Private A New Life

[Sorr Kortu]

Sorr ran his fingers across his injured cheek wincing as he did so. It was only a small scratch, but boy did it hurt a lot it will go away once Sorr gets some Bacta. Seeing that Tiaza was limping towards him, Sorr rushed to the Chiss allowing her to lean on him. "Are you all right Tiaza?!" Sorr said his tone shaky. "I'm good, I just got grazed by a blaster bolt I'll live but...."

The young man shook his head. "Your ankle is kinda swollen," He picked her up and placing Tiaza in a bridal carry. "There," Sorr smiled struggling to hold her. "This is my fault that you're in this mess, I should never ever roped into this."

Sorr looked away. "I'm sorry Tiaza," he whispered. "I suck at this adventuring thing."

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Was the fighting done? Tiaza wasn’t quite sure. Sorr was quickly at her side to stop her from limping, he let her lean against his shoulder as he explained his minor wound. Her hand went up to his cheek and she cupped with a concerned smile. It didn’t look bad, and Sorr didn’t seem concerned, but neither of them were medics. She would insist that he get it looked at as soon as possible.

Her ankle suddenly radiated with pain as he made a comment about it. Before she could think about what to do she found herself up in Sorr’s arms. The young Chiss songstress wrapped her own arms around Sorr’s neck for stability and because well it just felt good. When Sorr apologized, yet again, Tiaza merely smiled and gave a giggle.

“Sorr. You need to stop apologizing,” she purred in his ear. “You didn’t force me to come with you. In fact I kinda force myself onto you. I just wanted to be sure you were safe. And it seems we’re both safe. If a little charred,” she giggled again and kissed him on the injured cheek. “I’m sure I’ll have time to heal before I have to go back on stage. And I don’t exactly dance around a bunch during my shows either. So what’s next? Now that you’ve experienced a smuggler’s double-cross it’s official. We need to get you a ship, so you can become the best pilot in the galaxy. On your own terms.”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

Though Tiaza insisted that it wasn't Sorr's fault he still felt guilty. This was his problem that he needed to take care of and Tiaza got hurt in the process. Still the way she purred in his ear made Sorr's skin shiver, as he tightened his grip around Tiaza she gave him a quick peck on his wounded cheek. Sorr's eyes grew wide as his heart began to increase tremendously. Besides his mom, no girl had ever kissed Sorr before. He was always shy around girls and when he tried to approach them, girls would always call him weird with one of them dumping a cup of Jawa Juice over his head a year ago.

Sorr turned his gaze away from Tiaza not wanting her to see his dark red cheeks. This was not a dream, he already tested it earlier an actual girl was showing him affection. Yet a small part of Sorr was still skeptical about it, years of rejection and bullying had made the young man cautious. "Yeah but we need to get to the Control Room first." Sorr gulped trying to snap out of his stupor. "Hopefully Rory ran away."

Carrying Tiaza, Sorr approached the metal door of the Control Room pressing the button. As soon as it opened, Sorr saw the smug face of Rory his feet up on the desk and leaning against his chair. "I have to hand it to you kid," Rory said sarcastically clapping. "You put in quite a show didn't think you had in ya." He sighed. "Maybe you could be a good Smuggler."

"Let us go," Sorr said holding onto Tiaza tightly. "I don't want to be a Smuggler any more, I'm done."

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

It seemed like a crazy thing, but being in Sorr’s arms Tiaza felt safe and comforted. She had already all but forgotten about the pain in her ankle. Like Sorr, Tiaza did not have a lot of socialization as she grew up. She was an oddball Chiss. However when she fled Csilla, that did change somewhat. She was an attractive girl. But some thought she would be a “typical cold Chiss”, so she still did not exactly have suitors fawning all over.

Then she became a known quantity in the musical galaxy. Opera producers and other singers started to pay notice to Tiaza. Then she started her pop career, at this point an attractive young pop singer suddenly the boys came from everywhere, though not usually with the most genuine intentions. No one that made her feel like Sorr had in a very short time.

