit stained uniform for his troubles.

[member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

"Yeah, no problem," He pat the doorframe before heading over and upping the scrub on the venting system. This should have been the first thing he did. At least doing it before leaving the ship meant it should smell fresh when he gets back.

He didn't waste anytime stepping off the freighter and back into the darkness. The planet gave him the chills, but as soon as he got her things the sooner they could leave this looming blackness. He crossed the distance then entered the ship. First priority was the droid. A little smashed. More than a little but Lugus could at least turn the little droid back on for her. Luckily, he had thought and brought some tools to turn the little thing back on. That saved Lugus from having to push it or drag it back to the ship. It beeped and whizzed back to life twitching and sparking lightly from the damage, but that could be fixed later by an actual droid mechanic. As the droid made it's way back to the ship, Lugus went to the fridge grabbing the Corellian liquor. That's something. Evidently Jedi are allowed to drink. Not total sticks in the mud he guessed.

He went through the ship trying to find the Jedi robes. His thoughts went back to what she said about that Connor guy. If he wasn't important then why was he even mentioned? Maybe he was an ex. She didn’t have a boyfriend however. She's a Jedi. Sounded complicated. Lugus didn't care for complicated. Though he could have swore there was buzz about two Jedi getting married not long ago... He popped open a locker and found the jedi robes. His previous thought quickly replaced with the thought of getting the stuff and going. Next to the robe he noticed a few dresses beside them. Beautiful in his mind. Nothing to elaborate or flashy. He took a moment admiring them only to hear a screech outside. Get the hell out. Get the hell out! He grabbed them all in his arms then ran from her ship back to the freighter meeting the little astromech that didn't have enough power to get up the ramp. Lugus pushed it up on to the ship closing the hatch quickly behind them.

He tried not to look completely spooked when he shoved the astromech into the cabin. He reached her the bottle only to pull it way before she grabbed it. He gave her a stern yet playful look before placing it out of her reach, "You don't need that... I also found these." He laid the dresses on the cot then shook the jedi robes his hand.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

When he left, Corvus surveyed her robes. They were a combination of ripped, bloodied, vomit-stained and burned. Knowing he was going to return with replacements, she stripped out of them and jettisoned them. Then she washed and although the ship wasn’t cold, she grabbed a blanket to cover her modesty at least whilst waiting for him to return.

Corvus was pleased when he returned, he seemed to be gone a while and she was concerned for his safety. In her current state, she was avoiding using the Force unless she had to. She heard her astrodroid before she saw the pilot and she smiled at both.

Realising his uniform was similarly damaged and that the robes were at least unisex, she nodded with a grim realisation of what had to happen next.

“Your clothes should really be binned. As you can see, I had the same idea.” She almost opened the blanket to prove what she was saying but had enough presence of mind not to do so. “And so you should put on the robes. They’re warm and practical and make more sense for you to wear. Me…” She stared at the dresses, “I’m going to have to wear one of these.

There was no thought involved as she simply picked the top one off the pile and disappeared for a while before returning.

Spoiler

She was clearly self-conscious about it but simply jerked her thumb in the direction of the living area. "Your turn Jedi Porkins.” And she smiled warmly. “But no saber for you I’m afraid.”

[member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

He waited patiently for her return deciding to give her thirty minutes before going to check on her. He didn't much like her out of the cabin. She left before he could insist to leave the room however. He huffed as smirked slightly as he went over the robes. He didn't know how well they would fit him but he imagined they fit the grandmaster loosely. He wondered why the jedi chose to wear loose fitting robes. He put on the long outer robe for now since he didn't expect to have the time to get fully dressed. Putting the hood up, he took a stance that resembled the jedi ready stance. Of course a very sloppy version however. His hands empty despite pretending to hold a lightsaber. Lugus tried to mimic what he remembered from the old holovids. Unlike his usual lightsaber play he didn't mimic the sound of the blade with his mouth.

