Private A New Life

[Sorr Kortu]

Sorr laughed while Tiaza was struggling against his tickling, he remembered the time he ticked his younger sister when he was a kid. It was bliss, it was innocent before his dad had to start interfering with his life. Telling him where to go, who to be, Sorr felt trapped under his Dad's heel and only then for the first time in his life he felt free to choose. Though sometimes he wondered if the choices he made were the right ones. The young man heard beeping from the navicomputer. From the screen it turned out that they were about arrive at their location. Sorr closed his eyes kissing Tiaza as he placed her on the chair.

"We're almost there," Sorr said. "Strap in your seatbelt we are entering the planet's orbit now."

There was loud shutter and then Sorr saw the ocean blue planet ahead. "So what do you think of Tiaza's Purr?" Sorr smiled. "I'd say is a good name."

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Pyrshak system | Sorr’s New Ship (Tiaza’s Purr)
Tags: Sorr Kortu

The tickling had stopped. They were still having fun though. Their first chance to relax, make out a little and enjoy each other. Then the ship beeped. Tiaza gave a bit of a sigh at stopping their actions, but was relieved when it was a good beep. They were close to their destination. Sorr gave one last kiss and Tiaza purred right on cue, though she was disappointed to be in her seat again when she opened her eyes.

Tiaza did as was suggested and reapplied her seat belt. “Tiaza’s Purr is perfect,” she emphasized the first syllable of the last word in her approval and was unable to hold back a giggle at her poor pun.

As the ship approached the comm light blinked before a groggily Selkath voice came over the speaker. “Freighter 3 YM-NF2, this is Ahto City control. Please continue your approach normally and land at docking bay 5416.”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

"Good," Sorr giving Tiaza a quick kiss before turning his attention to the intercom. "Ummmm roger that control." Sorr said gulping it was reminder that he was no longer running flight simulations at school or his house anymore. It felt a little off putting to actually be conducting a landing process for real but the young man took a deep breath and stared at Tiaza.

"So far so good," Sorr said to Tiaza. "This is just like the simulations all we need to do is to start the landing cycle and we'll be good to go."

His radar picked up two speeders flying close to him. "T-47 Airspeeders," Sorr said. "One each side, they're scanning my cargo holds according to the ship's navigation."

He smiled at Tiaza. "Don't worry Tiaza," he chuckled nervously. "This is just protocol the only thing we have to worry about is if there's possible illegal stuff in the ship."

There couldn't illegal items stowed away inside the ship, surely Lady X wouldn't try to screw Sorr and Tiaz on their first day on the job.

Right?

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Manaan | Sorr’s New Ship (Tiaza’s Purr)
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza was amazed as she looked out the cockpit window over the world of Manaan. She’d never seen so much water in her life. Things seemed to be going smoothly so far no one had boarded that ship while in orbit. Command even gave them landing directions. The young Chiss was a little frightened when an airspeeder appeared in the corner of her eye, but Sorr was quick to comfort her, by saying it was standard procedure.

He didn’t sound quite as certain about the fact that Lady X wouldn’t put him in a bad spot though. “The ship was brand new. And we’re picking up in Manaan not dropping off. The ship is empty. Isn’t it?”

Before Sorr could answer the comm light lit again. This time it was more than just a voice it was a holoimage of Lady X. ‘A recording?’ Tiaza thought to herself. ‘Otherwise she’s got really good timing.’ she finished the thought naively.​

 

[Xygrit Sizhran]

Location: Ylesia via holonet communications
Tag: Sorr Kortu | Vletti'azan'uosus

“Ah,” Lady X sounded as if she was disturbed from a task when her comm initiated contact. “I see that you have made it to Manaan,” the image looked over her shoulder and smirked. “Made good time. Looks like the money I spent to have that ship designed was well spent. The Selkath haven’t bothered you about the cargo I snuck onboard have they?”