Sorr carried Tiaza on, saying they were heading to the control room and hoping Rory had fled. ‘We won’t be that lucky,’ Tiaza thought to herself with an internal chuckle. Unfortunately she was correct. They reached the control room, opened the door and they Rory was lounging and sarcastically praising Sorr’s actions. Tiaza wanted to slap the man silly, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

Sorr again told Rory to let them go, not surprising in the least. And then he said he didn’t want to be a smuggler. Tiaza’s jaw dropped, was he serious? Or was this a bluff or some sort of ruse? “Are you sure?” she whispered into his ear, soft enough that Rory couldn’t hear at all. She trusted Sorr and kissed him again just below his ear to cover the whisper.​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

"No, I'm not," Sorr whispered. "I just want to get out of here." Being a Smuggler though was tougher than Sorr thought given that he hadn't even started his career and he was already being backstabbed by a man he trusted. Then again, Sorr forgot the golden rule of the Holonet: Don't believe everything you read or see. Boy did he feel guilty about not heeding that rule he thought he knew everything there is to know about programming and the Holonet but desperate times makes one impressionable.

Feeling more confident now that Tiaza kissed him, Sorr stood up straighter trying to appear confident to Rory. "Kid if there's one thing I've learned about Smuggling," He chuckled. "That once you start, you can't abort it's a job for life."

"I don't care!" Sorr retorted. "Let us go or else!"

"Or else what kid?" Rory slowly got up from his chair brandishing his Blaster Pistol. The young man slowly backed away gently placing Tiaza on the floor next to his leg. "No kid." Rory said. "I should've care of you personally."

Sorr slowly placed his hand on the holster of Blaster Pistol he took one last glance at Tiaza. He wasn't escaping for him; he was doing it to make sure that Tiaza would be safe. "I'm the fastest draw in this system," Rory said. "You're no match for me."

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza wanted to smile at Sorr’s comment that he wasn’t giving up smuggling and that it was in fact a ruse or a bluff. She was luckily well versed in using a stage face and held her excitement for what might come next on the inside. Rory doubted the truthfulness of Sorr’s statement as well, though it seemed like Rory wanted to drag Sorr further in rather than he thought Sorr wouldn’t want to leave. Tiaza wasn’t sure what that meant for Sorr’s plan, and the young Chiss was confident there was one.

Rory got up to challenge Sorr, causing Sorr to have to place Tiaza on the ground. The young songstress gave a slight whimper as Sorr let her go, even though she knew he could not answer the challenge while holding her in his arms. When placed on the ground she wanted to reach out and hold him tight, his waist, or legs, but that would interfere too. To feel safe and still close to Sorr she scooted slightly behind Sorr and wrapped one arm around his leg. It was loose enough that Sorr could easily break free of her grasp if needed to escape danger.

Sorr gave one last look down to her before the confrontation started in earnest, Tiaza locked eyes and smiled, even gave him a wink of her confidence and support. The last bit of flirtation made her blush slightly. She didn’t know what exactly it was about Sorr that made her so at ease even in the most dire circumstances, but she wanted to be sure that she would see much more of him in the future. So he’d better win this duel. Rory declared himself the greatest whatever on the system, which actually gave Tiaza more confidence. It was the classic overcompensation. If Rory was really that good why did he need twenty droids to capture one inexperienced young man, who he was ambushing at that. No Tiaza was sure this was going to end with Sorr prevailing. “You got this,” she put words to her confidence.​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

Sorr never felt so afraid in his life.

Just a few months ago, Sorr was basking in the relative peace of Alderaan. Staring at the large Mountains from his family estate and imagining what treasures could lurk beneath the Mountains. Could it be hidden treasure? A beautiful maiden? Sorr would look away to the horizon, to the stars his eyes glistening wondering how big the Galaxy could be. It was constantly expanding with new planets being discovered every day. It was a blissful innocence away from the war that waging in the other side of the Core Worlds. Sorr remembered wanting to leave his home, to carve a name for himself, to be more than just a meat puppet for his Dad.