The vision of the grandmaster brought from his pretending as he threw the hood back down. He twisted his head lightly to the side staring at her in the dress looking more at the dress \than her. It was a modest dress in his opinion he found to be a rare gem. Unlike the favored dresses he saw in cantinas and places of similar nature, This one didn't show her cleavage and even covered most of her thighs. She looked elegant rather than provocative. Lugus didn't get to use elegant to often when describing a woman. Still the dress was quite a step away from the robes she was in before.

When she finished talking that was when he finally realized she was talking to begin with. He straightened his head back up then gave her another look up and down before smiling, "I'm sorry have we met? I was just waiting here for the grandmaster to get back. I don't suppose you saw her. She went back that way." He pointed to the direction she pointed with her thumb. Of course he knew who she was but that didn't stop him from making the joke. "I'm her new padawan, Lugus Porkins. If it makes any difference my inner child is like 4 and 1/2 on most days... Though I'm probably as force sensitive as a dead gundark."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. It was nice to be treated as a human being once in a while. People either gave her way too much respect, tried to kill her or hit on her.

Her sister was different but three meetings in six years wasn’t exactly a regular occurrence.

She felt awkward in the dress and knew she was fidgeting in it but couldn’t help herself. So she decided to play along with the banter. “Can’t say I saw her but I admire her choice of Padawan. You want to lift your right elbow a couple of centimetres though.” She pointed at the offending joint and smiled, and then leaned forward to move it for him. “There you go.”

“And there’s a lot to be said for not being Force-sensitive – but less so about the dead gundark bit. That I can’t see a use for. So Padawan, ho long have you been a pilot?”

She was starting to relax again and stopped fiddling with the dress. Picking up the bottle, she asked,. "Do you have any glasses?"

[member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Lugus Porkins]

Lugus watched her hands then glanced back up and grinned at her as she played along with his game. It wasn't something that happened often. Most people gave him a pity laugh or looked at him like he was nuts. To make matters worse, he pretended to be a jedi and she encouraged him by fixing his stance. He mentally gave a hallelujah over the fact she wasn't the husk of a person that he imagined jedi to be.

"I've been a pilot since... since I was old enough to learn and understand it. Started with speeders hunting sink crab then graduated up to ships and frieghters. It's kind of a family thing," He glanced back at her noticing she had the bottle in her hand now, "I don't know. Not my ship. The Republic will get a bit of surprise when they get it back and try to figure out what the smell is. Can I see that?"

He reached for the bottle taking it from her hand slowly so that he didn't alert her to his double cross, "You don't need this. Lay down. Relax. Rest." He tried to keep a chipper tone in his voice despite reminding himself that he was scolding the grandmaster of the jedi. "You might have a concussion. A drink is the last thing you need. Tomorrow though, we can pop this baby open. I might even cook you a Bestinian feast of seafood for surviving that crash. You're not allergic, are you?"

He moved over and gathered up the rest of robes before heading toward the door, "If you'd feel more comfortable, I can bring you a flight suit as well. We can switch off. You can be the ace. We'll pretend you don't crash ships ever... I'll wear the dress. Don't laugh. I can make it look good. Just no heels. That's where I draw the line." He pointed his finger at her at the mention of heels then cut his hand across to draw the 'line.' He hoped the grin on his face made the joke obvious for her.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus felt relaxed – and a lot better than she had done an hour ago – but she knew deep down she still wasn’t 100 per cent.

She enjoyed his story of his career. It was good to talk about stuff that wasn’t Jedi related. She could sense the passion he had for flying and hoped she was similar when talking about being a Jedi.

She allowed him to take the bottle and did as instructed and lay down. “Can you do risotto? I had a lovely seafood risotto recently. With blossom wine. And views to die for.”

In truth she was feeling tired now but probably shouldn’t go to sleep. But then lying down wasn’t making it any easier. But he kept the banter up and that was helping some.

“I’ll tell you a secret. Even I don’t wear heels. I tend to wear my Jedi boots. I kinda…forget to buy any shoes to with them. But take my advice. With those legs? I’d go for a fuller length skirt. And Lugus? I feel very, very tired. Is that OK?”

[member="Lugus Porkins"]