Bad Day

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled. That was something good at least. "Skreev or Drexl?"

There were really only two flying creatures on Dxun, even Kurt knew that. Flying either of those...well that seemed downright terrifying. Yet from the way Jamie talked about it there clearly hadn't been that much danger in it. Of course the last time she'd used the force around him to tame something it hadn't gone so well, but he was more than willing to guess that Aela had made sure something like that didn't happen to Jamie. He smiled at the thought her flying across the open sky.

It was nice.

Far more pleasant than picturing her buried beneath half of a cave.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Skreev." She reaffirmed. "It was scary at first. I thought it was going to drop me, or I was going to lose focus and fall or something. But it was fun, and hey, I didn't have to actually pilot it!"

If there were mechanical controls she would have likely died on Dxun. It was a good thing this was an animal and not a speeder.

"From a mountain to the base where we had made camp, and then a bit more over the next few days to practice."

It was one of the most amazing experiences she could have imagined. It felt truly freeing to fly atop something like that, only having to give the Skreev a bit of direction as to where she wanted to go, letting it do the rest while she got to enjoy the sights. It was something she wanted to continue to learn and master. From the smallest to the largest animals.

"Why don't you tell me about what you and Kaile have been doing this whole time? Aside from pondering over swoop racing."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled, at least she got to do some things that were fun. Flying was half of his life, but that was starships. He'd never flown on the back of a living creature, he imagined that was an entirely different sensation...more...alive. For a second his fingers curled as he imagined himself swooping through the air on the back of a Skreev or Titavian. It was...well it was something he'd have to put on his bucket list.

As Jami prompted him Kurt looked up, his lips sputtering.

"Uhh." Was now the time? No. They were in public, surrounded by people. It would only embarrass her more, he couldn't do that to her. "Not much honestly. We had that delivery I told you about before you got to Dxun."

That had been an odd one. "It was to the core."

Something crossed his face.

"Oh." He remembered. "I guess we did see something interesting. When we dropped into the system there was a starship graveyard. Dozens, maybe hundreds of ships that had belonged to the One Sith. No sign of Republic or Alliance ships, so we think it was just One Sith Remnants duking it out."

It had been an interesting sight, and in truth Kurt had been tempted to claim salvage rights at the time.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh!" She said with excitement, settling into her seat. "Did you check out the derelict ships?"

Jamie wouldn't have been able to resist. Exploring was in her blood. Caves, mostly, but she knew her curiosity would most certainly get the better of her if she happened across some abandoned, out of commission starships, especially belonging to the Sith! Everything of their culture was exciting to her. Perhaps less so given that these were incredibly modern, very recent Sith, but still, there was always a story to be found in ruins of just about anything.

"That sounds fun."

By now she'd nearly finished with her food, though the fact that Kurt still had yet to eat anything made her give him a bit of a stink eye.

"Was there anyone else there? Or any idea if it had just happened?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"No we were kind of freake dout." Kurt admitted.

"The place I delivered the package to was...creepy." There had also been the small matter of the little truth that Kaile had told him back on that world...he tried not to think about it and moved on. "I think they were fighting for territory."

It was what made the most sense. "Since the One Sith government fell it's military has sort of been carved up into a bunch of little pieces. A bunch of Sith Lords claimed small sections of the navy and then retreated to their own little strongholds. The Core is a pretty good place to hide out, and I think this battle was probably two of these Sith Warlords duking it out for who got control of the system."

He smiled slightly.

"Plus." Kurt added. "The Messa wasn't really made for salvage run. The Cargo Hold can barely fit me."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Hmmmmm." The sound of gears in Jamie's head working. Kurt would likely be familiar with that tone by now. "I see." It was obvious that she was plotting some kind of idea. "Think you could find that place again?"

And there it was. She wanted to go have a look at the graveyard, and the ships that were left floating about free space. The very idea of looking through a damaged star destroyer, or something similar excited her to no end. And besides, it wasn't as if there would be anyone to stop them. They didn't even need to necessarily take anything, she just wanted to see the ships, stand aboard the bridge of one, and look out into space.

"It would be so exciting to see, don't you think?" Clearly she ignored the part where Kurt said he had been freaked out. "Where did you deliver the package to?"

At this point she'd forgotten about her food as well, but only because she was now enthralled with this story. So much so that when the waitress returned and asked if they needed anything Jamie hadn't even heard her speaking until she raised her voice a bit.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt scratched the back of his head.