But here he was facing certain death from a man who had tried everything to kill Sorr. A beautiful Chiss woman desperately clinging onto his leg. Tiaza gave him more words of encouragement even a wink. Rory gave a small smirk his fingers twitching inches away from reaching the black Blaster Bolt nestled inside his holster. His blue eyes stuck on Sorr's fearful, brown eyes. "I can't do this," Sorr thought. "I can't beat him."

Sorr has never hurt anyone much less killed anyone. Rory has 40 years as a mercenary and a Smuggler. To live as long as him, he had to be a fast draw and more importantly: A ruthless pragmatist. All Sorr had was his brains and it won't do him good in this standoff. The young man thought about Dagmar: His older brother and how he would take him fishing near the Alderaan lakes. "Dag," Sorr would say to his brother a week before he left to fight the Brotherhood. "How do you overcome fear?"

"You stand your ground," Dagmar would say reeling in some Fish. "The only time a person can be brave if he's afraid."

Sorr slowly placed his hand on the holster, the fear in his eyes slowly dissipating. His eyebrows crinkled into a frown his fingers slowly reaching towards his holster. He and Rory were 5 feet apart, the control panel was behind Rory. From the corner of his eye, Sorr could see Rory getting closer to his Pistol. The young man did the same, his mind was only focused on one thing and one thing only and that was to protect Tiaza. As he reached his pistol, Sorr immediately fired on Rory's shoulder while he drew his weapon. The man gave a screech of pain before falling down back first.

"Take that!" Sorr shouted nearly losing his balance. "Oh....." Sorr muttered. "I think I'm going to....."

The young man threw up puking all over the floor but flushed with victory. "Sorry Tiaza," Sorr said holstering his pistol and picking her up. "Are you okay?"

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

The duel that most likely played out very slowly for Sorr was a bit of a blur for Tiaza. The two combatants staring each other down only to have it ended in a snap by the bolt racing across the room from Sorr’s blaster. Rory went down quickly. Tiaza wasn’t sure whether the injury was fatal or not, and honestly she didn’t care. She never wanted Rory to be dead, she only wanted to be safe from the double crosser.

During the lead up and eventual end of the duel Tiaza could feel the tension within Sorr. She was glad for that reaction. Deep down she knew that if Sorr really became a smuggler he would eventually make hard decisions, and some of them would be unthinkable to Tiaza. Sorr would eventually have to make them as second nature if he was going to survive. She was happy that at least for now he was so hesitant. It made her believe what her first impression of how good a guy he was.

After Rory was down Tiaza moved to congratulate Sorr. It was a good thing as she could see the look on his face change and had a good feeling she knew what was coming next. She saw that look on her own face ten minutes before her first show at the Opera House on Coruscant. She made sure to give him enough room as he wretched on the floor. She slowly stood behind Sorr, an arm across his shoulders. She gave a chuckle when he apologized again. She reached both arms around his neck and gave him a hug, rising onto tippy toes so that she could give him another kiss on the cheek. “You did it, Sorr. There is nothing to apologize for. Especially not feeling bad for hurting someone. Even a sleemo like Rory. I am fine,” she was obviously still trying to keep weight off her ankle. “What’s next? I might need you to carry me again,” she added the last with a wink and a giggle.​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

Sorr was wet with sweat, it felt as though he trekked through the desert planet of Jakku. His heart was still beating rapidly eyes still staring at Rory who was rolling around in pain. The shoulder wound was a massive hole that melted bone, smoke started to come out while Rory was uttering curses that Sorr only heard from his opponents when he was curb stomping them in the Hologames. Tiaza hugged him while giving Sorr another kiss which caused the young man to blush, his heart was working overtime and another flirt from Tiaza made Sorr feel that his heart was going to explode.

