Tied Together With A Smile

[Jamie Pyne]

Aela had taught Jamie a great many things in their time together. Everything from proper lightsaber techniques, applications of the Force, the ability to control herself and manipulate it to her will. She'd trained the girl on working in sensitive, undercover jobs for the SIS and Alliance, and even saved her from her own stupidity more than a dozen or so times. It seemed that Jamie had a great number of debts to repay in some form or another, even if the Jedi Master didn't think so. To Jamie, Aela had become as close to her as family. The Padawan quite literally owed her life several times over to Aela. Bastion, Lothal, Naboo. Three times at least where she was absolutely certain that without the other girl's intervention she would no longer be breathing.

That was why she'd planned this small excursion. Lujo was a planet she'd never visited, but she had heard a great number of stories about. What Jamie had planned would be a challenge, nothing life threatening, at least inherently. Of course she had refused to tell Aela what exactly it was that they were doing, aside from packing comfortable, loose clothes and sturdy shoes. The blonde would take care of the rest.

The ship was already being prepped at Landing Pad 4. All of the equipment Jamie was bringing for the two of them had been picked up earlier in the morning. For once she had been sure to awake much earlier than the Talith girl to get the gear moved to the ship's cargo bay. One of her 5th Legion members would be piloting to ensure their safe arrival and departure. A week's worth of supplies paid for. Everything was pretty well and taken care of.

Jamie slipped into her boots, laced them up tightly and grabbed her bag, stuffing inside her datapad, camera, wrist gadget, and lightsaber, despite the lack of need for the latter. Her bracelet was slipped around her wrist and she grabbed her comm in the next breath. Pyne then wandered down the hallway of the temple, bag over her shoulder, and knocked on the girl's door.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela was, of course, already at the landing pad by the time Jamie got there. She wore simple clothing, civilian dress that she tended to keep to on most days now. Her lightsabers were tucked into the holsters on her thigh, even though Jamie had said they wouldn't be needed. Her backpack was slung across her shoulder and she was quietly speaking with the pilot of their journey.

"Lujo was a failure." She explained to the man who nodded.

"I was there...on the other side."

The Jedi Marshall, for however long she would still be one, smiled at the comment. "Well then you know."

The battle had not gone all that well for the Alliance. They had suffered no significant losses, but the One Sith had managed to turn the tide of battle back around on them. It was an unfortunate fact at the time, though after a few months they had managed to reconcile the defeat with two quick victories that toppled the One Sith entirely. Lujo had been an odd battle to say the least, focused mostly around the Sith Temple that had now long since been torn down.

"Jamie!" She called to her padawan. "Took you long enough."

Her apprentice was always late.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The look on the Padawan's face was all the visual cue Aela would need to see that she was hardly amused.

As she approached the other girl she called out, "I went to your room. Knocked. Waited." Her nose wiggled. "You weren't there." The soldier by the ramp extended his hand to take Jamie's bag, which she dropped to the crook of her arm, before allowing it to slide into her hand and pass off to the man. "Thanks." She said with a quick nod and warm smile.

Jamie's blue eyes shifted back to Aela. "I didn't know you were planning to race me to the ship, or I wouldn't have bothered." It seemed even when the girl was awake extra early, Aela still found some way to accuse her of being late. Late! To her own plans no less! "Everything else is ready to go, I think." She gestured for the Talith to head in first, quickly following the girl up behind. Her finger pressed against the button on the panel next to the wall, retracting the ramp up to seal the two and their pilot inside to prepare for departure.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The shuttle was small enough, unmarked like all ships that were used by the SIS.

As Aela moved further and further away from the New Jedi Order she found that using the resources of the SIS was just easier than the Jedi, not to mention the 5th Legion preferred it as well. Apparently other Jedi made them somewhat uncomfortable, though why that was she had no idea. "So why Lujo?"

Aela asked as she moved to one of the acceleration seats.

She flopped herself down and quickly began to strap herself in, knowing that takeoff would likely be a little bit shaky. Most of the ships that the SIS used were a bit beat-up, some on purpose. Nobody looked twice at the old junk pile coming in for another cargo run, they tended to stare at the newer stuff. Of course this wasn't a mission for the SIS, but they had to take what was available to them, and it just so happened that all they got was an old YT freighter.

Go figure.

"It's not exactly vacation-land." Aela told her padawan. "Or known for...anything."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie dropped herself into the seat and buckled in, tightening the small harness with a few small frays in it. This piece of garbage wouldn't keep me in this seat if something were to happen if my life literally depended on it. Why she bothered was honestly more out of appearance than anything. It looked safer than remaining unstrapped. Only after she finished fiddling with the straps did she acknowledge Aela.