"It's in the core." He'd already said that much. "A couple thousand light years away from Coruscant."

Which meant deep core.

"I have the coordinates on The Messa. The Planet doesn't actually have a name, not an official one anyway. It's been called a hundred different things by a hundred different governments and no ones ever really cared enough to actually settle the matter." He shrugged.

In a weird way the Core was actually a lot like the outer rim. Hard to travel through, hard to settle, and no one bothered going there unless they really had to. He supposed it was because of the asteroid fields and black holes, but part of him had always wondered why no one had made the effort to properly chart all of that territory to the point where you actually could settle it. Maybe it was just easier to head out in the mid rim. He supposed that was why all the purse worlds were there.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"We should go there." She said plainly. As if that wasn't already obvious enough. "I want to see it."

Suddenly it didn't seem quite as much like a request anymore. Her mind was pretty well made up. If Kurt still had the coordinates, they should be able to find the graveyard easy enough. Who knew what there was to find! It was sort of like a treasure hunt, where the treasure was the sightseeing, more so than actual valuables.

"Oh, I'm sorry," She said, looking back to the waitress that was still standing there while the two exchanged words. "I think we're fine." With thinned lips the woman proceeded to nod and set the check down before walking away. Even before Kurt had the chance to look at the slip Jamie snapped it up, holding it as she fiddled with her backpack for a minute or so, fishing for the credits until her fingers finally felt the smooth surface of a chit. She slipped it into the tab and set it aside on the table, before turning back to Kurt.

"What do you think?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He loved her optimism, but things weren't quite that simple. He couldn't help but let out a little chuckle as she turned back to him, eagerness showing on her face. "Honey I know you like that stuff, but getting there would take us a week even with The Messa."

Meaning it would take longer without it.

Kurt and Kaile had extensively modified the light freighter to be one of the fastest ships in the galaxy. Not only did it have blinding speed in real space, but it had a hyperdrive that could get it nearly anywhere in the blink of an eye. Trips that took three days turned into one day, trips that took a week turned into three days. It was a beautiful thing really, made it the perfect thing for his job, but not having it meant that everything else was dreadfully slow.

"That meant we'll be gone for at least two weeks." Not to mention the time it took them to actually look at everything. "I don't think you have that much time."

There was also the little matter of what he still had to tell her. "Plus I already paid the for the houseboat."

At least the deposit.

"Tell you what, we spend our time here, have a little bit of fun, and we'll go there next time. That way we can actually plan for it." If she even wanted to look at him then. "I guarantee you it's going to stay there. No ones going to visit that system for a long time."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A groan of discontent echoed through her vocal chord. "Fiiiine."

Kurt needed all this planning nonsense. Most everything she did after having left Naboo was entirely spontaneous. She had become tired of living by a routine and a plan and schedules. Now she was mostly free of any timetable, short of the overarching few that still bound her to places at certain intervals like Theed and Sullust, and Lothal. But as far as regular day-to-day things were concerned, she was mostly free to do as she pleased unless Aela needed her for something.

"I'm ready to leave if you're going to leave your meal untouched."

She was having trouble looking at the food simply sitting there uneaten, when she had spent a great deal of her life looking out for children that struggled to find where their next meal would come from. Jamie knew they were going to toss it away as soon as the two left, so she was eager to leave sooner than later if that was the end result anyway.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt offered her a low smile. "I'm sure you'll survive."

Though perhaps he wouldn't.

The Courier scooted up from his chair and stood. Perhaps it was bad form to leave the food uneaten, but...well his appetite was really completely gone. With everything that Jamie had told him piled onto what he still had to tell her...He doubted that he'd be eating very much for the next few weeks. As he turned he let out a breath, his eyes closing for a moment as he realized that it would soon be time to tell Jamie...everything. He frowned and then looked towards her, replacing the expression with a smile.

"Come on." He took her hand as she stood. "Let's go see the boat."

Then he could finally tell her.

Maybe it would feel like a weight off his chest, or maybe it would feel like a dagger in his heart.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The signature eye roll followed his comment. "Mhmm." She muttered, standing alongside Kurt. The blonde set the napkin atop the table and picked up her backpack, pulling it over her shoulders carefully, so not to bump the customers behind her, before heading for the doors. Outside the same crisp ocean smell carried itself along the breeze with the smell of freshly cooked food from the other nearby restaurants and bakeries. Her sunglasses were retrieved from the bag and placed back onto her face to shield from the bright rays of the sun, as the two walked towards the boathouse Kurt had rented for the week.

