Funny Finding You Here

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He perked an eyebrow again. "Uh huh."

There was no sarcasm in his tone, though clear suspicion. He wasn't entirely sure if she was lying or not, though by the odd shade of red that her face was slowly turning Kurt would guess that she had been. The Tatooine Champion wanted to laugh, but he realized just how doomed Jamie was if she did decide to continue on her flounce through the galaxy. She could easily get hurt, easily get captured, easily die. She apparently had none of the skills that she would need and none of the time to learn them.

"So you would know what to do if your hyperdrive failed?" Kurt questioned her. "Or if your flux carburetor went out?"

The last thing he completely made up of course.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Oh! A hyperdrive! I know what that is. It makes the ship go into hyperspace! You got this Jamie, you got thi- ...... What the kark is a flux carburetor?

"If the hyperdrive fails you get a new one! I'm not a mechanic you know, I said I can pilot! What's with the 20 questions, huh?"

Perfect. Dodge the questions. Sometimes you outdo yourself.

"Besides, why does it matter? You think you're some kind of ace pilot or something with a fancy ship?"

She wondered if he knew she was lying the whole time, and just wanted to corner her in a lie, or if there was some underlying reason why he kept pressing her about where she was going and how she was going to get there. He took quite a bit of interest in how she was going to make her way to these places.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Yep.

She was lying.

It wasn't very hard to tell with how her face had bloomed in color and her pupils had dilated. Kurt wasn't an expert in interrogation, but he'd questioned a prisoner or two in his time. It was easy to tell when people were lying, at least if they didn't know how to hide it, and Jamie certainly didn't know how to do that. It was one of the things she would likely have to learn in the future, one of the things that was required if you were to survive in this crazy galaxy. One of the benefits of growing up on Tatooine had been that he did it naturally. Lying came to Kurt as easily as flying.

"Uhh, yeah, I am." He said with a smile. "Double ace, actually."

That wasn't as impressive as it sounded. The war between the One Sith and the Republic had raged on for over a decade now, and in that time the One Sith had never really grasped on the proper utilization of a navy. When Kurt had been a pilot for the Republic he had flown over a dozen combat missions against the Sith and each and every single time all they did was throw ships at them. There had been no skill, no strategy, nothing.

It had been like shooting a womp-rat trapped in a box. "Now, the Flux Carburetor. How do you fix it?"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Pale blue eyes glared at Kurt as her eyelids closed partway. Is he lying? What is a double ace pilot? Is that a thing?!

Her hand moved towards her head, intertwining her fingers within her hair nervously. "Um...You fix it by..." Come on, come on...Say something... "I don't know!" She shouted frustratingly. "I don't know, okay? I've never even been in a starship cockpit before. I don't know how to even turn the engines on." By now her face was beaming red, so much so that it was warm to the touch.

"I don't know how to pilot anything more than a speeder. But I don't need you to berate me like I am some kid, you barely look any older than I, aside from that scruff on your face."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I'm probably not." Kurt admitted, though he had no idea for sure. He guessed that she was either eighteen or nineteen years old, but there was no way of knowing for sure unless he asked her. He himself was only twenty two, but their upbringing had been worlds apart. Kurt had been a pod-racing champion by the age of fifteen and had left his homeworld by the age of eighteen. He'd fought in war by twenty and had been kicked out of the military by twenty one.

Things were different, he was experienced, knowledgeable, though even he had gaps.

"But I have a hell of a lot of more experience than you." Slowly Kurt began to dig around his jacket pockets, pulling through everything until eventually he managed to find a small card like datapad. There was an odd light to it, and he offered it to her. "Here."

The datapad was a business card for Sif Shipping Corporation, a subsidiary of Vanir Technologies that handled the shipping and transportation of goods. "This is the company that I work for. It's a transportation business. It's a good company, pay well and they often hire people just out of school or folk looking to get off world. I bet they can find you a ship to work on for a bit, that way you can see the galaxy and be safe about it."

At least part of the way anyway, she wouldn't have to sign a contract or anything and she could get around without being kidnapped.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She blinked a number of times, blank faced. He was telling her to get a job? Why?

"Just what exactly is this going to do for me? I don't need a job. I don't want a job." She partially squinted one eye and shook her head, looking confused. "That's not why I left Naboo, to become a delivery girl. That might be your cup of tea, but it's not mine. Is this your way of trying to convince me to go with you? To find a ship to work on?" She made little quotation fingers with her emphasis on the latter portion of her statement.

"Just because you fly around and deliver packages doesn't mean you are any better equipped to protect yourself than I am. You don't have a blaster on you, or a lightsaber. You don't even have a stun gun. How do you protect yourself that is any different than me? I saw how you protected yourself in the diner, if you want to discuss that again."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

His eyebrow perked once again, this time twitching. "A ship."

Kurt began to explain very slowly.