"Of course," Sorr picked up Tiaza in a bridal carry as he walked over towards the control panel. "You fucker!" Rory yelled. "You don't have the guts to kill me!"

Sorr remained silent carrying Tiaza close to him as he accessed the main database. He shut off the security systems while Rory continued to shout. "You're going to regret leaving me alive!" Rory laughed. "Do you realize who I am?! You will have a bounty so big that you will never set foot in a civilized system ever again! You and that Chiss woman!"

The young man smiled at Tiaza looking at the exit opening for them. "Come on," he whispered while they walked away from Rory. "You don't get it!" He shouted. "You need to kill if you want to survive! You won't get far Sorr!"

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Sorr picked up Tiaza to a contented purr in his ear. ‘This ankle injury might have to last a bit,’ she thought to herself as she again wrapped her arms around Sorr’s neck. ‘Ten days til I have to be on stage again. Eight of them having Sorr carry me around would be great,’ she continued her daydream. ‘Two to get better enough that Sap doesn’t take out a bounty on him for putting me in the line of fire.’

Rory was spouting off as they left the control room. Tiaza wasn’t paying close attention until he threatened a bounty…on both of them. She held her concern about that in until they had left the room and the injured sleemo behind. “He won’t really put a bounty on us will he?” Tiaza questioned in an equal part innocent whine and concern. “I mean who would take payment for killing us when he is the sleemo?” The concern tightened her grip on his neck, not in a way that threatened to damage Sorr, but it was noticeable.​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

"Keep walking!" Rory laughed while Sorr exited the control room. "Enjoy your last days in this Galaxy! You should've killed me when you've had the chance."

Sorr gulped while he continued to carry Tiaza towards the Control Room. Now Rory was a man who betrayed him, but he did have connections. Wouldn't it been best to kill him and not have to worry about Bounty Hunters coming after them? Now he definitely placed Tiaza in danger, Sorr sighed looking down at Tiaza who voiced her concerned. What could he say to her? That everything would be all right? Maybe it would be best if Sorr separated from the young woman. If anything, Rory was angrier with Sorr than Tiaza she was just caught in the middle of it all. "He'll probably place a bounty on me Tiaza," Sorr said giving the young Chiss woman a shaky smile. "I don't think he's serious about placing a bounty on you."

He did enjoy her purrs whenever he picked her up too bad it'll be the last time it'll happen. "Tiaza," Sorr said as they reached the exit. "I-I think it's best if we go our separate ways." He looked away from Tiaza. "Just in case Rory places a Bounty on both of our heads. I don't want you to be in danger anymore Tiaza, In the criminal underworld the slimier you are, the more respect you get and Rory may have it in on us."

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Sorr her sweet, smart savior thought that it was a better idea that they separate than stick things out together. He said it was for her safety, and Tiaza believed that was his intention, but with Hilal Vizsla off trying to find her father she wouldn’t feel safe, not if she was away from Sorr.

“No, no, no no,” Tiaza whined, pressing her cheek against Sorr’s chest. “When my best friend and bodyguard is done with her business maybe we can talk about splitting up while the pressure is on. If you think it will make me safer.” She gave a bit of a sob and clung to him tighter. “Right now I would rather be in danger by your side than safe away from you.”

He explained in the underworld being a sleemo made you more respected. Tiaza guessed that made Rory pretty respected, because he was the ultimate sleemo. “If Rory has enough respect to put us both in danger, that means we just have to make someone else that has more power happy with us and unhappy with Rory. Isn’t that the way smuggling works? Double cross the double crosser?” In the romance novels the girl always found herself in a tough situation and the suave smuggler always found a way to keep her safe and sound. Sorr would do that surely. He wouldn’t send her back to Sap without Hilal and with a bounty on her head.​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

Sorr gulped when Tiaza began to sob a bit all he Sorr cared about was her safety. He was more of a liability to Tiaza at this point, Rory had links to the most dangerous Bounty Hunters in the Galaxy. He was pretty doubtful that this Hilal could feasibly take them on. "Tiaza....." Sorr mumbled as they exited the dock. Sorr never felt more glad to feel the night air bristling against his face. "I-I don't know Tiaza all I know right now Is I need to get out of the Core Worlds."