"I haven't talked to my parents still." Finally breaking the brief period of silence. "Even though I've been back to Naboo. I've not talked to or seen either one of them. It still didn't feel like the right time, you know?"

Though that hardly meant she didn't want to.

"I still wonder about that little girl from time to time. What she's up to, how she is. I'm hoping that once everything settles down and I can finally catch a break that whole situation will correct itself."

It felt a bit selfish to Jamie though, wanting her family life to return to normal, while also being able to make public the truth about her half sister. It wasn't quite like an ordinary family where the business of infidelity was hardly concerning of others, but this was a bit different in the sense that the ripples from that effected a great deal of people both directly and indirectly. Jamie wondered just how much damage it would cause when it came about.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Oh dear.

Part of him had forgotten all about that situation. Maybe it was because of everything that he had to deal with...but...oh god. This was getting worse and worse. His lips thinned for a moment, the pit in his stomach growing about two sizes. His heart pumped a little louder, thudding in his chest again and again. It sounded out in his ears, and in truth he felt like he was about to keel over. Kurt took a deep breath and slipped his arm around Jamie, sneakily using her as support. "I suppose they both know you were there."

How could they not? Kurt had known and he was half the galaxy away. He was sure that Jamie's parents had seen her on TV. They had probably been twice as proud as he was, though given their current situation...he spared a glance towards Jamie.

"You have to do what you think is right." He told her as he leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

"No matter what you do this won't be easy." It was what he'd been telling himself for days now. "But it will work out."

Another thing that he'd been telling himself.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

That was part of the whole problem. What was right? She still didn't entirely know. Part of her truly believed Mariya ought to know that her real father was alive, that she had a half-sister in Jamie, that up until this point her life had been partially a lie, and that she had every right to know and choose to do with that information what she wanted. The other half of Jamie thought that maybe her reasons were more just selfish desires to have a sister that she wanted, and that everyone's lives were better off if things were kept the way her father had set them.

Unfortunately she wasn't sure if any of that mattered. In her tirade at her parent's house she'd threatened to tell the secret if her father hadn't done so. By the time she saw them next the whole thing might already be out.

"I know." She said quietly as they walked. "I guess sometimes I'm just not sure what the right thing is."

Nothing was ever easy. But for the moment everything was as it was supposed to be. She had time to think on things, and time to spend with her boyfriend, away from the stress of the rest of the galaxy.

At least there was that.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

They rounded a corner and reached the docks, the cafe having been just next to them. Three or four boats still lined the pier, Kurt pointed to the one at the very end. It was a neat, nice little thing. Not overly huge, but more than comfortable enough for Jamie and Kurt to spend a few days on. It rocked gently as the waves lapped against the docks, large ships quickly passing by as they wandered into the oceans of the world around them.

"I think we all feel like that sometimes." Kurt said as they wandered towards the boat.

His heart was still thundering in his chest, his vision blurring just a bit as he realized that...he was going to have to tell her soon. He frowned for a moment, taking a breath of sea air as though it were enough to calm him. As they headed down the dock Kurt looked at the sights, distracting himself as much as he can. "This isn't really a one solution kind of thing, babe."

Jamie would know that already.

"I'm sure your sister will be just as confused as you honestly." Maybe more so. "Or maybe your fathers already told her."

They reached the boat in no time, Kurt fishing around in his pocket to dig out a pair of keys. he fumbled with them for a moment and then pressed a button on the side of one. There was a quiet whirring noise, and then a ramp quickly began to lower itself onto the pier.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Maybe." Watching the ramp lower onto the pier was neat. She hadn't really ever seen anything like that before, aside from an occasional HoloMag advertisement here and there. "That's neat." She remarked, waiting for the ramp to lower completely before stepping onto the metallic surface and making her way across to the boathouse itself. There was a gentle sway that could be felt as it rocked with the motion of the waves beneath it. Turning to face Kurt once she had crossed the ramp she crossed her arms.

"I don't know that she is old enough to really understand yet."

That was part of the problem. The girl was only about eleven years old. Jamie wasn't quite sure that she was in the proper mindset to be able to rationalize what everything meant.