"Takes you places." His hand motioned as though it were a starship flying across the galaxy. "Those places are things you have not seen before. Those places are where you want to go. How the kark else are you gonna get to Kashyyyk, Umbara, or even Coruscant? Walk? Also, my ship is full, thank you."

How did she not get this? He thought that he had made it fairly obvious. "And carrying a blaster isn't always the smartest thing in the galaxy. Generally when you carry a blaster, or a stun gun, or even a fancy lightsaber people tend to want to shoot you, or worse. Avoiding a fight is the smartest way of winning one."

He was trying to be patient, he really was, but it was getting harder.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The look she gave him was one of such contempt. "I know a ship takes you places, smart ass." She rolled her eyes.

"But by getting a job, on one of your ships, that means I don't get to choose where I go. I'm stuck running errands for" Jamie looked down at the card. "Sif. And that doesn't make me any safer, either." She shook her head.

"Nobody said to go around waiving a weapon in the air, but most people look to avoid fights, except for the criminally insane. So what good is not being able to protect yourself? That's just being a coward."

That was harsh, but he was talking to her like she had some kind of mental deficiency now, and nothing ticked her off more than being talked to like an idiot.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt dipped his face in his hand. He really wasn't sure how to better bring this point home. The pilot was trying to give her options, and she apparently chose to ignore it all and continue on her own path. Sure she could choose where to go if she didn't work for Sif, but how the hell was she going to choose anything if she didn't have someway of getting there? That was plain and simple logic. His head came back up, and he tried to explain himself once more.

"How else are you going to choose?" Kurt sounded kind of annoyed. "As far as you've said, you have no ship, no connections, and I'm just going to go ahead and guess that your parents wont be sending money any time soon."

"I'm trying to give you options of how you can actually achieve your goals without getting killed. You don't have to be tied onto a ship, don't have to sign a contract, but while flying with them you can pick up a few skill and do it while surrounded by people who won't murder you." Sif employees were screened after all.

"Also, I have a blaster." He pointed out. "I just choose not to carry it where I could provoke someone, like on a Trade Station filled with idiots coming from the outer rim."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I find it hard to believe that everyone in the galaxy is out to murder you." She stood up, the droids had finally noticed the pair arguing a ways away and halted what they were doing. She got a bit close to him, looked into his eyes with tightened lips and stared him down for a minute before finally breaking her silence.

"Fine. I have no ship and no connections outside of Naboo. But I am far from helpless, like you seem to think. I know how to fight."

That may have been the most honest thing she'd said so far. Sure she wasn't a crack shot with a blaster, and she hadn't yet learned how to wield a lightsaber, but she was a very fine duelist with a saber, and she could throw a punch or two.

"Suppose I agree to this. What then? Are you going to take me to Byblos?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He stopped for a moment, thinking to himself.

Did he have the time?

Kurt was supposed to pick up Kaile on Bestine three days from now, but he supposed that Byblos was close enough that it didn't really matter, plus if he told Kaile to go out on the town for a day or tow and wait then she wouldn't mind one bit. He mused for a moment more, then continued on. "Not everyone, no."

There were those in the galaxy that were truly kind, Kaile was one of them. The girl who was now his roomate truly was one of the most kind souls he had ever met, which partially disgusted him in ways he couldn't quite put to words. She likely would have insisted on helping Jamie in any way that they could. That still left a whole lot of bad to deal with, especially for her. Kurt had seen the holo-vids of what Sith did to force users, of how they twisted them. He didn't understand the why, but he knew the how and the result. He wouldn't wish that on his worst enemy.

"If that's what you want." Bestine wasn't too far. "I can."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Not really. But I suppose I don't have much in the way of options, aside from sneak on board another ship like I had planned to do."

Ah, yes. The old stow away plan. She'd seen it done before. Those holo-vids were always good for something. Clever as they were.

"Can you can teach me the basics of how to fly then, on the way?"

It had to be pretty simple after all, if millions upon millions of people and aliens could do it, so could she. One thing was for sure, she was not without self-confidence. She meant well most times, even if she had a bit of arrogance to her words. Such was the product of growing up sheltered, with privileges most others did not have. Those would stand to be her two biggest barriers. Hopefully it wouldn't get her killed in the mean time.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He nodded. "Sure."

That wouldn't be all that difficult. If she already knew how to operate a speeder then piloting was just a small step up. Of course, mastering piloting was much more difficult. Teaching her wouldn't be all that difficult, at least he thought. It helped that the Messa was a pretty amateur ship, especially with the VT-Command Helm, though he supposed that they wouldn't be using that. Most starships didn't come equipped with the thing and it wouldn't due to have her train on something other vessels didn't have.

"Lets get going." He stood from the box and offered her a hand. "Faster we get there the better."

He hoped Kaile wouldn't mind waiting.

Maybe if he brought her a present.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie took his hand as it was offered. She enjoyed physical interaction. It felt more personal, though not on a sexual level. She just found it to be more meaningful.

"Okay then. Lead on."