The Falleen crime boss gave a laugh, “Joking. Don’t worry. My jobs are on the up and up. You’ll find many in this business that are looking to put a blade in your back, Lady X doesn’t do that unless you give me reason to.”

In front of the vision of the crime boss appeared a map of Ahto City West. It was the center of the criminal justice system in the Selkath capital. A sharp-nailed finger pointed to the walkway that one would take when arriving from the spaceport into Ahto City West and traced a line between the Court of Justice and the jail. It ended at a point that was unmarked. “This is Gaald Shipping. They have a crate of supplies. You will be asking for Nok Gaald, he’s the nephew of the company’s owner. He will give you instructions. And just so that you know, if I was going to slip something into the cargo hold there is a secure box that no sensors will be able to penetrate. You shouldn’t worry about planetary security.”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

"What?!" Sorr said while the Airspeeders continued to scan the ship. A Holoimage of Lady X appeared as she smugly stared at he and Tiaza. "They're scanning us now!" Sorr whispered loudly. "I thought we were here to pick up medical supplies."

He should've known that there was a catch to these missions, there was always a catch. "I guess should also be thankful that the Manaan is in Silver Jedi territory." the young man grumbled. "Because they're still recovering from the Bryn invasion."

It just seems that the Galaxy is addicted to conflict and unfortunately that's how Smugglers make their living. The longer and bloodier the war, the more profits they can rake in. Maybe Sorr could indulge in it, but it didn't feel right to take advantage of the poor devastated by war. "Do I even have the heart for this?" Sorr thought.

"Ship is clean." One of the pilots said. "You're clear to land."

"Thank you Lady X," Sorr immediately turned off the holoprojector and stared at Tiaza. "So Lok Gaald right?" Sorr said approaching the landing pad. "Let's hope there's no more tricks."

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Manaan | Sorr's New Ship (Tiaza's Purr)
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza just like Sorr got very nervous when Lady X joked about there be contraband onboard. She then said she was joking, but Tiaza wasn't sure what to believe. The Manaan pilot gave them the go ahead and Tiaza let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Sorr thanked Lady X. Tiaza hoped it was sarcastic. True the woman had treated them fairly so far, but the joke was over the line as far as the Chiss was concerned. She settled back into the comfy chair and waited to land.

"Yes. No more tricks," Tiaza echoed Sorr's sentiments. "From here on let's not follow the Han Solo playbook and have a job run smoothly." She gave him a smile and reached out to hold his for the rest of the descent.​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

Sorr sighed landing the ship onto the spacepad and turned to Tiaza. "Come on," he said picking her up. "The sooner we find this Nok the better, not even five minutes on this planet and I have a feeling that this job is already screwed."

A Smuggler must always trust his instincts so far, Sorr's was faulty given the way he easily trusted Rory who in turned thanked him by trying to kill Sorr and bring his corpse back to his Dad. He still didn't know what Rory was thinking, his Dad would've bought the might of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force upon him."

As the ramp descended, Sorr carried Tiaza seeing an R2 unit greeting them. <Hello,> The droid beeped. <Welcome to the Manaan, I am R4-67 and I'll be your guide. Is there any place that I can direct you to?"

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Manaan | Ahto City
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza hugged tightly to Sorr’s neck as they started another adventure, or was it just a new chapter in one adventure? She wasn’t quite sure, but she knew by now that no matter how easy the job seemed or was described as, she needed to be ready for something bad to happen.

She felt a little guilty for Sorr carrying her still. If she had taken the stim offered by the medical droid on Ylesia she could walk and Sorr could have more freedom to react to danger. But she wanted to be close to him no matter what. And he seemed to be protective enough that even if the ankle were healed he wouldn’t give up on carrying her until he was positive that she wouldn’t hurt it any further.

At the bottom of the ramp an astromech droid beeped something at them. Tiaza didn’t understand a single beep of droidspeak, so she tilted her head to the side and tried to decide what to tell the droid who seemed to be waiting for something.