"Well." She started as the engines of the freighter fired. Her voice got a bit louder to compensate for the initial thunder of the engines. "It's not exactly Vineta, that's true." That was sort of the point. What Jamie had planned for wasn't exactly shiny cities and sparkling jewelry. It was in fact entirely the opposite. "But the fact that it's not known for anything is partially the reason." She nodded, adjusting her shirt beneath the harness as it had somehow become somewhat tangled.

"You'll see when we get there. I gave the coordinates to the pilot."

It was more fun to keep Aela in the dark until they got to the planet. "It'll be fun. Promise."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She mumbled something.

"If I end up having to save you again." Aela smiled at Jamie, obviously joking. "I'm really gonna hold it over your head this time."

She had no idea why Jamie would want to go to Lujo, or what plans she could have on the planet. As far as she was concerned the world was entirely without note. Sure the Sith had a temple there at one point, but it had long since been torn down. Other than that Aela didn't know what Jamie could find so interesting on the planet. Perhaps she wanted to see the old battle sights? A bit morbid for her, but with everything that had happened lately she couldn't really blame her.

"Heading up now."

The pilot called back to the two girls as the shuttle took a second lurch. Almost instantly Aela's stomach dropped. "Never get used to that."

She still hated flying on starships more than anything else. It made her feel confined and small, not to mention entirely useless. She frowned slightly as she felt the push of the ships acceleration on her chest, the inertial dampeners making the feeling slightly better, but not by much.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie snickered. "If anything, girl, this time I'll be saving you." Mischievous smirk adorned her face. "And then I will hold it over your head!"

A quick bout of giggling ensued before she composed herself.

The shifting and bucking of the ship didn't much phase Jamie. She had long since become used to the feeling of take off and landing. So long as she was not the one in control of the ship that is. The blonde had every confidence in just about anyone licensed to pilot starships other than herself. The simple fact that she nearly crashed, or did crash everything she took control of was more than enough for her to put confidence in others.

"It's not so bad." She remarked. She never felt that drop in her stomach unless the ship was about to crash. That was probably the wrong time to panic, however. "Just have to relax." Jamie could more or less sleep through a takeoff and landing, so long as it wasn't so bumpy that her head was getting bounced around the cabin like a ball.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I don't like ships." She said plainly.

It was really Aela's only remaining fear. She had fought Sith Lords, Terentateks, even Krayt Dragons, but starships? Even the big ones made her nervous. There was simply something about them that made her stomach drop. The small spaces, the lack of control she had over them.

In a fight with a Sith she had control, she could do something, on a spaceship? No.

The curse that carried along her family line meant she couldn't even grab the controls and fly around. She was less than useless, she was an active danger to anyone who was on the ship with her. The fact stuck with her more than anything else, and probably was the origin of her fear. Even if something happened, even if she took control, anything she could do would actually create a worse outcome than someone else grabbing the controls.

"I should get a star dragon." They could fly through hyperspace. "At least then I'd feel safe."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

There was a slight vibration throughout the ship as it broke through the atmosphere and planetary gravity before reaching low orbit, heading towards the hyperspace lane. Only after they hit the weightlessness of space would Jamie loosen the harness in her seat. Not that it mattered one way or the other. If they crashed, or hit something, that harness would have most definitely torn faster than a lightsaber through paper. "Just don't pay it any attention. Imagine it's just like a speeder, or a bus, or anything else." That was how Jamie had gotten over her initial fear of space travel.

"If you don't look out the viewports, you would hardly notice."

The girl reached down into her bag that the pilot had left by her seat, fishing about until she found her datapad and pulled it free. Glancing down at it she quickly thumbed through her messages from back home, ensuring that Vrak was still well and confined to the prison she had left him in, as well as checking for any updates on the hunt for Suravi. The latter had become a much less fruitful endeavor. The woman had seemingly disappeared off the face of the galaxy, something that irked Jamie like no other.

With no official business to tend to she glanced back through older messages, her finger hovering over those exchanged between her and Kurt. She hadn't yet to delete them, one of the few remaining traces of their contact that for some reason, she couldn't let go of. For a long minute she simply stared at the datapad, before pressing the power button and sliding it back into her pack.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I don't like those either." Aela pointed out simply, glancing towards Jamie as she stared at the messages. For a moment Aela's lips thinned and she felt the odd mix of emotions coming from Jamie through the bracelet. She was half tempted to say something, but instead she simply sealed her lips.

She'd learned back at Vineta that it was best just to let her Padawan talk when she wanted to.