Would Tiaza be fine with life with a Smuggler? It would seem so judging by her declaration that she felt safer with him. Sorr's eyebrows perked up when Tiaza mentioned that maybe he could Rory's bosses unhappy with him. "That....." Sorr mumbled. "Could be a good Idea! Maybe if I can find someone to work for then perhaps I could get Rory off my back.....

The young man paused he knew a couple of people who could help but there was one problem....... "Maybe I can call up some of my Dad's old contacts," he said. "They're part of the Coruscant Police Force, my Dad has a couple of the elite cops under his payroll. Last I've heard, one of them is looking for an escaped killer in Nar Shadaa."

Sorr looked down at Tiaza adjusting his grip so she can relax against him. "So what do you say?" he said. "Try to track him down?"

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza thought for a moment, when Sorr said he needed to get away from the Core. Most of Tiaza’s current tour was booked in the Mid Rim. But that wasn’t generally considered far enough from the Core Worlds. When someone was trying to get away that meant the Outer Rim, probably Hutt Space now that the Consortium had taken up dominance and made it a place where criminal transactions were commonplace.

Tiaza had heard bad things about some of those planets, but she just knew that Sorr would keep her out of the seedier places. Whatever their quickly formed bond was becoming, Tiaza knew he wouldn’t want her to be hurt or taken advantage of. She knew that it would be difficult to stay close all the time, Sorr would surely have deadlines from demanding bosses and it wasn’t like concerts could pop up whenever it was convenient for Tiaza to play. Whatever it took, it would be worth it to be Princess Leia to Sorr’s Han Solo.

Sorr looked into her eyes and she almost forgot what action he had suggested. Old cops sounded like a good place to start to get Rory off their asses, but she wasn’t sure if they were the best place to start a smuggling career. If Sorr thought it was a good idea though, Tiaza would follow. Unless a decision involved music or the holonet she’d be happy to follow Sorr’s lead. “I’m with you on this Sorr. Wherever you think is best. Old cops sound like good contacts to make. How will we get to them though? Still don’t have a ship.”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

"Leave that to me," a smile formed on Sorr's face. "When reactivated the exits, I've made sure to get the specific dock number where Rory's ship is at." Sorr had a reputation of being a Cyberthief when he was a kid so much so that his Dad established firewalls to lock him out of his Holocomputers. He would usually work around them. Slicing into a dock terminal was easy enough. Rory may have contacts but he's not going to leave Ord Mantell for a while.

"It's going to be a long road Tiaza," Sorr said carrying the young Chiss like a mother holding onto her child. "Especially with your ankle busted up but don't worry I'll make sure you'll be safe. Until your friend comes back that is and even then we might be still working in the Outer Rim."

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

Tiaza gave a smirk when Sorr had revealed he was able to get the information for Rory’s ship. Stealing the man’s ship certainly wasn’t going to cool his temper, but he was already threatening to put death marks on both of them how much worse could it get. The young Chiss did give a furrow to her brow however when she considered what kind of condition Rory’s ship might be in. He didn’t seem like the type to keep things clean and tidy. Although he did have twenty droids and two thugs with him, maybe he sourced out the upkeep of the ship.

Sorr warned Tiaza that things would not be easy, but she didn’t care at the moment. She snuggled into his chest taking advantage of the time that he was still having to carry her. “Mhm, my ankle is really bad I think,” she whined much more than was really necessary. “But I know you’ll keep me safe. Just know that I do have a schedule. If we don’t contact my people, they will likely get concerned and come after me. So whatever we’re doing I’ll have to find some way to contact them if I’m going to miss a show. Past that I’m all yours til I know you’re all set up with an employer and we’ve gotten Rory off our backs.”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

Great.... The bad news was that there was a time limit to all of this. To think Sorr wanted to explore the Galaxy with Tiaza uninterrupted, but she is a singer with management looking to make money off of her. By the time her show starts, Sorr needed to not only gain the trust of this corrupt cop but also get him to arrest Rory. If he's still in Nar Shadda that is. "How long until your tour starts?" Sorr asked continuing to walk through the streets heading to the docks he had a feeling that the time frame was going to be shorted than expected.