“Gaald Shipping,” Tiaza spoke their destination. The droid gave a whir of acknowledgement.

<Follow me then,> the droid beeped. <That is an easy walk to Ahto City West.>

Without incident they followed the rolling guide from the spaceport to Ahto City West. They passed between the courts and the jail with no one even giving them a second look. Finally the droid came to a stop in front of a the business noted on Lady X’s map. <Gaald Shipping. On planet holding warehouser. Owner: Tol Gaald. Operator: Nok Gaald.> A extender hand showed itself from a compartment inside the droid and pointed to a Selkath leaning against the wall at the entrance to the building. <Nok Gaald is right there. Enjoy your stay on Manaan. If you have time before you leave you should visit Chata’s Place. A wonderful expression of Selkath cuisine.>

With that the droid turned and rolled away. Tiaza gave Sorr a look. “Did you get any of that?”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

"Gaald Shipping?" Sorr said looking down at Tiaza. "How do you know where to go?" Sorr didn't remember Lady X giving out a specific location maybe he wasn't paying attention but he was certain that she didn't mention it.

Sorr nodded in thanks to the Droid before heading towards the Selkath next to the entrance. "I'm pretty sure you want to go to Chata's Place after we're done huh?" Sorr smirked. "I can see it in your eyes."

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Manaan | Ahto City
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza laughed when Sorr admitted that he had not heard where they could find Nok Gaald. "Perhaps you were distracted by my eyes when Lady X gave the name of the place."

She tilted her head to the side at the mention of another place. "Chaya's Place something the droid recommended? You know I would love a date, but I want to be done with these tasks as well. So whatever you think is best is fine."

As they discussed plans the Selkath, Nok Gaald pushed off the wall he was leaning against and approached them. "Offworlders stick out here. You picking up or dropping off?" He asked. The casual nature of his speech sounded very weird in the gravelly Selkath tone of voice.​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

Sorr placed Tiaza down allowing her to cling onto his leg if need be. The young man gulped as he stood up straight trying to appear as professional as possible. "You're Nok Gaalad?" Sorr asked placing his hands in his pockets. "You have the medical supplies that I need to make my run?" The young man looked down at Tiaza and gave her a smile. A date would be nice but right now, Sorr needed to build up his reputation as a reliable Smuggler. Given the war between the Alliance and the Brotherhood, this was the perfect opportunity to do so with both sides are distracted fighting each other.

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Manaan | Ahto City
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza was more than happy to sit at Sorr’s feet, hugging onto one leg to try not to hamper his ability to move around too much. She didn’t know what to think of Nok Gaald. She had never seen a Selkath before. She thought for sure she had seen everything, but every time she turned a corner with Sorr she was experiencing something new. It was exciting, and she hoped this Selkath was just a transport facilitator, not some criminal.

The Selkath looked down at Tiaza on the floor and laughed. “That’s right I am Nok,” he said with a nod. “As to what I may or may not have for you.” He looked Sorr over and then feigned to look at his datapad. “I don’t show I am holding anything for short human with injured Chiss girl. I’ll need some more information. Who’s this supply run for? How do I know you aren’t just looking for something to fix up your girlfriend their and leave me holding the bag?”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

"It's for Lady X," Sorr said remaining stone-faced. "You are the nephew of the owner Gaalad Shipping correct?" The young man looked around for a brief moment before turning his gaze towards Lok. "My girlfriend is fine but you won't if you don't give me the supplies necessary for me to complete my run."

Sorr frowned. "Lady X is not the forgiving sort especially if her supplies aren't moving as fast and efferently as possible." He said. This was all a lie, in truth Sorr didn't know how Lady X operated in real life. She might as well execute he and Tiaza for failure but Nok didn't have to know that now did he?

"I'm getting the hang of this lying thing." Sorr thought. "So what's it going to be?" he asked while he enjoyed the feeling of Tiaza clinging on to his leg.