She certainly wasn't going to turn down free flying lessons. Even if it wasn't exactly part of her plan, this way it got her off the trade station, further away from Naboo, and one step closer to her goal. It was a slow start, but at least it was something. Maybe she would end up with her own ship too, if she played her cards right.

"So what is it you do then? I mean, aside from deliver packages. Do you have family? A, uhhh, significant counterpart?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I have a family." Kurt said as they wandered out of the hangar. "A roommate too."

That had been an odd circumstance of situations, though now he would freely admit that Kaile was his roommate. "Nothing romantic though, not my style."

He shrugged.

The life might have seemed immature, sad even, but Kurt was happy doing it. Being a courier was simple. He got to see the galaxy, made his own schedule, had his own ship, and it provided him with enough credits for his side project. He enjoyed it, and in truth after the things he had seen during the war Kurt wasn't too eager to really do anything meaningful. Perhaps that was selfish to someone like Jamie, but to Kurt it was simply his way of life.

"What about you?" He mused. "Leave a boy behind?"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She would have given him the Oooooooh! when he mentioned a 'roomate' though he had quickly divulged that it was nothing on that side of the fence. Platonic roomates. Or maybe just that friends with benefits type.

"I've never dated anyone. It wasn't allowed. My parents were pretty strict with most things. I had a very tight schedule laid out for me every day."

There were guys she had thought cute, even a couple now and then that would ask her on dates, but she never had the time, and disobeying her parents usually involved being punished with even worse rules and oversight, something she desired nothing of.

"Where's your family from? Why'd you leave them?" She was quite curious about what made him tick, and why he was way out here doing this work.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He shrugged.

"Tatooine." As a general rule, Kurt didn't tell women about who he was or his past. That rule however only really applied to women he was trying to sleep with, which was not the case here at all. He figured that at the very least he could make Jamie more comfortable, allow her to know a little bit about his past and what he had done.

A few people from the earlier crowd spotted them, watching as they passed on by and clearly expecting more drama. Kurt saw a few disappointed faces as neither he nor Jamie yelled.

"I left for a lot of the same reasons you did, actually." Funny how that worked out. "Though, unlike you I wasn't running from my parents. I had their blessing actually."

He wondered if people on Tatooine simply grew up faster than Naboo. Kurt wouldn't be surprised if Jamie had been a bit...coddled. Naboo after all was a purse world. Most people who lived there were rich or well off and those who weren't generally tended to have more than the rest of the galaxy. On Tatooine? Well, the poorest were slaves and even the rich knew what it was like to go hungry. He supposed that was just natural though, different worlds, different people.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Tatooine...." She scrambled planets in her head from her classes. "That's..." She tapped the back of her head, as if trying to force the thought from her mind. "The desert planet, right? Gosh, that sounds like a terrible place to live. Always hot, and nothing but sand as far as the eye can see in all directions?"

She shivered at the thought. "I don't like sand. It's coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere."

As the pair waded through the folks that had been present for their earlier argument Jamie kept her head lowered, preferring not to look at them. "So what's the scoop with your roomate then? Where exactly do you share a room if you're all over the galaxy delivering presents to girls?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"It's not that bad." He mused, though perhaps that was just personal bias. "There's stuff to do, see. The Boonta Eve Classic is fun, Arceneau Trade came from there."

ATC was without question the biggest company in the galaxy, something that people from Tatooine liked to brag about. "Kaile? Oh I picked her up a while ago. We live on my ship, The Messa."

The words were almost comically timed. Kurt and Jamie stepped into Hangar bay three ninety eight in the exact moment that he named his ship, the vessel coming into full view almost instantly. Of course the Ship actually belonged to Sif Shipping corporation, Kurt only leased it while he was slowly paying it off during work. The vessel was sleek, armed, fast, and large enough to comfortably hold himself and Kaile. That wasn't to mention the cargo bay and everything else it came with.

The Messa was a beautiful ship, one that Kurt genuinely enjoyed flying.

Sure it wasn't the vessel that he himself was building, but the ship was fantastic in it's own way. It had already saved his life more than once.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The girl shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. She'd never heard of the Boonta Eve Classic, couldn't even take a stab in the dark as to what it might have been. She did recognize ATC, if only because a lot of things that were imported to Naboo came from an ATC subsidiary. "What's the..." She paused, trying to pronounce it similarly to how Kurt had. "Boonta Eve Classic?" Jamie had no real galactic diversity to call upon, but she was very partial to Naboo. The lush forests, beautiful landscapes, and sparkling water. She'd even made a few Gungan friends a time or two, and spent some time in their underwater cities. Now that was a sight to see.

"You...Picked her up?" That sounded more like he bought her than found her. He didn't look the type to own a slave though, so she found it an odd choice of words. Perhaps it was just a difference in dialog from where the two came from. "You both live on this together? Is she...Here?" Jamie felt awkward now, like some third wheel stumbling in uninvited and imposing on whatever it was the two had going. "I....Don't want to complicate things." Her tone immediately shifted to something more nervous.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]