It wasn't easy going through what she had gone through, but at the very least she'd gotten a small measure of peace as of late. Naboo had apparently quieted down, and the Sith who had attacked her had been captured and imprisoned. The news had pleased Aela greatly. She had yet to meet the man, and in truth doubted she ever would. His nature as a Pureblood meant that he was all but impossible to offer redemption to, but more so it was Naboo's own sovereignty that stopped her from asking.

Politics sealed that ball up rather tightly.

She felt another sudden lurch, the jump to hyperspace.

"How are you doing?" She asked quietly. "After everything?"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The feeling of being pulled back into her seat momentarily was awkward. Like a few extra pounds of pressure had been added in opposing directions, like a strong gale against her chest. Still, the feeling subsided after a few moments of adjustment and she was able to sit back comfortably in the seat. "Hm?" She turned to face Aela, then realized the other girl likely easily saw her lingering on her datapad. That, coupled with the bracelet, that damn bracelet, probably gave away her brief moment of internal struggle.

"I'm okay." She perked up a bit. "Some things are just harder than others to let go of." Namely sentimental notes and such. She was strange like that.

"I've been sleeping better though, so that's positive." With Vrak in a cell, confined for the rest of his existence, and Kurt out of the forefront of her mind, things were a lot less turbulent in her head. She found thinking clearly, meditating, and simply enjoying herself came easier. Her family situation was still one of relevance, but that could wait a bit longer. After all, what was the worst that could happen there? "Vineta was a nice break."

Even if part of it was spent in a bit of a drunken haze.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Not to mention a headache." Aela had never experienced a hangover before Vineta, and she planned to never experience one again. The feeling had been truly awful. She'd felt completely dehydrated, broken, and had the worst headache of her entirely life. Every sound Jamie had made almost caused her to throw up, not to mention the fact that her eyes had been hurting for two days after. The experience was one she wasn't eager to ever repeat. "Terrible."

She contended as she released the strap across her chest.

The trip to Lujo would be relatively quick, only a few hours from where they were. She wasn't going to spend that entire time sitting down however, mostly because it would make her go entirely stir crazy. She shifted for a second and then slowly stood up, steadying herself with a hand on the back of the seat. "It was nice though."

Aela said with a smile.

She wanted Jamie to know that she at least didn't regret the night spent having fun with her, though she most definitely did regret waking up in the next morning. That hangover had been something else.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie laughed, watching Aela stand up. She was content to sit for another minute or so, having spent the majority of the morning packing all of the equipment that they were going to need, and making sure everything was on schedule to go for their trip to Lujo. "I remember you being the one to say you could handle the alcohol. Not to mention," Her eyes raised to catch Aela's, a devious smirk on her while she spoke. "I didn't tell you to take all three shots at once. So that's on you girl." Jamie had experienced hangovers before, though that didn't make them any more enjoyable. It was still a terrible day following that evening, especially having to protect the governor for the remaining time. It was lucky for them that nothing happened.

Jamie was certain somewhere it was against the rules to protect assets while hungover.

"It was." Agreeing with Aela she gave a quick nod. Also ignoring the impromptu cry session at the dam. That was still rather embarrassing. A topic which would not be discussed as she had already found herself crying more than enough to Aela on various, numerous occasions. Jamie could almost swear that Aela had witnessed her crying more times than her parents. Not that it took all that much effort to begin with.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She shrugged, making sure she didn't fall down as the ship moved. Hyperspace was relatively stable, but there was the occasional bump if your drive was old. She had gotten used to that, at the beginning, when she was young it had scared her to no end. Paranoia was always present when she was on a ship.

"Well." Aela said with a smirk. "That's because I usually use the force to lesson the strain on my system."

Toxin control it was called. Her mother had taught her that particular trick in order to play a prank on her father. She smiled at the memory for a moment then continued on.

"If I had done that I would've been perfectly fine." She didn't mention why she hadn't done it, though she supposed Jamie would be able to guess easily enough. Aela had wanted to spend some time with Jamie in such a way that she wouldn't be the typical staunch and Stoic Jedi Master. Something that made them more on an even level. Her goal had been accomplished, but she'd paid dearly for it the next day when they'd woken up.

She wasn't eager to do it again. "Maybe if you're nice I'll teach you someday."

Aela probably would anyway, but Jamie didn't have to know that.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"That's cheating." She said, squinting her eyes accusingly towards Aela. "That's not allowed."

The blonde snapped her finger up, pointing her index towards the girl as if about to scold her. Of course Jamie had understood why the Talith girl had done just about everything she had done that day. Everything from wanting to go shopping, to wandering the city, talking, getting tipsy, the whole thing. It was rather obvious after everything was said and done that she wanted to find a way to comfort Jamie without having some awkward intervention and demanding her share her feelings. All in all it had worked how she had planned, as well as the added benefit of bonding more together. The latter was something Jamie appreciated more than Aela likely knew. There weren't a great many people she could count on. It was nice knowing she was one of them.