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Manaan | Ahto City
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza found Sorr being forceful and a little deceitful to be intriguing. It was not like she was attracted to the true bad boy type, but knowing the lengths Sorr would go to do his job and keep her safe was certainly attractive. And well, all the smugglers in the romance stories had a bit of an edge to them, she knew Sorr would need one too.

The Selkath immediately became defensive at the mention of Lady X. “Ok. Ok. I will have your stuff for you in no time at all. Lady X didn’t tell me she was sending a new guy.” Nok grabbed his data pad again and this time started typing in earnest. “It’s not too big a shipment. Did you want to take delivery? We can let you borrow a hovercart. Or we can also take it to your dock for you. We don’t step foot inside of your ship though. Against company policy.”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

"Take it to my ship," Sorr said motioning to the spacepad behind them. "I'll take care of the rest and I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to take the delivery."

It was scary to sound so direct and to the point. Just yesterday, Sorr was stumbling on his words surprised on how he was able to get away with lying. Now here he was actually intimidating a person. The young man picked Tiaza holding her in his arms. "I'll be waiting for you," Sorr said. "Don't be late."

As he carried Tiaza , Sorr looked down at his girlfriend. "I hope I didn't scare you," he whispered.

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Manaan | Ahto City
Tags: Sorr Kortu

The Selkath nodded to Sorr and headed back towards his uncle's establishment. As he did started talking instructions into a comm and tapping on his data pad. Seems that Lady X’s name carries a bit of weight around here.

Tiaza was lifted off the ground again and hugged tightly to Sorr’s neck. He asked if he had scared her. A giggle preceded and purr and kiss to Sorr’s neck. “It reminded me of one of the smugglers I have read about.” She was reluctant to say the name of the smuggler she was referring to. It was not a very widely read story, and was a little risqué. “Would you think less of me if I said it was a little bit hot?”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

The purring from Tiaza helped Sorr relax, when he was trying to bluff Nox his entire body was stiff as a board as if his muscles decided to randomly shut down. Yet with Tiaza kissing his neck and purring into Sorr's ear everything felt lighter as if someone removed a boulder from his back. "Of course not Tiaza," Sorr chuckled kissing the Chiss on the lips. "Why would I think less of you if you have some risque stuff that you've read."

It was a good thing Tiaza never heard of Sorr's Twileak girl pic collection from when he was 14. It was deleted now but it was best left to the dustpin of history. "Are you feeling okay?" Sorr said holding Tiaza. "Do you want me to put you down?"

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Manaan | Ahto City
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza blushed. Why would he think less of her for risque interests? He seemed like a pretty shy guy most of the time she knew him. He had learned quickly to be more assertive for his new career, but that didn’t mean that was the real him. In fact, while she thought it was sexy for him to put on that persona for work, she really hoped he remained the sweet, smart boy she met on Ord Mantell.

“Are you ok?” she giggled into his ear after exchanging another kiss and being asked about her own well being. “I am quite comfortable in your arms Sorr,” she added in a soothing tone. “If you need, I am sure that I can manage on my own.” The truth was her ankle was feeling much better. She would have to limp if he put her down, but walking wouldn’t be much of an issue.​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

Sorr snapped out of his thoughts. "I'm fine!" Sorr smiled sheepishly kissing Tiaza on her forehead. "I'm just a little nervous about this job that's all. I bet it's common Smuggler nerves."

He really did not want Tiaza to learn about his little Twileak pic collection. Who knows what she'll do to him and Sorr did not want to find out. "It depends on what you want sweetheart," Sorr said. "Do you want me to continue to carry you or do you want me to put you down?"

Sorr knew that Tiaza loved to be carried despite her injury but there was a possibility that she wanted to walk on her own volition. Staring at the ocean, Sorr smiled. "The ocean is beautiful," he remarked. "I've heard Manaan has a diversity of fish here."

Vletti'azan'uosus