"Because I need to hurry if it's short," Sorr said looking at the docking bay that Rory had his freighter in. "Hopefully Rory has a good hyperdrive," he smirked down at Tiaza.

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

“Technically my tour has already started,” Tiaza admitted with a sigh. It was the first time in years that she wasn’t dying to get onto a stage and sing her music. She wondered for a moment what was wrong with her. But the answer she came up with was nothing. It was that Sorr was so nice and interesting and made her feel as alive as her music did. It wasn’t a bad thing, but she couldn’t completely leave her music behind.

“There is a scheduled date in ten days,” Tiaza informed Sorr. She didn’t think that would give them enough time. “I can send a message to my manager and postpone though. As long as I have an idea how long we might be to get Rory off us.”

Tiaza gave a giggle at the comment about hurrying and the hyperdrive. “We just need to get you in a place where you can stick to your dreams. And Rory isn’t sending bounty hunters after us for foiling his backstab. There’s no reason that we have to stop seeing each other because we both have jobs. I couldn’t handle it if I didn’t get to see you… I prefer the thought of seeing you very often. Who else is going to carry me around to all my appointments?”​

 

[Sorr Kortu]

"Oh," Sorr said his heart sinking as he came closer towards the hangar bay. "Well, that's the thing, II don't know how long. Maybe a month or two. I need to get established and I have a feeling that the corrupt cop is going to milk me for all its worth. After all I'm supposed to remain out of my Dad's sight not come crawling back to him via his cronies."

Sorr needed to learn how to manipulate people and fast. Otherwise, Rory's Bounty Hunters would be swarming all over them. "Really?" Sorr said blushing a bit as he pressed the button opening the door in front of them. "I-I guess but by the time your tour starts, I'll probably start my life as a Smuggler but I'll make sure to see you as often as I can."

He never been with a girl who hugged and kissed him as much as Tiaza did. It helped that she was always supportive of Sorr's ambitions, the young man will make sure to see her as often as she can. "But I don't mind carrying you, you know." Sorr said as he walked towards the ship. "Especially if you're still hurt. I can carry you everywhere you want as long as I can."

Sorr smiled at the young Chiss. "That's a promise," he said. "To carry you around at all times if it makes you feel safe. If I have to put you down, just hug my leg for support."

The young man checked out Rory's Ship smiling as he carried Tiaza inside. "A G9 Rigger," he said. "Not bad, looks like Rory got some taste after all."

Vletti'azan'uosus

 

[Vletti'azan'uosus]

Location: Ord Mantell
Tags: Sorr Kortu

The thought of a month or two alone with Sorr, exploring was. It was exhilarating to just think about. It almost made her want to message Sap and tell him to cancel the whole tour. Then message Hilal and tell her about the bounty and let her catch up with them when she could. That was probably hasty and immature though, so she would keep her options open.

Tiaza got a tingling feeling up her back when Sorr promised to keep carrying her. “Oh, yeah my ankle is soooo bad. It might be a while. Maybe that’s the excuse I can use to delay my tour some. Of course I’ll have to figure out as to how I hurt my ankle. Stumbled when my new b…friend got in a shoot out with his old employer doesn’t sound like something I should admit to.”

Tiaza gave a smile when she looked over the ship. It was an older model she was able to tell, but it was well kept for sure. “There’s going to be a spot next to you for me to sit right? I might not know the first thing about being a pilot, but I’m not gonna sit in some bunk and wait for interesting stuff to happen.”​