"I'm always nice." She retorted.

Jamie pushed herself up from the seat, scooping up her bag in the same motion and settling it on her right shoulder. The freighter was far from luxurious. A lot of it was in fact pieced together from scraps of older YT models, repurposed to fit the needs of the freighter. But on short notice they weren't going to be able to secure a Nabooian Yacht to take them to Lujo. It was just as well regardless, the less conspicuous it looked the less likely it was they would have problems while en route.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela moved around the back of the Freighter, heading towards the cargo hold where she would actually have room to stretch her legs a little bit. "It's not cheating."

The Jedi Marshall contended.

"It's an essential skill when you're undercover. An agent becomes compromised if they ingest too much alcohol, among other substances. Thus controlling the toxins that enter your body is essential to any Operative." It almost sounded like she was quoting a field manual.

She wasn't of course, mostly because a large portion of the SIS were not Force Users, and thus they couldn't actually control the toxins that entered their systems. Not with the force anyway. Aela and Jamie were unique in that aspect, though The Marshall did know there were a few other Force Using operatives within the SIS.

"Besides." She said as she opened the door to the cargo hold. "I didn't do it on Borleias."

Again the reason was obvious. "So stop complaining."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"It would have been cheating!" Complaining was like a service Jamie offered for free.

That service was ingrained in her brain, and taught to her by the years of noble life she had lived. To be noble was to complain, everyone knew that. Duh! "And for the record, you were compromised. You little secret spiller!" The girl smiled devilishly, prodding Aela in the side as she opened the door to the cargo hold. "I could have uncovered all your dirty little secrets, missy!" Not that she hadn't discovered a number of them on her own anyway, but that was beside the point.

She didn't need to embarrass Aela again with her book collection.

"Besides. There's no point in drinking alcohol for enjoyment if you take the enjoyment out of it." After all, you didn't have to get so drunk that you wound up with a nasty hangover at the end. Jamie more than enjoyed the tipsy, sillyness that came with being a bit over the line. The shots were a mistake that she wasn't really prepared for at the time.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Well when you work it's often not for enjoyment." She was still teaching lessons. "When you're sitting in a room full of criminals and you're the only one not having a drink people look at you funny."

An unfortunate fact that she had to learn for herself when she first went undercover. She remembered that time with a certain amount of nostalgia, though the feeling was a bit more mixed than pure joy. The mission had been an interesting one, but the clothes they had made her wear...those had been less than ideal. She frowned slightly as she remembered the feeling of how uncomfortable that underwear had been, shaking her head to push the thoughts away.

"Regardless." She stopped in front of Jamie and turned.

"I will not." She put strain on the word. "Be drinking like that any time soon again."

Aela would still have fun, or try to, but she most certainly wouldn't be drinking mysterious liquids that Jamie had delivered to her. That was entirely out of the question. That hangover had been enough to teach her more than just one lesson.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Sparkling white teeth peered through her parted lips as she grinned. She failed the attempt to stifle her laughter. Her cheeks puffed up, nostrils flared slightly as she giggled, her hand falling over her chest as she tried to contain herself. "Unless I bruise your ego again?" After all, it hadn't taken much goading to get Aela into taking those shots. Then again, the plan hadn't been to drink all of them at once. Aela had just decided to do that all on her own. Truthfully Jamie didn't think that was actually part of her plan, as it hadn't been part of Jamie's either, at least not until Aela took all three at once. The blonde wouldn't be shown up like that, not by someone who never drank to drink before.

Inside the cargo hold there were a few crates, not too much in the way of supplies, but enough food, water, and a bit of medicine just in case to last them a week or more, depending on how they rationed things. Jamie wasn't actually too certain how long it would take, but she doubted it would be a full week excursion. Still, better to be safe than starving or dying.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"No!" She said loud enough for it to echo just a bit off the walls. "Not at all."

A glare towards her padawan.

"Getting that drunk is just a bit too much. Maybe some people like doing it, but we can't all be like that." She stared dagger at Jamie but didn't exactly say who those some people were. Though the implication was more than clear.

For a second she peeked around the cargo hold, looking at all the crates and checking the contents as if it would somehow allow her to discern exactly what was where and why it was there. She frowned for a moment and wondered exactly what Jamie had planned. There were enough supplies here for a week long excursion, meaning they likely wouldn't be staying at a hotel or any other kind of place that would normally provide such things.

She frowned, then looked suspiciously at her padawan.