"I do wonder if her father ever suspected that she wasn't his though." Was that something that a person could get a feel for? Knowing whether or not a child was actually theirs?

Of course it wasn't quite like she could really ask the man, he'd been dead for years now. Perhaps that was a bit of a blessing in disguise. One less problem to have to worry about when this situation came to light, if it hadn't already, like Kurt suggested. Though she supposed if it had the last time she was back on Naboo there would have been rumblings about it while she was at the palace.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He followed Jamie up the ramp, stepping onto the outer deck of the ship. Immediately there was a slight sway of waves, though he managed to catch himself on the railings. His fingers latching around the cool metal as the ramp once again began to raise itself up and into the hull of the ship. "Back home."

Kurt began.

"If something like this happened people would be liable to get shot." He remembered one incident with a farmer and his wife...things hadn't really gone all that well. To Jamie that might have seemed backwards, and it probably was, but Kurt couldn't help but smile at the memory. "I guess it's not that simple on Naboo."

Plus, he doubted even she wanted to see her father shot. "As for if she'll understand...kids are smarter than you think."

That was certainly true.

There were some brilliant little street rats back in Mos Eisley, Kurt knew because at one point he had been one of them. No one should ever underestimate kids, though he suspected Jamie knew that fact just as well as he did. Finally he moved away from the railing and back towards her, his hand gently settling on the small of her back as he guided her towards the door of the cabin.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"That's extreme." She said, her eyes widening a bit. "I don't quite think anyone would openly murder someone over it." Her head shook in a bit of disbelief of the idea. "Assets would be divided, families torn apart and their reputation, which often times was far more valuable than anything they materially possessed." She paused to go on a minor tangent, "Like our family's, for example, we have wealth, plenty of it yes, but the reputation is far more important to everyone. It ensures that we are heard at court, our word is taken at face value, and we are trusted to the crown." Jamie rather enjoyed that bit, as it got her out of a great many jams in her early years. And now, given her role as an advisor and delegate, it was especially important to her.

"But I don't recall anyone ever being murdered over something like this. It just isn't really a part of our society."

Jamie followed Kurt inside, closing the door quietly behind her as she set down her bag just beside the doorway. A stretch and a yawn felt wonderful, and the light rocking of the ship was strangely charming to her. The expectation was that she would find herself feeling seasick for the first few minutes. Her stomach admittedly surprised her then.

"Maybe Mariya will understand. Maybe not. It doesn't matter right now I suppose. I don't want to ruin our time together dwelling on it."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Yeah. She didn't want to ruin their time together.

Kurt had that covered. "I'll never understand politics."

He shook his head. His heart was still thundering in his chest, his head hurt, everything...everything was about to come crashing down. He could feel his limbs getting a bit lighter, his vision blur. He took a deep breath in and wandered through the small cabin. There was a kitchen, a tiny living room, a single bathroom and then of course a bedroom. It wasn't the lap of luxury, but it was nice for the two of them. Not to mention the deck had plenty of space for them to sit around on.

Another breath as he wandered towards the bedroom, he could hear Jamie follow behind him. He turned and sat himself down, fighting the urge not to collapse and just pass out.

"I'm not clever enough." Kurt told her with a weak smile. "Just a simple farmboy."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie smirked, watching Kurt sit on the edge of the bed of the room, his eyes dancing as he went about self-deprecating. She used her feet to push off each of her shoes on the other, letting them fall lazily on the floor beside the door, to which she then hooked her leg backwards, and proceeded to push it lightly closed, leaning back against her hands, setting her foot back on the soft carpeting. The smirk was still on her face, her teeth bit down against her lip as she watched him curiously for a minute.

"I guess I just like simple farmboys."

The smirk turned notably mischievous the moment she said that, her hands pushing herself off from the door to make her way to Kurt. "More fun than the dry, emotionless nobles back home."

She understood that he had always felt this strange way about not being good enough for Jamie, something she wanted to frequently remind him wasn't the case, that she loved him for who he was, not what he came from, or what he had in terms of money, or fame, or possessions. Jamie certainly enjoyed living a comfortable life, but it wasn't what defined her. Her right leg crossed over Kurt's body, straddling him with her knees on top of the pillowy mattress, her rear directly in his lap. Loving hands fell atop his cheeks, where she then leaned down, kissing him.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]